William Humphrey
North Belfast · Democratic Unionist Party · Northern Ireland
“On a point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker. I listened intently to all the contributions in the debate, and I have to say that there was a fair degree of hypocrisy in some of the things that I listened to.”
“On this Commonwealth Day, I commend the Minister, in her absence, for her programme. Earlier today, we planted a tree to mark Her Majesty's platinum jubilee close to Lord Craigavon's tomb. Are there plans for the jubilee celebrations across our education sector to be extended to uniformed organisations?”
“I am grateful to the Minister for giving way. I thank her for her candour to the House today in setting out clearly and very explicitly the dangers that this bad, and badly drafted, Bill will have for education in Northern Ireland and the ramifications for our young people.”
“Thank you very much. Only last night, I had a conversation with the chair of a board of governors. I have also met school teachers and principals. Quite frankly, I am rather perturbed by what the Member is saying.”
“I am grateful to the Member for giving way. He and other Members have made the point that the Bill will lead to discrimination. Does the Member agree that there is no such thing as positive discrimination?”
“The Member makes a very valid point. Earlier today, we debated the Climate Change (No. 2) Bill. A number of people who opposed the Minister's Bill made the point that it took so long — over two years — to get to today, yet they want to rush this Bill through. The same parties that made those points have accepted that this Bill is flawed.”
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“In answers to some questions, the Minister has referred to expert panels in Ulster Scots and Irish. What is their role, and how were they established? The Minister also mentioned that we have seen strong demand for the translation hub. What does strong demand look like?”
“I thank the Minister for that answer. Minister, we met you, and we recently met the chief executive of the Housing Executive, and we will meet her again in the near future. Many of those families are working class and are on low incomes and do not have the money to do the work themselves. They need the support of government to get a resolution. I implore you, along with the Housing Executive, to deal with the issue and get a solution as quickly as possible.”
“I thank the First Minister for his answer. The Jewish community in Northern Ireland is having ongoing problems with getting kosher meat. That issue has been raised all the way to the Prime Minister. I thank your predecessor for the work that she did on the issue. However, the problem is ongoing, as is the supply of trees to mark the centenary of Northern Ireland and to create the Queen's canopy. Those issues are affecting people negatively right across the community in Northern Ireland. Can the First Minister assure the House that work will continue to ensure that the protocol and the difficulties that it is causing will be removed?”
“Given the number of overgrown entries in north Belfast, what are the Department and Belfast City Council doing to address the issue, with people having to bring their bins through their living rooms? In this day and age, that is not acceptable.”
“— entries across north Belfast that are overgrown. People have to bring their bins —.”
“— Belfast City Council and the Housing Executive. I am aware of many —”
“Minister, the question was specifically about alleyways. It is clear that what we have at the moment is not working for our constituents, taxpayers and ratepayers. We need a better, joined-up approach between the Assembly, the Executive and local government. You will be aware of the issues at Harmony Bridge, which you visited. I pay tribute to DAERA —”
“Through working with the police and Translink, will there be effective communication to the communities that are being hit hardest by this? We have now had a second day of it: how long will it continue?”
“The Minister is right to say that the use of language in Northern Ireland is particularly important. That applies to the use of language all year round, particularly in the month of July and particularly in my constituency. It was not always the case from public representatives. <BR /> <BR />After the bus was attacked in the Shankill area, friends of mine took the driver to the depot. He was hugely distressed and very shaken. Today, constituents of mine in Rathcoole and people right across the city are being negatively affected by those people and their actions. It is wrong, and it has to be condemned. Local people are being inconvenienced and annoyed, and their lives are being disrupted by all of this. Pensioners and working people alike are affected. <BR /> <BR />I accept that a risk assessment has taken place.”
“I thank the Minister for his statement. It was encouraging. <BR /> <BR />Minister, I take the opportunity of congratulating Ballysillan Primary School in my constituency, which recently received the Queen's Commonwealth Canopy tree for the city of Belfast. Along with a deputy lieutenant, Mr Dawson Stelfox, and some pupils, I was privileged to be involved in planting that tree. <BR /> <BR />As the chair of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association in Stormont, I welcome the announcement. It is great to see Northern Ireland joining the rest of the Commonwealth in such an initiative. Can the Minister outline the benefits that the initiative will have for the area around Glenarm and east Antrim in terms of the environment, tourism and, indeed, the local community?”
“Those of us who sit on these Benches are very proud to be unionists, and those on the other side claim to be republicans or nationalists. Do you not understand the confusion that there is for some of us when you come in here and do not align as unionist or nationalist, but out there your members in the public domain — the Member for Strangford Ms Armstrong can shake her head all she likes — declare themselves as being in support of a united Ireland? Some members of your party have done that recently.”
“I am grateful to the Member for giving way. Will he clarify the Alliance Party's position? Its Members here designate as not being unionist or nationalist, but some members of his party have indicated, including recently in the media, that they would support a united Ireland. Some of them might even be close to where he is sitting.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. It is interesting that he talks about how he is proud to be a republican and that that is the way forward. The previous Member from his party to speak said that republicans have a progressive agenda. Do you understand how people on this side of the House, and the people whom we represent, feel when your progressive agenda includes your party promoting and glorifying terrorists and terrorism?”
“I am grateful to the Member for giving way. She says that she and her party see the solution to the difficulties that we have in Northern Ireland to be what she calls a "united Ireland". How will that be paid for, given that, prior to COVID, the Republic of Ireland Government could not meet their commitments to the European Union, never mind to the World Bank?”
“I am pleased, Minister, with the answer, and I look forward, as will the House, to being updated. Minister, I am pleased that you have now visited Glenside and Harmony Lane in north Belfast. The Northern Ireland Housing Executive, Belfast City Council and DAERA have stepped up to the plate to assist the long-suffering residents in those areas in response to criminality, antisocial behaviour, dumping and so on. What is your Department going to do?”
“I echo the point that has just been made about certainty and clarity for those who are eligible to draw down money from the scheme and the implications that it may have for them on other benefits that they are drawing down from government.”
“I listened to what she said about this being a TEO responsibility, but collectively, around the Cabinet table, are Ministers content that there are enough resources and, if not, will other steps be taken?”
“Minister, over the summer, I had conversations with a number of constituents about the scheme, and I am concerned that staffing may be an issue.”
“I apologise on behalf of the Deputy Chair of the Committee on Procedures, Mr Tom Buchanan, who is carrying out business on behalf of the Assembly at the Policing Board and cannot be here. Personally, I share the views that Mr Muir outlined, but we will not seek to divide the House on the issue. Clearly, we need to keep an eye on this and monitor it, as it may be abused by Members and not improve the image of the House among the general public — none of us wants to see that — but we will not divide the House.”
“In this day and age, it is not acceptable that people have to live in those conditions. The time has come for it to be addressed. I ask the Minister to address the issue for my constituents who are living in Silverstream and Tyndale. The time for action is now. Minister, between your Department and the Housing Executive, please sort the problem out once and for all and let people live in dignity.”
“<BR /> <BR />A number of years ago, work was carried out on some properties. That was welcome. Many homeowners bought their properties, and they carried out the work themselves. There is still a sizeable number of houses across the Silverstream and Tyndale estates that have to deal with structural flaws such as Finlock guttering. The Minister is well aware of that. More recently, my colleagues Paula Bradley, the Chair of the Committee, and Councillor Dale Pankhurst met the Minister to raise the issue. Unfortunately, I could not attend. The problem is that, when Finlock guttering gets moist, it retains the moisture and becomes like a sponge. Therefore, serious remedial action must be taken, and I accept that that is expensive. Some of those families have been enduring that for 20 or 30 years.”
“I said, "What is the solution, then?". He said, "We will drill a hole and put in a vent, and you can open and close the vent". I said, "The two young girls have severe, acute asthma. What do they do with the holes in the wall and the vent in the winter when it is freezing?". He had not thought of that. <BR /> <BR />That house is in the Silverstream estate. Over the years, I have raised it on many occasions with various Ministers. In fact, I have raised that issue with the current Minister at Question Time. I have written to the Minister. I have met the chief executive of the Housing Executive. I have met the current permanent secretary in the Department for Communities. It is batted back and forward between the Housing Executive and the Department. The reality is that nothing is done in the Silverstream estate.”
“There was mould on all the walls, particularly the exterior walls, which had travelled to the interior walls, and in the corners. When you opened the built-in wardrobe in the bedroom, it was absolutely disgusting. You could not have stored anything in there, certainly not clothes. The bed and the bedclothes were completely covered in black mould. There were spores right across the room: the ceiling, the floors and right up the walls. The solution from the Housing Executive was to say that it was condensation. A device was produced, and a needle was placed against the walls. "There you are; it is condensation. There is not enough air travelling around the room". I could not believe what I was hearing or the complete lack of compassion and empathy from the Housing Executive official. I will not embarrass them by naming them in the House.”
“I, too, join others in congratulating my colleague and friend from North Down for tabling the motion, along with colleagues from the Communities Committee, and for his excellent contribution to the debate. <BR /> <BR />Some five years ago, I visited a house with my colleague Councillor Gareth McKee, who has subsequently stood down and been replaced as a councillor. There have been elections since we visited that home five years ago in the Silverstream estate. When we visited the home, we met the parents of two young girls. The young mother was acutely embarrassed at the home’s smell and state of repair. It was very clear that she was immaculately clean, but there was only so much that she could do. She asked us to visit the bedroom of the two young girls, and we went upstairs. They were sleeping in bunk beds.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. I endorse his remarks entirely and pay tribute to Dr Purdy and his team for their work. Does the Member agree that it is statistically proven that early intervention is cheaper and much more effective in terms of end product and results and that young people would benefit from early intervention if the Minister can find the money for it?”
“I am grateful to the Member for giving way. Does the Member agree with me — I speak as a member of the Education Committee — that this needs a joined-up approach across government, involving not just the Minister who has been referred to in this debate but the Education Minister, the Health Minister, Communities Minister, councils, the Public Health Agency (PHA) and so on, in order to get a multi-agency approach to tackling a huge issue in our community?”
“Will he further assure us that the report will be endorsed through resources and support across the Cabinet table from other Departments in the Northern Ireland Executive? Early intervention is cheaper and more effective.”
“I thank the Minister for his statement. He has, indeed, been committed to the issue for some time, and he and I have had many conversations about it. I join colleagues in commending the panel led by Dr Purdy. I also pay tribute to the folk from my part of the world who were involved — Mary Montgomery, the principal of Belfast Boy's Model School; Jackie Redpath; and Kathleen O'Hare, the former principal of Hazelwood Integrated College — all of whom understand the issues that face our young people across society. <BR /> <BR />Free school meals indicate that there are huge problems for Protestant working-class boys. Will the Minister assure us that the report will deal with that?”
“I thank the Minister for that answer. The Storey funeral and the events surrounding it have clearly caused reputational damage to the PSNI. The barrister-led inquiry at City Hall and the report by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) have not provided the clarity and certainty that the general public require. Does the Minister believe that a judge-led independent inquiry would be helpful and provide the clarification and certainty that the public need and give them confidence in the PSNI again?”
“I commend the Minister and the Department for the ongoing work. I welcome the fact that we may well get to a point at which we will have something positive and tangible for the classroom and for the benefit of our young people before March 2022. That is welcome news, but we must provide training and guidance in all things to support and protect our staff. We must protect the young people in the classroom and those who work with and protect those young people daily. It is absolutely key to get the balance right in the classroom between protecting young people and protecting the staff who work with them.”
“I have seen at first hand how staff across our education estate work, particularly in special needs settings. They are exemplary public servants and should be regarded and respected by us all. It is absolutely critical, however, that the views of teaching and support staff, young people and their parents and carers be central to any recommendations that come forward. Consultation is key to finding a workable solution. Training and up-to-date guidance is critical for staff, because, as I said, those people have a hugely difficult job. At times, they do it in very challenging circumstances and are on the receiving end of abuse. The recording of incidents therefore needs to be mandatory. That is a protection not just for the young people but for staff. <BR /> <BR />We must move to protect our children and young people in the classroom.”
“I thank the Minister for that helpful clarification. The House will welcome that information from him. <BR /> <BR />As others have said, it is important to draw on the experience of jurisdictions across the United Kingdom and Europe to see how the situation can be improved for our young people. I welcome the fact that the Department of Education has established a reference group and that a working group is now considering how the issue has been dealt with, progressed and put into practice in neighbouring jurisdictions. Advocates of change have recognised that the non-statutory guidance on restraint and seclusion would be a welcome step, and the Minister is responding to that positively. <BR /> <BR />As I have said, I commend our staff.”
“<BR /> <BR />It is my understanding that the Department is carrying out a review of the use of restraint and seclusion in education and that the report is due to be completed in March 2022. An acceptance that the existing guidance is out of date is important, and the Department and the Minister have accepted that. The regulations clearly need to be updated, although I understand that there is temporary guidance in place that provides advice on recording of the use of restraint.”
“As Members have said, the Education Committee has spent considerable time discussing the issues, and we have met on a number of occasions the special schools' principals' group, which has always been very beneficial to those of us involved in education. I declare an interest as a governor in two schools. <BR /> <BR />I begin by commending our excellent staff in our special needs schools across Northern Ireland. They are extremely professional and dedicated in carrying out their job. <BR /> <BR />Recently, my colleagues and I met Deirdre Shakespeare, whom other Members have mentioned. She is Harry's mum, and she gave us very moving yet disturbing evidence about the problems that her son faced that rippled across her family and evidence about the detrimental effect that those problems had on the family and on that young man in particular.”
“I am grateful to the Member for giving way. The Members across the way talk about information being withheld — I have absolute sympathy around that; the House has condemned the murder of Mr Finucane and has called for justice for his family — but they may well have, and their organisation certainly does have, information about Jean McConville, who was abducted, murdered and disappeared by D company of the IRA in 1972. Her body was not found until 2003, and her 10 children were left for all that time knowing nothing about their murdered mother.”
“I am grateful to the Member for giving way. I am pleased to hear him say that he condemns all violence and murders in Northern Ireland. Is the problem not that the party proposing the motion simply does not and will not do that? The other difficulty is that it continues to glorify terrorists and terrorism. On many occasions, key members of that party in this House have done just that.”
“I thank the Minister for his answer and encourage him to fight for resources for the hospice. <BR /> <BR />You will be aware that, during the COVID pandemic, the Mater Hospital has played a key and pivotal role as a COVID hospital. I ask the Minister whether he values the role that the Mater Hospital plays in greater Belfast in providing medical care. Can he assure us that, going forward, the Mater Hospital's services will be protected?”
“Thank you for that answer, First Minister. You will be aware of the attack on Jewish graves in Belfast City Cemetery a number of weeks ago. There is real concern in our small Jewish community in Northern Ireland about some politicians' utterances and some street activity. Will the First Minister join me in providing real support to our small Jewish community, particularly in Belfast?”
“I declare an interest as a governor of the Belfast Model School for Girls. <BR /> <BR />Minister, you mentioned that young people had had a difficult year that was potentially unprecedented. You also mentioned that you had listened to and reflected on what they had had to say. What were the views of the young people, and where is that reflection in the policy and the statement?”
“— the average American is of an American Administration. I condemn the violence, and I support our Jewish community in this city.”
“Statements and images over the last number of days here have led to Jewish-owned businesses in Belfast and Londonderry being attacked over the weekend: that is simply unacceptable. Our small Jewish community in Northern Ireland is very fearful. They are citizens of Northern Ireland; they are not spokesmen or representatives of the Israeli Government any more than — I said it in the House a few weeks ago —”
“The Palestinian people in Gaza are absolutely terrorised by Hamas, an organisation that will not allow elections to take place. When was the last time that there were democratic elections in the West Bank or Gaza? <BR /> <BR />The violence must end. Does the House know that Hamas means violence in Hebrew? As I said, Hamas terrorised the Muslim Palestinian population. They are radical Islamic terrorists. Its leaders call for the destruction of Israel and the killing of Jews. Of course, it wants the destruction of the state of Israel from the mountains of Jordan to the Mediterranean Sea. <BR /> <BR />As I said earlier in my contribution, we need to be careful about the language that we use.”
“We, in Northern Ireland, know only too well what happens when a Government fail to protect their people here and on the mainland. Attacking civilians, civilian installations and targets is wrong no matter who the perpetrator is. There are appalling scenes on both sides not least the attack on the Magen David Adom (MDA) ambulance service and its personnel over the last number of days. That is simply wrong. <BR /> <BR />Hamas terrorists need to stop using innocent people as shields, which is something that has been going on for some time. I do not say that out of ignorance. With my colleague Mr Buckley and some other colleagues from the House and Westminster, I visited Israel in 2018. We visited Ramallah and spoke at first hand to representatives of the Palestinian people.”
“I rise on behalf of the Democratic Unionist Party to condemn the violence in the Middle East. Both sides need to draw back. The international envoys that have been charged and tasked with that highly important and significant role need to be on the ground listening to the views of both the Israeli Government and people and the Palestinians. There needs to be a process of meaningful dialogue. <BR /> <BR />In the debate in the House two weeks ago, I said that Northern Ireland politicians need to be very careful about the language that they use about the Middle East. Sadly, the words and actions of some Northern Ireland politicians over the last few days have inflamed the situation, and I will come to that later in my contribution. <BR /> <BR />The first duty of any Government is to protect their people.”
“— the professional teachers and the governors.”
“I am disappointed to hear from the Minister that the business case has not yet been finalised. I fully understand the need for a special needs school in north Belfast, and I very much support that. I am disappointed that the former Castle High School site has been chosen as a temporary site for the new school. Given that the Minister visited the school last year, he is aware of the interest that the governors, the principal and I have in the school potentially relocating there. <BR /> <BR />Will the Minister commit to ensuring that the business case is completed by the end of the summer? That school has waited for some eight years. Will he also commit to meeting the principal and the governors again, with me, to give that reassurance? There is considerable annoyance among —”
“I thank the Minister for her answer. I understand that Belfast City Council has agreed to provide £75,000 for this year and £55,000 for the following year, subject to due diligence. Will the Minister commit to supporting, in kind, the monetary value that Belfast City Council wants to provide? Her answer fell short in that regard.”
“The Jewish community, as others have said, has made a huge contribution to this city and this country in areas of industry and commerce, the legal profession, medicine and, yes, even in politics. I am pleased to have many Jewish friends. I am pleased and proud that the synagogue is in my constituency, and I visit it regularly. I urge the House to listen to the words of the leader of the Jewish community in this city and endorse and back the definition that is before the House. Therefore, I urge the House to support the motion and reject the amendment.”
“It is always keen to tell us that we are on the wrong side of history when it comes to certain issues, yet its approach to antisemitism and the state of Israel has, at times, been shameful. You cannot say that the Jewish people are to blame for the policies and behaviours of a particular Israeli Government — I am not getting involved in the politics of Israel — any more than you can say that the American people are to blame for what Biden or Trump said. That is a nonsense, and you hide behind that. It is for Sinn Féin to explain why its MPs have not endorsed this definition at Westminster. <BR /> <BR />I received this from the chair of the Belfast Jewish Community:”
“He was concerned about his security in his home and when he walked to the synagogue, which was attacked and graffitied. Therefore, we need to be extremely careful of the language that we use. Targeting anyone is wrong. People should be allowed to live freely and securely in their home. Rabbi Singer was a middle-aged man. Previous rabbis, however, had children in the house. As a community, particularly politicians and those in public positions, need to be mindful of the words and the language that we use. We should not inflame the situation out there and cause antisemitism to become something that is seen as an appalling norm. <BR /> <BR />I am disappointed but not surprised by the Sinn Féin amendment today. Sinn Féin is, I think, the only party at Westminster that has refused to endorse the definition.”