Paul Frew
North Antrim · Democratic Unionist Party · Northern Ireland
“I thank the Minister for that intervention. Nevertheless, there are concerns that I want to address. The Minister and the departmental officials will know that, even from the range of questions that I have asked. We need to make sure that we get the balance correct.”
“In the written and oral evidence received then, the Committee was advised of potential amendments that the Minister may table at Consideration Stage, including an amendment to remove the commissioner that is being considered in liaison with OLC.”
“That in itself causes some victims and witnesses bother, because they are in a system that they are not part of, which means that they do not get the support that they require. That can sometimes leave them feeling retraumatised, as though they have been put through the wringer again.”
“The Bill makes provision to offer those protections and provide clarity to victims that they do not have to face their perpetrator in court. <BR /> <BR />Members asked questions about a range of matters, including the independence of the office, the ability to review the performance of any future commissioner, the costs of establishing th…”
“I thank the Minister for her intervention. She was absolutely right to take that action, as it means that victims' voices are right at the heart of the matters under discussion. It is now obvious to us that that should have been done years ago, but it is good that it is being done now.”
“Officials explained that the Bill would legislate on the disclosure regime not to prevent an application for disclosure but to set out a process whereby the defence would have to show the relevance of the information that it was requesting. That is an important protection.”
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“I want to see greater efficiencies in our Civil Service, and I want us to get a bang for our buck every time we pay tax and rates. I want to see that money used wisely. For the life of me, I cannot see it yet.”
“Thank you, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker. I will again bend to your ruling and try to — will keep to the Budget Bill as much as I can. <BR /> <BR />It is important that, with the Budget Bill, we ensure that we have strategic vision and direction. I just do not see that happening well enough. I do not see the Civil Service functioning well enough to produce that, perform it and play it out and to spend the millions of pounds that we have appropriately and efficiently. It is not just about the Department of Finance or the Department of Health; it is about many other Departments. <BR /> <BR />Whilst we see millions here, there and everywhere in the blue pages of the Bill, I want to see greater alignment with the Programme for Government.”
“It is important that all Ministers get to grips with their Departments and ensure that they are performing properly. <BR /> <BR />I heard the Minister of Finance defending his Department yesterday. I take exception to that. The Minister has been in his Department for five minutes. I am not sure that he will have got to grips yet with the performance of the Department of Finance.”
“We should not get more fiscal powers to supplement Budget Bills when we can see, as was raised yesterday, that there is a £2·45 billion overspend on major capital projects. That is shattering. That money could be spent in so many ways; for example, on new schools and new hospitals. We have a state-of-the-art, brand spanking new hospital that cannot even be opened and used. We have £119 million in unpaid rates that we cannot get in. We have had £65 million in rates written off. What could that £65 million do? There are still major issues in the Executive and the Department of Finance that need to be resolved before we can even have a grown-up debate and conversation about taking on further fiscal powers. We cannot deal with the powers that we already have: why would we need more?”
“I am not talking about getting rid of the sole authority of the Budget Act or the black-box system, but I want to see their use reduced further. It is not right that the Department of Finance has relied for so long and for so many millions of pounds on black-box authority. <BR /> <BR />The DUP Ministers have stepped up with legislation: where is the legislation promised by other Ministers? We ain't seeing it. It is certainly not happening in the Department of Finance. We were promised Bills last July, and we are still waiting for them. It is important that we raise the issues, because, while the Budget Bill is a lot to do with the money that we get, there is also the element in the Budget that relates to the rates base. There is always a cry — mostly from the Opposition but also from Sinn Féin — for more fiscal powers.”
“Where is the financial provisions Bill from the Department of Finance that would do away with all the Executive Office's sole authority black boxes. Of course, the biggest one is the welfare reform mitigations, and the Minister has promised that a Bill will be forthcoming this year. <BR /> <BR />I must applaud the progress that has been made. It is because of the pressure that the Finance Committee has placed on the Executive over the past number of years that we have got the level of black-boxing of expenditure under sole authority of the Budget Act down and could see an end to it. I am sure that we need to keep the black box facility and spending under the sole authority of the Budget Act for things that happen, especially on welfare reform mitigation and everything that comes with it, and emergencies that come to the fore in-year.”
“It seems that we do this robotic thing: Committee Chairs and party leads record in Hansard their gripes, complaints and concerns. Valid as those are, we just go through the motions. When will we see strategic thought and vision coming from the Executive? <BR /> <BR />I will mention, as I always do, the issue of sole authority. I am glad to see that we are making progress and that the amount is coming down. However, even the £24·5 million that is based on sole authority could be quickly reduced by Departments bringing forward Bills. Where is the legislation? That is a very important point because we have a Fiscal Council Bill sitting there to put the Fiscal Council on a statutory footing: where is it?”
“It is not just about our roads and waste water infrastructure: if we do not spend adequate sums of the money in the Budget Bill on our infrastructure, people will die. That is why we need to take a more strategic look at how we spend money in Health. It has always been the cry that, if we do not spend more money on Health, people will die. However, if you do not spend more money on infrastructure, people will die. If you do not spend more money on the Department for Communities, people will die. It is as stark as that. <BR />It is important that we get to grips with the strategic vision and direction that the Budget Bill will take. I have been through so many Budget debates, as have other Members across the Chamber.”
“The Budget Bill authorises 45% of the spend in the next year, so I want to see where we are trying to rescue the situation and support our employers, our businesses and those who provide a service, not a product. Those who provide services cannot put the cost of the National Insurance burden on to a product: how are we supporting them? A lot of the voluntary and charity organisations support government. If they were not in place, the Government could not do their job. How does the Budget Bill support the organisations that provide a service on which the Government rely? I do not see it. It is important that we raise those issues. <BR /> <BR />We also talk about infrastructure. My colleague Deborah Erskine raised the fact that it is vital that we have appropriate investment in our infrastructure.”
“That might be because they are so under the cosh or because our waiting list times are growing rather than shortening, and they cannot lift their heads. It is about time that the Health Minister realised what the symptoms are and dealt with them before they become much worse. <BR /> <BR />It is also clear that the Assembly and our people face unprecedented times. The Labour Government are being reckless with their employers' National Insurance hike. It is absolutely reckless, and I am being mild. The inheritance tax on the farming community is a ticking time bomb that could even lead to food shortages in some areas. Certainly, increases in the costs of doing business are rife.”
“I will also speak about Health, because it represents a massive amount of spending in the Budget Bill: nearly 50% of the Budget. In fact, in this Bill, it is over 50%. As other Members have suggested, it is simply not good enough to give more money to the Department of Health when it refuses — refuses — to reform. The Health Department is absolutely ignoring its symptoms. If it does not seek wise counsel on those symptoms, it will collapse and, with it, care provision in this country. That is why it is important that we do not just give in to the relentless pressure to give more money here and more money there when the practices have to be reformed so that spending is more efficient. That is the same for every Department, not just Health. I see evidence of that reformation in other Departments: I see none in Health.”
“I am glad to see that there will be support across the Executive table for the Budget Bill. I will wait to see what happens in the Budget (No. 2) Bill, which is a completely different animal. It is regrettable that the Ulster Unionists did not support the Bill in its primitive form, because it is basically the outworkings of it that are in this Budget Bill.”
“I cannot see any evidence on these blue pages of where the Programme for Government has informed the spend, the areas of spend and who gets what, where and when. I do not see that. There has to be some way to align and state in the clauses on the blue pages of the Budget Bill the Programme for Government's aims and objectives. That would make it easier for the MLAs who are not on the Finance Committee, or leads on other Committees, to understand the Budget Bill, what it does and the rationale for the millions here and there, or, as Timothy Gaston highlighted, the "trillions" here and the "trillions" there. That is a very important point. <BR /> <BR />It is important that all Executive members support the Budget Bills; there is a collective responsibility.”
“Thank you very much, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker. You will be glad to know that I will not need to speak on the next item of business. I have put my views on record. <BR /> <BR />It is very important — it has always been — that our Budget Bills and our Programmes for Government, albeit in draft, are aligned completely, but that has never happened; that has never been the case. It is not right to say that it is the case today, simply because we have a draft Programme for Government, high level as it is. That draft Programme for Government may change following the consultation. We need to make sure that the Programme for Government informs the Budget Bill. Remember that the Budget Bill gives authority for 45% of the spend in next year's Budget.”
“I am sure that we can find a form of words that changes that so that we do not feel uncomfortable with answering that question in the affirmative. To answer with a negative would put us in dire straits regarding our finances, and it would hurt people. We do not want to do that. I ask — I plead — that the Assembly looks at Standing Order 42(2) and the wording of the question. It comes from paragraph 20 of strand one of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement and section 64(1) of the Northern Ireland Act.”
“We have always granted accelerated passage for the Budget Bill, and I understand that there are good reasons for that. What I take grave exception to is the question that is put to the Committee, because I do not believe that we can truthfully state that we have had "appropriate consultation" when we do not have a Committee Stage. We guard, religiously and hard, our Committee Stage in every other Bill, but not with the Budget Bill. I understand why that is: I understand the fast-moving nature of the Budget Bill and that it needs to be imposed so that things can continue to be paid. However, I think that there is merit in looking at Standing Orders and changing the question that is put to the Finance Committee in which the Committee has to state that there has been "appropriate consultation".”
“Whether a Member of the Assembly or a member of the Executive, we all want to do our best for the people whom we represent. <BR /> <BR />I also pay tribute to my colleagues on the Finance Committee. Together, we are working well and doing scrutiny well, even though we do not always get the information that we desire in a timely fashion and even though we have to ask the same question on several occasions. We work well together, not least the Chair and the Deputy Chair. The vast knowledge and experience that those two individuals — Matthew O'Toole, the Chairperson, and Diane Forsythe, the Deputy Chairperson — bring to the table are clear. All members of the Committee value their expertise and life experience in this field. <BR /> <BR />I will address the issue around the accelerated passage.”
“That must be the earliest ever intervention, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker. I may now hold the record. <BR /> <BR />I start by paying tribute to the previous Finance Minister, Dr Caoimhe Archibald. We on the Committee for Finance worked well with her. She was always approachable and she was always there to answer questions. We did not always like her answers to our questions, but, nonetheless, she was always available. She performed her role very well. I give credit where credit is due. <BR /> <BR />I also wish the new Finance Minister well. He has moved from one Department to another. It takes time to get to grips with a Department and its functions, so I wish him well in his endeavours. I believe that we all want the same thing in this place.”
“I will try, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker, to abide by your rulings today.”
“Does the Member agree that, if parties in this place and in Westminster do not U-turn on policy, we will go back to the situation of 1870, when only 3% of Irish farmers owned their land?”
“I thank the Member for giving way. Does he also realise that the point should be made that there will be young people on that farm, for example, a son, who may work for less than a minimum wage throughout his career until he inherits the farm? Does the Member recognise that?”
“Minister, are you confident that you have the most up-to-date data for North Antrim?”
“They are going to take away savings from prompt payments. Again, that will not lead to a large amount of money being raised, but it will hurt people who have budgeted and saved up in order to pay their rates in full. That is in a domestic setting. What will it be like for commercial properties when they go through those rate reviews in the next 10 years? The fact that it will take 10 years tells businesses everything that they need to know about the speed of government and how we do things. <BR /> <BR />Those businesses need something now. They need relief now. Where are the Executive?”
“<BR /> <BR />It is not only the VAT, the hike in wages and the minimal National Insurance contributions; it is the cost of doing business across the board. On energy costs, we know and have known for some time that Northern Ireland has faced the highest rates of commercial energy — electricity — on these islands and in Europe. We compete with Italy. That is a factor that rarely crosses the Government's threshold. <BR /> <BR />We can do something here. We do not have to rely on the Labour Government, but it does not fill our retail sector or hospitality sector with much confidence when it will take 10 years — 10 years — to review all the rate reliefs, and I could nearly forecast that most of those rate reliefs will go away, as opposed to being enhanced. We look at the two areas that the Finance Committee has picked up on to date.”
“A company — an independent retailer — is trying to downsize, and it is thwarted in every way. It will cost that company more to downsize, and it will not get the rate relief that it requires. There are massive issues. <BR /> <BR />Let us look at what is facing businesses. First of all, because of inflation, people do not go out and buy the same. The cost of food is sky-high, and then, when you go to a restaurant, you complain that the prices have gone up. That is because the restaurant has to pay for food at a higher rate too. There is a massive markup. Those businesses are very lean and have nowhere to go, except to put the cost on to the customer, which means that the customer stops going. We are in a dire situation.”
“Thank you for the extra minute, and I thank the Member for his contribution, because he is absolutely right: we are hurtling towards recession. We have had high inflation caused by the lockdown philosophy, which we cannot and have not recovered from, and now our businesses are hit with this. <BR /> <BR />It is the cost of doing business. I think that it was David Honeyford who said that businesses do not care what taxation is or what it is called, but what we see here is independent retailers being hit from all sides: bottom, top, sideways, left field, right field. They are being hit everywhere. I can tell you now that our independent retailers are threadbare. They are trying to resolve their issues one by one. They are trying to downsize, and I can give you an example from my constituency.”
“It is a disaster especially — David Honeyford made this point — for our independent retailers and hoteliers, the people who cannot rely on other branches or other parts of their business to cut fat. They are as lean as they can be; they are lean to the bone. <BR /> <BR />When you have an increase in the minimum living wage, which is noble, and you have National Insurance contributions rise, the elastic will snap. We need the British Government to step in and rescue this, not only for our businesses, border regions and tourism industry but, in honesty, for all of the UK. They need to reverse the decision on National Insurance contributions. That is the only way.”
“I thank the Members who tabled the motion, because, at least, we are talking about something that is critical. There might be frustration in the Chamber as to what we can do about it. It may well be simply because we are a devolved Assembly and so there will be frustrations. <BR /> <BR />We need the Labour Government to acknowledge the hurt that they are doing to business and people. This is a debate about VAT. Next week, we could have a debate on National Insurance contribution rises. The week after that, we could talk about the minimum living wage increases, noble as that is. When you add all those ingredients into one big pot, it is an absolute disaster.”
“Basically, they are pushing their constitutional position and philosophy into the amendment, which is OK. The Opposition have the right to put down motions as they see fit, but I would love to see them using more of their energy to convince the Westminster Government to understand this place better — all its arts and parts and all its people — so that, when we talk about sharing, we talk about sharing understanding throughout these islands. Believe it or not, even the British Isles are a small place, let alone the island of Ireland, so more work must be done in that regard. We would get a far better bang for our buck if we could convince Westminster to understand this place and all its diverse parts much better.”
“Collins, when he faced down the anti-treaty republicans, received support from, of all people, Winston Churchill and Britain, and he was armed. What did he do with those arms? He used the surplus to arm Frank Aiken to terrorise Northern Ireland. He undermined the state of Northern Ireland at every opportunity. There was the border campaign of the 1950s and the Provo campaign euphemistically called "the Troubles", which caused great despair and harm to all peoples, including the Catholic population of Northern Ireland. When you learn from our history, you can understand why we are not in the healthy place that we should be. <BR /> <BR />The mood and trend of the motion can be equally attributed to sharing these islands. The Opposition are not necessarily opposing or scrutinising the work of the Executive.”
“First, I will state a fact and a truth, which is that we share this island. We absolutely share this island. The two states share this island. Many peoples share this island, and so it should be. That is the way that it is meant to be. That is the way that you would want to be treated by your neighbour in your development, and that is how you would want to treat your neighbour in your development. It is the same thing with states. We live on such a small island that, surely, it should not be that hard, but, of course, knowing our history, I can say that it has been hard. That is a real shame. <BR /> <BR />Back in the 1920s, we had an opportunity to share the island, and strides were made. However, that was undermined on many occasions.”
“When they go to the PSNI, the PSNI tells them, "This is a civil matter", so they are left with no support in trying to prove that their car was not in London at a specific time or in a specific place, and it is proving really difficult. <BR /> <BR />It is a growing trend. I am not sure whether other Members have picked up the trend, but I worry about it enough to bring it to the Assembly to raise awareness of it.”
“Of course, you could say, "Those people are innocent. They were not in London at that time", but they are being asked and forced to prove that they were not in London, and that comes with great anxiety and concern. They worry about their credit ratings, if they cannot prove it. <BR /> <BR />They are being asked to prove that their vehicle was at a different location via a tracker report, a statement from a colleague or neighbour, photographs that demonstrate the difference between the vehicles, proof of involvement of another enforcement agency that has confirmed that the vehicle is a ringer or a clone or proof that the customer has had previous dealings with the police in relation to the vehicle, resulting in it being recorded as a ringer or cloned.”
“Mr Speaker, the Member's forbidden prop was upside down — a bit like his argument. <BR /> <BR />Today, I will talk about the ultra low emission zone (ULEZ) in London. Some Members might think, "How does that affect us and our constituents?". For many, it will not, but, for a growing number, it will, and it has. I have seen a growing trend — small numbers yet but a trickle that is getting worse and increasing — of constituents in North Antrim getting penalty charge notices from the ultra low emission zone and being asked to pay £90, £180 or even up to £270, if they do not pay those notices. <BR /> <BR />The issue is that my constituents were not in London. There is a growing trend that their cars are being cloned: the number plates are the same, and, in some cases, the make and model of car are the same.”
“He talked about lockdowns, but they increase problem gambling. The Minister has an opportunity to use the public health Bill to bring in measures —”
“The Member raises a valid point. I, who served on the previous Committee for Communities, was deeply frustrated at the legislation that came before us. We all recognised that we could have and probably should have done so much more. The work should not cease because we are in a shortened mandate. Work can continue. Even if we do not see the blue pages of a Bill in this mandate, it should be oven-ready to go ahead immediately in the next mandate. <BR /> <BR />We should look at this as a public health matter. I stress that to the Health Minister. The Member opposite said that it could be a decade before legislation is passed, but there is an opportunity even this year. The Minister did a consultation on what he called a public health Bill. I do not see much about it that relates to public health.”
“I ask the Health Minister and his Executive colleagues to write again to the Westminster Government, calling on them to take positive steps to restrict the promotion of gambling and to act on their general election manifesto commitment to reduce gambling-related harm.”
“The legislation also prohibits advertising that is likely to portray gambling as attractive to children and includes a ban on the sale of branded clothing or merchandise intended to be worn by children or at events that may be attended by them. That is an important step, given the extremely high levels of gambling marketing to which children are exposed through televised sports programmes. <BR /> <BR />The Minister mentioned that he, the Communities Minister and the Education Minister wrote to the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. She has the power, under existing laws, to introduce similar marketing restrictions and should do as a matter of urgency.”
“However, if an online gambling operator uses social media channels to target people in Northern Ireland and, in doing so, breaches the codes on multiple occasions, the Gambling Commission is unable to take enforcement action due to its lack of jurisdiction here. In short, it is powerless when it comes to code breaches that occur in Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />Legislation that was passed last year in the Republic of Ireland introduced significant restrictions on gambling marketing. The restrictions included the introduction of a watershed for gambling advertising on television and radio between 5.30 am and 9.00 pm and a ban on advertising gambling content on social media unless the recipient is following a gambling company's social media account. If a jurisdiction nearby is legislating well or better than we are, we should take notice.”
“In Northern Ireland, print advertising is regulated under the 1985 Order, but online marketing is a regulatory grey area. While online gambling operators licensed by the Gambling Commission can freely advertise in Northern Ireland, because online and broadcast advertising is a reserved matter, our population is afforded no protection by the regulator in GB, as other Members mentioned. <BR /> <BR />The draft initial gambling code of practice recommends that gambling operators comply with relevant codes administered by the Advertising Standards Authority. The ASA relies on the Gambling Commission to take enforcement action against gambling operators who persistently breach their codes in GB.”
“According to Gambling Commission research, gambling marketing prompts unplanned spend in around one third of sports betters and emerging adults. Also, most of those with gambling problems said that marketing prompted unplanned spend. The draft initial gambling code of practice, which the Department for Communities recently consulted on, prohibits gambling marketing that is particularly appealing to children. Therefore, we urge the Executive to amend existing legislation to ban gambling advertising at local sporting events that are likely to be attended by children, such as Northern Ireland Football League matches. <BR /> <BR />Some 80% of all gambling marketing activity is now on the internet. That is a massive challenge. Companies are spending five times more online than on television. They know where their marketplace is.”
“Meanwhile, it found that young people are largely unaware of the range of gambling harms beyond financial losses. That is bad enough. It also found that certain sports programmes are absolutely saturated with gambling marketing. Separate research from the University of Bristol last year identified almost 30,000 gambling messages over the opening weekend of the Premier League season. That was a threefold increase on the previous year, so you can see how such marketing is being escalated. <BR /> <BR />During the APG's inquiry, we heard that there is a growing body of evidence that shows a strong correlation between advertising and marketing on the one hand and the gambling behaviour of those who are most vulnerable to gambling addiction on the other.”
“I thank the Member for his contribution, and I will add to it by including even film stars and people who we would have watched on TV when growing up. It is pervasive and dangerous. Of course, there is money involved. It is a very powerful lobby, so that entices those people to go on TV to advertise their wares. <BR /> <BR />A recent joint report by Ulster University and Maynooth University found that young people on the island of Ireland are constantly exposed to gambling marketing through sports consumption on their mobile phones, on television and in their towns and villages. That is changing young people's attitudes towards gambling, with researchers finding that young people believe that there is a natural relationship between sport and gambling.”
“We should be extremely concerned about the pervasiveness of gambling marketing, especially considering the impact that it is having on children and young people.”
“You cannot fail, however, to acknowledge and see the massive amount of advertising and pressure that you get before a match, when the blood is up; during half-time, when the blood is up; and after the event, when the blood is down and you are in despair. Maybe at that point you are trying to reclaim some of your money. The advertising and pressure are targeted, and they are dangerous. <BR /> <BR />Evidence that the APG received shows that gambling marketing has become ubiquitous over the past number of years. The gambling industry in the UK spends in excess of £1·5 billion a year on advertising. It knows that it is on to a winner. Six in 10 consumers report seeing gambling advertising at least once a week.”
“— and there is probably not a surer bet in the world at this time than a bet on Spurs to lose. That is not a tip; it is a cry of desperation”
“I will focus my comments on that marketing. I am a Spurs fan —”
“Thank you, Mr Speaker. I am taking part in the debate as a member of the APG on reducing harm related to gambling. First, I commend and pay tribute to my North Antrim MLA colleague Philip McGuigan for his candour today and in the past. I have no doubt that Philip McGuigan's actions in that regard have saved lives and helped people who have a gambling disorder and their families. The House should commend Philip McGuigan for that, because it is not easy. We are public figures, but we also want to claim some privacy, so what Philip has done is to be commended. I believe that he has done it to save lives and to protect families and the loved ones of people who are afflicted with this disorder. <BR /> <BR />The motion speaks of:”
“Is it the case that, due to climate change targets and renewable energy targets, the Minister's Department is putting pressure on the integrated single electricity market (I-SEM) and SONI to use indigenous renewable energy instead of using cheaper interconnected energy?”
“Think of the ordeal that the hostages continue to go through, and it is not just adults but babies and toddlers who are being kept captive by Hamas terrorists. There is no excuse, and those young people — those human beings — should be released immediately.”