Michaela Boyle
West Tyrone · Sinn Féin · Northern Ireland
“I thank the Minister. On that first note, on behalf of my party, I, too, send sincere sympathies to the family of Austin Hunter. <BR /> <BR />Minister, you will be aware that a total of 738 women and 520 children were accommodated in refuges in 2015-16 and thousands more accessed community support.”
“<BR /> <BR />The proposal to establish a graduate entry medical school in the north-west is, as has been said, at a very early stage, but we need to build on existing support for the school to be built west of the Bann.”
“As mentioned earlier, we need more allied health professionals to work alongside our GPs, as not everyone going into a GP practice needs to see a GP. They need a physiotherapist, nurse, chiropodist or podiatrist. All of these people in primary care play an important role in reducing the pressures on GPs.”
“There is a revised induction and refresher scheme for GPs not currently practising in the North of Ireland to return to practising here. I welcome that approach, which goes some way to addressing the gaps here. I am keen to hear from the Minister on how it is progressing.”
“That, he said, was an "extraordinary assertion", because the demand for GPs is rising as people live longer. We have a successful health service, but success creates more demand, and we feel that more in the Western Trust than in any other trust area. We need to bring forward incentives for GPs and others to live and work here.”
“I welcome the opportunity to speak on the motion. First, I take the opportunity to congratulate all those involved in the new £50 million radiotherapy centre in the Western Trust as it opens its doors to the public for the first phase of admissions.”
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“I thank the Member for his intervention, but that equates to £1,000 a lorry. That would have a negative impact on the agrifood sector that we rely on; it is our fastest growing sector North and South of this island. <BR /> <BR />Sinn Féin has been vocal in its opposition to this levy, and our representatives, North and South, have been to the forefront of highlighting the issue. Indeed, my party colleague Pat Doherty MP has consistently lobbied the British Government on this issue, and Pádraig Mac Lochlainn and other TDs have kept this on the agenda at Leinster House. Our local councillors who have been to the forefront of this issue — Councillors Jay McCauley and Gary Doherty — along with our MEP Matt Carthy attended a public meeting in Letterkenny along with Barry McElduff earlier in the year.”
“The imposition of this levy would have a detrimental effect on the expanding island-wide trade that currently generates £2·3 billion for this island and could dissuade investment in Northern operations by Southern parent companies.”
“Sinn Féin has a wider vision and a greater ambition for the people and the economy. There are no advantages for an island nation of 6·4 million on the edge of Europe with two separate tax regimes, two currencies and legal systems and two separate economies. Indeed, the power to harmonise structures across the island would be central to creating a fully integrated and healthy economy, yet the British Tory Government want to split the island further by introducing this levy on vehicles crossing the border from the South to the North. <BR /> <BR />As a representative from a border region, like other Members here, I know all too well the potential damage that this will cause.”
“— on this side of the border. They depend solely on hauliers coming across the border to keep their business afloat. The way that the economy is, without the hauliers coming across, these businesses would have to close. <BR /> <BR />I welcome the opportunity to speak on the issue today. I also put on record my opposition and that of my party to the ludicrous proposal by the British Government to charge hauliers based in the rest of Ireland a fee of £10 a day or £1,000 a year to use the road system here.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Phríomh-LeasCheann Comhairle. My retort to Mr Morrow is that I have been lobbied by constituents who own quarries in the locality —”
“Go raibh maith agat. I thank the Minister for his detailed statement to the House. Minister, in Britain, 80% of the budget cuts as a result of the economic crisis have been borne by the most vulnerable in our society. What steps have been taken to ensure that there is a more balanced approach to delivering economic recovery here so that it will protect the most vulnerable here?”
“Go raibh maith agat. What proportion of the cuts is from outside contractors and what proportion is from Roads Service staff? How much money is involved?”
“I thank the Minister for his response. Will he confirm whether those cuts predate any potential fines linked to the Tory-led coalition's plans to cut welfare spending? Go raibh maith agat.”
“I thank the deputy First Minister for his detailed response, and I commend his Department for what it is doing to address female representation on public bodies. What are the current statistics for female representation on public bodies?”
“— the welfare state and punish the most poor and disadvantaged in society.”
“— at the expense of the poor. It is a Thatcherite agenda designed to dismantle —”
“Not at this time, thank you. <BR /> <BR />There is a growing realisation, generated in particular from issues being discussed in the Scottish independence debate, that the Tory cuts agenda is designed to serve the interests of the Tory heartlands in the south-east of England and their millionaire buddies. It is clear that the interests and needs of the people of the North do not even factor in their thinking. <BR /> <BR />Unfortunately, here in the North, we have the party opposite continuing to act as cheerleaders for the Tory cuts agenda. The Tory welfare programme is not about reform; it is about saving money —”
“Not at this time, thank you. <BR /> <BR />The Tory Government is threatening to impose financial penalties on the Assembly Budget if we do not legislate for their regressive cuts agenda. This is despite the fact that, in Britain itself, this agenda is being increasingly challenged and cracks are now opening between the Tories and their Lib Dem coalition partners, who are now questioning the wisdom, workability and counterproductive nature of many of these cuts measures.”
“<BR /> <BR />The North is a society emerging from decades of conflict, and clearly you cannot apply here that which applies in England and Wales. Citizens most directly affected by the conflict are among those suffering the highest levels of deprivation. The percentage of people in receipt of disability benefits is higher in the North than anywhere else in Ireland or Britain. Welfare cuts will merely worsen the situation.”
“These are extremely worrying and shocking figures. <BR /> <BR />Speaking as the Sinn Féin spokesperson on disability, I am horrified that sickness and disability claimants will be hit hardest under these proposed cuts. The 66,000 individuals adversely affected by the incapacity benefit reforms can expect to lose an average of almost £3,500 per year. The 67,000 individuals changing from DLA to personal independence payments (PIP) will lose out on an average of £2,100 per year. <BR /> <BR />This is a Thatcherite agenda that needs to be fought tooth and nail. Tory policy threatens to destroy the economy through savage cuts to public funding and welfare. The implementation of these measures in England has been a complete disaster and has plunged thousands into poverty and deprivation already.”
“A report commissioned by the Council for Voluntary Action spells out the stark consequences of the Tory cuts, with the most deprived areas suffering the greatest losses. Based on official government data, the report finds that Belfast, Derry and my district of Strabane would be worst hit. Some of the stark figures show that, in the Strabane district alone, 1,400 single parent families will face cuts and 4,700 families will have their tax credits cut. The NICVA report that others have spoken on also shows that there will be a loss of £870 per working age adult in the Strabane district, which results in a loss of £22 million to the local economy each year. In the Omagh district, we will see a loss of £690 per working age adult, resulting in a loss of £23 million to the local economy each year.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle. I thank my party for giving me the opportunity to speak in this debate. Most of the welfare cuts that the Tories are trying to impose on the North have already been implemented in Britain, with devastating consequences, particularly for the sick, the disabled, single parents, those on low incomes and the working poor. Poverty levels have spiralled out of control along with homelessness levels and suicide rates, with food banks and other charitable help often the only safety net that prevents more people from falling into total destitution and despair. <BR /> <BR />Given the poor socio-economic demographics of the North, we would suffer an even more severe hit than the worst affected regions of Britain if the intended Tory cuts came into full effect here.”
“<BR /> <BR />These estimates tell us nothing about the local economy, but still DFP churns them out. So when opposite sides of the House start shouting that we are broke to the tune of £10 billion, remember that none of these people pays attention to the information published by the British Treasury, which tells us a different story. Let us remember that we pay our taxes here. Sinn Féin opposes the motion.”
“For the record, Sinn Féin believes that all citizens are entitled to public services and employment. We believe, North and South, that growing the economy requires the political power of progressive policies and investment. <BR /> <BR />Sinn Féin wants to balance the books in the North and across the island through economic growth and employment, not by cutting services and taking money from the poor or by quoting overinflated estimates, which the British Treasury does not endorse, of the fiscal deficit. It is disappointing that we now have a Minister who is unwilling to argue for welfare provision but is quite happy to stand over his Department's estimate of VAT, which is based on a survey for which they had to cobble together three years of responses even to get information from 600 households.”
“The focus in DFP is solely on administrating the Budget, as opposed to standing up for the needs of businesses and rights of workers. When we needed entrepreneurs in finance, we got bookkeepers. The narrow fiscal and economic powers available to the North of Ireland limit the extent to which we can address budgetary challenges, provide public services and tackle unemployment. Without powers for the North over tax, benefits and employment, we can never fully deliver employment and social welfare or grow the local economy towards its full potential. <BR /> <BR />It seems, at times, that the economic dysfunction of the North is a badge of honour for some parties opposite, as if growing the private sector, investing in public services, increasing employment and balancing the books would endanger the Union.”
“Remember that, when Sinn Féin first sought flexibility to protect our welfare budgets, Members opposite and others cried, "No, no, no. Can't, can't, can't". We now know all too well that it was a case of "Won't" rather than a case of "Can't". <BR /> <BR />We also have a Finance Minister who will not even ask for the necessary economic levers to protect welfare provision and grow the local economy.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle. <BR /> <BR />Monitoring rounds and Budgets usually pass without controversy. However, this year we face tough choices due to increased budgetary pressures. That is not due to Sinn Féin's decision to protect social welfare provision for the most vulnerable in our society and the working poor. We are faced with tough choices because of the sustained and persistent cuts to our Budget imposed by the British Government. Those cuts have reduced the allocation of funding to the Executive, and it is in that context of reduced finances that the Executive have chosen to defend core services. <BR /> <BR />This debate on our economy, our budgets and our choices is laced with misinformation, the sole purpose of which is to build fear among our communities.”
“Go raibh maith agat. I thank the Minister for his response. Minister, as part of the new area plans, will rural councils have the powers and opportunity to address the housing needs of non-farming rural dwellers?”
“Go raibh maith agat. Does the First Minister agree that there is a need for wide-ranging negotiations to include flags, parades and the past?”