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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“Nobody should be threatened outside or inside a prison, because that is morally evil and wrong. It has to stop. How will giving concession after concession —”
“They just keep campaigning and keep going on until they get what they want to achieve. <BR /> <BR />If people in my community want an AstroTurf pitch, they fight for it. They do not pick up a gun for it. There is a big difference. I heard it muttered that those things are for the children of the prisoners, but what about the prisoners who thought nothing of leaving children fatherless? What about those children in my community? These are not reasonable people. They are terrorists, and they need to be treated like terrorists. Whilst they are in a prison, they should be treated like prisoners.”
“You can only reason with reasonable people. <BR /> <BR />What are those people demanding? They are demanding free access all around the place. I have their demands, their wish lists, here. They include that the policy of controlled movement should end; that movement should not be stopped at any point due to an incident outside their community; and that daytime and night-time lock-ups should end. They even go as far as wanting park swings, slides and face paints. I am sorry, but I fight tooth and nail every day for my community, for parks, swings or slides, and I cannot get them for my community. What does the community say to me? Do they say to me, "We are going to beat you up; we are going to put you under threat; we are going to threaten your family, or you will have to check under your car every day in life?" No, they do not.”
“I thank the Member for his contribution, but there is one big lie, if you like, in all of this. There is one big fundamental problem, in that the stocktake report is what it is — it is a snapshot. Who is to say what could happen in the future? Who is to say what demands the terrorist organisations will come up with next? Even if something were to happen and some of the conditions in the report were reduced, the threat level on the prison officers would be exactly the same, and might even be worse, in order to prove a point or teach a lesson to someone and to the establishment itself. Therein lies the danger in what has been tried and sought out. You can only reason with reasonable people. That has been proven time and again in countless stages and in countless countries around the world, and even in this Province.”
“<BR /> <BR />In all of this, I have no doubt that there have been honourable people trying to do their honourable best in the way that they see fit. There is no doubt that people have tried to make accommodation and come to some arrangement that, ultimately, could and should have saved the lives of prison officers and their families, but, unfortunately and regrettably, that activity has failed, because we stand here today to debate the motion knowing full well of the death of David Black and the details surrounding that.”
“I support the motion, which is under my name and those of my colleagues. The SDLP amendment is disappointing, to say the least, because what they have basically tried to wipe out is the call to reject any proposal that compromises the security of Her Majesty's Prison Maghaberry and the safety of prison staff, or concedes the demands of Republican prisoners in Roe House. The SDLP wishes to wipe out that aspect of the motion. <BR /> <BR />I do not know why they are not comfortable with trying to uphold the security of Maghaberry Prison and the safety of the prison staff, or why they are not comfortable with regard to the demands that Republican prisoners in Roe House make. It is a shame that they have tried to amend the motion, because it was complete. Everything we wished to say in the message going out of the House was complete.”
“— and how it uses its money. Thank you for my time, Mr Deputy Principal Speaker. I support Dalriada Hospital 100%.”
“That is a very valid point. The trust's figures do not even add up. Even when we look at the figures — let us keep this very basic — the cost of a bed in the Causeway is £2,000, as my colleague across the way Daithí McKay mentioned, while in Dalriada it is £800. That economy has to be looked at and scrutinised, and the trust has to be scrutinised for its figures —”
“In my opinion, the actions of the Northern Trust have been anti-health, and that is no reflection on the specialists in our hospitals at the side of patients' beds. They do tremendous work under great pressure, but their organisation fails them day in, day out. It is failing the patients in those beds. When will the trust stop talking about the empty beds and start caring about the people in the beds, who need tremendous care and support? Is it right to send people aged between 30 and 40 with MS to residential homes to be in the company of people in their 70s, 80s and 90s? I say no. This is exactly what we want: we want specialisms in one place to care for the people who suffer —”
“There is no doubt in my mind that social workers have been told not to mention Dalriada and not to refer patients to Dalriada. I have no doubt that doctors, GPs, surgeons and other specialists have been told, "Do not mention Dalriada. Do not write letters of support. Do not mention Dalriada at public meetings. Do not mention it at all". They have been gagged by the Northern Trust, Minister.”
“Thank you, Mr Principal Deputy Speaker, and I thank the Member for his intervention. It is a valid point that I will come to very shortly. <BR /> <BR />The parties have worked well together — some more than others. Nonetheless, every party has done its own thing and has played its part in this campaign. At every public meeting, rally and protest, we have been united because we know how important this facility is for MS respite to our people and to wider Northern Ireland. It is clear that, throughout many years, the trust not only failed to promote the unit but actively engaged in demotion. That is the problem that we face: the actions and agendas of the Northern Trust. That is the case in not only this sphere of health but all spheres.”
“Let me say that the campaign has been fought with the parties all fighting and singing from the same hymn sheet. Can I just —”
“Make sure, Minister, that, when these decisions are made and the trusts put forward propositions like this, there is not simply a closure and that is the end of it. I am still hearing on the doorsteps of Ballymena that we lost provision in that town to Antrim. I still get that at the doors in my constituency. It will hurt for generations if this hospital is to disappear. <BR /> <BR />There are challenges in the health service. There is no denying that. Those challenges have not been helped — let us face it; my colleague Mervyn Storey raised it — by people in the Chamber campaigning for Tory cuts or by Members of parties in the Chamber campaigning on, holding back or delaying agreement on in-year monitoring and Budgets. But we are where we are.”
“I support the motion and, indeed, the wider campaign. It has been an absolutely tremendous campaign that has not been fought by one union against another or managed by one union but managed by the people. It has been managed by the people of Ballycastle, the northern glens area, Rathlin Island and everywhere in between, coming right down into the very heart of Ballymoney, Limavady, Coleraine and much further afield. <BR /> <BR />When you look at the tremendous campaign on Facebook and Twitter, you will see that this issue has gone global. It has gone to the very western shore of the United States and even to the Middle East and further afield. That is because people genuinely support Dalriada Hospital. The people of Ballycastle and the other areas know exactly what Dalriada means to them and to their community.”
“I will be brief. There is no doubt, Minister, that the iron grip of fear that has been placed upon our communities by terrorist organisations and their political apologists has been a massive barrier in information going forward to authorities. Is there any evidence in the report to suggest that people were not only shipped out to places like County Louth and County Cavan in the Republic of Ireland, but also placed out of Belfast into places in my constituency, like Dunloy, Rasharkin or Ballycastle?”
“When the Minister states that 1,402 beds were used, does he note that the trust seems to care more about the empty beds than the patients in the beds? What engagement has the trust had with the service users and their families? How can he ensure that the trust will keep that engagement up throughout the next days, weeks and months?”
“I take the opportunity to thank the Minister for agreeing to meet some of the protesters from the Dalriada Hospital today at my request.”
“I note the Executive's response to Going for Growth, Minister. Will the timescales for the objectives be met to the utmost advantage of the agrifood industry? Will the Minister give details and her thoughts on the single agrifood marketing organisation?”
“Does the Member agree that it is not even the vile crime of rape and the subsequent cover-up, it is the actions of the republican movement in the interrogation and torture of victims and the actions of the so-called nutting squad?”
“I ask the Minister to assure the House that he will scrutinise the decision by the trust vigorously to satisfy himself that it is the right one. Even though the trusts say that these decisions are being made to save money, the patients in this case — not only MS sufferers but those who are in the hospital for respite care and rehabilitation — will have to go somewhere else. Will he assure the House that he will scrutinise the decision and make sure that, in the long run, when those people have to go somewhere else, such as A&E and other care homes, that that will not burden the trust and cost more?”
“I thank the Minister for her answer. However, does the Minister realise that, in no other business world, would this be allowed to happen? People are waiting for and relying on thousands of pounds in December and do not know, at this stage, whether they will be able to get that money. There is nothing positive in coming out with a statement that you will have so-much percentage paid, given that those four areas will be subject to so much pressure. It will affect not only the producer but the whole community, including retailers and suppliers of those businesses.”
“Will the Minister make it a priority, her first objective, to try to persuade JTI Gallaher to retain some of the jobs on the site? We have a very modern, up-to-date cigar factory. We also have a fully refurbished research and development depot that researched tobacco for plants all over the world. Will the Minister reassure the House that she will try everything that she can to retain some jobs and to support the massive pool of subcontractors on the site?”
“I thank the Member for giving way. Whilst he is right about the mix, it will have to be balanced by the costs of renewable energy, which will trundle down to our people. Unlike welfare reform, has Sinn Féin costed that out?”
“I thank the Minister for giving way. Despite Phil Flanagan's opposition and despite him being at odds with his party policy, would the Minister like to elaborate on the difference that gas to the west would make to businesses there?”
“Does the Member agree that nobody here is suggesting that we go down a route where we do unsafe fracking of any sort to get any sort of energy resource? No one in this room has even suggested that.”
“I would love to see the day that it gets on board and actually tries to do something positive for the people of Northern Ireland. We can all bury our head in the sand and say that we do not like that; it is too risky or too dangerous. Let us explore it and see what benefits it will bring people. Let us see it getting on the ground because it is the only way that people will benefit from it and be able to have a greater degree of flexibility in their energy costs and resource. It will help and aid businesses. I am glad that Sinn Féin is starting to realise that we need this.”
“Now, the key words in that are "fractures in hot rocks". They are the key words. I am not opposed to the exploration of new energy mixes. Is Sinn Féin actually coming to the realisation now that this will have to be looked at? Is it coming to the realisation that we cannot rely on the existing sources of energy as they are now? Will that spirit generate itself into helping to push forward the other main key issue in all of this, which is interconnection? Will Sinn Féin push hard for the North/South interconnector in order that we have a greater mix of power being generated on this island to support the people of Northern Ireland and to also have connection to the greater UK, the British Isles and Europe? <BR /> <BR />This is a party that has, for so long, been one of no progress.”
“Some who listen to this would even argue that the motion would be classed as sectarian because of the interest of north Antrim and of course Fermanagh with regard to fracking. What is the difference between fracking for shale gas and fracking for geothermal energy? I will quote from the Department of Energy and Climate Change's geothermal energy report, which states that deep geothermal power:”
“Hopefully, we will also reduce energy costs indirectly. <BR /> <BR />What amazes me here today is Sinn Féin. Its members are meant to be the guardians of the environment, the people who fought the good fight against fracking in Fermanagh and were against all holes being bored in that beautiful countryside. I ask this question: why is it OK to test, explore and drill in my constituency of North Antrim but not in Fermanagh? Is it the case that the proposer of the motion is simply saying, "Right, OK — we are not going to have fracking in Fermanagh, but why not have boreholes all over the place in North Antrim? Why not let them pick up the tab and take on the burden of responsibility when it comes to fuel mixes?"? That is basically what this sounds like today.”
“I am grateful for the chance to speak in the debate, which is a very important one for moving forward. There is no doubt whatsoever in my mind that we will need a greater mix of energy generation in the future. That is a no-brainer, and we have to be prepared for that. We certainly cannot lump all our eggs in the one basket that is wind power. It is simply not reliable enough. Until we get to a point at which we have the storage capacity to save energy, we need to have as wide a mix as possible. <BR /> <BR />With that mix comes all sorts of responsibilities. We will definitely need our own domestic energy supplies. Deep geothermal energy may well be one of those answers. We should explore the possibilities of getting that up, out and to the public so that they can have a real, tangible benefit.”
“This is a point of information for the Member. First, a borehole has to be drilled. Water then has to be pumped down and go through fractured rock at about 120°C before coming up through a second borehole to hit onto a motor or generator. So, to all intents and purposes, it will have to go through fractured rock.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. May I ask a question about the SDLP fighting for accountability? Does the Member know how accountable accountability is? At what cost will that come when we look at criminals who will be able to infiltrate Northern Ireland?”
“The Minister will be aware that I have constantly asked about the lack of a management agreement for the seabed leasing in Lough Foyle and when that issue will be resolved. There are references in the statement, of course, about steady progress. Can the Minister elaborate on that steady progress and give us a likely date for the agreement to be finalised? <BR /> <BR />Paragraph 14 refers to the drafting of regulations to come to the Committee for Agriculture and Rural Development at some stage. Can the Minister be more specific and provide details of what those regulations will legislate for?”
“All in this room can try, but I doubt that any of us will be able to match that energy, work rate and commitment to the people, not only of North Antrim but of Northern Ireland, when he served them in Westminster, Europe and this House. <BR /> <BR />He was also a family man, and not only in the true sense of the word. Around these Benches today, he created a family that worked tirelessly, followed him, tried to be like him, tried to work like him and tried to have the energy like his. If there is anything that we around these Benches can do today and for ever more, it is to try to match that energy and commitment. That will be our lasting tribute to the person that we know affectionately as "Doc".”
“Many things have been said here about Dr Paisley and many things were written about him throughout his life, but I would like to concentrate on Dr Paisley the servant, because that is what Dr Paisley was, first and foremost. <BR /> <BR />I grew up with Dr Paisley as a childhood hero. Some might say, "That's sad. Why would you have a politician as a hero?", but he was much more than a politician. For many people in North Antrim and Ballymena, he was their hero. That is because he served them and helped them. In his constituency work, he got the mould and broke it, and he set a new standard that no one from that day to now has ever had the energy, the passion or the compassion to match.”
“I rise with great sadness on this historic day in the Chamber. I can boast that I am younger than most people who have spoken here today. My first recollection of the great man Paisley was in the early 1980s when I was young boy on a tricycle, or at least on a bike with stabilisers. When Paisley came to visit a household, or even just to canvass, he would have had an entourage that no one else could match. When Dr Paisley was in your street or your area, you knew about it and so did that community. That community would have congregated around that street or house to catch even a glimpse of the great man or to say hello to him. That is why none of us here could ever compare to the man who was Dr Paisley.”