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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“I commend Linsey Farrell and her Urban Villages team for the work that they are doing. I hope that that work will continue. <BR /> <BR />Given the deputy First Minister's reckless and arrogant behaviour in the last week, when she ignored her own advice and medical and scientific advice, broke COVID regulations and caused great hurt to bereaved families, should the Minister do what any self-respecting person and a Minister in any other jurisdiction would do: consider her position and resign?”
“I thank the Member for giving way. Another very clear planning issue, which Members will have experienced in their constituencies, concerns the Department for Infrastructure ensuring that new roads, a water supply and sewers are in place at new housing developments. My colleague also mentioned this issue during a previous debate. Those are salient issues for the Department for Infrastructure to ensure that we can get the investment that we need and that planning approvals for affordable social and private housing go through quickly to ensure that those houses can be built and our constituents can be provided with much-needed housing.”
“Sorry. <BR /> <BR />Another wing of government is in a position where it cannot further planning regulations quickly enough to enable that sort of investment as quickly as possible so that meaningful, well-paid and long-lasting jobs are brought to Northern Ireland. The same applies to tourism and to the tourism infrastructure where this matter is concerned. The infrastructure that is needed must be built up to ensure that we get people to come here, and, when they come here, they invest money in our tourist product, which is now so well known across the globe.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. I agree with all that he is saying. What message does it send to Invest Northern Ireland when it goes internationally to ask for inward and foreign direct investment to come here? At another wing of government, —.”
“I am grateful to the Member for giving way. I just want to build on the point that my colleague from North Antrim made to his colleague from North Antrim a few moments ago. I remember an industrialist from Northern Ireland being interviewed a couple of years ago who said that he decided to relocate his factory from Northern Ireland to Wales because it took so long to get the planning. That is the sort of decision that the private sector cannot be forced into because of the inertia of government. Does the Member agree?”
“Does the Member agree that judicial reviews are far too readily available and slow down the process of development in Northern Ireland, which places Northern Ireland absolutely at a disadvantage when we are trying to develop our economy and build new homes, which are so badly needed, for our people?”
“I thank the Member for giving way. Will he agree that, while no one wants to see accelerated passage, at the end of the day, it is vital that we have legislation that allows Northern Ireland to go forward and our economy to recover as quickly as possible and nothing that puts Northern Ireland at a disadvantage with the rest of the United Kingdom, indeed the rest of Europe, in getting inward investment? I also make the point to the Member that judicial reviews —.”
“Mr Temporary Speaker, I congratulate you on your elevation to your new temporary position and wish you well. We will support both the motion and the amendment depending on how the debate proceeds.”
“The source RTÉ. Therefore, it is very clear that the Minister has been giving the leadership, not just in the United Kingdom but across these islands, including the Irish Republic.”
“Minister Weir has sought to work constructively with trade unions and he has sought their opinions. <BR /> <BR />Northern Ireland provided restart documentation well in advance of the other United Kingdom regions. Indeed — if I might be given some time — with regard to the public health position, in the Republic of Ireland, it states very clearly that the position is:”
“— about how these Members have behaved and whether their behaviour is a breach of the ministerial code? <BR /> <BR />No, I have already given way. <BR /> <BR />The Committee for Education's members will know that the Minister has made himself very accessible and he has been very responsive to the Committee and the House. They have said it in the House and in the Committee. I understand that the Minister has engaged face to face and on Zoom with some 750 principals during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Minister has held two public press conferences, and he is the first Executive Minister to do so. The Department of Education, under this Minister and his leadership, was the first Department to co-design a government policy document with stakeholders — principals — in the form of the New School Day guidance.”
“I thank the Member for his comments and I agree with them entirely. As I said, they have not only undermined the guidance that has been given for months, they have totally ignored it. Indeed, I believe that Sinn Féin have undermined their position and credibility on the issue. Therefore, the question is —”
“Indeed, my view is that today's behaviour undermined the Northern Ireland Executive's message and policy, undermined the Health Minister, undermined the Chief Medical Officer, undermined the scientific advice and undermined the Public Health Agency advice — not only undermined it, but, frankly, ignored it.”
“Therefore, what a message today's events are to the thousands of people who have responsibly stayed at home to shield because of their health. What a message to those people who have been practicing social distancing. What a message to those National Health Service workers and key workers over the last number of months. Indeed, my view is that the advice has undermined the Executive's message.”
“Consistency of message around COVID-19 and the pandemic are absolutely crucial, and other Members have said that. Therefore, today's funeral, where Sinn Féin Members breached COVID-19 regulations, ignored advice from the Health Minister, the Chief Medical Officer, scientists, the Public Health Agency, the First Minister and the deputy First Minister, flies in the face of all of that. Indeed, at the press conference yesterday in the Long Gallery, the same deputy First Minister, when asked about social distancing and today's funeral by the BBC at the press conference in the Long Gallery, said:”
“Indeed, if you look at the motion, it talks about keeping children and teachers safe. It believes that the reopening of schools should be based on:”
“Thank you, Mr Temporary Speaker, and I congratulate you on your elevation. I declare an interest as a governor of two schools. <BR /> <BR />We are minded to support the motion and the amendment, despite what we have just heard, because they underscore what the Minister has been doing, and he has been doing what they call on him to do. <BR /> <BR />Addressing the issues around schools returning safely and protecting pupils and staff is key to rebooting our economy, as is addressing the vital issue of childcare. I, too, pay tribute to our school principals, teachers, ancillary staff and governors for all that they have done to ensure that our young people stay safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
“I thank the Minister for his answer, and I thank Her Majesty's Government and the Northern Ireland Executive for the easements to Northern Ireland businesses. Small business is the backbone of the Northern Ireland economy and the support that it has been receiving is hugely important. I welcome those figures, which show the importance of the Union to Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />Some small businesses have not yet received information on their application. How quickly can we get that to them so that they can survive and so that we can preserve jobs as we go forward?”
“I want to thank the Hubb — Jim Crothers and his team — for the leadership that they gave. I also thank two of my party colleagues, Pastor Brian Madden and Councillor Dean McCullough, for their exemplary conduct and the role that they played. <BR /> <BR />Many people joined the search. It is a credit to that community and our city. I am deeply sorry about the outcome. I ask everyone to remember in prayer Noah's mother, his family and school friends in the days ahead. Thank you.”
“In particular, I thank Superintendent Muir Clark, who led the team in such a professional way, and all the officers from the Police Service of Northern Ireland for how they conducted themselves in such a committed, professional and dedicated way. I also thank Sean McCarry, the regional commander of the Community Rescue Service. Through the week, I spoke to Sean, and I spoke to him again on Sunday evening to thank him and his volunteers. They are all volunteers, and they came at all times of the day to search for Noah. They gave leadership. The community also gave leadership — as I said, at times, it is fractured — with many hundreds of people coming together. I joined the search for two evenings last week, and hundreds of people turned up at the Hubb.”
“Sadly, on Saturday, we received the sad news that Noah had been found and his life had ended. It was the news that all of us feared, and none of us wanted to hear. The outpouring of grief was exemplified on Sunday evening at two services, one at Skegoneill and another on the Antrim Road outside his school, which ,again, united the community. <BR /> <BR />Noah was very clearly a special young man and has left a huge gap in the life of his family, his school and his school friends. He will never be forgotten. He has a special place in the minds and now in the lifeblood of north Belfast and its people. They have united in grief as they united in the search to find him. <BR /> <BR />I, too, join in the thanks to the emergency services.”
“On behalf of the Democratic Unionist Party, I extend our deepest sympathy to Noah's mother, Fiona, and the family circle. May God bless and sustain them in the days ahead. I also extend our sympathy to the principal, Dr Paul McBride, and the school family of St Malachy's College on the Antrim Road where Noah was a pupil. <BR /> <BR />This is a desperately sad situation. A 14-year-old boy, in the prime of his youth, taken from us far too soon. Noah Donohoe's disappearance united an, at times, fractured community in north Belfast. The many hundreds of volunteers who joined the search across the lower part of the constituency was a testament to that. They came from across the community and, indeed, some came from across the country, with the one aim of finding Noah and bringing him home safely to his mother and family.”
“I am grateful to the Minister for his statement and apologise for missing the start of it. In relation to fairness and equity, I will take this opportunity to remind the Minister that he was to visit two primary schools in my constituency — Seaview and Glenwood. Both schools need new builds. In Glenwood, the conditions are appalling. It is the hub school for the Shankill. Seaview is the hub school for the Shore Road area. I implore the Minister that, when it comes to the next tranche of investment for major capital works in education, those schools are considered very seriously. We cannot ask people to value education and we cannot talk about young Protestant males not valuing education and educational attainment in hard-to-reach communities and not invest in a good schools estate.”
“I thank the Minister for his statement, and I welcome the investment in particular in Blessed Trinity College, which has come from the merger between Little Flower Girls' School and St Patrick's College in North Belfast. That school could certainly do with the investment, so I welcome that. <BR /> <BR />I thank the Minister for his ongoing work on and support for education in the decisions that he is making in very difficult times. I also thank him for the time he took to visit the Belfast Boys' Model School a couple of weeks ago, and I know that he will visit the Belfast Model School for Girls later this week. Will any further announcements be made on school capital development in this tranche, particularly on Seaview Primary School in North Belfast, which needs a new school urgently and which I mentioned to him before?”
“I thank the Executive for the mitigations that they have put in place to protect our people. <BR /> <BR />Throughout COVID-19, extra finance has been provided for families in some of our more deprived communities whose children qualify for free school meals. Obviously, that funding will end at the end of the academic year at the end of this month. Given that I represent some of the most deprived communities not just in Northern Ireland but in the United Kingdom, can I ask whether the Executive will look at putting in extra resource for those families, to address the issue of holiday hunger over the summer months?”
“The Member is speaking in code. I do not have the code book. If the Member is referring to a Minister, could he advise the House and those watching exactly who he is talking about? I have no idea.”
“I thank the Minister for her statement and for the support that the Executive and Belfast City Council have given to the elderly and vulnerable in north Belfast. <BR /> <BR />Minister, sporting and recreational clubs are a key part of the fabric of our society. Many of them have missed out on the £10,000 and £25,000 grants that have come from the Department for the Economy. Many of them are unable to get any assistance from your Department. What further measures can you take? There are gaps for some of the clubs in the funding that they need to survive. They have low reserves; they do not have a regular income; many of them are staffed by volunteers. What more can you do — I implore you to do more — so that those clubs are there to assist our community when we move at the other side of this dreadful virus?”
“I thank the Minister for his statement to the House today and thank him for his ongoing dedication and hard work during the current crisis. I welcome the statement, as it is good news for the education sector. It is also good news, as he said, for the construction industry. I particularly welcome the announcement of the enhancement for Belfast Royal Academy and thank the Minister for taking time to visit the school and meet me and the principal, Hilary Woods, some months ago. <BR /> <BR />Given the announcement today and the undoubted demand across the education sector in Northern Ireland, will there be a third call for the school enhancement programme?”
“I thank the Member for giving way and for raising that point. People from high-profile manufacturing companies across Northern Ireland have contacted me to say exactly what the Member has said: social distancing is not being observed; PPE is not being provided; and touchscreen computers, keyboards and so on are regularly not sufficiently cleaned. They are concerned that there is a real possibility of the virus being spread across the manufacturing industry. That message needs to go out.”
“Very kind. <BR /> <BR />Minister, you will be aware of the tragic scale of suicides in our constituency of North Belfast. Can you assure the House, in terms of the Executive working group, that work is going on across the Executive table to ensure that the pandemic of suicides that affects Northern Ireland in general and North Belfast in particular is being addressed?”
“The Minister will be aware of the pressures on the waste water system at Duncrue Street. As a result of her conversations with the Finance Minister and other Ministers, is she any closer to being able to inform the House about the upgrading of that centre?”
“If this continues, it is simply not an education system that is fair. We will support the Alliance motion.”
“It is important that the House unites around education as we go forward. We can no longer simply criticise about money not being provided. The Minister set out very clearly at the Committee, a number of weeks ago, the money that he needs to ensure that education moves forward and delivers. We must deliver for all the people, including many in the constituency that I represent, who come from working-class, hard-to-reach communities — in particular, young Protestant boys, but also a number of young Catholic boys.”
“Actually, I am grateful to the Member for agreeing with me, because he knows that I called for that at the Committee last week. <BR /> <BR />Narrowing the gap in educational underachievement, free school meals and access to good-quality education is important for all our young people. Having known the Minister for many years, I have no doubt in my mind that he will listen to the assertions, the presentations and the information that will come through any process, and will act in the best interests of our young people. <BR /> <BR />It is important that we seek to introduce meaningful, deliverable proposals — they must be deliverable — that will make a positive impact and change lives for many. Every child is entitled to the best start in life. We must not create expectations, but we must deliver.”
“Greater working across government may well improve and develop that work. We can no longer have a silo approach to those issues. <BR /> <BR />The agreement of the House around those issues is important but, nonetheless, implementation is the key. We cannot create false hope and unrealistic expectations. We need to address key issues in underfunding and resource of special educational needs. Only a number of weeks ago, some of us in the Education Committee met the leadership team of the special educational needs sector in Northern Ireland. What we heard was stark and frankly it was, in some cases, disgraceful.”
“<BR /> <BR />I commend and pay tribute to Derek Baker, the permanent secretary in the Department of Education, for the role he has played over the last couple of years, along with Tommy O'Reilly, who, as deputy permanent secretary, did a tremendous job of work with Members ensuring that there was stability, and even initiative, during the time when no Ministers were in place. <BR /> <BR />As I have said, it is important to get economies of scale and reduce wastage. We must ensure that all funding goes to front-line services and, as a governor of a secondary school, I can assure you that too often money is used to provide professional counselling, for example, which is taken out of the front-line budget of a school principal and reduces the money that can be spent on education. That is simply not acceptable.”
“However, a panel must not simply look at education in terms of those who populate it. It is important that we have community role models who the young people might look up to, such as people who have been a success in industry, commerce and the professions. Again, young people, or their representatives, must be part of that panel. That is hugely important. <BR /> <BR />Future investment in our young people is also hugely important. A joined-upness across government is absolutely needed to deal with inefficiency and duplication in funding, if that exists. Any review must take into consideration work across the Departments here at Stormont, and also with universities in terms of the estate, sports facilities and provision, local government and, of course, neighbourhood partnerships.”
“As I have said, we have a world-class education system and one that we should be proud of. Any review will start from a good base. We must pay tribute, at this stage, to the school principals, teachers, governors and staff who work in all roles in schools across the education systems in Northern Ireland for the tremendous work that they have done, particularly over the last three years, when there has been some uncertainty around the issues of funding and resource. Those people have shown how dedicated and committed they are, and they are exemplary in their motivation. They are well trained to deliver for our young people. <BR /> <BR />I would also very much welcome any expert panel that the Minister might set up around a number of issues, including underachievement in education.”
“A widespread consultation is needed, but it is important that, in that consultation, the views of young people must be taken into account.”
“At the outset, I declare an interest as a governor in two schools. Without question, Northern Ireland has a world-class education system that we should be proud of, but one that we should, nevertheless, seek to reform, improve and develop as we build on that success. An independent review must be the way forward, but resources are key in managing expectations.”
“The Minister is doing rightly in his double-jobbing role. He will, I am sure, accept that Belfast Zoo is an important regional attraction for Northern Ireland in tourism, animal husbandry and education. Will the Minister commit to meeting the directors of Belfast City Council to take forward Belfast Zoo and develop it as a growing and important tourism destination in Belfast?”
“On 9 January, we received information from the Minister's Department in relation to funding for cricket over the past five years. Over the past five years, the Department has funded somewhere in the region of £1·8 million towards cricket — I declare an interest as the vice president of Woodvale Cricket Club — but, sadly, only £232,000 of that has gone to local cricket clubs in Northern Ireland. Will the Minister address that situation? I was speaking to the president of the Northern Cricket Union on Friday. Local cricket clubs are struggling. They need support; they need funding. That is a derisory amount of money over a five-year period, given the amount of money — £1·1 million — that was given to Cricket Ireland over the same period.”
“Connectivity is important. The Minister mentioned tourism in an earlier answer. Over the weekend, I visited the great city of Glasgow. The Minister will be aware of the difficulty with road connections between the ports of Stranraer and Cairnryan and Glasgow, and how that impacts on football supporters, travel, tourism and trade. Has the Minister met, or does she plan to meet, her Scottish equivalent in order to address those issues, which are so important to Northern Ireland plc?”
“I have raised this issue on many occasions with Belfast City Council, and will do so again on Friday, because councils simply do not have the money to meet the obligations that are being set down in an arbitrary way by UEFA.”
“I am grateful to the Member for giving way. I very much agree with the comments that have been made about the moneys for sports grounds and intermediate league standards and so on, but equally I agree with the comment that the Member made a short time ago about moneys and a joined-up approach across government and local government. However, when the edict comes from UEFA to the Irish Football Association, and it passes that on to clubs, the association must also make some provision. Indeed, it should provide finance, as happens on the mainland with the English FA. These clubs cannot be expected to fund this on their own.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. I declare an interest as a member of the Scout Association. Does the Member agree that it is important that, when we discuss the issue that he just raised, there is a joined-up-ness between the Education Authority and the Department — indeed, across government and local government — and that the Youth Service works closely with the national state uniformed organisations to ensure that there is no duplication and wastage?”
“I am grateful to the Member for giving way. Given the national debt of the Irish Republic and the utterances of its Prime Minister about the recalibrated amount of money that the Irish Republic will have to find to pay into Europe because of our withdrawal and Her Majesty's Government no longer giving a contribution, does the Member share my near-disappointment that the Member for Foyle would not take an intervention to explain, especially when she had four minutes and two seconds left? We do not need to hear from a university in Vancouver; we could have heard from the Member or, indeed, the Members across the way of the advantages to persuade us of a united Ireland. Sadly, there was no such giving way. Does the Member agree?”
“The Minister will be aware that officials from his Department and the Education Authority have been in front of the Committee in recent weeks. At those meetings, members expressed concern about the state of the schools estate, giving a number of examples, as I do now: Glenwood Primary School in my constituency of North Belfast. How much does the Department spend annually on maintenance across the schools estate in Northern Ireland?”
“Given that mainland GB is Northern Ireland's largest market, how can the Minister ensure that the unfettered access that the Prime Minister promised is delivered to and implemented by business and trade in Northern Ireland?”
“I agree with the comments that the Minister has just made. I welcome the joined-up approach across government to this hugely difficult issue. It is important that Departments here, working with the likes of the Public Health Agency, councils and service providers, come together and get a strategy to deal with the issue across Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />As a governor of two schools, I know that a huge amount of front-line education money in the budget of schools is being used to buy in professional help. I ask the Minister that her Department and those across government look at that issue and allow education moneys to be spent on education.”