Anna Lo
South Belfast · Alliance Party · Northern Ireland
“In 2007, when I decided to run for election, it was an exciting time filled with a promise of change to a better, more inclusive and progressive society. I have seen change, though, borrowing a line from Yeats, "peace comes dropping slow". More still needs to be done.”
“As one of the few pro-choice MLAs, I was naturally disappointed that the two amendments to the Justice Bill, one tabled by colleagues and one by me, to allow abortion in very limited circumstances did not pass. We cannot afford to ignore the issue; women need our help. <BR /> <BR />I want to thank my constituents.”
“I also pay tribute to the environment sector whose expertise and commitment have been invaluable to us. <BR /> <BR />As the only ever MLA from an ethnic minority background, I was glad to be in a position to set up the all-party group on ethnic minorities and human trafficking, as well as to lobby extensively with the voluntary sector for…”
“I thank the Minister for his kind words. I want to thank him too for his always very valuable contribution to the Environment Committee. We definitely had a very good working relationship. <BR /> <BR />When the voluntary sector is being cut, I think that the role of volunteers is more important than ever before.”
“I thank the Minister for her statement. The higher and further education sectors have suffered severe cuts to their budgets, so much so that the University of Ulster had to axe the whole of its languages department. How can the Minister justify the economic case for the creation of the two academies?”
“The Committee was advised that the Minister intended to discuss the matter at the Executive with a view to gaining colleagues' agreement to develop a community planning engagement protocol that clearly establishes the nature of the relationship between Departments and local government.”
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“<BR /> <BR />During the Committee Stage, we discussed this part of the Bill at length with departmental officials, but it was argued that such restrictions are necessary. Whilst it may seem sound in theory, we need to question the practicality of these measures on the ground. Research was conducted with young people by the Assembly's Research and Information Service on behalf of the Environment Committee in support of our scrutiny of the Bill. When asked about the passenger restrictions in clause 20, the consensus of the respondents was clear: 6·7% did not know what they thought about the restriction; 25·6% thought that it was a good idea; and the majority — 67·7% — thought that the restrictions were a bad idea.”
“Whilst the Alliance Party is content in general with the Bill and the many amendments, we are concerned about clause 20, which deals with new drivers in the first six months aged under 24, who will not be allowed to carry more than one passenger aged 14 to 20 unless there is a supervising driver in the front passenger seat. This will not apply to family members. The Alliance Party appreciates the sentiment of the clause. We agree that young people who have recently passed their test are more likely to have accidents when they have a number of passengers in their car. We understand that the principle of targeting this age group is to reduce accidents, and the measures of the Bill aim to prevent casualties. However, in our view, clause 20 is overly bureaucratic, convoluted, indiscriminate and would be extremely difficult to enforce.”
“The additional amendments relate to extending the facility of approved courses for new drivers who have passed their test but not yet obtained their licence; the disapplication of restrictions for those requalifying in certain circumstances; the disapplication of the minimum period for holding a provisional licence in certain cases; and limiting the restrictions on newly qualified drivers. As these amendments came after the formal Committee Stage had concluded, the Committee agreed to note the amendments. However, no issues were raised in Committee on the proposed amendments. That concludes the Committee’s views on the group 2 amendments. <BR /> <BR />Mr Principal Deputy Speaker, I will make a few comments as an Alliance MLA.”
“On 28 April, the Minister wrote to the Committee to advise that he intended to table additional amendments at Consideration Stage. The Committee agreed to receive an oral briefing on those additional amendments, and this was held on 21 May. The Committee was advised that, during the Department's discussions with the Department for Transport to ensure compliance with the requirements of the European Commission on the transposition of the third driving licence directive, it became apparent that there were issues with certain provisions relating to the Road Traffic (Amendment) Bill. This resulted in the need for additional amendments to clauses 17, 20 and 21.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Committee agreed to amendment Nos 6 to 11, which are technical amendments to clause 18 relating to renumbering as a result of the insertion of a new article 13A by the Immigration Act 2014. The Committee also agreed amendment Nos 26 and 27, which provide for subordinate legislation to be subject to the draft affirmative procedure and not affirmative, as previously proposed. That has been amended following a recommendation from the Examiner of Statutory Rules.”
“<BR /> <BR />Clause 17 makes it a requirement for a person to hold a provisional licence for at least one year before being able to take the practical driving test. The Committee expressed concern that that was an unnecessarily long period and said that six months, provided it was properly structured and recorded in the student logbook, would be more effective. The Committee asked the Department to propose an amendment to reduce the minimum required period of learning to six months. Amendment No 3 and consequential amendment Nos 31 to 35 specify that the minimum period should be six months. Therefore, the Committee agreed the amendments.”
“I welcome the opportunity to represent the views of the Committee for the Environment on the second group of amendments, which relates to young drivers. <BR /> <BR />Clause 16 reduces the minimum age for obtaining a provisional licence from 17 to 16 and a half years. The Committee agreed to ask the Department to propose an amendment to remove that clause so that the minimum age remained at the current statutory age of 17 years. There was much discussion on the subject in Committee. The majority of members expressed reservations about reducing the minimum age to 16 and a half years, although there was a view expressed that it should be about a person's ability to drive. The Minister agreed to maintain the minimum age of 17 years, and the Committee agreed to the opposition to clause 16.”
“<BR /> <BR />That concludes the Committee's consideration of the amendments in group 1.”
“<BR /> <BR />Clause 6 enables police to carry out evidential breath tests at the roadside without the need to have first conducted a preliminary breath test. The clause also extends the police power of arrest, currently linked to the preliminary breath test, to enable police to arrest a person following an evidential breath test. The Committee was content with the policy content of clause 6, but agreed amendment No 1, which is a minor technical drafting refinement made for consistency elsewhere in the Bill. <BR /> <BR />The Committee also agreed amendment No 29, which was a transitional measure required until the commencement of sections 22 and 23 of the Taxis Act (Northern Ireland) 2008 relating to the definitions of "taxi" and "taxi drivers' licence". Those provisions have now commenced, and paragraph 2 is no longer required.”
“In addition, the Committee took into account the fact that no other signatory to the European Convention on Human Rights has ever had a similar statutory option and that Great Britain was in the process of removing the legislative basis for the statutory option in a Bill that was about to receive Royal Assent. <BR /> <BR />For those reasons, the Committee recommended that the continued provision of the statutory option, as set out in clause 3, should be removed. The Minister accepted the Committee’s recommendation. Therefore, the Committee supports the opposition to clause 3 and, consequently, amendment Nos 2, 28, 30, 39 and 40, all of which relate to the removal of the statutory option.”
“Police representatives emphasised that modern breath-testing technology has vastly improved since the time when the statutory option was envisaged as an essential safeguard and now provides reliable and consistent evidence. Departmental officials also stressed that the use of a breathalyser at the scene of a traffic collision may provide a more accurate snapshot of a driver’s condition than tests carried out a number of hours later.”
“The Department advised the Committee that consideration had been given to the removal of the statutory option but that legal opinion had suggested that the withdrawal of such a right may run contrary to article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights. Officials indicated, however, that further legal clarification was being sought. <BR /> <BR />The PSNI outlined the logistical problems of coping with the statutory option. When a driver with a positive breath test has to be accompanied to the station for further blood or urine tests, the impact on police resources may result in the closure of the roadside checkpoint.”
“The report makes three recommendations, and I am pleased to report to the Assembly that the Minister accepted those recommendations, which are reflected in the some of the amendments that he has tabled today. I would like to thank the Minister and his officials for making themselves available to the Committee and for ably answering members' questions. <BR /> <BR />I now turn to the first group of amendments on drink-driving law reform. Under current legislation, a driver who provides a breath test that is marginally over the prescribed limit is entitled to ask for a blood or urine specimen to replace the breath test. This right is commonly known as the statutory option and was retained at clause 3 to apply to the new lower prescribed limits proposed in the Bill.”
“The Committee also sought an up-to-date report on the views of young people on the provisions of the Bill. The Assembly's research service collated these views on the Committee's behalf through an online survey and focus groups. A total of 582 responses were received, which were interesting and useful for the Committee as it considered the detail of the Bill. <BR /> <BR />I would like to place on record my thanks to all the organisations and individuals who took the time to provide written and oral evidence to the Committee. I would also like to thank the members of the Committee, past and present, for their contributions during Committee Stage. The Committee concluded and agreed its report on 19 March 2015.”
“On behalf of the Committee for the Environment, I welcome the opportunity to outline the Committee's consideration of the Road Traffic (Amendment) Bill. The Bill was referred to the Committee after its Second Stage on 27 May 2014. The Assembly agreed to extend the Bill's Committee Stage until 27 March 2015. Given the Bill's potential to help save lives and improve road safety, the Committee was keen to allow adequate time for scrutiny of this important and significant piece of legislation and to hear from a variety of stakeholders. <BR /> <BR />A total of 17 organisations responded to the Committee's request for written evidence. The Committee took oral evidence from the Department of the Environment, TTC 2000, the Police Service of Northern Ireland, the Ulster Farmers' Union and the Driving Instructors National Association Council.”
“I agree with the Minister. I had bitter experience of being involved with neighbourhood renewal, with the Departments not having enough buy-in. The Minister has said that he will establish an engagement protocol with the Departments: can he detail a bit more about how that may help with more buy-in?”
“The Committee supports the order, as it reintroduces provisions that were repealed, thus enabling councils to continue to include social clauses in their contracts and thereby encourage good practice and helping employment. <BR /> <BR />The Committee sought assurances from officials that measures remained in place to ensure that councils continued to deliver value for money through the performance improvement framework. The Committee also noted that the Department is working on amending guidance so that it reflects the current order. Accordingly, the Environment Committee has agreed to recommend that the motion be approved by the Assembly.”
“I thank the Minister for his explanation of the background and purpose of this technical statutory rule. <BR /> <BR />The Committee first considered the SL1 proposal at its meeting on 16 April. Officials briefed the Committee on 30 April, providing more details on the rule. The Committee noted that one outcome of the Local Government Act 2014 was a new performance management framework that replaced the best value regime. As a result, the Local Government (Best Value) Act (Northern Ireland) 2002 was repealed. Subsequently, a statutory rule made under that Act, enabling councils to include social clauses in their works and supply contracts, also fell.”
“The Minister said that all the measures will hopefully restore the confidence of Líofa participants in using the website. What action has she taken to reassure the public that the website is now secure?”
“— the continued funding of the Bring IT On campaign and the higher-level apprenticeship in engineering, among others. I support the motion.”
“DEL has been busy with many other initiatives, such as the one in partnership with Bombardier and Belfast Metropolitan College. Last year, it set up an aerospace summer scheme, which was funded by the Department to promote the STEM agenda. Thirty young people aged 16 to 24 participated in the programme, which was designed to encourage interest in entry-level jobs in aero technology. I am advised that the 2015 aerospace summer school is scheduled for August, with a target of 60 participants. That is just one example of an extensive list of DEL initiatives, which includes the public-private ICT apprenticeship scheme —”
“<BR /> <BR />The STEM business subgroup was formed with a DEL-funded post of business coordinator to deal with the strategy's business-specific recommendations. The coordinator has taken forward innovative work on gender in STEM in conjunction with the Equality Commission and has produced several careers supplements to encourage young people to study STEM.”
“I agree with the two previous contributors that it is important to encourage primary and secondary schools to have knowledge of and interest in STEM subjects. <BR /> <BR />Minister Farry and his Department are aware of the importance of STEM and the challenges involved in increasing its uptake. DEL has led on the production and implementation of the skills strategy — Success through Skills: Transforming Futures — and the STEM strategy — Success through STEM — which particularly aims to encourage more young people, especially females, to study and pursue a career in STEM. Of the 25 recommendations in the STEM strategy, five are for businesses to carry forward. To address the problem of under-representation comprehensively, the approach must be collaborative, including parents, schools and agencies.”
“Female students tend to do better than their male counterparts in GCSE and A-level results and are more likely to enter higher education, but less than 30% of females graduate in STEM subjects. The under-representation of women in STEM jobs is not just a gender equality issue; there are wider economic consequences for our economy and our international competitiveness. My personal experience growing up was that boys do STEM, and girls do languages, but, while this gendered view of professions is, thankfully, starting to shift, we must continue to challenge the idea that STEM is a man's trade. We must also challenge the idea that STEM is too hard, and schools must continue to do what they can to make these subjects more accessible.”
“The workforce of the future will need to be skilled in science, technology, engineering and mathematics for many reasons. We know that many employers view students who have studied STEM subjects as being more employable, with over 50% of STEM students being employed in a career that is related to their long-term employment aims. The promotion of STEM subjects is also needed to meet the growing demands from an economy that is increasingly dependent on ICT and innovation from research and development. An increase in STEM skills will aid economic prosperity and attract more inward investment to Northern Ireland. For those reasons, it is vital that more young people are encouraged to study STEM subjects. <BR /> <BR />As other contributors mentioned, we need to address the female deficit.”
“Nowadays, many workers prefer to do their master's degrees part time. What plans does DEL have to support those students?”
“Finally, the Department of the Environment implemented the 'Northern Ireland Local Government Code of Conduct for Local Councillors' in April 2015. That is based largely on the Assembly's old codes, so there is now a discrepancy between the codes for central and local government. DOE may need to review that in the future to ensure a consistent approach for all public representatives in Northern Ireland. I support the motion.”
“<BR /> <BR />We welcome in particular the rules that deal with registering interests and prohibiting the receipt of gifts that might reasonably be thought to influence a Member's actions, as they are important to ensure that MLAs act in an impartial way. In terms of receiving payment to advocate for any outside body or individual, the Alliance Party feels very strongly that Members should be prohibited from providing paid advice for lobbyists. If we are to improve the levels of trust and confidence in the political system, we need to be as transparent and open as is possible. <BR /> <BR />As someone who has received a racist slur on social media, albeit unintentionally, from an MLA's assistant, I personally endorse rule 19, which states that Members:”
“<BR /> <BR />The new code will provide clarity to aspirational principles and set out enforceable rules that spell out clearly things that Members must and must not do in order to act in a manner consistent with the principles of conduct. When Members and the public know what standards of behaviour are expected of MLAs, this should result in fewer inadmissible complaints. However, it is important to reflect on the Assembly commissioner's remarks that the standards set out in the code are the minimum expected of Members. The Alliance Party endorses the updated 11 principles of conduct, the 21 enforceable rules of conduct, and the guide to the rules.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Committee spent considerable time and effort conducting the review with a widespread consultation and consideration of best practice in other jurisdictions. We have also taken into account the Council of Europe's Group of States against Corruption reports and the UK Committee on Standards in Public Life's review, 'Standards Matter'. I therefore welcome the publication of the Committee report and believe that the revised code and guidance will give us an opportunity to increase public confidence in the integrity of the Assembly and accountability of MLAs, particularly at a time when the institution's rating is at an all-time low.”
“First, I want to thank the Committee staff, particularly the Clerk, Paul Gill, who has ably assisted the Committee in reviewing the code of conduct and the guide to the rules. I joined the Standards and Privileges Committee as its vice-chair in September 2013. In recent months, it has become apparent that the majority of complaints received were inadmissible. While parliamentary privilege in the Chamber is reasonably well known to MLAs and the public, behaviours in Committees and elsewhere are not so clear. On several occasions, breaches of our code determined by the Commissioner for Standards were challenged as being not compatible with human rights convention articles such as the right to life or freedom of expression.”
“Perhaps I should first of all declare an interest as the patron of Terra Nova, an intercultural arts organisation, which has received funding in the last few years. I have the report, which is very good. It says that that three-year programme has been very valuable. How will the Minister promote, in the long term, opportunities for ethnic minority artists and audiences, as well as intercultural dialogue and collaboration, to be developed across the whole of the arts infrastructure in Northern Ireland?”
“Like other Members, I congratulate the junior Minister on her appointment and welcome her to her first Question Time. I am sure that she is aware that a very well-attended meeting took place last week of black, minority and ethnic (BME) groups, at which a lot of frustration was expressed at the delay of the strategy. At that meeting, we understood that DFM has signed off the finalised draft strategy and that it now sits with OFM. Will the junior Minister confirm when OFM will sign off the strategy and have it published?”
“<BR /> <BR />The Committee is aware that the Department is bidding for a total of £3·41 million of capital and £12·65 million of resource in the June monitoring round. Much of the resource bid is either to restore funding to previous levels or to cover unfunded commitments. The Committee will continue its scrutiny role to ensure that the Minister allocates any additional funding that he might receive to priority areas.”
“The Department has a target to reduce its staff by around 400 posts, which will go some way to addressing its other pressures. The Committee is keen that the Department act strategically to reallocate savings to priority areas if and when that money becomes available. <BR /> <BR />I will now speak about capital. Of the £58 million allocated to the Department, £50·5 million is for financial transactions capital funding for the Arc21 development. Committee members expressed reservations about the allocation of that money, particularly as planning permission has not yet been granted for the development. The Committee sought reassurances that funding would not influence the outcome of the planning decision.”
“Mr Principal Deputy Speaker, 1 April saw the implementation of a significant change to how Northern Ireland is governed, following the transfer of many functions to local councils. The Committee had previously expressed concerns that a reduction in the rate support grant for less well-off councils would lead to a reduction in service delivery or an increase in rates. The Department's largest resource bid in June monitoring, £2·8 million, will bring the grant back in line with previous levels of funding. <BR /> <BR />With such a large proportion of DOE's budget relating to salaries, the Committee has pressed the Department at every opportunity to determine exact savings should money become available for voluntary exit.”
“The Committee is aware that the Department has bid for an additional £2 million for environmental programmes in June monitoring and that that is one of the Department's priority bids. The Committee will keep a watchful brief on that matter. <BR /> <BR />The Committee also raised concerns regarding the impact of budget reductions in other areas. Members encouraged the Minister to look at alternative and innovative ways of communicating messages on road safety more effectively to a targeted audience to make a bigger impact. With the number of road fatalities rising, the Department's bid of £1 million in June monitoring to restore the level of funding for road safety communications in line with 2014-15 levels is particularly important.”
“The Minister has, late in the process, engaged with those organisations and has created a new natural environment fund of £1·25 million, replacing the well-established natural heritage grant programme. While that may alleviate some of the pressure, it does not go nearly far enough, and concerns remain for the longer-term stability of the sector. <BR /> <BR />An unrealistic budget for environment programmes will ultimately have implications on the protection of the environment, the retention of skills, and the sector's ability to leverage other funding. It might lead to EU infraction fines and a loss of valuable research into our biodiversity and historic environment.”
“The Committee acknowledges that the Department is obliged to pay the derating grant to councils. Having received an additional £2 million in the draft Budget and £1·9 million in the final Budget to restore that grant to its opening baseline position, there remains a £1·3 million shortfall, which the Department is bidding for in the June monitoring round. That, coupled with the fact that 60% of DOE's budget covers salaries, means that other areas in the Department will receive a larger percentage reduction. <BR /> <BR />That has certainly been felt by the Department's NGO sector, many of whom now face an uncertain future. Towards the end of March, many organisations received letters from the Department advising that their funding will cease in June. Indeed, some were given notice that funding would not be available after March.”
“I welcome the opportunity to outline the Committee for the Environment's views on the Supply resolution Main Estimates 2015-16. The Committee was first briefed by officials from the Department of the Environment in November 2014 on the draft Budget, followed by a further briefing in February outlining changes. The Minister briefed the Committee, at its request, in March on the final Budget and the impact that it will have on the protection of the environment. <BR /> <BR />The Committee is aware that DOE has been the hardest-hit Department, with a headline reduction of 10·7%; therefore, it is particularly important that the Committee scrutinise and challenge the Minister on his priorities and budget allocation. Committee members challenged the Minister on his allocation to necessary expenditure.”
“Of the social homes built in the last few years, how many were under the shared housing scheme?”
“Accordingly, the Committee for the Environment has agreed to recommend that the motion is affirmed by the Assembly.”
“The Committee sought clarification that, in circumstances where a notice is served but the breach is not fixed, local councils can take further action if deemed fit. The Committee also heard that bringing enforcement and building control together is a positive step and that councils will be able to adopt a more proactive approach to enforcement. The Committee also explored the rationale behind the provision of a 25% reduction for early payment, which is based on the Scottish model of enforcement to encourage early payment, and which will be kept under review by the Department.”
“Again, I thank the Minister for his explanation of the affirmative statutory rule. <BR /> <BR />As the Minister said, the Committee first considered the SL1 proposal at its meeting on 19 March, which was followed by an oral briefing from departmental officials on 16 April. The Committee was advised that the rule sets the fixed monetary penalty for an enforcement notice or a breach of condition notice for breaches in planning control. <BR /> <BR />Members questioned officials about the rationale for the fixed monetary penalty and processes around the administration of enforcement. The Committee heard that the penalty is a mechanism for strengthening enforcement by offering an alternative to court proceedings for minor breaches and can act as a deterrent.”
“Officials advised the Committee that there will be consultation on the development of by-laws, which will encourage public buy-in. The Committee also discussed the challenges in enforcing the by-laws and spotting offences, and whether there would be any real impact as a result of applying penalties, particularly if they were considered lenient. Officials assured the Committee that fines would have an impact but that they would be used in conjunction with education and awareness-raising. Accordingly, the Environment Committee has agreed to recommend that the motion be affirmed by the Assembly.”
“I thank the Minister for his explanation of the background to and the purpose of this affirmative statutory rule. The Committee first considered the SL1 proposal at its meeting on 19 March, which was followed by an oral briefing from officials on 23 April. The Committee was advised that the purpose of the legislation is to provide for the level of fixed monetary penalties to be applied to unregulated activities that contravene the provisions of a by-law made for the protection of a marine conservation zone (MCZ). The fixed monetary penalties are low-level fines intended to be used for minor instances of non-compliance with by-laws. The Committee discussed the need to provide information to educate the public in order to raise awareness of the by-laws and the need to work with councils.”
“Over the last few weeks, my office has been contacted by numerous disappointed parents whose children did not get into Lagan College in South Belfast because of oversubscription. Surveys have clearly shown that there is an increase in demand for integrated education. I have said this before: there is still too much focus on established schools. During the recent debate on area planning, my party colleague Trevor Lunn mentioned that the needs model works against the integrated sector, given that the other sectors have to agree before there is any increase or potential increase in the capacity target for integrated schools. There is a need for better forward planning and a vision for integrated education for all children in a shared society.”
“As with nursery schools, parents are concerned about the prospect of being unsuccessful in getting a place in their first-choice school because of oversubscription in popular schools in South Belfast. That also means that many pupils face having to bypass their local schools. <BR /> <BR />The Department of Education needs to take into account change in demography. Inner south Belfast schools are facing amalgamation due to lower enrolment numbers, but outer Belfast areas, such as Carryduff, with new housing developments, are crying out for more school places. <BR /> <BR />There is an argument that part of the problem is that integrated schools have not been allowed to grow in the way that they should and that they are still being held back.”
“I know that the school's nursery is oversubscribed for this year by 2:1, yet, when the school applied for an additional nursery class for September, the request was turned down, even though it has adequate accommodation within the building to provide for it. <BR /> <BR />I move now to primary-school provision. The Minister will be familiar with the issues in South Belfast. I have written to him and tabled many questions over the years. There is a continuing increase in demand for places in my constituency, particularly in Carryduff. Demand for Catholic maintained schools such as St Ita's, St Bernard's and St Joseph's primary schools is growing each year, and oversubscription inevitably leads to disappointment for some families.”
“Another common concern is that failure to secure a place of choice could impact on the child's eligibility when applying for a primary-school place. Of course, that is dependent on particular schools' admissions criteria. I welcomed the Minister's update that the majority of children were placed in the first round and that he has funding to provide extra places, should it be required. <BR /> <BR />As a governor of Cranmore Integrated Primary School, I understand that the school had 45 applications for its playgroup, with only 24 permitted places available for the coming year. The school has also applied twice, unsuccessfully, to change the playgroup to nursery status, which would give it more places for children. <BR /> <BR />Recently, I visited Fane Street Primary School.”