Cathal Boylan
Newry and Armagh · Sinn Féin · Northern Ireland
“I also welcome Julie, wish her well in her role as a Foyle MLA, and extend my best wishes to Gary. <BR /> <BR />I take this opportunity to highlight Autism Awareness Month. This year, Autism NI is using this month to celebrate the spectrum and colour and to highlight unique differences.”
“I agree with the reviewer, and what needs to be recognised across all Departments is that the changes needed to better support people with autism do not always cost a huge amount of money. However, the changes require a willingness to adapt.”
“However, it has been disappointing that, in my opinion, the Department of Health was not prepared for the establishment of the reviewer's office, even though it should have been aware of what was in the legislation. Had the Department been in a better state of readiness, the reviewer could have got down to work before now.”
“The delivery plan must see measurable targets that can be monitored and delivered to ensure that people with autism see impact on the services that they access. <BR /> <BR />I look forward to reading the reviewer's first annual report in the near future.”
“I thank the Minister for the statement. As the Minister is aware, one of the reasons why such schemes are so important is that nuisance parking can prevent emergency services or health and social care workers from accessing patients' properties.”
“I welcome the Minister's statement. <BR /> <BR />Minister, recent figures show that, in the last quarter of 2025, new house starts were at their highest level since 2018 and that the construction sector has hit a 15-year high, outperforming Britain.”
The complete record
Every one of 758 lines we hold for Cathal Boylan, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 12 of 16.
“I appreciate the Minister's answers, but he has to recognise that, despite all the work that has been done and all the cabinets that have been upgraded, large swathes of rural Armagh and south Armagh have not been facilitated. Will the Minister not now consider not only upgrading the cabinets and putting in new cabinets, which we know will happen in 2017 after this programme, but putting fibre-optic into premises, which is the only answer in some cases? I appreciate that there are areas that will require satellite broadband, but will the Minister consider putting fibre-optic into premises, especially businesses?”
“I also commend Paul Gill and his staff for the work that they did with the previous Committee and the new Committee staff who are helping us this time. I ask Members to support the motion.”
“<BR /> <BR />To conclude, I hope that today’s debate has served to highlight the importance of the standards regime for Assembly Members. I expect that the Committee will continue to lead on the further improvement and refinement of the code and guide. The provision of awareness-raising opportunities for Members and their staff will also be important, and I encourage Members to take those up when we bring them forward. Pending that, I point out to Members, especially new Members, that the Clerk of Standards is available to provide ongoing advice to Members on registering and declaring interests, especially on the rules on advocacy. <BR /> <BR />Before I finish, I commend the work of the previous Chair, Alastair Ross.”
“The reasons for the amendments and their technical nature further serve to highlight the complexity of the subject matter. <BR /> <BR />Finally, arising from our discussion at the Committee's last meeting, I think that it is important to remind Members that the ongoing requirement to declare interests is broader than that for registering interests. The new guide makes clearer the types of interests that are declarable when they relate to matters being considered in Assembly proceedings. They include financial interests that you have registered already; past financial interests, which mean normally those held within the past 12 months; indirect financial interests, such as those benefiting a third party; expected future interests; financial interests of a sort that do not require registration; and any non-financial interests.”
“rule 4 as previously drafted could be misinterpreted to mean that all the types of declarable interests covered in chapter 2 are registrable. Also, rule 5 could be misinterpreted to mean that only the interests covered in chapter 2 are declarable, whereas the amended Standing Order 69(5) provides that financial interests specified in categories 1 to 7 of the guide are also declarable. To further clarify this, the Committee has agreed amendments to chapter 2 of the guide to make clear that financial interests specified in categories 1 to 7 are also declarable.”
“This includes the terms "relevant interest", "registrable interest" and "financial interest" as apply in the amended Standing Order 69. <BR /> <BR />The amendments will remove the risk of any confusion. For example, in light of the amended Standing Order 69(7), which defines "relevant interest" as meaning:”
“Hopefully, whatever the Committee decides, we will put forward. I just have to remind Members that, in relation to the Commission and the Committee's work, the ministerial pledge is outside the remit. I respect Mr Beattie's comments about some of the conversations that took place in debates in this Chamber yesterday. It is obviously down to the Speaker to deal with whatever goes on in this Chamber. It will not go unnoticed in debates and conversations that we will have in Committee. <BR /> <BR />I will turn briefly to further explain the need for amendments to rules 4 and 5. As I pointed out, they are consequential to Standing Order 69, as amended on 14 March 2016, and will ensure alignment of the definition of terms.”
“I look forward to a good working relationship. <BR /> <BR />To be fair to Emma Pengelly, she raised the two points of third parties and political activities. We will definitely look at those points as part of our work programme. Those two issues need further clarification. I look forward to working on that when we come back in September and, hopefully, bringing something forward. <BR /> <BR />Doug Beattie also mentioned respect and holding people to account. I agree with that. Mr McPhillips and Paula Bradshaw mentioned the petition of concern. Members will know that we discussed this in Committee last week and the previous week and that we will go away and do a bit of scoping work on it. We will take a look at it and, as a Committee, come back better informed and with an informed opinion.”
“Further work by the new Committee will aim to build on this. Also, while the focus today is on changes to registering and declaring interests, I anticipate that awareness and training sessions for all MLAs on the wider range of standards issues will be arranged in due course. That was the expectation of the previous Committee. The new Committee has agreed to include this amongst the potential topics for its forward work programme. <BR /> <BR />I will turn now to Members' comments. I want to thank them for their comments. I will start with my colleague Seán Lynch. He spoke on two key elements: respect and good working relationships on the principles. That is key. We have just started off in the Committee. We have had two meetings, and they have been very positive. There have been good contributions from all Members.”
“Clearly there is an important linkage between public confidence in the political system and elected representatives complying with high ethical standards. I think that it is also apparent both from the debate and recent discussions in the Committee on Standards and Privileges that there can be complexity around Members' ethical responsibilities. I think that we all therefore need to remain mindful of the need to continue to develop our knowledge and awareness of the responsibilities. Moreover, the rules that apply here are similar to, and have been informed by, the rules that are in place in other applicable legislatures around the world. <BR /> <BR />As I pointed out earlier, the improvements that were made to the code and guide by the previous Committee should assist in explaining the rules.”
“Indeed, on this latter point, the report also concluded that the wider economy benefits from that confidence.”
“and that the behaviour of public office holders "provides a model" for the populations from which they are elected. <BR /> <BR />As such, there is an onus on each of us as elected Members of the Assembly to be conscious of our ethical responsibilities and to be prepared to act as ethical leaders. Indeed, this is reflected in the leadership principle in the code of conduct. It is also worth noting the conclusion from the ‘Standards Matter’ report:”
“Also, an important report from the Committee on Standards in Public Life, titled ‘Standards Matter’, pointed out:”
“As we have heard, in order to maintain and enhance public confidence in this democratically elected institution, it is essential that we ensure that the standards regime for Assembly Members is robust and seen to be robust. The view of renowned political theorist and author Bernard Crick is perhaps applicable in this context. He argued:”
“As part of its deliberations, the Committee has also identified the potential need for further amendments, including to provide definitions of terms such as "third party" and "political activities". Subject to the motion being agreed today, the Committee will circulate copies of the revised code of conduct and guide to the rules to all MLAs for information. <BR /> <BR />I look forward to hearing the contributions from other Members to the debate.”
“<BR /> <BR />The amendments to rules 4 and 5 will require consequential amendments to the guide to the rules. Other minor and consequential amendments were required to the guide as a result of changes in monetary thresholds following the recent determination of the independent financial review panel to increase the salary of MLAs, and because of some provisions needing to be clarified, as identified during the recent Members’ interest registration process, such as the registration requirements relating to rental income from land and property, including second or other homes. <BR /> <BR />At its recent meeting, the Standards and Privileges Committee agreed a number of minor and consequential amendments to the guide that address those issues.”
“On the wider requirement to declare relevant interests when they relate to the proceedings of the Assembly, chapter 2 of the new guide makes clearer the types of interests that are declarable. <BR /> <BR />I shall now turn briefly to the more technical aspects of the motion. The second part of the motion seeks Assembly approval to amend rules 4 and 5 of the code of conduct, which relate to the registration and declaration of interests respectively. Those amendments are needed to ensure alignment with the definitions of terms used in Standing Order 69 as amended by the Assembly on 14 March 2016. There was insufficient time to do that before the end of the last mandate, but it is important that the amendments are made now to remove any risk of confusion or misinterpretation of the rules by Members.”
“and rule 21 prohibits a Member from urging another Member to contravene any rule of conduct. Of course, a breach of any of the 21 rules may result in an investigation by the commissioner, and breaches of the rules on registering and declaring interests and advocacy could constitute a statutory offence. <BR /> <BR />There are some key changes to the requirements for registering interests. While I do not have time to go into detail on all of those, I highlight in particular that Members must now adhere to a 28-day deadline for registering interests and providing notification of changes. Moreover, Members must now register any gift, benefit, hospitality or visit received by any third party that is provided because of their membership of the Assembly or their political activities.”
“Rule 14 prohibits a Member from using their position to improperly advantage themselves or another person or disadvantage someone else, and rule 15 states that Members:”
“Rule 12 prohibits Members from disclosing confidential or protectively marked information unless authorised to do so, while rule 13 states that Members shall not:”
“The new rules include rule 6, which states that Members shall not:”
“It would not be appropriate for me to comment on those issues today, as that would pre-empt decisions of the Committee, suffice it to say that, once the necessary scoping work is completed, the Committee will be in a position to make informed decisions on which topics to pursue early in the next session. Such work will serve to further bolster the standards regime in the Assembly. <BR /> <BR />Turning now to the new code and guide that were introduced for the new mandate, let me say that the new code is better structured, clearer and more accessible than the previous code. It includes 11 aspirational principles of conduct and 21 enforceable rules of conduct. In particular, it should be noted that there are several new rules and that some of the previous rules have been recast for clarity and enforceability.”
“Clearly, that highlights the importance that the Assembly needs to place on high ethical standards, with a view to boosting public confidence in the political system and institutions of government here. <BR /> <BR />I believe that the work of the previous Standards and Privileges Committee in improving the code and guide is an important step forward in that regard. In addition, the new Committee recently agreed to undertake scoping work on a range of topics for inquiry, including issues identified in the previous Committee's legacy report and potential reforms recommended in the recent annual report of the Commissioner for Standards.”
“That painted a fairly negative picture in comparison with a prior survey two years earlier. It found that, for example, more respondents rated the standards of conduct of people in public life as low than rated them as high; more respondents thought that the standards of conduct of public office holders had got worse than had improved; and most respondents were not confident that the authorities are committed to upholding standards in public life or that wrongdoing would be uncovered or punished by the authorities. <BR /> <BR />While I am not aware of any recent comparable surveys examining public confidence locally, I have no grounds for assuming that the picture here would be more positive.”
“In terms of public confidence, perhaps we should also reflect on the findings of a 2014 survey on public attitudes towards conduct in public life, which was carried out in Britain by the Committee on Standards in Public Life.”
“Drawing on international best practice, this resulted in significant additions and improvements. I shall outline those in a moment, as it is important that all Members familiarise themselves with the rules of conduct, irrespective of how experienced they are in the workings of this place. <BR /> <BR />First, however, we should consider why it is important to highlight the Assembly’s commitment to high ethical standards at this early stage in the new mandate. For that purpose, I will draw on the words of President John F Kennedy. In 1961, when delivering a special message to the US Congress on conflict-of-interest legislation and the problems of ethics in government, President Kennedy argued that:”
“Ba mhaith liom labhairt ar son an rúin seo. I speak in favour of this motion. I welcome the opportunity to open the debate on this motion from the Standards and Privileges Committee. The purposes of the motion are threefold: to affirm the Assembly’s commitment to high ethical standards, to the code of conduct and to the guide to the rules relating to the conduct of Members; to seek Assembly approval to amendments to rules 4 and 5 of the code of conduct; and to note the need for minor and consequential amendments to the guide to the rules. <BR /> <BR />In terms of the first part of the motion, in June 2015 the previous Standards and Privileges Committee reported to the Assembly on the outcome of its major review of the code of conduct and guide to the rules.”
“In light of the announcement that Armagh courthouse is to close, what extra services can you provide to support people who need assistance with addiction?”
“We know rightly that, bar doing fibre not only to the cabinets but to homes, there are some rural areas where satellite may be the only solution. I want the Minister to give an update on where BT is with that. Most of us have a good working relationship with BT, but there is still a lot more to be done. For most of the people coming back to me, BT says that they can access broadband. However, when they phone up — some of them are already getting charged — and get routers out, there are problems. It is up to us and the Minister; if we are giving out public money to deliver, somebody has to be held to account. Maybe the Minister can give us a wee update on where we are with that programme. I support the motion.”
“She can see it, but she came to me and told me that her son had to travel to an urban setting to download stuff for his homework. <BR /> <BR />I am sure that most of us have experienced such problems and examples. To be fair, my colleague Megan Fearon and I have met BT on a number of occasions, and I put on record my thanks to BT for the way in which it has dealt with some of this. However, as Members have commented — it has been a good debate — the issue is that we need to look at the providers and hold them to account. <BR /> <BR />I want the Minister to touch on the NI broadband improvement project. In 2014, at the outset of that project, which had an investment of £23·5 million, the aim was to push a faster broadband service to an additional 45,000 premises: to date, 17,500 homes and businesses have been facilitated.”
“As part of that discussion, they started to talk about the provision of broadband and how difficult it was to get the proper speed for downloads and that. <BR /> <BR />Another example from my area is Tullygoonigan, an old creamery outside Armagh city. A number of years ago, it was taken over and turned into a number of units. The owner of the premises could not get people to take the units because of the download speeds. Thankfully, the previous Minister intervened, and the business is up and going and going very well. <BR /> <BR />I think that Mr Mervyn Storey was going to make a point about this. There was a case of a young lady who lives near the border and only about 500 yards from a cabinet that had been upgraded just recently, but it is on a different line.”
“Ba mhaith liom cúpla focal a rá. I will say a few words on the motion, but, first, I pay tribute to Trevor Reaney and wish him and his family all the best for the future. <BR /> <BR />I commend the mover of the motion for the way she dealt with the situation and Mr Attwood for the fleetness of foot that he showed in getting the matter to the Clerk. <BR /> <BR />My colleague John O'Dowd adequately described what was needed to go forward with what the motion calls for. I will use three examples. First, the mover of the motion talked about how, when out canvassing, she met somebody who wanted to convert a garage or part of a garage to business use. In a case in my constituency, somebody wanting to do exactly the same thing sought assistance from the rural development programme.”
“Will the Minister confirm that other parties had an opportunity to develop the draft framework? Was there any objection to that in principle?”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. I accept.”
“<BR /> <BR />The amendment is to ensure that measures to promote equality of opportunity are not diluted, discontinued or otherwise prejudiced on the basis of concerns that they will impact on good relations. <BR /> <BR />This is the second time that there has been a petition of concern on the matter, and that is very disappointing. I support the Minister in bringing forward the regulations. <BR /> <BR />I take this opportunity to thank the Chair for the way in which she has chaired the Committee for the Environment over the past number of years and wish her every success in whatever she desires to do in the future. I also thank Alban Maginness for his contribution to the Committee and to society in the North of Ireland. I wish him the very best for the future.”
“I thank the Member for her intervention. I totally agree. As I said, I cannot understand it. <BR /> <BR />I want to say this again, because it is important. I want to know, from those Members who are opposing the regulations today, how ensuring equality of opportunity threatens any of us. I will listen when they rise to speak to hear why. I read out the section 75 groups, and I would like to hear some answers from Members that explain to me how the regulations threaten any of us. If we look at the make-up of councils right across the North, what might suit one might not suit another, and we could be setting precedents here. The Minister has taken the time to try to deal with the matter effectively, so I will listen to Members to hear how they answer my question and deal with the issue in respect of constituents and minority rights.”
“On that day at that meeting, we reached what I thought was a consensus that the amendment needed to be included. I welcome the cooperation with the Minister on that. <BR /> <BR />The amendment is included to safeguard equality as defined in section 75(1) and to ensure the primacy of the equality of opportunity in all matters relating to community planning. The key part of section 75(1) talks about protecting all members of our society regardless of age, gender, religious background, political affiliation, race, sexual orientation, marital status, disability status or, indeed, dependency status.”
“I want to put this to the parties that are going to oppose this: I am interested in knowing why this petition of concern has been brought to the House on equality. How does ensuring equality of opportunity threaten any of us? That is the question. I have not heard anything about that so far, but I will listen to the debate. That is the key point: how does it threaten anybody? <BR /> <BR />I welcome the amendment. I think it is forward-looking and inclusive. I also welcome that, as part of the discussions, a Sinn Féin delegation and I met the Minister on 16 February and presented a paper to him on this issue. We emphasised to him that the primacy had to be afforded to the duty on equality schemes when any call-in decision was being reconsidered.”
“The standing orders provide the detail of how exactly the powers to require councils to have decisions reconsidered will be used. <BR /> <BR />The petition of concern is opposing an amendment that was made to the Local Government (Standing Orders) Regulations to consider when a call-in is not in compliance with the council's equality scheme. This is how it reads:”
“<BR /> <BR />To speak on the matter at hand, the purpose of the standing orders is to provide the basic operating rules that our councils should work from. It is now coming up to a year since the formation of the new councils and almost two years since the formation of the shadow councils. It is incredible that we still do not have basic standing order operating rules in place. <BR /> <BR />Standing orders for any of the councils are meant to give expression to the operational technicalities on the important safeguarding measures for minority groupings. Sinn Féin views as critically important the need for robust safeguards and checks and balances for the protection of minority groupings as envisaged under the Local Government Act 2014.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle. Ba mhaith liom labhairt i bhfabhar na rialach reachtúla seo. I will speak in favour of this rule and the order. <BR /> <BR />It is with some disappointment, I have to say, that we had to put it to the vote in the Committee. I thought we made some progress, and I want to put on the record that, over the last five years, those in the Environment Committee have worked very well together to bring forward a number of pieces of legislation to the Assembly. I am a wee bit disappointed. After all, we are transferring powers down to local authorities and are trying to give them the best opportunities to make the right decisions for all our constituents and all in our community. It should be regarded as one community, and I think that, in bringing this forward, we had a good opportunity to do that.”
“Will the Minister clarify whether there is a mechanism for review of the community planning partners within a year? Is there any mechanism to review that?”
“I thank the Minister for his response. I have written to him. I will, after this question today, await his response. <BR /> <BR />Following on from that, will the Minister give his assessment of the recent closure of Camden glass factory outside Armagh, with the loss of 65 jobs? What has his Department done in trying to relocate some of those jobs and assist the people who left with the bare minimum of a redundancy package? Will the Minister respond to that, please? Go raibh míle maith agat.”
“We suggested a few things at Committee, and, all of a sudden, within a couple of days, there were amendments in front of us that we have to make a decision on. To be fair, we cannot make a decision on them because we have not had time to properly scrutinise them. That is my main opposition to the amendments. Go raibh maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle.”
“<BR /> <BR />In closing, our main point, as far as the party is concerned, is that we support the opposition to the clauses and oppose the amendments in group 1. The reason for that is that we have not had sufficient time. Maybe you would take that process back, Mr Deputy Speaker. I am not denying anybody the right to bring forward legislation towards the end of the mandate, but, first, we need to look at the time frames. Secondly, if a private Member tables a Bill in the House, we need to look at resources and support for those so that most of the work is done when we come to discuss legislation like this. <BR /> <BR />Fair play to Mr Beggs — it is up to the Member. The Department has come up with all these amendments.”
“<BR /> <BR />It is not for this group of amendments, and I am only using it as an example and trying to make a point about some of the people who will be impacted by clause 16, but I spoke to the industry over the phone last Wednesday and learned that, in most of the businesses, 80% of the transactions are cash transactions. I oppose clause 16. There is no point in saying that it will not have an impact. I am not saying that we do not need to look at it. All that I am saying is that we have not had enough time. If we are serious about bringing in regulations to the industry, we need to look at that. <BR /> <BR />On the point about the interpretation, Mr Beggs spoke about wrecking the Bill. It is consequential, and you would have to introduce the other clauses for that to work. It runs in a sequence in that respect.”
“All that having been said, clause 8 deals with the display of licences. I think that there is a facility there where some businesses display licences. The Department needs to do a proper piece of scrutiny and engage. I know that that is within the Member's amendment, which clearly suggests that there should be engagement with stakeholders and the industry. That is grand, but we should do that as part of the exercise anyway. <BR /> <BR />I definitely have an issue with clause 16, which deals with carrying on business as a scrap metal dealer. I have spoken on a number of occasions, even in the Committee — it is recorded in Hansard — about those who are maybe electricians or plumbers and bring a wee bit of scrap metal to a yard. There has not been full engagement.”
“When I talked to those in the industry, they said that they do not have a problem with that under the voluntary code. Maybe the Minister can clarify this point, but I think that, under the regime itself, it would be very easy to correct that through the regulations that we have already to ensure that that goes on. I do not think that you need to bring another piece of legislation through. That can be looked at. As I said, if it comes back again, I recommend that we would look seriously at that.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Bill had 21 clauses and two schedules, and now we are going to remove the first six clauses, although I can only speak about what is in this group. The reason being that there is a licensing system and a regime there that can be worked. In tandem with the Department, we could have worked something through, but we need time to properly discuss that. We are supporting Mr Beggs's opposition to those first six clauses — that is the only point on which we will be supporting him — because we recognise that there is a regime there. <BR /> <BR />Some of the amendments are technical, and I am not getting into that debate tonight. <BR /> <BR />Mr Beggs talked about clause 8, which deals with the display of the licence.”
“<BR /> <BR />Mr Beggs said in his introductory speech that I want to "wreck the Bill". It is not that I want to wreck the Bill; I want to bring forward something here that we as a group can stand over by ensuring that we get the balance right. I agree that we need to look at regulation again, and in time, in the next mandate — whoever comes back — if Mr Beggs wants to resurrect the Bill, that is grand. If we do come back to it again, I say this to those who come back: there will be proper scrutiny of this legislation. Clearly, the main cause of our opposition today is that we have not had sufficient time and are, therefore, not properly informed to make a proper decision. That is the only reason. It is not that we have anything against the Member or anything else.”