Basil McCrea
Lagan Valley · Ulster Unionist Party · Northern Ireland
“I carried on that work on the all-party group on science and technology, and, when I am gone from this place, I hope that those who are still here will take up the challenge of science and technology, because that is where the jobs are and that is where the future is.”
“I rise for the last time to address the Assembly. I thank the people of Lagan Valley for the privilege of representing them over the past nine years. It seems like only yesterday that I first got here, awestruck by the names on the doors of people that I had seen only on television, and, yet, here we are.”
“— what matters is to have the courage to go on. I will go on. I will leave this place with my head high, with my colours flying, with my dignity intact and with all conviction about what is good for Northern Ireland. In conclusion, two roads diverged in the woods, and I took the road less travelled. That has made all the difference.”
“Despite the heckling from the man in front of me, I shall ask a question of the Minister in two parts. First, would the Minister care to tell us what was his personal favourite of the many events at the Northern Ireland Science Festival?”
“I am grateful to the Member for the explanation, and I have no doubt that her efforts to draft the amendment were well-intentioned. Maybe she can help me on this, if it has come up in the discussions.”
“Actually, when I read it, I understood it to be the other way round. However, I am happy that it is a more general stance and is not limited to single acts. <BR /> <BR />As regards amendment No 2, I approached the concept in a sympathetic manner, but I am not convinced that we can properly define an imbalance of power.”
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“There was a time — I remember it well — when talking about opposition was radical, new, and something that everybody got quite excited about. In fact, I think it was the first time that I hit the public eye in 2007, when, just before a UUP conference, I said, "Having listened to a Budget debate, we might as well not have been in the Chamber. This is ridiculous. We ought to go into opposition." I have had a look through some of the papers since then, and there is a very interesting bit in 'The Irish News' where it says:”
“I am interested in the comment that there is provision to do these things. I have read the Stormont House Agreement: if his party is keen to implement many of these changes, why has he not brought them forward as a proposed change to Standing Orders?”
“I want to follow up on Mrs Cochrane's question by asking about funding for Culture Night Belfast. The organisers tell me that it was possible to put on the show only because of funding from a large brewery, and I am not sure whether that is desirable. Did we increase or decrease the funding for culture and arts in Belfast?”
“Early diagnosis is key. Perhaps, we need to look at a different way of getting interventions. P Perhaps, we should follow the Danish model of going directly to specialists. That concludes my contribution on the matter, but please remember Pancreatic Cancer Day on 2 November in this place.”
“"What should I do next?", "How should I inform people?". More than that, you have issues to do with anger and anger management: "Why am I singled out?", "Why am I short-tempered?". Those issues require support services as well. <BR /> <BR />I do not intend to make a huge contribution, given that we are not exactly talking to a packed House, but I want to put it on record that many people will face the trauma of a late diagnosis. The key issue in how we run our health service — I put this out without being a specialist on health — is that GPs will see, perhaps, one person with pancreatic cancer every five years, so there needs to be some way of refreshing their knowledge of the issue and bringing it to their attention. To be honest, they are general gatekeepers, and they get all sorts of ailments across their doorstep.”
“Or we may have other symptoms that are not tackled. So, for what it is worth, I have to say to the Assembly that when you get a diagnosis of any serious illness you immediately want information:”
“As a result — because I thought that I had been OK for a while — the doctor told me that I am not possibly but definitely suffering from diabetes. He went on to put the fear of God into me. He said, "You do realise that diabetes is going to take 17 years off your life if you do not exercise, if you do not take your medication and change your eating habits". He talked me through all those issues, but the link is that he then said, "We are going to do checks to see if there is anything more profound, because there are strong linkages between diabetes and the pancreas and pancreatic cancer". <BR /> <BR />The issue is that early diagnosis is key. Many of us ignore symptoms and think to ourselves, "Oh, I am just tired because I have got a lot of work on"; or, "Oh, I've got itchy skin, but, sure, it's not that bad".”
“They are frequently looking just for information and do not know where to turn. <BR /> <BR />I want to use the motion to draw to the attention of the Assembly that 2 November is Pancreatic Cancer Day here, and I know that Mrs Dobson, who spoke earlier, is much involved in that. I commend it to Members. We are going to try to light the place up purple. We want to draw attention to it. It is a particular issue for me, which is why I wanted to come into the debate and have a discussion on this. My friend — who has not yet shared her knowledge with all of her family — told me what her symptoms were, and that prompted me to go along to get checked out by the GP.”
“I want to talk about pancreatic cancer. It is the fifth most common cause of cancer death in the United Kingdom, yet it has the lowest survival rate. Of 100 people diagnosed, only four will survive beyond five years. That is a really stark statistic, particularly so when it happens to a friend of yours. The survival issue is not just that only 4% will last for five years; it is that only 18% will last for one year. Many people diagnosed are at such an advanced stage of the disease that even chemotherapy is not a solution for them. The shock to people who were relatively healthy until that notice came in is profound. They know little about where to go for help and support or what to do about making financial arrangements. It is hugely traumatic, not just for the person who received the bad news but for their family and friends.”
“The deputy First Minister will be aware that 42% of our citizens are living in fuel poverty and that it is concentrated in his constituency. What steps will he and the rest of the Department take to prioritise energy efficiency in the years to come?”
“I thank the deputy First Minister for his answer. It has obviously been in the works for quite some time. Is he aware of the Northern Ireland life and times survey that showed that 27% of people are annoyed by republican murals and flags and 32% of the population are annoyed by loyalist flags? Would he consider the introduction of legislation to clarify the law on this matter? Would he perhaps consider some form of licensing to make sure that those who put up such emblems are known to society and take care to fly them properly?”
“<BR /> <BR />Arlene Foster made a point of speaking to me and said that, in a period when she was able to do so, she had sent off a letter to the council to say that the Executive would fund the games. <BR /> <BR />The purpose of the motion is to remove the absence of doubt and make sure that we do not lose the opportunity to bring these wonderful games to Northern Ireland in 2021. This is a chance for parties and Members to put their support on the record, which will hopefully secure the games for Northern Ireland. It is meant in a very genuine way, and it is a good thing.”
“<BR /> <BR />On behalf of the Committee for Culture, Arts and Leisure, I commend this motion to the House. <BR /> <BR />I will now make a few modest comments in a personal capacity, if you can allow me the time, Mr Principal Deputy Speaker. Mr McMullan, as he was walking past, told me not to take too long, and I will take his advice. <BR /> <BR />This is genuinely meant to be a cross-community opportunity. I pay tribute to the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure. When I raised the matter with her, she was very generous in her response. I am very supportive of her taking the initiative and saying, "It doesn't matter what you call it or where you're from, if you're from this part of the world, we support you". That was a really good thing to say.”
“Having the Commonwealth Youth Games here in 2021 would provide a range of positive female sporting role models for young women and an opportunity to present sport as exciting and fun. <BR /> <BR />The reality of the bid is that a modest investment on the part of the Executive of only £3 million to £4 million would produce all the benefits that I have highlighted. Surely this is too good an opportunity to miss. The Committee’s motion provides an opportunity for this House to unite in support of something that will not only be positive for Northern Ireland plc but will inspire our young people to become involved in, and be inspired by, sport and encourage those young people already involved in sport to strive for success in a home games.”
“Northern Ireland won 12 medals: four gold, four silver and four bronze. This put us ahead of Scotland’s two golds and Wales’s single gold. <BR /> <BR />Of course, hosting the 2021 Commonwealth Youth Games would provide a golden opportunity to showcase Northern Ireland as a venue for international sporting events. We already have a successful record in hosting high-level sporting events following the World Police and Fire Games, the Giro d’Italia last year and the Irish Open. No one could deny the positive impact on London of hosting the Olympic Games or the benefits that accrued to Glasgow from hosting the Commonwealth Games in 2014. <BR /> <BR />The Committee is also concerned about low levels of female participation in sport.”
“I know that is something that we all aspire to do in our communities. <BR /> <BR />The age range for youth games competitors is 14 to 18. This is a key period in young people's lives for instilling an interest in, and love for, sport. If they can be inspired to participate in sport at this age, it is more likely that they will retain the interest into adulthood. <BR /> <BR />The youth games have been shown to be a key springboard for future sporting success, and having the games in Northern Ireland would allow us to enter more competitors, so enhancing our chances of fostering a wider range of exceptional sporting talent. <BR /> <BR />Success breeds success. We have already shown our commitment to the Commonwealth Youth Games through our performance in this year’s games in Samoa.”
“<BR /> <BR />The reason for this debate is to show the unanimous support of this House for the bid for the games. Another potential bidder, Jersey, has already withdrawn because it could not compete with our facilities, and it looks as if the only other bidder will be Botswana. This means that there has never been a better opportunity for us to bring these prestigious games to Northern Ireland. Not only would the games be a huge boost for our tourism industry, but, as I have already highlighted, they would provide a brilliant platform on which our young athletes could compete and excel on home ground. The games would also act as a catalyst to inspire other young people to become involved in sport, something that is vital if we are to improve our people’s fitness and general well-being.”
“I welcome the opportunity to speak on behalf of the Committee for Culture, Arts and Leisure. The Committee believes that it is vital that the House sends out a clear endorsement of the Northern Ireland Commonwealth Games Council’s bid for the 2021 Commonwealth Youth Games. <BR /> <BR />The Committee discussed the need to encourage more young people to engage in sport a number of times. It is very supportive of DCAL policies that encourage this. Members realise, however, that it often takes more than a strategy to achieve this kind of outcome. Nothing is more inspiring than seeing top-class athletes on your doorstep and it gives you the impetus to get out and try new sports . Equally, the sight of young local people winning medals in a range of sports is extremely powerful.”
“That is not the right way forward, and we should tackle it as one.”
“When you look at flags, you can see that it says that 81% of people do not support the flying of flags in their neighbourhood. Why was that not tackled? In addition, 21% of respondents report being annoyed by republican emblems and 25% are annoyed by loyalist emblems, but the key bit is that 13% were intimidated by republican emblems and 14% were intimidated by loyalist emblems. You will also get the issue that people will not go shopping where flags are put up as some sort of testimony of strength — "This is our patch" or "This is our area". Talk about trying to build a shared, united community: all you have to do is walk down the street and see flags everywhere that say, "This is our patch. We are in charge. We don't care who you are, you have to listen to us".”
“I certainly think that there is an issue that has to be addressed. Many people have moved on; our political classes have not. People want to make Northern Ireland work. Whether you call it Northern Ireland, the North of Ireland or anything else, the people of our community have had enough. They are bored, frustrated and fed up with the lack of political leadership. <BR /> <BR />When you come back to the key issues about how we deal with our young people outside education — the ones who are in our community groups; the ones who are worried about the walls and those issues — what they really want is to be able to express themselves as young people without fear of intimidation. <BR /> <BR />Here is the key issue about flags. This is taken from T:BUC, which we are supposed to be looking at.”
“Mr Speaker, I am trying to hold the Floor here. If Mr Maskey wishes to intervene he should ask. I want to make a point in the time that is remaining to me. <BR /> <BR />When we talked about rural communities, referred to in this great report, the Committee went inquorate before you could even get to hear what they had to say. That is how much you care about rural communities and their issues. Did we talk about integrated education or shared education? No, we could not talk about that. That had to go to the Department of Education. There are so many issues that are not tackled in this place.”
“You have had your chance. If you want to speak, you ask —”
“I am glad Mr Maskey has apologised, but he should not have said it in the first place. That is the sort of language that gets this place into the turmoil it is in. He and his party have their part to play, and that sort of language is not useful. I will speak with passion.”
“I would just like a point of order before you start, Mr Principal Deputy Speaker. Is the word "slabber" parliamentary language?”
“Paramilitaries are bad for our society and bad for our people, and they scare the hell out of everybody.”
“The biggest issue I see here is that MLAs are the victims of intimidation and harassment. They will not stand up to the paramilitaries. They are afraid of what will happen to them. When you see communities that are trying to build cross-community projects, when they come along and find out that their bonfires have been burnt early by people who say, "Those are our bonfires. That's our money. You do not have the right to have a cross-community association", then that is the challenge to this society. <BR /> <BR />You get the issue about people who are burnt out. People are burnt out because political parties pay lip service to community relations and trying to tackle that issue. They come out with dulcet tones. They try to sound senatorial, but they will not deal with the elephant in the room.”
“<BR /> <BR />What is disappointing about this approach is that people talk about a shared space, but there is not a word about flags or intimidation. There is nothing, referring to T:BUC, which states:”
“This is an important subject but a disappointing debate. I listened, as usual, with interest to Dolores Kelly who, I think, had the bravery to say some things that had to be said, in particular about "ad hoc-ery", the funding of these issues and the talk of "single identity". "Single identity" means that you give money to paramilitaries. The thing that is not being confronted in the Chamber, even though we are talking about it down the hill, is that paramilitaries are the bane of our existence. The crisis that has been brought on is allegedly about the IRA and Sinn Féin, but let me tell you that they are not unique: there are too many political parties that people presume are too close to the UDA, the UVF and all the others.”
“I think that there was a vote on whether Duncan Morrow would be allowed to make a contribution. Will the Member tell me and the Assembly a little more about that?”
“Do you not think that it is strange that such a perverse finding was not mentioned earlier in the debate?”
“I thank the Member for giving way. I was going to bring this point up in my contribution. She is the first Member, to my knowledge, to mention paragraph 24, which states:”
“Minister, I am wondering about your assertion on the progress on energy in Northern Ireland. Figures just released from the Department of Energy and Climate Change say that, last year, Northern Ireland bills rose by an average of £49, making them more expensive than anywhere in Great Britain. New figures from the Department show that, in 2014, average bills in Northern Ireland were £661, compared with a UK average of £592. That is for consumers. I think that there is a strange chasm between the figures that the Minister is relying upon and the figures produced by the Department of Energy and Climate Change.”
“On a point of order, Mr Speaker. Although I sympathise with the statements being made, you have been, correctly, trying to keep our attention on the legislation in front of us. I wonder whether that applies to the Minister as well.”
“<BR /> <BR />I will conclude by saying that there needs to be a clear analysis of why specific projects are included in the discussion. I am not heartened by the fact that that is what this debate is all about. There should be some consideration of individual issues, but if we are going to let lobbyists manage this country, we might as well do away with the democratic institutions. All you will hear is, "You need to talk to the right people to see if you can get the right decision made. And, do you know what? Even if you are taking a huge political stance, we can turn it over just to make sure that we get an order through". That is not right; that is not democracy; and people ought to take a stand on it.”
“Hard-pressed consumers are trying to find ways to put food on the table, keep their home heated and look after their family, and, if they hear that they will suddenly have to pay more — it is 42% of the population I am talking about — they will say, "Are you really sure that we have to make that investment? Are you really sure that it is the consumer who has to pick up the bill?". Those are legitimate questions, particularly for people in the west of the Province, where fuel poverty is concentrated, for citizens of Northern Ireland who are not on the gas main and for citizens of Northern Ireland who must take oil or other fossil fuels. They have a serious living standards crisis, and that is something that the Assembly ought to deal with.”
“I have never heard in the Chamber — I have been here for almost eight years — such a list of concerns from the Chair of a Statutory Committee left unanswered by a Department. There is a particular issue around why you would change your mind so quickly. How, from one week to the next, could you suddenly change and say, "Do you know what? We've solved it"? This is energy policy on the fly. This is a knee-jerk reaction, and it does not seem to be the right way to go about things. <BR /> <BR />Even though I am totally committed to the notion that climate change is a reality, we have to do something about it and we must invest in renewables, the renewables industry has lost the battle with the consumer. The consumer does not understand why prices are going to go up.”
“It was asked whether we should be in an all-Ireland energy market. The question is, why are we stopping the interconnector? Why are people here saying that they do not want an interconnector because of environmental issues or whatever? We have to make sure that we get an all-Ireland energy market, because that will be good for the people of Northern Ireland. All of that should be dealt with in this debate. <BR /> <BR />Mr Dickson suggested that, because this is the only bit of legislation that we have to debate, we could talk for some time on this, if we were so minded. We should talk for some time on this; we should be asking the questions; and we should be able to address the specific issues.”
“I would have thought, if we were going to take a strategic position, that we would be looking at things in the round. My understanding — I think the Minister said this at the start — is that we have met our targets, so why are we not talking about our future targets? I want to know whether we are going to put public investment into the infrastructure that brings energy back from the wind turbines and who will pay for that.”
“<BR /> <BR />We talk about the exemption of onshore wind power in this order. I have sat in this Chamber and listened to Members saying time and time again that we have too many wind turbines. A Member of this Assembly, who is now in another place, talked about triffids marching over our landscape and argued that we do not need them anymore. I have heard MLAs bemoan the fact that we do not have the infrastructure to bring back the wind power from our most profitable areas in the west of the Province; I have heard MLAs talk about the dangers of wind turbines collapsing. Against that background, I am slightly curious about why we should exempt onshore wind specifically.”
“But when you start to bring in legislation specifically for the benefit of a particular project, it raises the spectre of undue influence from lobbyists and lobbying. That is a question that we need to address. Energy policy is one of those things that is so big and so expensive that it is hard to describe and to talk about it sensibly. <BR /> <BR />It is relevant to this debate that, as we have established, our legislation — this order — takes place against a UK legislative background. I am aware that Drax, the big power station that was talking about investing in CO2 capture, has pulled out of that investment, citing the fact that they have no confidence in the Government's long-term renewable energy policy. Now, if that is happening in that project, it will happen in all projects.”
“As someone whose job it is, along with my colleagues in this Chamber, to scrutinise orders, particularly those passed by affirmative resolution, I need to know more and to have a better, convincing story about why this legislation must go through. What is so important about it that it ranks above all other issues, including the health service, the economy in general and the Department of Social Development? <BR /> <BR />When I heard about the individual, specific projects, which the Chair of the Committee very clearly set out, it started to ring alarm bells with me. It appears to be that we have to pass this legislation or a specific project or a specific company will not invest. Do not get me wrong: I am not saying that we should not get investment. Investment is good; renewable energy is good; all these things are good.”
“We were not informed; we do not know." At the end of it, perhaps for pragmatic, legislative reasons, he said, "But in the end, we are going to support this." I am not sure that that is the right approach. I have not had the opportunity to understand what is motivating this legislation. <BR />It is strange, Mr Speaker, that, in comparison with all other bits of legislation, when you have read out repeatedly over the last number of weeks, "The Minister is not available, so the motion cannot be moved" — really significant bits of legislation that I wanted to make a contribution on — the only bit of legislation that has thus far provoked a change in policy is this one: the seemingly obscure Renewables Obligation Closure Order. It does not exactly roll off the tongue; nor is it immediately apparent what exactly it is about.”
“To deal with the substance of the point that was raised about whether we should be looking at an all-Ireland energy policy or how that would affect the legislation in front of us, I will say that, from what I know of energy policy, it takes place in a European framework. There is an issue about how we manage to deal with what, I think, are the worst excesses of a Northern Ireland energy policy that puts 42% of our people in fuel poverty. That is an intolerable burden, to which we now are apparently going to add. <BR /> <BR />The Chair of the Committee, in his submission, ran up to the brink three or four times; in fact, maybe even a dozen times. He said, "This is not acceptable; this is not right.”
“I think that there has been a knee-jerk reaction to renewables and their cost, and that has precipitated a crisis of investment not just in this part of the world but throughout the United Kingdom. As someone who firmly believes in climate change, I will say that it is happening —”
“This is an interesting debate, if a little surprising. It is very nice to have a Minister here, particularly a renewable Minister, because we seem to renew him every single week. Maybe there will be some merit in that in the future. I hate to take credit for other people's work— Mr Allister can own up to that particular little joke. <BR /> <BR />There is something strange going on here. I am interested in energy. I have been to Ballylumford and various other power stations to see what is going on, and I am happy to engage with the industry. But this comes against a background. When you look at this originally, you see that we have to do something, because the Westminster Government have changed their position on renewables.”
“I am interested in the line of argument that Mr Dickson is developing. Can he examine why there is such urgency for the Department to push this through? Why was it necessary for a Minister who, up to now, had been taking post and resigning to stay on? What is so important about this particular bit of legislation that it has required a change of policy? There must be some reason for this.”
“I want to pick up on the point made by Mr Allister. I was struck by the contributions from Members who spoke earlier in that an awful lot of them seemed to be about the needs of individual projects and companies. Does the Member agree that what is required is a long-term strategic approach and not one that is rushed into on the fly? We have some concerns about this. Perhaps the Member would dwell on how best to make sure that we are not in the pockets of lobbyists and that we make a proper decision.”
“The Member supported the Chair of the Committee talking about the increased burden on the consumer. Would he care to comment on the fact that Northern Ireland has the most expensive electricity in the United Kingdom and that 42% of our consumers are living in fuel poverty?”
“As the previous question illustrates, there is still work to be done in convincing people that desistance is the right way forward. In fact, I think that it is a shame that we have not had a bigger debate on it. <BR /> <BR />The Minister mentioned, in response to the previous question and in his statement, that a number of factors help with desistance, such as getting older, maturing, having families and suchlike. However, one issue is becoming involved with the criminal justice system at a very early age. What steps would he consider taking to make sure that, once you get involved in the criminal justice system, you are not ultimately on a treadmill that will take you to incarceration?”