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…”
The complete record
Every one of 3,938 lines we hold for Mark Durkan, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 64 of 79.
“Due to budgetary constraints, I suppose, they have gone for the low-hanging fruit, so, of those 17 sites, it is safe to say that the 10 that have been cleared so far are those that present the least problem. However, it is important that those two sites be cleared this year, which will leave five sites remaining, and that we work together to ensure that they are repatriated on schedule by 2017.”
“I thank the Member for that question. I am at liberty to disclose the locations of these sites; unfortunately, however, I do not have the detail right here. It is, as usual, along the border. I will certainly get the exact locations to the Member before the close of play today. <BR /> <BR />In total, 17 sites have been identified, with an estimated total of 273,000 tons of waste to be removed or repatriated from North to South. A total of 10 of those sites have been completed thus far, and, this year, we hope to do sites 11 and 12.”
“I have gone on public record to say that I believe that we should have one management group or one overseeing body dealing with waste management right across the North, and I believe that that would lead to greater consistency across all the councils.”
“I thank the Deputy Chair of the Committee for her question. It is very important that the Department work in collaboration with the 11 councils. I addressed this issue in a previous Question Time to another Member. It is important that there is consistency across the new councils. I suppose that that has proven difficult where you have an amalgamation and a reduction from 26 to 11, where councils with different practices and policies are being stuck together. <BR /> <BR />Currently, there are three waste management partnerships in the North. We have Arc21, with which the Member is very familiar, the Southern Waste Management Plan (SWaMP2008) and the North West Region Waste Management Group.”
“I very much expect that to be later this year. I do not want to pre-empt the outcome of the second phase by predicting whether legislation will be required, but, in her capacity as Chair of the Environment Committee, the Member will certainly be kept abreast of proceedings.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. I thank Ms Lo, Chair of the Environment Committee, for her question. The research that the Member referred to is still under way, and the interim report marks the end of just the first phase of the research. The interim report, which is available in the Assembly Library, sets out the context of the study and presents information on air pollutant emissions, health impacts, the fuel market, fuel poverty and measures that have been used in other member states to address the problem of air pollution from households burning solid fuels. Much of this information is already available in the public domain, and it was indeed the subject of a debate here several months ago. I will be presenting the key findings of the study once the second phase has been completed and a final report produced.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Council noted that DECLG has given its support, in principle, to a DOE proposal to seek INTERREG funding for a cross-border pilot initiative to provide electronic signs that give real-time data on bathing water quality in certain designated bathing areas. The Council also noted the initial engagement between DRD and DECLG to discuss areas in the water sector that offer opportunities for mutual cooperation. <BR /> <BR />Ministers welcomed the continued coordination on the Clean Coast and Coast Care schemes and noted the success of the symposium that was held in November and involved representatives from both jurisdictions. The Council noted that the 2015 awards for beaches in each jurisdiction were announced in May 2015. <BR /> <BR />It was agreed to hold the next environment meeting in autumn 2015.”
“They agreed that relevant officials would provide an overview of the issues at the next environment NSMC meeting. <BR /> <BR />Ministers welcomed the publication in Northern Ireland of the consultation documents on new draft river basin management plans (RBMPs). The Council noted that the consultation on the timetable and work programme for the development of the second-cycle RBMPs in Ireland closed on 31 January 2015 and that the responses are being considered. <BR /> <BR />Ministers also welcomed the continued cross-border collaborative work on the development of the river trusts, including the provision of funding by Ireland to the Rivers Trust organisation in Northern Ireland to assist with the development of river trusts in Ireland, including the development of a new cross-border river trust in Inishowen in County Donegal.”
“It also noted that DOE officials are working with DECLG officials and that that will assist the DOE in considering the desirability and feasibility of introducing similar proposals in the North. <BR /> <BR />The Council noted that two illegal waste landfill sites will be addressed in the repatriation programme during 2015. It also noted that both Environment Ministers and their Departments are continuing to target resources at joint enforcement action against illegal operators, which includes the exchanging of intelligence and information on problem areas and carrying out coordinated inspections. <BR /> <BR />Ministers expressed continuing concern at the impact of fuel laundering and stressed the importance of closer cooperation between agencies to tackle the issue.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Council noted that the DOE consultation on a quality action plan for recycling, which incorporates proposals for a material recovery facility code of practice, closed on 6 March 2015. Ministers noted the proposed reform of waste enforcement and the establishment of three lead authorities for waste enforcement in Ireland. <BR /> <BR />Ministers also noted the proposed regulatory changes to be introduced by the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government to provide for regulatory controls on type 8 plants and the successful coexistence of those and composting plants in the overall waste treatment infrastructure in Ireland. The Council noted the intention of the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government to introduce a full producer responsibility initiative for tyres and waste tyres.”
“They also noted that the official launch of the Northern Ireland Horizon 2020 strategy took place on 31 March 2015 at the Commission's offices in Belfast and that the cross-border roadshow event on the Horizon 2020 societal challenge 5 programme was held at the end of May 2015. <BR /> <BR />The Council noted that the carrier bag levy, introduced on new single-use carrier bags by the Department of the Environment on 8 April 2013, was extended on 19 January 2015 to low-cost reusable carrier bags. Ministers welcomed the introduction of the Food Waste Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2015, which were made on 22 January 2015 and will restrict the amount of food waste being landfilled.”
“The Council noted that the EU Commission announced the opening of the LIFE 2015 programme on 1 June 2015 and, in preparation for its launch, potential applicants to the programme from both jurisdictions attended the LIFE application training course in Dublin.”
“<BR /> <BR />Ministers noted the establishment across both jurisdictions of a collaborative evidence programme known as ShARE, enabling stakeholders to deliver evidence to underpin their activities as regulators to derive maximum benefit from the funding and resources invested. <BR /> <BR />The Council noted that the all-island research project into the environmental impacts of unconventional gas exploration and extraction is ongoing. <BR /> <BR />Ministers noted that a joint €72 million INTERREG VA programme has been adopted by the EU Commission covering the terrestrial, freshwater and marine environments.”
“They also agreed that an update paper on the matter will be brought to the next NSMC environment meeting. Ministers also agreed that collaboration on the drawdown of EU funding for environmental projects and research will continue to be a high priority. <BR /> <BR />The Council noted that the first phase of the air quality research study has been completed and that the key findings have been noted by Ministers. The interim report was shared with a group of key stakeholders, and that will inform the next phase of the study. A copy of the interim report has been placed in the Assembly Library.”
“With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, in compliance with section 52 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, I wish to make the following statement on the nineteenth meeting of the North/South Ministerial Council (NSMC) in environment sectoral format, which was held in Armagh on Wednesday 13 May. The statement has been agreed with Minister Kennedy who, along with me, represented the Northern Ireland Executive. I chaired the meeting. The Irish Government were represented by Ann Phelan TD, Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (DECLG). <BR /> <BR />Ministers had a discussion on the review of the agreed NSMC work programme for the environment sector and noted that an interim update will be provided to the 5 June 2015 NSMC plenary meeting.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. He mentioned social media and, more latterly, a spate of suicides involving young people. Quite a few years ago, a lot of work was done on media guidelines and how suicide had been reported in the Derry area. My concern was that there had almost been a deification of young people, in particular, who had taken their own life. The media have tightened up on that, but would the Member share my concern about the understandable outpouring of grief from other young people through the medium of social media, be it on Facebook or Twitter? Some young people who might never have had a nice thing said to them or about them see lots of nice things being said about a contemporary and think, "Maybe if I died, people would say nice things about me".”
“People need to be told and reminded at every opportunity that it is OK not to be OK, that it is OK to ask for help and that there are people whom they can ask to help. <BR /> <BR />I again congratulate Mr Middleton for bringing the issue to the House. I am keen to work with the Minister on it. I attend regularly the ministerial working group on suicide, and it is something that we all have to work on together across Departments, across parties and across communities.”
“We have to ensure that our agencies — our statutory agencies in particular — work in a joined-up manner. Recently in our constituency, a young man was rescued from the Foyle Bridge by the police, who just took him home. Twenty-four hours later, he was in the Foyle. There are serious gaps here that need to be filled and can be filled. <BR /> <BR />Maeve spoke about the need for increased investment in mental health, and, of course, there is a massive correlation between unemployment, economic inactivity and poor mental health. Members do not need to be reminded about the dire economic situation in our constituency. One thing that we can all do — I am not putting the onus on the Minister, as this is something that we all have to do — is work to tackle the stigma attached not just to suicide but to poor mental health.”
“I, along with my colleague Pat Ramsey, recently met the Public Health Agency to hear about the initiatives that it hopes to bring forward aimed at reducing the harrowing suicide rates in our city. However, that work needs to be told to the public and needs to be sold to the public. Without doubt, the perception out there is that we, as a Government, are not acting and are certainly not acting fast enough to tackle this awful blight. <BR /> <BR />There is a groundswell of opinion in Derry around the need for a detox centre, and both Members who have already spoken referred to that. That debate has to take place in public, and we need the health professionals to outline and illustrate the services that exist and how they can best be availed of.”
“We, as legislators and leaders in our community, need to do all that we can to ensure that more lives are not lost and that more families are not left with those unanswered questions. We can do something, and we must do something. We must ensure that the groups and services working hard and working well on suicide prevention are supported and that people are made aware of them. Good work is being done by many organisations in our constituency, not least by Foyle Search and Rescue, Zest, Community Action for Locally Managing Stress (CALMS) and, of course, the Samaritans. There are many others, as well as community-based initiatives such as Sports Against Suicide, for which I recently participated in a fundraising and awareness-raising charity boxing match. <BR /> <BR />Good work is also being done by the statutory agencies.”
“Could I have done something? Would things have been any different had I said something?”
“I begin by congratulating Mr Middleton, first, on his elevation, if you can call it that, to the Assembly but, more importantly, for bringing this extremely important and emotive subject to the Floor. <BR /> <BR />The scourge of suicide is not exclusive to our constituency. However, it is a problem that is extremely pronounced in the city of Derry. Suicide is, as I said, a massive scourge on society today. It takes lives, and it breaks lives. I can and will speak from personal experience of the devastation that a suicide brings to a family and the awful repercussions that it has across communities. Those who lose a loved one to suicide can never have full closure. In the darkness of night or even at random intervals throughout the day, you are haunted by questions to which you will never get answers. Should I have seen something?”
“I could possibly be briefer than Mr Gardiner, and say no. The designation of smoke-free zones is done in collaboration with local councils. The Member will be aware that it has been the subject of a recent debate in the Chamber, around a cross-border study into the impact of burning fuels. I expect the report to be brought before the House shortly on that piece of work, which is being done in collaboration with the Government in the Republic of Ireland. At that opportunity, I will fill the Member in on the smoke controlled zones.”
“My Department will still, just about, be here by the end of March next year. This is something that Ministers should not just look at in terms of their own Departments. It is something that all Departments should look at, to be able to give the certainty to groups to allow them to get on with the valuable work that they are doing. You see this in many sectors, not least, I suppose, in neighbourhood renewal areas and projects, where so many worthy projects and organisations are constantly chasing funding. They are spending as much time applying for funding and keeping the wolf from the door, if you like, as they are actually performing the function that they are getting funded for in the first place. To me, that is completely unsatisfactory, not to mention how unsettling it is for the staff of those organisations.”
“I thank the Member for that question. Once again, I am happy to provide him with assurance of my commitment to the survival of this hugely important and, indeed, vital sector. I spoke earlier of the huge environmental challenges facing us as a region. I also spoke of the huge challenges facing my Department as we face into the voluntary exit scheme and the very real prospect of losing skills, expertise and experience from certain areas. In my opinion, that makes the NGO sector and our partnership with it more important than ever.”
“The collection of waste is a hugely important issue, and where you have councils with different waste policies and waste collection policies converging, this was always going to present as an issue. My Department has been able and will be able, to a much lesser extent this year, to assist some councils as they roll out new waste collection schemes. I think it is important that we look at waste management in even broader terms, rather than on a council-by-council basis. To that end, I have made known my desire or preference to see a move away from the current three waste management partnerships to, maybe, one, which would overlook waste management right across the North.”
“As I said, I would be happy to hear of the examples from the Member.”
“I thank the Member for that question. Finance was certainly a consideration and a motivation behind the review of public administration. I have always said that reform was not just about doing things cheaper and that it was also about doing things better. It has to be better not just for local and central government but for the ratepayer and the citizen. I possibly need a bit more detail on the hikes that Mrs Cochrane referred to. My predecessor was able to secure from the Executive some £30 million by way of a rates convergence scheme so that, where two areas with hugely different rates bases come together, one would not face a huge hike in the rates, purely on the basis of convergence. To my knowledge, that has been successful. Obviously, local government has a major role to play here as well.”
“I thank the Member for that question. I have to outline that we do not aim to put wind farms anywhere. Applicants come forward with proposals to put wind farms in certain locations and the DOE, or now, largely, the councils assess whether those locations are suitable. In assessing the suitability of locations, there are factors that should be considered. If there is an area of outstanding natural beauty or an area of special scientific interest, they will need to consider how much detrimental impact a wind farm or a wind turbine is likely to have. That should also be weighed up against the wider economic and environmental benefits of renewable energy, which are recognised quite categorically in our Programme for Government. There is definitely a balance to be struck. I am confident that that balance can be and is being struck.”
“I thank the Member for that question. I refer back to my answer to a listed question from Mr Maginness, and even that was pre-empted by a supplementary question from Ms Lo. Those questions related to the natural environment fund, which opened on 1 May. <BR /> <BR />To my knowledge, to date, there have been 22 applications, or 22 groups are involved in the process. As for the criteria, we are looking at the work that they do. I am determined to ensure that the carrier bag levy, where the money from the natural environment fund will come from, is used to best effect, particularly in these austere times. We are looking at the management of our areas of outstanding natural beauty, protection of species and access to the countryside, among many other things performed by our valuable and valued ENGO sector.”
“If the Member, or any Member, comes to me about specific problems with specific applications, I will be happy to follow those up with the relevant council. However, I do not want to be in a position where we are micromanaging councils and constantly looking over their shoulder. I have said on numerous occasions in the House that there would be a need for a degree of hand-holding as the new councils find their feet and get to grips with what is a huge new responsibility for them. It is worth outlining again that we have also transferred 400 highly qualified and motivated planning staff. They are now working for the councils. In many cases, it will be the same planning officers who deal with the same applications. Therefore, I am certainly hopeful and optimistic that they will get the show back on the road very soon.”
“I thank the Member for that question. The transfer of the majority of planning functions to the 11 new councils has been a massive task. We are talking here about the transfer of over 400 staff and over 6,500 live applications. While, touch wood, the transition has been relatively smooth, I cannot stand here and tell you that it has been seamless. There have been minor issues in places with the transfer of staff and cases. However, I have outlined previously in the Chamber the benefits of planning going to local councils. I believe that, given time — and hopefully it will not take much time — for the new systems to bed in, the Member, all Members and, most importantly, members of the public will see improvements in the processing of planning applications and in the timeliness of their processing.”
“I thank the Member for that question. I think that it is fair enough to say that good work has already been done to mitigate and adapt for climate change. We need change in legislation to give legislative support to those efforts, not just by my Department — although, as Minister of the Environment, I retain responsibility for climate change policy — but by all Ministers and Departments. Everyone in this Chamber has a responsibility. We should start off by practising what we preach. I look at DRD, for example, and wonder whether more could be done to use LED street lights and initiatives such as that so that we can reduce our own greenhouse gas emissions and carbon footprint when we are telling our constituents to do just that.”
“I thank the Member for the question. I have often criticised topical questions and said that they should maybe be renamed "typical questions", but Mr McCrea's question is certainly far from typical. <BR /> <BR />I believe that the impact of climate change is global and that therefore it is of relevance to people not just here in Northern Ireland, but everywhere. It is for that reason that I hope to pursue and bring forward legislation on climate change before the end of this Assembly term.”
“From a personal perspective, I know that if my son is going out on a bicycle, I will insist upon his wearing a helmet. I believe that it is up to the individual, but if it were up to this individual, cyclists would wear helmets.”
“I thank the Member for that question. I also take the opportunity to commend the work of my ministerial colleague Danny Kennedy in bringing forward and launching the Belfast bike scheme, which, by all accounts, has been a tremendous success to date. <BR /> <BR />Obviously, safety is and should be a key consideration when it comes to anyone getting on a bike, and the issue of cycling helmets has raised its head, if you like, before in the Chamber. Predating my time, not only as a Minister but as a Member, there had been attempts to bring forward legislation or a Bill to make it mandatory for cyclists to wear helmets. I believe that that attempt withered on the vine when it looked at how things worked in other jurisdictions such as Holland, where it was proven that more fatalities occurred when cyclists were wearing helmets.”
“<BR /> <BR />In anticipation of the launch of the Belfast bike scheme, my Department ran a cyclist safety social media campaign, one of many it has rolled out over the last 12 months, on its Share the Road to Zero social media pages, delivering advice to cyclists and drivers alike as they share the road.”
“<BR /> <BR />A cyclist safety education pack based on the television campaign has been developed and made available to all schools and other interested organisations. It includes an eight-minute DVD that provides a wealth of advice for cyclists. Clips from the DVD on the use of cycle lanes and HGV and cyclist blind spots are also available on YouTube. <BR /> <BR />Each year, my Department offers the cycling proficiency scheme (CPS) to every primary school in Northern Ireland. Following a review of CPS, my Department has developed an enhanced CPS, which began to roll out to schools in February this year. New resources for that have been delivered to all participating schools and are also available on the teachers' network, C2k. The enhanced CPS is being delivered to 542 primary schools.”
“The road safety strategy recognises cyclists as a vulnerable road user group and includes a range of actions that relate to cyclist safety. A new cyclist safety television campaign, Don’t Forget, was launched in April 2014. Cyclists and drivers are encouraged to take personal responsibility for their behaviour on the roads and to give other road users due consideration. The core message is to respect everyone’s journey. The campaign messages are addressed more fully in the online campaign available on NI Direct, where each scenario in the ad is developed, and more detailed advice is provided to drivers and cyclists alike. The campaign has been supported by outdoor, digital and social media activity.”
“<BR /> <BR />I have been fortunate enough to be able to avail myself of the carrier bag levy money. I think that, subsequent to my budget being announced and the impact that it was having on ENGOs, they will be reasonably happy with how I have engaged and will continue to engage with them throughout this year in advance of the restructuring of Departments.”
“I thank the Member for that question. I have no problem putting my hand up and saying that my engagement with the ENGOs was not perfect. However, I think that I engaged with the sector reasonably well as far back as the draft Budget, when I was the only Minister to vote against it. The ENGOs formed part of the public consultation exercise, to which I encouraged them to respond. They all responded to the draft Budget, and maybe that played a role in changing some parties and Ministers' minds as to whether they supported the Budget. The Member will appreciate the uncertainty facing all Ministers with their budgets and their difficulties juggling them, contracted though they were, and deciding how best to spend the reduced resources at their disposal.”
“I have visited some of the projects being done in the area and see it as very valuable work. I am not sure whether the group to which she refers is included in the 22 groups that have participated, and continue to participate, in the scheme. I will check that and get back to the Member as soon as possible.”
“The Ring of Gullion lost funding altogether as of 31 March in the last financial year due to the funding cycle that it was in. Over the past couple of weeks, I made the decision, and gave the direction, that it be afforded funding for three months from the end of March to the end of June. During that time, those involved in the project are also participating in the process that I established, and I know from engaging with them personally that they are hopeful of a positive outcome. I cannot predetermine the outcome of that process, as I am sure the Member will appreciate.”
“I referred to £0·3 million of the money going to a new challenge fund that will be open to bids from schools and community groups. It is similar to the previous challenge fund, which was availed of by numerous projects in the East Derry constituency. <BR /> <BR />As for the other money, I know that the Causeway Coast and Glens Heritage Trust does a lot of work that encompasses some of the Member's constituency and other constituencies. The trust has already been a recipient of carrier bag levy money and is participating in the process in the hope of obtaining further funding from that source.”
“Yes, he certainly can take this opportunity to commend me. <BR /> <BR />I have received significant correspondence and Assembly questions, from all political parties, supporting the funding of environmental NGOs (ENGOs), and I look forward to the same level of support from the same parties as I try to do exactly what the Member has suggested by putting forward a bid in the June monitoring round.”
“<BR /> <BR />Finally, I also agreed that, of the remaining £0·8 million of unallocated carrier bag income, £0·3 million should be channelled through a new challenge fund targeted at schools and community schemes, and £0·5 million to the listed building grant scheme, specifically targeted at projects that provide facilities for community access and use, including churches.”
“The workshop was attended by 22 environment NGOs, and I listened carefully to the concerns that emerged. Those organisations needed more money to tackle the acute environmental priorities facing us in the North, such as safeguarding our most valuable sites and landscape, protecting our priority species and encouraging access to the countryside. For that reason, I have increased the remaining allocation for the fund from £1 million to £1·25 million. The new fund opened for applications on 1 May.”
“My Department has suffered a higher percentage of cuts than any other Department. I am therefore determined to ensure that the carrier bag levy moneys are used to best effect. The net income from the carrier bag levy after administration costs is estimated at £4·2 million for 2015-16. <BR /> <BR />I have already agreed allocations totalling £2·15 million for environmental grants and schemes, to include £0·52 million for the natural heritage grant programme, £0·6 million for a community waste fund and £0·3 million for local clean-up and air-quality grants. However, further to my pledge to do as much as I can to try to lessen the pain for environment groups, on 23 April, I set up a workshop, which was held in Crawfordsburn Country Park, to discuss how best to allocate the remaining carrier bag funding through a new natural environment fund.”
“It is up to me as Minister with responsibility for this legislation and to the councils with responsibility for implementation to ensure that we make it work as well as we can or change it to make it better.”
“I thank the Member for that question. I gave the assurance to Ms Bradley, and I will repeat it: the review will be all-encompassing and will include fees for the pursuit of complaints made under this legislation. It is vital that, when we do manage to get legislation through this House, it is not pointless but matters to people and helps them. Unfortunately, as I said, while the statistics show that we have managed to help some people through mediation and the alleviation of disputes between neighbours, in my opinion, there is a lot more that could be done. It is well known that good fences make good neighbours. You could just as easily say that high or bad hedges make bad neighbours.”