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 this city, over the last decade, pro-Palestinian rallies have been organised, with people brought into the city centre. In 2019, when party colleagues and I visited Ramallah, I spoke to Dr Shaath, who was one of the advisers to the Palestinian president and a negotiator during the peace talks. What happens in Ramallah and Jerusalem should not manifest itself in this city. Members who represent constituencies in Northern Ireland need to be very careful of their language and their actions, given how those can feed into the public domain and lead to people breaking the law. After some of those rallies, there were attacks on Jewish members of the community. The former rabbi, David Singer, gave an interview to the 'Belfast Telegraph' about the abuse that he took.”
“<BR /> <BR />In 2016, the IHRA agreed the following definition:”
“All parties can demonstrate in this debate today — sadly, we have heard some outrageous contributions — a unity of purpose in taking a united position on opposing antisemitism by endorsing the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's working definition of antisemitism. The House should unite to send a clear message from the Chamber on where the people of Northern Ireland whom we represent stand on those issues. <BR /> <BR />In 2016, I visited Belfast City Cemetery's Jewish plot. At that time, 13 Jewish graves had been desecrated. My colleague Brian Kingston, who was the lord mayor, and I worked with Belfast City Council to ensure that the cemetery was enhanced and the damage repaired, and the then rabbi, David Singer, reconsecrated the cemetery. Sadly, only a couple of weeks ago, 10 of those graves were damaged.”
“Sadly, a survey in 2019 revealed that one in 20 adults in the United Kingdom did not believe that the Holocaust had taken place, which is a shocking and sad statistic about our nation. It must be stressed that antisemitism is racism and a hate crime. Today, across Europe and in other parts of our kingdom, the Jewish community feels threatened. Some attend worship in synagogues that have extra security around them, some worship in synagogues that have police or private security firms outside them, and some Jewish children attend schools that have huge security. That is no way for a community to live in 2021. <BR /> <BR />Attacking the Jewish community is wrong and must be publicly condemned by all right-thinking people across the political divide.”
“That community is Jewish, not Israeli. However, we hear Members across the way conflating the issues of the Jewish religion and the state of Israel. That is a complete nonsense that feeds the antisemitism that we see happening on our streets. That is appalling. <BR /> <BR />Antisemitism is the most appalling of hate crimes. In May 2019, I visited Yad Vashem in Jerusalem with colleagues from the Assembly and Westminster. During that disturbing visit, I saw evidence of the scale of evil and the slaughter of innocents at the hands of Hitler's Nazis. The truth of what happened must continue to be told and forever highlighted not to only defeat the evil of antisemitism in today's society but to prevent a recurrence of such things in the future.”
“Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. I am a Member for North Belfast, as is my colleague Ms Bradley. Chaim Herzog, who was the sixth President of Israel, was born in Cliftonpark Avenue in north Belfast. In 2018, his son — the former leader of the Israeli Labor Party — visited that constituency with other members of the family. I was privileged to attend lunch in the synagogue. Unfortunately, that family was not able to see the plaque that had been placed on the building by the Ulster History Circle; it had been removed because of antisemitism and intolerance. That is the sort of abuse that the Jewish community in this city has had to deal with. That Jewish community settled here in the early 1900s. They came largely from Latvia and Lithuania, and some came from Germany, to the Old Lodge Road, which was off the Crumlin Road.”
“I am grateful to the Member for giving way. The Member for West Belfast said earlier that there are Jews and Jewish organisations that oppose the definition in the motion that we are discussing today? Does the Member agree with me that the vast bulk of Jews and Jewish organisations across the world are completely comfortable with it and do support it?”
“I am grateful to the Member for giving way. I am pleased that Sinn Féin and the representatives whom he mentioned met Dr Les Leopold from the Jewish community, as I have done. Given what the Member has said today, will Sinn Féin put some distance between itself and the attendance of its chairman, Mr Kearney, at a meeting in Ramallah at which the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, said that Jews had been persecuted because of their "usury and banking", not because of their religion? Those are appalling remarks. Could Sinn Féin distance itself from them and from Mr Kearney's attendance?”
“I thank the Member for giving way. It is interesting to listen to those socialist Members who would remove grammar schools and have consistently taken that approach. It is rather like pulling up the drawbridge. They have almost the same attitude when they oppose the public's right to buy Housing Executive properties.”
“I thank the Minister. It is my understanding that the Lord Mayor has not yet had a response. <BR /> <BR />This morning, my party colleague the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Edwin Poots, visited the site, along with council colleagues and local residents. The Minister agreed to convene a multi-agency round-table discussion, including representatives from the Departments that the Minister mentioned and the police. Will the Minister assure the House, my constituents who live in the Glenside area and me that her Department will play an active role in that round-table discussion and multi-agency meeting?”
“What meetings has the Minister or her officials had with the Mooreland and Owenvarragh Residents' Association (MORA) about Casement Park? Will she enlighten the House on the outcome of those meetings?”
“I thank the Minister for his answer. It is disappointing that we are not able to get confirmation that the 700 extra officers will be in place. Will the Minister inform the House how and when he will allocate funding to victims' pensions and how he will restore confidence in his Department given the recent damning court case?”
“I have no doubt that the award-winning green and white army will be there to cheer them on and shout for our wee country. I praise every single player, every member of the coaching staff and all our supporters, who were, frustratingly, unable to be there. It is a great achievement for Northern Ireland and one that we should praise in the House and across our country right through to the competition. I wish them well in 2022 in England.”
“I was in France in 2016, and I hope to be in England in 2022. I have no doubt that this tremendous campaign and qualification will boost ladies' football in Northern Ireland. Resource needs to be given to the IFA to do just that. It is now time to build on this campaign in the run-up to 2022. <BR /> <BR />I was in Lyon on the night that we beat Ukraine 2-0. I will never forget that night and that week. We need to make sure that names like Furness, Nelson and Callaghan, which are now on the lips of many young people across our society, are as famous as the names Davis, Evans and Lafferty. <BR /> <BR />Where football is concerned, 2016 was a great year for our wee country, and I have no doubt that 2022 will be as well. Our girls dared to dream, and that dream is a reality.”
“I am a proud member of the green and white army and support them at all levels. I am as proud after Tuesday night as I was when the men qualified after beating Greece 3 0 at Windsor Park.”
“The 2:0 win on Tuesday night at Seaview was a tremendous performance, with outstanding performances right across the team and, of course, goals each from Marissa Callaghan and Nadene Caldwell. They are history-makers while mostly part-time players. Seventeen years of a journey, and Julie Nelson has been with them for 116 caps across those 17 years. <BR /> <BR />Perhaps it is fitting that the team qualified at Julie's home ground of Seaview, as she is a Crusaders' player, by beating a team 25 places above them in the world rankings. I want to pay tribute to Alfie Wylie and his team for laying the foundations, as others have said, for this campaign. We qualified with eight players not being available or injured. Given that we have a part-time squad, that is a remarkable achievement.”
“I thank Mr Nesbitt for bringing the motion. I am getting off the substitutes' bench to speak on behalf of my colleague David Hilditch, chair of the all-party group on football, who cannot be in the Chamber. I join Members in congratulating the ladies from the Northern Ireland football team in qualifying for Euro 2022. I suggest that the Assembly Commission look at lighting up the building green and white for that tremendous achievement. I congratulate Kenny Shiels, his coaching staff and, obviously, the players and squad, led by an inspirational captain, Marissa Callaghan. It was a fantastic achievement in a most difficult week in Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />After Friday's game, I sent a text to the manager congratulating him and the squad. He came back to say that the job was only half done and he reiterated that in the media.”
“He has left a legacy that will never, and should never, be forgotten. We mourn today and respect the traditions that the House of Windsor has set out, but we remember that there is a family in mourning. I hope, wish and pray that the presence of God will surround the royal family at this time and that, in the days ahead, God will save the Queen.”
“Prince Philip was a much loved and respected figure, not just at home but across the world and throughout Her Majesty's Commonwealth. He was a real character with a sharp wit and intellect. I was privileged to meet him on a number of occasions while serving as High Sheriff and deputy Lord Mayor of this great city. It was always a pleasure. The outpouring of grief and affection since Prince Philip's passing on Friday across the United Kingdom and the world demonstrates the love and respect that the British people had for Philip. Indeed, I saw that yesterday when I and other members of my family laid flowers at Hillsborough; a stream of people came along to do just that. <BR /> <BR />We live in very difficult days for our country. He gave leadership. He showed us how to behave in public life; he did so for such a long time.”
“As a lifelong Scout, I commend the vision, foresight and immense leadership of that programme. In our United Kingdom alone, some 6·7 million young people have benefited from the Duke of Edinburgh's Award scheme. Today, I proudly wear my Duke of Edinburgh's Award diamond challenge award, which was presented to me by the Earl of Wessex.”
“He married Princess Elizabeth in November 1947 and became consort to the Queen, a role he carried out with distinction and in an exemplary manner for some 73 years. <BR /> <BR />Prince Philip was a keen sportsman, and he was president or patron of 780 organisations until his retirement from public life and royal service in August 2017. The duke completed 22,000 royal duties and delivered nearly 5,500 speeches. Passionate about world conservation, Prince Philip was president of the WWF from 1981 until 1996, but, undoubtedly, one of the Duke's most lasting legacies — there are many — will be the establishment of the Duke of Edinburgh's Award 65 years ago.”
“I rise on behalf of my constituents in North Belfast and as chair of the Northern Ireland Assembly Branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) to extend deepest sympathy to Her Majesty The Queen and to offer condolences to her and her family on the sad passing of the Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. <BR /> <BR />Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark was born on 10 June 1921. He was evacuated from Corfu with his family at the age of 18 months in an orange box. He became a distinguished naval officer and a war hero in the fight against the evil of Nazism during World War II; indeed, I had two uncles who served with him on HMS Ramillies, and I remember them fondly telling me stories of when he was on board.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. The Member and I work together in Committee, and I know that he is deeply respectful of the tradition from which I come, and I respect his. I also respect his party's vote last week on the memorial stone for the centenary of Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />Does the Member understand the hurt and the strong feeling on this side of the House when a party cannot vote for a stone to mark the centenary of Northern Ireland — it regards it as partition, while we regard it as the centenary of Northern Ireland — because of the shape of the stone? Where is the respect and tolerance in that?”
“I am grateful to the Member for giving way. I am sure that the Member will agree that the Member for West Belfast failed to acknowledge that, if you go down the Falls Road, you will see mention of D company of the IRA, which terrorised the people who lived in the lower Falls, destroyed our city centre and, of course, was responsible for the murder of many people from the Catholic community including Jean McConville, whose family have been unable to mark her passing and murder by the IRA.”
“I am grateful to the Member for giving way. He makes a very powerful point, and I thank him for making it. Will the Member agree with me that people in our community have to walk past such murals and monuments while so-called elected Members of this House representing democratic parties glorify terrorists and terrorism by attending such events? That is equally wrong. In fact, is reprehensible in a democracy.”
“Minister, thank you for your visit to the excellent Springfield Primary School last week. In 2005, it had 67 pupils; it now has over 200. The school has had an extension built, but it is no longer big enough. I ask the Minister to consider that school for any future investment in new buildings. <BR /> <BR />I ask the Minister what flexibilities schools have with class sizes and numbers.”
“Only a few days ago, First Minister, I was contacted by a scout leader in my constituency who had been working with the Woodland Trust on planting trees. That work has had to be put on hold because they have not been able to bring the trees in from the mainland. The synagogue is in my constituency. The Jewish community has been unable to get kosher meat. As we reach Passover, this problem has become particularly acute. Is Her Majesty's Government aware of the scale and depth of the problems that the protocol is causing to people in Northern Ireland and that it is not some sort of hiccup or teething problem, as the Prime Minister might suggest?”
“I thank the First Minister for her answer. I, too, join her in congratulating Steven Davis and the Rangers football team on securing the fastest-ever Scottish Premiership title.”
“Will the Minister assure me, the House and the people of Northern Ireland that he is working more collaboratively with local government, particularly in the city of Belfast, to ensure that the issue is addressed once and for all across government, both regional and local?”
“I thank the Minister for his answer. Minister, you will be aware that dumping across Northern Ireland is happening on an industrial scale. Last year, there was dumping on an industrial scale on the Crumlin Road at Edenderry Industrial Estate, which led to my having to contact the Environment Agency and Belfast City Council. Information from the Environment Agency was slow to come — the response to requests for new information was nil — and Belfast City Council was slow, which was hugely frustrating for the people living beside the site, having to deal with rats, flies and all sorts of noxious smells.”
“Minister, you mentioned risk in your response to the first question. With spring now hopefully having sprung and birds migrating on a much larger scale, do we run the risk of those migratory birds bringing in the disease from other jurisdictions? Are extra measures being put in place to deal with that?”
“I thank the Minister for that response. Minister, may I raise the issue of Casement Park? You said that you have had significant engagement with the GAA and that your Department continues to engage. Community consultation on these issues is hugely important. What consultation have you, as Minister, had with residents, particularly the Mooreland and Owenvarragh Residents Association?”
“I thank the Minister for her answer. Can the Minister expedite those conversations with the Department for Infrastructure and Belfast City Council to ensure that the development, which has been talked about for some time, is put in place as soon as possible? <BR /> <BR />Can the Minister give an update on the development of the junction between Lanark Way and Shankill Road that includes St Matthew's church, the shops, Glenwood Primary School and West Belfast Orange Hall? It was due to start some months ago but has not. It was then due to start this week but does not appear to have.”
“I thank the Minister for his statement to the House this morning. Minister, like others in the Chamber, I welcome the jettisoning of the algorithms, which caused great concern to parents, teachers and, in particular, to pupils. I welcome and congratulate you on that announcement. <BR /> <BR />Can the Minister assure the House that students from Northern Ireland will not be negatively affected in their exams and qualifications as compared with their counterparts on the mainland?”
“The Minister will know that special educational needs are a huge and growing problem in our schools. What more resource can he give to the Education Minister to help with that growing problem?”
“I am grateful to the Member for giving way. Will the Member agree with me that it is important that the Education Minister is in support of the Health Minister? There was unanimous agreement at the Education Committee last week that a letter should go to the Health Minister asking him to contact the Health Secretary on the mainland about all the Health Ministers calling for the early vaccination of teachers, particularly those in special schools.”
“Those are hugely sensitive and important issues. We need to work together and support the Minister. There needs to be improved communication and information from the Department and from the EA.”
“Again, that is something that the Committee has huge sympathy for. <BR /> <BR />Some special needs schools have decided to balance classroom and remote learning due to the rise in community transmission. However, blended learning highlights differences in social and economic backgrounds, and some pupils may have been cut off due to a lack of access to technology. Indeed, last week, I was contacted by the principal of a school in my constituency who required more tablets for children.”
“Colleagues and I met the special needs teachers' group, and Mr Newton and I had a meeting with the principal and some governors of Fleming Fulton School a number of months ago to discuss those issues. <BR /> <BR />Some parents and sectoral voices have said that the multidisciplinary support panel arrangements that were established during lockdown appear to have been effective and that that experience should be utilised in schools once the pandemic ends. That is something that we should bear in mind for when we get to the end of this dreadful time. <BR /> <BR />The requirements of SEN in schools mean that it is difficult for teachers and staff to socially distance from pupils or to wear PPE. In many cases, it involves personal care that goes beyond regular teaching responsibilities.”
“<BR /> <BR />Before Christmas, I met the principal of a primary school in my constituency. She advised me that almost 50% of the children in her school are deemed to have special needs. That is not a special needs school but a primary school in my constituency. We need to remember that the young people in those schools, the staff who work with them and their families are also hugely affected by the situation. <BR /> <BR />We have all received a mixed mailbag about those issues from parents and from teachers who work in special schools. My party and I have full and absolute sympathy for the teachers and staff working in special needs schools. COVID regulations cannot be adhered to in classrooms. The rule on 2 metres cannot be practicably enforced in schools, and that is the case in special schools in particular. We all appreciate that.”
“There is, of course, an ongoing inquiry into those issues that is being led by the Public Accounts Committee, which I am privileged to Chair and on which you sit, Mr Deputy Speaker. <BR /> <BR />During the initial lockdown, special needs schools were closed and many respite and support services were suspended. That had an adverse effect on young people and their families. Those services are vital to those special young people and their families. Pupils attending special schools are amongst our most vulnerable children, and removing school and the regularity of the classroom from their daily life is devastating for them and their parents. The decision to allow special schools to remain open reflected that, and I commend the Minister for that decision.”
“As I continually say, they all have to make difficult decisions on a daily basis for the good and welfare of not just staff and schools but, in particular, of our young people. That is hugely important as the pandemic reaches new heights through the various new strains. <BR /> <BR />Some 80,000 children in Northern Ireland are deemed to have special needs in some form, and more than 18,000 of them are statemented. That situation is worsening, and I declare an interest as a governor in two schools, Edenbrooke Primary School and the Belfast Model School for Girls. <BR /> <BR />All of us in our constituency offices have to deal with those issues, which are so hugely important and emotionally difficult for the children who are affected, their parents, the other children in the classroom and the teachers. Those issues are hugely difficult.”
“I support the motion. These are issues that the Education Committee has spent a huge amount of time discussing over the past number of months. There is an agreed voice in the Committee on issues across special educational needs, and there has been collaboration on members' concerns. <BR /> <BR />At the outset, on behalf of my party, I give due credit to principals, teachers, classroom assistants, support staff and governors in all our schools.”
“I am grateful to the Member for giving way. I am Chair of the Public Accounts Committee. I am not sure that that Committee has encountered disdain but it has certainly encountered some withholding of information, whether deliberate or not. Therefore, our Committee policy is to ask witnesses who have not answered questions in a way that we would have liked or as fulsomely as we would have liked, to come back. That is one of the ways in which Committees can ensure that questions are answered and that they can deliver proper scrutiny, which is why they are there.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. He makes a salient point. The point that a principal in my constituency made to me was that, for many of those children, school is the only normality in their day, unfortunately. It is where, as another Member said, they get their only square meal of the day. We need to be mindful of those issues when those very difficult decisions are made. All those issues must be taken into consideration.”
“— and they require government at all levels to work in a cross-cutting way. I wish the Minister and his colleagues well, but this is something that has to be tackled by everyone in the House being responsible.”
“<BR /> <BR />Of course, the other pandemic facing Northern Ireland is that of mental health and general well-being. That is a huge and growing issue in our community, as many families — young families in particular — and parents face the challenges not just of education but of poverty, food shortages, loss of employment and the loss of opportunities to generate wealth. Those things threaten our community —”
“<BR /> <BR />The new strain, which, it appears, spreads particularly among younger people, poses a new threat. Government needs to be nimble and reactive in a way that it has never been before, even during the pandemic over the last 10 months. There are many difficult choices, and government must be responsive and responsible in making those choices. Therefore, a close, meaningful and ongoing relationship between the Department of Education and the Department of Health is not only desirable in the interests of the people of Northern Ireland but essential. This is a highly dangerous situation. Everyone across government must be flexible and responsive. Yesterday, 2,100 of our people tested positive for the virus. Far too many people have lost their life, and too many families have been affected.”
“Yes. That is something that we have discussed in Committee, and its members have all agreed on that point before. I thank the Member for his intervention, and I do not think that anyone in the House would disagree with him. <BR /> <BR />The motion calls for the Education Minister to clarify the work that has been undertaken with the Department of Health to protect children, teachers, parents and the wider public from COVID-19. We all must see greater working and collaboration across government; the virus demands it. As I have said before, it is a balance. Many families, particularly young families, are struggling. Many employers will face difficult and hard choices, and many lives and livelihoods will be affected negatively when the furlough scheme comes to an end.”
“They were terrified that schools might be closed and the effect that that would have on their young children who need that routine each day. So I commend the Minister for the decision that he has made on special educational needs, given the young family that I referred to, the challenges that they were facing and the fears that they had for their children.”