Mark Durkan
Foyle · Social Democratic and Labour Party · Northern Ireland
“That review involved an extensive engagement exercise with charities, regulators and funders, aimed at creating a more modern and proportionate regulatory system.”
“When the review was commenced in 2021, many organisations were still in the midst of responding to the pandemic. Since then, they have faced a succession of new and evolving challenges. The ending of European funding programmes, on which so many in our communities relied for decades, has left a significant gap.”
“<BR /> <BR />The broad principles behind the Bill are sensible. The changes will modernise charity regulation, strengthen the Charity Commission's ability to intervene where misconduct or mismanagement occurs, improve information sharing and, importantly, reduce unnecessary red tape, particularly for smaller charities with limited adminis…”
“I welcome the opportunity to speak today. Before turning to the detail of the legislation — there will not even be that much detail in the debate today at Second Stage — I pay tribute to our charity sector. Across every constituency, charities provide support that changes and saves lives every single day.”
“<BR /> <BR />Whilst the SDLP supports legislation that removes unnecessary bureaucracy, we should not kid ourselves that administrative reform alone will secure the future of charities and organisations in the voluntary and community sector.”
“I thank the Minister for giving way. Like other Members, I welcome the fact that we have reached this point. There seems to be consensus among Committee members and, I am sure, all Members that the introduction of these measures will save lives, which begs the question of whether the 10-year delay in introducing the measures had an opposi…”
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“The Minister mentioned the "fit and proper person" criteria. Will he elaborate on those criteria and outline what steps the Department has taken to make sure that someone who might have been connected to a company that was involved in misdemeanours and crime cannot become a director of a new company and get contracts and licences?”
“I thank the Member for giving way. He quite identifies that welfare "reform", as it is called, was designed by the Tories. Does he agree with me that, while it was designed by the Tories, it was delivered here by Sinn Féin and the DUP and the attack by the Sinn Féin North Belfast Member on me is merely another attempt to erase their fingerprints from it?”
“The legislation is not just about addressing that; it must identify and prevent practices that could and do contribute to alcohol misuse and its associated issues. <BR /> <BR />There is other stuff that we would like to see in there. We welcome the fact that the New Decade, New Approach deal included childcare as an Executive priority and would like to have seen it matched, or mentioned at least, in the Executive programme. We recognise that the programme is not exhaustive, and we are happy to work in our various Committees with the respective Ministers to see how it can be added to and enhanced.”
“We would also like the Northern Ireland Housing Executive to be empowered to get back to doing what nobody has done better since: building houses and providing homes. <BR /> <BR />The pension schemes Bill is also important legislation — it will not get the same headlines as the others — but I wonder whether there is any intention — perhaps one of the Ministers can clarify — to bring forward new legislation or amend existing legislation to reduce the pension age in the North. <BR /> <BR />I declare a pretty tenuous interest in the liquor licensing legislation. It is ridiculous that here, in 2020, we are still stuck with antiquated licensing laws that will, once again this Easter, hamper our hospitality industry from maximising the benefit of a holiday period.”
“Those questions and many others will need to be answered as the legislation progresses, and while I recognise that different legislative tools can be utilised to extend other mitigation measures, I wonder whether either Minister from the Executive Office could advise whether new legislation will be required to mitigate the awful two-child rule, which was introduced here only after the original mitigation package had been designed and welfare powers had been handed back to the Tories. We must not be content with merely extending existing mitigation; we must listen to and learn from those who are bearing the brunt of welfare cuts and other experts in that field. <BR /> <BR />The housing (amendment) Bill is essential to ensure that more much-needed social and affordable homes can be built.”
“It is our view, and not only our view, that the cost of not mitigating the bedroom tax would far outweigh the cost of mitigation payments. Minister Hargey has assured us that existing loopholes that have seen over 250 households not qualifying for the existing mitigation payments will be closed. That is good news, but what about those who have fallen through the gaps? Will they be awarded retrospective entitlement to mitigation payments? What about the massive arrears that many of those so affected have accrued?”
“We in the SDLP argued that the best way to protect people from the bedroom tax and other draconian elements of welfare reform was not to legislate for them in the first place. That is why we voted against it, but we are where we are, and it is vital that we take all steps possible to prevent people from being plunged into debt, arrears and, ultimately, homelessness.”
“As our party's social justice spokesperson and as a member of the Communities Committee, my focus will be on the pieces of legislation coming forward pertaining to that. The breadth and importance of the role of the Department for Communities is reflected in part by the fact that the Minister has at least four named pieces of legislation to progress in the near future, all of which have the potential to improve people's lives. As a member of that Committee, I look forward to working with the Minister and others to do just that. <BR /> <BR />Ms Bradley, the Chair of the Committee, has already outlined in some detail the need for and purpose of those pieces of legislation. The welfare mitigation social sector size criteria Bill will give security of tenure and peace of mind to tens of thousands of households across the North.”
“I thank the Minister for his statement and his answers to the questions thus far. I concur entirely with what the Minister has said about the fine line that we must tread between vigilance and panic. Communication is key to doing that. Is there a bespoke communication plan for the groups of patients with perceived vulnerability or underlying conditions? Or, must they, like the rest of us, rely on going to the PHA website for updates?”
“Is all-party consensus a precondition for the bill of rights?”
“We have quite a long way to go before we can be considered great, and, of course, the Minister has a wee bit to go before he can be considered old. He spoke about working with local authorities and other Departments. In particular, what work can be done with the Department for Infrastructure (DFI) on planning policy and with councils as they form their local development plans on enshrining a requirement that some planning applications have to include planting?”
“I thank the Minister for this positive statement. It brings to mind the old proverb that was quoted here recently upon the passing of Seamus Mallon:”
“<BR /> <BR />I will wrap it up there and possibly intervene with another couple of questions to Members coming after. Again, I emphasise the real need for that new approach. It has to be about how Ministers work together and Departments work together. We have always encouraged that, but we have to go beyond encouragement; it is now something that we have to demand.”
“The proposers of it have been round a number of Departments, with Health and Infrastructure, obviously, being two of the main ones. It is called Our Future Foyle, and it could have a really transformative impact. You need to see the presentation to see just how impressive it is and how impactful it really could be. That will need funding from a number of different Departments. I would like to see that being looked at. It is not a pet project per se, but it ticks the boxes that I spoke about earlier. It is cross-cutting, and it would be a good example of the collegiate approach that is required, not just desired, if we are to do anything differently here — if there is going to be anything new about our approach in this new decade.”
“It might have been Mr Beggs. When the voluntary exit scheme was proposed, a proposal of ours was that savings made through the VES — it was not a one-off saving; these savings are realised every year — should be ploughed in to pay restoration measures, like addressing some of the legacy or hangover issues of Agenda for Change, disparity in pay across old education and library boards, and issues around Civil Service pay, but, sadly, that fell on deaf ears. It is not too late to do something about it, because we are still, or should still, be seeing the savings from the VES. <BR /> <BR />I touched on the importance of mental health and suicide prevention, and I spoke about how every Department has a degree of responsibility for that. I think of a project in my constituency that has been proposed and designed.”
“<BR /> <BR />One of the Members who spoke earlier quite rightly talked about the need to address public-sector pay issues. That is something that we cannot ignore. I am delighted that the Minister of Health, with the support of other Ministers, moved so quickly to address the pay parity issue, which should never have arisen in the first place, but there are other issues right across our public services and Civil Service. I think that Paul Frew chatted about the voluntary exit scheme (VES) earlier. If not, it must have been the one thing that you did not talk about.”
“We do have a solid commitment — probably the only or the most solid commitment — in New Decade, New Approach around the medical school. That is brilliant, but it is still not enough. We need to go beyond that and meet the commitments that were made by previous Executives around the expansion, the lifting of the maximum student number (MaSN) cap and getting to 10,000 students. That would have a really transformative impact not just on the city and region, but for so many young people and families here who have to leave these shores to seek education elsewhere. The sad and undeniable reality is that the vast majority of them do not come back here to live and contribute to our economy. They are the very outward-looking and forward-thinking people that we need here to drive us forward as a society as well as an economy.”
“It is about improving outputs from Northern Ireland and outcomes for those in the North.”
“We should be looking at expanding not contracting services. The first thing that should be done in that regard is to look at the reinstatement of the fuel duty rebate that every public transport company across Britain can access but that Translink does not or cannot access. In that respect, the company is already starting at a lower point. <BR /> <BR />Another thing that is of huge importance to me — you will be relieved to hear that I will not major on it — is tackling the economic imbalance across the region. That cannot be overstated. I know that other Members have touched on the subject over the past couple of days, but, for my constituency, the real driver to that economic regeneration has to be the expansion of the university at Magee. That is about more than helping Derry and its surrounding areas.”
“As I have mentioned before, I am heartened that the Executive have come out and said that they are committed to those pledges, but let us see that in action. Every Department has a role to play, and every Department should have a price to pay. <BR /> <BR />Another issue in the document is how we should tackle the climate emergency. Translink has been very much in the news over the past week or so, and it was to the fore in a number of Members' remarks over the past couple of days. It is ridiculous to hear some Members talk about it being the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs' responsibility to tackle the climate crisis when, again, it is incumbent on all Departments to do so. It is hard to think of a better or more effective way in which to do that than to ensure that public transport is adequately funded.”
“If we can collectively identify the priorities that we believe are achievable in the 'New Decade, New Approach' document and approach them in the collegiate manner that the Minister of Finance himself referred to yesterday, good progress can be made on a lot of the issues. Furthermore, if and when some more money comes from the Treasury, be it in the guise of Barnett consequentials or if Minister Murphy has some unprecedented and, if I dare say, unexpected success in extricating it from the Treasury, that could go into a New Decade, New Approach fund. One of the pledges in New Decade, New Approach is to tackle mental health and to do more on suicide prevention. That is not the sole responsibility of Robin Swann.”
“Everyone has a degree of responsibility, so no one takes responsibility and passes the project on. I have said it before that Departments are always good at buying into things but not always so good at paying into things.”
“That will require a degree of prioritisation and tough decisions being made. However, Ministers cannot afford to sit around the Executive table and decide that none of them can afford to do anything in the document. That is why now might be a very good time for the Finance Minister and the Executive to look at an old approach that worked very well: the establishment of key Executive funds to deal with cross-cutting issues. Those were set up under the first Executive, and, around the time of suspension between 2003 and 2007, things got "re-departmentalised". I appreciate that there was a bit more money at the time, but Departments were basically top-sliced, so when there were projects that were so cross-cutting and ticked so many boxes, those were dealt with. Things often fall down when projects are so cross-cutting.”
“A number of Members touched on this when talking about the importance of cross-departmental working, but part of that new approach is that we identify the things in that document not merely as ministerial commitments or priorities but as Executive commitments and priorities, and, therefore, it is incumbent on all of us to do what we can to meet those in this Budget cycle.”
“It was not a party colleague, Minister Murphy. <BR /> <BR />That brings me to 'New Decade, New Approach'. We have heard plenty about it. There was a lot of positive stuff for a couple of days, and there has been a lot of less positive stuff for the last number of weeks as we try to get our heads round the plethora of promises and the suite of commitments that we have signed up to. We in the SDLP have signed up to them. We have made the decision to come into the Executive in good faith on the understanding that we can work with other parties in the Executive and outside the Executive to deliver on the things that matter so much to people. That is why they are in that document.”
“I have been in contact with the Minister and her Department recently about the rates support grant, which is a much-needed support mechanism for less affluent councils — the poorer areas, if you like. It is given to them for a reason, which is that they have a much lower rate base. It is to allow them to roll out the services that a local authority should be able to. I acknowledge that the Minister has recently met councils on the issue, but I now appeal to the Finance Minister to consider ring-fencing and protecting that grant, similar to the derating grant that every council can avail itself of and that is afforded statutory protection. I am hopeful that his response will be more positive than that of a predecessor of his, who told me that everyone had to feel a bit of pain, when I approached him about the same issue.”
“More poverty means more debt, more homelessness, more hopelessness and a bigger cost to health, mental and physical, to families and to society. What would be the cost to our local economy of taking that money out of people's pockets? They are people who spend their money in local shops and the local hairdresser and in pubs and taxis. Local businesses would clearly suffer as a result, and more jobs would inevitably be lost. How can we afford a mitigations package? How can we not? <BR /> <BR />The Department for Communities has an extremely broad remit, and the Minister has an awful lot of areas of responsibility, one of which is local government. Again, that has not been immune to the austerity agenda or to cuts.”
“It is a hugely unpalatable, draconian and, in our view, completely unacceptable piece of legislation that came to pass after the design of our mitigation package. Will it be mitigated? How will it be mitigated? What will be the cost of that? Some people will raise an eyebrow at the cost of the mitigations. I have asked what were maybe rhetorical questions about the cost of mitigating the impact of the two-child rule, and I think that, conservatively, you are looking at £56 million a year. Another estimate would be closer to £80 million. That is on top of the £20-odd million for bedroom tax and other mitigations that needs to be paid. Some people will raise an eyebrow at the cost of the mitigations, but what will be the cost of not mitigating? It is incalculable.”
“<BR /> <BR />Food bank usage across the North is evidence enough of the desperate situation that many of our constituents live in. It has undeniably got worse since the onset of universal credit and other elements of the cruel welfare reform agenda that the DUP and Sinn Féin accepted. We welcome the way that the mitigation package has cushioned the blow for many and that the current Minister, Deirdre Hargey, has moved swiftly to extend those mitigations, particularly on bedroom tax, but we need to hear what else will be in the new mitigation package. We cannot be content with merely extending existing mitigations; we need to strengthen them to close the gaps in the safety net of social security that so many vulnerable people have fallen through. <BR /> <BR />What about the two-child rule?”
“We need to ensure that everyone here has a roof over their head. The right to shelter and heat is a basic requirement that is essential for our population's health and well-being and is integral to outcomes in education and employment. The rapid reclassification of our housing associations is essential to ensure that there is increased finance to build more social and affordable homes to meet a need that continues to spiral. Over the past couple of days, a few Members have mentioned the current problems of the Housing Executive and touched on potential solutions. We must allow the Housing Executive, which I will always defend dearly, to restructure. We must enable it to borrow and build, never mind realising the revenue required to ensure that its existing properties are up to modern standards.”
“That will do as my mention. <BR /> <BR />I speak as the SDLP spokesperson on social justice. I have heard a lot over the past couple of days about the need for us here in the North or Northern Ireland to increase productivity and output and maximise our economic performance. That is extremely important, but we will never do that unless we address the real, fundamental inequalities in our society and meaningfully tackle poverty and its myriad associated issues and outcomes. <BR /> <BR />As a member of the Communities Committee, I recognise the massive transformative role that the Department for Communities and, of course, the Executive as a whole have to play. The magnitude of that Department's role is reflected in the legislative programme that has come from the Executive Office.”
“Believe it or not, I have been called a bit sooner than expected, so I have not had an opportunity to finish my speech. I was a wee bit concerned about structure and content, but, having heard the previous contributor, I will be all right”
“We look forward to one that is fit for purpose.”
“Will the Member agree that, for the Budget to be really fit for purpose, we should be seeing a draft Budget in September for the next two or three years and we should be moving to multi-year budgeting? Will he agree that, when we are doing a yearly Budget cycle, there is no way that it can ever be truly fit for purpose?”
“I thank the Member for giving way. I am glad that he is not playing politics on the issue, as he said that we should not do that. I cannot help but concur with most of what the Member said yesterday and has repeated today, but I cannot help feeling like Bobby Ewing having woken up to find the past 10 years have been a dream, with the DUP bearing no responsibility whatsoever for anything that has happened or has not happened during that time. <BR /> <BR />Coming back to the point: the Member says that we hope to be in a better position next year and have a draft Budget by September for the following year and that that is how it will be fit for purpose.”
“The Minister will more than likely be aware of the huge strength of feeling and, indeed, opposition in the Sperrins region to proposed gold-mining activities there. While most of the objections will be environmental in nature, there are concerns about an economic impact. Does the Minister have a view on the impact that that type of activity could have on existing industries such as tourism and agriculture?”
“I thank the Member for giving way. I know that he is speaking in his capacity as the Sinn Féin spokesperson, but, as the Chair of the Committee, he has insight into what is going on with the contaminated blood situation. He referred to the £400,000 that the Minister or the Department is holding back: will he tell us whether any light has been shone on why that is the case or why that has been proposed?”
“Is the Minister in a position to give them any reassurance or confidence that he has had negotiations with the host country and that it will continue to accept bulk imports?”
“This is obviously an issue of huge concern to dairy farmers.”
“I thank the Minister for that answer. I had a wee bet with my colleague here that I could get the Minister to say "Derry".”
“I echo the Minister's praise for our heroic health workers. Will he inform the Assembly of any plans to extend and improve the emergency department at Altnagelvin Area Hospital in my constituency?”
“I thank the Minister for his answers thus far. I welcome news of the new electronic system, which sounds like it will increase the speed with which assessments are carried out. However, will the system have more agility or flexibility than the current system, so that, as children's needs change, so does the support that they receive, without their having to go right back to the start?”
“Although we are delighted that it was — at a much bigger financial cost than this, albeit extremely worthy — the First Minister and deputy First Minister and the Finance Minister were all glad to make that announcement alongside the Health Minister. I do not care who makes the announcement or how it is made, and nor will the people out there either, as long as it is made and we fulfil the promises made in that agreement and give them a chance to fulfil their dreams. <BR /> <BR />I welcome the stated support from the proposers for our amendment. I commend the motion and amendment No 1 to the House. We have no issue with amendment No 2 either; it is in no way contradictory to ours, and it also adds to the motion.”
“While the motion will understandably call on the Minister of Health to progress this and to ensure that what is promised in that agreement is implemented, there is definitely a collective responsibility on the Executive to do that. If the Minister of Health, in this case, comes forward looking for financial assistance from Executive colleagues in order to ensure the delivery of pledges and promises made in that agreement, the parties — which I hope will all support this motion and speak in favour of it today — their colleagues around the Executive table will, hopefully, back any ministerial request. <BR /> <BR />We have seen it already: New Decade, New Approach promised that the pay parity issue would be resolved.”
“That would not have gone as far as the three cycles, which is where we want to go as per the guidelines, but it would have certainly been a step in the right direction. <BR /> <BR />I am pleased to hear that Sinn Féin will support our amendment, which focuses on women who are approaching the upper threshold of 40. It is a short-term measure that we see this prioritisation taking place. Given the contents of the New Decade, New Approach deal, people have had their hopes raised. These are people who have been frustrated for a long, long time, given the nature of what they are dealing with. They have now had their hopes raised, and it is important that we meet those hopes with action, as an Assembly and as an Executive.”
“They have been there at the worst of times, and they are also there at the best of times to celebrate the great news stories that come out of treatment when people are fortunate enough that the stars align in their favour. Fair play to those organisations. <BR /> <BR />It is my understanding — maybe the Minister will be in a position to clarify this — that, a number of years ago, perhaps in 2016, there had been a planned pilot scheme to move to two funded cycles of IVF treatment. I was not able to find any of that in the information pack, but it is my understanding that that was the case and that it just disappeared from view. I do not know who made that decision, how that decision was made, and I certainly do not know why that decision was made.”
“The detrimental impact of all this stress on people's mental health cannot be measured but it certainly must not be understated. <BR /> <BR />In the three years that we have not had an Assembly, however, a lot of work has been done on the issue. I commend, as the motion does, those organisations that have worked so hard to keep this issue on our agenda, to keep it in the public domain and to ensure political support for if and when we were going to get up and running again. I also commend the work that they have done to support people. They are there for people: to advise them, to direct them, to encourage them and to console them. They are there for people at the worst of times, and I have seen that in my constituency. I pay particular tribute, as I am sure Karen Mullan will later, to Fairness (IN) Fertility, which operates in Derry.”
“<BR /> <BR />In the meantime, though, I do not believe it is an exaggeration to say that couples and, in some cases, individuals have spent hundreds of thousands of pounds collectively and travelled very far and wide to access treatment and to maximise their chances of conception and of having a baby whom they so badly want and to whom they have so much love to give. People have got into debt through borrowing money, remortgaging their homes and putting themselves under massive financial pressure. As Colm Gildernew said, it is not only financial pressure that people are under; this whole process puts pressure on relationships, as partners blame themselves and sometimes blame each other. Many people who have been or are going through this treatment under the current process have relayed to me their feeling of failure and incompleteness.”
“I support the motion. The proposer of the motion outlined quite clearly the rationale behind the motion, and I commend those who have brought this very sensitive, emotive and important issue to the House. I had tabled a very similar motion near the end of the last Assembly mandate. Sadly, it never made it to this stage due to the collapse of the Assembly, and we cannot avoid or deny the fact that progress on making three cycles of IVF treatment available on the NHS, as per the NICE guidelines, has been prevented and slowed down immeasurably due to the fact that we have not been here for three years, but we are here now.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. I will pick up on his comments regarding an independent environmental protection agency. In no way is this an attack or an insinuation around the ability or dedication of the existing Northern Ireland Environment Agency, which often goes above and beyond to ensure the protection of our environment, but will the Member agree with me that, if we are looking at a new independent environment agency, there is logic in doing so on an all-island basis?”