Martina Anderson
Foyle · Sinn Féin · Northern Ireland
“Ba mhaith liom labhairt i bhfabhar an rúin. To fully comprehend the falling numbers of taxi drivers in the industry, as the motion notes, it is important to mention what the industry has gone through over the last year.”
“As far as I know, not one operator in Derry received a single penny from the COVID restrictions business support scheme from the Department for the Economy. <BR /> <BR />On 1 April last year, in an open letter to taxi drivers, the Minister said that she would support taxi drivers and continue to press for more assistance.”
“The second scheme deducted the time during which they could not afford insurance from the £3,000 grant. <BR /> <BR />It took almost six months for a financial scheme that provided financial support for drivers who had paused their insurance to take effect.”
“We need urgent and decisive action so that more drivers will join the industry, and there must be incentives for drivers to return to it. <BR /> <BR />Access to taxis is not just about ensuring that people have a safe way to get home after a night out in Derry, although that is a large part of it.”
“If the taxi sector no longer has drivers available to meet demand, there will be a massive implication for the rest of the economy and for our communities and constituencies as people struggle to get from A to B. <BR /> <BR />As is noted in the motion, we need to make the industry "more attractive to new entrants".”
“Fares across the city of Derry are consistently low. Many drivers who work very long hours do not feel that they are getting a fair wage. That is why a review of fare structures is needed, and that is what I am calling for.”
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“— might be forgiven for thinking that these projects within —.”
“In justifying these cuts to the Budget here by saying that Ministers have to live within their means, I do not think that are you giving due regard to the fact that the reason why we are in this situation is that the Tory Administration have produced policies and programmes that have benefited the super-rich. Therefore, I ask the Member to be a little bit mindful of that. <BR /> <BR />The A5 is one of the projects you mentioned that you have problems with; now it is Casement Park. You know, people out there —”
“I thank the Member for giving way. Do you not think that the reason why we are struggling to get housing built is the impact of austerity? I have been listening very carefully to you. You have been talking about how this has been a global crisis, but you have not referred to the fact that the recession has been the context of what you have been saying. We have the recession-rich, and we have an elite, for instance, in London. There are 80 billionaires in London — the most billionaires of any city in the world — whose wealth increases by £77 million per day.”
“Go raibh míle maith agaibh go léir. Thank you all for listening.”
“No, I will not give way. <BR /> <BR />He talked about new nationals feeling unwanted and unwelcome and now unprotected. All of that points to an economy in the North going from bad to worse, making your job, with reduced finances and limited tools to address it, all the more difficult. <BR /> <BR />When I reflect on Derry and Donegal — the place where I live — and the places along the partitioned part of Ireland that will suffer most from Brexit, as they have done from the British-imposed cuts, I see that there is a better way and an alternative to the block grant through the economics of reunification, with the development of the work under way on planning and preparing for constitutional change in Ireland. Minister, reports such as the Hübner report, undertaken by the Vancouver university, would be worth exploring.”
“Given that you are going to London, to the British Treasury, to make a case for them to end the damaging cuts and the damage and harm that they are doing to schools, hospitals, workers, social care — the list is endless, and you have heard a lot about it here today — have you, Minister, looked at the excellent report done by the Vancouver university on mapping the economic benefits of Irish unity, especially in the context of the damage that Brexit will do to the economy in the North on top of imposed austerity? Will you reflect on what Declan McAleer said when he outlined the damage that the British-imposed point-based immigration system will have on the North? He was addressing that in the context of the spring Supplementary Estimates.”
“It would be remiss of me not to point out that, whilst Mr Newton was right in saying that the percentage of Protestant boys underachieving in education is the highest — too high; none of us want anything other than that to be addressed — numerically, more Catholic boys are not achieving five GCSEsor more; indeed, the latest data shows that 919 Catholic boys underachieved compared with 565 Protestant boys. Both should be highlighted when we express concerns about children underachieving, regardless of which tradition they come from and regardless of whether they are Protestant or Catholic or have another denomination or none, as the case may be. <BR /> <BR />I go back to what Chris said about the need for radical change. That takes me to the second point that I want to raise.”
“<BR /> <BR />We are dealing with the spring Supplementary Estimates and what Departments are trying to do. I listened to Chris Lyttle talk about the need for radical change in how we do things. He focused on education and the impact of budget deficits and bailouts. I want to widen that out, but, before doing so, let me recall what Robin Newton said about the importance of educational achievement. Of course, we do not want to see the British budgetary cuts result in children underachieving in school, regardless of whether they come from one tradition or another: boys or girls, Catholic, Protestant or neither.”
“Even in the context of the spring Supplementary Estimates, we have to take account of what austerity has done over the past nine years, nine years of deepening inequality; nine years of deepening poverty; nine years of poor health and schools struggling; and nine years of families and workers struggling. All of that is very much compounded for those of us who live in the north-west, because, on top of everything else that I have listed, there have been nine years of deepening regional inequality in such places as Derry. People in the north-west and across the North rightly demand that the Executive address such regional inequalities. They look to the New Decade, New Approach outline Programme for Government, which commits resources to be allocated on the basis of objective need.”
“Ba mhaith liom fáilte a chur roimh ráiteas an Aire Airgeadais ar an bhuiséad. I thank the Minister for his statement and the comments regarding the Budget and the spring Supplementary Estimates. Minister, you referred to austerity and Brexit and the impact of both on the Executive Budget as well as on the spring Supplementary Estimates: do you agree with the comments that Mike Nesbitt made regarding the tools you need to strengthen the economy — I agree with Mike on that — and the need for prosperity? The corollary of that is twofold. In the first instance, we need to end the British Government-imposed austerity, and I will return to the other later.”
“I refer the Minister to what he just said about a healthier lifestyle. Minister, in your role, you will know how important that is for children. In the context of physical health and well-being, I want to ask him about St Joseph's Boys' School in Derry. Six years ago, the school was promised a 3G pitch, and it is still waiting. Given the funding allocation that you received and the implication of the British Government's austerity cuts on the Executive, I can understand how you will struggle at times and have to prioritise. However, six years ago, that school was promised a 3G pitch and is still waiting. I say that in the context of physical health and well-being and their importance to children.”
“Given the deep and genuine concerns and the widespread discussions that are taking place among a range of stakeholders representing the economy, social justice and constitutional change, plus rights advocates, such as trade unions and the Committee on the Administration of Justice (CAJ), will the Brexit subcommittee, in the context of participatory democracy, undertake engagements with such relevant stakeholders to listen, possibly learn and discuss their views on Brexit?”
“In the context of increasing the supply of GPs and of tackling regional inequalities west of the Bann, you will be aware there is growing frustration in Derry about the expansion of Magee university. You know that there is an outline business case on your desk, and I know you have been looking for further clarification on that. Where are you with regard to giving consideration to moving on the expansion of Magee? We would like to address the frustration in Derry, but primarily we want to get the medical school in Magee moved forward.”
“In August of last year, at the Belfast Féile, Gerry Kelly and I had the privilege of sharing a platform with Francie, and, whatever one thinks of the songs that he wrote, he sang 'The H-Block Song' so eloquently. I stand on behalf of republicans in Derry to extend our sympathy to Anne and the wider family. I attended the wake. It was a very big funeral as well, and we know that their hearts are very sore, as are the hearts of the republican family, on the loss. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a ana.”