Máirtín Ó Muilleoir
South Belfast · Sinn Féin · Northern Ireland
“Go raibh maith agat as an cheist sin. I think it must. I followed the Public Accounts Committee under my colleague Mr Swann, and I read the devastating October hearing when Ofgem appeared.”
“While the areas it will investigate will be wide-ranging, it will necessarily include key areas in which there has been huge public interest, including the development and roll-out of the RHI scheme by the then Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment; the signing off of the scheme by the then Department of Finance and Personnel; th…”
“I thank Mr Clarke for that question. I know that Mr Clarke was at the PAC hearing that Robin Swann had the wonderful occasion to chair. I would have paid money to attend that because it was certainly a difficult session for the PAC.”
“In relation to the question asked, I want to speak in particular of the seven months that I have been in the Department of Finance. I have been deeply impressed by the commitment, diligence and alertness of my officials to the RHI scandal. I mentioned previously alerting the Comptroller and Auditor General.”
“Ba mhaith liom buíochas a thabhairt don Chomhalta as an cheist sin. I think that any inquiry will ask what went wrong, where it went wrong, who was accountable and what happened. In that context, I am totally convinced that the decision to involve Ofgem in the RHI scheme was a major mistake. Ofgem has failed.”
“Therefore, I wish to reassure the public by setting out the steps that I think must be taken to ensure absolute openness and transparency. The arrangements I have detailed in this statement are intended to ensure this.”
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“It is my hope that, as we emerge from discussions in this Chamber and outside it, we can get a united approach from us all around the Chamber to the British Government in the time ahead. <BR /> <BR />I am someone who likes to say yes, but, if we are to say no to anything, now is the time to say no to the austerity ideologues and English Ministers and say that we will not accept their mission or plan to make our institutions untenable and unsustainable. Be sure of this: if they continue to cut as they plan — taking another £800 million out of our Budgets between now and 2018 — they will have dealt a hammer blow and a death knell to the institutions that we are all fighting to keep up and sustain in this part of the world.”
“It is my feeling that continuing to slash public services and to accept, without protest, the continued cuts to our Budget is not the way forward. We will not be thanked for that, either by the electorate or the community. <BR /> <BR />I hope that, in the time ahead, as negotiations continue with the Treasury on the way forward and the austerity ideologues sit down and take out their pencil and decide what budgets to cut, our representatives on the Executive will bring to them a united voice and insist that we need the resources to build this society and to provide first-class public services to our people. We will continue to work in the interests of ordinary people to create jobs for all and to build the economy.”
“I am particularly heartened by the CBI's insistence that, to inflict further cuts on this society will make it even more difficult for us to do the essential things if we are to build the economy, not least provide jobs to our young people and make sure that our universities have the ability to turn out the many talented and qualified graduates that industry calls for. <BR /> <BR />My call today is that, as we look to the future, we have a vision for a society that is fair and prosperous. I do not believe that that is impossible. I believe that we are united, right across the Chamber, in the belief that a fair and prosperous economy is good for everyone. That is one of the visions that unites us. <BR /> <BR />At this stage, we are divided because some of us are willing to accept the agenda from London and some of us are not.”
“They do not want to allow us that right, except in very restrained circumstances, where they say that we can have corporation tax powers, but, at the same time, the income tax, the PAYE revenue, raised through the extra jobs, would go to London only. And so it is with all the other fiscal levers. <BR /> <BR />In the time ahead, our objective must be to have a response from the entire community right across the board. Last week, as part of a Sinn Féin delegation, I met the Institute of Directors (IOD) and the CBI. It heartened me to find that their attitude is not that of the Tory Government; they do not agree with the Tory Government when they say, "It is our way or the highway.". They believe that there is a strong and special case to be made for our community as to why we cannot continue to suffer this blizzard of cutbacks.”
“Is it our role as politicians, civic leaders — people who have a stake in this land, in this community, and who are fighting for our neighbours, families and society — to go back to our community, time out of number, especially in the years ahead, and say that we have less money, that we will have to continue to cut back, and that we will have to continue to make a detrimental impact on public services because that is what the British are insisting on? If that is our entire role in politics, it places a huge question mark over why we should continue in that matter. I am not here to carry water for English Ministers. I believe that, if we are masters of our own destiny and have the ability to raise from our own people the resources needed to pay for public services, we should be allowed to do that. However, the British want it both ways.”
“If we want to continue the progress that we have made in the last two decades, we need to have that grant restored. We need to be able to provide the services that our people are crying out for. <BR /> <BR />Of course, we are at this crisis point because our friends in London are back in power. I was going to refer to the Lib Dem/Conservative coalition, but the Conservatives are back, on their own, in power, and have wasted no time in telling the public and us that further cuts will be our lot in the time ahead. We were fresh out of the election when we were told that cuts in the region of £30 million would come immediately, in-year. We also know that the £25 billion reduction that is being talked about will mean swingeing cuts to our budgets. <BR /> <BR />At some point, all of this will become unsustainable.”
“Despite that, the evidence shows that the ideology of austerity has not been the springboard for the improvement of our economy, and will not be in the time ahead. <BR /> <BR />The amount of money that has been taken from our block grant has been well rehearsed in the Chamber. At times, some of our colleagues across the Chamber are more critical of the British Government with regard to the £1·5 billion that has been taken out of our Budget since 2011. They have the attitude that it is done and that there is no merit in saying to the British that it needs to be reversed. That is not my attitude. It is my view that the £1·5 billion that has been taken out is equivalent to 0·002% of the British Budget, yet, of course, it has been a hammer blow to our budgets and has meant real hardship for ordinary people.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle. I will give our friends time to move across. <BR /> <BR />I want to return to some of the topics that we tackled earlier today. In brief, and in summary, our belief is that we need to have a more robust attitude and challenge to the cuts juggernaut that is coming at us from London. It disappoints those of us on this side of the Chamber that our colleagues on the other side of the Chamber are willing to accept, willy-nilly, the nature and severity of those cuts. They take it as read that there should be no resistance, protest, demand to, or explanation from, the British that it is the wrong way forward, that it will not benefit anyone in this community and that it will not help our economy. We are divided on the approach; I understand that.”
“Go raibh maith agat. Thank you, Minister. The problem is that phases 3 and 4 of the environmental improvement scheme never happened. The Minister has been in Sandy Row, which is almost a partner area of the Markets in this development. We invited you in before Christmas. There was a crisis in government, then there was another crisis. We will probably not make it before the summer, but I hope, Minister, that you will take up the invite to visit the Markets to see the great work that is being done there in partnership with surrounding communities. The environmental improvement scheme will be a key part of that.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle. I thank the Minister for looking forward to the summer with some optimism. I share that optimism, but will he look back and tell us the financial cost, to his Department and to the community, of policing the flags protests and the demonstration at Twaddell Avenue in north Belfast?”
“As the Minister explained, that is not expected of people and, if it is not expected, hopefully the letters will change in the time ahead. I hope that we continue to achieve those sorts of numbers, 99%, in the difficult hotspots around South Belfast such as Finaghy, Malone and Dunmurry, where parents have problems getting preschool places. I hope that we can do even more in the time ahead to facilitate those parents.”
“The growth in that area has been rapid, yet the response of CCMS has not been as efficient as we would have liked. It is my hope that, in the time ahead, we get a plan for that area that accommodates all the parents, particularly those who have had great difficulties and who want a Catholic education for their children but have not been able to receive it. <BR /> <BR />I endorse some of the comments that my colleague made about the difficulty in getting preschool places. I am also aware that 99% of those who stick with the process get schools, thankfully, and that — the Minister explained this and will probably explain again — the letters that say that you can go to Portavogie from Dunmurry are not very sensible. That would not be a good way to start your child's education.”
“To give you a little example of why we are so impressed by all our schools, I learned this morning that the pupils at Scoil an Droichid had raised £7,000 to send one of their colleagues who had suffered from leukaemia, with her family, to her father's native country of Turkey in the summer. That struck me as a great testament to the big-hearted nature of the pupils and teachers. <BR /> <BR />I want to raise one other issue of importance. It is a different issue altogether, namely the expansion of South Belfast to include Carryduff. Of course, that cheers us all, because we want to see our city grow. In particular, the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools (CCMS) has not managed that growth properly. As the Minister knows, on several occasions I have had to implore him to try to find more places at St Ita's Primary School in particular.”
“Am ar bith a thugaim cuairt ar Scoil an Droichid, bím iontach dóchasach maidir le todhchaí Bhéal Feirste, mar is léir go bhfuil siad ag tógáil glúin úr atá bríomhar, atá tallannach, agus atá ag smaoineamh ar an am atá le theacht. I was at Scoil an Droichid Irish-medium school this morning and, every time I visit, I come away amazed at how the next generation; this young generation — they are certainly several generations after me — are so focused on the future. They are so vibrant and dynamic, with high aspirations and ambitions. The teachers at Scoil an Droichid also deserve praise, and I got a chance to say that this morning.”
“If any backing is needed for Mrs Cochrane's request to speed up the project she mentioned, I am happy to give it. <BR /> <BR />I am also a great fan of Holy Rosary Primary School in South Belfast, which is certainly one of the most diverse schools I have ever visited. It is also one of the most generous schools in reaching out to people who have moved to Belfast in recent times. Every time I visit the school, I come away buoyed up by the enthusiasm not only of the teachers but the pupils. <BR /> <BR />I also want to mention Scoil an Droichid, scoil lánGhaeilge i ndeisceart Bhéal Feirste. Áit a bhfuil spiorad iontach bríomhar i measc na ndaltaí uilig.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle. I want to thank my young colleague Mrs Cochrane for bringing the subject forward and, in a remarkable show of generosity, for including South Belfast and East Belfast. It gives me a chance to praise some schools. I think that it would be inappropriate to praise the Minister, because self-praise or praise from a party colleague is no recommendation, but I want to praise some of the wonderful schools, primary schools in particular, that I have had the opportunity to visit. <BR /> <BR />In East Belfast, Strandtown Primary School strikes me as the most engaged primary school that I have ever visited. I have never seen that level of community and pupil engagement, especially during the Giro d'Italia.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle. While we await that review and reform, the Minister's colleague Mr Girvan and I are united in one aspect of our concerns for ADD-NI. It is that the Belfast Trust has referred over 300 children who have ADHD to that service, but it does not want to pay for it. I think that that is an area where the Minister might be able to use his good offices with the Belfast Trust to tell it that, if it wants and needs the service, which it does, it also has to pay the piper.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Phríomh-LeasCheann Comhairle. Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire fosta. Thank you, Minister. Given the recent appointment of Tom Moran as chancellor of Queen's University, how can we encourage increased interest via the diaspora in our universities? John Sweeney was, of course, an eminent member of AFL-CIO. Is there a way in which we can join together to encourage other labour unions to support scholarships at our universities?”
“Tá an t-am ag éirí gairid. Thank you for squeezing in the last supplementary question, Mr Deputy Speaker. Will the Minister give a commitment to visit the club and see the good work that is going on there? With over 1,000 members, it is the biggest club in Ulster, but, sadly, it does not get the resources it is entitled to.”
“— welcome, and, hopefully, we can support its endeavours in —”
“— overall goal must be to grow tourism and get to the levels of our Celtic cousins in Scotland and Wales, who are at least double the levels in terms of GDP and contribution to the economy that we are at. The initiative by Pubs of Ulster is —”
“Tourism is, on occasion, associated with low wages, but we want to make sure that as many local businesses as possible set up their own enterprises so that they create jobs and we see more indigenous businesses. If you want to take the plunge into a B&B or you want to have a tour guide or a bus company to benefit from the tourism surge, the difficulty is that you immediately have a 20% taxation rate to deal with. <BR /> <BR />As we support the proposal brought before us by the SDLP today, our —”
“<BR /> <BR />The second big issue for us is that, when we look at how we will partner the tourism sector to grow tourism, we hear again and again people saying that, if they have to compete with rivals across the border, in particular, with that much more favourable tourism rate, those in the border counties especially will lose out. In this part of the world, we charge people taxation on their flights to get here, and then, when they get here, we hit them with a 20% tax rate. That punitive tax is putting a barrier in the way of those who want to create new businesses. One of the goals of all of us, as we try to grow the tourism sector, is to create more businesses.”
“What Mr Girvan referred to as trust and transparency are not there when we want to know how much is raised from VAT in this part of the world, not to mention what is raised from hospitality. However, if any of the business owners whom we mentioned previously owe £1 or £100 in VAT, the Treasury can tell them that immediately and seek it. The answer to our wish and desire to grow the economy has to lie in having more tools in the toolbox than just the reduction in VAT and the power to impose VAT on tourism at whatever rate we choose.”
“We know that it hurts the tourism industry, but if we ask the Treasury, "How much did you raise by the 20% VAT on the tourism industry?", the facts, figures and the details are not there.”
“Again and again, we see that tourism businesses are run by local people, many of whom came through very tough times in the city and are now seizing the opportunity to serve the tourists who want to come to this part of the world and enjoy the hospitality offering. <BR /> <BR />The difficulty that we have when we approach all the questions about taxation is that this is only one tool in the toolbox. If we want to grow our economy, we need all the fiscal tools and powers. My colleague Mr McGlone said that he would like to see a rate of 5%, and I know that other Members from his party have talked about different rates. Whatever the reduction, the difficulty for us is that we do not know the full detail of what is brought in with the taxation.”
“That is something that we would all welcome. <BR /> <BR />The leadership on the proposal has come from our tourism sector. It is appropriate today to put on record, especially for the city of Belfast — I represent South Belfast — our gratitude to those businesses, particularly the indigenous businesses, that have driven forward the tourism miracle that has happened in Belfast. Today, tourism is four or five times what it was 20 years ago, and that has been driven by Bill Wolsey at the Merchant Hotel, the Hastings family at the Europa Hotel and the Macklin family at the Malone Lodge Hotel.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle. I support the motion. Ba mhaith liom tacú le mo chomrádaí Patsy, agus ní annamh, Patsy, a bhíonn seans againn tacú le rud a mholann tithe tábhairne. Patsy and I sometimes find ourselves supporting the proposals of pubs, but, in this case, we have a special excuse, because it is on behalf of Pubs of Ulster, or Hospitality Ulster. <BR /> <BR />The proposal to reduce VAT on tourism and the tourism sector speaks for itself. It is clear from our colleagues south of the border that, when they cut the VAT rate, there was an immediate, rapid and dramatic increase in expenditure. Of course, then, there is a net benefit to the economy. I suppose that it is the objective of us all to be able to tweak or change a tax and reduce it but bring more money into the coffers.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Phríomh-LeasCheann Comhairle. Ba mhaith liom buíochas a thabhairt don Aire as an fhreagra sin a thabhairt domh fosta inniu. Sílim go dtuigeann sé an mhaith mhór a gní cúrsaí ealaíne do phríosúnaigh agus don tsochaí seo. I thank the Minister for his response. It is depressing news that the Prison Arts Foundation funding has been cut from £240,000 to £83,000 and that the number of artists in residence has been cut from four to two. Will the Minister look again at that vital area of work? I often think that expenditure on tighter security does not bring the same benefits as expenditure on the Prison Arts Foundation. I know that the Minister is very familiar with the work of the PAF. Is this something that he could review to see if we could increase the number of residencies again?”
“Go raibh maith agat. Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire as an fhreagra sin. I thank the Minister for his response. The Minister has the facts, figures and stats. In the time ahead, is there a way in which we could look at the cohort of those who had a 100% or more increase — I am talking about non-domestic properties — and find ways of going to the businesses that took the biggest hit and seeing what extra help we can give them to ensure that they remain committed to growing their businesses here?”
“I would love to claim credit for that. That is probably the biggest help and assistance that we can give to businesses. Inflation, at present, is low and staying low. We have done a good job of maintaining the rate increase at inflation-only. I know that many of our councils have frozen their rates again. I look forward to working closely with the Minister in the time ahead through the two Committees that I am on — the economy Committee and the Finance Committee — and to hearing the response to rates, especially from business.”
“<BR /> <BR />As we adopt the motion today, the main thing is that we need to return more swiftly to look at the effect of the rates and rates increases on business in the time ahead. If I caught the Minister right, inflation is 1·4%.”
“We need to avoid the situation that was created, especially in places like Belfast city centre, where the rates bill became so onerous that businesses no longer wanted to locate there and moved. The recent revaluation has brought business back into some of those areas in the core of the city. People are now able to estimate what their rent and rates will be, decide whether they can afford it and bring businesses back to the city centre. As the burden is spread, I hope that the scale of the rates increase in other areas of Belfast city does not make business there untenable. I think in particular of the Cathedral Quarter, where there has been an increase. I hope that the businesses continue to flourish in the time ahead.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle, I also support the motion. The good news for the Minister is that, when we get the rates revaluations wrong, it is usually the small businesses that come to the Committee first to voice their concern and anger about non-domestic rates. Already, we have had some small businesses, especially petrol stations, come to our Committee because they are concerned that they maybe carry too great a burden at this time. That said, we have made a decision as a Committee to try to collate the evidence, bring it forward, try to have quicker revaluations and try to respond to the complaints and concerns of, in particular, non-domestic ratepayers in businesses and small businesses. <BR /> <BR />A series of reliefs for businesses and manufacturing businesses already exists.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle. Mo bhuíochas leis an Aire. Diolch yn fawr, as the Welsh would say. As we are talking about our Welsh cousins, and in the context of Mr Cameron's announcing on Friday the next step to devolving income tax power, does the Minister think that income tax is the next tax-raising power that we will seek and that it would also bring benefits to our economy?”
“Go raibh maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle, agus buíochas fosta leis an Aire. Ba mhaith liom ceist a chur faoin tSólann Olympia. It is great to see the Windsor Park development making steady progress, and the other piece of that jigsaw, as you mentioned, Minister, is the Olympia Leisure Centre. Will you spell out your Department's involvement in that development?”
“I think that that is a good way to finish the debate.”
“If you had been listening, you would know that we mentioned removing the cap on rates on homes valued above £400,000. I did not mention the contributions from the SDLP that were new and interesting. Unfortunately, the pieces that were interesting were not new, and the pieces that were new were not interesting; they were basically election manifestos. <BR /> <BR />We have come up with ideas, and if you had been listening, you would know what those ideas are. <BR /> <BR />I made a visit last week to the Scottish Parliament, where I saw great exuberance, great energy and great confidence, perhaps not unrelated to the fact that just under half of the members are women. I will finish with a quote from Nicola Sturgeon that I think is very relevant to this debate today and where we are going. She said:”
“My colleagues Ms Cochrane and Mr Lyttle cut out the most important statement in the Sinn Féin motion, which is that we support the 2015-16 Budget. You cannot have your cake and eat it. You are opposed to the Budget; the alternative to the Budget was the horror story that would be direct rule. When you come forward with ideas for revenue raising, and no one has a monopoly on those, we will take them on board. For now, we cannot back the Alliance amendment —”
“Three billion pounds on a new aircraft carrier; £20 billion on a new generation of fighter jets. Where are the benefits of that spending to us? Of course, that would be part of the magic £20 billion subvention that we are told we get. <BR /> <BR />Sadly, austerity remains top of the Tory coalition's agenda. For us, austerity spells only further misery for the poor and for working people; it is not the solution to our economic progress. We need investment, not more cuts, to bring progress. The Minister told us again today that we have lost £1·5 billion from the block grant since 2010-11 and that we stand to lose another £1 billion between now and 2020. Such decisions only hold us back; they do not give us the impetus that we need to push into the future. <BR /> <BR />I move now to the Alliance amendment.”
“That is why I think we can do better than go by what happened heretofore: to depend absolutely and entirely on the block grant, bring no innovative thinking to that and bring no assertive or confident approach to how we can better run our own affairs. So, where some see English altruism or the altruism of English Ministers, I take a wholly different view. Often, we hear from Scotland, and others, that even as London surges ahead, the decisions taken in London are to our benefit. We are constantly assured of that. I do not think that that holds. <BR /> <BR />Minister Hamilton mentioned some possible Barnett consequentials that may derive from increased expenditure on health and education if that happens. I also read the news. The spending promises and decisions of recent days will make no difference to our constituents.”
“<BR /> <BR />I think that we can look confidently to the future, but that makes it incumbent upon all of us to look critically at the links with Britain and this dependency, as it is, on a block grant. <BR /> <BR />Mr McCann alluded to this: there are two sides to this coin. Tomorrow, at the economy Committee, we will discuss underinvestment in water and sewerage and in the road network. Of course, parts of the North of Ireland have been constantly left outside of economic prosperity and development. We think of the north-west — that debate continues today — and north and west Belfast. Mr McQuillan referenced west Belfast and south Armagh, but, of course, west Belfast is more than just the Falls Road and Ballymurphy; it is also the Shankill Road, as he will appreciate.”
“When we go into negotiations with the Treasury, I would like to see not only the Ulster-Scots work ethic but the character, resilience and determination to stand up for our constituents and voters to make sure that we get a fair deal so that we can build an economy that is fair and prosperous. <BR /> <BR />I think that Mr Cree was afraid that we were going to lead him into the Republic today, because he went back to 1969 and the crossroads; Ms Boyle's crossroads, of course, but your crossroads and Mr O'Neill's crossroads as well. That encouraged your leader to go back 100 years to what might have been a golden era, but, as Mr McCann pointed out, not everyone shared in that golden era.”
“<BR /> <BR />One thing that surprised me was the Minister, last week in the Chamber, referring to this Parliament as a toddler and the Scottish Parliament as being in its first year at primary school or at kindergarten. I am wholly opposed to such language; it seems to be the type of language that will be music to the ears of English Ministers. In my view, we are as capable of running our affairs as those same English Ministers. <BR /> <BR />There is a very famous book by Senator Jim Webb on the fighting Irish. It is not about the fighting Irish; it is about the fighting Ulster Scots in America.”
“We owe it to our constituents to drill down and to question the Treasury on what we raise and what it says is part of the subvention and block grant for this part of the world. <BR /> <BR />That goes to the core of the debate that we have in the Finance Committee weekly: the need to understand where we are today and how we can increase and enhance our firepower and spending power in the time ahead. <BR /> <BR />There have been suggestions that some of the smaller parties support water charges and the removal of free travel; both large parties are against that. We stand four-square against the introduction of water charges, and we stand against the removal of free travel. That remains our position. However, we should not be paralysed from looking at other ways of raising revenue.”
“We also need to do better when we discuss the block grant and what the Finance Minister, Mr Hamilton, refers to as the £10 billion gap. We need to look at that carefully as well. <BR /> <BR />I spent the weekend on a treasure hunt for the £10 billion, and our colleagues in the research department gave me a certain amount of help with that. When we look at what makes up the gap, we find that there are items that make little or no difference to the ordinary people and constituents we serve. In particular, £1 billion of that £10 billion is debt. Another £1 billion-plus is what the Treasury refers to as "defence", and defence and debt are, of course, closely linked in this day and age.”
“We also looked at the Scottish model and at what we can learn from that. <BR /> <BR />Putting that to the side, there were slim pickings from the other parties on additional means to raise revenue. That said, I think that the debate was worthwhile, because it is certainly useful for the House to look at the block grant, at the subvention and at where the money is and is not. I am a great admirer of my colleague on the Committee for Finance and Personnel Mr Girvan, who said in the kindest terms possible that the Treasury sometimes keeps us in the dark about what money is being raised here. That is undoubtedly true. There is certainly a lack of transparency and trust in the figures that the Treasury provides us with, and I think that we need to do better on that.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle, agus mo bhuíochas le gach duine a ghlac páirt sa díospóireacht. Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker, and my thanks to everyone from all the parties who took part in the debate. The debate was on alternative or extra ways to raise revenues, but it turned into quite an existential debate on where we are in political and constitutional terms. <BR /> <BR />We should not lose sight of the fact that Daithí Mc Kay for Sinn Féin set out some areas where we think there could be changes and other areas where we think we should start an urgent debate. In particular, we have identified removing the cap on rates on homes above £400,000, and we think that we can do that without putting anyone who is asset-rich and cash-poor into added difficulties.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Phríomh-LeasCheann Comhairle. Thank you, Mr Principal Deputy Speaker, and thanks also to the Minister for his comprehensive answer. This is not all in your bailiwick, and I appreciate your work on both projects. As they reach the finishing line — they are very close to getting full grant aid — will the Minister pledge his continuing support for the projects, in Sandy Row, which I visited, and the Lanyon tunnels in the Markets, on their journey towards full funding?”
“Mo bhuíochas fosta leis an Aire. I thank the Minister. It is important to pay tribute to Anna Lo, your representative in South Belfast, who has borne the brunt of many of these racist attacks. In terms of language and leadership from all in this House who are in positions of civic leadership and leadership in society, can you assure the House that you and your Department will stand four-square behind those who give the type of leadership that a multicultural society desires and demands?”