Jonathan Bell
Strangford · Democratic Unionist Party · Northern Ireland
“I did so because terminally ill children were being prevented from getting a hospital place in my area. While attempts were being made to prevent me from coming to the Public Accounts Committee, a terminally ill child was told, after being seen by doctors, that they could not have a hospital place and that, if they needed one, they would…”
“The permanent secretary replied "No" and said that everybody would recognise that every government worked by and on collective responsibility. <BR /> <BR />We are in a mess, and somebody has to shine a light on that mess. It fell to me, and I do not know why. I did not seek it, nor did I want it. I did not want to do it.”
“Let me conclude, Mr Principal Deputy Speaker. The regulations are necessary because of the extreme mess that we have found ourselves in. The points that I made when I had to shine a light on this devastating situation were not made in December. The points were made in writing to the then First Minister in March 2016.”
“The permanent secretary replied, "Well, that is right". <BR /> <BR />There were no regulations on the table when I spoke out. There was no suggestion that we could reduce to zero or even significantly reduce the costs, and we had no legal procedure, that I was aware of, that we could have followed.”
“But I cannot speak authoritatively because, even after the Public Accounts Committee meeting, when I asked the permanent secretary last week whether I could come and see the information that, I believe, legally should be made available to me, I got no reply. Nothing.”
“The second objective that I wanted to achieve was to stop the haemorrhage of public funds. Let us not pretend that the money is still to be spent: tens of millions of pounds of taxpayers' money has already been spent — £85,000 a day, day by day, as we go along.”
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“I refer to the answer that I gave some moments ago.”
“That issue has been raised. The Department and the other Departments — they have answered for themselves on these matters from the Dispatch Box — have indicated that obviously, if there was any risk to the water supply, action would be taken. We are satisfied, from the information that we have, that those levels of risk are not there. The Member should reflect that there is a potential benefit to Northern Ireland of having the prospectivity of the licence area established through drilling because the development of Northern Ireland's indigenous oil and gas resources could help to maintain security of supply and could bring direct and indirect economic benefit to Northern Ireland.”
“There is always a danger of writing your question before you have heard the answers. However, let me be clear that what we are saying about high-volume hydraulic fracturing is that it is a novel and controversial issue and, as such, should the time come, it will be for the Executive as a whole to decide.”
“We have not done it, and no company has been given permission in Northern Ireland to frack. As both the previous DETI Minister and I have indicated on many occasions, high-volume hydraulic fracturing is a novel and controversial issue and, as such, is a matter for the Executive as a whole to decide on, should the time come.”
“Misinformation, as we all know, can be very dangerous. I thank Mr Lyons. He has been on to me on a number of occasions with concerns that have been raised. Let me tell you specifically, from the Dispatch Box, that my Department has not issued any licence or permit for high-volume hydraulic fracturing.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Member raised the issue of fracking, and it is important to state that my Department has issued no licences or permits for high-volume hydraulic fracturing. No company in Northern Ireland has been given permission to frack. InfraStrata has made it clear that the drilling in Woodburn forest does not involve fracking, and a no-fracking clause has been included in InfraStrata plc's lease with Northern Ireland Water.”
“The Member should reflect carefully on what he is saying. It is not true, in whatever way it is expressed, that InfraStrata has been given more time by DETI to drill at Woodburn, when the company had clearly failed to meet its original work programme targets. That is the allegation. I was content to agree to a variation of the work programme of petroleum licence PL 1/10, and that was based on work that was carried out by the licensee to date to a highly professional standard, including but not limited to the acquisition, processing, reprocessing and interpretation of existing and new 2D seismic reflection data and the carrying out of studies, mapping and remodelling. The extent to which the factors that were impacting on the licensee's capacity to drill were outside the licensee's control.”
“It is key for my Department to maximise every opportunity that we have in order to be good stewards of the earth and to look towards where we can not only attract support for renewables but make sure that our manufacturing industry gets the most competitive rate that allows it to stay competitive and export more.”
“We are working very closely with the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC). In everything that I have done in energy, I have sought to ensure that Northern Ireland and its people get the best return for their investment, both in security of supply and cost. As DECC has changed its position on a number of occasions, I have also changed mine. I think that it is a very foolish person who does not change their mind when the facts change. We hit all our renewables targets, and energy prices in Northern Ireland were quite significantly lower compared with other years. In recent times, you will have seen the list of companies that are reducing their energy prices.”
“With your permission, Mr Speaker, I will answer questions 4 and 7 together. One petroleum licence is currently operational in Northern Ireland — petroleum licence PL 1/10 — for which InfraStrata plc is the licence holder. Petroleum licence PL 1/10 was not extended.”
“<BR /> <BR />From 2011-12 to September 2015, Invest Northern Ireland has provided some £255 million of assistance to firms that are involved in manufacturing in Northern Ireland across a range of sectors — £16·7 million or 7% more than was provided to service-based firms. In terms of support, that helped to promote over 12,000 new manufacturing jobs, 3,600 of which have, in the last financial year, provided future opportunities for those affected by the very challenging situation that we found ourselves in as a result of job losses. Having topped 80,000 manufacturing jobs in Northern Ireland and seeing in the past a growth rate greater than any other part of the United Kingdom, you can see why I believe in Northern Ireland manufacturing and why it should be part of the refreshed strategy.”
“If the Member had been listening in the last couple of weeks, he would have heard me telling the Assembly that we were placing manufacturing at the heart of our refreshed economic approach. The Member may be disappointed, but while his party was in the Executive, it agreed with a Programme for Government that placed manufacturing with all the other parts in one economic strategy. We did not go down the road of having an economic strategy for financial services, an economic strategy food and drink or an economic strategy for technology. Instead, we put them all together into one economic strategy, which his party agreed with.”
“I am thinking of the Intelligent Systems Research Centre at Ulster University or the Institute of Electronics, Communications and Information Technology at Queen's. We should note that over 70% of Northern Ireland's university research activity is world leading or internationally excellent, according to the Research Excellence Framework. Those are the structures that we combine with costs, talent and the most competitive rate of corporation tax to move Northern Ireland forward.”
“More than 8,500 people graduate annually with business-related degrees from Northern Ireland, where we have two world-class universities, which the Member mentioned. I think that we should note that Queen's University Belfast is over 100 years old, is a member of the Russell Group of 24 leading, research-intensive universities and is ranked in the top 1% of universities worldwide. Ulster University, with its four campuses, catering for some 27,000 students, includes one of the largest provisions in computing in the UK and Ireland, and it is ranked in the world's top 100 young universities. We bring together world-leading research and are recognised for our technology-related university research centres.”
“As for Northern Ireland being the best place to invest, the first thing that I do is bring companies to Northern Ireland. I speak to them at the end of their journey. Their journey starts, however, with some of the successful companies: Allstate; Citi; Baker and McKenzie; and Allen and Overy . The list could go on. We let them talk to those people first, and then we talk about the support that we in the Government can give. <BR /> <BR />The Member is absolutely correct: we then turn to education. According to another major survey, Northern Ireland has the best performing education system for primary maths in Europe and the sixth best in the world. The Member raised the question of skills.”
“The Department is carrying out a range of initiatives to work and promote and to assist local manufacturing. Companies that are involved in manufacturing now employ over 80,000 people, and the sector remains hugely important to the Northern Ireland economy.”
“That, to me, is the ultimate test. When people come and invest, they see our costs and the quality of the workforce. They see the very low attrition rate because we have very loyal working people, and they see into the future the growth that there will be in Northern Ireland. I think that 80% of foreign direct investment reinvesting in Northern Ireland is the ultimate vote of confidence that we want to share.”
“There are many challenges to us, and the Member has raised one of them. Up until 2014, we used to boast that we attracted more foreign direct investment than any other part of the United Kingdom with the exception of London. Everyone said, "Jonathan, you can never exceed London. You have reached your high-water mark"; yet, somewhere around August 2014, Northern Ireland overtook the rest of the United Kingdom in attracting foreign direct investment per person. <BR /> <BR />Last week, I was sitting down with some executives from Citigroup. Remember, it came to put 369 jobs into Northern Ireland, and today the number sits at over 2,000. In particular, I looked with them at the research that shows that 80% of the companies that have come to Northern Ireland with foreign direct investment have subsequently reinvested.”
“Northern Ireland is the financial technology capital of the world, according to the 'Financial Times'. Those are the surveys that we are looking to, and it behoves all of us in the House who set in the Programme for Government our economy as the central priority to look at how we have exceeded every target on job creation, research and development and the jobs growth fund to see how we can continue to accelerate the progress that has been made.”
“Anybody looking at Northern Ireland today will know that one of the biggest factors that business looks towards in a survey is stability. Recently, I did a conference with Professor James McElnay at Queen's on manufacturing. He put up a graphic behind me of United Nations figures to show how safe Northern Ireland was. In particular, Belfast was ranked as the second safest city in the world, second only to Tokyo. We are there on stability and safety. Secondly, we are also there on costs. The Member will know that another major survey in the 'Financial Times' shows that Northern Ireland is the most entrepreneurial region in the United Kingdom. There are business surveys that show that, compared with any other part of the United Kingdom, Northern Ireland is the place to grow your business quickly and quickest to £1 million.”
“No. The Member's party was a party to the Programme for Government, and what we set forward in that Programme for Government was that we would look at Northern Ireland as a whole. That is the target that we set Invest Northern Ireland, and it vastly exceeded it in jobs created, research and development and the jobs growth fund. I do not think I could ever turn away business, jobs and investment from Northern Ireland purely on the basis that they would not go to a geographical location. It would be a foolish person who would do so.”
“We will add the most competitive rate of corporation tax to a low cost base, estimated to be 48% of the costs of London and 84% of the cost of doing business in the UK, and the fact that people come for our costs. I will give you something that impressed me from Tom Hall, vice-president of international technology and operations at Allstate:”
“The Northern Ireland Executive's commitment to reducing the rate of corporation tax to 12·5% from 2018 can be a major stimulus for our economy. Research from 'The Economist' shows that we can create in excess of 30,000 jobs and grow our economy by 10% over 15 years. Our attention is now on how we can maximise the potential that exists for that new economic lever. We are trying to get as much insight as we can into new FDI markets that a lower rate will open doors to, what types and sectors of investment we can attract and the parts of the world that we should target. We will work alongside the Department for Employment and Learning to look at skills.”
“Invest Northern Ireland has already begun to promote the planned reduction in corporation tax through targeted communications and marketing activity, digital advertising, print and media partnerships, events, one-to-one meetings and the showcasing of our capability at key international events and exhibitions.”
“There are certainly a number of views on the subject. An accusation has been put forward that, despite the UK being a net contributor, Northern Ireland is a winner and we get a better return. People know my party's position, but I think that the argument that we get more out than we put in does not stand up to scrutiny. If we take regional funds, out of which we get dedicated Peace money that no one else gets, we are still operating at a loss. Open Europe estimates that for that pot we get £1 back for every £1·58p we put in. For 2016, the Office for Budget Responsibility estimates a net UK contribution of £9·5 billion. Overall, it forecasts an increase of £3·1 billion in total contributions in the next five years. I imagine that hard-working families will not be any better off financially than they were before that reform process started.”
“It is on that basis that I think that Northern Ireland will continue to grow its economy.”
“That question was asked of our largest investor in Northern Ireland in the United States consulate in Belfast. They asked Andrew O'Brien, and he answered very clearly that he had no knowledge that people from the United States would stop investing in Northern Ireland purely on the basis of the situation with the EU. In all my trips, the three things that come across clearly are that Northern Ireland has one of the best talent pools in the world; that the costs of doing business in Northern Ireland are about 84% of the costs of doing business in the rest of the UK; and that, from 1 April 2018, we will have a corporation tax rate of 12·5%, which is the most competitive rate in western Europe. Those are the three factors that seem to be being taken hold of from Asia to America and throughout the Middle East.”
“I have met the Federation of Small Businesses on a number of occasions. I have met Mr Gavaghan of the CBI. Most recently, I was in Bushmills with the Chamber of Commerce and Ann McGregor. Interestingly, at that function, Ann McGregor said that, on the basis of her conversations with members, the majority of members are for Vote Leave.”
“Members will be aware of an independent study by Oxford Economics assessing the economic implications of a EU exit across a wide range of potential scenarios, and I intend to publish that very soon.”
“There have been a number of discussions on the issue. Should the referendum vote result in the UK leaving the EU, that would trigger a period of negotiation on the terms of the future UK relationship with the EU. During that period, the Executive will need to be acutely aware of the exit pathway that is being negotiated between the UK and the EU, as different pathways could have very different legal, policy and practical implications for Northern Ireland.”
“My remarks may be repetitive, but I again want to thank the Chairman of the Enterprise, Trade and Investment Committee and its members for their support today. The proposed amendments will improve the efficiency and sustainability of the NIRO and ensure that the legislation remains fit for purpose. I commend the motion to the House.”
“It amends the reporting requirements for wood fuel to enable more effective monitoring of the use of different types of wood by the bio-energy sector, as well as making reporting provisions more workable for industry. Ofgem, which is responsible for administrating the NIRO on behalf of the Northern Ireland authority for utility regulation, will regulate compliance with the greenhouse gas and land criteria. <BR /> <BR />In conclusion, Mr Deputy Speaker, I believe that the proposed amendments are necessary to ensure a consistent UK-wide approach to applying the principles of biomass sustainability and reporting provisions in the renewables obligation mechanism.”
“<BR /> <BR />The draft order also introduces a new methodology for calculating an annual average greenhouse gas emissions figure for all biomass used by a generating station, excluding certain types of waste. This is to ensure that generators are not penalised if an individual biomass consignment exceeds the greenhouse gas target due to circumstances beyond their control, such as bad weather increasing transport distances. This is subject to the provision that each individual consignment of biomass must not exceed an overall ceiling to ensure that each consignment delivers a good level of savings. <BR /> <BR />The draft order also makes minor technical adjustments to the sustainability criteria for non-wood fuel biomass that correspond to the land criteria for bio-liquids.”
“Since June 2014, generating stations with an installed capacity of one megawatt and above, using solid or gaseous biomass, have been required to report only on whether they meet sustainability criteria. The draft order makes compliance with sustainability criteria mandatory for generating stations using solid or gaseous biomass, in order to receive support under the NIRO, as is already the position for bio-liquids. Those measures will ensure that renewable generation from local or imported biomass receives financial support only where that biomass delivers genuine greenhouse gas savings compared with fossil fuel and where it is sourced from land that is sustainably managed.”
“In line with the rest of the United Kingdom, my Department undertook consultations in 2012 and 2014. The consultation in 2012 proposed enhancing the sustainability criteria for the use of biomass feedstock, and the 2014 consultation proposed technical adjustments to sustainability and to the reporting provisions for solid and gaseous biomass. <BR /> <BR />In total, six responses were received to both consultations, with support given to some proposals and concerns raised about or clarification sought on others. However, there was insufficient evidence provided to suggest that Northern Ireland should adopt a different position from the rest of the United Kingdom. <BR /> <BR />I now turn to the detail of the new provisions in the draft order. The first set of new measures is aimed at strengthening biomass sustainability criteria.”
“The draft Renewables Obligation (Amendment) Order (Northern Ireland) 2016, which I am putting forward before the Assembly today, implements policy decisions to ensure that biomass material used for the generation of electricity is sourced responsibly and in a way that minimises any adverse environmental impacts. Similar provisions have already been introduced in Great Britain, and it is important that Northern Ireland adopts a similar and consistent approach on biomass sustainability.”
“This statutory rule is being made under powers in the Energy (Northern Ireland) Order 2003, which prescribes that this order must be laid in draft for approval by affirmative resolution of the Assembly. The changes that I bring forward in the draft order relate to the Renewables Obligation Order (Northern Ireland) 2009. The Northern Ireland renewables obligation or NIRO, as it is better known, has been the main support mechanism for incentivising renewable electricity generation in Northern Ireland since 2005. <BR /> <BR />The NIRO has been subject to a number of changes in recent years.”
“I thank the Committee Chair for his very positive remarks and contribution to today's debate. <BR /> <BR />The law as it stands bars individuals from holding certain offices if subject to a bankruptcy order or a bankruptcy restrictions order. As debt relief orders and debt relief restrictions orders are analogous to those orders, it is reasonable to expect that they should also be considered as grounds for disqualification from holding certain offices. Consequently, I commend the motion to the House.”
“The Act also provided for the making of debt relief restrictions orders. As debt relief orders and debt relief restrictions orders are directly comparable with bankruptcy orders and bankruptcy restrictions orders, there was a need to further amend the disqualification provisions so that they apply to persons subject to debt relief orders and debt relief restrictions orders. The draft order that you are being asked to approve makes those necessary amendments. <BR /> <BR />The order has been agreed with the Committee and the Executive. I believe that it should now be approved by the Assembly.”
“<BR /> <BR />A review was then carried out of the various provisions in Northern Ireland legislation barring individuals who are bankrupt from engaging in certain occupations or holding certain offices. It resulted in the making of orders in 2008 and 2015 to amend the disqualification provisions. Consequently, some provisions were amended to substitute being subject to a bankruptcy restrictions order as grounds for disqualification. In other cases, being subject to a bankruptcy restrictions order was added as grounds for disqualification. <BR /> <BR />Under the Debt Relief Act (Northern Ireland) 2010, it became possible for individuals burdened by debt to apply to the official receiver for a debt relief order, provided that their total debt was less than £15,000 and they met certain other eligibility criteria.”
“I seek the Assembly's approval of the statutory rule. It is being made under powers contained in the Debt Relief Act (Northern Ireland) 2010, which prescribes that the order must be laid in draft form for approval by affirmative resolution of the Assembly. <BR /> <BR />There are long-standing provisions in various pieces of Northern Ireland legislation that bar anyone who is bankrupt from engaging in certain occupations or businesses or from being a member of various boards, trusts and other public bodies. Following the enactment of the Insolvency (Northern Ireland) Order 2005, it became possible to place culpable bankrupts under continuing restrictions after their discharge from bankruptcy. The restrictions relate to taking credit and the name under which the individual can trade.”
“I thank all who contributed to the debate. I put on record my thanks to my ministerial colleagues and the Enterprise, Trade and Investment Committee for the way in which they considered this important matter in a timely way, allowing the motion to be debated today. I very much appreciate the positive manner in which the issue has been dealt with and the agreement that there is from all sides of the House. <BR /> <BR />I commend the motion to the Assembly, with thanks to Members for their support.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Executive are determined to see small businesses thrive and grow in line with the Northern Ireland economic strategy. The establishment of the Small Business Commissioner will complement existing dispute resolution services and encourage a culture change in the way that businesses deal with each other. It will also deliver a consistency of service to small businesses across the United Kingdom when considering their commercial dealings with larger firms. <BR /> <BR />SMEs are very much at the heart of the Northern Ireland economy, and many of them trade with companies elsewhere in the United Kingdom. Clearly, we would not want to put them at an unfair disadvantage by not supporting the legislative consent motion (LCM). The consent of the Assembly is, therefore, being sought.”
“Small businesses are not always sure where to turn for help in sorting out disputes with other businesses, and I am concerned that not enough small businesses are able to settle their problems with larger corporations sufficiently quickly. We know that some small firms suffer because of an imbalance in bargaining power when dealing with larger businesses. Some small businesses feel unable to challenge the contract terms proposed by larger businesses for fear of damaging their commercial relationship, and many do not have the time, money or expertise to make a legal challenge where they believe that practices are against the law. Those issues put small businesses under additional pressure and limit their opportunity for growth. They also, in some instances, put businesses at risk.”
“Thank you, Principal Deputy Speaker. We are here today to consider the issue of extending the role of the Small Business Commissioner, contained in the Enterprise Bill, to Northern Ireland. The Bill will allow the Small Business Commissioner to provide general advice and information relating to dispute resolution and options for resolving disputes; a signpost service to mediation and arbitration services that are currently in operation; and to provide an in-house complaint-handling function in respect of payment or contract issues. <BR /> <BR />Extending the remit of the Small Business Commissioner to Northern Ireland is the most cost-effective way for small businesses across the region to benefit from the service, which is intended to support them in resolving disputes with larger businesses.”
“If I understand it correctly it was Brian Conlon, working from his spare room, who used that £5,000 loan to develop an international business that now stretches from Newry to North America to the Far East. I was very excited to talk about some of the personnel in New York recently about their vision for the future and to see what can be done with a £5,000 loan. That talent has been multiplied by Brian Conlon and the first-class team at First Derivatives, who, as I say, have stretched from their Newry offices right through to New York and across to the Far East. That is testament enough to what can be done. <BR /> <BR />That just leaves me to commend the Credit Unions and Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Bill to the House.”
“I am glad that they have the support that they have in Northern Ireland, because that reflects the value that people in Northern Ireland place on them. I can remember back to when I had a Sunbeam that cost £50. I was joining the health service, and they told me that I was to be an essential car user and would be expected to have a reliable car at work every day. It was to the credit union that you turned for the loan for the second-hand car that allowed you to get a career. <BR /> <BR />There is a far greater story that has not been told about credit unions. One of the most inspirational firms that I have come across is First Derivatives. In many cases, it was not looked on favourably in terms of borrowing money, but a credit union leant them £5,000.”
“I express my gratitude to the Chairman and members of the Committee and to Mr Dunne and Mr McKinney for their work and those very positive remarks. Iit is an example of the success of devolution that all of us from right across the House have worked together on this. I also thank my officials for the work that they put in. I think sometimes that the brevity of this debate does not reflect the intensity of the work that goes on behind the scenes, in Committee rooms and in private briefings with officials. It is that work that leads to success. <BR /> <BR />Credit unions are of enormous importance. I could speak for hours on their value to many people, both individually like myself and collectively for families.”
“<BR /> <BR />This is a somewhat complex and technical area, and I thank the Chairman and members of the Committee for Enterprise, Trade and Investment for their considered scrutiny of the Bill. I am grateful to them for the productive and positive way in which they worked with my officials and, in particular, for the suggestions that they put forward at various points, all of which helped to improve the Bill. I also thank Members for the keen interest that they have shown in the Bill during its passage through the Assembly.”
“<BR /> <BR />Credit unions will be able to carry out new activities, permitting them to explore new commercial opportunities and to strike out in new directions. They will also enjoy a measure of deregulation for a number of the existing activities that they undertake, including the very welcome support that they offer to their local communities. Industrial and provident societies will also see deregulation. The Bill will remove unnecessary legislative requirements and give societies greater scope to engage with younger members and allow them to secure increased levels of investment. These sectors operate in a rapidly changing commercial environment. While the Bill represents a very positive development, my Department will continue to work with credit unions and societies to ensure that the sectors can continue to grow.”