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 In that context, it does not make sense that support to secure the vote is withdrawn from those on the ground when they need it more than ever.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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“Will the Minister explain what the situation is in regard to the Unite union and what strategy he will now put in place to prevent this happening again and to prevent it happening to the families who are left devastated in north Antrim this evening?”
“Go raibh maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle. I have been speaking today to many employees and their families who have been left utterly devastated in the mouth of Christmas. We need to do all that we can for those families in the weeks and months ahead. Does the Minister now recognise that there is a crisis in manufacturing? We have a growing list of manufacturers that, because of a number of factors already alluded to, are looking elsewhere. What can be done to prevent this drip feed, where they are increasingly looking towards the east, but also to Britain, because of cheap imports and energy costs? These issues have not been addressed. I am concerned about the fact that the Unite union has said that it has raised issues with you that have not been acted on.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle. What action is the Minister's Department taking to address the health and well-being needs of the non-teaching staff in our schools?”
“Go raibh maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle. Whilst we are on the subject of sports grounds, could the Minister indicate if she would be supportive of clubs and grounds benefiting from rates relief, which is a measure that the IFA was supportive of?”
“I urge Members to support the motion and the amendment.”
“I absolutely agree with the Member. As a Member for North Antrim, I know how isolated communities can feel. In rural areas, you find that the community steps up to the plate. It happens in urban areas as well, but, when you are a considerable distance from certain health services, you find that the community steps up to the plate. It is vital that those community groups and organisations in places such as Ballycastle, the glens and Ballymena continue to have our full support, because they carry out an important role in preventing greater mental health problems. Often, I do not think that their role in prevention is recognised by a number of Departments.”
“That could be for a number of reasons, but I hope that people who previously did not want to be seen accessing these services are doing so now. Stigma is a big issue when it comes to mental health. The more that people such as us — people in leadership positions — talk about their mental health difficulties — we all have issues — the more chance there is of helping to de-stigmatise what is essentially a massive health issue. Somebody in the sector once asked me, "Why do you always talk about having a mental health problem? If you break your leg, you don't go about saying you have a physical health problem". It is a health issue and problem, regardless of whether it is to do with the state of your mind or something physical. All those things are interconnected.”
“That community faces huge mental health and well-being problems because of bullying and intimidation. The rates of self-harm and suicide attempts are absolutely shocking. We can do something about that. It is important to comment on that, because the more that we can change attitudes and views that are based on people's sexual orientation, the greater impact there will be on that community. The earlier debate about marriage equality is very much connected to mental health when it comes to the LGB and T community, and it is worth bearing that in mind. <BR /> <BR />As others said, strategies need to be put in place to deal with this huge issue. As the Member who has just spoken said, there has been an increase in the number of people accessing these services.”
“<BR /> <BR />I am a rural MLA, and it is concerning that people living in rural areas have significantly less access to vital mental health services than those living in urban areas, so it is important that funding to key groups in rural areas continues. I can think of many such groups in my North Antrim constituency. The Hope Centre in Ballymena helps people recovering from drug addiction and their families, and Solas in Ballycastle was set up in reaction to the rising suicide rate in the Moyle area. It is a community-led mental health and well-being group. Such groups are located in very isolated areas, and any reduction in funding often results in their going to the wall. That always needs to be taken into consideration. <BR /> <BR />Earlier today, we had a debate about marriage equality and the LGB and T community.”
“Prevention, of course, is much better than cure, which is why it is important to have services not only in the Department of Health but in other Departments. In DE, for example, there is the independent counselling service for schools. It is also important to make the link between mental health problems and physical health and well-being. Ensuring that people live in a safe and healthy environment in terms of their housing and that they have choice in active travel and sports are important health factors. Mental health does not just go into a box but is connected to all those issues, which all have an impact.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle. I speak in favour of the motion and the amendment. In the North, of course, we have significant mental health problems in comparison to other jurisdictions, as has already been said. We have higher rates of suicide. We have, arguably, a higher rate of stigmatisation in areas as well. Stigma increases isolation and makes it much harder for people to come forward to receive treatment and help. Mental health problems face all of us — ourselves as much as anybody else. Much more needs to be done. People need to speak out about their own experiences to help tackle the stigma that hangs over those with such health problems.”
“The reason why the vote was carried so convincingly in the South was that the entire community and families of these people rallied around them to say that it was not good enough to have this sort of prejudice in our society in this day and age. I believe that the people in the North will say, and are saying, exactly the same. <BR /> <BR />We can send out a very clear message here today that, regardless of the petition of concern, a simple majority of MLAs, representing the majority of our constituents and the public in the North, support the LGBT community having the same rights and entitlements as everybody else.”
“No, I will not. <BR /> <BR />I hope that history will be made today. I hope that Members will be on the right side of history. I genuinely welcome any moves from any of the parties that will help to secure a majority in favour of equal marriage for the first time. <BR /> <BR />When the South voted for marriage equality, a huge weight was lifted off the shoulders of men and women from the LGBT community. For many people who grew up with stigma, bullying, discrimination and fear of physical and verbal attack, here was a message that they were as equal as anybody else and as entitled to their rights as anybody else. That was a great moment. This affects not just members of the gay community but their mothers, fathers, sons and daughters and everybody in the community.”
“<BR /> <BR />The marriage equality that we seek protects religious freedom. As the proposer said, the proposal is for civil marriage. If a gay couple wants a civil marriage and sees that as being aligned with their religious beliefs, what about their religious freedom? This goes both ways. The Members opposite have their religious views, and they are absolutely entitled to them. However, members of the gay community have their religious views, and being married may be part of their belief system as well. That argument should not be forgotten either.”
“No, I will not give way for any more ridiculous assertions from the Member for North Antrim. <BR /> <BR />Marriage equality is already the law in Donegal and Dundalk, 50 miles from this Building. Gay couples can get married in a hotel in Dundalk but not in Newry. This is being introduced throughout the rest of the island on 16 November 2015, yet we still have not seen any legislation or legislative proposals for the North. We had an interesting debate the week before last about the hospitality sector and rates for sports clubs. Here is an opportunity for the hospitality sector in the North to avail itself of gay marriages. A lot of gay couples will go to Dundalk or Donegal instead of Ballycastle or Belfast, which is trade lost to the North, so there is also an economic argument that we should not forget.”
“We are getting some very silly arguments today. That is the second one that we have had on the Floor. It goes to show that the Members opposite are losing the argument. There is no rational debate coming from across the Floor. The fact is that this has already been introduced in the South, across the water and the United States of America. You can hold back the tide only for so long.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. I stand up to speak in favour of the motion and will continue to stand up and bring these motions to the Floor until this unjust situation is dealt with. It is absolutely absurd, given the fact that public opinion is quite firmly, in my view, in favour of marriage equality here in the North. I am sure that all Members received many emails over recent days, not only from members of the gay community but from the community as a whole, saying that this needs to be corrected. The latest opinion poll on this matter showed that 68% of the public were in favour of marriage equality. Look at the part of Ulster that has already voted for marriage equality: those three counties — Donegal, Monaghan and Cavan — said yes to marriage equality.”
“At the end of the day, communities are struggling out there. Clubs from across the community that represent people of different religions, genders and sporting codes are struggling, and they need that support and deserve it. The party and the Minister opposite really need to reflect on how they have abused not only the House but the clubs that are the heart and the glue of our communities.”
“So she needs to come back with that, go out to the community, have a proper consultation on it like I have done and like I proposed through a consultation stage on the Bill and ensure that that is done by the time the elections are held next year.”
“If the Minister is serious, she needs to bring forward legislation, outline what the support is and outline when the clubs will get it. That is the challenge for the Minister. She has, along with her party, abused the processes of the House, and she is also proposing to abuse the democratic process by bypassing Committee Stage, as Mr McCallister said. I hope that she reflects on the very strong views that are out there among community and amateur sports clubs and comes back with a proper, detailed proposal that is subject to proper consultation, not a process that is bereft of consultation in the House, as she proposed.”
“I think that it is the latter. The Minister had an opportunity here today to outline her proposal in detail, yet we are left with a proposal that is bereft of detail. That may change, and I hope that it does change, because what I want is full support for community and amateur sports clubs. <BR /> <BR />At the end of the day, the challenge to the Minister is this: if she is serious about providing support for community and amateur sports clubs, outline what that support is, instead of bringing forward some silly piece of enabling legislation, with no date for when clubs will get the support. Those community and amateur sports clubs did not come up the Lagan in a bubble. They know when they are being played.”
“It is immature and bad politics, and it is a bad abuse of the petition of concern. At the end of today's debate, community and amateur sports clubs will be left in the dark about what support they may or may not get from the Department of Finance and Personnel. The challenge is there. <BR /> <BR />I will conclude on this point. The Minister —”
“I challenge the Minister to outline to the public and outline to the rugby clubs, the soccer clubs, the boxing clubs — all amateur sports clubs — what exactly she is proposing to do. If it is enabling legislation, she should give us a date on which she is going to give us something of substance. We have not got that here today. I was going to say that the Minister has taken her ball and gone home, and she clearly has. <BR /> <BR />I think that this is immature. I knew that the Department had a Bill in the offing. My Bill was already ahead of it. I knew that the Minister wanted to include in her Bill an amendment on window dressing in shops. I think that that is what it comes down to: she did not want to support the Bill because she wants to put forward her own Bill with window dressing on it. That is what it comes down to.”
“I thank the Member for his intervention. He is spot on. With this Bill, what you see is what you get. With enabling legislation, the Minister could give the impression that she is going to give support to community and amateur sports clubs but leave that for regulations to deal with somewhere down the line, at a date to be confirmed. The devil is in the detail, and the detail is not there. I would have considered withdrawing the Bill today if I had had that detail, but the Minister did not give me it. It was quite disingenuous for her to come here and outline a proposal that was put to me that was not put to me. She should stop playing silly buggers and stop trying to mislead the public.”
“Of course, she wants to bring a Bill to the House without it going through Committee Stage. That is bad legislation; that is a Bill that has not had proper consultation if it does not go through the Committees of this House.”
“At the meeting with the Minister last week, I said that I would be happy to work with the Department if it or the Minister wanted to introduce amendments and we could consider that and the House can make a decision in that regard. That is new to me. I would like to see more detail on that, and perhaps the Finance Committee would like to see more detail on what the Minister has in mind. <BR /> <BR />At the moment — Mr McCallister referred to this earlier — we have had no indication of a timeline for the Minister's Bill. We were told that the Department's Bill could not be brought forward because my Bill was already in the House, but that was wrong as well. That Bill could have come forward anyway. We have had no indication of a timeline, and the commitment from the Minister is a bit unwieldy.”
“As Mr Rogers outlined earlier, the community amateur sports clubs are the glue that holds many of our communities together. They deserve this recognition and support, and if Members want to tweak around the edges of the support that is put in place, they can table amendments to the Bill. What the Minister outlined that she wants could have been done through amendments to this Bill, which is already at Second Stage. I do not understand — well, I do understand — why she could not have done that. <BR /> <BR />She also referred to the proposal to get a permanent exemption from rates for CASCs if they do not have a bar. That is the first I have heard of it. She said that that was discussed with me in a private meeting; that is wrong. That is the first I have heard of it.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Committee Stage, as it has been for most Bills in the Assembly, is when people, groups and organisations, such as Hospitality Ulster, can come and give evidence. The Committee can listen to what they are saying, and it can propose amendments. That is the way this process works. I say again that it is disingenuous for the Minister to come here and make her point and then not even have the courtesy to stay to hear my response to her comments. That she has not stayed for the duration of the debate ahead of the vote shows you how seriously she takes community amateur sports clubs. <BR /> <BR />Of course, she raised other issues to do with the Bill and said that it is anti-competitive. Well, I think that for the DUP to vote this down and torpedo the Bill is anti-community.”
“The Member is right; you are comparing apples and pears, really. The amateur sports clubs are staffed by volunteers, and the hospitality industry operates in a completely different environment. What was most concerning in the debate today, yesterday and earlier in the week is that there is an assumption that those who run hotels, bars and restaurants are automatically against the Bill. Since last night, I have been inundated with messages from bar managers — people I know who are involved in sport — saying that what was being said does not represent them. That needs to be taken into consideration in the Minister's consultation if she wants to bring something similar forward. It is unfortunate that that is how things have developed over the past couple of days, but all voices need to be listened to.”
“If Minister Foster is saying that I should have been able to get a better analysis, maybe her officials should have been able to do the same. That is another red herring from the Minister. <BR /> <BR />The Minister referred to orange and green issues. That is not an avenue that I have gone down. The provisions for halls were in the 2006 order. That is in the past and an issue for others to debate. We want to deal with community and amateur sports clubs because they deliver for all communities: orange, green, black, yellow, purple or whatever. We want all GAA clubs, rugby clubs and boxing clubs, and clubs in unionist, nationalist and other communities to receive support — across the board. I do not think that anybody should oppose that.”
“We are talking about a Bill with four clauses. We are not talking about something complex; we are talking about a simple change to the 1977 order. <BR /> <BR />As far as a cost analysis is concerned, we had very little from the Department to work on. We were told that there were no up-to-date figures and that certain things cannot be calculated, so I find it highly ironic that the Minister is criticising me for that when her Department could not produce one. The Department could have been more helpful. My understanding was that, because of the way in which LPS is designed and statistics are gathered, there was genuine difficulty in getting these statistics. I certainly gave the Department the benefit of the doubt.”
“I share that concern. <BR /> <BR />Mrs Foster, the Minister, outlined two main issues, and my consultation drew a lot of criticism. I quickly googled consultations by DUP Members who have had a private Member's' Bill. I am not picking on Mr McIlveen just because he is sitting there, but his consultation was pretty similar to the structure that I used. Mr Givan's consultation had seven questions. That is the nature of a private Members' Bill: we do not have a Department behind us to give us a 200-page document. The Department has produced 100- and 200-page consultation documents that did not even get five responses. I produced a short, sharp consultation document that got over 1,000 responses. That, I think, speaks for itself. Members can nitpick over the quality, but it was designed to be simple.”
“Rightly, Mr McCallister flagged the example of the plastic bag levy Bill, which, by the end, had morphed into the Carrier Bags Act 2014. That Bill was totally transformed, and that is the art of making legislation, which has been compared with making sausages: you do not necessarily want to see the ins and outs of it. That, in itself, outlines the ridiculousness of the position outlined from the other side of the Floor. If they were serious about making the changes that they outlined, they could have simply tabled amendments. Taking their ball and running home in the way that they are doing today is totally disingenuous. <BR /> <BR />Mr McCallister outlined his concern, rightly, that the Department might or might not get a Bill through and that we could end up with nothing for community and amateur sports clubs at the end of the mandate.”
“We need to look at the costs in the round, not just rates but the cost that we would have to pay through central government and local government if these clubs were not there.”
“<BR /> <BR />Chris Hazzard referred to the extracurricular activities that clubs hold such as road safety events. I know of a number of clubs that engage with the PSNI in holding road safety events on their grounds as well as events on suicide awareness and mental health. It is not sport exclusively that happens in these clubs; it is more holistic. If councils or health trusts were doing that, it would cost hundreds — even thousands — of pounds in employees' time and all the rest of it. These are volunteers who do it for nothing. They give up their time, open up facilities and staff them at no cost, yet we are complaining about a few hundred pounds to a club here or a few thousand pounds to a club there.”
“<BR /> <BR />John McCallister referred to the fact that the purpose of Committee Stage is to allow the Committee to consult. He rightly referred to the sporting pride that we have seen in recent weeks not only in the North but across the island through rugby and soccer alike. We have produced some fine, fine rugby and soccer players. He is right that they all started in amateur clubs. Rory Best started at Banbridge Rugby Football Club, which, of course, responded to the consultation in support of the Bill. That club deserves the support to produce more Rory Bests. That is what we want to see: more success on the international stage. Being stingy is not the way to do that. This is a drop in the ocean compared with the overall Budget, and these clubs deserve our support.”
“She outlined the importance for youth and community relations. She also spoke of the loss of sponsorship for clubs. She supports the Bill in principle but would go further on bars and social clubs. She also rightly said that there are concerns from Departments. She would welcome further scrutiny — as would I — because there are concerns that I want to be addressed. I am not running away from them in any way, so they should be responded to in the way that our legislative process was designed to do by way of Committee Stage, Consideration Stage and Further Consideration Stage. If the DUP had wanted to torpedo the Bill at Final Stage, it could have done that. It is a bit disingenuous to outline concerns and not even to take the opportunity to address them through the stages of the Bill.”
“I can think of boxing clubs in my constituency that are covered in damp. They cannot get facilities and find it hard to scrape by and get support. They deserve extra money so that they can improve the environment in which they are delivering this service for our young people and communities. Some are hard-to-reach young people and some come from disadvantaged backgrounds, so this is a big opportunity for many of them. Sport gives them the opportunity to move on in life and to develop skills. Many young people whom I know of credit the sporting code that they are involved in with turning their life around. We should not forget that or the impact that these clubs truly have on our communities. <BR /> <BR />Judith Cochrane informed us that she is a former hockey player. I do not know how good she was; she might tell us later.”
“The Bill is designed to be simple, which is why it would be so effective. <BR /> <BR />Seán Rogers rightly said that sports clubs are the glue of our communities. I can assure him that there are many young people with a hurl running up and down the streets of north Antrim — and parts of County Down, I hasten to add. <BR /> <BR />There is a variety of sports in other communities. Running and cycling have taken off in recent years, and there is football, rugby and boxing, which is a big sport where I am from. That should not be forgotten, especially in view of the success that we have generated in areas such as rugby, as Mr McCallister mentioned, and boxing. We have produced some world-class athletes. Pardon me for saying this, but they started off in some of the dirtiest, most run-down facilities you could imagine.”
“She rightly talked about the effects that austerity and the Tory Government policy are having throughout the entire community; and that should not be forgotten either. She also referred to the various grant schemes that clubs apply to. They repeatedly go back to different organisations to get a couple of hundred pounds here and there. The Sports Forum did some work and research regarding this, and most sports clubs would like something simple and direct. If they were to have a rates exemption of 100%, that would be a lot better than filling out 20- or 30-page forms every year to try and scrape by year in and year out.”
“That goes on in our communities all the time, and it makes those hotels, restaurants and bars a lot of profit. So, this goes both ways. The bars in clubs are staffed mainly voluntarily. They are not people who are going out to make a profit. They are people who are volunteering their time to better their club and ensure that money can be raised for good purposes, for supporting their young people, for sports equipment, and so on and so forth. It is a very worthwhile cause. <BR /> <BR />Bronwyn McGahan opened by stating that she is a former Gaelic footballer and a cyclist. She did say that she is a very good cyclist and is often seen going up and down the hills of Tyrone on a Sunday afternoon.”
“I remember well the variety of sporting clubs that attended that evening, including tennis, bowling and the GAC. He rightly said that we should be an exemplar for Europe and the rest of the world in supporting community sports. So, there is an opportunity here to show that we can do something different and something good, without it being shot down here today. He also took the opportunity to speak to hospitality providers, who are universally supportive of it, and he was strongly critical of Hospitality Ulster for being out of touch and not representative. <BR /> <BR />In his intervention, the Deputy Chair, rightly, said that, in terms of amateur and community sports clubs — I have lost count of the amount of dinners I have been at for amateur sports clubs in Ballymena, Ballycastle and Portglenone, sometimes on quite a regular basis.”
“Our paths have not crossed since he took up his post. He also outlined the fact that this is an abuse of the petition of concern. He rightly said that the petition of concern was never intended to thwart run-of-the mill legislation. Some of the issues outlined about Mr Kelly, a Member of the House, are more controversial. However, community and amateur sports clubs, and the work they do, are not controversial in any way. He also said that there would not be a massive cost, and of course, the DUP have had four years to introduce a Bill and nothing happened until this Bill came to the House. <BR /> <BR />Mr McElduff indicated that there is huge support for the Bill in the community and referred to the public engagement in Strule Arts Centre in Omagh.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Deputy Chair indicated that the SDLP agrees with the general principles of the Bill and said the deployment of this petition of concern is anti-democratic. I think that that will prove to be the case, because it is quite clear that the majority of MLAs in the House, and the majority of parties bar one, support this proposal moving forward in the House. <BR /> <BR />I will also say that the programme last night about suicide in the GAA was a great example. It is a big issue not just for the GAA but for all sporting organisations and for rural communities such as I come from. All sporting codes and organisations do fantastic work in the area of suicide prevention. <BR /> <BR />Neil Somerville responded on behalf of the Ulster Unionist Party. I take the opportunity to welcome Mr Somerville to the Assembly.”
“<BR /> <BR />As the Deputy Chair rightly said, Committee Stage would give businesses another opportunity to reply. It would also give organisations that represent the business community an opportunity to respond. That is what Committee Stage is for. We are only at Second Stage, and there have been many times in the past when Members from all parties have agreed to the principles of the Bill — the very broad principles of the Bill — and agreed that we need to look at amendments elsewhere. The more reasoned position that the party opposite should have taken was that outlined by Mrs Cochrane. Yes, she has concerns around the Bill, some of them similar to what the Minister has outlined; but the place to deal with them is at Committee Stage, Consideration Stage and Further Consideration Stage.”
“He also referred to the issue of clubs that are registered as charities. Of course, those that are registered as charities get 100% relief, so more clubs may decide to go down that road if 100% relief is not open to them. <BR /> <BR />He also referred to the call for the evidence that the Committee — not me; the Committee — put out over the summer period, in which no concerns were raised. Some concerns have been raised by those on the other side of the House, but no concerns were raised by any organisations over the summer period. It was only yesterday that a response was received from Hospitality Ulster to express some of its concerns at a very late stage. There has been quite a significant reaction to that not only from sports clubs but from some businesses, including some bars and restaurants.”
“An issue for the Finance and Personnel Committee has been the concept of investing to save and MLAs and, indeed, the Executive taking a more long-term strategic view about how we spend public money and how we can reap dividends in terms of social impact and value for money in the longer term. In the areas of obesity and diabetes, this certainly would be preventative spending. <BR /> <BR />He also referred to the cross-community benefits of community and amateur sports clubs. I know of one example in my community where a local GAA club and a rugby club have worked together to build bridges in a community where there had been cross-community issues. That has reaped dividends, developed friendships and built links. Sport clubs play a vital role in bringing the entire community together.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle. I rise to respond to the debate. I will come back later to some of the inaccurate comments that have been made; they were certainly misleading to this House. <BR /> <BR />The first Member who spoke was the Deputy Chair of the Committee. I take this opportunity to thank the Committee for its work and, indeed, the Deputy Chair for his work. I understand that he is moving on to pastures green and is escaping this place. I wish him well for the future in that regard. Unfortunately, as Dominic outlined, it looks like the Bill will not go to the Committee. He also touched on the issue of preventative spending.”
“Once again today, they give this place a bad name, because amateur sports clubs across the North will be disappointed that we could not even have the conversation and debate applying that much-needed relief to our grass-roots communities. I look forward to what the Minister says. I do not believe that she can provide any reasonable excuse for the petition of concern, but, at the end of the day, the Bill is on the table and should have been given consideration like any other Bill. Had Members wanted to vote the Bill down today, I would have been happy enough to accept that, but it is not a Bill that should ever have been subject to a petition of concern. <BR /> <BR />I look forward to the debate among Members this afternoon.”
“We have a Committee Stage, where all of the parties in the Chamber, if they have issues with the Bill, can tease them out. We have Consideration Stage, where the Department or any party in the House can put forward amendments to the Bill. We have Further Consideration Stage, where any party in the House or the Department can put forward amendments to the Bill, and we have Final Stage, so if some parties are not happy, they can vote against it at that stage. <BR /> <BR />I believe that it is a great shame that the DUP has not allowed us to have that debate. They have abused the process, the Assembly and the Chamber.”