Phil Flanagan
Fermanagh and South Tyrone · Sinn Féin · Northern Ireland
“I thank the Minister for his answer. There is an old guise that you should never ask a question that you do not know the answer to. The question that I submitted asked the Minister how many social houses had been started in the 2015-16 financial year, but somehow it was changed.”
“I thank the Minister for his attempt to answer the question. I put him on notice that it was not he who initiated the process, but I am looking for him to intervene and stop it as a locally elected representative. <BR /> <BR />There are roughly 1,000 people on the housing waiting list in Fermanagh, and nearly 300 of those are in stress.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire as ucht a fhreagra. I thank the Minister for his answer. The licence has not been extended, but does the Minister accept that the decision to extend InfraStrata's time frame for a work programme sets a dangerous precedent on fracking, particularly given that InfraStrat…”
“How does the Minister square that with the ministerial involvement of his predecessor, Nelson McCausland, interfering in where social houses are built for political, parading or electoral reasons.”
“I thank the Minister for giving way, and I have no difficulty in supporting this request for information sharing, but I have two short questions. First, he said that this is a tax on employment. Does he have any sort of a headline figure as to what the scale of the financial implications of this will be for local employers?”
“<BR /> <BR />Requirements are now being placed on the Department with regard to careers. That is a very positive development that the Minister brought forward after the Committee initiated a review of careers advice, which was then followed up by a piece of work that the Minister commissioned from an expert group on careers.”
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“Therefore, here we are, six years later, with those legislative changes being proposed. Six years is a long time, but, between 2009 and 2015, considerable work was done by the Department and others to bring us to the stage at which we could bring in primary legislation to update existing legislation covering credit unions.”
“That is very well reflected when you compare the proportion of people here who are active members of a credit union with that in Britain, which has a completely different system and where the numbers of people who are engaged in credit unions and have active accounts is much lower than they are here. <BR /> <BR />The credit union sector on this island plays a critical role in economic development. Locally, that was probably best recognised in 2009 through the report on the Committee's inquiry into the role and potential of credit unions, in which the Enterprise, Trade and Investment Committee made a number of key recommendations on the future of the sector. It has been accepted for a considerable time that legislative changes will be required to allow those recommendations to proceed.”
“The Bill and recent changes have all been about bringing credit unions on to a par with banks, and one of the reasons for that has been the complete lack of trust that very many people in our society have with large multinational financial institutions. People are turning away from banks in significant numbers and towards credit unions, largely because credit unions are owned by local people — their members — and run in the interests of their membership. Credit unions have a unique reach into local communities and, for that reason, are very highly trusted by people from those communities.”
“The pre-legislative scrutiny approach worked well, and that is something that Departments need to do with future legislation, instead of amendments being thrown in at Consideration Stage and Further Consideration Stage that have not been considered by MLAs, the relevant Committee or wider society. I commend the Department, the Minister and his predecessor for taking that approach. <BR /> <BR />As has been said, the Bill makes provision for updates to the key legislation that governs the operation of credit unions, as well as industrial and provident societies, but most of my comments will deal with the issues facing credit unions.”
“It allowed Committee members to get an in-depth understanding of the issues facing the credit union movement and of the proposals being brought forward by the Department. This is a highly complex issue. We are not only dealing with legislation in the House but with the historic transfer of regulatory powers away from here to the FSA in London. That adds additional complexities, so pre-legislative scrutiny gave Committee members a good understanding of the issues involved and a chance to engage with the credit union movement and departmental officials, as well as a chance to engage with those in London who are involved in regulating the credit union movement in order that we might grasp the changes that need to take place here to allow us to make sure that the legislation is all-encompassing and deals with all the issues on the table.”
“It is good that there has not been a false start today and that we are seeing progress being made with the legislation, because, for too long, credit unions have been campaigning for this change but have been given much false hope. Hopefully, the passage of the legislation, which seems to have support right around the House today, will improve the operations of credit unions across the North. <BR /> <BR />For many years, the credit unions and their members, of which I am one, have been crying out for the chance to expand their range of services. This is the first substantive piece of legislation that DETI has brought forward since 2011, and, in this instance, the manner in which the Department engaged with the Committee in pre-legislative scrutiny really worked well.”
“Cuirim fáilte roimh an bhille seo. I welcome the progress on the Bill, which has been under consideration for a number of years by the House, even during a previous mandate. It is strange for me to say this in the week that the Services, Industrial, Professional and Technical Union (SIPTU) is holding its biennial conference in Cork, but it is good to see that the Minister has crossed the picket line and come back to perform his ministerial duties. I know that there is a genuine willingness among some members of the DUP to continue with the legislative process that is in train here, and this is the second opportunity that the House has had to debate the Bill's Second Stage.”
“Efforts need to be put in to preventing crime, taking criminals off the streets and dismantling their operations, not worrying about where a tactical support group, which has questionable success in Fermanagh, is based. If we are to address criminality in Fermanagh, the words of Matt Baggott that Bronwyn quoted must be acted on and taken forward in all communities. That can be done only in partnership, through building trust and confidence and by working with the community.”
“There is little faith among many across the community in the ability or willingness of the police to respond effectively to criminal activity or work seriously to prevent crime. When people phone the police, they want help; they do not want to be fobbed off with excuses. <BR /> <BR />Right along the border, there is a widespread criminal enterprise in stealing livestock and farm machinery and transporting it into nearby counties across the border. The lack of joint working between the PSNI and an Garda Síochána makes life much easier for criminals. That gap needs to be addressed as a matter of priority. Those crimes might appear low level in nature, but they are not victimless and deserve to be dealt with properly. <BR /> <BR />Crime costs the local economy millions of pounds every year.”
“When victims phone the police to request support in the immediate aftermath of a crime, the police regularly fob them off. They say that they are under-resourced and overstretched — those are the excuses that people are given. However, when money had to be found to police the G8, there was no bother getting that. I think that, over the week of the G8, one person was arrested, yet £92 million was spent, nearly two thirds of it on policing. When it comes to the G8, there is an abundance of money, but when it comes to everyday policing, it seems that the money cannot be found. <BR /> <BR />In the past, many in my community had a major psychological and political problem with engaging with the police, but, thanks to recent changes, those barriers have, in the main, been dealt with. However, there now exists a different hurdle.”
“<BR /> <BR />People want to see and are crying out for more community-based police officers on the ground engaging with the local community to tackle criminals and to prevent crime. The perception that I get is that the PSNI is lazy, disorganised and ineffective.”
“<BR /> <BR />I come from a rural community, and as I look at the implications of crime, it is clear that crime has a major impact on our society. In recent weeks, our local newspapers have been littered with cases of thefts and burglaries from houses, schools, chapels, workplaces and even cars outside places of worship. It has become so bad in recent times that members of different religious congregations are keeping an eye on each other's cars when people are inside celebrating their religious beliefs. That tells you that very many people living across Fermanagh are living in fear of serious and petty crime. A tactical support group will not address that fear, and it will certainly not tackle that crime, which is what most people in Fermanagh are complaining about and trying to deal with.”
“Unfortunately, like other agencies, it has to make difficult and unpopular decisions. However, if additional resources were to be made available to the police, or when the police are deciding where to allocate resources, for me, the priority has to be in building up the community policing structures as well as preventing and detecting crime. Personally, I would be more concerned about the threatened removal of the roads policing unit and the public protection unit that deals with domestic violence than I would be about the tactical support group being taken out of Fermanagh. Those people, as well as the community officers, build a rapport with people and with the local community, which is the proper way to improve the performance of the police.”
“I think that that presents a much brighter future than bemoaning the loss of the tactical support group from Lisnaskea. <BR /> <BR />The work of the tactical support group is not the most important aspect of policing in Fermanagh — far from it. In my opinion, more emphasis needs to be put on preventing crime and tackling and dealing with criminals. The tactical support group is not a strategic approach to dealing with crime. Local accountability structures are an important mechanism for building trust in the local community and for ensuring that the actions and priorities of the PSNI meet the needs of the local community. <BR /> <BR />We all agree that resources are scarce. Like everybody else, the PSNI is struggling to get as much money as it wants or as it could spend.”
“There are not that many people in Fermanagh who are overly exercised about the potential loss of the TSG, because few people know what it does, and it is not the priority for most of the people in the county who are concerned about crime. <BR /> <BR />The officers in the tactical support group fall outside the structure of local policing accountability. The main focus of that accountably mechanism, as Bronwyn said, from the report that was launched by the previous Chief Constable, is about policing with the community, how you build relationships with people in the community to maximise the outputs of the police, how they prevent crime and how they tackle crime. Community police officers who are in the local community and who are known to people and people can trust are the way to move ahead.”
“Local officers should be known to the local community, but, equally importantly, they should be accountable through the local policing structures, particularly the local command structures, so that, if a member of the local community has a problem, a criticism or a suggestion that does not necessarily need to go to the Police Ombudsman, that person should be able to phone somebody locally to give feedback about the police without having to go through the formal mechanism of a Police Ombudsman complaint. Unfortunately, that mechanism does not exist for the tactical support group. It may well have an office of some sort in Lisnaskea. I do not know who is in it or what they do — it seems that the local policing structures have no control over them and that they report to somewhere else.”
“As an MLA for Fermanagh and South Tyrone, I regularly have engagements with members of the police to discuss issues that affect the local community, and I engage with police officers at all levels in the county. I have access to the phone numbers of many police officers whom I can contact to discuss issues that are raised with me by the local community. In fact, I will be meeting the chief superintendent for the area on Friday to discuss a range of issues. However, I could not tell you the name of any single member of the tactical support group in Fermanagh. For me, that is why it does not feature heavily in the prevention of crime or the detection of crime in Fermanagh.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle. Cuirim fáilte roimh an díospóireacht seo inniu. I thank Mr Somerville for bringing forward the debate. I welcome the opportunity to participate today, although, from my perspective, the focus of the debate is somewhat narrow. It focuses on one small aspect of policing within the county. In my opinion, that aspect is not the priority for the people that I engage with on a daily basis who find themselves the victims of crime in Fermanagh. The TSG does not, in my opinion, make people feel safer or protect them from crime. If that is what it is supposed to do, it certainly does not achieve it.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire as ucht a ráitis, agus cuirim fáilte roimh ráiteas tábhachtach an Aire inniu. Given that the geographical spend and the delivery of programmes through ESF are so heavily skewed towards urban and, often, city areas, how can he ensure that the outworkings of the strategy will benefit all citizens with a disability equally, including those in rural areas and those who live in smaller towns and villages, and that the inbuilt inequalities and discrimination facing people with a disability in rural areas will be addressed?”
“I thank the Member for giving way. The Member has rightly pointed out that the whole rationale for the debate is that the policy decisions in Westminster have changed. Given that electricity here trades on an all-island basis, does the Member agree that we should be incentivising renewable electricity generators in the future through an all-island system, where those costs could be socialised across electricity customers in all of Ireland, instead of piggybacking on to a system that can be changed at the whim of a British Minister who has absolutely no control, influence or understanding of our unique set of circumstances here?”
“Who will look after the needs of a rural society and play for and sustain our football teams? <BR /> <BR />This is not just a short-term economic problem; it is a long-term social problem that the Executive and all of us with leadership roles in our society have to grapple with. It is not good enough for us to continue going the way we are, because the gap between urban and rural areas is getting worse. We need to see much more corrective action taken to address the problem.”
“<BR /> <BR />The absence of employment options as well as childcare in a place like Fermanagh and South Tyrone has a serious long-term effect on our society. We see young people leaving our county to go to Belfast, Dublin or England to access university, and so many of them do not come back, because the basic services are not there to sustain them. Whether it is access to employment, high-speed Internet or mobile phone coverage, things like that just are not there, and childcare is just another issue on the list for them to consider. Many people do not come back to a rural area to start a family, and that is a serious problem because it has a knock-on impact on how we sustain our rural communities. Who will look after our older people? Who will take up the places in our schools?”
“People in rural areas face complete inequality, and I suppose most MLAs here who represent a rural constituency would stand over that statement. Certainly, parents of children in a rural area will tell you that it is much harder to get childcare there than in an urban setting. That is why it is particularly welcome to see the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development here, because, since 2007, the Department has taken steps to increase and support childcare providers across the North, and I know that a couple of them were in Fermanagh and South Tyrone. In future, that needs to be supported and expanded through European funding schemes, through the rural development programme and other funding streams. I am hopeful that the Minister will give us some positive indications when she speaks at the end of the debate.”
“They may leave home at 6.30 am to arrive in Belfast at around 9.00 am to do a day's work. That means that they must access childcare from very early in the morning to very late in the evening. Not only does that present accessibility challenges in finding a childcare provider flexible enough to cover those long hours but the cost invariably increases with a longer day. It also means that parents are kept away from their children for much longer, whereas they would prefer to work closer to home, but that is an issue that is not related to childcare; it is to do with access to employment in Fermanagh and South Tyrone. <BR /> <BR />When you compare the current reality in urban areas with rural areas, you see that there is a complete difference.”
“That is because you are looking at significant sums of money to pay for childcare. Economies of scale are not there because there are not significant enough numbers of children to do that. You then have the added problem that people are working for very low wages, often the minimum wage — if they are lucky enough to get it in some cases — which makes it very difficult for them to justify or sustain the cost of childcare. <BR /> <BR />As well as the problem of low-paid jobs, there is also a problem with the number of people in Fermanagh who have to travel outside the county to access employment, particularly in the public sector. So many people have to travel to places like greater Belfast to access senior roles in the Civil Service. That presents them with the challenge of commuting a considerable distance.”
“<BR /> <BR />In many rural areas, because there is no alternative, there is a complete over-reliance on family members and friends to deal with childcare. Many people want to go out to work, but some choose to raise their children. Some people do not have that choice: they cannot access childcare, so they stay at home, even though they may want to be out working. There is complete over-reliance on family and friends to allow people to get out into the workplace, whether that is to return to a job that they held previously or to take up new employment. <BR /> <BR />One of the confounding things in Fermanagh is the complete absence of highly paid jobs, so, even if somebody could access childcare close to their home in a setting that was of a high standard and with people whom they could trust, very many people could not afford it.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle. I commend Bronwyn for securing the debate. The lack of childcare is one of the biggest barriers facing parents across Fermanagh and South Tyrone in entering or re-entering the workplace after having children. That is particularly so in dispersed rural communities, where the number of children is not always there to justify financially a private enterprise opening a childcare centre and making a profit. It is clear that what they call the "market" has failed. We need to see government intervention to make sure that it is not people who live in dispersed rural communities who suffer. Just because there are not thousands of children living within a mile or two of one another does not mean that the people we represent do not deserve access to affordable and accessible childcare close to their home.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Phríomh-LeasCheann Comhairle. Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire as ucht a fhreagra. I declare an interest as a current student of the Ulster University. <BR /> <BR />Given the launch of his Big Conversation this morning, will the Minister indicate what help his Department can provide to the Ulster University to help it to increase the private investment that it gets from students and companies without looking directly at increasing tuition fees?”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Phríomh-LeasCheann Comhairle. Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire as ucht a fhreagra. I thank the Minister for his answer. He will be aware of the growing concern that many people have about the cost of sending their children back to school, particularly with uniforms. However, some schools in my area are also charging up to £100 for a voluntary contribution to send their child to a school. Can I ask the Minister for his Department's position on those voluntary contributions, which add to the growing financial pressures that parents have in sending their children back to school?”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. Cuirim fáilte roimh ráiteas an Aire, agus an Comhrá Mór á chur i bhfeidhm aige inniu. I declare an interest as a current higher education student with the Ulster University. <BR /> <BR />I share the Minister's concerns, as most people do, about the impact of disinvestment in our further and higher education sector. I welcome that he will look for innovative and imaginative solutions, but I do not think that increasing tuition fees is a solution, and you would expect me to say that. <BR /> <BR />Given that one of the biggest costs facing students from a rural area in accessing higher education is housing when they have to go to an urban area, will this Conversation include the potential for additional quarters to be provided in rural areas such as the South West College campus in Enniskillen?”
“I thank the Member for his contribution, but it is my understanding that positions at all levels in the Housing Executive are awarded purely on merit. Maybe the Member wants to see a different process, but it is my understanding that, in the Housing Executive, places both for houses and for employment are offered on merit, and that is the way it should stay. <BR /> <BR />To conclude, a decision of this nature should not take place without a substantial level of political debate, political oversight and consensus. That is why we are asking the Minister to stall progressing this move. We think that there needs to be consensus. There needs to be a much broader debate and much more agreement amongst political parties before such a drastic move of dismantling the Housing Executive proceeds any further.”
“<BR /> <BR />From my point of view, one of the greatest strengths of the Housing Executive is its ability to command respect and support from right across all sections of our community.”
“So, like other Members, I pay tribute to the Housing Executive for the work that it has done since its foundation and will hopefully continue to do. It has dealt with what is a very sensitive issue in our community. The rationale for the establishment of the Housing Executive has not gone away. Very many people believe that some politicians cannot be trusted to allocate houses and that we still need the Housing Executive for at least that purpose, if not much more. It is not simply about allocating houses; it is about deciding where houses are based. For that reason, I do not think that we are at a stage yet where there is consensus about the delivery of social housing.”
“<BR /> <BR />Many Members have spoken about the PwC report, and there has been considerable commentary on some of its findings, but it is important to remember that one of the things that it said was that the Housing Executive:”
“<BR /> <BR />We need to see increased levels of accountability and transparency in how housing is delivered across the North. The current governance arrangements within housing associations are not good enough. From sitting on the Public Accounts Committee with you, Mr Deputy Speaker, it is clear to see that there is a serious difference between how the Housing Executive and housing associations are treated when providing transparency and accountability to the Department and to those of us who are elected to the House to hold them to account. I believe that a mechanism such as the Housing Executive is a much better way of doing it than having a third-party agency, such as a housing association, running it. These are the types of debates that we need to be having to ensure that there is cross-party consensus on any future arrangements.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle. Cuirim fáilte roimh an díospóireacht thábhachtach seo. I welcome the debate on this important motion. From speaking to people, I know that there is a widening and growing concern about the proposed governance arrangements within the housing sector. I, at my most optimistic, remain to be convinced that the dismantling of the Housing Executive is the best way to deal with this situation. I strongly believe that politicians need to show a lead on the issue and build consensus on the way forward. I do not think that these decisions can be taken without political consensus and political support behind them. It is largely for that reason that we have brought the motion forward.”
“As Leslie Cree stated, it will be highly challenging for the Executive, but the first step to achieving the economy that we would like to see is to recognise and accept that we are not going to achieve it if we just keep doing what we have been doing. Go raibh maith agat.”
“That was also mentioned by Fearghal McKinney, who said that the Ulster University was cutting back on STEM subjects and language provision. Paul Frew touched on schools and the need for education at that level to be in touch with the needs of employers and for businesses to have greater involvement with local schools. <BR /> <BR />Finally, the Committee's report calls for something that is by no means easy. It is highly complex and will be difficult to achieve.”
“<BR /> <BR />With regard to education and skills, the Committee welcomed the new employer-led apprenticeship strategy and called for future apprenticeships to focus on skills that lead to sustainable employment. The strategy will have to be promoted and driven to raise awareness. The Committee also wants to see a structured mechanism put in place for collaboration at a strategic level between the higher and further education sectors and Invest NI to ensure the best alignment between skills and current and future investment. <BR /> <BR />Gordon Dunne commented on the excellent skills base across various sectors but acknowledged that there was a considerable skills gap that needed to be addressed, especially in STEM subjects.”
“<BR /> <BR />Transport infrastructure is a vital element of the economy across the region, as Mr Humphrey mentioned. Máirtín Ó Muilleoir commented on the need for new investments in road infrastructure in and to the north-west and for improved rail links between Dublin and Belfast, highlighting that the Dublin-Belfast economic corridor is important if we are to achieve a step change in business performance across this island. That was very much to the fore about 20 years ago, and it needs to be put back on the political agenda. William Humphrey also highlighted the importance of tourism to the economy. Transport infrastructure is important to maximise the potential of our many world-renowned visitor attractions.”
“Many large businesses continue to pay the highest prices in Europe. They keep telling the Committee that the prices are unsustainable, yet it appears that nothing is being done by the Department to look at how the burden on business can be eased. <BR /> <BR />Paul Frew informed the House that energy was central to all issues for business. He said that the cost of energy needed to be reduced to realise benefits for business. I do not think that any of us could argue with that. Anna Lo, speaking as Chair of the Environment Committee, highlighted the need for improved business regulation to streamline the regulatory system. She outlined the slow nature of decision-making in government and gave the example of how the strategic planning policy had been much slower than anticipated and was not as transparent or accountable as she would wish.”
“I suppose that one of the things that the business community wants is not so much a relaxation of the regulation; it is consistency across Europe so that it will know that it is being treated fairly with regard to its competitors in the rest of Europe. <BR /> <BR />Consideration was given to infrastructure and the need for appropriate infrastructure to be in place, as well as the requirements for growing and sustaining an economy. That is true for roads, public transport, telecoms, broadband and utilities such as water, gas and electricity. The Committee listened to the business community during the last two sessions and produced three reports on electricity pricing, security of supply and grid connections. During the inquiry, the business community came back and said that things are just as bad.”
“Some of us want to see the Executive and Invest NI set subregional targets to encourage and incentivise Invest NI to do much more to bring investment into areas west of the Bann, along the border corridor and into parts of north and west Belfast that have not seen the same uplift. Other Members want to see the council set those targets, which would not be binding, but, in the end, I think we found a form of words that nobody really understands and can agree or disagree with. <BR /> <BR />There was consistent evidence from the business community on what is considered unnecessary bureaucracy. That was especially the case on the transposition of EU legislation, where many members of the business community feel that it is imposed here differently from other member states across Europe.”
“It has called for plans and strategies relating to the economy to consider the relationship with the rest of Ireland. It has called for full evaluation of the enterprise concept, with a view to rolling enterprise zones out across the North. We also want to see an evaluation of the competence centre concept to see how those can be rolled out to other sectors. The Committee wants to see improvements in linkages between Invest NI, Enterprise NI, local councils and local business communities in order to streamline services to support and advise businesses and to develop firm commitments to subregional economic growth and job creation. <BR /> <BR />That was another minor point of contention that the Committee had.”
“We also need to recognise the contribution that business representatives can make to developing a vision and a strategy. We have businesspeople of great ability and confidence, and the contribution that they can make can be immense, as Máirtín Ó Muilleoir said. We have to involve them more in the decision-making process. In the end, as William Humphrey said, it is about providing job security and financial certainty for our people. <BR /> <BR />In relation to economic development and employment, the Committee has called for robust, accurate, complete, timely and appropriate economic data. Hopefully there will not be as many adjectives in any future report on economic data, but that is what the Committee wants, and that is hopefully what the Committee will get.”
“One of those is that, despite the fact that he referenced exports a considerable number of times, he failed to accept the fact that export targets are not being met, which is a serious problem for many of our businesses. I suppose we can now put those challenges down to a weak euro and things like that, but it is a serious problem that needs to be addressed. <BR /> <BR />If we are going to achieve that vision, which is a radical, rolling 20-year vision, we need to have the right leadership, including input from the business, skills and community sectors, but it really needs to be driven at a political level if we are going to get there. That means having the right structures in place to ensure that we can deliver a vibrant economy right across the North.”
“The economic strategy that the Minister referred to talks about a vision for an economy characterised by a sustainable and growing private sector, where a greater number of firms compete in global markets and there is growing employment and prosperity for all. It states that that is a vision for 2030. <BR /> <BR />The Government in any economy would be concerned if they were not growing the private sector, increasing exports and growing employment in most years between now and 2030, but we need to be much more visionary than that. It is important to remember that the Minister took the opportunity to highlight the good work that he believes is being done, rather than addressing the important concerns expressed to the Committee by businesses.”
“No, Europe. In the west and the south, more than 10·7% of start-up businesses grow to over £1 million turnover within three years. Start-ups are hugely successful, but that does not cover the political problems that we have. It is clearly an electioneering strategy, and it is both irresponsible and a selfish approach to doing politics, particularly when we are trying to deal with something that is as fundamental to our future as the growth of the economy. <BR /> <BR />The inquiry calls for the Executive to articulate a shared, rolling 20-year vision for the economy. I do not think anyone could have a problem with that. Some people seem to think that it exists, and some people seem to think that it does not exist. Whether it exists or not, there seems to be consensus that we need one.”
“On the individual that the Member quotes, I do not necessarily agree with everything that the Member says, but I defend to the death his right to say it. <BR /> <BR />When he was closing, the Member highlighted the fact that start-ups here were the least successful of those anywhere in Britain or the North, but I put it to him that, if you look at the proportion of start-ups here that grow beyond a £1 million turnover within three years, you can see that this is actually the most successful part of Europe for that.”
“The Committee also agreed that any future debate on EU membership must take into account the impact of the result of a referendum here. So the Committee was quite clear with regard to Europe and where we stand. There were some questions about what future funding streams would be provided by the British Government if we left Europe to make up for the loss of CAP funding and things like that, which our agrifood sector heavily relies on. Some Members reflected that, and collectively we must recognise that we have a duty and responsibility to work together towards the goal of political certainty at all levels. From my point of view and that of my party, decisions by parties to walk out of the Executive or block meetings of the Executive from taking place is not the way to build stability, and we all know it.”