Declan McAleer
West Tyrone · Sinn Féin · Northern Ireland
“The regulations are designed to strengthen and complement the existing framework governing the welfare of animals at the time of killing. They build upon EU regulation 1099/2009 and the Welfare of Animals at the Time of Killing Regulations 2014, ensuring that the North maintains high standards of animal welfare.”
“Inspectors are granted clear powers to enforce the regulations, including the ability to enter premises, carry out inspections and, where necessary, seize evidence to ensure compliance. Enforcement notices may also be issued where breaches are identified, with appropriate mechanisms in place for appeal.”
“<BR /> <BR />From a resource point of view, which is another key debate, and looking at the practicalities of the Bill, we must not create a situation in which councils will be expected to take on significant new responsibilities, incur substantial costs and manage increased workloads without the necessary resources.”
“I will follow on from the key points made by my colleague Aoife Finnegan MLA. First, I record our appreciation of the Committee staff, including Janice and Glenda, for the work that they did. I also thank the Bill Office for its assistance during our scrutiny of the Bill.”
“We support the ambition of the Bill — we made that clear at First Stage and at Committee Stage, and we have made it clear today — to give councils stronger powers to intervene. However, the stronger powers must be accompanied by a framework that is properly resourced, legally robust and workable.”
“There are three council areas in our West Tyrone constituency, for instance. <BR /> <BR />We heard a lot from NILGA and received correspondence from SOLACE about the costs and the fear that costs could not be recovered. If legal challenges were brought to councils about notices that were made, it would be costly to the ratepayer.”
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“Last year, other MLAs, including Patsy McGlone, and I co-hosted a seminar organised by the Carnegie Trust on this very topic, entitled 'Poverty Amongst Plenty?' One of the recurring themes is that, under the current methodology, small and concentrated areas of deprivation are more easily identified in urban areas whereas deprivation is more dispersed in rural areas. In urban areas, there is more of a social concentration of deprivation, whereas it is more widely dispersed in rural areas. You could be in poverty but living in the midst of affluent neighbours in a rural area, and that is quite extensive. <BR /> <BR />The completion of the report is timely as we begin to scrutinise the Rural Proofing Bill.”
“In my contribution, I will speak specifically about one of the recommendations — my colleagues will pick up on other recommendations — on deprivation and how it is measured. During the inquiry, we heard some very strong views that the current methodology for assessing deprivation, the NI multiple deprivation measure (MDM), underestimates the extent of deprivation in rural areas. That theme was particularly flagged up by the Rural Development Council (RDC), the Rural Community Network (RCN) and the Ulster Farmers' Union (UFU) in their contributions to the review. I commend all those groups for making their way up here; we, of course, were also out in the community meeting organisations. <BR /> <BR />Those issues were also robustly flagged up by Trutz Haase when he appeared before the Committee.”
“Of course, on top of that, opportunities will be ushered in with the new rural development programme, which will address issues relating to social isolation and poverty.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle. I want to be identified with the comments that the Chair of the Committee has just made. I support the recommendations. I want to pay tribute to Stella, Elaine and the other members of the Agriculture and Rural Development Committee team for working very diligently to make all this happen and for bringing the report before us here today. <BR /> <BR />From listening to all the witnesses during the review, I commend the fact that TRPSI is having a very positive impact on the lives of people in rural areas. Through correspondence with the Minister, I am aware that it is on course to meet its PFG target by 31 March this year. We have seen how MARA, the arts, the fuel poverty, the health checks and all the different components of the programme are having a meaningful impact on people's lives.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. I thank the Minister for his answer. Will the Minister provide us with a progress update on the Lisanelly shared education campus in Omagh?”
“Go raibh maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle. Could the Minister provide details of any discussions that Sport NI has had with its counterparts in the South and, indeed, in Britain about providing guidance for sports governing bodies?”
“Go raibh maith agat. I thank the Minister for her answer. Can she provide details of any new initiatives that the TRPSI programme may offer in 2015-16? Go raibh maith agat.”
“Go raibh maith agat. I thank the Minister for her answer. I am sure that she will agree that libraries and schools are very much the heart of rural communities. Would she be prepared to consider those as potential locations for such events and maybe have a meeting to discuss those propositions?”
“Go raibh maith agat. Will the Minister give us an update in relation to the inshore fisheries strategy?”
“The Department assured us that it would consult with councils in respect of these and that an amendment was not necessary. <BR /> <BR />There was broad agreement among most of the councils about the transfer of car parks but widespread opposition to restrictions. There were also quite a few requests by councils for more clarity on the Bill and queries about the financial models and the regulations. I would appreciate it if the Minister would pick up on some of those issues in his comments.”
“That made us think that the car parks will not just be a cash cow for the councils and that it is a more complicated issue. <BR /> <BR />The point was also made that, whilst councils will have control of car parks, if they decide to reduce the current tariffs, it could result in a deficit that would have to be footed by them, which would have an impact on ratepayers. NILGA also identified the issue of no restrictions. <BR /> <BR />A second key issue that the Committee raised with officials was about the regulations. There are a number of regulations relating to car parking devices, the conditions for the removal of vehicles, the release of vehicles and penalty charges, and it was suggested that an amendment might have been required to ensure that there was consultation with councils on this.”
“Representatives from Mid and East Antrim District Council said that they remained unclear and felt that there was no transparency about the cost of the transfer of functions. They also suggested that, with the downward trend in the cost of car parking, the cost of the transfer would not remain cost-neutral when the councils took over. That point became crystal clear when we went out and about, particularly when we met representatives from Mid Ulster council, who made the point that, in the current proposed model, the surpluses will be top-sliced from councils so that they could pay for other transferring functions such as planning. So, for example, if planning cost £300,000 per annum to run, it would be run at a deficit, and that would need to be top-sliced from the surpluses from the car parks.”
“Representatives from Mid Ulster District Council said something along the same lines and felt that restrictions could undermine and complicate the council's different master plans. <BR /> <BR />The issue of the future financing of car parks was also raised, and some of the council representatives made the point that DRD has access to in-year monitoring funds for the upkeep and maintenance of car parks but that would not necessarily be the case for councils in the future. Some felt — it has mentioned in the House — that there is a lack of clarity about the financial history of some of the car parks and about boundaries, titles and a whole range of other things. <BR /> <BR />One of the issues that stressed the benefits of going out and meeting people and seeing how it affects them, was the finances.”
“I thank Paul and the other members of Committee staff for helping us with the fact-finding when we went out and about to meet representatives from the different councils. <BR /> <BR />I do not want to go over old ground, but we found that a common thread in all of our deliberations with representatives of the councils was that they do not want any restrictions to be placed on the transfer of car parks. I am glad to note that that is not the case and that no amendment on that has been tabled. Councils also made the point that restrictions could impede future development. Representatives from Belfast City Council, for example, said that restrictions could impede its place shaping.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle. I commend the Chair and the Deputy Chair of the Regional Development Committee and, indeed, the members who spoke today, who accurately reflected the discourse that went on during our investigations.”
“I thank the Minister for his answer. Go raibh maith agat. Does the Minister agree that plain packaging can act as a deterrent to some young people from starting smoking in the first place?”
“Will the Minister tell us whether it is possible to reallocate some of the staff into those areas to look to address some of the issues that are causing the faults and the breakdowns?”
“Go raibh maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle. I thank the Minister for coming to the House today as well. Minister, I am sure you are aware that I and others have been out, along with the Red Cross, over the weekend, taking supplies to distressed and very vulnerable customers throughout the local area in County Tyrone. I am very glad that you mentioned that you think it is important to reinstate the emergency protocols, because they were not in place during the weekend, which was a very desperate weekend with the inclement weather conditions. I have also noted that the problems so far have been concentrated in the west, in the County Tyrone and County Derry areas.”
“Go raibh maith agat. Does the Minister agree that, for education to succeed in the classroom, it is also important to invest outside the classroom in areas such as extended schools and youth services?”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. I, too, congratulate you on your position. Can the Minister please elaborate on why the decision was taken to reopen the oyster beds in the run-up to Christmas 2014?”
“Go raibh maith agat. Will the Minister elaborate on the necessity for such an ICT traceability system?”
“Go raibh maith agat. Can the Minister confirm whether the agencies to which he refers have carried out successful benefit uptake campaigns?”
“I thank the Member for that intervention. I concur totally with him because it is the individual patient who will be affected. There is a ripple impact on the wider family and primary carers of those individuals as well, so this has a huge impact. <BR /> <BR />I was a little startled earlier when I went through the NISRA statistics and realised that six of the 10 most deprived rural areas in the North of Ireland lie in the Omagh and Strabane catchment. That is startling and flags up the importance of community care, particularly in an era when the thrust is moving to Transforming Your Care and getting people into communities.”
“The fear we have now is that one area that is going to be cut back in those £7 million of proposed cuts will be access to domiciliary care packages, including wheelchairs and home care provision. Those will be restricted along with community health services. <BR /> <BR />We are alarmed about that because, in an isolated area, that can have a huge impact on people. In actual fact, it could end up in more people receiving hospital referrals, which would run against the thrust of Transforming Your Care. <BR /> <BR />I commend my colleague Barry for tabling the debate. I ask the Minister to address this issue in his response and to look at the importance of domiciliary care for people in some of the most isolated rural areas in this part of Ireland.”
“In the Omagh area, the Owenkillew super-output area, which is the rural area of Gortin and Greencastle and right up into Mountfield, is the number one most deprived area in the whole of the North of Ireland for access to services. In west Tyrone, and indeed the wider north-west, we are talking about a dispersed rural area with very little access to services. <BR /> <BR />In one of the Departments that we are involved in — DARD — we prioritised the tackling rural poverty and social isolation (TRPSI) programme in the budget. We are continuing with the maximising access in rural areas (MARA) scheme, the assisted rural transport scheme and the rural borewells scheme. We think it is really important to deal with people who are isolated and vulnerable.”
“I want to pick up on the point about the domiciliary care packages. As a member of the Agriculture and Rural Development Committee and someone who is heavily involved in rural issues, I am concerned about the impact that this could have on rural areas. In west Tyrone, six out of 10 — 60% — of the most deprived rural output areas in the whole of the North lie between Omagh and Strabane. Those figures were provided to us earlier today at the ARD Committee meeting by representatives of NISRA. <BR /> <BR />We all know that when we look at poverty and deprivation, health, income and access to services are considered in working out those rankings.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Phríomh-LeasCheann Comhairle. First, I want to identify myself with all the comments that have been made. I reiterate the point made by the MLAs who have spoken that, although all of us from different parties from the west, and West Tyrone, have great ideological differences on many things, there is a great unanimity among us when it comes to health issues. That is shown here today and was demonstrated in previous campaigns around the hospital.”
“Go raibh maith agat. I thank the Minister for his answer. I appreciate that the consultation closed only a number of weeks ago. I note that the draft strategy was not rural-proofed. Can you give us an assurance that, when the delivery plan comes out, it will be rural-proofed, and that rural areas will benefit in the same way as their urban counterparts in the overall plan?”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Phríomh-LeasCheann Comhairle. Is it still possible for farmers and other interested parties in rural areas to apply to DRD for contracts to clear rural roads affected during harsh weather?”
“This has been in the pipeline for the best part of 40 years. Certainly, as a representative of the north-west, I see it as vital. The A6 feeds not only into the Six Counties but into the wider island of Ireland, connecting people from that part of County Derry and, indeed. Donegal to Belfast and on to Dublin. That was probably the key motivation for bringing the motion before the House.”
“Earlier in the year, our party's members of the Committee for Regional Development had the opportunity to meet business people from the Derry area, and the A6 was one of the key pieces of infrastructure that they flagged up as being very important for the future development of the city. In fact, the failure to complete it is impeding the economic growth of the city. Therefore, it is absolutely vital for the regeneration and growth of Derry city and the wider north-west. <BR /> <BR />Environmental health studies conducted by Limavady council and others have produced a great deal of evidence that Dungiven is one of the most polluted towns in western Europe, which is due in large part to the enormous number of vehicles that are forced to pass through the town every day. Obviously, that is made worse by the fact that the town has no bypass.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle. Most of us will be aware, particularly those who live in the west and the north-west, of the strategic importance of the A6. It is a key arterial route in the Six Counties, connecting the city of Derry and the city of Belfast. It is part of the TEN-T comprehensive network. Along with other Members — not just from my party but from the SDLP and others — I lobbied the Minister to press the Commission to get this vital part of the core network established by 2030, and that is a job of work. <BR /> <BR />The A6 is absolutely vital not just for the town of Derry but for the north-west.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle. Can the Minister tell us whether any new dairy export markets are being considered?”
“Go raibh maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle. I welcome the statement that the Government remain committed to the A5 scheme. <BR /> <BR />Following on from Mr Clarke, I will pick up on the greenways working group. I welcome the fact that it has been established. I note that the consultation on the draft bicycle strategy concluded on Friday. Will information from the greenways working group feed into the bicycle strategy's delivery plan? <BR /> <BR />I will draw on the experience that the Committee gained from going to County Mayo, where we learned about the Great Western Railway, which has been transformed, with part of it being used as a greenway with great success in the local area. Is the Minister minded to look at the possibility that sections of the Great Northern Railway in Ulster be part of a similar type of greenway project?”
“Go raibh maith agat. Without pre-empting the findings of the consultation, does the Minister believe that his Department will be in a position to issue the orders by the end of this year?”
“Indeed, local firms have identified a lack of internal financial resources as a key challenge in building their business. This levy will do nothing to increase the ability of our businesses to generate finance for the local economy. It is totally prohibitive and does not cater for our unique island circumstances. <BR /> <BR />My party feels that it is in the interests of all the people, North and South, that the free movement of EU goods is enabled, North and South.”
“<BR /> <BR />The legislation makes provision for exempting roads in the North, and there is a reason for that. Clause 3 should be used to exempt our road system. We should not have legislation permitting the enforcement of a levy that does not assist our local economy or our people. There is a precedent for exempting roads — parts of the A3 and the A7 — but that is not enough. I know from my experience that the A5 and its feeder roads form a critical corridor that leads in and out of our constituency. It is much easier to exempt all roads in the North from this levy; it does not make sense to split the island's economy. What makes sense from an economic perspective is encouraging free movement throughout the island and exempting local roads from this British HGV levy. <BR /> <BR />The cross-border market is very important for local firms.”
“OK. I think that I am correct in saying that it was a unanimous decision by ICBAN. <BR /> <BR />I will get back to my point. It is important that we should be focused not on taxing cross-border trade or on enhancing division but on building cooperation. Indeed, cooperation is not new to us along the border, and we have assisted each other in many ways. Health is a good example of that. We should focus on addressing the challenge of the border and not try to reinforce it. Where we have applied joint activity to health, it provides a higher standard of care and produces better economic outcomes. It also improves the economic and physical well-being of our citizens. The point that is important for us is that we must adopt a similar approach to the economy and, indeed, to transport infrastructure.”
“I welcome that intervention from my colleague from West Tyrone. I think —”
“I fail to see how the Member can follow that argument. What will happen is that the hauliers will pass on many of the charges to customers, certainly in the west Tyrone area and other parts of the North. Importantly, if you live in areas like west Tyrone, Fermanagh and other parts, you know that there are people who live in Strabane and are employed in the South of Ireland. This will have a detrimental impact on them and the companies that employ them. I do not see the point that the Member is trying to make. The point that I was trying to make is that the border area has —”
“<BR /> <BR />Indeed, on the broader picture, two competing economies on the island will not deliver prosperity. Taxing cross-border trade will only impede economic growth. Over a million people live along the border, and, like me, my colleague Michaela Boyle and others, they face the challenges every day. The border areas have some of the worst unemployment, the worst housing and the worst transport infrastructure, and putting a levy on border trade simply puts undue pressures on areas that are already struggling to grow. <BR /> <BR />In terms of deprivation, outside the cities of Belfast and Derry, west Tyrone fares the worst, certainly in the North. The most westerly parts of west Tyrone along the border, including the town of Strabane and along that area, have the wards with the highest levels of deprivation in west Tyrone.”
“It really does not make sense. <BR /> <BR />The levy is ridiculous, and it is financially unviable for our local economy to subsume these charges in terms of trade or in charges to customers. The failure to make roads exempt from the levy is disappointing and reflects a lack of overall support for our local economy from the British Government. When I was reading through the notes in preparation for today's debate, I noted that the Department for Transport in Britain, when it was talking up the benefits of this, said that it was investing £6 billion in motorways and trunk roads and introducing 500 extra miles of lane capacity. We are not getting any of those benefits here. We face cuts to the Budget here by Westminster. There is no carrot here such as they are talking up across the water.”
“We are on a very small island, and this is certainly perceived as an attack or a tax on trade. Along with some of my colleagues in the Assembly and in Leinster House, we have met the hauliers and got a deep appreciation of the impact that it will have on them. It has rightly been said that this is a British Government tax on Irish domestic trade. It is a tax on the trade on which we are all dependent for economic recovery. I am from a constituency that straddles the border, and we believe that placing a charge on someone to deliver goods between, say, Donegal and Dublin or, indeed, between Strabane and Donegal, which are virtually neighbours, does not make sense. If we look across the water — this is coming from the British Government — it is like charging somebody to deliver goods between Liverpool and Leeds.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Phríomh-LeasCheann Comhairle. I thank my colleagues for tabling this important motion.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Phríomh-LeasCheann Comhairle. Will the Minister update us on the development of an all-Ireland e-licensing system?”
“Go raibh maith agat. What actions are being delivered for young people in rural areas in relation to anti-poverty and social inclusion?”
“Go raibh maith agat. Along with fellow Committee for Regional Development members, I visited that site last week and looked enviously at the wonderful carriageway. Speaking to the contractors, I was intrigued by some of the complicated environmental issues that had to be dealt with, including rerouting a river from its traditional route. Were any particular lessons picked up from that scheme that might be applied to other large-scale schemes such as the A5 scheme and others in future?”
“I thank the Member. I was just in the process of concluding my remarks.”
“Going back to the point that was made a second ago, areas have been outlined in the DRD budget where funding could be got at instead of attacking the maintenance budget. <BR /> <BR />I congratulate the Members on bringing the motion before the House today. I will —”
“I am not going to give way, OK? <BR /> <BR />Before I was interrupted, I was saying that the plans are considered to be very short-sighted. It is widely accepted by experts that planned maintenance is cheaper than reactive techniques such as patching. Indeed, we will face more public liability claims, which will have economic implications. <BR /> <BR />Going back to the contractors issue, it is important to say that a lot of them were given just days notice to terminate works. This is people's livelihoods that we are talking about. We just cannot turn on and off people's livelihoods like a tap; that is not possible. A lot of the contractors have invested heavily in equipment and the upskilling of workers, so it is very unfair to expect to just turn them off at short notice.”