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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“John Dallat expressed his admiration for postal services here in Northern Ireland and his support for the universal postal service. He also highlighted the fact that 70% of the population will visit a post office at least once a week. He emphasised the importance of post offices as a lifeline to our communities and acknowledged that many of them have adapted to changes in communication requirements at this time. He also urged, as many other MLAs did, that we understand the urgency of the issue. <BR /> <BR />Danny Kinahan referenced the six steps to saving our post office network. That is an important campaign that makes a vital contribution to the work that we need to do as an Assembly and Executive. He also recognised the contribution of the post office network to the social fabric and the health and well-being of our community.”
“<BR /> <BR />With a helpful intervention from George Robinson, she reminded us of the importance of encouraging local government to participate in the process as well and, although recognising that post offices need to adapt, set out just how many households — 5·2 million — have no Internet access. She said how important our post office is as a digital bridge for those people. She helpfully reminded us to support our post offices at the busy Christmas period, and I am sure that MLAs will be making Christmas visits to send our support to the workers at this time. <BR /> <BR />Cathal Boylan stressed the importance of post offices to rural areas, acknowledged the work of sub-postmasters and gave his support to a diversification fund and the Keep Me Posted campaign.”
“I thank every Member who has contributed to this important debate. We have had a unanimous call for support for our post office network in Northern Ireland and our post office sub-postmasters. That is an important call to be sent to the Executive today. I welcome the contributions that have been made. Pam Cameron, as chair of the all-party group on postal issues, made a vital contribution, making us aware that 20 million people will have used the post office in the past week. She set out the important services that are available from our post office and gave her support to a diversification fund.”
“This was a reactive response to a serious public concern for our post office network, and there is now, I believe, an urgent need for the Executive to get proactive in their support for our post offices if we are to help to sustain their future viability.”
“It is our duty to safeguard the interests of such groups and to ensure that all citizens have the right to choose how they receive bills or statements without being penalised for requesting this in paper format. <BR /> <BR />The Keep Me Posted campaign calls on the UK Government and regulators to promote consumer choice through clearer regulation. It has a six-point pledge that can be accessed via its website and which I urge all Members to sign if they have not already done so. I also ask that the Executive write to the UK Government to express their support for the Keep Me Posted campaign. <BR /> <BR />In 2007, the Assembly was required to establish an Ad Hoc Committee on local postal services further to the closure of a number of post offices.”
“<BR /> <BR />The motion also calls on the Executive to support the Keep Me Posted campaign. The campaign is a partnership of post offices, charities and businesses working together to ensure every consumer's right to choose, without disadvantage, how they are contacted by banks, financial service companies, utility companies, media companies and other service providers. Independent research has demonstrated that 81% of adults want to choose how they receive important information such as bills and statements. It also reveals that the people who often have the greatest need are the older generation, the disabled and those lacking internet access and digital skills.”
“Therefore, I call on the Executive to take a leaf out of the Post Office's book and start delivering on the issue. I hope that they will give serious consideration to a diversification fund to help post offices in Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />I also call on the Executive to address the other key recommendations of the " A Front Office for Government Services" report by actively encouraging our public sector to identify opportunities to deliver services through the Post Office in Northern Ireland and to work more closely with Westminster to support our post office network. This should include working to ensure the future of the Post Office card account further to March 2015. It is a service that is used by 10% of households in Northern Ireland, the highest of any UK region and one of the important income generators for our post offices.”
“The community enterprise fund gave grants of up to £10,000 to 25 post offices for innovative schemes to allow them to provide additional support to communities and other small businesses. <BR /> <BR />Having highlighted the positive impact of government investment in post offices in other regions and the cross-party support for the motion, I find it disappointing that no Executive Ministers are stepping forward to respond to these matters. In March of this year, I raised the issue with the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment in the Assembly and was informed that OFMDFM was taking the lead on cross-cutting issues for the Executive. Despite cross-party support for the motion, we seem no closer to the relevant Executive Ministers standing up for our post offices and post office staff in Northern Ireland.”
“In 2009, a diversification fund was established in Wales to help local post offices to expand their business and provide new services for the community. With grants totalling around £6·6 million, the fund has helped around 442 Welsh post offices to strengthen their role in the community. An independent evaluation of the fund found that it had improved the sustainability and commercial viability of post offices and positively impacted on local economies and communities by improving job opportunities and increasing consumer spend. In 2013, a new scheme for post offices was launched by the Department for Communities and Local Government in England, with additional funding from the Cabinet Office and Post Office Ltd.”
“I have submitted questions to all Departments on what services they make available through the post office network, and the responses were underwhelming. Indeed, some of the services listed are delivered by other providers. That indicates that the Executive are failing to deliver on the recommendations made in the report, which is very concerning. <BR /> <BR />The Executive have also failed to establish a post office development fund, which has been introduced in other regions in the UK and appears to be improving the sustainability of post offices. In Scotland, the post office diversification fund, a £1 million investment overseen by the Enterprise Minister in 2010-11 and 2011-12, has helped post offices to diversify into new business activities and improved their sustainability.”
“That demonstrates just how important the post office network is to Northern Ireland and how seriously the Executive should take the need to help to sustain it. I hope that the all-party motion sends a clear message to the Executive that the Assembly demands support for our post offices, our sub-postmasters and the communities and businesses that they serve. <BR /> <BR />A 2012 report by the Consumer Focus Post titled, 'A "Front Office" for Government Services', recommended that the Northern Ireland Executive take a lead role in encouraging public sector organisations to deliver services through the Post Office and work with the UK Government to establish a clear role for them to play with the post office network in Northern Ireland.”
“<BR /> <BR />The post office network is also vital to our local economy and to businesses. Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) studies show that 88% of SMEs in the UK use a post office for mail services: 47% more than once a week and 20% every day. As we experience another round of bank closures, it is clear that the post office is increasingly bridging the gap for local, face-to-face access to banking services for people in our community. <BR /> <BR />The most recent survey of the satisfaction of Post Office customers in Northern Ireland, which was carried out in 2010, found that 93% thought that it provided a good or very good service and that 78% felt that it played an important part in the local community.”
“I pay tribute to post office workers in Northern Ireland and the support that they give to citizens and businesses across our community. <BR /> <BR />With approximately 480 branches, the post office network is the largest retail chain in Northern Ireland and offers unrivalled access to a vast range of services, including mail services, pensions and benefits, government services and bill payments. An important aspect of the network's role is the support that post offices offer our rural communities, with 68% of branches in rural areas. The local post office is often the only link to important services for many rural communities and areas of deprivation and for older people and people with a disability, and it is vital that we work to sustain that access.”
“I propose the motion as a member and former chair of the all-party group on postal issues. I think the group has made a positive contribution to this issue and is now under the chair of Pam Cameron MLA. It has given MLAs the opportunity to listen to Post Office representatives and sub-postmasters and increase our awareness of their excellent work and the vital services that they provide in our community.”
“Given the extreme pressure on public finances, not least on our hospitals and schools, will the Minister outline the total estimated cost of the project? Does she accept that it is not appropriate in such austere times?”
“I welcome the identification of sustainable transport, including cycling, as a strategic priority for the North/South Ministerial Council. How are the Minister and the Minister of the Environment working to ensure that the introduction of a single-tier taxi scheme does not overload bus lanes or limit his attempts to improve bus and cycle provision in Belfast and Northern Ireland?”
“— and I think that this report is another important contribution to ensuring that older people are valued in our community.”
“Despite that, we still have prejudice in our community, and another vital contribution to tackling this will be the OFMDFM older persons' strategy, Active Ageing. That is a positive step which presents a real opportunity for government to increase participation and ensure the care and protection of older people in our community. We also have the important work of Age NI, the Age Sector Platform and the Pensioners Parliament, which provide vital advocacy for older people in our community. There is vital intergenerational work as well by organisations like Linking Generations —”
“Kinship Care is a vital organisation which estimates that between 8,000 and 10,000 children live in kinship care and a huge proportion of them — 41% — are with grandparents. There are key testimonies drawn out in the report. <BR /> <BR />There is also valuable data that over the next 50 years older people will contribute about £25 billion to our economy in many different ways. It is summed up best by chief economist for Danske Bank, Angela McGowan, who said:”
“I think of the many football coaches I have had over the years and of Cecil Braniff, who is a fixture at our own football club. He puts in many hours, despite being of an old age. He is an extremely active gentleman. I think of Boys' Brigade leaders and GAA volunteers whom we saw at the weekend coming together for the Game for Anto. There are those in our churches, and there are community safety volunteers, like Street By Street, in my constituency, East Belfast. These are all people who make vital contributions to our community. <BR /> <BR />We also hear from Carers NI, who reference the fact that:”
“We also have Volunteer Now, which states:”
“and that there are opportunities for employers to harness the skills and experiences of older people. Parenting NI states:”
“I would also like to recognise the work of the NGOs in our community, such as GEMS NI, that have excellent lifelong learning programmes for older people. <BR /> <BR />We have heard that Northern Ireland is indeed an ageing society. We are living longer lives, and that absolutely must be celebrated. However, there are also negative perceptions or, as Age NI aptly put it, "benign prejudices" about older people that must be tackled. <BR /> <BR />The report not only collects very valuable data but has some key testimonies from vital organisations such as Business in the Community, which states:”
“That report clearly states that, if the Government can enable older people to remain in the workforce for as long as they wish, the benefit could be as much as £2·3 billion by 2037. I welcome the Minister for Employment and Learning's investment in lifelong learning, including the Step Ahead 50+ programme, which is in line with the Alliance Party manifesto commitment to lifelong learning, as well as skills development to help older people to remain economically active and independent.”
“The Alliance Party fully supports the all-party motion and commends the excellent work in 'Appreciating Age', the Commissioner for Older People's report. The report sets out clearly the immense value of older people and the vital contribution that they make to our community. I recognise the wider work of the Commissioner for Older People and her staff. One of the key commitments in her corporate plan is the promotion of positive attitudes towards and about older people. I think that this evidence-based research is a clear demonstration that the commission is well on its way to achieving that aim. <BR /> <BR />The report complements the work that the commissioner did in a previous report, 'Valuing an Ageing Workforce', the launch of which the Alliance Minister for Employment and Learning, Stephen Farry, supported here at the Assembly.”
“When did the Minister write to his ministerial colleagues, what is the delay in the implementation of that strategy and what is his deadline for that recommendation?”
“I had the duty to accompany a participant in the inquiry, and I have seen the evils of online sexual exploitation at first hand. I pay tribute to that participant and, indeed, to the work of the independent inquiry. <BR /> <BR />The Marshall report identifies online exploitation as a serious danger and risk to young people in our community. In February 2013, the Assembly called on OFMDFM to bring forward a cross-departmental internet safety strategy and action plan, and the Minister has said that he has written to his ministerial colleagues to seek their agreement to commission and fund the development of an e-safety strategy and action plan for Northern Ireland.”
“I welcome the statement. The Employment and Learning Committee has done a lot of work on identifying the barriers to education, employment and training for our young people, and I am glad that the Minister has listened to that work and is addressing them by bringing forward proposals today for quality careers guidance, pastoral support and financial support in order to achieve parity of esteem for vocational education. How will the Department ensure that young people, their parents, schools and employers are fully aware of the youth training and apprenticeship pathways that are available to them?”
“Will the Minister provide us with an update on how his Department has performed to date in relation to this to give some reassurance to those who doubt the sincerity of his shared education plans?”
“I thank the Minister for giving way. Whilst it is a scandal that the Programme for Government sets no targets for integrated education, given the express commitment in the Good Friday Agreement, it does set targets for shared education. There are two targets. The first is to:”
“Does the Minister agree that one of the most important ways to increase people's wages is for the Executive to prioritise investment in the skills of our community? I ask him whether he thinks that the 10% reduction included in his most recent Budget reflects that priority.”
“Given the increasing scale and seriousness of allegations of conflict-related sexual violence, what progress has OFMDFM made on its consideration of constituting a public inquiry into non-institutional child abuse?”
“I thank the Minister for giving way. Will he respond to the call for a wholesale public awareness campaign between now and the introduction of the new scheme to ensure that anyone who has not taken up the childcare voucher scheme is aware of the opportunity to do so?”
“I hope that OFMDFM will take heed of the Assembly on that and assist those people in raising awareness of that in the short term. <BR /> <BR />I would also like to recognise the Early Years organisation in Northern Ireland, which has created an application for choosing childcare and early education that is available to families across Northern Ireland. I welcome the commitment of OFMDFM to conduct the scoping exercise. We will hopefully hear more about that at the Committee tomorrow. I believe that there is much more work to be done in conjunction with the community and voluntary sector, families and the Committee if we are going to see the scale of assistance that families and businesses in Northern Ireland deserve and to ensure that families have access to childcare for the development of our children and young people and our economy.”
“<BR /> <BR />I, in addition to other MLAs, recognise the work of Employers For Childcare. It is one of the finest social enterprises that we have in Northern Ireland. Frankly, it has stepped in and done the work that OFMDFM and other Departments have failed to do. It has conducted an annual cost of childcare survey to set out what is facing our families in Northern Ireland in reality. It has raised awareness of the childcare voucher scheme and assisted families and employers to administer that scheme, bringing savings across the board for our families and businesses in Northern Ireland. That work needs to be recognised. We need to do much more than just refer to the childcare voucher scheme as inefficient when people in Northern Ireland have been doing their utmost to make it as accessible to families here as possible.”
“This is a public awareness campaign that MLAs and organisations like Employers For Childcare have been calling for for years. Indeed, it is an indictment of OFMDFM that such an awareness campaign has not been rolled out to date. The choice is clear: either the Department can sit on its hands for the next year or it can initiate a far-reaching public awareness campaign in relation to the childcare voucher scheme so that parents can avail themselves of that scheme now and then make an informed choice as to whether the childcare voucher scheme or the new childcare scheme being proposed works better for them. That would be in line with the principles that have been set out by the Bright Start programme. It would bring savings for families now. It would also bring savings for businesses over the next period.”
“<BR /> <BR />People have mentioned the Employers For Childcare cost survey that was completed by 4,500 parents in Northern Ireland. It shows the pressure that families in our community are under in relation to this issue. The Bright Start actions have been heralded as a new beginning and a childcare strategy. It has a long way to go, but it does set out some key principles, two of which are informed parental choice and affordability. <BR /> <BR />We have heard calls for a public awareness campaign around the existing childcare voucher scheme to inform parents of the financial assistance that is available to them now and that would draw down funds from the UK Treasury rather than from the Northern Ireland block grant.”
“It has been mentioned that the childcare voucher scheme has brought savings in the region of £4 million per annum for many of our businesses in Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />What can we do going forward? I welcome the commitment from OFMDFM to conduct a scoping exercise on this issue. The consultation to date has been wholly inadequate, and, unfortunately, I believe that it displays an example of the contempt with which OFMDFM treats the Committee for the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister at times, and indeed the distance that the Department has to go on the development of childcare policy. Concerns have already been expressed today that we have seen around £9 million of a £12 million childcare budget for 2011-15 underspent by the Department.”
“<BR /> <BR />There are also, obviously, concerns in relation to employers. The closure of the childcare voucher scheme to new entrants will, potentially, increase the pay bills of family friendly employers that have supported their staff over many years by providing the childcare voucher scheme. That would be an additional cost at what is an already difficult time for many employers in Northern Ireland. Many of our business organisations, such as the Federation of Small Businesses and the CBI, have done important work, and they are calling on OFMDFM to make sure that there are additional supports for the businesses and employees that will find themselves worse off as a result of the Childcare Payments Bill in Northern Ireland.”
“Mr and Mrs Smith are in full-time employment on a basic rate of tax. They have one child, with their childcare costs at around £450 a month. Under the childcare voucher scheme, Mr and Mrs Smith will each sacrifice £225 a month, which represents a saving of £72 in tax. Over the course of the year, the Smith family will save around £1,728 under the childcare voucher scheme. Under the new childcare payments scheme, Mr and Mrs Smith would pay £360 into an account, with the remaining £90 being supplemented by government. Over the course of the year, using the new scheme, the Smith family would, therefore, save around £1,080. Therefore, they would be around £648 a year worse off under the new scheme. Hopefully, this example puts into some perspective the impact that the new scheme would have on some families in Northern Ireland.”
“Through its work on the third sector, in particular with Employers For Childcare, the Committee for the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister was able to identify in more detail the concerns that exist in relation to the proposal. The suggestions were that there are two main groups of people whose circumstances will not be improved by the introduction of the Childcare Payments Bill. The first group comprises those who will be worse off under the new scheme than they would have been under the childcare voucher scheme, and the second comprises those who are not eligible for the new scheme and who will not, therefore, be able to progress to employment. <BR /> <BR />Perhaps I can give an example of the real terms of the situation. Take the Smith family, for example.”
“Parents must reconfirm their eligibility every three months. <BR /> <BR />Although there is much to welcome in the scheme, particularly its application to those who are self-employed, there are concerns; perhaps most particularly with the fact that it will close the existing childcare voucher scheme to new entrants. Those who are in the childcare voucher scheme currently can remain in it. It is important that we look at what the childcare voucher scheme is and does. It is a salary-sacrifice scheme, with savings for parents and employers. It allows parents to save, on average, £77 a month and employers to save on National Insurance contributions. <BR /> <BR />As has been mentioned, there are real concerns about the lack of consultation on this process.”
“It is also a welcome extra investment in childcare support. Parents will apply to HMRC to open an online childcare account, into which they will pay the money, and government will make top-up payments. Parents will be able to allocate the money to a qualifying childcare provider of their choice after they have satisfied the eligibility requirements. Examples of such requirements are that parents must be over 16, be responsible for the child, be in the UK and be in qualifying paid work. It appears that a certain minimum of around eight hours' work at the national minimum wage is likely to be set. Parents will not be able to exceed an income limit of £150,000 per annum and must not be claiming universal credit. The scheme will apply to children under 12, and, in the case of a child with a disability, under 17.”
“We can hope that that will be administered well and successfully and will not cause additional work for OFMDFM, which may be a good thing for us.”
“<BR /> <BR />Members have gone through the details of the Childcare Payments Bill, but I want to look at them. It creates a new scheme to provide financial support with the cost of childcare for working families. Through the new scheme, the Government will provide £2 for every £8 that a person pays for childcare. That support will be capped at an annual maximum of £2,000 per child. There are no restrictions on the number of children for whom parents can claim support, and the Government intend to introduce the scheme, managed by HMRC, throughout the UK.”
“I and the Alliance Party welcome any investment in childcare and support that will go towards working families across Northern Ireland who struggle to access and afford childcare for their kids. Investment in early years is absolutely vital, and it is vital that we provide the opportunities that all our children deserve. <BR /> <BR />I welcome the financial support that this scheme will make available. However, the maximum of £2,000 per year per child is a drop in the ocean of the average annual childcare cost, which is estimated in the Employers For Childcare's 'Childcare Cost Survey 2013' to be in the region of £8,000 per child per year. We have a long way to go before we meet the challenge of providing affordable and accessible childcare for our families in Northern Ireland.”
“I welcome the opportunity to speak on childcare and, in particular, on the legislative consent motion on the Childcare Payments Bill, as a member of the Alliance Party and the OFMDFM Committee. <BR /> <BR />Access to quality, affordable childcare is one of the biggest issues facing families in Northern Ireland. It is absolutely vital to the development of our children; it is vital to adults gaining and sustaining employment; and it is vital to our economy. It is also vital to the rate of child poverty. We heard yesterday that the IFS estimates that as many as one in three children could be in relative poverty by 2020, which is a warning that we should heed carefully in the Assembly. I hope that the investment in childcare payments will be of considerable benefit to many families in Northern Ireland.”
“Does the Minister have any update on the regulation of inshore sea angling, which is similar to freshwater angling?”
“Given the costs involved and the level of objection from Belfast staff to this significant relocation, is this really a proposal with which the Minister should persist? Can she give us reassurances that it is not going to cause utter chaos in the delivery of the functions of her Department?”
“I thank the Minister for his statement, which has revealed to us that the extent of his imaginative approach to the situation is loans, job cuts and pay freezes, and for the imaginative approach of suggesting that we have somehow found ourselves in this situation overnight when asking us what else we would do. When will the Minister and his party show the political maturity to adopt a more strategic approach to the Budget, take difficult decisions and explore and begin to debate fair revenue-raising measures as a way in which to get us out of the financial crisis?”