Stewart Dickson
East Antrim · Alliance Party · Northern Ireland
“Thank you, Minister, for your answer. Minister, you will have noted that the Government recently announced a VAT cut for some family expenses for a range of activities over the summer. That is perhaps a change.”
“Many do not know how to apply; others do not even realise that the opportunities exist. If the process itself is a barrier to participation, it is really not open to all.”
“I was born in 1950 in Thorndale House, which was one of the homes that is named in the legislation. I was born to married parents, and Thorndale House was a maternity home. It was where you went to have your baby in 1950 on the Antrim Road. My mum and dad went there, I was born and, a few days later, I left with loving parents.”
“I agree with Mr Brett: amendment No 6 is important because it will deal with persons who refuse to provide information or evidence to the inquiry. Amendment No 8 to clause 20 is a tidying-up amendment that will allow the Committee to make interim reports, which will be of benefit to the inquiry process.”
“That is why I want the inquiry to succeed and why it is vital that it succeeds. That is why it is important for us to see that cruelty in the full glare of a public inquiry. That is why it is important that the scheme goes through without further delay. <BR /> <BR />Finally, I place on record my thanks to the Committee Chair.”
“The Assembly faces stark choices, and agreeing the draft Budget as it stands is not a silver bullet, nor is it sustainable for us to continue in the absence of a Budget. It is vital, therefore, that we break the cycle of crisis and collapse that has been destroying our public finances.”
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“<BR /> <BR />As the Minister stated, the codes of practice are technical in nature, but they fall into four key areas: search and seizure and detention of property; search and seizure of cash; search and seizure of certain listed assets; and general asset recovery investigation powers. They may be technical, but everybody in the street will understand what those headings mean. <BR /> <BR />Some of the specific changes that are included in this revision of what is meaningful cash cover a wider range of items, such as gaming vouchers and betting receipts. Those are welcome changes being progressed today. They will go some way to ensuring that no one profits from crime. I commend the work that the Minister has done to bring forward the orders today.”
“It is important that financial institutions that are trusted by the public also play their part in helping to expose criminal activity. The order extends the current period of 31 days to 186 via a court order, allowing for considerably more time for investigation by financial institutions. <BR /> <BR />Those are really meaningful provisions to tackle organised crime in Northern Ireland, and I believe that they will make a major difference. I understand, however, that, owing to the amendment to the Proceeds of Crime Act, we now must update the codes of practice — that is what is happening today — to ensure a standardised approach across the United Kingdom.”
“<BR /> <BR />Other provisions cover forfeiture of listed assets if all or part of the asset is recoverable property intended for use in unlawful conduct. If you have not gained it illegally, you should have no difficulty explaining why you have it. Other serious and useful provisions that will be introduced include disclosure orders in money-laundering investigations. Those will require anyone to answer questions and provide information on money-laundering investigations. <BR /> <BR />Finally, amendments provide for an extension of the moratorium period, which will allow investigators to take evidence to determine whether further action should be taken following suspicious reports by a bank or other companies.”
“I understand that, although those will not cover the police, the PSNI will ultimately be able to refer them to an agency to enable the work to be done. In our constituencies, we often wonder how some people lead a life of luxury with no visible means of support. Hopefully, those days are coming to an end for many of those people. <BR /> <BR />Unexplained wealth orders will provide a tool to investigating agencies to require people to explain how assets in excess of £50,000 were obtained and how they can be explained by their known income. Hopefully, their lifestyles, with the fancy cars and houses, will be coming to an end. Provisions also include account freezing and forfeiture orders. Those have been particularly valuable in England and Wales, where over £200 million was frozen in 2019-2020.”
“Sadly, another example of lost time is the three years in which this Chamber lay empty and necessary legislation to make Northern Ireland a better and safer place could not be progressed. That is something that we must all pledge not to repeat. Time for criminal gangs to continue in business is never a good thing. <BR /> <BR />Although new provisions to the Proceeds of Crime Act have already been commenced, a number of elements are still to come into operation later this month. Those include considerable powers to tackle crime and cut funds for ill-gotten gains. Perhaps the most well-known element will be unexplained wealth orders, meaning that police agencies can make applications to the High Court for orders.”
“I thank the Minister for bringing these regulations to the House. She used one of my lines when she said that it is, indeed, an old cliché to suggest that crime does not pay. It is true, because the Justice Minister is working hard to ensure for us all that that is the situation. <BR /> <BR />The Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 has been amended by the Criminal Finances Act 2017, which contains provisions that relate to asset recovery. Those are due to be commenced later this month. However, it is worth noting that those powers have been available in England, Wales and Scotland since early 2018. Despite the efforts of the Department of Justice to bring forward a legislative consent motion, the Assembly dissolved before the motion could be debated in January 2017, so the powers were not commenced in Northern Ireland at that time.”
“Thank you, Minister, for your statement. Some serious crime takes place on a cross-border basis, so tackling cross-border crime requires meaningful cross-border cooperation. Can you outline to the House more about the work of the PSNI and an Garda Síochána joint agency task force? What level of cooperation takes place to deliver safer communities in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland?”
“There are real opportunities out there, and we should not be negative about the consequences of doing nothing.”
“If such trade deals are to be signed, we need to ensure that we provide the right level of support for our farmers so that we can compete and maintain our high standards. Farmers need leadership and direction. The Agriculture Minister has spoken of his support for providing future opportunities for nature-friendly farming, but we still wait to hear the practical, on-the-ground details. <BR /> <BR />The DAERA briefing to the Committee notes that we have an opportunity to redefine our agriculture policy for the first time in over 50 years and that we can build sustainability from the outset. We need much more development of that policy from the Department. Right now, it feels as if there is a vacuum that the common agricultural policy used to fill.”
“That is quite an understatement, Minister. If we do not have replacement funds for EU funding nor control over the spending of those funds, many of our aspirations for nature-friendly farming cannot and will not be realised. I would appreciate it if the Minister could provide an outline of where exactly the funding will come from and where we are with that and what engagement he has had with the United Kingdom Government. <BR /> <BR />Leaving the EU and the potential for quota-free trade deals across the world present real and present risks to farming in Northern Ireland. Judging by his public comments, I know that the Minister agrees that other nations' farming systems are far more industrialised and intensive.”
“We want to see an increase in the promotion of local sustainable produce, invest in food markets and farm shops and reduce food miles, producing greater connection between our producers and our consumers. <BR /> <BR />I note my concerns, however, about the impact of Brexit on farming. I have already said that, last week, in response to a question for written answer, the Minister commented:”
“We proposed a number of actions to move us towards sustainability and nature-friendly farming. For example, we want to expand the environmental farming scheme to promote habitat restoration and the planting of trees and hedgerows, as well as protecting current woodland and peat bogs. As I have said before, we produce exceptionally high-quality food in Northern Ireland, so there is an opportunity to develop agriculture, food and tourism, a subject that was talked about in the House earlier today. We want to see concrete support and funding guidance from DAERA and the Department for the Economy to promote and expand the sector, particularly as tourism seeks to recover from the impact of COVID-19.”
“It is under threat from our own Government, who are trying to impose on us world trade deals that will have serious and detrimental effects on farming in Northern Ireland, because most of our farms are comparatively small and family-run. We need to maintain and support that and fend off the onslaught from the large factory farms. It is an asset that, with the right support, small farms may be better suited to changing practices quickly and leading the way in nature-friendly farming practices. We need to provide the right support and advice to our farmers to do that, rewarding them for taking measures to rewild and to improve the management of land. <BR /> <BR />In April, the Alliance Party produced our green new deal, which outlines our policies for moving forward towards a zero-carbon future in a just and sustainable manner.”
“As our nature-friendly farming lobby puts it, "Nature is good for business", so we need to ensure that we are not depleting our natural environment but protecting, building and enhancing it and recovering much of what we have destroyed. <BR /> <BR />Agriculture is a key industry in Northern Ireland. We produce some of the best and highest-quality agri-food products in the world. In meeting that standard, we must make sure that the processes that we use are nature-friendly. It is vital that the Assembly and Executive make the future of agriculture policy central to the issues going forward. Farming is under threat.”
“I rise to support the motion, but we will not support the amendment. I thank the Members involved in bringing the motion to the House. <BR /> <BR />We face a huge task. The challenge of the climate emergency will require us all to change our lives to secure and improve our living standards and those of the generations that will follow. That is why it is important that we balance sustainability with productivity. Our farmers continue to play an essential role in environmental recovery and in protecting our wildlife and biodiversity. We all accept that, ultimately, farming needs to be sustainable and that land becoming unproductive due to a lack of sustainable practices benefits no one.”
“While I wish Mr Ringland well in his appointment, I trust that he will be sensitive to the voices that he has heard in the Chamber today and not represent just one voice or one political party in the United Kingdom when he stands in the halls of business, politics and commerce in the United States of America.”
“They will have to try to project the politics of Northern Ireland to the United States of America. <BR /> <BR />The Secretary of State has perhaps acted in some haste in respect of this. He has perhaps acted injudiciously by not consulting the Northern Ireland Executive or the Assembly. The appointment has been made, like many that the UK Government make, with little transparency or openness, yet that Government rightly require the Assembly and legislature in Northern Ireland to be very open and transparent in all our public appointments.”
“The Alliance Party is not opposed to the appointment. The Secretary of State is, of course, free to do as he pleases within the confines of his role as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. However, we should express some surprise and concern that there has been no consultation with the Northern Ireland Executive with regard to a very sensitive and perhaps even quite challenging and difficult role for anyone to play in representing Northern Ireland on the big international stage of the United States of America. The individual will have to work very hard with the Northern Ireland bureau to represent Invest Northern Ireland, to represent the political views of this Chamber — we have heard today how difficult and diverse they are — and to be the voice from Northern Ireland that can be respected in the United States.”
“I want to comment on that particular issue with the Model Primary School. When travelling to my constituency office in Carrick, I strictly observe the 20 mph signs that are there to replace the patrol person, but I am constantly passed by other cars every time I make that journey.”
“While the credit goes to them, the poor marks have to go to the Department of Education for the way in which it looks after its estate. I encourage the Minister to grasp the problem for the school estate across East Antrim, work with school principals and school boards of governors and help us deliver the education facilities that our young people deserve going into this century.”
“I am pleased that the matter is progressing to seek planning permission, but we need to know when it will move beyond that point to the actual contract to build. People have been waiting some 10 years for that. <BR /> <BR />We should also look to some of the successes in East Antrim. For example, the wonderful new build at Corran Integrated Primary School provides a modern and spacious school environment for the children who attend it. I hope that that success can be replicated in many more schools in the school estate across East Antrim. <BR /> <BR />We have to invest in our school estate. Children, teachers and staff deserve much better than what has been provided. It is a great credit to the staff and the pupils who work and are educated in those buildings in East Antrim.”
“<BR /> <BR />Moving to the other end of East Antrim, St Killian's College in Larne is in a beautiful historical building that is no longer fit for purpose and, again, is crying out for a new building. It is facing many of the same problems, but one of the major problems that it faces is access to the internet: it has to rely on a microwave link. Let us hope that Project Stratum will at least help in that respect. <BR /> <BR />I would be grateful if the Minister could advise how he is working with the schools across East Antrim to develop the school sites and school buildings and ensure that they have 21st century facilities like high-speed broadband. I also note my concern at the very slow pace of the building in Islandmagee, which Members have made reference to. Again, I have been involved in a number of the meetings on that.”
“It was a school that was built for 200 pupils but today has over 400. There is no space for a library or for parking, and it is wholly inadequate for the traffic mayhem in the mornings around the school. I am hopeful that things will move forward for Greenisland Primary School following the allocation of school enhancement programme funding. However, I hope that the Minister will confirm that the Department will endeavour to move those projects along at speed and get the school up to a standard quickly. <BR /> <BR />In addition, reference has been made to Whiteabbey Primary School, which is of the same vintage and has broadly similar problems. Monkstown Community School and Newtownabbey Community High School had the promise of a new school building when they merged, but nothing has materialised there either.”
“Thank you. I totally agree with Mr Beggs's comment. For example, it is great to see a new 3G pitch being built at the school, but how do you get changed to use those facilities and how do you shower afterwards? That is part of the problem and the conundrum. <BR /> <BR />We need to value our children and their education and provide a great deal more for them. It is not just secondary schools. For a number of years, I have been working with the Education Authority and the Department to address the unacceptable state, which Members have recognised, of Greenisland Primary School. I have visited the school on a number of occasions — in fact, it is the school that I started my education in — and its list of problems is endless and very similar to Larne High School: damp classrooms, inadequate toilet facilities and a severe lack of daylight.”
“I am highly impressed by the work that goes on in that school, but it happens in conditions that are literally unacceptable and, in many cases, may be described as Third World. Today, I posted photographs of the school on my website so that the Department and the public can see the circumstances and facilities in which the principal and staff have to work and teach. It is a building that goes back to the 1950s. There is damp and water damage across the school building, as well as missing parts of ceilings, leaks, missing floor tiles, electric sockets that cannot be used because water pours into them, a gymnasium that is not fit for purpose and changing facilities that have to be shared by both sexes because the male changing rooms were closed a number of years ago as they were not fit for purpose.”
“I appreciate Mr Lyons bringing this debate; it is an important one. <BR /> <BR />First of all, I associate myself with his opening remarks with regards to our colleague David Hilditch, and I wish David very well in the treatment that he is going to have. David and I go back many years on Carrickfergus Borough Council, and I count him as a good friend. <BR /> <BR />Like all the Members in the Chamber today, I have been in touch with many of the schools across the constituency. To be truthful, we all have and will continue to express very serious concerns about the dilapidated state of many of our schools. Simply, it is not an acceptable situation. Pupils in East Antrim deserve much better from the Department, from the Executive and from the Assembly. <BR /> <BR />Just two weeks ago, like others, I was invited to visit Larne High School.”
“This will be a very brief intervention. I wholly appreciate and thank Mr Lyons for securing the debate. <BR /> <BR />On Carrickfergus Academy, in particular, it is not only a split site but the two sites are on opposite sides of the town. Staff not only travel between the two schools, which sounds very easy, but taxi between the two schools to meet the teaching timetable. That situation is untenable.”
“Let us work together to institute a green new deal for Northern Ireland. Let us seize the opportunity of being at the cutting edge of a green new deal.”
“The Alliance Party's green deal will tackle these issues head-on by regulating the gig economy and instituting an employment rights framework for the 2020s, not the 1990s. This will include stronger reporting requirements for gender and ethnicity, and it will ensure that our labour market is inclusive and fair. Government must act now to invest in our people —.”
“Far too many people are being left without basic income security, many of them going to work when ill because they simply cannot afford to stay at home on the unacceptably low statutory sick pay provision. Discrimination in employment also continues to be a serious issue. Homeworking has taken off in a way that no one in January 2020 could have envisaged, yet, we see the pernicious use of fire and rehire tactics to worsen the terms and conditions and pay of employees. <BR /> <BR />I speak for all when I express my thanks to those working in the care sector for their compassion and tireless work during the pandemic. I did not stand up and clap for a 1% pay rise for our NHS workers. They deserve what they deserve.”
“A major task before us is to decarbonise our entire energy landscape. Homes and buildings across Northern Ireland will need to be retrofitted with high-quality insulation and new high-efficiency heating systems that deliver affordable warmth and eliminate the social ill of fuel poverty for ever, which is a key priority in the Alliance Party's green new deal. To ensure a stable and secure energy supply, new generation and transmission capacity will need to be developed, and major technical challenges will need to be overcome. <BR /> <BR />To thrive, people need secure and fair employment. The last year has shown us how the system of employment rights is not meeting the needs of today's society.”
“Lifelong learning and easy access to education must be a central plank in how we move forward. That includes tackling problems of affordability, flexible working and the lack of affordable childcare. The Alliance Party's green new deal would deliver a much-needed skills strategy to tackle the skills gap in Northern Ireland and ensure that everyone has a skill to take advantage of future opportunities. We want specific green apprenticeships. We urgently need these new skills.”
“However, we need the right regulatory framework in place in order to prioritise investment in research and development and to market Northern Ireland chiefly through organisations like Invest NI. We should be striving to make Northern Ireland a green economy hub for the whole of Europe. <BR /> <BR />We need to take action to ensure that everyone benefits from the potential of the green economy and that we move away from carbon-intensive industries. It must not be like the deindustrialisation of the '70s and '80s, which crippled the community that I come from in Carrickfergus when we lost Courtaulds, immediately followed by ICI. We must break the pernicious cycle of underachievement in Northern Ireland with meaningful and comprehensive interventions in education and skills.”
“My Alliance Party colleague John Blair already set out that a green new deal is essential in order to move towards a better future for everyone in a just and inclusive manner. There are some parties in the Chamber that talk the talk, but they also need to walk the walk in a coherent and united manner. <BR /> <BR />Last month, we in the Alliance Party published our green new deal document to outline how we, as a society, can do just that for our economy and our environment. Building a green economy offers Northern Ireland major opportunities to lead the world and to attract major investment and tens of thousands of sustainable jobs into Northern Ireland. We have the resources to build that with our young, educated workforce, our abundant potential for clean energy and our strong telecommunications network.”
“We are, indeed, at what might be described as a pivot point in our history. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown how our economy is not working as it should. Too many people are in insecure and poorly paid jobs, with few opportunities to retrain. The economy inequality gap is growing. The pandemic has also shown us that things can be done fundamentally differently and that many of the old orthodoxies, such as the clear failure that is austerity, can and should be cast aside. <BR /> <BR />We need to change how we live and work in order to avoid another major crisis. However, another major crisis is facing us, and that is the climate emergency. We have to transition to a zero-carbon economy not only to save our planet but to secure and improve quality of life for us and, even more importantly, future generations.”
“Minister, one of the other health inequalities is the outcomes for screening. Screening is so important for a wide range of illnesses and diseases, yet the communities that you made reference to are the ones where there is the least amount of screening take-up. What is your Department doing to encourage take-up of screening services?”
“I thank the Minister for his last few words, when he said that he cannot fix this issue on his own and that it lies between the UK Government and the EU to resolve these matters. I value the intervention of the Department of Health and the Minister on these matters, but the words that the Minister used today are important in acknowledging that we need to work on solutions and that those solutions are achievable between the UK Government and the EU.”
“— Mr Allister is completely and utterly wrong in his statements in the House.”
“On a point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker. As a person who is suffering from cancer, I take great offence at being told that my vote today may deliver death to people in Northern Ireland. I trust that the Minister of Health will explain exactly what the situation is with life-saving cancer drugs in Northern Ireland. He has a duty and an obligation to explain that and to say that —”
“They are also trying to blame others. I look forward to hearing the Health Minister's practical and workable solutions, and I want to hear what he has to say about his engagement to deliver that for Northern Ireland.”
“People are tying themselves in knots, trying to reconcile the fact that they supported a hard Brexit and all the complications that, they were warned, it would bring to Northern Ireland.”
“We should give them space to support that happening, not trying to undermine that work by scaremongering. We need to support businesses to help them seek stability and reduce frictions. The reality is that the protocol is here to stay. Even Mr Stalford, who engaged with me earlier in the debate, told 'The Nolan Show' that it could be here to stay. Those were his words. <BR /> <BR />The UK Government have decided that a hard Brexit for the rest of the UK is worth it, so what is the alternative to the DUP proposal? Brexit and the protocol were not the outcomes that my party wanted. Clearly, the backstop, which was vetoed by the DUP, would have provided a much better outcome, but the DUP sank that, which is something that they should reflect on.”
“I want to hear in detail what engagement he has had and what practical activities he has undertaken with the Joint Committee to resolve these problems. There is one person in the room who can tell us exactly what is going on. I do not believe that he will scaremonger; hopefully, he will set out some of the practicalities that he and his Department have been working on to resolve the issues. <BR /> <BR />Perhaps a trusted trader scheme could be a solution, as medicines do not normally go directly to patients but are prescribed. Essentially, I see no risk of medicines ending up outside Northern Ireland after arriving from the other parts of the United Kingdom. On wider customs issues, the UK Government have invested in the UK Trader Support Service to reduce friction and manage red tape. Businesses are already managing mitigations.”
“As many have mentioned, the vast majority of medicines into Northern Ireland come from Great Britain, but the fact is that many of them are manufactured in the EU. The grace period on the implementation of rules around medicines imported from the single market has been welcome and should be given more space. However, we must keep medicines flowing long-term. That is in everyone's interest. I believe and have confidence that the UK Government, sitting down with its partners in the EU, will be able to achieve that. <BR /> <BR />What will not resolve the problem is continued blatant scaremongering. As local representatives, we should engage in good faith and constructively to achieve that resolution. I am delighted that the Health Minister is here to listen to the debate.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Alliance Party was first among the parties to engage with the Cabinet Office to find solutions to the protocol. Our North Down MP, Stephen Farry, our Brexit spokesperson, has been engaged extensively on this since the election in 2019. He has been engaging directly with the UK Government, highlighting the issues for the people of Northern Ireland but, crucially and importantly, working on solutions. Dr Farry was one of the very first to float, for example, the UK-EU veterinary agreement to ease Brexit friction across the Irish Sea — an idea that has gained considerable traction across the political landscape, even among DUP Ministers. Dr Farry was one of the first to highlight the potential problems that we might see with medicines in Northern Ireland when the grace period drew to a close.”
“I oppose the motion, because the Alliance Party did not want the protocol. It is not our protocol; it is the DUP's protocol. We know why that protocol came about. It is the responsibility of a party that chose extreme Brexit, and that is where we are. However, we are a pragmatic party when it comes to issues such as those in the motion. We want to highlight the solutions. Others have been talking about solutions. This has been a debate of two halves: those who are not interested in solutions and those who are interested in promoting solutions. I am clearly on the side of wishing to promote a solution to the problem that we have had and that is set out in the motion. The motion totally fails to outline a meaningful course of action. Furthermore, it fails to set out any realistic way of addressing the problems and issues that we face.”
“The act of belligerence against Northern Ireland, if there was one at all, surely happened when the DUP sat down, wrecked Mrs May's decisions and decided to follow the hardest of hard Brexits under the current Prime Minister.”
“Thank you very much, First Minister, on behalf of travel agents who will benefit from the scheme. It is much-needed support. We recognise the value of travel agents to the economy of Northern Ireland. Their counterparts in the rest of the UK will be using the NHS app to prove that their clients have received the vaccination. The NHS app is not available to travel agents in Northern Ireland, yet most of their bookings are done on a UK-wide basis. If an online app is not available in Northern Ireland, what alternative is there to provide that information from citizens who wish to travel?”
“Thank you for your answers, Minister, and thank you, Mr Nesbitt, for tabling the question. Minister, you met ExcludedNI. Since that time, sterling work has been done in the background between it and many of the organisations and schemes that you have been working with and through. Do you have further plans to support the events and wedding industry in Northern Ireland as we emerge from the COVID pandemic? How will they fit into your recovery plans?”
“Minister, you are echoing the words of the Ulster Farmers' Union and its rationale behind wishing to scrap the Agricultural Wages Board. You have cited a range of types of employment, but all of them have well-developed, collective bargaining and other negotiating arrangements for pay. The agriculture sector is not heavily trade unionised, and many of its people live in rural, diverse and widely spaced out communities. You should therefore reflect on the matter and join the trade union movement in suggesting that we need to retain the Agricultural Wages Board for the reasons that I have outlined. It concerns a group of people for whom there are little or no collective bargaining arrangements in place.”