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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“I thank the Minister for her response. However, she will be aware that this threatens organisations, festivals and events that, for every £1 of funding that they receive, return £3 to our local economy. Can the Minister reassure those organisations that she values and understands the importance of that work to our society and economy and say what specific work she is undertaking to ensure a reinstatement of the fund?”
“One of the key issues seems to be the accuracy of the facts. According to OFMDFM figures, the baseline budget for VSS has been reduced from £11·3 million to £10 million. Does the Member agree that that is roughly an 11·5% reduction, and will he offer OFMDFM an opportunity to advise where the figure of 4·4% comes from?”
“I thank the Member for giving way, and that is a fair point. One of the key issues —”
“— for the DUP and Sinn Féin to stop passing the buck to the Victims and Survivors Service and to stop being in denial about the impact of their political decisions on front line services to victims and survivors.”
“It is on bomb victims and people who have been blinded or have lost limbs or have lost loved ones as a result of paramilitary violence. Those people are angry, worried and confused. It is time —”
“These are cuts that are going against the recommendations for improvements that have been made for the service. <BR /> <BR />We have also had a cessation in respite breaks, education and training, which means that no services are available for the bereaved or children of the injured. We have also had cutbacks in chronic pain management and psychotherapy treatments. That does not allow the Victims and Survivors Service to have the flexibility to provide for carers, the injured and the bereaved going forward. The consequences are severe. It will attract criticism for Ministers, and it will undermine Ministers' commitment to ensuring that the needs of victims and survivors in our community are met. <BR /> <BR />The real impact is on approximately 3,000 people across Northern Ireland.”
“What is the impact of that reduction on victims and survivors? As has been referred to, we have had a cessation of staff training and training for groups, the withdrawal of freephone numbers, and the withdrawal of public adverts that communicated the availability of those schemes to victims and survivors. Under normal circumstances, those might be referred to as efficiencies or administrative costs, but we need to bear in mind that this is a service that has approximately 70 recommendations for improvement further to an independent review of its procedures. Many of those included difficulties with people being aware of the schemes, accessing telephone conversations with advisers, and staff having appropriate training to be able to deal with those victims and survivors.”
“It begs the question of why other aspects of the Budget have been ring-fenced when a service for what the First Minister called some of the most vulnerable people in our community has not been protected. That does not stack up with the rhetoric of protecting victims and survivors.”
“that meet their needs. I agree wholeheartedly with that statement, but the test is to see whether reality and that rhetoric meet. <BR /> <BR />As has been referred to today, in July this year, the Victims and Survivors Service was shocked by OFMDFM notifying it that its budget for the financial year 2014-15 would be cut to £10 million, having had a final expenditure — and I agree with the proposer of the motion in this regard — of £12·8 million for the financial year 2013-14. I understand, and it appears to be the understanding of the proposer of the motion, that that accounts for a 22% reduction in expenditure for the Victims and Survivors Service. That is a significant reduction. It is disproportionate to many of the other reductions that have occurred across the Executive Budget.”
“So, it too is on some shaky ground there. The Alliance Party voted against the proposals for these financial arrangements. <BR /> <BR />The First Minister said:”
“I support the motion. I feel exhausted and frustrated on behalf of victims and survivors in Northern Ireland. I will try to play this with as straight a bat as I can, because they are owed that much. Whilst I agree with the motion, its proposers could have had a slightly more humility in recognising the fact that, in fairness to the DUP and Sinn Féin, more has been invested in victims and survivors services than under the Ulster Unionist Party and the SDLP when they occupied the Office of First and deputy First Minister. In fairness to them, they recognise the progress that has been made in the wider infrastructure that is in place. <BR /> <BR />The SDLP voted in favour of the June monitoring round allocations that led to the strict financial circumstances that required some of these changes to be made.”
“The Minister recently announced drawbacks in relation to roads maintenance connected with budgetary reductions. Are they likely to impact on cycle network maintenance also?”
“Therefore, in relation to discussions around the Peace programme at this session, what outcomes of the multimillion-pound EU peace and reconciliation programme III can the deputy First Minister point to in order to encourage us and what are the key aims of the EU peace and reconciliation programme IV?”
“The First Minister and deputy First Minister recently received a letter from individuals in America expressing concern that the peace process is losing its power to inspire children with a vision of a shared future.”
“<BR /> <BR />Mr Deputy Speaker, this has been a unique debate and a clear, united message comes from the Assembly calling on the Home Secretary to take urgent action in relation to this issue. I would be grateful if the Speaker's Office could ensure that a communication is sent to the Home Secretary to convey the mood of the House in relation to this serious and grave issue, and that we see the action that we have called for as soon as possible in relation to this important issue. Thank you.”
“As I hear it, the Assembly calls on the Home Secretary to ensure that this democratic society holds itself to much higher standards of accountability, justice and human rights, which are the standards on which the very legitimacy of this society depends. The Assembly calls on the Home Secretary to ensure that she does not add to what has become known as a chronicle of lost opportunities in relation to the Kincora Boys' Home, and to ensure that the principles that she set out for the Westminster inquiry — full investigation, prosecution and maximum transparency — are met by the inclusion and full investigation of all available evidence relating to Kincora Boys' Home in this inquiry.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Home Secretary must announce the inclusion of the Kincora Boys' Home in the Westminster inquiry and she must grant the exemption from the Official Secrets Act that the military intelligence officers need to provide the necessary evidence if we are to secure the level of investigation that victims and survivors deserve and, indeed, that any democratic society must demand. <BR /> <BR />In their contributions, other Members said that there were indeed many other children who were — and are — abused and terrorised in many other ways by non-state paramilitary organisations in our community, who hold themselves to far lower standards of human rights and who have provided far less disclosure of their abuse and terror.”
“<BR /> <BR />The chair of the historical institutional abuse inquiry has stated that he would not have the adequate powers to achieve full disclosure in relation to some of the most serious allegations of military intelligence involvement in Kincora. In addition, the contributions of Members in the House today have shown that the weight of argument and the support for inclusion of Kincora in the Westminster child sex abuse inquiry are increasingly irrefutable and that the clamour for justice is now unavoidable.”
“I also pay tribute to SAVIA for the dedicated and dignified manner in which it has continued to campaign for adequate victim support for participants in the inquiry. I hope that it secures an update soon in relation to funding for a victims' support centre that it is working to put in place in relation to the inquiry. It has also sought an update on any interim report or information that can be given on the inquiry. It has requested that work be started to explore potential compensation and how non-institutional clerical child abuse may be addressed. That has been covered by a number of Members today. It is my understanding that OFMDFM is conducting scoping studies in relation to those matters. Hopefully, it will be able to provide us with an update on those important issues as well.”
“<BR /> <BR />I understand that the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has suggested that it may be a matter for the devolved Administrations to address child abuse. The Executive and Assembly have certainly shown a degree of leadership and taken responsibility by enacting the historical institutional abuse judge-led public inquiry here in Northern Ireland. It has created an opportunity for victims and survivors to present allegations, including those from Kincora Boys' Home. <BR /> <BR />Again, I acknowledge the work of organisations like SAVIA, Amnesty International and, indeed, former Members of the House, including Conall McDevitt MLA, who worked tirelessly to support the progress towards achieving that inquiry.”
“The gravity of the allegations means that nothing less than the fullest independent investigation and disclosure of all available evidence will satisfy the right to justice for victims and survivors and the need to address the most serious disrepute that all of those allegedly involved, including the state itself, have been brought into by that litany of abuse. <BR /> <BR />There is a clear opportunity now for the British Government, the Prime Minister, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and the Home Secretary to satisfy those demands by including the abuse in Kincora Boys' Home in the UK inquiry chaired by Fiona Woolf and to grant the military intelligence officers the clearance they need under the Official Secrets Act to present to the inquiry the grave allegations that they have made.”
“Many people have supported that call and many people have worked tirelessly towards achieving that outcome for victims and survivors. I think of the many journalists who have been referred to in the Assembly today, organisations such as Amnesty International and many of the victims and survivors' groups like SAVIA that have worked on those issues. <BR /> <BR />At its heart, it is about the systematic abuse of the most innocent members of our society by the people specifically charged and entrusted with their care and about adequately investigating the most serious allegations that security and intelligence services were deeply complicit in that abuse and its concealment.”
“It is indeed a scandal of national seriousness. There is clear agreement on that. It is also an indictment of the UK Government and this society that it has taken over 40 years of pain and persistence to achieve full and proper disclosure of the full extent of the abuse suffered by children in our community at that home. <BR /> <BR />My colleague Judith Cochrane MLA and I attended a school that is yards from the location of that building. We were prompted to table the motion today by the work of our Alliance Party colleague and Member of Parliament for East Belfast, Naomi Long MP. Naomi Long has urged the Home Secretary and, indeed, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on several occasions now to include Kincora in the Westminster inquiry into child sex abuse.”
“I thank all Members for their contributions to this important debate. I acknowledge the victims and survivors of all child sexual abuse, in particular, those present in the Assembly today, and the courage that they show daily in continuing to campaign on these important issues. <BR /> <BR />The weighty responsibility that I feel in summarising the key elements of the debate is eased slightly by the united way in which the Assembly has called for the inclusion of Kincora Boys' Home in the Westminster child sex abuse inquiry.”
“Given that over 50% of recorded domestic violence this year has had an alcohol-related element, will the Minister reassure the House that he is working with all the relevant agencies to ensure that that particular type of violent abuse is eradicated?”
“<BR /> <BR />I recognise and support the work done by the National Union of Students - Union of Students in Ireland (NUS-USI) to highlight the financial difficulties that many of our students are facing. I welcome the fact that the Minister has met the NUS-USI delegation. Indeed, I would be more than glad to do that as well to find out what more can be done to raise awareness and address any types of eligibility issues that might exist in relation to the funding. <BR /> <BR />In closing, the Alliance Party is very much a party for students. We are for fair access to further and higher education for everyone. It is vital that the financial assistance is in place to support students in greatest financial need. We will certainly work to ensure that that continues to be the case.”
“However, where demand exceeds the level of funding, it is my understanding that mechanisms are in place to allow in-year additional funding to be provided. Perhaps that is something that the Minister can address. <BR /> <BR />It has been somewhat unhelpful that the original debate around this issue was framed in extreme ways at times. Unfortunately, we had the Chairperson of the Employment and Learning Committee using phrases such as students slipping uncontrollably into poverty traps as a result of cuts. Today's debate has been useful to set forward the facts in relation to reform around student hardship funding and the type of funding that is available to students across our community.”
“He is a Minister for further education students. Therefore, I am glad that we have seen a net increase of £0·8 million in assistance for further education awards and college hardship funds to a total of £8 million and that further education student support funds have increased by around £2 million over the 2009-2014 period. <BR /> <BR />There is also additional support available to our students, including childcare support through the Care to Learn scheme, and the additional support fund supports students with learning difficulties and disabilities. If work needs to be done to raise awareness around that particular support, I and my party are certainly up for engaging in that work to ensure that that occurs. <BR /> <BR />We have heard that these are demand-led funds and that they are planned on the basis of anticipated levels of demand.”
“I thank the Member for his intervention. He indeed set out important points that sometimes get lost when we are campaigning on these types of issues. It is important that we are accurate and that students get the information that they deserve about where people stand on these issues. I am also glad to say that the Minister has been able to bring forward other positive developments for students, such as increased student places, particularly in economically relevant subjects, such as STEM subjects, the retention of the education maintenance allowance, and an increase in PhD places. <BR /> <BR />Perhaps most importantly, from the point of view of the Alliance Party, I welcome the work that the Minister is doing to ensure parity of esteem for vocational training and further education here in Northern Ireland.”
“However, we had an Alliance Party Minister who was able to work with Executive colleagues to ensure a freeze in tuition fees and who supported —”
“On behalf of the Alliance Party, I support the motion. As a passionate supporter of fair access to education for everyone, I am happy to support the principles that students in financial hardship should be provided for and prioritised to ensure that they get the help that they need and deserve, and, of course, that we work to ensure that students are made aware of the help that is available to them. I am glad, therefore, that we have, under devolution, an Alliance Party Minister for students who has been in place to make sure that we deliver for students. That is against a backdrop of UK Ministers, and, indeed, a previous Ulster Unionist Party Minister, who had planned to increase tuition fees in Northern Ireland.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. If the issue that he raises centres around eligibility and awareness, does he agree that framing the issue in the drastic terms that he did — spiralling, uncontrollable student poverty traps as a result of cuts — is not, perhaps, the way that the debate needed to be framed?”
“I thank the Member for giving way. I do not want to interrupt the flow of his argument, and I recognise the constructive contribution of the work of NUS-USI. Would he agree that no applications have been rejected due to a lack of available funding?”
“I encourage everyone to remain connected across the Assembly Committees in scrutinising the work of the Executive in Europe. I hope that the report and the debate will help us to continue the momentum of improved Assembly engagement in European affairs, and I commend the report and the motion to the House.”
“I think that Members' contributions have highlighted a number of the successes of the task force to date and also referenced helpfully the inquiry report's recommendations about how the Executive can enhance their engagement in European affairs. <BR /> <BR />It is through effective engagement that the ultimate goals of improving Northern Ireland's economic competitiveness, creating sustainable employment and improving participation in decision-making in Brussels on behalf of people in Northern Ireland can be achieved. We must continue to do all that we can to maximise the benefit of Brussels to Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />I would like to thank all the Members who participated in the debate and the junior Minister for taking the time to respond to it.”
“Indeed, we have heard that, since 1995, the European Union has invested €1·3 billion in peace building in Northern Ireland and we have successfully secured €150 million under Peace IV. That, however, begs this question: what is being done to plan ahead for how that type and level of investment in peace building in Northern Ireland is going to be sustained if and when the peace funding comes to an end? <BR /> <BR />Key successes have been mentioned in the form of infrastructure projects, ICT projects, tourism promotion, technology development, jobs promotion and, indeed, key successes in the TEN-T programme.”
“I am pleased to conclude the debate on behalf of the Committee. I think that it has been extremely constructive and has highlighted, as has the inquiry report, that we have undertaken a constructive and timely examination of the work of the Barroso task force in Brussels and the task force working group in Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />I will not go through all the Members' contributions. They have been well made and detailed, and I think that they have highlighted the centrality of European engagement to development in Northern Ireland in areas such as community development, research and innovation, economic development, business growth and peace building.”
“Does the Member agree that one does not have to live in north Belfast to share the same amount of resentment and anger in relation to the sectarian comments that were made from the platform?”
“I thank the Member for giving way. The Member said that the Alliance Party was going to vote against any rebuke whatsoever in relation to this heinous sectarian comment. That is obviously inaccurate. We have also been accused of being linked to decision-making in relation to the Community Relations Council. A simple check —”
“I thank the Member for giving way. I appreciate the efforts that he is making to be fair and rational in his contribution. Does he acknowledge that the original motion prejudges the process of the organisations reviewing whether those conditions have been breached. Is he considering supporting the motion?”
“I thank the Member for his intervention. Again, however, I think that I made that clear already. Assurances were sought from the PSNI and the Chief Constable that all alleged hate crime would be rigorously and robustly investigated. We received assurances that that has been the case and that a file will be submitted to the PPS. <BR /> <BR />It is unlike Mr Allister to commit this type of error where, clearly, the amendment was submitted prior to those assurances being received. The honourable thing would have been to retire the amendment, but Mr Allister has used this opportunity to put forward his views, which are well known to the community. <BR /> <BR />There is an opportunity for the Assembly to make a clear, united response condemning a seriously sectarian action and to support a united way of moving forward.”
“Those are the types of issues that the media and the biggest show in the country should be giving airtime to: to the people who are working at grassroots level to improve community relations and who are struggling for long-term, sustainable funding to have a meaningful impact to ensure that this type of isolated, ignorant sectarianism is a thing of the past. <BR /> <BR />We absolutely agree that measures should be implemented to robustly tackle this type of sectarianism, but we must also take responsibility to ensure that the context is there for a truly safe and shared society to be built in order for all events to be open and welcoming for all. I will give way.”
“<BR /> <BR />In that area of north Belfast an exciting, effective, cross-community project has been taking place between Holy Cross and Edenderry nurseries called a buddy system, which is bringing young children, and men and women, from interface communities, together in a real and meaningful way. The project is bridging divides, tackling sectarianism and promoting a shared future in that area, yet it is struggling for funding, despite buddy systems being an explicit target of the Together: Building a United Community strategy. There is no funding and no clear message from OFMDFM as to how such an effective programme is to be continued. <BR /> <BR />That, for me, is the real travesty that we should be talking about today. Those are the types of issues that the Assembly should be working on.”
“That is exactly what I just said. I have made it clear that it is wholeheartedly to be condemned. The words were reckless, sectarian, ignorant and misguided. I do not think that I can be clearer than that, and there absolutely is a task for people to examine how that may or may not have breached conditions. <BR /> <BR />However, the Assembly, the Executive and the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister need to take responsibility in order to tackle the root causes of sectarianism in our community. Where is the Together: Building a United Community strategy? What impact and actions does that have? What investments are being rolled out?”
“I will just finish this point quickly — who wholeheartedly clarified that those actions did not reflect their vision or aspirations for their community festival. That is helpful. We need to examine the preconditions to see whether breaches were made. <BR /> <BR />That is what Mr McCausland said. Unfortunately, however, his motion goes further than his contribution today. It suggests that all public funding should be withdrawn for the entire event, penalising everyone with good intentions to promote positive cultural expression. That goes too far, and our amendment presents an opportunity to correct that.”
“I fear that we are getting into that territory in relation to some of these cases. It is about time that we focused on a sensible response to these issues. Yes, I agree, as Mr McCausland put forward, that we have to examine what the preconditions were in relation to public funding for events where these types of sectarianism occur. We need to see whether there have been breaches and, absolutely, people need to be held to account. <BR /> <BR />Indeed, I welcome comments from the organisers, who wholeheartedly —”
“I also heard someone saying recently that sectarianism thrives when people are actually alike, as people need to manufacture difference for their own ends.”
“Yes. I absolutely recognise the right to criticise, but with that right comes a responsibility to be accurate in that criticism. Unfortunately, Mr Allister's amendment does not, in my opinion, accurately reflect the actions of the PSNI in this case. <BR /> <BR />I also think that it is unfortunate that we have an imbalanced condemnation — it is pick-and-mix condemnation at times — of acts of sectarianism. Indeed, a quote from Herbert Butterfield that was brought to my attention comes to mind for some of these situations. He said that the greatest menace to our community is the conflict between large groups of self-righteousness, each only too glad that the sins of the other give it pretext for still deeper hatred.”
“I thank the Member for his intervention. I think that the clear message is that we respect the impartiality of the PSNI and the judiciary and the role that they have to play in upholding the rule of law and order in our community as a bedrock for us to build on community relations here.”
“<BR /> <BR />On those grounds, I sought assurances from the PSNI that it would rigorously pursue all alleged hate crime without fear or favour of anyone. Indeed, I welcome that the PSNI has submitted a file to the PPS and DPP to respond to. Hopefully, we will get an adequate explanation of whether this meets the test for prosecution. I think that it is regrettable that Mr Allister has used this situation to table an inaccurate amendment that does not accurately reflect the PSNI's actions on this issue. Indeed, it is a deplorable act to bring into any disrepute the impartiality of the PSNI in upholding the rule of law in our community. <BR /> <BR />I think that it is also regrettable —”