Michelle O'Neill
Mid Ulster · Sinn Féin · Northern Ireland
“We are shocked and deeply saddened for both the victim of the horrific incident in north Belfast and the people who have been impacted on by the disorder that we have witnessed since. There is absolutely no justification for racism, violence or intimidation.”
“It is the latest chapter in a political psychodrama. It has been playing out in Westminster for forever and a day but particularly over the past 10 years. Tomorrow is the 10th anniversary of Brexit, which inflicted so much damage to the wider economy. We are now on the verge of having a seventh British Prime Minister in 10 years.”
“We cannot look at things in isolation. Whether it is the refugee integration strategy, the framework or the legislation, all those things need to move together and at pace.”
“I agree with the Member about the ugly language that was used to describe some people in our community. Like the Member, I have met many people from the black and ethnic minority community in recent times. I do that on an ongoing basis, but I did so recently given what happened over the last number of weeks.”
“There is not just one answer to it, as the Member knows. We need to come at it from every angle. That could be a policing response initially, for which additional funding was secured. I agree that this is the third year in a row in which we have had that type of racist behaviour on our streets. Likewise, I would describe it as a pogrom.”
“Building on that progress, the Executive Office is contributing £3·3 million towards the Derry on the North Atlantic Museum, which is due to open in 2027 and will further enhance Ebrington’s role as a heritage and tourism destination. <BR /> <BR />Ebrington is also continuing to develop as a vibrant events space.”
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“<BR /> <BR />In that context, the Minister for Communities will bring forward a plan for inclusive social recovery that will include tackling unemployment and delivering inclusive economic growth; protecting the vulnerable, including through delivering a cross-government anti-poverty strategy; improving the supply of decent and affordable housing; working with councils to support town and city centre recovery; the recovery of our communities through support for organisations that encourage community development; the recovery of our culture, arts and heritage sectors; and support for a safe return to sport and physical activity. <BR /> <BR />Addressing social inequality is about looking after the most vulnerable, the lonely, those in housing need and those in poverty.”
“I thank the Member for her question. The pandemic has certainly highlighted the high levels of poverty, inequality and disadvantage across our community. I am also particularly aware that the social and economic impact of the pandemic has fallen hard on women, many of whom are in low-paid, precarious employment, and many others have lost their jobs. The rise in domestic violence and abuse has also been particularly alarming. As we step out of the restrictions we, too, must develop more sustainable and strategic responses that, at their core, break the cycles of poverty, exclusion and inequality.”
“<BR /> <BR />Looking beyond the relaxation of restrictions, the Executive have started developing a cohesive, cross-departmental strategy that focuses on societal, economic and health recovery. It will outline key interventions that will take account of current COVID-19 restrictions and the medium- to long-term outcomes that are envisaged in the draft Programme for Government.”
“From 12 April, further relaxations will be implemented for the numbers that are permitted in private gardens, click and collect, outdoor sports training as well as the "Stay at home" message. All that is, obviously, subject to Executive ratification after Easter. <BR /> <BR />Many parks and outdoor spaces have remained open, enabling people to take daily local exercise. By the end of the cautious first steps phase in the sports and leisure activities pathway, we hope to open all outdoor visitor attractions as well as outdoor sports facilities for training and organised group activities. It is important that we ensure that our society can reopen in a sustainable manner that reduces the risk of reintroducing restrictions.”
“With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I will answer questions 3 and 14 together. <BR /> <BR />The Executive are focused on building a careful and ambitious plan for moving forward in 2021 and beyond. We reviewed the restrictions on 16 March and agreed that, in addition to a phased approach culminating in all school year groups being back to face-to-face learning on 12 April, there will be modest relaxations in place from 1 April for non-essential retail, click and collect, and numbers permitted at outdoor gatherings and in private gardens.”
“The Member will know that, over many decades, every time that we have signed up to any political commitments, we have always honoured them. That remains our position. What we are dealing with on Brexit are the unfortunate trading realities in a post-Brexit world. Those who championed Brexit, the Member included, need to shoulder some of the responsibility for the situation that many people find themselves in today. My rule of thumb has always been to ensure that we had continued North/South and east-west trade, minimised the disruption to businesses, the costs and burdens that fall upon consumers, and support local business and industry. That remains the position today.”
“The Member is right. We are where we are, albeit it was not the democratically expressed wishes of the people who live here. We have to maximise the potential that we have to access the EU market. We need to look towards economic recovery in a post-COVID world, and what that will look like with the new trading realities that exist as a direct result of Brexit. We have to work with local industry, particularly the agri-food industry that the Member referred to, and look at other market opportunities. For example, what the opportunities are, the challenges, and what we can do to assist the industry. We need to do all that we can because we are now faced with a post-Brexit era with many new trading realities as a direct result of Brexit.”
“My personal view is, "Thank goodness that we had people looking out for the interests of the Good Friday Agreement, and thank God the EU stayed firm on that". We are where we are. Let me be clear that vaccines should not be a commodity and should not be traded; they should be given to those who need them most. We should be working together to make sure that that is the case. I make that point very clearly.”
“I do not think that it will come as any surprise to the Member that the current instability and uncertainty is a direct consequence of Brexit — a Brexit that was rejected by a majority across our community and this House. Those who championed Brexit need to own the economic consequences and uncertainty that have flowed from it. Any threats to the implementation of the protocol, which is our protection against the worst excesses of a hard Brexit, risk future stability, growth and prosperity. It is still a time for clarity, stability, certainty and to find solutions to issues as and when they arise.”
“I attended a meeting of the Joint Committee on 24 February with Michael Gove and Maroš Šefcovic at which both reaffirmed their support for the protocol and the need to work together to deal with the issues that have arisen. However, despite those commitments, the British Government, less than a week later, went on to do the solo run, and they took unilateral action that has totally undermined the work of the Joint Committee and that risks a collision course with the European Commission where we become the collateral damage. <BR /> <BR />In my personal opinion, rather than TEO's opinion, that was a calculated act of political bad faith.”
“We have taken the opportunity to highlight issues as they arise, including at a dedicated discussion on the protocol, which was held on 7 January. <BR /> <BR />In addition, our officials hold weekly meetings with the Trader Support Service and their counterparts in the Irish Government to proactively ensure that any emerging issues are addressed as quickly as possible. We are also continuing to engage closely with stakeholders in our business community to ensure that their concerns are also understood. Throughout all our engagement, we have taken every opportunity to highlight the need to resolve issues and to ensure that additional burdens and costs for our people and businesses are minimised.”
“Addressing issues that have arisen from the end of the transition period has been a priority for us. Discussions have taken place on number of levels with multiple partners and stakeholders. As an Executive, we consider issues arising from the end of the transition period at our regular meetings on EU exit matters. In the run up to, and following the end of, the transition period, we have engaged with the European Commission through our participation on the Joint Committee. That has met on seven occasions, the most recent of which was on 24 February. We met with the co-chairs of the Joint Committee, who are Michael Gove and vice president Maroš Šefcovic, on 3 February. We and the junior Ministers have also continued to engage with them and their colleagues, primarily through the EU Exit Operations Cabinet Committee.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Finance and Communities Ministers have also successfully worked together to end the Housing Executive's requirement to pay corporation tax, and they will explore future investment opportunities. That will result in the Housing Executive's ability to maintain and repair its current stock, as well as build more homes. On behalf of the Executive, Minister Hargey continues to make significant progress in this area, particularly around bringing forward measures to tackle homelessness, and she will provide a programme that will see new social and affordable homes being built where they are needed. Overall, we have seen through her recent statement that she will make sure that our housing system will work better for all those who need a home.”
“As I touched on previously, the Minister for Communities, Deirdre Hargey, has already highlighted to all her Executive colleagues that the outcomes framework needs to be revised. That is her view, as the housing Minister, and it is what you would expect her to talk about. However, I am also very pleased with the work that Minister Hargey has brought forward. She has been very clear about working through an ambitious proposal to transform the housing system, which I have described as the biggest shakeup of public housing in 50 years and which will include securing the future of the Housing Executive, ensuring that it can build homes where they are needed.”
“I have no doubt that strong lobbying will have been received by many people with regard to this, and I am very open to the conversation continuing.”
“I thank the Member for her commentary. I share some of the concerns that you have raised. The Communities Minister — the housing Minister — also raised that very point. You are right. The Programme for Government is in draft format, so everybody has the chance to have input and change it. There has already been considerable engagement on the draft programme to date, which we welcome. The purpose of the consultation is to try to get to a point at which we are able to change things, if we can. The programme in its current form does not seek to denigrate or downgrade the housing outcome, because it is writ large across three of the different areas, and in more detail than you would get in a high-level aspiration. It is hopefully a practical outworking of what we can do on housing. We have listened very carefully throughout the consultation.”
“I am therefore more than happy to raise the particular issue of landbanking at the Executive to ensure that that is factored into the considerations that are already under way.”
“I thank the Member for her question. I absolutely agree. She highlighted the fact, which I welcome, that housing is such an important area for us to be focused on, whether it be social housing, affordable rents or repairs to Housing Executive properties. The Minister for Communities, Deirdre Hargey, has brought forward the biggest shake-up of public housing in 50 years. I know that the Member will also welcome that. We look forward to that work being undertaken. <BR /> <BR />You are right about landbanking. There is a lot more to be done there, but it is beyond the remit of just the Department for Communities. A number of Departments will need to be involved. What is most important is that we provide housing for the public in the right locations so that people who live in rural areas have the same access to housing as those elsewhere.”
“The aim is to have an agreed outcomes framework that is informed by the consultation ready around the end of April, with a more complete programme, incorporating an agreed budget linked to policies and programmes, being brought forward for Assembly consideration by the summer recess.”
“Housing was identified as a key priority in the Programme for Government draft outcomes framework published for consultation. The provision of suitable housing for everyone features prominently in three of the nine well-being outcomes, and that reflects the importance that the Executive attach to the matter. The public consultation, which commenced on 25 January, is an important first step in the new programme's development process. The consultation closes later today, and the process of analysing the comments and views expressed by stakeholders and respondents will commence very shortly.”
“No, thank you. Women are entitled to compassionate healthcare. It is a human right to have compassionate healthcare. For that reason, the focus of the Assembly should be on how we commission services for women who need them, when they need them. That should be the focus and priority of the Assembly. Therefore, we will abstain from the vote on the Second Stage of the Bill.”
“They have failed to put in place modern, compassionate and accessible healthcare services. Those are still being denied to women day and daily, which, at this stage, is so long after the legislation was enacted.”
“I also have no doubt, just to call a spade a spade, that this is the thin end of the wedge. It is attempting to reopen a debate that has already been had on women's healthcare provision. <BR /> <BR />Over recent weeks, Members have, rightly, been outraged, disgusted and angered by the revelations of how women, babies and children were treated across this island by the state and religious institutions. That injustice and cruelty continued because people and women's voices were not heard. Is anybody going to tell us that that should continue to be allowed to happen? I am here today to give a voice to those women who find themselves in incredibly difficult and very vulnerable circumstances. The DUP, alongside the UUP Health Minister, is failing women by refusing to commission the services that were legislated for.”
“I am taking the unusual step today of contributing to the debate in my role as an MLA as opposed to that of joint First Minister. I am doing so because I want to signal my deep unease about the narrow focus of the legislation. <BR /> <BR />I will start by stating the obvious: women are entitled to modern and compassionate healthcare. That is currently being denied to women here in the North. The private Member's Bill that is being debated today does nothing to address the immediate need to deal with that deficit in compassionate healthcare for women. In fact, I believe that the sponsor of the Bill is focused on rolling back legislation and progress that has been made while ignoring the failure to provide the essential services that are the direct outworking of the very same legislation that he is attempting to amend.”
“I thank the Member for that question. That is one of the things that we factored in. It is about resilience into the future. We want to get to the point at which we can lift the restrictions, but we also have to be very much focused on how to make sure that things are resilient into the future, including what mitigations we put in place to pre-empt what could happen again in the autumn. You are right: the season change and a combination of factors are probably why we are in the position that we are in today. We know that the virus is seasonal. As we go through this, part of the plan for the future is determining what resilient measures we need to put in place to allow us to cope with that in the autumn. That is factored into the plan.”
“We want to remove the restrictions as quickly as possible, but we need to do it in a safe way, otherwise we will be back to square one.”
“We in the Chamber are no different to anybody else in that regard. The challenge, certainly from the health point of view, is that the public health advice is always that, when we are together, we naturally let our guard down. That is just what you do; it is the nature of life. That is why those things perhaps take a little longer. <BR /> <BR />I welcome the fact that, from 8 March, people from two families can get together outside. That will be an improvement. I also welcome the fact that, if you look at the different steps in terms of home and community life, you can see that we will be able to move quickly to try to get that back to some sense of normality for people over the course of the plan. As I said, none of us wants to see families apart for any longer. This has been one tough year.”
“I can certainly say that no one should be forced to go into an unsafe workplace. We have made that very clear the whole way through the pandemic. Employers need to be responsible, and they need to allow staff, where they can, to work from home. If staff need to go to work, there needs to be strong mitigation in place. I remember that, previously in the House, I encouraged the Member, who had concerns, to raise them with the relevant authority, whether it be a council or the HSE. If there are any issues with staff, it is incumbent on us all to do that. <BR /> <BR />The difficulty in all this is to get the right balance and to allow the maximum number of restrictions to be lifted with the least amount of risk. That is challenging. It is particularly challenging in the area of our family lives. We all miss our families.”
“We do not want businesses' doors to be closed for any longer than is necessary. We do not want friends to be kept apart. We do not want all the detrimental realities of life that we are facing because of the pandemic to continue for any longer than is necessary. However, I believe that the pathway gives us the best plan to take us out of the current period of restrictions.”
“The Member has made his views known in his typical negative form. However, I will tell you when kids will be back in school: when it is safe. I will tell you when businesses will be opened: when it is safe. I will tell you when children can get back to playing sport: when it is safe. I will tell you when families can get back together again: when it is safe. The most important thing is to deliver the pathway and work our way through it in the most sustainable way. The pathway needs to be sustainable. None of us wants to roll back; we want to only make progress. <BR /> <BR />The best way that the public can have confidence that we will keep only going forward is if we work our way through the pathway in the staged approach that has been set out. We do not want families to be apart for any longer than is necessary.”
“<BR /> <BR />If the Member has any ideas, I am more than happy to listen to any that she wishes to send to me. I am more than happy to listen to her approach and to how she thinks this plan could be improved.”
“The Member refers to not playing politics, and I encourage that to be the case with the statement today. This is an Executive statement. All the Ministers are working together. It is a collective effort. It is to give us a pathway out of the restrictions. I am very hopeful about the pathway. I believe that it is the right pathway to take us out of restrictions. I, certainly, have never played politics with the pandemic, and I would never do so. It is really important that all Ministers and all elected representatives work together as this is a very serious situation. It has been a very difficult year. However, people have reason to have optimism and to look to the future with some degree of confidence, but we need to take people out of the situation in a staged way.”
“I am making this statement today on behalf of the entire Executive. I hope that all Ministers, elected representatives, Chairs of Committees and everybody else work together to deliver a collective message.”
“I believe that I have set out clearly what our next steps will be. The document sets out the pathway and lets people see the five areas and steps that we will take. It also gives our commitment to work with sectors, including the business community, around where they fit in that and how we get ready for them to open, because this should be about getting ready to open. We have committed very strongly to working with the sector to allow it to get to the point that it can open as quickly and safely as possible, but, most importantly, as sustainably as possible.”
“I am more than happy to get back to the Member on that issue. I know that he raised it during Question Time. I am, absolutely, all for a feminist recovery plan. I am more than happy to ensure that, factored into all the decisions that we take as an Executive as a whole, we actually take on board the fact that the pandemic has been so detrimental, disproportionately, towards women for a whole variety of reasons. I have actually had quite a number of engagements with the women's sector and Women in Business, for example, around how we can build a fairer recovery, particularly in relation to women. That is all incorporated into the work that we do every day.”
“<BR /> <BR />The other issue is that, with the emergence of the new variants, it is even more important for us to be cautious in our approach. I can say to the Member, however, that there will be linkages and interdependencies across the various pathways. That is critical, because taking action in one area may require action in another. Therefore, it is important that we sequence all those things and be as careful as we can but follow the pathway that we have set out and consider, at all times, the pathway as a whole.”
“I thank the Member for his question. As I said, the Executive's recovery document outlines the five phases and how we plan to reduce and, ultimately, remove the current restrictions. We have to use a broad range of data and statistical indicators to inform decisions on the relaxation of restrictions or whether we need to return to strengthening them, which we are, obviously, trying to avoid. It is really important that, alongside all the factors that I have mentioned, such as the fact that we are making rapid progress with the vaccine, we suppress the virus. That has to be at the forefront of our considerations across all phases and beyond. If we move too quickly, we could end up with transmission rates that rise so quickly that the health service becomes overwhelmed again. We want to avoid that.”
“Alongside that, there will be additional testing. There is talk of developing testing in schools; lateral flow tests that can be turned around quickly. All those things combined will give us the best possible chance to be able to lift all the restrictions. It will not be one thing; we should not put all our eggs in the vaccine basket because, clearly, whilst the vaccine is hugely effective, we do not have evidence that it stops the spread of the virus. Therefore, we need to have a combination of efforts and ensure that we implement every one of them faithfully in order to give us the best possible chance.”
“I thank the Member for her question. If she has seen the pathway, she will know that there have been major developments on the health front. Track, trace and isolate systems come under the Department of Health's remit, and it is for that Department to bring forward improvements. I agree that that is the best way to target the virus: track it, trace it, and isolate it. From the outset of the pandemic, the World Health Organization said that, to deal with the virus successfully, we needed a first-class test, trace and isolate system. <BR /> <BR />I welcome the fact that the pathway to recovery contains a commitment by the Department of Health about the work that will be done, and we need to be very focused on that.”
“There are a lot of things that we need to do to build a better society, and that has to be a major factor in our economic recovery and in the pathway that we are adopting.”
“As I said earlier, it is important that we try to build a better society on the other side of the pandemic. I pointed out that in rebuilding our community after the pandemic, we have to target those in need — people in housing need, people in poverty, and people who live in overcrowded homes. Homelessness has increased during the pandemic. The Department for Communities has done a lot of good work to support targeted groups, but there is an awful lot more to be done. When I reflect on the impact of the pandemic on women, for example, there is a huge issue there that needs to be addressed. Many women bear the majority of caring responsibilities, and we also know that there has been an alarming rise in domestic violence throughout the pandemic.”
“The Executive have not discussed that, but it is a very good idea. We should be putting particular emphasis on children and young people. We have talked about them in the overarching plans, but when it comes to specifics for the year ahead, and for a couple of years ahead, we must do what we can to support children and young people in schools sports or community settings. I am more than happy to take that back to the Executive to see whether there is something more that we can do to progress it.”
“I am delighted that, in our discussion in the Executive about the first step for sports and leisure activities, we made a commitment to resume outdoor sport for children, which will be in the first phase. Hopefully, we can get there fairly quickly, all being well, with things continuing as they are and the public continuing to work with us. I will be pleased if we can get there, and it is important that we do so as quickly as possible.”
“Thank you to the Member. That is my first question via StarLeaf, so it is a new experience. <BR /> <BR />As I said in response to a question from Paula, children and young people need to be outdoors, exercising and back at their sport. That is what I get from the young people in my family, and I know that that is the concern of many parents. The pandemic has denied children so much over the past year, and we are determined to get things opened up as quickly as we possibly can in that area, because we know how important sport and leisure are to physical and mental health, even from just getting together. It is about team building, lifelong bonding and all of that.”
“The pandemic has been detrimental to many of our businesses, particularly small businesses. So many are still on furlough. The consequences of the pandemic are enormous, and we are dealing with them every day. We have done our best to provide financial support to businesses to get them through the pandemic. Furlough has helped, but it is still challenging for businesses. That is why we have committed in our plan to taking into account the health, community and economic implications. That is what will help inform our decisions. We have no desire to keep the doors of any business closed for longer than is necessary. Our priority is to save lives and do our best for the public, but that has to be done in staged way. This plan offers us the best opportunity to get to the other side of the restrictions as quickly as possible.”
“People have missed so many milestones, and they want to know when they can get there again. We will get there quicker if people work with us just until we get to the end of the current restrictions.”
“Thanks to the Member. I concur with him on the vaccination roll-out. It has been excellent, and all credit to the teams that have been working to get the vaccines rolled out. I was listening this morning to the reports about the proposed vaccination centre at the SSE Arena, which is another positive step. <BR /> <BR />The message here is consistent across the Executive. The message here is consistent for us all. This is a day of hope and optimism. This is a day to look to the future but a day to tread carefully. If we continue to communicate that message in the right way, it will help bring the public with us. It is understandable that people are tired of COVID. We have been going through this for a year. Everybody has been denied so much, be it family gatherings or birthdays.”
“If you look to the hospitality piece, you see that it will be a bit of time before you will be able to get back to larger numbers there. However, it is a hopeful day as well, and we hope to give people the clarity as quickly as we possibly can. We will not keep these restrictions in place for any longer than is necessary.”
“I have also spoken with many very disappointed brides this year. The pandemic has been so detrimental in so many ways to the really important times and milestones in people's lives. On worship and ceremonies, last week, the junior Ministers had a meeting with the faith leaders, and we believe that a recommendation will come to the Executive on how we can return services in places of worship, including the ceremony part of weddings, back to where it was previously. You may remember that there was a risk assessment and mitigation. We expect to receive a paper on that, and I think that it is imminent. That will hopefully then give some assurance and clarity to couples who waiting to know whether they can have their wedding ceremony and its size. The reception end of things will obviously be a bit of a period away.”
“If there is one thing that the pandemic has certainly exposed, it is the fact that, over this year, the pandemic has disproportionately impacted on those who are more vulnerable in society: families who are living in poverty, living in crowded homes and working for low incomes. It has particularly hit women, who usually shoulder more of the caring responsibilities. Certainly for me, this has highlighted all those things. In building for the future, we need to think about how we build a different and better society. That has to be the outworking of the Executive's pathway for recovery. It is certainly where I will be focused.”