Christopher Stalford
South Belfast · Democratic Unionist Party · Northern Ireland
“In the United States of America, you have two schools of thought: the expansionists — the people who do not believe that the Founding Fathers should be taken at their word, or that the Constitution should be interpreted in the strict sense; and the originalists — those who do.”
“Let me make some progress. <BR /> <BR />The key point in the brief is the "particular circumstances" of Northern Ireland. That is, and should be, central to everything that we examine.”
“I do not think that it ever got particularly bad-tempered, so I am disappointed at the tone that was struck in the opening of the debate and in subsequent contributions, but I am not going to lie down like a dog and take it. I am not going to take the rewriting of history.”
“There is one absolute right in law, and that is the right not to be tortured. That is an absolute right that is accepted as a universal right. How many people did the fellow travellers of the party opposite deny that human right to? So I am not going to take that from any Member opposite when it comes to rights.”
“I have stated my position and made it clear that I think that we have a strong human rights framework in Northern Ireland. We have two bodies, established in law, that are dedicated to the protection of human rights and equality. We are one of the most human rights- and fairness-compliant societies in the world. It is important.”
“I appreciate the Member's giving way. She and I served together for many years on Belfast City Council, where people from different and disparate backgrounds had to work together because nobody had a majority. That was just the nature of the place. She talked about respect and disrespect.”
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“They are entitled to have it back, and, through the scheme that was introduced, we have been able to ensure that that is the case. <BR /> <BR />The Private Tenancies Order details the responsibility that landlords have to their tenants and to the local authority. It is important that we increase awareness and education around that, particularly amongst tenants, so that they know the responsibilities of their landlords to them. There may indeed be a role for local government to take on. I cannot help notice that there are plenty of Belfast people who want to contribute to the debate. In the city, we have seen what was our council taking the lead on lots of issues and increasing public awareness of them.”
“I welcome the fact that we have embarked on a review, and it is important that we are looking at taking it forward into the future. I hope it will allow us to close the gap that exists in people's perceptions between social housing and the private rented sector. People should have the same confidence that a private landlord will repair their property or ensure that their home is maintained as tenants have in the Housing Executive. That is why I think that some of the measures undertaken by the successor Department to DSD are welcome. In protecting tenants' rights, for example, the tenancy deposit scheme secured 66,000 deposits totalling £37 million. This is real money that people put down as a deposit on a home.”
“In my constituency, as, I am sure, we will hear later from Paula Bradshaw, housing is probably the biggest issue that people come to their Assembly Member about. In starting a discussion about this, it is important to consider some basic first principles. The first thing is that there are 48,000 landlords, the huge majority of whom are small landlords who hold one, two or maybe three properties. Those individuals are making a contribution towards meeting housing need, as has already been said. The reason measures such as those we are discussing today are necessary and should be built on — we all have experience of this — is that, when you suggest to a constituent that they consider the private rented sector, rather than Housing Executive accommodation, 99 out of 100 will back away, afraid of that prospect. There are reasons for that.”
“I am grateful to the First Minister for her answer on how the British-Irish Council is dealing with the urgent priorities of each member Administration. Does she agree that having willing Governments, cooperating without threat or coercion, is precisely the sort of model that we should be looking for in the future? Our pro-European friends could learn from such a model.”
“She should withdraw that remark and apologise.”
“I am grateful to the Minister for giving way. This is now, I think, the fourth time since I have been elected to the Chamber that a fellow Member for the Belfast South constituency has effectively questioned the character of the social investment fund. When she uses words like "slush fund", does she realise that she is maligning the character of the groups that were the beneficiaries of it? She is saying that community groups in her own constituency were the beneficiaries of a slush fund.”
“I am very grateful to the Member for giving way. I want to return him to the issue of corporation tax. Does he recall issuing a press statement on 13 December 2005 — it is available on the archive of jimallister.org — in which he said:”
“This does relate to the Budget (No. 2) Bill, in that it was said during a debate on it. What Mr Lunn actually referred to were developing countries and neighbouring regions. We are not a developing country but, after Brexit, we will be a neighbouring region.”
“In the interests of accuracy, would the Member —”
“I appreciate the Member's giving way. The Member will know that in constituencies like mine — and indeed in constituencies like his own, in places like Bangor West, Ballyholme etc — there are lots of elderly people, getting on in years, and whilst they may be asset-wealthy in that they own a home, they are not cash-wealthy. The rates cap exists to protect vulnerable pensioners who, without it — he knows this as well as I do — would be pushed below the waterline and forced to sell their homes. Does he not accept that, for those people, the rates cap is an instrument for good?”
“The vacant sites include communities such as Sandy Row. Does she agree that it is a lot more, and much more positive, than simply a "photo opportunity", as it was described?”
“I am grateful to the Member for giving way. The urban strategies report 2014 said that the Belfast transit hub could:”
“I am grateful to the Member for giving way. He raises the issue of the Marxist-Leninist economic philosophy of our friends across the way. Does he also think it strange that a party that prides itself in its belief in national sovereignty should be so badly on the wrong side of the Brexit debate?”
“First, I welcome the Minister to his place and wish him all the very best. I hope the Member for Lagan Valley — the Minister — will show kindness and deference to the people of South Belfast, as I am sure he intends to. <BR /> <BR />Will the Minister outline for the House the practical steps that the Department intends to take to address the deficiencies in disability access to the public library on the Lisburn Road?”
“I appreciate the Member giving way. He will be aware of the importance of localism, and his sister party, the Liberal Democrats, majored on that for many years. One of the great assets of the social investment fund is the fact that the local area working groups, which are responsible for administering the fund and making the decisions on it, are drawn directly from local communities. They are local people who know the situation on the ground better than any Department or official ever possibly could.”
“I am grateful to the Member for giving way. His introductory remarks show that whilst you can take the UUP out of UCUNF, you cannot necessarily take UCUNF out of the UUP. With regard to the way in which the information is being provided, the Member will be aware that, in Westminster — the system that the Ulster Unionists tell us that they want us to move towards in the House — Budgets are provided, and Jeremy Corbyn gets the equivalent of an hour to respond to the Chancellor of the Exchequer. The Member has been given much more information and much more time than that to respond.”
“I am grateful to the Minister for giving way; he has been very generous with his time. The Minister is right in the sense that, to be fair to the Alliance Party, it has had the gumption to outline some proposals. I do not agree with many of them, but at least they had the gumption to do so. In our constituency, the Minister will be aware, there are many elderly people who, although asset-rich, in that they live in expensive houses, are cash-poor. Does the Minister agree that the proposal to remove the rates cap would not hit millionaires but would, in a constituency like ours, hit pensioners, who can least afford it?”
“I am grateful to the Member for giving way. He refers to the context of these things, and, of course, the context is that we now have a Tory-majority Government, which only one party in the Chamber campaigned to put in office. If fingers are to be pointed anywhere for the constraints in the Budget in Northern Ireland, who campaigned for them in 2010, and who put them in?”
“I thank the Member for giving way. She referred to the need to stop investing so much in buildings: is that a reference to Stranmillis University College? Is it still the view of the Alliance Party that it should close?”
“In those two areas — the social investment fund and the historical abuse inquiry — it is important that we try, insofar as is possible, to maintain a unity of purpose to ensure delivery, not only for the communities that need it but for the individuals who have been so badly affected by the despicable behaviour of others.”
“Having initiated the thing, we should not suddenly decide that we want to alter the terms of reference or interfere with the independence of the inquiry. <BR /> <BR />We are in a better position. Northern Ireland is in a better position than it was before the Fresh Start Agreement because of the additional resources that have been secured for spending on things that matter to every person, whether they are in the Government or the Opposition. It is on that basis that we should continue the discussions. We should, of course, refine our Programme for Government at later points to ensure that maximum delivery occurs for our people.”
“It is not right to refer to the need to maintain the independence of the inquiry as merely a "nicety". If parties agreed the terms of reference, as they did, and the way in which it would proceed, as they did, we should allow it to proceed. I agree with the leader of the Ulster Unionist Party that the horror that those people who were abused went through is beyond measure, and we, as a Government, are right to recognise that horror for what it was. It is because we recognised it for being the horror that it was that the inquiry was established in the first place. It is because of the need to ensure that we move forward together united to address this injustice that all parties that were then around the Executive table agreed that this was the way to proceed.”
“No. Later on maybe, but I want to make some progress. <BR /> <BR />I know that there has been a lot of criticism directed at the social investment fund, but we can see for ourselves, with our own eyes, the positive impact that it is having on the ground. <BR /> <BR />Reference was made to the historical abuse inquiry.”
“I think of Taughmonagh, where the money from the social investment fund will provide a day-care nursery in an area of social deprivation — somewhere where it is needed. An important point about the Taughmonagh day-care nursery is that it is used by people who are from way beyond the confines of Taughmonagh — by people from throughout South Belfast. Those are projects that are bringing positive benefits and creating positive change in our constituency, and I know —”
“This is the second time that the Member has repeated that inaccuracy. The Member knows that the working groups appointed to oversee the social investment fund were appointed in an open and transparent way. She also knows that the Office of the First and deputy First Minister had no hand in determining which projects would and would not be approved. That decision fell to the panel in each area, and those panels were appointed independently. <BR /> <BR />It is really sad that, as a Member for South Belfast, you cannot find it in yourself to recognise the positive impact that the social investment fund is having in our constituency, particularly in Sandy Row, where the money from the fund will go towards the creation of a training and employment centre. It is an area of great social need, and it needs that.”
“This is an interesting debate. It takes place in the context of the Fresh Start Agreement, which secured greater investment from central government for Northern Ireland than would have been the case had it not happened. We are therefore debating how a pie that has, frankly, become larger should be sliced up inside government, and that is a welcome context for the discussion. <BR /> <BR />Reference has been made in the debate to the social investment fund. My experience of it, from my time as a council representative for south Belfast, has been a good one. Other South Belfast representatives can confirm that the projects in our constituency that the social investment fund will be directed into are of benefit to people on the ground.”
“I appreciate the Member giving way. Will he confirm that the Ulster Unionist Party agreed to the terms of reference of the historical abuse inquiry?”
“I am grateful to the Member for giving way, and whilst I do not accept all of the fundamentals of his critique, I do accept some. Bearing that in mind, and how desperately bad he tells us the situation is, was it not a catastrophic mistake on his part that, when he had the opportunity to put his shoulder to the wheel and play his part in the Government of Northern Ireland and fix the problems he has identified, he shirked that opportunity?”
“I am grateful to the Member for giving way. Will the Member agree with me that one of the great achievements of the last Executive — an Executive whose legacy we heard being disrespected and challenged yesterday in the House — was the decision to freeze university tuition fees, thereby helping to contribute to stopping the brain drain of talent out of Northern Ireland and keeping our most talented young people here to contribute to our economy?”
“I am grateful to the Member for giving way. I confess that my view is to be very cautious about undertaking a project like this. That said, given that the Government pay people from Northern Ireland Water, the Northern Ireland Environment Agency and other statutory organisations such as DETI to provide advice to people like him who are charged to make the decision, why does he think that he is better qualified than those whom we pay to advise us?”
“I am grateful to the Member for giving way. In her contribution, she mentioned the social investment fund in a very critical way. Is she aware that, in our constituency, the social investment fund is creating the provision of an education and learning centre in Sandy Row and a day centre for children in Taughmonagh? Which of those projects does the Member think should be done away with?”
“I do not believe that we should destroy the grammar schools, but I do believe — I welcome the fact that it is in here — that there needs to be a concentrated focus on ending educational inequality. It cannot be right in this day and age that so many of our young people leave school without even the most basic educational attainment. <BR /> <BR />I am glad to support the motion. I am in politics to work for the people who sent me here, to secure the best outcomes for the constituency that I was born and reared in and to do my best, with all colleagues here, for the people of South Belfast.”
“The fact that there is a commitment in this document to tackling those issues is something that I think will be welcomed by my constituents. <BR /> <BR />I think of education. I am very privileged and fortunate to have passed the 11-plus and gone through Wellington College, Belfast. South Belfast has some of the finest schools in Northern Ireland. We must recognise the fact that too many young people from the working-class Protestant background that I come from have been failed by the system and left behind. I do not believe that that means that we should tear down that which works best.”
“I think, therefore, that some of the language that has been used around the Programme for Government framework is unnecessarily negative. <BR /> <BR />I believe that, under the leadership of the Executive, we have a unique chance to build a better Northern Ireland, making it the very best part of the very best country in the world to live in. Some of the measures that have been set down have special resonance in my constituency. In particular, I think of the need to tackle health inequalities. One could get on a bus at the City Hall and get off in Sandy Row, where a person's average life expectancy is 10 years less than that of a person who lives at Finaghy crossroads. This is 2016, and that situation is entirely unacceptable to me as an elected representative for the people of South Belfast.”
“I am glad that they exist, that they are down in black and white and that we can be judged at the end of the five-year term on how we deliver on those measures. The content of the document has been mentioned. I actually think that it is a good idea not to have a document such as this cast, like the laws of the Medes and the Persians, in stone and unchangeable. Many of the key stakeholders in the process whom I have spoken to have welcomed the fact that the Government are actually listening, are prepared to take their views onboard and will, hopefully, reflect the changes that they want to see in the final draft of the Programme for Government when it is produced. That is what sensible Governments do: they listen to experts in the field and key stakeholders and then draw their plans together.”
“Many of the leading institutions in our academic world, such as Queen's University of course, and in our cultural world, such as the Lyric Theatre and Grand Opera House, are based in my constituency. In many ways, this is a stereotype of what South Belfast is: the truth is that many people there do not conform to that stereotype. Many of the communities that I have been sent here to represent have not enjoyed the benefits of the recent economic recovery and growth. I think of communities like Taughmonagh, Sandy Row, Donegall Pass and Annadale, where I was born. Those people need to see the benefits of government working on their behalf in an outcome-driven way as has been outlined by the First Minister today. <BR /> <BR />The Programme for Government contains no fewer than 42 indicators of success and 42 different measures.”
“As this is a maiden speech, some customaries have to be abided by. First, I would like to place on record my thanks for the work that Mr Jimmy Spratt undertook as an Assembly Member in this place. He served his country not only as a MLA but as a policeman. The person whom I directly succeed is of course Mr Michael McGimpsey. He and I served together on Belfast City Council for nine years. He was a formidable opponent, but I can honestly say that I do not think that I ever had a cross word with him or doubted his commitment to the people he represented. <BR /> <BR />I am very proud to come from the constituency of South Belfast. It is the cultural and academic heart of Northern Ireland.”
“In a democracy, I respect their right to do so, but I remind them that, at the end of the five years, there will not be one extra job nor one extra brick laid to develop the infrastructure of this country. There will not be one additional classroom assistant to their credit. It is the Government of Northern Ireland who are about the business of improving Northern Ireland.”
“I am delighted to speak in this debate on the Programme for Government framework — a document in which the Executive have outlined their priorities for moving Northern Ireland forward in the right direction. I believe that politics is about people. It is about doing what is best for people. It is about serving people and the communities that we come from. It is about using the tools at our disposal for the betterment of all the people. We in the Democratic Unionist Party are about the business of using those tools — the tools of government — to build a better future for the people of Northern Ireland. Others have elected to down tools. We heard some of that contribution earlier. Others have elected for the self-indulgence of opposition.”