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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“The shop window might have all the stainless steel and brewing equipment and, perhaps, the smell of the product coming into the street, just like a bakery. That may very well encourage people to come inside and partake of the offer. <BR /> <BR />Alliance agrees with many pubs and clubs that the situation where taprooms can use occasional licences is not ideal, and that needs to change. That is why we believe that local producers need their own licence to ensure that all the regulations and requirements for selling alcoholic produce can be monitored and measured. We very much appreciate the need to control the sale of alcohol, but this is just doing it for another group of people who want to sell their product in a different way.”
“I totally agree. What we are trying to achieve, Minister, is to allow publicans, other businesses and those who are dedicated just to the sale of their individual product to be able to do that and boost the tourism and business offering in our small towns and villages across Northern Ireland. Large-scale breweries require infrastructure that would make it very difficult for them to open in our towns or cities. The planning processes designed to allow them tend to be in industrial estates. What we are trying to achieve, by a change in the legislation and a change in direction of the legislation, is to allow small microbreweries to develop in their own right and, indeed, publicans to develop them inside their own businesses.”
“Large breweries are, generally, located in industrial estates and are primarily manufacturing companies. That certainly is the case in Northern Ireland. The experience is completely different from sitting in the comfort of a village, town or city pub where the beer might even be brewed on the premises. That is the concept that we are trying to get over: the comfort of being able to do in-house brewing for people to sit in the premises where the beer or other products are produced.”
“The Alliance Party is very supportive of an amendment to allow a producer's licence to be added to the legislation. Those changes would be very welcome in our towns and cities, with the addition of microbreweries and similar clear opportunities for tourism, as is the case in many parts of the rest of the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and other parts of the world. <BR /> <BR />Allowing breweries or distilleries to sell their own products does not constitute a quasi-pub. Taprooms are the norm across the world where visitors to breweries can relax and build a connection with the brand, without having to limit their stay to a small sample after a tour. Given that local breweries only wish to sell their own products, this is not competing with the pub that can sell a wide range of products.”
“I thank the Minister for bringing forward the Licensing and Registration of Clubs (Amendment) Bill. I seriously hope that the Bill will progress into legislation during the lifetime of this Assembly. <BR /> <BR />The legislation builds on previous legislation that was brought forward by my former Assembly colleague Judith Cochrane, when she introduced a private Member's Bill permitting the sale of alcohol in large stadia. Many of the things that you are moving on to in this Bill are things that she had hoped to incorporate in that Bill, but time was against her. <BR /> <BR />I support various parts of the Bill, and I want to ask the Minister whether she will consider amending it to enable local producers to sell their products on their own premises.”
“Thank you, Minister, for coming to the House today. Have you had any communication with the Economy Minister to work out what might happen to those who were made redundant at the end of the furlough period but who, because of the extension, might now take advantage of the further furlough period? I understand that your counterpart in London refused to answer that question today, but it is a very serious question. People need to know whether they can extend their furlough period and rescind their redundancy notice at this time, because that has the potential to knock people into a further year of redundancy rights.”
“I thank the Minister for coming to the House today and answering the question. She will appreciate that many people are very angry about the scale of the payments that were made erroneously, and there will be others who will thank her for ripping up the rule book. However, when she ripped up the rule book, did she include a very clear statement in those rules that said that money would be recouped from anybody who attempts to defraud the scheme or is paid erroneously and that she would have the power to do that recoupment?”
“I appreciate the extent of the Minister's programme, but does she agree that reform of the committal process is a critical part of speeding up justice in Northern Ireland and that that has been reflected upon by Criminal Justice Inspection, the Northern Ireland Audit Office and Mr John Gillen in his report on serious sexual offences?”
“<BR /> <BR />I look forward to the October monitoring round, which has been delayed, and hope that we see a bolder set of bids from the Department for interventions, with assurances that such money can be spent wisely. We cannot return funds to Treasury when individuals and businesses are in such dire need of support.”
“Meanwhile, disability employment organisations are also entirely funded by the European social fund, yet today they are unable to plan for the future due to a complete lack of information. I want to see a plan from the Department of Finance and the Department for the Economy on how we are going to avoid a cliff edge for those groups and many like them. <BR /> <BR />I mentioned the previously unseen levels of public expenditure for Northern Ireland. It is necessary that we spend wisely and strategically, and look forward and towards our recovery. What we need from our Executive is an endorsed economic recovery strategy to incorporate the interventions made by the Department for the Economy in particular.”
“I understand that the funding for Northern Ireland Screen has now been regularised with the legislation that was passed in the Chamber only a few weeks ago. I also think that it is important to reference the royal naval maritime museum, which has responsibility for HMS Caroline, along with the Department for the Economy. The issues there need to be regularised as quickly as possible not only for the staff but for the venture in particular as it goes forward. <BR /> <BR />I will also make a specific point about European structural funds, which represent a considerable source of funding to the Department. In late 2020, however, we still await specifics on how those will be replaced.”
“<BR /> <BR />There are challenges in spending money, which are ongoing, but I understand that the challenges in accruing resources for the year are due to the unusual set of circumstances, which have altered demand and consumption. There is, perhaps, a perception that this would pick up later on in this part of the year. However, with the disruption being so prolonged and severe, I think that we all have serious concerns. Will the Finance Minister comment on how such things have been built into his Estimates? <BR /> <BR />I note that there are two elements of spending by the Department for the Economy that are under the sole authority of the Budget Act. Northern Ireland Screen is to receive £14·6 million, and there is a £450,000 payment for HMS Caroline.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Department for the Economy needs to be more confident in moving forward. We cannot have people being unfairly left out with underspends and missed opportunities because we are not seeing clear bids that are linked to a comprehensive economic strategy. Nonetheless, I understand that the sums have been vast this year, and we should not lose sight of the fact that public money has to be spent wisely. Of course, the Department for the Economy has had a difficult first few years in taking on the challenges of its predecessor. We see a reminder of that in the Statement of Excesses. RHI, with an excess of £27 million for 2016-17, is also a reminder that the Assembly has a fair amount to do to resolve the problems of the last three years of failure, given the absence that that caused.”
“Perhaps the debate will be a further prompt for her to do so. The Department is, understandably, given its past reputation, risk-averse, but there has to be a means of delivering interventions while ensuring that public money is being spent wisely. <BR /> <BR />Perhaps helping those who have been left out would require access to what appears to be a difficulty, which is HMRC data. That would be of considerable assistance not only to the Department of Finance but to the Department for the Economy in delivering small, sharp and fast financial interventions. It has been achieved in Wales, so why can it not be achieved here in Northern Ireland? I recognise that the situation is different in Scotland, as they have tax-raising powers and, therefore, have more access to HMRC data than we do in Northern Ireland.”
“As such, it has seen huge amounts of money flow through it over the last number of months, with some £450 million in additional funds, and it has a net resource requirement for this year that is about 30% higher than last year's. <BR /> <BR />For the most part, the Department for the Economy has, I have to admit, coped well with delivering funds to those that need them. The biggest single intervention has been the £10,000 small business grant, and that is at £246 million. However, unfortunately, there are still those businesses, including individual businesses, that have gone without support. We need to find funds to support those that have been excluded. I note that the Finance Minister gave indications that he will be receptive to bids on that front, but I understand that it requires a bid from the Economy Minister.”
“We still do not have a full picture of what financial room and flexibility Northern Ireland will have over the remainder of this financial year and beyond, and we await a spending review from Westminster. <BR /> <BR />We need a recognition that austerity has failed, and that should be very clear to our Finance Minister and to our whole Executive. It is not the way forward, so I hope that the Finance Minister will see flexibility and will be asked to allow Northern Ireland to spend its allocation where pressures arise. <BR /> <BR />The Department for the Economy has, like the Department of Health, been on the front line of the COVID-19 response.”
“I support the motion. I will make some brief comments about the Committee of which I am a member: the Economy Committee. <BR />By anybody's book, this has been a very difficult year for the Assembly and the Executive. We have certainly had some difficult times in the past, but none has been so severe in its challenge to our health, wealth and well-being over such a concentrated period. As a result, and given the incredibly fast pace of events during 2020, we have seen the Main Estimates being laid much later than would otherwise be the case. <BR /> <BR />The amount of money that has been spent over the past few months is unprecedented. More than £2·2 billion extra has been allocated to Northern Ireland by the Treasury to respond to the health emergency and to support individuals and businesses.”
“Thank you, First Minister, for your statement. You will not find the Alliance Party disagreeing with you when you say that the public health message must be the first message and our first priority. However, there are businesses across Northern Ireland that will be hurting today. There will be businesses that will be making very difficult decisions about not just the support that the Executive will give them but whether there is a future for them. Can you assure businesses across Northern Ireland that urgent action will be taken to set out clear support for them?”
“Our energy sources will likely need to be different and involve clean generation, and I would like to hear more about other initiatives that the Department is taking with regard to them, specifically hydrogen, as I believe that a bid was put to the Executive in respect of that. <BR /> <BR />I hope that the Minister can outline how we can ban fracking and petroleum exploration, put it behind us for ever and market Northern Ireland as a green energy leader for a better, cleaner future and to assist with our economic recovery.”
“England tried to promote the practice, but shale gas exploration led to earthquakes, amongst other concerns. It is important that we draw this to a close now, banning the practice altogether. The risks are too high for any potential benefits, not least as we move towards a post-fossil-fuel era. The Minister informed us yesterday — I take some hope from this — that the system for licensing is old and that a greener, cleaner, more sustainable economy is what she wants for Northern Ireland. It is what, I believe, we all want for Northern Ireland. The Minister is right: that is the way forward, so let us leave fossil fuels in the ground. The future will be bright only if it is green and clean.”
“<BR /> <BR />What I believe to have precipitated this debate is a move by the Economy Minister to commission research into the economic, societal and environmental impacts of onshore petroleum exploration and production in Northern Ireland. Many in the Chamber will have been contacted by concerned and distressed residents in County Fermanagh. Many believe that this is a precursor to proceeding with fracking in the area by producing research that promotes exploration and may make it more difficult to turn down future applications. The Minister, regardless of her research, needs to stop this. She needs to look properly at what the implications are and could be and at how she can ensure that we do not see fracking or petroleum exploration in County Fermanagh. <BR /> <BR />There is a ban or moratorium in all other parts of the British Isles.”
“It is for that reason and many others that I welcome the Infrastructure Minister's announcement that exploration will now be subject to planning permission, putting a check at the very start of the process. The public need to have confidence that a strict process is in place. <BR /> <BR />Some people seem to be under the impression that oil exploration would flood Northern Ireland with investments and wealth, just like the TV show 'Dallas'. I am sure that our Minister for the Economy would not wish to be portrayed as a J R Ewing or a Sue Ellen. That is a very dated perception. Fossil fuels have had their day, and they are the fuels of the past. The Economy Minister is working on an energy strategy. She has indicated that she would expect at least 70% of our electricity to be renewably generated.”
“A multitude of assurances were given at the time, but, as we have seen in other countries where companies provide those assurances, the reality is very different. Ultimately, it is money, not the local community, that drives the business. Fortunately for the town and for Northern Ireland, no oil or gas was discovered, and the prospectors left, but what happened to the thousands of trees that were planted as a planning requirement to restore the area? They subsequently died, leaving the area barren. Furthermore, if oil had been found, I have no doubt that a full application for drilling would have been made and would have put the local environment in peril.”
“I also support the motion and commend Ms Woods and my Alliance colleagues for bringing it to the Chamber today. <BR /> <BR />A few years ago, the people of Carrickfergus in my East Antrim constituency faced the prospect of oil exploration at Woodburn Forest in the hills above the town. Local opposition was particularly strong, but exploration went ahead. It was, perhaps, one of the biggest issues in the Carrickfergus area, supported by many environmental activists. The key concern was how close the site was to the Woodburn reservoirs and the potential for the contamination of drinking water for the greater Belfast area. Unfortunately, at the moment, we have a similar threat to our environment in east Antrim with an application to store gas under Larne lough.”
“I genuinely appreciate what the Member said about the debates that have taken place; I said that in my speech. However, the amendment is about encouraging the United Kingdom Government and the EU to bring about a compromised agreement and to allow us to do exactly what Mr Beggs wants us to do: support our businesses and move forward.”
“I would just like to ask the Member a very simple question: whose fault is it that we have the protocol? It is here because we started out with your party's opposition to dragging us out of the European Union. It is as simple as that.”
“We must all ensure that a black market is not enabled to take advantage of the lack of trading arrangements, undermine our legitimate Northern Ireland businesses and, regrettably, fund organised crime. <BR /> <BR />I hope that Members will join us today in calling on the EU and the United Kingdom Government to reach a good outcome. I encourage Members to support our amendment.”
“Clearly, friction in trade will increase as a result of a hard Brexit. We should not allow this to increase division and tensions at a time when we are coming together to protect businesses and people in Northern Ireland. That is the purpose of what we are trying to achieve today. <BR /> <BR />These arrangements need to be in place well before the end of the year — time is running out — to give businesses certainty and to ensure a culture of compliance from day one. We must do all in our power to prevent a chaotic end to the transition period for Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland needs to be put on a clear legal footing for the future, with the lightest possible touch on checks to keep goods flowing across the British Isles as freely as possible. Businesses need certainty and stability, no matter what your view is on Brexit.”
“It is, however, within the power of the UK Government and the EU to call on those with the power over our futures to act in our best interests and to stop posturing.”
“Exporting dairy products, beef or eels to the Netherlands and France is a far more realistic and competitive situation for us than our exporting to New Zealand or Canada. Furthermore, the reality is that dairy products from New Zealand do not cross the EU multiple times before going to market, as we see here. <BR /> <BR />Brexit risks upsetting the Northern Ireland balance, but that has come about through the choices made by the United Kingdom Government to break away from the European Union in such a dramatic way, and one that was not even proposed in the referendum. Unfortunately, it is happening to us whether we like it or not. We have to make the best of it, and the protocol needs to be implemented.”
“Again, we need the UK and the EU to engage in good faith on that, and I believe that that is possible. <BR /> <BR />Northern Ireland has managed a compromise that may see us avoid the very worst effects of Brexit. It is not perfect, as compromises rarely are, but there is room here to make arrangements as light-touch as possible. The United Kingdom must seek the best possible arrangement for Northern Ireland, preferably a comprehensive zero-tariff, zero-quota trade agreement and not accept a no deal, which we are told would be a good outcome. Those who call for the UK just to walk away and accept a disastrous no deal need to realise that the issue will be worse than settled. The UK will need to continue to trade with our nearest neighbours. It is the hard reality of the geography that will intervene.”
“Clearly, the best and simplest solution to that is a mutual recognition agreement on medicines between the UK and the EU. <BR /> <BR />Then, of course, there is the goods-at-risk challenge on goods travelling from the UK that could end up in the EU. At present, the default is that all goods will be deemed to be at risk, with tariffs to be paid and then rebated if the goods end their journey in Northern Ireland. That could impact seriously on businesses and consumers. Of course, if the UK were to negotiate a favourable zero-tariff and zero-quota future relationship, that challenge would almost disappear. In the absence of the great deal that we were promised, a far-reaching set of exemptions is needed for Northern Ireland-destined goods in order to protect supply chains and consumers.”
“It is understandable that the European Union needs to take action to protect the single market and the customs union, even more so, given, regrettably, the bad faith shown by the United Kingdom Government. Ultimately, however, that is not required for the integrity of the EU single market or the customs union, so, with good faith and engagement between the parties, wide-ranging waivers could be possible. <BR /> <BR />On fisheries, fish landed in Northern Ireland is not covered by the protocol, but there is surely the potential, separate from the wider UK negotiations on fisheries with the EU, to include the issue in the protocol. Medicine supply chains flow through the UK generally. That presents us with issues of labelling and batch-testing, as those medicines will leave the EU and move into Northern Ireland.”
“The United Kingdom Government seem to have a perception that agreements do not need to be followed and that reality does not need to be acknowledged. The Government appear to be unable to reconcile their desired outcome with the world today. They are thus taking a chaotic and confusing approach to the negotiations, with contradictory and unrealistic aims. <BR /> <BR />We need to leave behind those manoeuvrings and negotiating tactics, however. Businesses need certainty in a very uncertain time, when a multitude of serious concerns still face us. We need good faith in both London and Brussels. There needs to be realism, because there must be definite room for a lighter touch on the implementation of the protocol. On export declarations, for example, there is potential for waivers for goods moving from Northern Ireland to GB.”
“We all appreciate that the protocol is not ideal. It is the outcome of the Government's desire to take the United Kingdom away from the EU. Many, especially here in Northern Ireland, would have viewed a softer Brexit, with the United Kingdom continuing within the single market and/or the customs union, as an appropriate way forward. Nonetheless, the protocol was agreed, and, in the context of such desired divergence, an election campaign was run on it, and Parliament passed it. I cannot accept the supposed aim that the Government are doing this for our own good: that is, that it is a safety net for the Good Friday Agreement. I do welcome the DUP's new-found support for the agreement nonetheless. <BR /> <BR />Rather, this intervention has the potential to undermine the Good Friday Agreement by putting the whole protocol at risk.”
“I also hope that this debate can be less acrimonious than some of the previous debates, one that can draw support from across the House.”
“<BR /> <BR />It is important to continue to acknowledge that much still needs to be defined by the United Kingdom Government and the EU on what the rules and requirements will be on the specific movement of goods across the United Kingdom and Ireland. That includes specific goods such as medicines and fishing and other issues that were raised by my colleague in her speech on the motion. <BR /> <BR />The power to implement such a light-touch, mutually beneficial, lower-friction system is entirely in the hands of the UK and EU. I really hope that all Members can join us and support the amendment, which calls on the EU and the United Kingdom to engage constructively to avoid an unnecessarily heavy burden on businesses and our community. Let us hope that someone in government, and in Brussels, is listening.”
“For the past number of weeks, we have been debating a range of motions on the same topic. The Alliance Party supported all of those motions to demonstrate its dismay at the United Kingdom Government's apparent willingness to break international law in the form of the provisions of the Internal Market Bill — a breach of law that they have freely admitted to. <BR /> <BR />In proposing our amendment, my colleague Mr Muir and I seek to make a constructive change to the motion to give it a more-specific direction and to seek greater clarity for the businesses and people who we in the Assembly are here to serve in such uncertain times.”
“Would the Minister eat chlorinated chicken or hormone-infested beef? Is that what he would recommend to his constituents should the United Kingdom lower its food standards?”
“Minister, what action is your Department taking to support employees who are either currently, or are likely to be very soon, banned from working, and what are you doing to address the knock-on effect on the supply-chain employees who will be equally affected?”
“Minister, can you tell the House what action you are taking with your departmental officials and local government to ensure that those who are unfortunate enough to have been made redundant are given adequate and full advice?”
“Minister, I am sure that you agree, as would every right-thinking person, that the sooner we end segregation and bring about the circumstances to end it, the better. That can be done only through tackling paramilitarism and other criminal activities like that in our communities. However, there are other issues that we need to deal with in order to deal with segregation in our community. We have segregation in education, housing, teacher training and other things. Some of those might be easier asks, but it is important that we all work together to end segregation in our prisons.”
“Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. <BR /> <BR />Minister, you had a meeting with the PPS about the situation. What assurances have you received that that error or errors like it will not reoccur?”
“For question number 13 or for a supplementary?”
“Sadly, I am not convinced that debating the same motion again and again will achieve any of that.”
“A no-deal outcome was never mentioned during the referendum, but now we are being told that it is a good outcome. For whom? Certainly not for the workers and businesses that I come into contact with in Northern Ireland. On top of the economic pain that we already face, it will just add further devastation. Ultimately, the UK Government can sort this by meeting their international obligations and striking a comprehensive trade deal with the European Union. <BR /> <BR />By any stretch of the imagination, 2020 has been and will be a tough year for everyone. People are worried about their income and their health, and businesses are on the edge. The deadline is galloping towards us. We need to build a better future with fewer barriers to trade, protecting people's lives and standards.”
“However, the United Kingdom Government agreed on a deal last year, and the Prime Minister ran a general election on it. If these issues were so central, why is it taking this long for the Government to take action on it? There is, of course, the state aid red herring, which ignores the reality that the United Kingdom agreed with Japan and that, in fact, that binds it to stricter state aid rules than those that the EU proposes. Now we have a situation where the UK's largest trading partner has launched legal action to enforce the agreement, all while the country seeks a comprehensive trade deal with it. <BR /> <BR />This is yet another self-inflicted wound. How can the United Kingdom go to other countries and seek new trade agreements when it openly breaks deals signed not even a year ago?”
“It is bad for business; it is bad for people's lives; and it will likely be bad for the international relations of the United Kingdom and its diplomatic influence around the world. We know that the protocol is not an ideal solution, but it is a response to the issues that a hard Brexit throws up. It is a compromise of a compromise; it is damage limitation. The original backstop would have offered much more and a more workable way forward for the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland, but that was rejected by some because it did not go far enough to depart us from the EU. Now the Government say that the provisions to override the protocol are just a safety net, supposedly to protect the Good Friday Agreement. If such changes were required, why were they not negotiated into the original agreement?”
“Perhaps, Mr Speaker, the party that tabled the motion could tell us what it is doing on the issue other than submitting motions to the Assembly. <BR /> <BR />I do not really want to stand here and, once again, rail at the United Kingdom Government just for the sake of it. I am genuinely disappointed about the path that the Government are taking and the damage that it is doing to our standing and reputation around the world, a comment that has been made by others in the Chamber. The provisions of the Internal Market Bill that enable the United Kingdom Government to override an international agreement are an embarrassment. They need a rethink urgently and, as the Bill moves to the Lords, perhaps we will see the shape of some changes to come. <BR /> <BR />At this point, we all need to accept that Brexit is a mess.”
“I rise to support the motion and to speak on the subject for what, I think, is certainly the third or — maybe Mr Aiken is right — fourth time in the past number of weeks. Brexit is a huge multifaceted issue, although I am not sure why we keep coming back to the same, specific point when the Assembly has already debated and voted on this. <BR /> <BR />I know that my colleague Dr Stephen Farry MP has been working hard to address these issues in Parliament by tabling amendments to the Internal Market Bill, as indeed have other Northern Ireland MPs.”