Chris Lyttle
East Belfast · Alliance Party · Northern Ireland
“The Department for Communities, councils, the Department for the Economy, further education stakeholders, the Department of Health and the Department of Finance all responded with their perspectives on and experiences of the provision of free period products and with ways in which the Bill's provisions could be coordinated and funded.”
“That is an important start in support of the implementation of the provisions of the Bill. <BR /> <BR />The Education Committee undertook Committee Stage scrutiny of this cross-cutting Bill — I am proud that we did — on behalf of other relevant subject Committees.”
“and fighting our corners in media studios. Perhaps the hosts of some of those programmes see fit to encourage that type of approach, but I am thankful for the level of cooperation between parties on the key issues and hope that that will be the legacy for the next Assembly.”
“Thank you, Deputy Speaker. I welcome the opportunity to move the Final Stage of the Fair Employment (School Teachers) Bill. It will remove the anachronistic exception of teachers from the Fair Employment and Treatment Order (FETO) and ensure that it is no longer possible for any teacher to be discriminated against because of their religio…”
“This opportunity has been made possible by a collective effort from many people, and I put on record my thanks to research officer Connie Egan and constituency officer Nick Mathison for the work that they contributed to the Bill's progress.”
“<BR /> <BR />I thank my Assembly colleagues without whom the Bill would not have progressed to this stage and would not pass. I thank Sinead for the role that she played as Chairperson of the Executive Office Committee and for the time that she made available to me outside of Bill stages and Committee meetings, which, as I said, made the…”
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“<BR /> <BR />I understand that there are landowners who may have missed out on the benefits of this legislation if their land is vested before enactment of the Bill, and this is, of course, concerning and disappointing. There has been some discussion and debate today on the reasons for delay in the delivery of the Bill. Perhaps the Minister can add to her comments in more detail as to why the legislation has not been delivered sooner. <BR /> <BR />On those grounds, it appears important that the Bill progresses promptly and in a way that prevents any further financial disadvantage for landowners. I therefore support the Bill.”
“I rise on behalf of the Alliance Party to support the progress of the Land Acquisition and Compensation (Amendment) Bill. It is my understanding that this legislation is required to bring Northern Ireland into line with England and Wales in respect of fair compensation for compulsory purchase and vesting of land. It is also my understanding that, with funding being made available for two major road infrastructure projects — the A5 and the A6 — it is possible that vesting of land for those projects could start as early as summer 2016. Therefore, accelerated passage and speedy progress of the Bill is necessary to ensure that landowners affected do receive fair compensation for any land vested as part of these major infrastructure projects.”
“I thank the Minister for her response, and I commend her for the work that she is doing to support grass-roots development in soccer. When will the final programme for the subregional soccer stadia funding be announced?”
“I add my congratulations to double world champion Carl Frampton, his camp and his family. I congratulate him not only on the skill and dedication that he shows to his craft but on the dignity and respect with which he treats others, which, I believe, unites a community behind him.”
“The Alliance Party supports the extension of anti-age-discrimination legislation to all ages, so I ask the junior Minister what, in her assessment, are the key reasons why OFMDFM will fail to deliver legislation to protect older people from discrimination in the delivery of goods, facilities and services, as was committed to in the Programme for Government.”
“I fear that, on this occasion, other political parties have sidestepped the difficult decisions that would have released in the region of £11 million savings over the next five years to do that. Those are my concluding remarks. I ask the House to excuse me if I need to retire due to not feeling 100%.”
“<BR /> <BR />Today, I have seen reports about waiting lists in our community that are affecting gynaecology, neurology, ENT, paediatrics, gastroenterology and cardiology. I chaired a meeting of the all-party group on learning disability this morning, and parents, carers and professors communicated a fear that, despite Bamford recommendations, the budget for learning disability services in the Department of Health has decreased since 2007. We also know that social housing maintenance cycles have slipped from eight years to 12 years. I will leave it there. <BR /> <BR />The Executive and the Assembly need to get serious about how we will make efficiencies to fund some of the most important front-line public services in our community.”
“If truth be told, I am not feeling 100%, so Members will be glad to hear that I will be as brief as possible. The Alliance Party supports the reduction of the number of MLAs from 108 to 90 — from six MLAs to five in each constituency. Therefore, we support the passage of the Bill <BR /> <BR />As junior Minister Pengelly referred to in her opening remarks, we created an opportunity, by way of amendment, for parties and MLAs in the House to vote to introduce the change in time for the 2016 election rather than delay it to 2021. I still do not believe that a clear case was made to explain why the delay needs to take place. I have set out our rationale for why we think it should happen sooner, and the most pertinent point for me is the potential savings that could have been made by introducing the change sooner.”
“Can the Minister provide an update on the potential Forest Service acquisition of Cairn Wood and assure the Assembly that she will do all she can to ensure that that outstanding natural environment remains within public ownership?”
“I, too, express my sincere regret at the Bombardier announcement as someone with a close relative who has given 40 years' proud service to the company. As someone who has experience of the impact of this type of redundancy, I will make myself fully available to assist any workers affected by this devastating news. What, specifically, will the Minister and the Alliance Minister for Employment and Learning be able to do to ensure that workers have access to redundancy advice and retraining so that they can get alternative employment in the wider manufacturing sector?”
“I thank the Minister for his helpful update. Can he go into any more detail on his review of the sustainability of the independent residential and nursing home sector, including issues such as trust aid, staff costs and nurse shortage? Can he also advise the House when he will report on the review and how many of the 254 older people affected by the closures have been appropriately resettled to date?”
“To that end, I commend the Bill to the House.”
“I welcome the opportunity, on behalf of the Alliance Party, to support the passage of the Bill to Final Stage. As other Members have said, it is a historic moment for the Assembly, as it is the first Bill to be passed by a Committee. Like other Members, I congratulate the Chair of the Committee, Mr Nesbitt, for the work that he undertook in relation to this important Bill. I also extend my sincere thanks to the Committee officials. I have rarely seen the level of work that went into the Bill on any other range of issues by officials in this Assembly. They can take a large amount of credit for the passage of the Bill. <BR /> <BR />I hope that the Bill ensures that every citizen in Northern Ireland has access to fair and efficient public administration that is based on accountability, openness and quality of service.”
“I thank the Member for his intervention. There are other serious conditions that our clinicians clearly do not feel that they have been provided with the clarity and the tools to respond to at this time. I believe that we have a responsibility to act rather than to delay any further, and that is why I have taken the position that I have outlined today.”
“I would like to make some progress and then I will give way. Whilst I am voting for the narrow and carefully detailed amendments on fatal foetal abnormality and the wider consideration given to that, I do not yet feel fully able to vote for the amendments with regard to the grave circumstances of rape and incest. I must give credit to my colleague Ms Lo for the way in which she put forward her contribution on that issue this evening. I think that it places a responsibility on all of us, as Members of the Assembly, to continue to work together with our community and our professional bodies to ensure that our law and guidelines better respond to those most serious circumstances. I am happy to give way.”
“<BR /> <BR />Therefore, given the undue and inordinate delay in dealing with this, I will vote for amendment No 61, which was brought by Mr Dickson and Mr Lunn, on the uniquely challenging matter of fatal foetal abnormality. That is given the narrow and careful nature of the amendment and the sincere commitment to wider consultation on it. <BR /> <BR />I have said already that I am sincerely sympathetic, as I believe many in our community are, to the position that abortion should be an option available in cases of rape and incest. I think that Mr McCrea outlined how, even under the current law, abortions have been provided in cases of rape.”
“I thank the Member for his intervention. It brings me back to a comment that was made, I believe, by Mrs Kelly from the SDLP. She said that the position of clinicians and experts on this was that we needed guidelines when, indeed, the opinion of experts such as the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, in its response to the DOJ consultation, was that statutory definition — the Member referred to a legislative framework — is now needed for this matter. That is an expert opinion on the issue. The time before Further Consideration Stage would allow us further engagement with that type of body on that type of issue.”
“A problem appears to be that the Department of Health guidelines, which are necessary for providing medical practitioners, women and families with the clarity and care that they need and deserve, have been in abeyance since at least 2010.”
“I have heard from the proposer of the amendment that it would be possible to consider the viability of that type of reference at Further Consideration Stage. Indeed, the Bill continues to provide scope for wider consultation on the issue, despite what some Members said. <BR /> <BR />I do not believe in the extension of the 1967 Abortion Act-style legislation. I am particularly concerned about and opposed to the provision of abortion in the case of disability. I am, like, I believe, many people in our community, sincerely sympathetic to the position that, in fatal conditions, rape and incest, abortion should be permitted. This is a significant problem.”
“It set that out in its response to the Department of Justice's consultation on abortion, despite what some Members said this evening about a lack of consultation on the issue. As I understand it, the position set out by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists was that abortion should be a statutory option if two registered medical practitioners are of the opinion, formed in good faith, that a foetal condition has been assessed as lethal and that, yes, continuance of the pregnancy would be likely to have a detrimental impact on the health of the mother. I believe that the amendment put forward by Mr Dickson and Mr Lunn — amendment No 61 — proposes that type of statute, save a reference to the health of the mother.”
“I thank the Minister of Justice for his helpful intervention. As we see from the exchanges, we need clarity on the issue. As I said, we have yet to see that in the five years that the DUP has held the Health Ministry. <BR /> <BR />I was endeavouring to be positive about the establishment of the working group. We await the terms of reference, the membership and the work plan for it, and we hope it will be able to deal with some of these issues. <BR /> <BR />In looking for alternative ways to deal with an issue that has not been addressed, despite people having the authority and responsibility to do so, we can look to the position of the Northern Ireland Committee of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.”
“Briefly, Mr Speaker, in all seriousness, I am glad that the Health Minister has found his voice on this particular issue and that we have had a response from him. The guidelines would be open to challenge and engagement from any Member of this House in order that we ensure that they are as robust as possible. Maybe if we had those published, we could engage with that. I am happy to give way to the Minister of Justice.”
“However, it is my understanding that a Department of Health termination of pregnancy working group has been in place since around 2004, and we know that, in five years of the DUP ownership of the Health Ministry, we have yet to receive clear guidelines on the issues. I think that the frustration in relation to that is exacerbated by the fact —”
“There are difficult circumstances in which termination is permitted: when the life of the mother is at risk; and when there are risks of long-term injury to the physical or mental health of a woman. I believe that there are a significant number of people in our community who believe that fatal conditions, rape and incest should be included in that criteria. The challenge, therefore, is how do we respond to those situations? <BR /> <BR />I have not heard too many alternatives to the amendments that have been put forward this evening mentioned tonight. We have heard from the DUP that a working group is to be formed. We await the terms of reference, membership and work plan of that working group, and we hope against hope that that will lead to positive action and outcomes on these issues.”
“I echo the words of Mr McCrea in saying that I welcome the opportunity for this debate to take place this evening. It is not an issue that we get to discuss or debate often in this Assembly, yet it is an extremely important one to many people in our community. I am grateful for the opportunity to speak because I believe that people expect to hear where we stand on these matters, however difficult it is for us to adopt positions on them. <BR /> <BR />I speak this evening with the women affected by these traumatic situations that we are considering tonight close in mind. They are some of the most difficult and incomprehensible issues faced by any women and families in our community.”
“The Minister can correct me if I am wrong, but my recollection is that reputable bodies like the Royal College of Midwives, the Royal College of Nursing and the Royal College of General Practitioners supported the attempt to deal with the unique case of fatal foetal abnormality in their responses to that consultation. The Member's characterisation of the response to that consultation needs to be addressed.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. I am not sure that my proposal was precisely about the existing law; it was a reference to the position of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, which was about the desirability of a reference to the health of the mother. It was not a direct quotation of the existing law. I am not sure what the Member's exact words were, but I think that he said that there was widespread opposition to proposals that were put forward in the robust Department of Justice consultation on this issue.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. She asked us to reflect on the points that she put forward, but is she willing to reflect on my previous intervention, which was on the very grounds of the need to perhaps consider the viability of inclusion of reference to the health of the mother?”
“I thank the Member for giving way. The Member will be aware that the position of the Royal College of Obstetricians, set out in response to the DOJ consultation, is that abortion should be permitted as a statutory option if two registered medical practitioners are of the opinion that a foetal condition has been assessed as lethal and that continuation of the pregnancy would be likely to have a detrimental impact on the health of the mother. Does the Member agree that his amendment proposes this type of statute, save the reference to the health of the mother? Is he open to considering the viability of such a reference to the health of the mother in a further amendment to the clause at Further Consideration Stage? Does he agree that there is ample scope for wider consultation and consideration of this issue during the course of the Bill?”
“I thank the Minister for giving way. As vice-chair of the all-party group on animal welfare, I add my welcome to the increased maximum sentence for animal cruelty. Will the Minister continue to work with the Minister of Agriculture to ensure that better information is available to the public about the reporting of animal cruelty offences?”
“Given the key role played by our manufacturing sector in economic growth in Northern Ireland, why is there no manufacturing strategy currently in place with long-term commitments and targets on key issues like rates, energy and infrastructure?”
“Will the Minister provide an update on the review of the Welfare of Animals Act?”
“I thank the Minister for his answer. Does he agree that independent advice services provide vital assistance to ensure that people in our community receive the social security assistance to which they are fully entitled? In my constituency of East Belfast, the independent advice centre works on a shoestring budget of £70,000 per year and generates multi-million-pound take-up, to which people are fully entitled. Is the Minister, therefore, willing to follow up on a commitment given by his predecessor to meet the Northern Ireland independent advice service sector and me to ensure that advice centres have adequate resources to achieve what they are able to achieve?”
“As MLAs, we are being given a little over two weeks to consider the detail of the transfer of functions order. I do not think that is acceptable. It is an extremely short time, and there has been no public consultation on the order. MLAs and relevant Committees have a serious task ahead to respond robustly to that transfer of functions order, which will be laid in the Assembly as an affirmative resolution. We will be given the opportunity only to yea or nay the order. That is not good government or a fresh start to government. <BR /> <BR />We need to see changes to allow the Assembly and its Committees to properly scrutinise something of such significance. However, we welcome the reduction and the process at this stage of the Bill, and we will support it today.”
“<BR /> <BR />A number of MLAs have mentioned the importance of the transfer of functions order, which will deal with the specific transfer of functions in addition to what we are dealing with today, which is the number of Departments and the naming of Departments. I realise that is not up for debate today, but I would like to put on record my concern about the time given for consideration of the order, which a number of MLAs have consistently mentioned as being the most significant part of this change. The OFMDFM Committee was presented with the draft order on Wednesday 27 January, giving us a little over two weeks to respond by the deadline of Friday 12 February. This relates to something that a number of MLAs have referred to as the most extensive reorganisation of government in Northern Ireland since 1999.”
“We support the Bill and welcome its progress to Final Stage, hopefully, because it will introduce more efficient, effective government and will allow us to make savings that we can invest in better-resourced public services for the good of everyone in Northern Ireland. We also believe that we need to see further legislation that could better mandate cooperation and collaboration between all Departments. Ultimately, as other MLAs have mentioned today, we need to see more collaboration and better will between Ministers so that we can have a truly effective power-sharing Government for the common good of everyone in Northern Ireland.”
“The Alliance Party has a long-standing manifesto commitment to supporting the reduction in the number of Departments, on this occasion from 12 to nine, in time for the Assembly election in 2016.”
“It is my understanding that the Green Party supports this policy, but it can clarify that for itself. Maybe we should welcome the new-found agreement and cordiality between the DUP and Sinn Féin. The Member is, in effect, saying that he is blocked from supporting his party policy on this today because of a deal that he has with Sinn Féin.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. I appreciate that the DUP is attempting to find a fig leaf to cover its lack of immediate delivery on this issue by introducing the idea of four MLAs and all the rest of it at this stage. What is a more genuine approach to delivering on an issue than by interacting with the legitimate legislative processes of the Assembly?”
“If it is an election stunt to bring forward sensible and legitimate amendments that are in the interest of the common good and the public, perhaps the DUP could bring forward some of those types of amendments.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. I ask him to clarify his contribution, which painted a picture that every MLA in this House somehow agreed with the Fresh Start Agreement. As far as I am aware, there are two particular parties that stand behind the Fresh Start Agreement. <BR /> <BR />I am also becoming increasingly frustrated, Mr Speaker, at being told that MLAs in this Chamber are not allowed to use the Assembly due process of Consideration Stage to bring forward perfectly legitimate amendments to legislation that is coming through the Assembly. That is our job. The other parties are perfectly entitled to respond robustly to those amendments, but the DUP argued vociferously that the public support this position and want to see it happening.”
“I thank the Member for his contribution. Why, then, is the Member from the DUP not bringing forward proposals for a reduction to four MLAs in this legislation? We have brought forward constructive proposals that we are debating here on the Floor of the Assembly. I do not see any from the DUP of the nature to which the Member refers.”
“Will the Member clarify the stark difference that he is attempting to set out in the different timescales of support in relation to this particular policy between the DUP and Alliance? This has been a long-standing policy position of the Alliance Party. My only regret today is that the DUP is unable to stand behind its own policy position in relation to this issue.”
“<BR /> <BR />One of the arguments that was made most notably and emotively at Second Stage was about inclusion. I asked this question at that stage, and I will ask it again today: how will the impact of the change on inclusion be different in 2016 than in 2021? I genuinely do not understand that argument, and I hope that people have perhaps reflected on it. <BR /> <BR />As I said, Alliance is granting every party in the Assembly the opportunity to deliver the change, which they all agree with in principle, now in 2016, rather than to delay for another five years until 2021. We hope that the amendment will be supported.”
“<BR /> <BR />Thirdly, the change is also in line with wider, ongoing Assembly reform. We are taking through the Assembly reasonably significant changes in the reduction, renaming and transfer of functions within Departments in Northern Ireland and through the introduction of an opposition, all with the aim of creating more efficient and effective Executive and Assembly processes. We, therefore, believe that it is the right time to include the reduction in the number of MLAs in that wider reform. There has been a lot of mention of wanting to see delivery and to have less talk and more action on those issues in the Assembly. Today, Mr Speaker, we are presenting all MLAs with the opportunity to vote in favour of action on this issue, rather than delay.”
“Why do they agree that it is the right thing to do? We can look at over-governance in Northern Ireland and compare it with other regions in these isles. It is my understanding that Scotland has one MSP per approximately 40,000 people, Wales has one AM per approximately 50,000 people, but, here in Northern Ireland, we have one MLA for 16,000 to 17,000 people. That is a drastically different ratio by any assessment. <BR /> <BR />Secondly, we would save around £11 million over five years. Those may seem like modest savings to some, but, to put it into some perspective, the OFMDFM childcare budget alone for 2011-15 was approximately £12 million. That £11 million is a significant amount of public money that could be redirected to other vital front-line services that are in need of investment at this time.”
“I welcome the opportunity to move the amendment. We had a robust debate on the proposed reduction in the number of MLAs at the Second Stage of the Assembly Members (Reduction of Numbers) Bill. The Alliance Party has long supported the principle of the reduction of the number of MLAs in line with the proposal from 108 to 90; that is, from six to five MLAs for each of the 18 constituencies. Indeed, every political party appears to support that principle. <BR /> <BR />Today, therefore, is about granting every MLA in the Assembly the opportunity to deliver and vote for that change that everyone agrees with in principle in time for the 2016 election, rather than delay for another five years and waste possibly as much as £11 million on this issue. <BR /> <BR />Everyone appears to agree that this is the right thing to do.”
“I warmly welcome the investment that the Minister has outlined. Adequate investment is essential to delivering safe cycle routes in Northern Ireland. The DRD cycle strategy aims for £10 to be spent per person, and the DRD/Sustrans Bike Life report shows that Belfast residents support a £25 per person spend on cycling. Given that the spend in 2014-15 was £4 per person and in 2015-16 is £3 per person, does the Minister think that that is an adequate level of investment? What will her allocation be for cycling in the 2016-17 budget?”
“I thank the deputy First Minister for his answer. Why, three years on from the publication of the Together: Building a United Community strategy, has the Department failed to introduce an enhanced good relations impact assessment for all Executive policies to ensure sharing over separation in all policies?”
“The Environment Committee voted to ban the use of snares in 2009. Polls have found that 87% of UK vets believe that snaring is inhumane, and three out of four people in Northern Ireland support a ban. Why has the Minister, therefore, failed to introduce a ban on the use of snares in Northern Ireland?”