Ian McCrea
Mid Ulster · Democratic Unionist Party · Northern Ireland
“I am not surprised by the Minister's answer, but, surely, given that he has announced that he will not take on the job of Justice Minister after the election — that is dependent on the electorate, of course, but nonetheless — surely he will have to accept that there have been questions that may not have come under his direct responsibilit…”
“Given that the Secretary of State has said that Northern Ireland farmers would no doubt benefit from being outside the European Union, I am not so sure that it is necessarily a bad thing.”
“I commend the First Minister for all the work she has done on corporation tax. When she goes to the United States, will she take the opportunity to invite businesses and people there to come to Northern Ireland so that they can see exactly the product we have here and, indeed, our people?”
“We have heard the deputy First Minister's words of condemnation — rightly, I believe — but will the deputy First Minister condemn outright those who took part in this disgraceful, murderous attack on people in my constituency?”
“With respect to the Committee and the work that it did, as I have said at other times, the Chair has gone through the detail of the how the Committee scrutinised this. Once again, I want to put on record the good work that was done and the good working relationship that the Committee and the Department had.”
“I thank the junior Minister for her intervention and the clarity around that. That is why I make no apology for supporting the investment fund and supporting the delivery of this large amount of money into areas across Northern Ireland. When that is delivered, it will provide a big difference for our communities.”
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“Can the junior Minister, on behalf of the deputy First Minister, categorically state whether they agree with those sentiments?”
“Gerry Adams made disgraceful comments when he said:”
“The Minister's statement referred to the ongoing work on the development of a new used-tyre scheme in the Republic of Ireland. Will he inform the House what that is all about and what impact it could have if a similar scheme were brought into Northern Ireland?”
“The Minister will be aware that local media have said that trade unions are planning to strike as a response to the job cuts — I suppose that the "voluntary exit scheme" is the proper phrase for it. Is the Minister willing to comment on what the impact of those strikes could be?”
“I agree with the Minister's comments. As I have said before, one road death is too many. I certainly do not think that it is beyond our ambition to try to achieve zero road deaths. The Minister referred to drug- and drink-driving. He will be aware that detecting people who are drug-driving is very difficult. Was there any discussion about or is the Minister aware of any possible technologies that could be used to try to detect drug-driving? It is probably more overlooked because of the lack of technology.”
“I thank the Minister for giving way. It is not in my constituency, but the Minister and others referred to the fines and sentencing. Has the Minister had any discussions with his colleague the Justice Minister to consider whether there is room in the Justice Bill to look at changes to sentencing or at working with that agency to look at a potential change to fines?”
“In a sense, I understand the difficulties that the Minister faces, but he will be aware that street lighting is an emotional issue, and it is certainly so for the elderly and most vulnerable people in our society, especially around their property. Has the Minister given any consideration to looking at other aspects of his overall budget to see whether he can lessen the burden of that work? I am not necessarily saying that he should cut other areas, but if it were more balanced, it would certainly be easier to deal with and more acceptable to communities.”
“The Minister will be aware of my comments to him about how the difficulties with the way that this was announced have carried forward. I think that that has been less than appropriate, given the difficulties that it has caused, certainly locally in the constituency. Can the Minister assure the House that, going forward after the announcement of this review, whether it is a review of a review, or whatever the process is, due diligence will be adhered to in how this is handled and in who the people who are responsible give that information to in the first place so that it is not leaked incorrectly to the press, causing the difficulties that it has?”
“I will let the Members in the other constituencies deal with their own, as no doubt they will. I think that the Minister is confirming that the Magherafelt campus is not under any immediate threat, and I would be happy if he could clarify that again. Given that it provides an excellent service not just to those who are part of the FE sector but in the work that it does in conjunction with local schools, will the Minister at least clarify that it is not under threat and that there are no proposals in that regard?”
“I welcome the Minister's lengthy statement. He referred to the Northern Ireland investment fund. Will he elaborate on that? What finances will be available, and what sort of projects could be funded? If the Minister has the opportunity, will he comment on the DOJ budget in respect of Desertcreat?”
“Can the Minister outline the potential implications if the Executive fail to agree a Budget for 2015-16?”
“Will the Minister outline whether the need for agreement on the draft Budget by the end of this month is an achievable condition for the Executive to meet?”
“It is certainly good news that that is to be the case, and we look forward to seeing the outworkings of that. Is the Department on target in respect of the inspections that need to be carried out?”
“I thank the Minister for that update. What assurance can the Minister give that the Magherafelt master plan will be taken forward after the reform of local government?”
“I, too, would like to join the chorus of Members who have welcomed the Minister to his post, and I wish him well.”
“I thank the Minister for his response. Given the pressures that the Minister outlined in respect of his budget, does he feel that not receiving the £140 million that he believes is required to continue to run the health service will have an impact on the new chief executive's job?”
“Will the Member explain his colleague Alex Attwood's comments on welfare reform during a previous Budget debate that the penalties were worth paying? Can he explain how that fits in with the wider discussion on welfare reform when the SDLP supports the payment of the penalties?”
“Thank you, Mr Principal Deputy Speaker. That is as clear as mud. Nonetheless, I thank the Minister for his answer. The Minister will be aware that some councils attempt to use language as an opportunity to get one up on one side of the community by using the Irish language or, indeed, Ulster Scots. Can the Minister ensure that his Department keeps a close eye on councils that introduce languages other than English, to ensure that no minority community is treated unequally?”
“I thank God that, by his saving grace, I will meet Ian Paisley at Jesus' feet.”
“His seat is now empty but many of us will carry his memory in our hearts. He loved this Province. He always gave hope in the darkest day. He brought comfort to many over the years, especially those whose lives were wrecked by terrorism. He stood up for the rights of the ordinary man. He was a true Ulsterman. Through his leadership, he has left a legacy of hope for generations to come. <BR /> <BR />In conclusion, I just want to recall the hymn that he always sang at the closing of the Easter convention. It was:”
“Whether it was his coming to Magherafelt to open the loyalist arch, the time he spent in our home, his preaching at dad's church or indeed at the Easter convention at the Martyrs Memorial or when he was here at Stormont, Dr Paisley always took the time to ask how things were with me and my family. He always had a genuine interest and showed that he cared. <BR /> <BR />Since hearing of Dr Paisley's passing, I have been overwhelmed by the number of constituents and others who have approached me to express their sympathy. I want to ensure that the family are aware of that today. <BR /> <BR />There will never be another Dr Paisley in my lifetime. He was a giant both in the political world and as a minister of the gospel. I believe that Ian Paisley was God's man for Ulster's hour of need. <BR /> <BR />Dr Paisley will be greatly missed.”
“As a teenager, he was an assistant to him in Belfast. He was a colleague in the ministry for well over 40 years. He shared the Benches of Parliament at Westminster and here with Dr Paisley. Indeed, he also shared a prison cell with him in Crumlin Road Gaol. I am not sure that too many people can say all that. <BR /> <BR />Growing up as a boy, I have many memories of Dr Paisley coming to our home. I suppose that, as one of five, I always claimed that I was his favourite. Mind you, that must have been because of the fact that he always sent home a gift from Westminster with dad for me now and again that the others did not get. So, there may be some truth in it. I will hold fast to that anyway. <BR /> <BR />I have numerous memories of Dr Paisley. I will always cherish them. We will all have our own memories.”
“First, on behalf of my entire family circle, I offer our sincerest sympathies to Baroness Paisley and her family on the passing of their loved one and our friend Lord Bannside, or as others have said and as he was affectionately known to us, the "Doc". <BR /> <BR />I have had the honour of knowing Dr Paisley all of my life. In fact, although I do not recall it, when I was a child, he came to my dad's church to dedicate me as a young boy. I suppose that it came as no surprise that if there were ever to be a firstborn boy in our house, he would surely be christened after Ian Paisley. He always told me how proud he was that I carried on that name. <BR /> <BR />Over the years, my dad — and it is good to see him here today — has had a very close bond with Dr Paisley. He shared the pulpit with him.”
“A number of Members asked questions about whether this is contentious or not, and I think that it is important that we get to the nub of that. I heard the Minister say that he tried to get Executive approval, but he was not able to get it. So, is the Minister telling us that, because he did not get that approval, he decided to go it alone, regardless of whether this is contentious or not. Is it the case that, because the SDLP is against this development at Sprucefield, it is not going to approve it?”
“Can the deputy First Minister confirm whether or not Kathryn Stone, who previously was the Victims' Commissioner, is playing a role in appointing a new Victims' Commissioner? Will he assure the victims sector — certainly the innocent victims sector — that she is fit to take that job, given the fact that she referred to the current victims service as not fit for purpose?”