Maolíosa McHugh
West Tyrone · Sinn Féin · Northern Ireland
“At present, they are largely dependent on borrowing through the Department's capital arrangements, which can limit their flexibility and their capacity to compete with ports elsewhere across these islands. The Bill represents an opportunity to address those issues.”
“Importantly, there will continue to be accountability and oversight through board structures, including representation from locally elected council members, as is already the case at Belfast harbour. That public connection and democratic input is an important safeguard, and one that should provide reassurance.”
“Tá céimeanna beaga ann is féidir linn uilig a ghlacadh lenár sláinte a fheabhsú: scrúdú sláinte a chur in áirithe leis an dochtúir; bheith ag labhairt go hoscailte faoin mheabhairshláinte; páirt a ghlacadh i mbothán na bhfear nó i ngrúpa siúlóide; nó bheith páirteach in aclaíocht eile. Cuireann siad uilig feabhas ar an tsláinte.”
“I welcome the introduction of the Harbours Bill, and I commend Minister Liz Kimmins for introducing legislation that seeks to modernise the framework within which ports operate. <BR /> <BR />Our ports are critical pieces of economic infrastructure.”
“Tháinig deireadh le Seachtain Shláinte na bhFear ag deireadh na seachtaine seo a chuaigh thart, ar Lá na nAithreacha. Is cuí gur le linn Sheachtain Shláinte na bhFear a thit Lá na nAithreacha, nó is minic a shíleann na fir nach bhfuil an dara rogha acu ach saighdiúireacht a dhéanamh.”
“They support employment, facilitate trade, enhance connectivity and contribute significantly to our local and regional economies. My party therefore welcomes the introduction of the Harbours Bill and looks forward to engaging constructively as it is progressed through the Assembly to ensure that it delivers for our ports, our economy and…”
The complete record
Every one of 620 lines we hold for Maolíosa McHugh, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 9 of 13.
“Minister, given that victims' payments will have to be incorporated into the draft Budget, can you confirm whether the British Government have yet agreed to step up to the plate and honour their responsibility to help to fund the payments?”
“Therefore, it achieves what we need to achieve, and I fully endorse the Minister's approach. I support the LCM.”
“There are many issues with that, and it is my belief that the LCM is the most practical way of achieving the preferred outcome. As I said, our hands are largely tied on this issue, and, therefore, there is virtually no scope to deviate from the approach taken in Britain. Furthermore, legislation would need to be in place no later than 1 April 2022, as that is when the remedy period comes to an end. That would be nearly impossible to achieve, given the time constraints. We know that already because we hear it in relation to all the other legislation as well. <BR /> <BR />The Bill that is passing through Westminster will deliver a remedy for the discrimination and will protect scheme members from the additional costs that are related to the McCloud judgement.”
“The Department of Finance has estimated that the cost will be £97 million a year for seven years of the remedy period, totalling £680 million. During our Committee discussion with trade union officials, there was some confusion as to whether that cost would fall to scheme members in the form of increased contributions, as predicted by the unions. Some clarity on that point was given as the Treasury has announced its intention that there should be no reduction in members' benefits as a result of the McCloud judgement and that any breaches of the cost cap floor resulting in increased benefits will be honoured. <BR /> <BR />The trade union reps, during their Committee evidence, stated their preference that the issue should be dealt with by way of bespoke legislation through the Assembly.”
“Having that choice will mean that the scheme members can make an informed decision at the point of retirement about which scheme is more beneficial to them and can act accordingly. <BR /> <BR />Although pensions are a devolved matter, and we have the ability, in principle, to construct our own legislation, our hands are somewhat tied. Pensions are not currently paid out of the block grant and come directly from the British Government. Were we to deviate our pensions policy from that which exists in Britain to a situation in which scheme members here had higher levels of benefit than those in Britain, there is no doubt that the difference in cost would have to be met from the block grant, which would put further pressure on our already strained resources. <BR /> <BR />We must also consider the cost of the remedy.”
“A case was brought against the British Government by members of the judiciary who were further away from retirement age and therefore did not qualify for transitional protection. The judge ruled in their favour and ordered that the Government must rectify that discrimination. That is what the Bill aims to achieve. <BR /> <BR />After concurrent public consultations in Britain and here, and engagement with trade unions, we now have a proposed solution that remedies the discrimination. Affected scheme members will be given a choice at the point of retirement of whether they wish to accrue their pension benefits from the legacy scheme or the reformed scheme for the duration of the remedy period.”
“Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire as a ráiteas. I welcome the opportunity to speak on this issue. Public service pension reform has been examined by me and the other members of the Finance Committee over the past number of months. It is important to remember that the issue arose as a result of the court ruling, about which we have already heard. The McCloud judgement stated that transitional protections designed to protect older pension scheme members from pension reforms were discriminatory. The Public Service Pensions Act 2013 reformed pension schemes by moving pension scheme members from final salary schemes, which are generally more lucrative, to career average schemes. The transitional protection was applied to pension scheme members who were within 10 years of retirement age and allowed them to remain in the final salary schemes.”
“Tá mé an-bhuíoch den Aire as a freagra. I am very grateful to the Minister for her answer. Does she agree that, even with the relaxation of restrictions, the return to live music and so on, the creative sector will require ongoing support? I am not talking about only financial support. One of the comments that I hear continually from musicians and the like is that they need to perform, just as a mechanic needs to work with machinery and a surgeon needs to perform surgery. There are mental health issues, so that type of support is required for those who depend on the sector for their living.”
“No. The Committee needs to continue to do its work as already set out, rather than reacting or pandering to unionist opposition to a progressive, republican First Minister.”
“I can see a Member shaking his head, but I heard on the radio people dancing on the head of a pin when they were confronted with that question — "Would you nominate a deputy First Minister?" — and they refused to do it. Let me be absolutely clear: the people, not any unionist party, will decide who will be the First Minister in the next mandate. The days of gerrymandering, second-class citizenship and unionist domination are over, and they are not coming back.”
“The power-sharing arrangements set out in the Good Friday Agreement were necessary to avoid any repeat of the systematic abuse of power by unionism in the decades following the imposition of partition on the people of the island of Ireland 100 years ago. Any review of those arrangements must be grounded in a commitment to equality and democracy. However, very recent comments from the two main unionist parties opposite have been undemocratic and anti-equality in many respects. Sinn Féin accepted and has worked the provisions of the Good Friday Agreement over the past 23 years, and, in stark contrast to that position, the UUP and the DUP now refuse to tell us whether they would nominate a deputy First Minister, if the people decided that Michelle O'Neill would be First Minister.”
“Following much analysis of their responses, the discussion on Committee designation and the appointment of the First Minister and deputy First Minister was ultimately selected as the AERC's first priority work topic. Two secondary topics were also selected for preliminary work. <BR /> <BR />At the outset, it was acknowledged that there was limited time remaining in the mandate to progress the area of work. Therefore, the Committee agreed to carry out scoping work on the topic, resulting in a body of preliminary research and evidence and possible review of the terms of reference for the next AERC to progress. It is possible that a recommendation to that effect will be included in the AERC's legacy report. <BR /> <BR />I will now make some brief comments on behalf of Sinn Féin.”
“On 12 May this year, the Committee agreed its additional priority work topics for the remainder of the Assembly mandate. Whilst a full review of the statement of entitlements for an official Opposition had already been agreed as the Committee's top priority, the Committee believed that there was value in identifying additional topics that were complementary to the review and would lend themselves to the preliminary work. <BR /> <BR />Agreement was reached following a consultation exercise with Ministers, political parties and independent Members to gather views on possible work streams for the AERC to progress. The then Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson also met the First Minister and deputy First Minister to discuss the proposals that were submitted.”
“Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire as a fhreagra. Will the Minister give an update on recruitment to the Civil Service, which has caused us great concern, given the numbers retiring, the age profile of staff and, in some areas, the lack of skill sets?”
“I am sure, Minister, that you will not agree with me, but, at the end of the day, this is as a result of Brexit. What pressure will you bring to bear on the British Government to ensure that EU workers, in particular, can come to the North of Ireland to work and live and to help to rescue us from the impending crisis in the agri-food sector?”
“On Sunday evening, I was incredulous to receive another call: once again, a vehicle had driven straight through the junction and crashed into another on the Bells Park Road. That is three accidents in exactly the same circumstances all within one week. That has to stop. Buíochas le Dia, thanks be to God that no one has lost their life, but I am sure that immeasurable damage has been done to vehicles and human beings at that junction. It has to stop. We cannot wait for the major project to come to fruition: measures need to be implemented now. I implore the Minister to act immediately to implement safety measures such as accident black spot signs and rumble bars on the approach roads to the Bells Park Road in order to alert motorists to the dangers of the junction and, in particular, to protect lives.”
“<BR /> <BR />Last Sunday, returning from Dublin, I received a phone call about another accident at the Prospect in which a vehicle had driven through the junction and collided with vehicles on the main Bells Park Road. Unbelievably, on Friday morning, I received a similar call about exactly the same circumstances.”
“I will get straight to the point. I call on the Minister for Infrastructure to direct her staff in the west Tyrone area to immediately implement safety measures, including accident black spot signs and rumble bars, on the approach road to the Bells Park Road at the Prospect Bar, near The Glebe outside Strabane. It is possibly the most dangerous junction in Ireland. Since 2011, I have highlighted the dangers of the junction. Whilst measures such as improved signage and site clearances have been implemented, accidents continued to happen and, because of their frequency, the junction has moved up the Roads Service's list of priorities for a major works programme.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Aire, as do ráiteas. I thank the Minister for his answer. The all-age apprenticeships need to be introduced urgently. Those who are over 25 years of age are, at present, being forced to pay exorbitant amounts for tuition fees. Your predecessor said in April that the all-age apprenticeship schemes would be delivered this year. Has your Department agreed a date for the all-age apprenticeships to be introduced?”
“Initiatives like the Strabane public realm scheme are certainly a welcome step towards social regeneration and, hopefully, will act as a pilot for our other towns and city centres. Will the Minister give an update on her Department's work overall to support the regeneration of our town and city centres?”
“<BR /> <BR />Defamation law is a complex area with competing rights at stake, namely the right to freedom of expression as opposed to the right to defend one's name. I take very personally the right to defend one's name. We have a duty as legislators to ensure that we strike the correct balance. The Bill is skewed too heavily in the direction of freedom of expression. As legislators, we have a responsibility to ensure that we have law that is fit for purpose and is informed by all the available and up-to-date information. It would be wrong to adopt an approach that would see bad legislation being passed quickly rather than law based on that informed position.”
“It is OK for corporations or high-profile public figures in the media or politics who can point to a drop in, say, sales or viewership or whatever, to prove that damage done by defamatory statements has affected their reputation, but how does the clause help the ordinary man in the street whose reputation has been unfairly damaged? How does he protect his name? <BR /> <BR />The Bill sponsor claims that the clause will act as a filter to deter what he describes as "frivolous" claims. Many people have had to endure nasty and untrue comments — we can all easily identify with that — and have experienced a loss of reputation. Under this regime, however, their right to defend their name will be diminished and their claim described as "frivolous", which, I am sure, to many, would be rather insulting, to say the least.”
“<BR /> <BR />One of the more contentious aspects of the Bill is the clause that sets out the serious harm test, which will ensure that anyone wishing to bring a case of defamation must show how the defamatory statement has caused serious harm to their reputation. That was well examined in the Finance Committee. Many of the arguments that were presented to us were less than convincing. The clause is problematic, to say the least. My first question is this: how is it possible for any judge to quantify fairly what constitutes serious harm? It seems to me that the clause will set up an evidence threshold that will block ordinary citizens from taking libel action.”
“The Scott report was clear in its findings: it said that there was a need for legislation that was similar in some respects to the Defamation Act 2013 but was different in that it should be tailored to our particular needs here. The report also provided an assessment of the specific parts of the Act that should be replicated here and the parts for which, in Professor Scott's opinion, evidence of the need to replicate was less convincing. <BR /> <BR />This Bill is not the Bill that the Scott report suggested that we pursue. I fail to understand how the Bill, in any shape or form, has been adapted or changed to suit the needs of people in this jurisdiction. As far as I can see, it is a straightforward copy and paste of the Defamation Act 2013.”
“That Act is controversial in its own right and contains many flaws. At the time that the Act was signed into law, the then Finance Minister chose not to extend that legislation to this jurisdiction and decided that we would instead look at developing our own legislation, which would be tailored to meet the needs of citizens in the North of Ireland. That was the correct approach to take. <BR /> <BR />To that end, a review was commissioned under the direction of Professor Scott to carry out research and provide commentary on the need for legislation and the extent to which the Defamation Act 2013 should be replicated.”
“I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the debate on the Defamation Bill. It is a complex area of law, with competing interests. It is important that, when we consider changing defamation law, we do so in a balanced and proportionate way. I am not opposed to reforming and updating defamation law. There is strong justification for modernising libel law, given that the current law came into force in 1994 and many aspects of society have changed since that time, particularly with the rise of social media and online platforms. In that regard, I agree with the Bill sponsor. <BR /> <BR />I cannot agree, however, that the Bill will provide a fair and balanced outcome. I will spell out briefly why I think that to be the case. The Bill is an exact replica of the Defamation Act 2013 that was passed in England and Wales.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle. Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire fosta as a fhreagra. Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I also thank the Minister for his answer. Minister, given the Executive's reliance on rates, do you agree that the fiscal commission provides an opportunity to consider other sources of funding in an effort to raise revenue in the Six Counties?”
“Ba mhaith liom ar dtús buíochas a ghabháil leis an Aire as a ráiteas. Minister, I welcome your statement, which contains a very important message in many respects, particularly when it comes to scoring for social value. Will the policy be extended to councils?”
“Thank you, Minister. I am sure that you will agree that it is because of not the protocol but Brexit itself that mobile providers O2 and EE have announced that they will reimpose roaming charges. What will you and your Department do to drive down the cost of phone bills for those who will be affected by that?”
“Often, we hear that businesses find solutions to problems: they may go over them, round them or under them, but they find solutions. Do you agree that the wholly negative presentation of the protocol by some needs to be challenged, given that many of our businesses are seizing the opportunity that it provides? Those businesses want more focus on the building of special status, which affords the North unique access to the British market and the EU's single market to help to attract investors and create jobs for us in the North of Ireland.”
“Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire as a ráiteas. Does the £19 million for the victims' pension scheme allow it to commence this year? In the event that the British Government do not step up to the plate to support the scheme, how long can it continue?”
“In fact, the latest suggested level of corporation tax is 15%. Those who earn more should pay more, and those who have the ability to pay should pay, rather than it being left as a burden all the time on working-class people. Once again, through the likes of the fiscal council and so on, I hope that they will arrive at conclusions and decisions that will support the Minister and allow him to then approach the likes of the British Government and demand greater taxation powers for Ministers in the North of Ireland.”
“Once again, it highlights the very same issue that there are multinational firms that get away — I cannot say totally and absolutely, but relatively scot-free in comparison with what other people have to pay in tax, and so on. If we had that control —.”
“I welcome the fiscal commission's being appointed to look at those issues and the devolution of tax to the Northern Ireland Government per se, just in the same way as it is at present in Scotland, where at least they are able to approach many of those issues and have greater control over the funds that they have at their disposal. We need that in the North of Ireland too. We need those funds at our disposal. Hopefully, through our own taxation, we will be able to raise those funds. <BR /> <BR />One can think immediately of some of the multinationals and the types of returns that they are experiencing at present as a result of the way in which they have conducted their business during COVID and so on.”
“However, even with that, we know that it would still be totally and absolutely insufficient to meet the requirements of the budget that is needed to deal with those issues. <BR /> <BR />At present, rates raise £580 million, I think, per year. As we know, that needs to be complemented in order to provide the present services and make all other provisions for society in addition to the health service. We need more funding. One of the ways in which we can actually achieve that is to have greater control over raising our own tax, perhaps through income tax or value added tax, in such a way that we can also then control how we spend that budget.”
“Minister Swann has already announced an immediate comprehensive review to tackle waiting lists in particular. He has stated that that will require over £700 million over a five-year period. In fact, at one time, I saw it stated that it would require £2 billion over a 10-year period. His requirement is £300 million less over the five-year period, but he feels that that is what is required to address that whole issue. Yet and all, the question remains: where is that money to come from? There has been an offer in the Chamber from one Minister when confronted with the question of whether they would be prepared to sacrifice funding from their Department in order to assist Health. Maybe all Departments might be expected to do that down the line.”
“I know that that would not be tolerated in England in particular, but here, in the North of Ireland, we are confronted with that. We know that the situation requires more resources and a reorganisation of the health service itself to resolve its difficulties and problems. <BR /> <BR />It is the case that some Members in the Chamber from one party often end up pointing the finger at those from another party about who is responsible for what. However, this is a major problem that we have all struggled with before COVID and during COVID, and, in fact, it has been exacerbated as a result of COVID. Much of it is a reflection of underfunding by the Tory Government, and that has created a situation in which our Finance Minister and the other Ministers have had their hands tied in many respects. They know that it all requires additional funding.”
“Again, I apologise to my colleague. I did not know that there was a difference in that respect. <BR /> <BR />Ba mhaith liom fosta buíochas a ghabháil leis an Aire as a ráiteas. I thank the Minister for his statement today, and I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the debate on the Final Stage. During the debates that have happened over different days in the Chamber, we have focused quite a bit on Health and the like. The Budget has committed over £6 billion to Health. That is over 50% of the block grant, which is to be expected. We all know, however, that that is still insufficient to deal with the long-term issues and problems in health at present, in particular, as alluded to by Mr Gildernew, the long waiting lists, which would not be tolerated in any other part of the UK.”
“<BR /> <BR />The order will ensure that the bodies mentioned in it adhere to the code of practice on the production of official statistics and so on. That is to be commended. In many ways, it is a valuable instrument for policymaking. The code will play an essential role in ensuring that the statistics that are published by government command public confidence. That is more important than anything else so that we do not get hung up on "Lies, damned lies, and statistics". The instrument is to be used to ensure that we move forward in the most efficient manner in every respect, particularly with the three bodies mentioned in it.”
“Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire fosta. I welcome the opportunity to speak on the motion. I commend the Minister for bringing forward the amendment order, which will designate the Education Authority, Invest NI and the Labour Relations Agency as producers of official statistics. <BR /> <BR />I am sure that we are all familiar with the line, "Lies, damned lies, and statistics". I do not know who originally said that, but it is often quoted. In many respects, it gives statistics a bad reputation. It is the case, however, and we must acknowledge this, that statistics are an essential element of providing us with the information that is required in so many ways in order to ensure good government and to enable us to make judgements and decisions about how resources and the like are spent.”
“In that respect, I congratulate the Minister for proposing the legislation. I look forward to continuing to have that facility in rural communities such as mine in west Tyrone.”
“I would like to think that, in the event of there being any more such assaults on rural communities, the perpetrators would suffer the full rigours of the law. When those incidents happen, it is a case not just of taking money from the banks but of destroying a building or a premises, putting the lives of those who live there in danger and depriving many local people who work and assist in those same businesses of the opportunity to continue to provide a livelihood for themselves and their families in the rural communities. <BR /> <BR />The closure of banks and the withdrawal of that facility from many of our people, if anything, leads to the decimation of rural communities. At a time when we talk about the relocation of jobs from the eastern seaboard, the exemption is one measure to be encouraged.”
“It is not just older people and those of whom people often say, "It is just because they do not know how to use the technology": that is not the case. There are so many other transactions, such as donations to collections or to groups or organisations to which people belong. There are things of that nature for which we still need access to cash, and the only opportunity that we have is through ATMs. <BR /> <BR />Given what rural communities have experienced, and how ATMs have been exposed to criminality, it is important that local businessmen and others are encouraged to install an ATM and given the rates exemption. Without it, they are likely to withdraw the service. I am only too glad to see that some of those gangs have been apprehended of late.”
“Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire fosta as a ráiteas. I, too, thank the Minister, and I welcome the opportunity to add to the debate on the extension of the rates exemption to rural ATMs. Living in a rural community, I know the implication that it has in so many ways. Even though we have now reached the stage where, very often, people use cards in the bigger stores, petrol stations and so on, a feature of life in rural communities is that being able to use a card still depends entirely on the infrastructure and how efficient local broadband is. I make the point, too, that our rural communities, and our rural towns in particular, have been abandoned by the banking system. I do not forgive the banks for that for one second. <BR /> <BR />It is still very much an imperative for many people in rural communities to conduct their business with cash.”
“<BR /> <BR />Reform of the financial process may take time and may be dry and technical in nature, but it must remain a priority if we want to create a financial framework that is effective, efficient and transparent and enhances scrutiny, quality of debate and, ultimately, accountability.”
“The Bill will allow the Department of Finance to issue directions to Departments and their associated arm's-length bodies on how they should prepare departmental estimates for incorporation into the Main Estimates or Supplementary Estimates document, as the case may be. The main objective of the Bill is to ensure that there is proper alignment of the figures in the Estimates and accounts when they are presented in the Budget. Following that, we need to see the other aspects of the review implemented. I understand that the new presentation format of the Estimates has been given a trial run and that feedback from Departments will be key to ensuring that any issues are ironed out before it is fully implemented next year.”
“The Estimates contain little detail. The document sets out each Department's resource and capital requirements in terms of departmental expenditure limits (DEL) and annually managed expenditure (AME), but it does not set out the specific items on which each Department has sought legal cover to spend its budget. It is not a stretch to say that it is not always clear what exactly we are being asked to vote on. <BR /> <BR />This long-standing issue has been on the agenda as far back as 2010, prior to my time in the House, when the then Executive ordered a review of the financial process. It has taken a long time, but I am glad to see that the review has finally started to come to fruition. The Bill will be an important first step in that process.”
“The document itself is filled with financial jargon and with tables containing endless numbers. It is almost impossible to reconcile the figures as they are presented in the Estimates with the figures that are presented in the Budget document.”
“<BR /> <BR />Under the current arrangements, that is somewhat of a challenge for a number of reasons. First, as is standard with a finance Bill, there is a timing issue. Budget Bills enable the Executive to appropriate sums of money and provide Departments with the legal cover to spend that money. Without that, there is a danger of Departments running out of money. It is for that reason that it is normal practice that Budget Bills are granted accelerated passage and that they forgo Committee Stage scrutiny. It is understandable why that happens, but it is not conducive to proper scrutiny. <BR /> <BR />Another issue is that of the Main Estimates themselves, with which the Bill is concerned. In my time as a member of the Finance Committee, I have found the Main Estimates to be quite inaccessible.”
“Ar dtús, ba mhaith liom buíochas a ghabháil leis an Aire as a ráiteas. I thank the Minister for his statement and welcome the opportunity to speak on the Bill, which is primarily concerned with financial reporting. I commend the Minister for bringing it before the Assembly. The debate is timely, as we have debated the Main Estimates and the Budget (No. 2) Bill in recent weeks. We all know the importance of the Main Estimates as the legislative mechanism that grants Departments the authority to spend their Budget allocations. Each Member of the Assembly has a responsibility to ensure that diligent and thorough scrutiny is afforded to public expenditure proposals. It is essential that we have ample opportunity to ask tough questions and that we understand the process and then, collectively, agree the best way forward.”