Andy Allen
East Belfast · Ulster Unionist Party · Northern Ireland
“I thank the Member for her question. There are two accessible toilet cubicles available to visitors on the ground floor, one designated for male use and one for female use. On the first floor, there is an additional accessible toilet facility that is available for use by all visitors.”
“Before I begin, I declare an interest as a trustee of a charity. Through that role, I have seen at first hand the valuable work that charities carry out and the responsibilities that fall on trustees to ensure that organisations are properly governed.”
“I thank the Member for her follow-up question. While no formal assessment has been undertaken to establish a direct correlation between facilities and attendance by people with disabilities, we regularly engage with and welcome to Parliament Buildings people with disabilities through a range of forums, including involvement with the Youth…”
“<BR /> <BR />Perhaps the most significant issue for scrutiny is the extent to which important operational detail is being transferred from primary legislation into regulations.”
“Nevertheless, it would be useful to know how concerns relating to such organisations, should they arise, would be addressed and how cooperation between regulators would operate should issues arise.”
“I thank the Member for his question. The Assembly Commission installed a Changing Places facility in Parliament Buildings in 2011. Standard accessible toilets do not meet the needs of many people, including those with profound and multiple learning disabilities.”
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“<BR /> <BR />In conclusion, I will give the House an example of a recent difficulty encountered when trying to deal with Japanese knotweed.”
“I join others in welcoming the motion tabled by the Members. I also welcome my party colleague Robin Swann's impending private Member's Bill. <BR /> <BR />As was mentioned, the invasive non-native plants that cause most of the problems in Northern Ireland are Japanese knotweed, giant hogweed and Himalayan balsam. In the last year, since becoming an MLA for East Belfast, I have dealt with numerous constituency enquiries about knotweed, like many Members around the House. Constituents find it virtually impossible to deal with the problems because they are not able to ascertain who owns the land from which the knotweed is growing. We are also restricted in tackling the plants because their prevalence and the location of breakouts are not recorded.”
“I place on record my apologies to the Minister for missing his opening remarks. I thank the Minister for his statement. In particular, I welcome the reference to the inaugural Ulster-Scots science week. I urge the Minister to give this type of venture his full support, so that more children can learn the stories of positive role models such as Harry Ferguson, Frank Pantridge and Lord Kelvin, who came from Northern Ireland and gained world renown and recognition as innovators.”
“While alleviating housing need must and should remain central to social housing allocations, giving a wider range of people a chance of getting a social home might build healthier communities and support job creation, social mobility and shared futures. <BR /> <BR />Finally, when taking into consideration any review or reform of the social housing scheme, we need to take into consideration the social size criteria — the bedroom tax. How can we stand and penalise any of our constituents come 2021, post-mitigation, when we are not building adequate social housing to help people to downsize from three- and four-bedroom homes? If we are not able to help them to transition from those houses to smaller properties, which we are not building enough of, we cannot penalise them with the bedroom tax.”
“It is important to mention that there is no doubt that the most recent statistics that I could obtain before the debate are that in the region of 40,000 individuals are on the housing waiting list and that, of those, 22,000 are deemed to be in housing stress. That is a huge number, and we need to tackle that. The way to tackle that is to start to build the numbers of houses required to eradicate housing stress. <BR /> <BR />We also need to tackle hidden homelessness: the individuals who do not receive priority or full duty applicant points because they do not meet the current criteria. A lot of people sofa surf. It is not that they place a huge burden on family and friends but they are heavily reliant on them to put them up and help them in their time of difficulty.”
“We need to look at that, because those people do not receive the points that they should be entitled to and therefore do not progress up the points system and thus lie on it for a substantial time. Consequently, we have children who are being disadvantaged because they cannot spend time with their mothers or fathers outside the family home.”
“I reiterate what my colleague Doug Beattie has said quite often: this is not about priority for service personnel veterans or their families; it is about making sure that disadvantage, where it exists, can be eradicated and understood by those who are implementing the policy. <BR /> <BR />I also urge the Minister to take into consideration post-separation. Since becoming an MLA in September 2015, 46% of the cases that my office has dealt with have been in relation to housing and housing repairs. Of those, a substantial number are in relation to post-separation, whereby no consideration is given to the other partner in the separation because they are not in receipt of child tax credits or child benefit, so they are not awarded any points for separation.”
“The issue of confidentiality was raised, and I refer to a case no less than eight months ago when an individual was charged in a Magistrates' Court for a serious breach of confidentiality. Indeed, I have had ex- and current service personnel approach me over fears and concerns about the confidentiality of their information. We need to address that, not only when dealing with constituents but when dealing with our service community. <BR /> <BR />I urge the Minister to consider in any reform or review the military covenant and take that into consideration so that our service personnel veterans and their families are not disadvantaged by virtue of their service.”
“I thank the proposer of the motion for bringing this very important issue before us. Before I go into my comments, I declare an interest as a private landlord. <BR /> <BR />Like the last Member to speak, I have visited homes, and constituents have brought me in photographs of properties that are not fit for habitation. Those are not the type of properties that we want our constituents to be living in, so I urge that any review or reform of the housing selection scheme take into consideration the state of those homes and whether they are habitable. <BR /> <BR />There is no doubt that the current system is complex. Indeed, it is very difficult for many of our constituents who present to the Northern Ireland Housing Executive to understand the process before them. It can be a difficult and traumatic process.”
“Is the Minister aware of any shortage of preschool places in east Belfast? Has he any plans or proposals to address that?”
“The Ulster Unionist Party fully supports the discretionary support mitigation package. It has an annual budget of £16 million over the next four years to provide repayable interest-free loans and non-repayable grants, with eligibility criteria specific to each. They are aimed at providing assistance to help to alleviate exceptional and extreme crisis situations and to ensure that those facing the most extreme hardship as a result of adjustment to the social security system are supported in their efforts towards self-dependency, where access to discretionary support would help to avoid or reduce major risk or life-threatening circumstances.”
“I thank the Member for that. I urge the Minister not to seek approval of the first regulations and to bring them back with Part 4, relating to conflict-related injuries, significantly changed. The Assembly must not set the precedent of rewarding terrorist violence.”
“How, with any integrity, can he ask the Assembly to approve that? As such, we will not support the loss of disability living allowance regulations. It is a shame, because I support most of what is in them. However, I am not prepared to sit by as the DUP sets this precedent. To be honest, I was shocked that the Minister and his party remained quiet when Professor Evason first proposed this. However, I am shocked that it is now actively seeking its adoption. I therefore call on the Minister not to seek approval of the first regulations before us and to bring them —”
“The 75% protection will also ensure that people moving from one rate to another have time to change or adapt their circumstances. <BR /> <BR />We do not support the proposed mitigation for conflict-related injury cases, which would see perpetrators who set out to cause death and, indeed, who left many with disabilities receive the same mitigation package as innocent victims where PIP has been refused — equivalent to either the standard daily living or standard mobility component. Although my party has repeatedly called for the needs of victims to be kept at the forefront of the reassessment process, many victims will feel only further aggrieved to see perpetrators of terrorist acts awarded an extra four points, no matter what the circumstances. I urge the Minister to revisit his conscience.”
“The Ulster Unionist Party supports the mitigation package to support those who will be affected by welfare reform. We support mitigation for the loss of disability allowance in Part 2, which provides 100% protection for those who appeal against the refusal of PIP; for the loss of disability allowance in Part 3, which provides 75% protection where PIP is awarded at a lower rate than DLA by at least £10 a week; for the loss of disability-related premiums; and for the loss of carers' payments. <BR /> <BR />I have my concerns about whether the company involved, Capita, will be able to deliver the sheer caseload timely and accurately. It is essential that people have confidence in the system, so I welcome the assistance for those who decide to appeal.”
“Thank you, Minister. Clearly there is a serious issue. The public needs assurance that, when a Department awards a major contract such as this, the procurement process must be fair and above board to ensure that the facts of the case are understood and any lessons are learned. Will the Minister self-refer this case to the Northern Ireland Audit Office to investigate and report on it?”
“I am just about to finish; you can come in in a minute. <BR /> <BR />I will give credit where credit is due, and I will play my part as a member of the official Opposition to ensure that those fluffy promises are turned into results that benefit those who need help the most. <BR /> <BR />That is me finished, folks; fire away.”
“A key one was to lobby for the inclusion of the arts in the next PFG, outlining the Executive's acknowledgement of the importance of the arts and demonstrating our commitment to them. <BR /> <BR />Instead of entering this mandate with a clear strategy and a set of policies that are already addressing the growing demands for social housing, tackling poverty and delivering for communities, we enter a new mandate with fluffy promises to make it better and calling on those who have already been talking to us to say some more.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Department for Communities is very large and has a wide range of functions. In addition to the functions of DSD, it has taken on many of those of DCAL. I know that many people are concerned that arts and culture may receive less priority in the new Department, but I am determined that that should not be the case. Arts funding became a major issue in the last Assembly as budgets were cut and many groups faced severe difficulties. Prior to the election, the Ulster Unionist Party produced a policy document dedicated to the arts and, in our Assembly election manifesto, we committed ourselves to five points — not the only party that had a five-point plan.”
“Do the two parties of Government really expect the people of Northern Ireland to believe that this renewed listening, to the same stakeholders who will be telling them the same things, will create a policy portfolio that will address what should have been addressed over the last four years? <BR /> <BR />In 2013, homelessness charity Crisis carried out research that identified that Northern Ireland had higher rates of homelessness than any other region of the United Kingdom. Indeed, the latest statistics on the Northern Ireland Housing Executive website show that there are 39,338 individuals on the housing waiting list, of whom 22,097 are considered to be in housing stress, including 11,016 households deemed to be statutorily homeless. That is simply not acceptable.”
“However, according to the most recent poverty bulletin, 23% of children were in poverty in 2013-14. That is approximately 101,000 children, and it is an increase from 20% the previous year. Some 20% of working-age adults were in poverty in 2013-14; that is approximately 213,000 working-age adults. That is an increase from 18% the previous year. Some 21% of pensioners were in poverty in 2013-14; that is approximately 63,000 pensioners. That is an increase from 20% the previous year. <BR /> <BR />The last Executive failed to deliver on key poverty targets, even though they went through a full process of listening to individuals, the community and voluntary sector and leading academics.”
“In 2012, OFMDFM launched the Delivering Social Change framework, which stated:”
“I would like to congratulate those Members who made their maiden speech today, and I look forward to working constructively with them in delivering a better Northern Ireland for all our constituents. I welcome the opportunity to speak as the Ulster Unionist Party's community spokesperson. During the previous mandate, I was not a Member of the House for very long. However, like many, I watched as we leapt from crisis to crisis whilst those who matter most — our constituents — suffered. <BR /> <BR />It is predicted that, by 2020, one in four children in Northern Ireland will be living in poverty. If this Executive do not address that, we will further fail our children.”
“I join Members in expressing my deepest and heartfelt sympathies for Mr Ismay's family, which I ask the Minister to convey to the family. Does the Minister feel that it is appropriate or necessary to make representations to the British Government for additional resources to help the PSNI to apprehend the despicable individuals behind this cowardly attack and to counter any further attacks by these individuals, who have nothing to offer our society?”
“We tabled a number of amendments to the Bill at Westminster that we believe could have improved it, such as amending the definition of a victim and changing the method of election for the First Minister and deputy First Minister. There are gaps, and opportunities for improvements have not been taken. I think that, with hindsight, we will regret not taking those opportunities.”
“We believe that will be a hugely positive change in how we do business that could vastly improve the outcomes for the people of Northern Ireland, and we are delighted that other parties have come round to our idea and that we are now seeing it become a reality. <BR /> <BR />I should also point that we do not think the Bill is perfect.”
“The Ulster Unionist Party supports progress. We support moves to bring an end to paramilitarism in all its forms in Northern Ireland; to frustrate and close down associated criminality; to free communities from suppression; and to support those who genuinely want to move down a peaceful path. It is very welcome to see that we will now have an extension of the period for the appointment of Ministers, which will allow two weeks for negotiations of the Programme for Government (PFG). <BR /> <BR />In our 2011 manifesto, the Ulster Unionist Party proposed that we totally change our approach to drawing up the Programme for Government. We proposed that it be negotiated before everyone took up their positions in Departments and the silo mentality set in.”
“I thank the Member for her answers. Whilst I place on record my utmost thanks to the Commission and those involved behind the scenes for addressing the accessibility and facility deficiencies in the Building, has the Commission implemented any regular monitoring of access services and facilities to make sure that they are as up to date as possible? It was only when I came into the Building that we recognised that there were a number of deficiencies.”
“I thank the Minister for his answers. Will he outline how many homes will be developed in East Belfast under the social housing development programme?”
“I thank the Minister for her answer. Minister, I have been approached by constituents with concerns about the Belmont Road. They are concerned about the parking bay that is already in existence there being abused by individuals who do not have or are not displaying a disabled badge. I know that we are heading towards the end of the mandate, but can the Minister give me a commitment that her officials will provide enforcement and look to add bays?”
“This is a fairly modest piece of legislation before us today in size, but not in importance. It sets out the new ministerial offices and Departments due to come into effect in the new mandate. We support the creation of a more streamlined system of government at Stormont and wish to see services delivered in a more effective and efficient manner. A reduction in the number of Departments should help to achieve that. It is my opinion that the people we seek to serve are not obsessed with the number of Departments or what names they are given; they want to see results on the ground. That is what we should turn our attention to as we move into the new mandate.”
“There are already concerns at some of the functions being transferred from one Department to another and doubts as to whether they are in the most appropriate location. For example, I am aware of concerns that unemployment is included in the Department for Communities and not the Department for the Economy. I am also aware that there are concerns over some of the functions retained by the renamed OFMDFM. The Ulster Unionist Party therefore wants to see a review mechanism built in to identify and address any unforeseen problems that may arise as the new departmental responsibilities and functions roll out. We should not be precious if problems are identified and changes need to be made.”
“In a political system where one party or perhaps a two-party coalition governs, that can present challenges when Ministers from the same party jealously guard departmental budgets and responsibilities; in a system such as ours, where multi-party coalitions have been the norm, cross-departmental working can be extremely difficult to achieve. That is something that all parties and Departments must strive to address. After all, we are all here to deliver for the people of Northern Ireland. Their health, education and employment prospects are what all of us should be concerned with. <BR /> <BR />The revised Departments motion is not perfect. It represents the biggest challenge to administration here in 17 years.”
“<BR /> <BR />Departments exist to deliver for the people they serve. What the people of Northern Ireland want is a system of government that delivers for them, their families and their communities. They are not obsessed with the number of Departments or what names they are given; they want to see results. A reduction in the number of Departments offers the prospect of more effective and efficient government. That is to be welcomed. It is essential that we foster and develop a culture of joined-up government and break down the silo mentality, which, as others have mentioned, has been the hallmark of too many ministerial decisions. So many issues cut across departmental responsibilities and require a cross-departmental response.”
“Like other Members who have spoken, I would like to convey to the family of the prison officer who has died following the heinous attack on 4 March my deepest sympathies. My thoughts are with them. We must do everything as a society to bring those responsible to justice and take them off the street. They are not representative of the wider community in Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />This is important legislation. The current system of Departments was established in 1998. No one claims that it was the perfect or optimum system, but it was of its time, and, for the most part, it has served us well. However, most things in life should be subject to scrutiny and monitoring with a view to updating and improving, and how we conduct the business of government should be no different.”
“However, a lot more can and should be done to deliver a better Northern Ireland for all our people. <BR /> <BR />Last but not least, I would like to place on record my utmost thanks to Mr Welch, director of facilities; you, Mr Speaker; the team behind Mr Welch; the Assembly Commission; and all involved who have made every effort not only to accommodate me but other disabled visitors to this magnificent Building by taking measures to make it more accessible. That work is not finished, and I look forward to returning on 9 May with a strong Ulster Unionist Party team, delivering and doing what is right for Northern Ireland.”
“I also pay tribute to Members from other parties who are stepping down. I am sure that Members from across the House will join me in wishing them well. <BR /> <BR />I want to take this opportunity to also thank all the Ulster Unionist support staff, who have been instrumental in providing support to our MLAs. It would remiss of me not to thank the support staff throughout Parliament Buildings, who have worked tirelessly behind the scenes, and staff from the statutory agencies, who we, as MLAs, work closely with on a daily basis to support our constituents. <BR /> <BR />My thanks go to you, Mr Speaker, the Principal Deputy Speaker, and the Deputy Speakers, who have presided over this House in a professional and diligent manner. <BR /> <BR />A lot has happened over the past five years.”
“It gives me great pleasure to speak on behalf of the Ulster Unionist Party. Most importantly, I would like to start by paying tribute, on behalf of the party and, indeed, the Ulster Unionist MLA group, to Leslie Cree, Sam Gardiner, Michael McGimpsey, Michael Copeland and Neil Somerville, who will not be standing in the upcoming election but who all made a considerable impact in their respective constituencies and in Northern Ireland. It would be remiss of me not to acknowledge the dedication and hard work of Danny Kinahan MP and Tom Elliott MP, who left the Ulster Unionist Party group for Westminster last year.”
“I thank the Minister for his answers. Will he give us an idea of the time frame within which he will make a final decision? I know I am pushing it by asking two questions, but has he ever given any consideration to having an independent airport regulator?”
“We need to support the Police Service of Northern Ireland in every effort to take these people off the streets so that they cannot carry out these attacks on our fellow citizens. Let us not kid ourselves or deny the fact that this could have caused havoc and devastation in a built-up area. You cannot put it into words. <BR /> <BR />I was at the receiving end of an IED blast and know only too well the devastation that that can cause. My thoughts are with the prison officer and his family at this difficult time. Let me say this to the prison officer: there is light at the end of the tunnel, and I am living proof of that. We will not allow these people to take us back to the past.”
“I tabled this Matter of the Day with feelings of disgust, sadness, anger — the list goes on. There can be no justification whatsoever for the despicable and heinous act of those people who attempt to drag us back to the days of the past. They are gone; they are behind us. Those people need to get with the times.”
“<BR /> <BR />It is important to understand and reflect on why we reached the number of 108 MLAs in the Good Friday Agreement. It was to make sure that Members of the House represented each and every individual to the best of their ability. It was to make sure that the House was diverse, inclusive, and brought forward the thoughts of the whole society. Once again, rather reluctantly, we support the passage of the Bill.”
“First, I would like to apologise for coming slightly late and missing the junior Minister's opening remarks. <BR /> <BR />Members will be well aware that we did not support the accelerated passage of the Bill. We would like to have seen it being brought forward in the next mandate, giving it the time and scrutiny it deserves. Nonetheless, in a democratic society, we were outvoted on that, and we are where we are. We support it going through, rather reluctantly. As I outlined previously, whether we go from six to five or to four does not matter. What matters is that the House delivers a streamlined but effective Government for all the people in Northern Ireland. That will see the House come down to five Members per constituency after the election in May 2016.”
“I thank the Minister for his answer. Constituents from throughout East Belfast have come to me with concerns about the rise in burglaries in the constituency. Will budget constraints have any impact on the PSNI's ability to tackle such crime?”
“I thank the Minister for his comprehensive statement. It is encouraging that both he and the DEL Minister are doing everything to support those affected by the devastating news. Will he tell the House whether he shares the confidence of the Invest NI chief executive that there will be no further job losses?”
“I thank the Minister for his answer. The number of patients waiting beyond the maximum of 18 weeks is shocking, so those waiting longer than 52 weeks are being wholly failed. Does the Minister share my concern that the patients waiting longer than the 18 weeks are being forced into a situation where they may be put at greater risk?”
“The Ulster Unionist Party has been clear and consistent on this issue. We support the reduction in the number of Members and the timeline. We did not support it earlier, because we felt that we should not be hasty or rush these decisions. We need to make sure that the Assembly is inclusive and diverse, and that it provides proper government for our people. To that end, we support the reduction in the number of Members and the First Minister and deputy First Minister technical amendments. I would like to hear more from Mr McCallister on his amendment. That is all that I have to say on the matter at the moment.”
“The Ulster Unionist Party supports a reduction in the number of Departments. We want to see a more effective, efficient and streamlined Administration in Northern Ireland in order to deliver real change and make a positive difference to the lives of the people. We are content to support the Bill, which will reduce the number of Departments from 12 to nine and which will be the biggest restructuring since 1999. <BR /> <BR />It is a short Bill, but it will be far-reaching in its implications and consequences. Its passage through the Assembly should be relatively uncontentious and the real meat will no doubt be at a later stage when we come to debate the transfer of functions and decide what the exact responsibilities of each Department should be. That, however, is for another day, and we are content to support the Bill.”
“What made me come in was my passion and desire to deliver a better Northern Ireland for our people. <BR /> <BR />We need to make sure that the Assembly is diverse and inclusive, which is why the amendment is too important to get wrong and why we in the Ulster Unionist Party will not support it. We would love to have been able to support it, but we believe that it has been brought in too late in the day. We want government that delivers the best for our people.”
“I apologise for coming slightly late to this important debate. The amendment was tabled by the Alliance Party because it was unable to secure agreement in the talks. The Ulster Unionist Party supports the reduction in numbers at the Assembly as part of the wider measures in the Programme for Government to bring about a more streamlined public administration that is more effective and efficient, and delivers better government for all our people. That is what we should all strive for. It is not about whether it should be six, five or four Members; it is about delivering effective, streamlined and efficient government for all our people, making sure that they are represented to the best of our ability. When I was offered the chance of coming into the Assembly, I thought long and hard about it.”