Daithí McKay
North Antrim · Sinn Féin · Northern Ireland
“Will the First Minister give us a more detailed update on the civic advisory panel? Would she also agree that, as we face what is, undoubtedly, a political and economic abyss, it is more important than ever that we hear from civic voices in society as well as political leadership?”
“I thank the Minister for her answer. I recognise much of the work that is ongoing. Given the recent reported and alleged race crime in the Minister's constituency involving several members of the police, will she give us an assurance that a proper and fully independent investigation will be carried out?”
“<BR /> <BR />In recent years, it has become harder and harder to secure your vote. In that context, it does not make sense that support to secure the vote is withdrawn from those on the ground when they need it more than ever. I am sure that most people picked up anecdotes when canvassing in the recent election.”
“We should move forward with confidence and take on more powers to ensure that we protect local services and workers. <BR /> <BR />Look at the list of offices to be impacted: Ballymena, Banbridge, Omagh, Derry, Newtownabbey and Newtownards. If all those were to close, it would leave a huge gap in rural constituencies.”
“I thank the proposers of the motion for bringing it to the House. I am moving the amendment on behalf of Sinn Féin. <BR /> <BR />I think that all 108 Members received a letter from NIPSA concerning the action that has been taken. The letter also highlights the lack of accountability regarding local politicians.”
“I did so along with other MLAs from all the parties locally, so we are unanimously opposed to the decision there. But, we are all 108 locally elected politicians who are powerless to do anything about this. That is why we should see these small — I have to say they are small — but significant functions being transferred to Belfast.”
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Every one of 737 lines we hold for Daithí McKay, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 14 of 15.
“The figures for economic growth and job creation show that we are quite clearly lagging behind the rest of this island and Britain, where there are greater levels of growth. That is for many reasons, one of which is partition and another is the reduction in public spending, which is more to do with ideology in Westminster than macroeconomics and building prosperity across society. <BR /> <BR />Sinn Féin is the party of education. We led the way in securing a £500 million commitment to the schools capital build, when others gave up on securing anything more from the British Government. In this negotiation, we held out. We got commitments that other parties had given up on, and that will stand us in good stead. However, schools here need more.”
“I will make a few brief comments from a party perspective, a Cheann Comhairle. Obviously, this is not a Sinn Féin Budget — if it were, it would be completely different — but at its heart is a Budget that we are forced to live with as a result of our lack of ability to influence our own economic destiny. <BR /> <BR />Whatever the outcome of the elections in May, Westminster will still impose austerity on us from above, regardless of the amalgamation of parties that comes through over there. The Tories have made it quite clear that they would send us back to the 1930s to introduce another Great Depression on our schools, hospitals and public sector workers. <BR /> <BR />The parties to my right, I am sure, would say, "Take your tonic. Sure Westminster is good for you". Quite clearly, it is not.”
“Instead, the Department's paper to the Committee amounted to what can only be described as a holding response with little in the way of specifics or substantive information on savings or revenue proposals. The dearth of information presented a barrier to meaningful consultation and impeded the Committee in exercising its statutory advisory function. The Committee has endeavoured to examine a wide range of issues at a strategic and departmental level. Its recommendations are offered as a constructive contribution to inform the considerations of the Executive in finalising the Budget.”
“<BR /> <BR />Other issues on which the Committee has sought assurance include the need for a greater focus on preventative spending; the need to recognise the limitations to the in-year monitoring process in the current context of financial constraint and to establish a formal Budget review mechanism to operate on an annual basis, looking ahead at the subsequent financial year as a complement to multi-year planning; and, finally, the need for an agreed approach to promoting uptake of financial transactions capital in respective Departments. <BR /> <BR />I will now turn briefly to the Department of Finance and Personnel's individual budget position. Regrettably, the Department failed to lead by example or to set a standard for others to follow in the quality of its consultation paper.”
“This would report directly to the Executive, offering an independent critique of planned savings and ongoing implementation. Such an expert panel would require access to all the necessary information and would provide a level of assurance to the Assembly and the wider public that Departments are maximising savings while protecting front-line services.”
“Taking account of the particular governmental structures in the North, there remains a need for a robust external advisory and challenge function to be exercised within and across all Departments in respect of budgetary savings and efficiencies. It is likely that, if this weakness is to be addressed, the Executive will need to make separate arrangements for:”
“Moreover, the Committee has identified a fundamental weakness in our system of budgetary control and oversight, with DFP's role having changed following devolution:”
“The Committee has called on the Department and the Executive to provide complete information on all options for raising additional revenue through charges and further devolved taxes and duties. This should provide transparency on projected costs, benefits, risks and impacts with a view to facilitating a fully informed and mature public debate on how best to help meet the further budgetary challenges in coming years. <BR /> <BR />Given the future requirement for further savings and the associated need to focus on priorities, it is vital that Departments apply the lessons from the last two spending review periods as highlighted in the Committee's report. In particular, there is a need to avoid the salami-slicing approach to savings.”
“As regards the public-sector workforce restructuring plan, a number of Committees highlighted a lack of detail on the shape, scale, timing or impact of the proposed restructuring. Various Committees and stakeholder groups singled out specifically the area of university and further education places for concern as well. The Committee has made specific recommendations to ensure that the risks in this regard are addressed. <BR /> <BR />A further key issue on which the Committee sought clarity was in relation to the £133·2 million provision for increased employer contributions in respect of public-sector pension schemes. It was not clear why this huge pressure was not flagged up sooner, nor was there confidence as to the accuracy of estimates used in the calculation.”
“In the budget allocations for different Departments, for example, a number of aspects were not clear, including the basis on which bids were prioritised and the rationale for proposed departmental allocations; the proportion of budget allocations contractually or legally committed; the proportion of allocations available for ministerial prioritisation or discretion; and the criteria to be used to determine which services or programmes will be cut or scaled back. Quite clearly, there are a number of lessons that need to be learned from the process that we have just gone through. <BR /> <BR />Another key area we looked at is how the Budget will impact on the wider economy. This includes the impact on the public sector and the impact on university and further education and training places.”
“Clearly, there are immense budgetary challenges ahead. There will be a responsibility on all of us, across the House, to work constructively and collectively to climb those hills together in the interests of all the people we represent. <BR /> <BR />In that regard, I welcome the measures contained in the financial package delivered as part of the Stormont House Agreement, providing spending power of almost £2 billion. As well as additional capital borrowing provision, this will include new and additional funding, flexibilities to protect resource spending and measures that could also help to generate substantial year-on-year savings. <BR /> <BR />It was clear that more information and clarity is required on key issues. Many queries raised by Assembly Committees with their respective Departments remain unanswered.”
“I can think of other words from Madiba that are also fitting in this context, when he reflected:”
“Added to that, we face additional local difficulties, including increasing pressure on the health budget, a slower rate of economic growth and recovery than other jurisdictions and inherited burdens on public expenditure arising from the legacy of the conflict, which are distinctive and additional to those faced by other regions. <BR /> <BR />Last year, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) forecast that, overall, resource departmental expenditure limits (DEL) would decrease by a further 13% in real terms by 2018-19. In emphasising the tough choices ahead, the Minister quoted Nelson Mandela, who once stated:”
“The coordinated report has highlighted how the current process has fallen short in good practice and again stressed the need to put in place the memorandum of understanding between the Assembly and the Executive to ensure that the shortcomings are addressed and that future Budget processes meet the needs of the legislature and Government. <BR /> <BR />We must also recognise that, on this occasion, particular difficulties and challenges gave rise to the delays and time pressures. The Committee has been mindful of the extraordinary Budget challenges that the Executive are facing. A Budget was drafted in the context of unprecedented public expenditure reductions. These reductions are, of course, set against the backdrop of a British Government who are absolutely unyielding in their adherence to a strict austerity policy.”
“The coordinated report on this draft Budget examined issues at a cross-cutting and departmental level and was informed by the responses from each of the applicable Assembly Committees and by written evidence from representatives of the business and voluntary sectors, economists and the trade unions. The intention is that the report and today's contributions will inform the Executive's considerations and help influence the shape of the final Budget outcome. <BR /> <BR />At the outset, I point out the shortcomings of the Budget process in its truncated nature and the fact that there has been considerably less scope than normal for input by the Assembly and wider public. Committees experienced difficulties with the time available and a lack of information from respective Departments.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. Can I be the first to congratulate you on the appointment that you have received? It is obviously a first for the House. It is the first time that Derry has won something twice in a row. Barry told me to say that, and no one deserves it more, Mr Speaker. I have served with you on the Finance Committee in recent years, and the respect in which you are held by all parties in the House is second to none. I trust that you will do a fantastic job in the time ahead, following in the footsteps of Mr Willie Hay, who I have to say — I speak on behalf of party colleagues as well — always served fairly and justly in any of his dealings with the Assembly. <BR /> <BR />The Committee tabled this motion to provide the Assembly with the opportunity to debate the Executive's draft Budget 2015-16.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. He puts across a very strong argument, and the situation sounds very similar to that at Dalriada in Ballycastle, which Members will be aware of. The Member made reference to the stress and uncertainty that patients and families face. Does he agree that the Minister should lift that stress and uncertainty for patients in the Western Trust area today, and also for those at Dalriada? We have heard rumours that the Minister will ensure that Dalriada remains open until 31 March. Does the Member agree that the Minister should confirm that?”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Phríomh-LeasCheann Comhairle. Like the previous Member who spoke, I am deeply concerned about the effects that the cut will have on our constituents, particularly those who are at risk from drug abuse. I am grateful for the meeting that the Minister had with us. In his forthcoming engagement with the Northern Trust, will he go into that meeting with compromise in mind? Will he be minded to meet health officials halfway to ensure that we do not have a 100% cut from the Department of Justice and a meaningful compromise is put in place?”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Phríomh-LeasCheann Comhairle. I thank the Minister for his answer so far. In what circumstances does he feel it would be possible to make changes to the corporation tax rate if, and when, the power is transferred to the Executive?”
“I thank the Member for giving way. She made reference to the Save the Dal campaign, which, no doubt, will continue to challenge the trust, especially in the absence of the Minister challenging the trust. The good thing about the debate today is that we have had clarification that the Minister is working with the trust to close down the hospital.”
“What will happen to the staff for those eight weeks?”
“— that is being put forward by the Northern Trust.”
“He needs to challenge the trust, and he needs to robustly challenge the agenda —”
“The fact of the matter is that the economics and the financial case do not stack up. We know that the beds in the Causeway Hospital are starting to fill up at over £2,000 a time. The Dalriada beds are still there. They are being blocked; no admissions are being made; and they cost some £800 a time. It is a false economy. The facts are there, but they are not being presented by the Northern Trust. The Minister needs to challenge his officials —”
“I know that I am short of time, but he went on to conclude:”
“Of course, the Minister will have got a number of similar pieces of correspondence in recent times. I want to read from that letter:”
“Thank you. Part of the problem is that those things have not been done. They were not done two, three or four years ago to ensure that we have the savings now for front-line services in the Dalriada. <BR /> <BR />Every time that savings have to be made, they seem to come from front-line services. They especially seem to be made from services in rural areas, and this decision was not rural proofed. The Dalriada was seen as a soft touch by the Northern Trust and an easy option that would not get any resistance from the community. What we have learned and what we already knew is that the Dalriada is a gold standard hospital that is absolutely at the heart of the local community. <BR /> <BR />I received correspondence from one constituent, who outlined his experience.”
“Indeed, when it comes to savings, the board and the Northern Trust never look at themselves or at the amount of money that is spent on their wages, yet they are quite happy to turn to front-line services.”
“I spoke to staff last week, and they were informed that they would start to be moved out of the Dalriada yesterday — Monday. I contacted senior officials in the Northern Trust, who told me that staff would absolutely not be moved on Monday and that that was false information. I went back to the staff, who told me that they had not been told otherwise, and I then went back to the senior officials, who told me that they had got it wrong. <BR /> <BR />Something is going on, and I think that there is and has been an effort by Northern Trust officials to try to pull the wool over the eyes of elected officials of the community on different issues over the years. The Minister needs to get to grips with that issue and with the board of the Northern Trust.”
“Social workers have been told not to make referrals to the Dal. Of course, the MS unit is not just for the people of the north coast or Ballycastle. It is for people with multiple sclerosis across the North. <BR /> <BR />The civil servants and the Northern Trust need to be challenged, and the Minister does not need to be let off the hook altogether. At the end of the day, he has to be accountable for the actions of all those in his Department. <BR /> <BR />There has clearly been an agenda to run down the MS unit and the Dalriada, and a lot of that has to do with those at senior levels in the trust. The treatment of staff, patients and the entire community by the Northern Trust over the past two weeks has been absolutely shameful.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Phríomh-LeasCheann Comhairle. I support the motion. The front page of today's 'County Antrim Post' sums it up quite well. It says: "D-Day for Dalriada", and that is the view of the community in Ballycastle and the north coast. It is that today is the decision day, and they expect a decision and a firm opinion on the future of Dalriada from the Minister today. <BR /> <BR />The past few weeks have been fantastic in terms of the campaign that has been mounted by the Save the Dal group. It is quite clear that the MS unit has been run down. It has been run down deliberately.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle. Will the Minister's programme for tackling rural poverty and social isolation be affected by next year's Budget?”
“Go raibh maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle. Along the same lines, First Minister, can you outline what you believe the priorities should be with fiscal levers other than corporation tax? What conversations has your office had with the business community to ensure that it is part of the conversation, too?”
“On a point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker. Go raibh maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle. Yesterday, the Health Minister deliberately deceived the House. He gave an assurance to Members that he would consider the case put forward by the Save the Dal group. At the same time, his officials moved in to start to shut down that hospital. He misled the House, and he should come to the House today and apologise for that.”
“I thank the Minister for giving way. The Minister has said that he is considering what decision to make on Dalriada Hospital. The fact of the matter is that the Northern Trust today and for the past two weeks has been winding down that hospital. If he is serious about the option of keeping the Dalriada Hospital open, will he instruct the Northern Trust to stop all its actions until he makes a decision?”
“He must make sure that the future of Dalriada is that of a hospital that remains open.”
“I thank the Minister for his intervention. The fact is that the trust is running down the Dal. The Minister must not be complicit in that. He referred to the fact that he has not met the council yet and that that is why he has not come to a final decision. I have spoken to representatives from the council, and they are still waiting on word back from his Department. I do not want to see the Minister sitting on the fence any longer because, for the past two weeks, whilst he has not made a decision, the Northern Trust has been in the background getting everybody shipped out. The Minister needs to give a commitment today that he will make a decision on the future of Dalriada in the next number of days.”
“<BR /> <BR />I am sure that party colleagues and other Members are wise to the Northern Trust's tactics. Recently, it started to confiscate petitions on this issue in the Causeway Hospital. It has separated staff to try to pressurise them. It is determined to close Dalriada, regardless of what the Health Minister says. Other people and me want to make sure today that —”
“<BR /> <BR />The trust has insinuated that MS provision in Dalriada Hospital is not ideal, that it is not a good service and that it needs to be modernised. What the trust has not done is listen to the patients. We have listened to Philomena McKay on television screens over the past number of weeks. She has outlined the point quite acutely that this is their lifeline. The trust is proposing that that lifeline be taken away. I have heard all the figures that say that there are no referrals and that nobody wants to go there, but nobody knows about the facility in Dalriada because the Northern Trust and others have decided to run it down. I know of a number of cases where patients wanted to go to Dalriada but have been blocked from doing so. The Northern Trust is bandying false figures about, and the Minister needs to get wise to that.”
“This is an attack on the rural community. The decision has been made without any equality proofing, and it is effectively economic lunacy. <BR /> <BR />Another thing is that Rathlin Island is in our constituency of North Antrim. It is at a huge disadvantage already. We talk about rural proofing and the fact that the decision has not been rural proofed. It has not been Rathlin proofed. The islanders have to travel by boat to get to Ballycastle and Dalriada in the first instance, and this decision would make things considerably worse for them. I think that we should learn from this that any decisions on health in the Ballycastle and Moyle area need to take into account that we have the only island in the Six Counties and that those islanders' needs should also be considered.”
“I thank the Member for his intervention, and I wish that he would follow the example of his party colleague Donal Cunningham in Moyle District Council and all the other party representatives in that area who are standing united with one voice and do not want to see any division about Ballycastle introduced to this debate.”
“Let me answer the question first. <BR /> <BR />We already know where they will go. They are sitting at the moment in acute beds in the Causeway Hospital, because Dalriada admissions have been postponed. We know, through local knowledge, that those who would have been in those intermediate care beds in Dalriada that cost £850 a week are sitting in Causeway Hospital in acute beds that cost over £2,000 a week. That is the false economy being adopted by the Northern Trust.”
“It would have been higher if it was not for the loss of days due to transport delays in the Northern Trust. That would add another 6% to that figure, which means that we are talking about a real figure of 98%. As many in the health profession will tell you, anything over 90% represents a hospital that is effectively full in terms of intermediate care. <BR /> <BR />The question that I and people in Ballycastle and elsewhere have is this: if you were to remove those 20 intermediate care beds, where would the patients go?”
“Go raibh maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle. I support the motion and will dedicate most of my speech to Dalriada Hospital in Ballycastle in my constituency of North Antrim. <BR /> <BR />A lot of the decisions that have been made, particularly in the Northern Trust area, have been based on false economy. I want to go over some statistics that have been uncovered in the past couple of weeks. There are 20 intermediate beds in Ballycastle, each of which costs £850 a week. In comparison, an acute bed, according to Northern Trust's figures, costs between £2,100 and £2,800 a week, which is about 3·3 times the cost of an intermediate bed. Between December and August 2014, the average occupancy for those beds in Dalriada was 92%, which is extremely high.”
“— to this project. Will he at least have the courtesy to meet me, the families affected by drugs and the staff in the centre to discuss how we can resolve the issue?”
“The project not only saves money but saves lives. The Department of Justice is putting a 100% cut on the project — not 14%, 10% or whatever. The Minister needs to rethink the amount of money that he is giving —”
“Go raibh maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle. Minister, it is quite clear that, over the past couple of weeks, the steps taken by the Northern Trust to run down the hospital have accelerated quite significantly. My concern is that you have not made a decision yet and that we do not know when you will. Rather than allow the trust to continue to do that for another two weeks, can you let the House know when you will make a decision on Dalriada?”
“I thank the Member for giving way. I am sure that she, as someone who frequently gets stuck on the M2 or the M1 in the morning, would also benefit from flexible working. I do not know the Minister's view on flexible working for Members of the House. <BR /> <BR />The Member touches on a good point. Frequently, we face issues in the Assembly on transport infrastructure and congestion. If we implement flexible working, surely that would forgo the need for more money to be spent on infrastructure in the future and would address congestion on our roads.”
“For the benefits to be maximised, a corporate approach is needed not just in and across the Civil Service Departments in the lead functional areas of human resources, property and IT divisions but in ALBs and local government. <BR /> <BR />Finally, as highlighted in the report, the coordinated roll-out of flexible location working should be seen as an invest-to-save measure that will support the delivery of a range of other government policies and priorities, not least the reform and modernisation of the public sector. <BR /> <BR />I look forward to hearing Members' contributions and commend the report to the House.”
“While I will not go into the detail now, probably the most important part of the inquiry report is the section that outlines a good practice approach to implementing flexible working, including establishing the evidence, providing the vision, managing resistance, leading change, engaging staff, assessing jobs for flexibility, managing performance by results, providing appropriately designed workplaces, embracing new technology and training for change. <BR /> <BR />In closing, I emphasise that there will need to be determination on the part of the Executive and the Department to ensure a truly joined-up approach to implementation.”