Pam Lewis
South Antrim · Democratic Unionist Party · Northern Ireland
“I thank the Minister for her answer. Indeed, I thank her for the assistance that she, as Minister of Justice, gave my constituents Kathryn and Aaron McCollum following the tragic death of their much-loved husband and father. Her assistance was deeply appreciated.”
“I thank the Minister for her answer. I very much welcome the amendment to the Justice Bill on this subject, and I thank my colleagues across the Chamber for the good work that they have done on it. What cost is the PSNI carrying for the seizure, storage and disposal of those vehicles? Is that cost creating a barrier to enforcement?”
“It progresses 18 recommendations from the independent review of charity regulation, with a focus on a more risk-based approach that promotes trust and accountability without placing undue burdens on charities.”
“I welcome the opportunity to speak as a member of the Communities Committee at Second Stage of the Charities (Amendment) Bill. I thank the Minister and the Chair of the Committee for outlining the details of the Bill.”
“The public must have confidence that charitable funds are being used properly, that trustees understand their responsibilities and that there is effective oversight when misconduct or mismanagement occurs.”
“<BR /> <BR />I welcome the streamlining of accounting and reporting requirements. For small charities, administration can be a real challenge and burden.”
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“<BR /> <BR />The inquiry proved to be an immense piece of work, not just in the scope and volume of evidence that was considered but in the emotive nature of much of that evidence. I believe that the Committee has managed to produce a fair and balanced report, with robust and perhaps challenging recommendations. <BR /> <BR />Overall, the Committee concluded that the way forward for sustainable as well as renewable energy is one that fully engages those communities that are most closely involved with its production. That is very much reflected in the Committee’s recommendations, which call on the Department and wind energy developers to work with communities — to inform, to communicate and to respond — at every level of planning and operation. <BR /> <BR />I take the opportunity to thank all those who contributed to the debate.”
“On behalf of the Committee for the Environment, I support the motion that the Assembly approves the report of the Committee on its inquiry into wind energy in Northern Ireland and calls on the Minister of the Environment to implement the report's recommendations. <BR /> <BR />The Committee is fully mindful and supportive of the requirement to promote renewable energy and to meet the Executive’s Programme for Government target for 2011-15, which includes a commitment to achieve 20% of electricity consumption from renewable sources by 2015. However, the inquiry arose in response to the concerns of local residents who have questioned the way in which that target is being achieved through what they believe to be an over-reliance on wind energy.”
“On a point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker. I apologise for not being in my place for a topical question to the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure last week. I was in a meeting with the Health Minister.”
“I thank the Minister for what is yet another important statement in regard to the care of children with complex medical conditions. Will the Minister tell us a bit more about what experience Dr O'Hagan has that makes him suitable for the role of chairing the congenital heart disease network board?”
“What potential do GP federations offer for delivering Transforming Your Care more quickly?”
“I very much welcome the Minister's statement. The issue of cancer drugs was first raised to me by the late Mrs Una Crudden. I think that her husband and family will also very much welcome the statement and a move towards looking at the reintroduction of a prescription charge that could potentially lengthen the lives of the terminally ill, especially cancer patients. <BR /> <BR />Can the Minister confirm that the income raised from any such charge would be dedicated to specialist drugs and not be eaten up in any other part of the health service?”
“Further to that point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker, it must be the time for apologies. May I apologise through you for missing my question yesterday to the Minister for Employment and Learning? I had taken ill yesterday afternoon.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Minister needs to establish who is at fault here, what precedents are being set and why the development has been given priority over and above the residents who are committed long term to the community. I hope that in his remarks he can explain to the people of my constituency what actions his Department will be taking to rectify the situation.”
“I thank the Member for his intervention and agree with his remarks. Given that this is how it is, I am at a loss as to why the Housing Executive has in this instance created a space in the middle of an established community. It seems to me to have no logic whatsoever and goes against the wishes of the community. Whilst I completely comprehend that the Housing Executive has been faced with the difficult task of balancing its obligations to the Irish Travellers and its responsibilities to the settled community, I do feel that this has been handled particularly poorly. Allowing the family in question to move onto the site prior to any planning application or community consultation has left an extremely bad taste in the mouths of the people of Antrim.”
“That is why I must speak out against this infringement of their rights. We must accept a dose of reality here. In this case, it appears that the Housing Executive has played the political correctness card over and above the wishes of the broader community. <BR /> <BR />It is my understanding that due regard has been given to the rights of the Travelling community through the creation of spaces across Northern Ireland where they are free to park up and use facilities provided to them with no charge or contract.”
“They have chosen to abide by their contract with the Housing Executive or the terms of their mortgage. They pay their bills, and they have chosen to adopt a pattern of society in which they are subject to the law of the land and must abide by that code of practice. To the best of my knowledge, the Travelling community is not bound by any such contract. In some ways, I almost envy them their freedom. <BR /> <BR />I am here because the people in the community place their trust in me to speak on their behalf. It would be a dereliction of my duty if I failed to represent them now. We might talk in this place about the Stormont House Agreement or a matter of the day, but it is what greets my constituents when they look out their windows each morning that really affects them.”
“I welcome the debate. I am pleased to speak on the matter on behalf of my constituents. Much is said in the House about tradition and culture, and, for the most part, whilst we do not always agree on the individual argument, there is broad consensus that individuals have the right to choose how to live and how to express their view in society, provided they do so in a law-abiding manner. So I immediately have a problem here. I want to respect the rights of any member of the Travelling community to live the life that they choose and to be free to travel wherever they wish. However, I need to balance that against the rights of those who are affected by the establishment of the Travellers' camp in their midst. <BR /> <BR />The residents who are affected by the subject of this debate have made a choice. They have chosen to pay their taxes.”
“That exemption should be accompanied by a much higher level of enforcement within that radius. While officials agreed to take those proposals back to the Minister, he has consistently reiterated that he does not believe that there would be any merit in accepting them. The Department has proceeded to lay the rules, based on an unaltered policy position, and they have been referred to the Committee for agreement. <BR /> <BR />The Committee does not believe that the two statutory rules represent the best way forward in this situation and, accordingly, agreed to table these motions to ask the Assembly that they be annulled.”
“Those related specifically to the costs of new roof signage, taximeters and printers, and the training for the new driver tests. All of those additional costs, together with a much higher level of competition, have the potential to result in the loss of jobs or livelihoods in the Belfast public hire sector. The Committee urged the Minister to look carefully at the proposed legislation to see how that sector could be facilitated. <BR /> <BR />The Committee agreed to explore that issue further during a meeting with departmental officials in December 2013. Members suggested that a possible way forward might be to introduce an exemption in the single-tier licensing proposal in order to maintain the existing two-tier system within a certain radius of Belfast city centre, possibly during certain periods of the week.”
“Members welcomed the Department’s willingness to listen to the views of the taxi industry on this issue and its commitment to determine a more detailed timetable outlining the key steps and milestones, including consultation time frames and SL1 target dates for the whole package of legislation. On this basis, the Committee agreed that the Department should make the statutory rules. <BR /> <BR />When the Minister met the Committee on 24 October 2013, the Committee raised concerns that, while members still supported the reshaping of the taxi industry to provide a higher level of service to all its customers, there were still issues relating to the costs of the new requirements. Members believed that some sectors of the industry would be disadvantaged and thus less able to cope with the increased financial commitments.”
“This delay would enable the Committee to carry out a more thorough scrutiny of the numerous statutory rules required to implement the provisions of the Taxis Act 2008. It would also ensure that the suite of changes came together as a cohesive and coordinated package. The Committee was also concerned that the Department should use this period to engage with all sectors of the taxi industry to resolve any outstanding issues and to raise awareness of the impact of the changes delivered by the new legislation. <BR /> <BR />The Department brought the SL1 proposal for both of these rules to the Committee on 27 June 2013.”
“The policy content of the rules is closely linked. The Committee commenced its scrutiny of the policy underlying both of these statutory rules at its meeting on 20 June 2013, when the Department of the Environment provided a synopsis of the responses that it had received to the public consultation on its proposals. Members were content that the Department had responded appropriately to the views expressed by submissions and agreed that it should proceed to draft the legislation. <BR /> <BR />Some concerns were raised, however, in respect of the proposed timing of the introduction of the legislation. The Committee believed that these provisions should not come into operation until September 2014, rather than September 2013 as suggested by the Department.”
“I thank the junior Minister for her answer. Can she give us more detail on what protections within that strategy may be available for children living in households affected by domestic violence?”
“I thank the Member for giving way. Does the Member accept that, across Europe, most countries are moving to the same style of driver's licence and are including flags or emblems or a symbol of their country on their licence? Actually, the UK is playing catch-up with the rest of Europe by going down this road.”
“We know that only too well, and we continue to struggle with all that the history of this place has bequeathed to us. I do not ever wish to deny the Minister or anyone on the opposite Benches the right to carry an Irish passport if that is what they choose to do. He is, I suppose, fortunate that, in fact, he freely has that choice. It is just a pity that he is not prepared to extend the same basic right or the same spirit of generosity to me and the people I represent.”
“The Minister undermines the good work of those in his party who have stood up for the rights of everyone, including unionists, even to their own electoral and personal detriment. This policy is not fit to be identified with the party that he represents. <BR /> <BR />The UK driving licence is widely accepted as a form of identification by all forms of government, yet the Minister sees fit not to allow citizens the right to display the national flag on an official government document. Today, I call on the Minister to reverse his overtly politically motivated decision. The very least that I expect from his Department is to fight to allow the people of Northern Ireland the choice of whether to have the flag on their driving licence or not. I am not persuaded by the earlier smokescreen of cost. <BR /> <BR />Identity is important.”
“Minister, would it be easier for you if we all just went away? Is it so unbearable for you to allow unionist people to express their identity that you feel the need to discriminate against them with this crass decision and attempt to blame London when, in fact, the responsibility rests locally? It is completely the Minister's responsibility, and he needs to accept that. <BR /> <BR />The SDLP Minister, in making the decision not to permit citizens of Northern Ireland to display the Union flag on their driving licence, has displayed blatant disregard for the constitutional arrangements and principles to which his party signed up in the Belfast Agreement. We were told endlessly by nationalists and republicans that this was the holy grail and must be upheld at every turn.”
“No one has come out of the flags debacle with any credit — on any side of the argument. However — this is important — just because there is an element of farce to certain aspects of the flags and emblems protests, that does not mean that there will not be times when those issues are of genuine and serious concern to those who value that culture and identity. I extend that to all sides of the community here. That is why it beggars belief that, just days after the Stormont House Agreement, which is supposed to be some kind of road map for leading us out of the abyss of the past few years, this Minister, on his own and without any agreement anywhere, chose to completely disregard the basic identity and right of even the most moderate unionists by forcing them, once again, to be stripped of any symbol of identity or recognition.”
“<BR /> <BR />The principle of consent is central not just to our agreed constitutional position but to every aspect of how the Assembly is supposed to work. Although Members on the opposite side of the House are keen to raise the subject of tolerance and respect when it comes to parades and language, they seem loath to acknowledge it when it comes to any basic manifestation of Britishness. The fact is that Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom. We are British citizens and subjects of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. <BR /> <BR />Everyone knows that flags and emblems are some of the most contentious issues in communities and in government. Time and time again, they provide the biggest stumbling blocks to building the stability and progress that the public are crying out for.”
“Minister Penning and the DOE get to decide that the people in Northern Ireland keep the non-flag version while everywhere else in GB gets the Union flag version. That is a brilliant example of devolution in action — not. <BR /> <BR />Can someone help me out here? Even suspending disbelief and assuming that all events to date are as described, if this is purely about cost, surely the cheapest option of all was a common licence for everyone in the United Kingdom. Given that that option was not followed up or, we can only presume, even considered, we can assume that it was not a decision taken on the basis of cost and that it was a political decision to ensure that no nationalist or republican should suffer the offence of having to be tainted by the image of the Union flag. So much for equality, tolerance and human rights.”
“I thank the Member for his intervention. I was just coming to that. The end result is that the flag will be applied to all GB driving licences, with no ability for individuals to opt in or opt out. <BR /> <BR />The Department, having considered the issue, responded to DfT in December 2012 confirming its agreement with DfT's intention to continue to print NI driving licences without any change to the existing design. As no change came forward, no further consultation occurred. I assume that the term "further consultation" was used loosely, given that none took place in the first instance. Let me just check this: the cost of offering an opt-out would be prohibitive, as it would mean maintaining two systems and producing two sets of licences. So, to deal with that, it is proposed to — guess what? — maintain two systems.”
“<BR /> <BR />In his previous answers, the Minister goes on to state that, further to that correspondence, officials in his Department engaged with DVLA to ascertain whether it would be possible to provide individuals with an option to choose whether to include or exclude the flag. DVLA, however, indicated that that would not be possible, as the costs involved in making the system and the associated changes required to offer such a choice were prohibitive. The end result —”
“Thank you, Deputy Speaker. <BR /> <BR />In 2012, the UK Government announced their intention to include the Union flag on Great Britain driving licences. The Transport Minister, Mike Penning, wrote to the previous Minister to advise him of that intention. Mr Penning's letter noted that driver licensing was a devolved matter but that DVLA printed our driving licences under contract. Mr Penning indicated his intention that DVLA would continue to print Northern Ireland driving licences without change to the existing design. He asked for a view on that. My first question, at this point, is to ask the Minister whom his officials consulted to reach that view.”
“We also found out recently that, for provisional licence holders in Northern Ireland, the costs are double those in GB. How was that allowed to happen? And here we are again: the Minister and his Department knew nothing about this issue until another letter arrived on the Minister's desk. It seems somewhat telling that, when it comes to driving and vehicle licensing matters, the Minister and his officials have been asleep at the wheel. <BR /> <BR />I turn to the answers that the Minister has already given on the subject. Let me see if I can understand correctly his version of events.”
“On closer inspection of those answers, it seems that either he or his officials are deliberately misleading the House and the Committee, because, if they are factual accounts, the answers given display an alarming lack of awareness of the seriousness of the issue on the part of both the Minister and, perhaps even more worryingly, the officials in his Department. For either of them to take the view that the issue is not cross-cutting or is unlikely to be controversial is simply beyond belief. <BR /> <BR />Of course, it is not the first time that this has happened. When the announcement was made that 300 jobs would be lost at Coleraine, the Minister and his officials were taken by surprise. We were told that they knew nothing about it until an announcement was made in Westminster and a letter arrived in the Department.”
“I would prefer, instead, to use the debate to establish exactly what was behind the Minister's decision, why he took that decision without consultation and whether he has any idea what the officials in his Department are doing. <BR /> <BR />Let us be clear: this is a decision that the Minister and his officials seem to have taken on their own and without any meaningful consultation. This Minister and his officials seem to be carving out a niche for themselves in acting in isolation and without any due regard for process or broader politics. I have noted the responses that the Minister has already provided at Question Time and in writing to other representatives.”
“I rise not only as the Deputy Chair of the Environment Committee, who was neither informed nor consulted on the matter, but as a unionist who, yet again, is being forced to defend our constitutional place within the United Kingdom and fight not just for the symbols of nationality, which we hold in such high esteem, but for our identity. <BR /> <BR />It is my intention — I hope that others will follow it — that the debate should not descend into "whataboutery". It would be very easy to indulge in flag point-scoring, but I aim to resist that because, although we are talking about the reproduction of a national flag on licences, this is about much deeper issues. It is about basic governance, equal rights and accepted identity.”
“We must do more to protect our older people. Whilst a great many are on the radar of social services for various reasons, I suspect that a great many more are falling between the cracks and remain subject to examples of the abuse that I have outlined. We must do all that we can to protect those vulnerable people, and I feel that, whilst legislation is important, awareness and change in attitudes is key to removing that blight from our society.”
“<BR /> <BR />In conjunction with any changes to legislation, we must strive to ensure that our carers become a much more professional workforce. We also need to embark on an awareness campaign. We are all familiar with the campaigns on child abuse and domestic violence. Those are extremely important in raising public awareness, but it should be borne in mind that the abuse of older people is no less pertinent. The violation of a person's dignity and self-respect in whatever form must be viewed as abuse, and any awareness campaign should be welcomed and considered.”
“In my constituency, I recently dealt with the case of a gentleman who, in the early stages of dementia, was admitted to a nursing home following his wife's death. As he had never displayed any violent or disruptive tendencies, his family was disturbed to find him incoherent due to a high dosage of lorazepam, which had been given to him for, allegedly, exhibiting such behaviour. Despite the family's request not to give him any further medication, the gentleman was subsequently admitted in an unresponsive condition to hospital. There, sadly, he passed away, having, essentially, overdosed on extremely high levels of drugs. I fear that that is not the only episode of residential abuse of its kind, with other such incidents, including malnourishment and dehydration, coming to the fore.”
“Interestingly, with the Scottish model of adult safeguarding, which has the highest level of statutory provision, the threat of intervention has led to a great deal of preventative work, resulting in a significant drop in abuse levels. I hope that, if we are able to draw on other UK legislatures and tailor their procedures to suit Northern Ireland, coupled with policy findings, we can provide a system that will protect our older people from harm or injury. However, it is vital that any proposed legislation comes with a sea change in our attitude to how we see and treat our older generation. <BR /> <BR />In evidence to the Committee, Professor Williams described our society as institutionally ageist, which, sadly, when we look at how older people are treated, at times, in institutional and domiciliary care, is all too evident.”
“It also highlights the fact that safeguarding is the business of everyone and calls on a wide range of service providers, such as voluntary and community groups, financial institutions, the legal profession, churches and care providers to recognise the signs of abuse and report it immediately. <BR /> <BR />The central focus of the policy is on a zero-tolerance, multi-agency approach that aims to identify those at risk of harm or needing protection. Whilst legislation of varying degrees is in place in England, Scotland and Wales, Northern Ireland remains the only part of the UK without specific measures to protect older people.”
“<BR /> <BR />Unfortunately, the abuse of older people is significantly under-reported, and I believe that the figures could be the tip of the iceberg. As with all forms of domestic abuse, all too often the abuser is a family member, so-called friend or carer. The adult safeguarding policy consultation that was launched in November 2014 forms the starting point from which the Department of Health will gauge how it moves forward with protecting our older people. The policy is based on the principle that we should do all that we can to prevent the abuse, exploitation or neglect of older people.”
“I welcome the opportunity to speak on this important matter today. The abuse of older people is to be reviled and treated as the most abhorrent of crimes. I would like to take the opportunity to thank the Commissioner for Older People, Ms Claire Keatinge, and Professor John Williams for their presentations to the Health Committee and the vital insights that they provided on the matter. <BR /> <BR />Abuse of older people can take many forms, including physical, sexual, psychological or emotional, financial and institutional neglect or exploitation. Indeed, more often than not, when one form is identified, it exposes a catalogue of mistreatment. Tackling the abuse of older people is not just a matter that concerns a small sector of our society; it is a responsibility incumbent on each and every one of us.”
“I thank the Minister for his answer, which I very much welcome. I agree with everything he has just said. However, in light of the news yesterday that Irish Rail is considering an extension to its network that would allow users to travel directly from Belfast to Dublin airport, what plans, if any, are there to extend our rail link to Belfast International Airport?”
“The Department has also been delivering high-level training in capacity-building to local councillors and council staff to build up awareness of their new responsibilities. <BR /> <BR />Having taken all that into account, the present Committee is now satisfied that the appropriate degree of governance will be in place to ensure a smooth transition of planning functions. <BR /> <BR />I have nothing more to add to the comments of the Chair and the Minister, except to say that I, too, am happy for the motion to be affirmed by the Assembly.”
“I understand that the previous Committee was unhappy with that aspect of the Bill because it did not believe that there was adequate understanding of the equality implications at local council level, and that the Committee was therefore concerned that this part of the Planning Act would not come into operation until the Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 2014 had implemented appropriate governance measures to ensure that councillors fully understood their responsibilities to consider planning applications in an objective and unbiased way. <BR /> <BR />The Local Government Act has introduced the councillors' code of conduct, together with appropriate sanctions for any infraction of the code to be investigated and adjudicated by Commissioner of Complaints.”
“It is good to have explanations from the Minister and the Chair of the Environment Committee on the draft affirmative statutory rule before the House. <BR /> <BR />The issue predates my time on the Environment Committee, so it was useful to have the officials brief us at the Committee on 15 January. As Members have already heard, the SR will commence Part 3 of the Planning Act (Northern Ireland) 2011, the section that relates to the devolution of planning control to local councils.”
“I thank the Minister for his statement on the quality of care in Northern Ireland, which is of utmost importance. What will his review of commissioning examine?”
“I thank the Minister for his answer. Does he anticipate that the number of nurses working in the community will expand as well?”
“I thank the Minister for his answers thus far. How does the number of attendances at GP surgeries in Northern Ireland compare to that in England?”
“<BR /> <BR />In closing, I implore the Minister to rethink his plans on this proposal, which is erroneous and fundamentally flawed in many areas. With levels of tyres being illegally dumped at a record high, many of which end up being burnt on bonfires and causing toxic gases to be released into the atmosphere that are much worse than those created by smoky coal, I encourage the Minister to focus his efforts on legislation in this area rather than chasing the vanity project of his Southern counterpart.”
“It is therefore absolutely unnecessary to introduce legislation banning coal, as rural areas of Northern Ireland do not suffer any air quality issues. <BR /> <BR />Current legislation enforcing smokeless zones is more than adequate to deal with more urban and built-up areas. It is widely accepted that the proposed ban would be entirely unworkable and almost impossible to police. Currently, smokeless zones are enforced by local councils, but in bringing forward a ban on smoky coal, the Minister will undoubtedly force increased rates on already financially stretched households. The cost of implementing such a proposal would be significant, but, in real terms, it would be of little benefit to the majority of people.”
“Coal provides a key source of affordable energy for many homes across Northern Ireland and allows those people to purchase fuel in small, budget-friendly amounts. For these people, the banning of smoky coal would most certainly lead to increased levels of fuel poverty and financial uncertainty. <BR /> <BR />I believe that the argument that the burning of smoky coal is detrimental to health is far outweighed by the counterargument that fuel poverty will cause far more health problems, with many not being able to afford the expense of upgrading their heating system or indeed the energy source itself. It has been recognised that the majority of households that use coal are in rural areas of Northern Ireland.”
“In neglecting to consider other solid fuels, the Minister appears to be incredibly naive and is, I suspect, being led down the garden path by his Southern counterpart, Mr Hogan, who, whilst aiming to ban smoky coal, is actively encouraging the Republic's lucrative peat and wood local and export businesses. Any changes to the current legislation will have a major impact on Northern Ireland's coal importers, resulting in job losses, and will have huge implications for the local economy. <BR /> <BR />Around 40,000 homes in Northern Ireland use smoky coal as their only source of home heating. Those households are typically in rural areas and not on the gas network. They are often elderly people or those on low incomes. For many who use coal, it is simply not a choice but a necessity.”