Sammy Douglas
East Belfast · Democratic Unionist Party · Northern Ireland
“Avoid the appearance of wrongdoing. There is a sense out there that what is happening, over the last number of years, is wrong. The courts are too lenient and even the PPS is too lenient. William Humphrey said earlier that it undermines the criminal justice system. I agree with William.”
“It was claimed by the so-called Real IRA, and, as my colleague mentioned, the accused has broken bail conditions on five occasions. <BR /> <BR />There has been talk in the debate about human rights.”
“I rise as a member of the Justice Committee to speak in the debate, and I thank Douglas Beattie and his colleagues for bringing the motion to the House. I am here to support the motion.”
“Certainly, in the midst of his comments, there is a frustration. That frustration has been there for many years, not just recently. I agree with the Chief Constable.”
“Minister, you alluded to north Belfast. Have you looked at the statements by the Chief Constable, who has questioned the linkages that may be undermining the whole criminal justice system in situations like that? <BR /> <BR />Also, I want to pay tribute to you. I think that you have been a great Minister.”
“Thank you, Mr Speaker. I certainly agree with my colleague about the full rigour of the law. The Assembly should be tough on crime and tough on the reasons behind crime.”
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“I thank the Member for securing the Adjournment debate. First of all, I want to declare an interest: I am a trustee of the Titanic Foundation, which delivered the iconic Titanic building in 2012. I was a trustee even before I entered politics. I also want to say a word of thanks to Titanic Quarter for giving me some of this information. The only problem is that it has given me the same information that my colleague has. I trust that the honourable Member for East Belfast will forgive me if I regurgitate some stuff; hopefully, I will spot it and move on. <BR /> <BR />I was in the Titanic Quarter recently with some of the directors when they talked about their projections for the future and some of the plans that they have. Pat Doherty, who hails from Donegal, has been the driving force behind Titanic Quarter; he is a real man of vision.”
“I thank the Minister for a comprehensive reply. Can she update the House on child and adolescent mental health services, please?”
“I will finish by saying that we are dealing with monsters in our society, and we should use every measure that we can to combat them. I support the motion and the amendments.”
“I think that one of my colleagues spoke about the cost of domestic violence, and recent figures show that it is something like £180 million a year, so there is a cost to this. There is also a cost reduction if we can address and combat it. <BR /> <BR />Of course, domestic violence occurs most commonly against women, but there is also a growing number of men; the latest statistics showed a 49% increase in domestic violence against men. It is against children as well because they are in the house when they see the abuse. They are in the house when that partner is controlling and abusing their spouse. <BR /> <BR />One of the most harrowing statistics that we have come across is that 30% of all domestic violence starts —”
“The Chairman of our Committee said that he was 100% behind our Justice Minister. I would say that I am 150% behind the Justice Minister; she will certainly have our support. I think that she has support throughout the House. <BR /> <BR />I looked up some facts and figures provided by Women's Aid — an excellent organisation, as my colleague Pam Cameron said — and the PSNI, and I was shocked at some of the statistics. I had heard some of them before, but to see them in writing was an absolute shock: in 2011, the PSNI reported that they responded to a case of domestic violence every 23 minutes. It is endemic throughout society, and, thank God, we are doing something about it. The police attend an average of 60 domestic abuse cases per day in Northern Ireland.”
“There was a whole range of such issues. <BR /> <BR />Looking back, that was domestic abuse, but I had never heard of the term until this last number of years. Sadly, we are still dealing with those issues, but the good thing is that we are debating them today, and it is more upfront. There may be difficulties for vulnerable people being able to go to the PSNI or to Women's Aid, but these things are now being challenged. <BR /> <BR />I was on the Internet today, and a BBC news bulletin of last week showed images of a young woman, Terri-Louise Graham, who was unrecognisable after the beating that she had taken in 2011. She was calling for us to do more. I welcome the Justice Minister being here. I also welcome her recent comments that tackling domestic abuse was her number one priority and that she was committed to changing the law.”
“I rise as a member of the Justice Committee to support the motion and the two amendments. <BR /> <BR />Growing up on my street, I witnessed situations that were never called domestic abuse but which were a form of abuse, particularly violence against women. You would have had women going about with extra makeup on because their partner or husband had physically attacked them. For me, it was a culture of domination and control. Sadly, today we are talking about some of those issues. I think that it was the Minister who spoke of a psychology of domestic abuse. When I was growing up, there was that psychology of domestic abuse: the husband or partner would not allow his spouse or partner to go to the pictures, for example, or it was about controlling what friends they had, or the spending or non-spending of money.”
“I thank the Minister for a very comprehensive report this morning. I welcome the focus on problem-solving justice. Did the Minister have an opportunity to highlight the Londonderry court's problem-solving model on domestic violence? Does she have any plans to roll that out across Northern Ireland?”
“I thank the Minister for his answer thus far. Have any of the nursery units in East Belfast been successful in obtaining temporary flexibility in nursery places?”
“I thank the First Minister for her answers thus far. How important is it that resolution of the matter is reached before autumn?”
“The previous question was about the Belfast chamber. One of its objectives, in its manifesto, is to turn Belfast into a tech city. Could the Minister outline to the Chamber what progress he thinks Belfast has made in this regard?”
“On Sunday night, I spoke to a group of young students from John Brown University in Arkansas. The question they asked me was this: how do we take the peace walls down? My answer to them was that the most important people we need to talk to are those living in those areas. I live one mile from a peace line, but I may as well live in Arkansas. Does the Minister agree that the key people in all this are those living at the interface?”
“I thank the Minister for his answer. Will he agree with me on the importance of communicating the proposed changes to taxi drivers and operators? There is also an October deadline for some taxi drivers. Maybe the Minister would respond to that.”
“At the event last night, Michael O'Neill stated his desire for those born in Northern Ireland to play for Northern Ireland. Can the Minister — a bit like Will Grigg, the Minister is on fire today — outline his commitment to working towards that vision for football and all other sports, including boxing?”
“I thank the Minister for his statement. Will he outline the impact on year 11 and year 12 pupils?”
“I thank the First Minister for her answer and for going out to the Bridges centre recently. She will agree, I am sure, that it is a smashing project. Apart from East Belfast, will she update the House on the progress of the social investment fund across Northern Ireland?”
“I welcome the Minister to her first Question Time and wish her all the best. What is the Minister's view on the panel's recommendations to address the barriers to disbandment of paramilitary organisations?”
“I join the crescendo of congratulations and wish the Minister the very best. Currently, there is a voluntary code of practice for licensed premises. Will the Minister consider making that a statutory requirement?”
“I second the nomination of my good friend and colleague Robin Newton.”
“One of the three speakers at the event was Austin Stack, whose father, Brian, was shot and fatally wounded in Dublin in 1983 by terrorists while serving as chief prison officer in Portlaoise jail. It was a powerful and moving speech, but the grief and loss were still evident all these years later. Yesterday, I was thinking, "That was in the past. I hope to God that we have put those days behind us". Yet we hear today of this tragic death and of another family facing uncertainty. Does the Minister agree that all of us in the Chamber need to redouble our efforts, through what we say and do, to marginalise and eradicate those who want to bring us back to the past?”
“I am a DUP Member for East Belfast, and this man was a neighbour of mine in many ways and lived a few streets away. We are all deeply saddened by the death of prison officer Adrian Ismay and wish to express our sincere and heartfelt condolences to his family. Let us not mince our words: will the Minister support me when I say that this attack on prison officer Ismay was a deplorable and senseless act of terror? <BR /> <BR />Yesterday in the Senate Chamber, we marked European victims of terrorism remembrance day by hearing from three victims of terror from Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and Great Britain — three victims whose lives had been shattered by bombs and bullets.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. He was in Coleraine last week with the Social Development Committee when it talked about the implementation in May and June of this year. Does he agree with me — maybe the Minister will respond on this as well — about the importance of independent advice for those claimants? The advice agencies do great work across Northern Ireland; I am thinking of the East Belfast Independent Advice Centre in my area. Those organisations need support from the Assembly.”
“I thank the Minister for his answers so far and will follow on from some of the questions earlier about rent and rent increases. What is the current position on the plan to consult on and develop a social housing rent policy?”
“I thank the Minister for his statement. I am sure that he will agree that this needs joined-up working with Health and Education. In our seminars, we have been looking at problem-solving courts. Has the Minister had discussions with other Departments? If so, what has been the response?”
“I will be very brief. First, I thank Judith Cochrane for the work that she has done on the Bill. It has been a long, drawn-out process at times, and we have had a fair bit of scrutiny of the Bill and a fair number of discussions about it. I pay tribute to her for the work that she has done, just as my colleague Roy Beggs has done. I support all the amendments and look forward to the next stage of the Bill.”
“— and the Committee for the work. I think it is a fabulous report, and I am delighted to support it.”
“We were very supportive of the proposal presented by Mr Gamble during his consideration of the Justice (No. 2) Bill but recognise that it is a complex area of law and that any changes will require careful consideration to ensure that there are no unintended consequences. I am sure the Minister will respond to that. <BR /> <BR />Again, I commend the Chair —”
“I thought, what a testimony from the top legal person in the whole of the United Kingdom. <BR /> <BR />In the next minute and a half, I will concentrate on a couple of the areas we looked at. We certainly commend those organisations that seek to raise public awareness of the importance of online safety, particularly amongst children and young people with social media and other vulnerable groups, like the elderly on safeguarding personal data. <BR /> <BR />At one of the seminars, we had one of the best-known brains on using social media and dealing with some of those criminals online: Jim Gamble. He presented to us, and there was a great question-and-answer session. To be honest, I learned as much in those seminars as I have in the five years I have been in the Assembly and in the time I have been on the Justice Committee.”
“It is pioneering work; there is absolutely no doubt about that, and that is why I am so encouraged by it:”
“I certainly concur with the Member. Before I got involved in politics, I came across solicitors and barristers, but this has been a whole new arena for me. I was involved in working with prisoners and ex-prisoners in the past, but I concur with the Member about the openness, honesty and sheer enthusiasm of people like the Lord Chief Justice in wanting to work with us. Lord Neuberger is the top legal, if that is the right term, in the whole of the United Kingdom. He spent a few hours with us the other night. He is a really down to earth man who knows the issues and also wants to support us as we drive these ideas forward. <BR /> <BR />This is what he said at that seminar:”
“I think that every Member recognises that we have to have reform of the criminal justice system. <BR /> <BR />Last week, we had a seminar that was attended by Lord Neuberger and the Lord Chief Justice. I think that my colleague has mentioned some of the words that were spoken there. I was so encouraged by the debates. In fact, the Lord Chief Justice said at one stage that, six years ago, we would not have been having this seminar, which shows that things have moved on so much.”
“I rise as a member of the Justice Committee to commend this report. I think that it is an excellent report; one of the best reports if not the best that I have seen in my four and a bit years in the Assembly. I want to speak about justice in a digital age but, first, I want to thank our Chair for taking this initiative. The response that we have had from a whole range of sources has been extraordinary. I also thank the Clerk, who members have mentioned, and the Committee staff for doing an excellent job. <BR /> <BR />Over this past year and a bit, my experience of the seminars is that this has been some of the most radical and informative work that any Committee has carried out during this mandate. Some of these seminars have been very radical in the proposals that, hopefully, will be introduced during the next mandate.”
“I rise as a Democratic Unionist Party Member and as a member of the Committee for Social Development to support the amendments. I concur with the Minister: it has been a good scrutiny process. We engaged with a range of stakeholders, many of whose views have been incorporated into today's amendments. I will be brief and just say that it has been a good process and I support the amendments.”
“I was in one of the prisons at the weekend, and I spoke to prison officers. It gave me a sense of real admiration for those people who not only work in the prisons but have to go home, probably in dangerous conditions, and to their work. So, I want to say very clearly today that we need to continue to support prison officers, and I am encouraged that all sides of the House are condemning these murderous death squads.”
“They are not concerned whether they kill a prison officer or member of the security forces — a Protestant, Catholic, dissenter or whatever — because they are absolute death squads. I have heard them say that their day will come. I think that the message from the Chamber today is that, "Your day will never come". Whatever that day is, it will never come, and certainly not by murdering and trying to murder innocent people.”
“I rise as a Member for East Belfast and as a member of the Justice Committee. I thank Andy Allen for bringing this matter to the House this morning. I, along with the rest of the House, want to offer my support, my sympathy and, indeed, my prayers to the injured prison officer but also to the residents of the area, who have been traumatised in many ways. I live a few streets away from the prison officer, and I know the area. Women take their children to school every morning, often at that time. So, it was a cowardly attack on an innocent man but also on the whole community. <BR /> <BR />These cowards — that is what they are — hide in the shadows. They are not political idealists; they are death squads.”
“I was delighted to hear that they would also set up some sort of community forum advisory group that would include residents from Ravenhill Park and the adjoining Cregagh estate. I was pleased to hear the Committee Chairman say that the GAA is in the process of setting up some sort of community forum, similar to the IFA. <BR /> <BR />I am happy enough with the amendments, which, as I said, are technical. As my colleague Gregory Campbell said, a few minor amendments may be tabled over the next day or two. I am content with the work that has been done to date and I support the amendments.”
“When I first saw them, I was quite shocked; but then I realised that they are just technical, so I am very happy to support them. <BR /> <BR />During the Bill's passage, I raised an issue around the Kingspan operators having some sort of advisory community forum. A number of Members raised that issue. We met the Ravenhill residents group, which raised a number of issues. Mr Principal Deputy Speaker, you will be familiar with one of the issues that I raised. In the past, there have been problems in the Cregagh estate with parking when the stadium was being developed. From speaking to residents, including some of my family who live on the Cregagh estate, I know that the Kingspan officials met a whole range of people and have worked very hard to iron out those problems.”
“I rise as a member of the Committee for Social Development. I also pay tribute to Carl Frampton. I was watching him fight on Saturday night, and I posted a photograph on Facebook with one word, "Yes". What a great ambassador for Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />Obviously, we are at Consideration Stage, and I pay tribute to Mrs Cochrane for bringing the Bill forward. She has certainly worked very hard on it, and she has been through all the rigours of having been questioned by the Committee at different stages. In fact, on the day of our meeting on 28 January, she had been up the whole night, only getting to bed at 6.30 am. As the Member who spoke previously said, there has been general support for these amendments.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. I am not quite sure where the Member is going with this. First, is he saying that there is a risk that those convicted crooks could end up in one of those charities? Secondly, I am sure that he loves the apostle Paul, as I do, who was the chief of all crooks and sinners. Does he fear a risk to those charities? I remind him that I mentioned earlier that the Committee has been told that Scotland has had no problems whatsoever.”
“The order is also about having an internal organisation with supervisory and disciplinary functions, as well as important management functions. <BR /> <BR />It is also worth noting that the Charity Commission will retain its powers to conduct inquiries. That is another important aspect of the order. I agree with the Minister: when we passed the Charities Act in, I think, 2008, it was never the intention to interfere in the internal running of Church affairs. <BR /> <BR />In conclusion, I believe that the risks associated with the order are minimal. As stated, there is similar legislation in Scotland. We spoke to a number of Church people, and it is worth pointing out that there have never been any issues or problems with the easements in Scotland. I support the order.”
“<BR /> <BR />For me, the order extends the easements that were appropriate, due to the unique structures in some faith-based organisations. That is what is unique about the order. These are unique structures in faith-based organisations. The Committee has recognised that. The order is certainly in line with similar easements for such organisations in Scotland, for example. I think that there are seven of these designated charities in Scotland. All faith-based charities in Northern Ireland can apply for designation. It is not granted automatically. They must satisfy all the criteria set out in the Charities Act, including, as the Member who has just spoken said, the filing of their accounts on an annual basis.”
“I rise as a member of the Social Development Committee to speak in support of the order. I thank the Minister for bringing it forward. He mentioned being an elder in the Presbyterian Church: I declare an interest as a member of the Westbourne Presbyterian Church — the "Shipyard Church", as it is known locally. <BR /> <BR />I agree with the previous Member: we have had some lively discussions on the issue. As the Minister stated, the order disapplies section 86 of the Charities Act, which deals with the automatic disqualification of persons acting as a trustee of a charity, for designated religious charities. I should also point out that we have had representations from all the main Churches. That has been very helpful. There was a good discussion with them. Many questions were asked, and I reckon they gave the best answers.”
“I thank the Minister for his response. Will the Minister outline to the House the effects of the changes regarding the backdating of housing benefit?”
“We have tried to take account of some of those concerns in these clauses. Again, I thank the Minister for bringing significant and substantive government amendments to address concerns raised by the Committee, reflecting those of residents. Some of those concerns were also raised by Housing Rights Northern Ireland. I believe — I hope I am right on this — that they raised a number of major issues, every one of which has been incorporated into the Bill. <BR /> <BR />I am pleased to support all the Minister's amendments. It is good legislation, and it will make a difference.”
“Those people need to be fit and proper, because many of us have experience of fly-by-night landlords who are not licensed and cause huge problems in communities. I certainly agree with the Minister in relation to clause 10. <BR /> <BR />This licensing Bill brings fundamental change to the existing system of voluntary registration that I welcome. The Bill will introduce a new mandatory licensing scheme that will bring Northern Ireland into line with other UK jurisdictions. Again, I pay tribute to the Minister for the amendment to clause 88 in relation to relatives. There is the same risk for three cousins living in the same house as three unrelated people sharing the accommodation. <BR /> <BR />We met a number of residents' groups, including the Holylands residents' group, which raised many concerns.”
“I certainly agree with the Chair that we come across situations where there are major difficulties. However, I hope that the Bill will provide major change as well as help and support for MLAs who deal with some of these difficult issues. <BR /> <BR />I want to say a few words about licensing. I am pleased to say that every house in multiple occupation must be licensed under the Bill. That is a huge change. I welcome the introduction of a system of licensing and new provisions on standards in housing that will mean that a person is acting illegally if they do not have a licence to manage a property as a house in multiple occupation. <BR /> <BR />I agree with the Minister on clause 10, which relates to the fit-and-proper-person test.”
“I see that some of the DSD officials are here today, and they were more than helpful in directing and supporting us to get the Bill to this stage. I thank the Committee Clerk and officials who also guided us along the way. <BR /> <BR />In my East Belfast constituency, the ever-changing social demography has led to an increase in the demand for HMOs as an affordable housing option in the rented sector.”
“I will make a few comments as a member of the Social Development Committee. I thank the Minister for bringing the Bill to Consideration Stage, and I agree with the previous contributor that there was huge scrutiny at Committee Stage. As a result of that and the Chair's analysis of the amendments, I will keep my remarks to a minimum. <BR /> <BR />Our party supports the amendments tabled by the Minister and is pleased that, as a result, there will be better regulation of houses in multiple occupation. <BR /> <BR />I thank the Chair for his leadership and fellow members of the Social Development Committee for the way in which the Bill has progressed. Personally, I found it to be a very positive experience.”
“I thank the Minister for his very comprehensive statement. What plans does his Department have to look at areas such as retraining for the unfortunate people who will lose their jobs?”