Oliver McMullan
East Antrim · Sinn Féin · Northern Ireland
“I thank the junior Minister for his answers so far. I draw his attention to paragraph 11 on the threats to ecosystems from invasive non-native species. I will bring the question of Lough Foyle into this and the unregulated fishing practices of fishermen bringing in seed mussels.”
“I am pleased to see that there was a discussion about farm safety at the meeting. Did Ministers give consideration to making IT packages more available to the farming community? I am looking at the farm business scheme that has just been launched here.”
“I thank the Minister for his answers so far. Can you, Minister, give me your Department's assessment of the harm that the culture of paramilitary activity and domination in parts of Carrick and Larne is having on the educational attainment of young people and children?”
“I thank the Member for giving way. The Member made a good point when he mentioned the Wild Atlantic Way. I ask the Minister to look at that. We need to bring it up here. The Atlantic does not stop at the border; the Wild Atlantic Way should not stop at the border either.”
“I thank the Minister for his answers so far. Minister, you are aware that, increasingly, there is a two-tier system in farming, with hill farming and lowland farming. Can you guarantee to the House that any strategy that is brought out will not affect the hill farmer and his unique way of farming?”
“Were there any talks at your meeting regarding the territorial powers of the Loughs Agency, with regard to the British Government and Irish Government giving it powers to license aquaculture on the Lough?”
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“Thank you. <BR /> <BR />I thank the Member for the intervention. I agree with you. Take my village of Cushendall. From nothing, we started up what is now recognised as one of the biggest festivals in Ireland. It goes for a full week. That was done by local people getting together and recognising that there was a product. People are now taking their holidays to coincide with the festival. That can be done anywhere if the will is there to do it.”
“Members, we must promote our domestic product as well as the international product. To be successful, the Assembly, along with the councils and tourist organisations, must work together to ensure that we maximise the tourist experience for the benefit of all the providers in East Antrim. Those providers are relying on us to get the product right; we must maximise the product that we have so that we attract more visitors to the area. The more visitors, the more spend, the more jobs, so we must involve the whole island of Ireland. We cannot be secular and look from here to England or anywhere else, because England is going to the South of Ireland as much as it is coming here. We must open up as an all-Ireland product. The potential is there if we just have the nerve —”
“We are part of that east coast of Ireland. Why can we not get that over the border? I ask the Minister to look at that. The Wild Atlantic Way should be connected to the Causeway coast and glens, right through the Giant's Causeway and round the island of Ireland. <BR /> <BR />The Member mentioned the A8. That A8 now connects the whole island of Ireland; it can now bring the visitor from as far away as Cork and Kerry right up to here on our motorways, right to our doorstep. We have the port of Larne sitting on our doorstep. We have all those things, but we do not seem to be able to get them out there and manage them. <BR /> <BR />Why should everything stop at the border? Let us try to bring the visitor to our east coast. It is the same with the Wild Atlantic Way; that must be brought in, too.”
“<BR /> <BR />Two of the biggest attractions not yet promoted here are the Wild Atlantic Way and Ireland's Ancient East. Those two trails have proven highly successful, but they are yet to be promoted here. Why? Because both of them stop at the border. Ireland's Ancient East has been remarkably successful; it promotes all the main sites to see on the east coast of Ireland. It comes the whole way up the east coast but stops.”
“Those destinations are just a few of the tourist sites, but they must be marketed and marketed properly. <BR /> <BR />Tourism NI, along with the two councils — Mid and East Antrim Borough Council and the Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council — must put a programme together. It is not that long ago that I contacted one of the two councils that I mentioned, and they still had not put their tourism strategy together, nor their tourism staff. Councils should have all of that in place, because tourism is our biggest earner. Putting all these programmes together must come with budgets. We must generate and increase visitor spend. If councils put their policies together, they must put their budgets together, because this cannot be landed on the Minister's office or the tourist organisations alone; we must do our bit as well.”
“Our tourist sector has the potential to attract increased investment — for instance, through the rural development programme — which will help to generate increased revenue and, ultimately, lead to an increase in jobs. <BR /> <BR />Our landscape and natural features are already on the world stage after events like the Giro d'Italia bike race, where the Antrim coast road was seen across the world. Who could ever forget that iconic scene of the horses racing across the beach in Carnlough following the cyclists? We never capitalised on that, which is our failure. If that had happened anywhere else, the scene would be used and used and used, but we did not use it. 'Game of Thrones' is now being filmed in Larne, Glenariff, the Antrim coast road, Carnlough, Glenarm and the caves in Cushendun.”
“Ireland is one of the most popular tourist destinations, and one of the must-see parts of any holiday is the Antrim coast road and glens. Other sites include Carrickfergus Castle, the Gobbins in Larne, Glenarm village, Cranny Falls in Carnlough, Glenariff forest park, the picturesque village of Cushendun and my own village of Cushendall, which is one of the most recognised places to call to and has one of the biggest festivals in Ireland with the Heart of the Glens festival. <BR /> <BR />Despite that immense beauty, those attractions are still not being promoted on an all-Ireland basis. The previous Member gave a very good overview, but not once did he mention the tourist product in the South of Ireland, which is vital to our economy and to tourism here.”
“Does the Member agree that this was granted under default because the 21-day term was not taken up, and we sat on our hands and let the application go through by default?”
“How can we do that? Today I am calling on our new Minister, Minister Hazzard — I thank him for being here — to repeal the part of section 16 of the permitted development for minimum exploration that deals with oil and gas and to say that any future applications by anybody to do an exploratory drill or to have anything to do with exploration for oil or gas should go through the full planning legislation and that a full environmental impact assessment should go with it. That is the only way we can ensure that we have control of our own planning service and that the multinationals do not dictate terms or anything that goes on. We must take back control of our Planning Service. I hope we get support for the motion.”
“Pardon me. <BR /> <BR />Today we have the chance to ensure that this debacle can never happen again. What can we do? The motion states that we call on:”
“As was seen in the papers, one of the heads of the Planning Service was quoted as asking the drilling company for advice on how to answer some of the questions that were laid down to the service. We have DOE taking the advice of the drilling company, so did the rest of the relevant agencies do the same? Is this where we have come to — the advice and word of the person who is applying for the licence was taken without the relevant agencies doing their own reports? I think those questions need to be asked.”
“He also failed to respond to the 21-day deadline to be notified of the plans. That meant that the permitted development rights were granted by default. Where else would you hear of that? When the public quite rightly asked questions, the council went into committee and there was nothing coming out. Nobody was telling the public anything at all. That is something I was shocked to learn. <BR /> <BR />Failure to respond to the deadline to be notified of the plans meant that the permitted development rights were granted by default. When the Department was asked why that happened, it stated that it, DOE, had already received sufficient information from the company and the relevant agencies back in December 2013. That I am shocked to learn — that DOE took advice from the drilling company and not from its own report.”
“The application clearly states that the licensee shall not carry out any work within or in close proximity to an ASSI without the prior written consent of the DOE. I wonder whether this happened, because if we really know this area, we will know that two of the reservoirs served by Woodburn's catchment area are in an ASSI. What were these people thinking of and what were those responsible for the paperwork for this programme thinking of? Why, you may ask, did DOE not insist on a full equality impact assessment? Basically, it is my belief that the then Minister, Minister Durkan, must have fallen asleep at the wheel. He wrote to Mid and East Antrim Borough Council telling it that it was responsible for removing the PDR, but why did his Department not take the lead?”
“On this occasion at Woodburn, when InfraStrata submitted its drilling plans in 2013, the opportunity to put this application into the full planning process along with a full environmental impact assessment was gravely missed. I wonder how it was missed. Was it intentional that it was missed, or was it just missed? <BR /> <BR />When you look at the DOE's own stipulation for drilling in an area with an area of special scientific interest (ASSI) designation, you will see that, before any proposed exploration the company must consult with the Northern Ireland Environment Agency and other relevant bodies.”
“Unfortunately, our licensing policy here does not apply that much-needed directive. This assessment, if applicable here, would allow the full examination of effects on things such as biodiversity, pollution, human health, flora and fauna, soil, water and air, to name but a few. As our planning policy stands at present, to hold a petroleum licence one has only to apply for permitted development rights (PDR) to carry out exploratory works. A full planning application is only necessary if the applicant is refused permitted development rights. One of the reasons for being refused is if your application needs a full environmental impact assessment.”
“<BR /> <BR />Given all the risks, it is hard to believe that a drilling licence was granted at all without the need for an environmental impact assessment report. At present, a licence application needs only to be accompanied by an environmental awareness statement, which is no more than a brief statement demonstrating the applicant's awareness of environmental issues, regulatory requirements and sensitivities related to drilling, exploration, development and production. In other words, Members, nothing even resembling a full, independent assessment is required. Basically, it is only a nod of the head or a wink of the eye and you are through. <BR /> <BR />Under the EU directive 2001/42, a strategic environmental assessment is meant to be carried out before petroleum licences are granted.”
“I ask Members to think how close to Woodburn reservoir this drilling operation is situated. It makes you wonder what people were thinking. <BR /> <BR />In the drilling process, highly toxic chemicals are combined with water to create a mixture that is pumped into the ground. This mixture comes back to the surface as a toxic mud, which carries contaminants such as radioactive materials. We also have air pollution from drilling, from gases such as benzene and methane. We will also have oil spills, waste management problems, noise, road damage and landscape impacts. Already they have cut away acres of trees and, according to the permitted development schedule, the council must give written consent for this to be done. I wonder whether that happened, because we have not seen anything from the councils at all.”
“Go raibh maith agat. The motion before us can go a long way in protecting our environment, water supply, tourism and communities. It is also a motion that will give the community the right to be consulted at all stages of an application and the right to express a view to all agencies involved. The granting of a drilling licence without a mandatory environmental impact assessment not only is a major flaw in our planning system but fails to protect the communities and the wider public. Members, let us not fool ourselves: activities such as gas and oil exploration are not without real and serious environmental risks and problems, such as water and soil pollution.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle. During this mandate, many visitors and Members have commented on the heat in the Building and in the offices, as the Member mentioned. Can the Member tell me the cost of heating the Building each year during this mandate?”
“Go raibh maith agat. Many people across the North, including people in rural areas, live in private rented or social housing that has little or no insulation. What strategy does the Department have to deal with that serious issue?”
“Go raibh maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle. First, I commend the Minister on her time in office. Does the Minister agree that an extension of the railway system to Belfast International Airport would be not only a boost to the long-term sustainability of the airport but a great attraction for service users?”
“Will the Minister assure me that that report will be published on its completion?”
“Does the Minister agree that targets relating to regional opportunities need to be incorporated into Invest NI's new push for foreign direct investment?”
“Another way of looking at it is that nearly an all-Ireland approach has been taken, because, as well as this Bill, there is a similar Bill in Leinster House. All round, it is a historic day. <BR /> <BR />I finish by thanking Stella and all her staff — they have been really good — and the Chair of the Committee for the way in which he conducted business. I end by once again commending the Minister for putting the measure through. She said from day one that the rural dweller would be listened to and adhered to. She has done that today with the Rural Needs Bill. Go raibh maith agat.”
“Hopefully, the Bill will do away with that, because the onus is now on local authorities to have due regard to the rural dweller when developing their policies, looking at rates and setting money aside to develop sports facilities etc. In that respect, this is a historic day. <BR /> <BR />It costs more money to live in a rural area than it does to live in an urban one. In some cases, it costs nearly £60 a week more to be a rural dweller. The Bill before us puts us all on an equal footing. This is more about equality than anything else, because now we are on an equal footing with urban dwellers. I want to let everybody know the enormity of what has happened today. We are the first region in Europe to introduce this.”
“I do not intend to speak for long, because most of what I would say has been said already. This is a historic day for the Assembly. We have been looking for the Final Stage of the Rural Needs Bill for quite a number of years. I congratulate and commend the Minister, Michelle O'Neill, for bringing the Bill forward. <BR /> <BR />Rural dwellers — I am one of them — have for a long time been underestimated in their own communities. I served for nearly 20 years as a councillor for a rural area. Year in, year out, it was a fighting match year at rates meetings to get the right money set aside for facilities in rural areas.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. Mr Ross, I did not explain it too well at the start; my apologies. I am talking about the first responders scheme. Those people are trained under and have to work to very rigorous guidelines set down by the Ambulance Service. The Member is right: there is one in the glens of Antrim, and I think that there is one in Islandmagee. They are spread around, and they work with manual defibrillators and the kiosks outside. I am talking about the first responders who work under the guidelines of the Ambulance Service.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. The Member talks about protection for those in the Ambulance Service. Will that take in those who are trained to work with defibrillators?”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. I thank the Minister for her answers. Can she be sure that rugby is being developed at all grass-roots levels across the North?”
“This will allow training to start as soon as they are ready, as long as it is before June 2018.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Phríomh-LeasCheann Comhairle. I support all the amendments that have been tabled by the Minister. As she said, they are mostly technical in nature. Therefore, I do not need to go into the detail of any of them, as they have already been adequately explained by the Minister. <BR /> <BR />I will make one brief comment on amendment No 7. We all want to see the Bill and its duties put in place as soon as possible. It is vital that we get it right from the start, given that the bodies have been added at a late stage. It is important to ensure that the proper training and guidance is in place. It will allow the bodies listed to have the proper arrangements when they go ahead. With that in mind, the Minister has referred to a date no later than June 2018.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle. Does the Minister share the concerns of the protesters who are currently protesting against oil exploration at Woodburn forest in Carrickfergus?”
“I thank the Minister for that answer. The housing stock has not improved in the last 15 or 20 years in the Antrim coast and glens area. Will you look into that because we keep coming up with the only two sites in the whole area, which are not available, and other sites that are? I would be only too happy to have a meeting with you to discuss it. Go raibh maith agat.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. One of the provisions in the Bill is that any fisheries infractions can now be dealt with through proper administrative penalties. The Bill will see the fishing powers here brought on a par with those already in place. <BR /> <BR />Given that the Bill was introduced late, it is worth noting how it was dealt with. I take the opportunity to thank Stella and her staff for all their diligent work, and I thank the Committee for its scrutiny of the Bill. Finally, I thank the Minister, Michelle O'Neill, for her support and help. The Bill will give protection to not only our fish stocks but our marine environment. We in Sinn Féin support the Minister taking forward the urgent parts of the Bill.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. Will the Minister outline the number of groups that work with people who have disabilities and special needs and which have been successful in applying to the assets recovery community scheme?”
“Go raibh maith agat. How will any review or evaluation of the Delivering Social Change programme help to inform any new Programme for Government process?”
“My colleague Mr Milne will come back on that. <BR /> <BR />I ask the Assembly to keep it in mind that we must unite on the Bill. We cannot use it as a form of politics in any way. Go raibh maith agat.”
“Whilst recognising the good intentions of Mrs Dobson and Mr Swann in their attempt to strengthen the Bill, Sinn Féin will oppose UUP amendment Nos 6, 7, 9 and 11. The reasons for that will be explained by my colleague Mr Milne. As I said, the Bill should unite the Assembly.”
“<BR /> <BR />Young people from rural areas who are on benefits are made to travel 18 and 20 miles to sign on. They have to take public transport to do that, which comes out of their benefits. There is a raft of examples like that. Even for those who are disabled, we have very little in our local areas. Everything is centralised. The centralisation of services and sporting facilities means that we have to travel. The disability group in my area has to travel 42 miles, and those who have been chosen for the Special Olympics team have to travel a 75-mile round trip just to train. <BR /> <BR />Sinn Féin will support all of the Agriculture and Rural Development Committee's amendments. Also, we will support Michelle O'Neill's amendments.”
“<BR /> <BR />In all of the consultations, there were no objections from anyone or any public body. There were times when people questioned different aspects of the proposed Bill, but when the issues were all teased out, there was genuine support for the Bill. <BR /> <BR />The Bill should unite the Assembly. We are putting together a framework that will see better regulation of government funding and public services and will give a better quality of life to those who choose to live in a rural environment. That is something that we have looked for for years. I said earlier that it is more expensive to live in a rural area than an urban area, and that is borne out by all the costs. If anybody wants to question that, you can answer them quite well.”
“It was informed by the public meetings that we had, not only the ones that we had at the Assembly but those that my party had publicly over the last two years. <BR /> <BR />We had coming before the Committee representatives of public bodies, such as the Rural Community Network, NILGA, SOLACE, the Ulster Farmers' Union and NIAPA to name but a few. Those are people who are at the coalface of rural life and know what it is like to make a living and live every day with the cuts to budgets and with austerity. Those are the people who took the stories to us, and we have to be thankful to each and every one who came to the Committee to give that information and to the people who made written submissions. Those people cannot be thanked enough. Their knowledge and support for the Rural Needs Bill is very clear; it is something that is needed.”
“As a result, the Rural Needs Bill was introduced in the Assembly on 9 November 2015. It completed its Second Stage on 17 November 2015 and was referred to the Agriculture and Rural Development Committee. The Committee Stage was finished, and the Committee ordered its report to be printed at its meeting on Tuesday 26 January 2016. <BR /> <BR />The content of the Bill was framed by the information that was given by the public at all the public meetings, in the written submissions and by the representatives of public bodies who came to give evidence at the Committee. So, nobody can say that the consultation or the Bill was framed by one party or two parties; it was framed around the public.”
“The Agriculture and Rural Development Minister, Michelle O'Neill, introduced a public consultation on the proposed Bill for the introduction of rural-proofing legislation. Between February and March 2015, nine public consultation meetings were held across the North of Ireland in key areas. There were written responses, and representatives of public bodies and individuals came before the Committee to give their views.”
“Since then, DARD has played a key role in supporting rural proofing actively across the Executive. In 2005, DARD commissioned a study of rural policy. The final report highlighted:”
“We continue to lose more and more of our young people to emigration, either out of the country or to the cities, due to the lack of continuous employment, suitable public transport or suitable inward investment. One of the biggest drivers of our rural life going into the future will be the new councils. They now have powers over planning, community well-being and community plans. Councils must now put rural proofing in their future plans and policies. Indeed, councils have, in the consultation, supported the proposed Bill. <BR /> <BR />The Executive adopted rural proofing in their second Programme for Government in 2002, including a commitment to:”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. A key concern for many of our rural stakeholder organisations over the years has been the sustainability of our rural communities. We have witnessed, on a continual basis, the pressures on our public finances, which have put this issue centre stage. There is a growing sense of concern in rural communities that further potential cuts or reductions in services could end up having a disproportionate effect on those communities and how they are serviced. <BR /> <BR />At present, the cost of living in the countryside is much higher than in urban areas. Wages, travel to work, fuel, house prices, rates and some of the planning laws are just a few of the issues that continue to stifle rural life on a weekly basis.”
“I thank the Minister for her detailed report. What benefits does she expect from the new formalised arrangements on dairy products certification?”
“Go raibh maith agat. Minster, you mentioned that you had secured a 24% increase of haddock despite the Commission recommending a 59% cut. What will this mean for the industry?”
“<BR /> <BR />In finishing, I say to the Minister that, within my area of east Antrim, we have the lowest per capita investment from Invest NI in any of the programmes for small to medium-sized enterprises, some of which are aligned to the farming industry. That needs to be worked at. We are short of social housing. A lot of initiatives were taken through the TRPSI programme. If anybody needs any information on rural deprivation, the MARA project has it sitting there. I ask the Minister to ask his Department to look at that because it could save money in the long run. The information on how we can regenerate the rural economy is sitting there. <BR /> <BR />Once again, I congratulate Minister O'Neill. When the mandate is over, she will be recognised as a Minister who listened to the agriculture community and got things done.”
“It involved quite a lot of the community groups in rural areas and showed up a lot of the things that were missing from rural areas. While in his previous post, I spoke to the Minister about social housing. That was one of the things that came up through the maximising access in rural areas (MARA) project in the TRPSI programme. One of the good things was that, for the first time, we had local people doing local work. Those are the people who identified the programmes. The whole programme levered down something like £3 million. There was recognition of fuel poverty, the boiler replacement scheme, welfare etc. Within that as well, we had £10 million set aside for rural tourism. Some £5 million went into forestry in my own area.”