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…”
The complete record
Every one of 1,655 lines we hold for Chris Lyttle, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 31 of 34.
“It is my understanding that, during Second Stage, the Minister for Regional Development did state that many town or city-centre car parks have already been identified as key sites in the development of regeneration projects for commercial centres.”
“I welcome the opportunity to speak on the issue. I also believe that the transfer of powers to councils to operate off-street car parks and their enforcement can be an important tool to assist them with their enhanced regeneration and economic development roles. The work of the Committee on this issue was robust. I agree with other Members that the Committee was content with the principles of the Bill, as long as the Department acted on the recommendations that the Committee report sought to raise and, indeed, the concerns that were raised throughout the process. One concern, which has been raised today already, related to the fact that assets needed to be protected from being sold on for revenue-raising purposes.”
“Indeed, I ask them to set out what exactly their plan B is to address the urgent need for reform to and assistance for our taxi industry.”
“Indeed, he has available every power, if and when these regulations and licensing are enacted, to respond to that issue absolutely to ensure good control and enforcement of bus lanes, which would lead to priority being granted to cyclists, given the widespread support in the Assembly for the cycling revolution, which Danny Kennedy rightly wants to lead. We can respond in ways that safeguard the progress being made for cycling in bus lanes. For the Alliance Party, single-tier licensing and regulation is ultimately about bringing Northern Ireland into line with modern standards and practices. <BR /> <BR />In closing, I again ask the DUP and Sinn Féin to set out more clearly why they are blocking and delaying this legislation, when many organisations are clearly calling for its urgent delivery.”
“We have covered an important issue. The important point is indeed that that simplified system would help large-scale event organisers, residents and taxi companies themselves to better understand and better operate in that context. <BR /> <BR />Another issue that has been raised and that is close to my own interests is the impact that the new licensing and regulations would have on the use of bus lanes by cyclists. I am chair of the all-party group on cycling. I welcomed Mrs Overend's contribution up to a point. I thought that it was balanced on the issue, but the comments about an immediate concern for cycling were somewhat irresponsible, given that the Ulster Unionist Party Minister for Regional Development, Danny Kennedy, is responsible for the regulation and enforcement of bus lane use.”
“I thank the Member for giving way — sorry, I thank the Member for her intervention. I was glad to act as chair for that mini-debate.”
“Absolutely, and I thank the Member for her intervention. We have a number of instances, not least the example given, in which this more organised system would improve —”
“We need to address what appears to be a genuine public health risk. <BR /> <BR />We want a fair, easy to understand, consistent system of taxi licensing with fixed taxi rates. We also see this as an opportunity to improve the current situation that we are met with at large-scale events and in our city centre. Certain taxis can be hailed, but others have to be booked in advance. The feedback that I am receiving is that a single system, in which all taxis can be hailed, would make for much better coming and going at large-scale events —”
“I have heard a number of organisations make the case for why robust taxi regulation and licensing is urgently needed. I have heard of a number of problems that the lack of regulation and licensing is causing. In particular, I have had first-hand evidence of taxi equipment installed to dangerously poor standards that has led to a number of cases of electrical fire caused by faulty wiring. That is putting drivers, drivers' families, customers and the general public in Northern Ireland at a serious health risk. We have heard of man-in-a-van, backstreet installation putting the public at risk and putting reputable companies, which the vast majority of those in our taxi industry are, at a disadvantage because of their efforts to comply with the proposed regulations. That is why there is an urgent need for progress on this issue.”
“I must admit that I am not much clearer than I was when the day started. I have heard talk of anti-competition and some reference to self-interest. However, my understanding of the proposals is that they are really to create a level playing field and robust regulation and licensing for the taxi industry in Northern Ireland, which my colleague, the Chair of the Environment Committee, Anna Lo, supported today.”
“I am grateful for the opportunity to speak on this issue. I am not a Member of the Assembly's Environment Committee, but I have been approached by a number of organisations who are frustrated at the length of time it has taken to deal with this issue. That delay has cost them jobs as a result of the work that they have done to prepare for changes that are scheduled to come into play. <BR /> <BR />I had hoped to get a bit of a clearer understanding today as to why the DUP and Sinn Féin feel there is a need for further delay on this issue.”
“Does the Minister accept that the level of information that flowed from the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister made it extremely difficult for the area steering groups to update applicants about the scheme? I declare an interest as a member of an area steering group.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. I have listened intently to her contribution. Does she accept that the teacher training institutions need to provide on a regional basis for everyone in Northern Ireland? Does she also accept that, as the independent report set out, there is a need for reform and that the status quo is not an option? What are Sinn Féin's alternative proposals for reform?”
“Will the Minister give the Assembly an update on progress on the Belfast public bike hire scheme and the Sustrans on-road cycle training, which will be available in conjunction with that scheme? How does he believe that that will help to promote cycling as an active and sustainable mode of transport?”
“I thank the Member for giving way. I do not need to speak on behalf of Mr Agnew, but is the Member seriously saying that Departments giving an account of how well they have worked together and how exactly they have used resources on behalf of children and young people is a bad thing?”
“As Deputy Chair of the Committee for the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister, I hope to have an opportunity to play an active role in the scrutiny and consideration of the detail of the Bill at Committee Stage. I look forward to that.”
“Cooperation in children's services is absolutely vital, and we have seen it well modelled by the Children and Young People's Strategic Partnership as well as through other work done by the NEET Youth Forum. <BR /> <BR />It is essential that the Assembly require the Executive to coordinate services and maximise resources as effectively as possible, particularly on behalf of children and young people in our community. We have heard stark warnings from the Institute for Fiscal Studies and the UN about the growing issue of child poverty. The UN has warned that failure to achieve positive outcomes for children is one of the most costly mistakes that a society can make, so the Alliance Party will continue to work collaboratively to ensure that we do not make that mistake in Northern Ireland and that we deliver for children and young people.”
“We have also seen the Department for Employment and Learning cooperate and pool budgets with the Department of Justice to improve learning opportunities for young offenders in order to reduce offending and improve educational outcomes for people in those circumstances. <BR /> <BR />In fairness, OFMDFM created the Delivering Social Change-approach and brought forward high-level outcomes for children and young people through the children and young people's strategy and, indeed, the child poverty strategy, which is a welcome outcomes-based approach. However, my party and I believe that a statutory duty to cooperate — enabling the pooling of budgets and enhanced reporting mechanisms — stands to enhance that cooperation and, as Mr Agnew said, ensure that good practice becomes common practice.”
“<BR /> <BR />Cooperation is vital in any Government, and perhaps most particularly in a multiparty Executive. We have some good examples of good practice. We have DRD's cycling unit and the Department of Health's Public Health Agency cooperating and pooling budgets to create the Active School Travel programme, which provides on-road cycle training and improved cycling infrastructure for schools. As a result of that cooperation, we have seen good outcomes achieved for increasing the number of children walking and cycling to school. We have seen the Department for Employment and Learning lead on an Executive strategy for young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) and work with the third sector to create a NEET collaboration and innovation fund.”
“On behalf of the Alliance Party, I give our support to the general principles of Mr Agnew's Bill. It has been a pleasure to work with him on the all-party group on children and young people, and, indeed, with the wider children and young people's sector on a number of key issues. <BR /> <BR />The Alliance Party had an Assembly election manifesto commitment to support legislation that would introduce a statutory duty on all Departments to cooperate and collaborate. Improved cooperation is needed on many issues, such as early intervention in health and education and the delivery of a shared and prosperous society here, but it is needed particularly in the planning, implementation and monitoring of children's services to ensure that we deliver for children and young people in Northern Ireland.”
“Why have the Northern Ireland Water and Executive contingency plans and infrastructure not been capable of controlling the impact of the industrial action on customers? Indeed, why has the impact been geographically concentrated in Derry, Tyrone and Fermanagh?”
“I welcome this U-turn by the Enterprise Minister on the fantastic tourism events fund. It will be welcome news to the many organisations across Northern Ireland that provide vital cultural and socio-economic development in our community. For what is, I think, the third time today, I ask the Minister this: how will she ensure that the fund is placed on a more stable footing so that we do not have to revisit that budgetary reduction on an annual basis?”
“How much of the additional £2·2 million that the Minister received for tourism in the 2015-16 Budget will she allocate to a tourism events fund for 2015-16?”
“Thank you, Principal Deputy Speaker — Mr Speaker. Apologies. I thank the Minister for her statement and add my acknowledgement of the work that Howard Hastings and Alan Clarke have done. I recognise the work done around ni2012: Our Time Our Place, which I think was a great success. I wish the Minister and Tourism Northern Ireland every success going forward. <BR /> <BR />The tourism events fund played a vital role in advancing cultural and events tourism in Northern Ireland, so I ask the Minister whether she will use any of the additional £2·2 million funding that she received in the 2015-16 Budget to reinstate the tourism events fund for 2015-16 and, if so, how much?”
“Another key aim of the Building a United Community strategy is to increase the extent to which our children and young people are educated together. How concerned is the Minister by news that the Department of Education surrendered around £5 million allocated for that strategy aim?”
“Will the Minister confirm that he is proposing a 100% reduction to the budget for community relations, equality and diversity (CRED) in education for 2015? What impact does he think that will have on schools' ability to contribute to improved community relations in Northern Ireland?”
“I imagine that the Minister will agree that free-flowing bus lanes will be vital to the success of transport in Belfast city centre. He will also be aware that a potential consequence of the Taxis Act would be that all taxis will be permitted to drive in bus lanes as of June 2015. What regulation of bus lane use by taxis will he introduce?”
“I thank the Minister for his response. I welcome the fact that over £2 million of criminal assets have been redirected to community projects under this Minister of Justice. Does the Minister agree that that is an encouraging example of devolved policing and justice powers working to tackle organised crime for the benefit of community development in Northern Ireland?”
“I thank the deputy First Minister for his statement. I welcome the work of the Northern Ireland Executive to support the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) bid to host the Rugby World Cup in 2023. I add the Alliance Party's full support to that work. Does the deputy First Minister agree that the unique partnership approach to this bid North/South and between the IRFU and the GAA, and indeed Ireland's rich rugby heritage, makes for a very persuasive bid? In what practical way will the Executive be able to support that bid?”
“I thank the Minister for giving way. I thank her for the detailed update. How many times has the ministerial panel met in the last 18 months?”
“<BR /> <BR />Creating a shared future is one of the greatest challenges that this society faces. We can ignore that challenge or we can get on with doing our best to just manage the division, divert scarce resources that could be put to much better use, and fall short of achieving our full potential. Or, we can tackle that challenge head-on and build a new Northern Ireland in which people can live, learn, work and play together in safety and in which we can deliver sustainable peace and prosperity for everyone in our community.”
“<BR /> <BR />One of the most significant areas of duplication is in our education system, and we believe that there is a need for a shared and integrated education Bill to ensure that the public's desire for integrated and mixed education is followed through by the Assembly. Indeed, shared education that commands sustained contact is also of great benefit to pupils. <BR /> <BR />Research consistently suggests that opportunities for sustained contact between people from different backgrounds can facilitate positive change and reduce division in our community. That needs to take place in shared organisations, shared buildings and shared physical space if we are to deliver the type of mixed neighbourhoods, mixed schools and mixed workplaces that the majority of people in our community want.”
“<BR /> <BR />We want to see all Departments conduct formal audits of their budgets and publish their assessments of the impact of societal division. We want them to commit to presenting a practical and costed plan to tackle those issues immediately and embed them in the next Programme for Government. <BR /> <BR />Every single Minister has a key role to play in ensuring that their Department takes a proactive role in tackling our divided society and promoting a shared future. If we take action on this now, we will be able to better invest in public services and economic growth for the future. It is indeed an Executive-wide approach that is needed to tackling division and separation in our society, and we want to see a robust set of targets for implementation on those issues.”
“<BR /> <BR />Whilst it is true that the Executive's failure to reach an agreement on welfare reform has exacerbated the budgetary crisis, it is estimated that the penalties from welfare reform are responsible for around one third of the financial challenge facing Northern Ireland at this time. Previous Northern Ireland Executives have failed to fix the roof while the sun was shining, and the longer it takes to tackle the cost of division, the further the waste will be of our scarce public finances that are desperately needed for front-line services and economic recovery. It is essential that the Executive and Assembly acknowledge the financial and other cost implications of division in Northern Ireland and commit to addressing them.”
“It is widely recognised that a region of 1·8 million people will require inward investment in addition to the promotion and support of indigenous enterprise and export in order to generate sustainable economic growth. The absence of political consensus, and civil unrest, have intermittently but undoubtedly limited investment and affected the economy, employment opportunities, skills development and life chances here in Northern Ireland. We need political stability and community cohesion to generate the sustainable economic development that we require to improve living standards and achieve the full potential of everyone in Northern Ireland. In a globally competitive economy, we need to avoid additional costs for our service industry and ensure that we attract visitor numbers and highly skilled labour to Northern Ireland.”
“Some estimates calculate that we have in the region of 50,000 to 80,000 surplus places a year, which could cost in excess of £300 million a year. We have four teacher-training colleges in Northern Ireland for just 1·8 million people. <BR /> <BR />There is also a strong correlation between division, poverty, deprivation, educational under-attainment and economic inactivity. We have clear examples of the cost of division through housing segregation. That comes on top of issues such as interfaces, buffer zones and the security adaptation of properties, as well as blighted or segregated land. We also see additional public transport costs and an increased carbon footprint in Northern Ireland, which is the largest in the UK. <BR /> <BR />There are also opportunity costs.”
“However, the costs of division remain. We have segregated housing, separate education, less-efficient public service provision, high policing and security costs, and opportunity loss. Some examples of that include the policing of civil unrest and security threats, which could be as much as £500 million a year. We also have duplicate goods, facilities and services for separate sections of the community. Those include prisons, schools, surgeries, jobcentres, community centres, leisure centres, and even bus stops and bus routes. Those costs are borne not just by the public sector but by the private sector. <BR /> <BR />One of the most significant areas of duplication is in our education system, where delivery is substantially distorted by division and separation.”
“<BR /> <BR />The costs of division in Northern Ireland are visible at all levels of society. At individual and regional levels, we have seen lost lives, damage to homes, injury, illness, damage to physical infrastructure, restricted inward investment and a loss of human resources through emigration. Division has also led to duplication, or even multiplication, of service delivery for people who live side by side, with limited integration or sharing. <BR /> <BR />'A Shared Future', the good relations policy for Northern Ireland set out a vision of a shared and inclusive society and stated clearly:”
“<BR /> <BR />It is clear that there is not only a moral but an economic imperative for Ministers to get serious about identifying and tackling the financial cost of division to each Department in Northern Ireland. Indeed, it is an expressed commitment of OFMDFM's Together: Building a United Community strategy that an impact assessment of the extent to which all government policy contributes to tackling division be developed. I had hoped that we would hear today from a number of Ministers on progress in that regard, and I look forward to hearing from junior Minister McCann from OFMDFM. <BR /> <BR />Alliance Party Ministers in the Department of Justice and the Department for Employment and Learning have begun to implement that type of approach in order to ensure that all policies encourage sharing over separation.”
“The Executive and the Assembly know that the OFMDFM-commissioned Deloitte report, which was some time ago now and requires updating, estimated that the financial cost of division to the public purse in Northern Ireland could be over £1 billion a year. The extent of that financial cost is put into sharp focus by the scale of the current financial challenge faced by the Northern Ireland Executive. We have a Budget black hole in the region of £800 million, and we have Ministers briefing Committees and the media on unprecedented cuts and voluntary redundancies to public services, which will undoubtedly impact on the community and voluntary sector and the private sector.”
“I propose the motion on behalf of the Alliance Party. It maintains our call on all Executive Ministers to identify the financial cost of division to the public purse in Northern Ireland and to take decisive action to address that morally and economically unjustifiable waste.”
“Does the Minister agree that the politicisation of equality provision as a Trojan Horse is unacceptable? Will she take the opportunity to reject those comments?”
“Was an opportunity taken at the meeting to raise the difficulties surrounding the First Flight Wind offshore wind farm, which had the potential to create 100 jobs for Northern Ireland and to secure 13% of our energy from renewables?”
“I thank the Minister for her statement. Does she agree with the Church of Ireland that support and respect for linguistic diversity is vital in a shared society? What best-practice policy approaches were discussed at that meeting that might help us to lead in relation to respect for linguistic diversity in Northern Ireland?”
“I thank the Minister for her response and I note that she has made reference to the UK Government. Can she gave us a bit more detail about what she is doing within the Northern Ireland Executive to stand up for community arts? Will she join me in congratulating the success of the C S Lewis community festival that took place in east Belfast this weekend? Can she advise the House as to how she can support that festival?”
“I add my voice to the Save the Ulster Orchestra campaign and welcome Belfast City Council's investment. I seek the Minister's assurances that she will do all that she can to ensure that, as part of any funding model that she may be able to award, the orchestra will not be reduced in size to that of a chamber orchestra?”
“As vice-chair of the all-party group on postal issues, I will continue to work with the chairperson, Pam Cameron MLA, and other MLAs to ensure that we keep the issue on the agenda. I hope that we see substantive, tangible action from Ministers to ensure that we are proactive on the issue.”
“A very clear message will go to the Executive on some key points. There is support for a diversification fund. We have seen the Enterprise Minister in Scotland deliver that, as well as the Local Government Department in England. We have seen a £6·6 million investment of that nature in Wales. Another clear message is that we want to see government services provided through our post offices, at regional and local level, and clear support for the Keep Me Posted campaign. <BR /> <BR />As I mentioned, the task is to gain Executive commitment, and we need Ministers to step forward and act on the call that they have received today. We need them to take responsibility on the issue and not pass it from Department to Department but act in a joined-up manner, for once, and stand up for post offices and postal workers in Northern Ireland.”
“Steven Agnew emphasised that, whilst banks are profit-making services and have made decisions in that regard in recent weeks, we must continue to support post offices as a public service that addresses need and must be protected. Indeed, he emphasised the importance of the Post Office card account to the vulnerable in our community. He also referenced the report, 'A "front office" for government services', and called on the Executive and the wider public to make sure that we use the services that are available through our post office. He emphasised that a diversification fund, such as that in Scotland, which is in the region of £1 million, would be an investment in our communities, which every MLA today has supported. <BR /> <BR />In closing, I welcome the clear cross-party support that we have achieved today for out post office network.”
“He put out the call that states clearly, "Let's not wait until we're facing any further closures". Although many post offices are thriving, we know that there are many sub-postmasters who are under significant pressure. <BR /> <BR />In a positive vein, he said that we should recognise the centrality of post offices in our community and use that to build and create community enterprise hubs, where not only benefit assistance but business advice and other services could be delivered to our communities.”