Daniel McCrossan
West Tyrone · Social Democratic and Labour Party · Northern Ireland
“I thank the Member for giving way. She has raised some points of interest. Aside from the Bill at hand, the Department of Finance currently collects rates from property owners across Northern Ireland. I have found that there can be difficulties with that when properties have been lying vacant for a significant period.”
“That applies in particular to those who have been land-banking over a period of time — that happens everywhere, unfortunately — with the hope that the big cash cow will be coming and, ultimately, they will be relieved of their responsibility to maintain, look after and enhance the landscape in a town or village by spending the necessary f…”
“As is often the case when we speak in the House, it may be that some ratepayers or members of the public will take it as a given that the Bill will be the silver bullet that will resolve the dilapidation issues in towns. Depending on which area you are in, the scale is very different.”
“We need to be creative in how we can put the Bill to task. <BR /> <BR />Certainly, as I have said, it is good policy. I have no question that the Bill is well intended.”
“<BR /> <BR />Addressing dilapidation is not simply a matter for local government in isolation. The responsibility lies with the Executive as a whole. The Executive have had their eyes closed to this matter for too long, and many of our buildings have deteriorated significantly across council areas over a long period.”
“That encourages private investment, and there is natural enhancement from those investors. However, in areas that lag behind because of economic decline, underinvestment and general deprivation, many towns and cities can quickly become the poor cousin.”
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“I take the opportunity to congratulate you, Mr Speaker, on your new role and wish you well. The same goes for all the new Ministers and Chairs and Deputy Chairs of Committees. <BR /> <BR />One of the greatest privileges of my life was being elected to the Assembly as a voice for the people of my constituency of West Tyrone. It is an honour. I am sure that that view is shared by every Member of the House. Our first priority should always be to the people whom we represent. We should ensure that, at all times, we articulate their needs in the right places to ensure that we ease the burdens and pain that they are suffering or going through and, most importantly, improve their lives. <BR /> <BR />We support the motion in the spirit of goodwill, as my colleague and leader of the Opposition, Mr Matthew O'Toole, outlined.”
“— have not failed; the DUP has failed. It has failed every citizen in Northern Ireland.”
“Tell them that you cannot heat your home. Tell them that you cannot fund your business. The reality is that the DUP knows it. You are in a bad position, you are wrong, and you are failing people. The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland would do well to remember that MLAs —”
“My right to represent my constituents is not a farce. I ask Mr Lyons whether it is a farce to suggest that children are starving. We could resolve that issue in the House. I hear members of the DUP continually say on radio, "But we really couldn't do anything about it if the Assembly were here". Why stand for election? Where is your sense of hope or aspiration? If that is the vision for this place, young emerging unionists will not want to be a part of it. I represent every citizen in my constituency — every one. I have yet to hear one of them say that the protocol is their biggest issue. It is not. <BR /> <BR />The DUP does not like the truth. I appeal to the people of Northern Ireland to knock on the doors of the DUP. Ring their phones. Email them. Bombard their social media. Tell them that your children are starving.”
“I will not give way. You have said enough, Mr Allister. The real leader of the DUP has spoken. That is where your narrative comes from. <BR /> <BR />This is about real life. I am frustrated; it can be heard in how I speak and what I am saying today. People in our constituencies are suffering incredibly. I appeal to the Members opposite to search within themselves and ask whether they really think that it is appropriate to allow people to suffer or to use them as leverage to get what they want, when the reality is that the Members have no influence whatever. In fact, they truly destroyed that bridge when they propped up Theresa May's Government and polished the red bus. <BR /> <BR />I have heard the session today being called "a farce". My democratic right as an elected Member of the House is not a farce.”
“He would do well to follow me to Altnagelvin hospital, stand in the A&E and look at people suffering with mental health issues who cannot get a bed in the facilities in Derry or anywhere else. The Member would do well to look at the person who is dying on a hospital seat because they cannot get a bed. Perhaps Mr Poots wants to go to the A&E in Altnagelvin and say, "Folks, it's constitution first. You can all die". That is the message that you are sending.”
“Our colleagues across the Benches have talked about reality: the reality is that people are starving. They cannot heat their homes. They cannot afford to travel to their work. People who are working tirelessly in our hospitals, schools and public domain every day cannot afford to live, and you know it. I would like to think that you are hearing the exact same things as I hear from our constituents; either that or your office doors are locked or your phone lines are disconnected. The people who ring me and other Members are absolutely sick, sore and tired of being failed by this place. I am ashamed to stand in the House, prevented from exercising my democratic right to stand up for every citizen. <BR /> <BR />I have heard the Member say that the constitution comes first.”
“It is no surprise that the first three letters of the word "duplicity" spell "DUP". It is never found wanting when it comes to that narrative.”
“I thank the Member for his intervention. Duplicity —.”
“How on earth is this situation in any way improving the lives of any of our constituents? The DUP knows, as does anybody in Northern Ireland with ears and eyes, that it has no influence over the negotiations between the EU and the British Government. Zero.”
“It is extremely disappointing that we find ourselves here for the fifth time since each of us was democratically elected in May. What is even more depressing is watching some of the antics across the House, particularly some of the language used by Members of the DUP. <BR /> <BR />In May, I was democratically elected as an MLA to the Northern Ireland Assembly to represent the constituents of West Tyrone. My democratic right as an elected Member of the House is being blocked by one party alone: the DUP. It is preventing me and others from representing and standing up for the needs of our constituents across every constituency in Northern Ireland. It would serve some Members well to remember why we stand for election to begin with. We stand for election, I would hope, to better the lives of our constituents in whatever way is possible.”
“— that you realised that you should get back into government, let us do our jobs in the Assembly and put the interests of our people first, because the situation will get very difficult for a lot of families.”
“You are punishing people, and the situation will get very bad coming into the winter. <BR /> <BR />I heard the real leader of the DUP in the corner pontificate about how outrageous and preposterous it is to be under foreign rule. My God, it has only taken you 100 years. Relationships in this place have been damaged and have worsened as a consequence of the bad behaviour of the DUP, which is putting its own selfish political interests before the interests of ordinary, decent people in our society. We represent every one of them collectively. You have no mandate and no right to veto our right to represent our constituents, and it is high time —”
“How much more suffering will the DUP inflict on ordinary, decent working people and vulnerable people in our society? That is what is happening, and well you know it. If we can go outside that door and have friendly handshakes and chats about the various challenges that our constituents face, why are you preventing the rest of the people in the House from carrying out their democratic right to echo the concerns of their constituents in the democratically elected Chamber that we stand in? Why? If you really do not want to play a part in this, why are you still in the Executive and not being held to account? The reality is that you could elect a Speaker and could go on with business, and, if the British Government do not give you what you want, you could walk away.”
“Why did you stand for election if you do not want to find solutions to the problems that our electorate faces? Ask yourselves that question. In this place that we call "Northern Ireland" or the "North of Ireland" — whatever people want to define it as — our constituents have all these problems in common to one degree or another, and we are tasked with solving those problems. Standing or not standing or coming to the House or not coming to the House was not something that you were given a mandate for. We have overcome much more insurmountable problems than the one that we now face. <BR /> <BR />The reality is, as you well know, that we have no control over the negotiation around the protocol. You have got your legislation. What more do you want?”
“We try to resolve the problems that they bring to us, but those problems are worsening every day, because many people cannot pay their rent, are getting deeper into arrears and are making decisions about heating or eating. There are people out there struggling with mental health who cannot get access to the support and services that they need. Addiction services are largely non-existent and are not there to support those who need them most — those with drug addiction, alcohol addiction and severe problems. They need support. We can find solutions to those things. <BR /> <BR />What about workers across the entirety of the North, who are rising up and calling for greater pay and conditions in the face of a cost-of-living crisis that is spiralling out of control? We hear this from people in the House: "There is little we can do about it".”
“The DUP championed Brexit and sold it to its electorate as a great silver bullet that would transform this society, change life, offer opportunities, fund the NHS and every other possible imaginative dream that the DUP could pipe up at that time. The protocol is a direct consequence of your Brexit, so stop trying to mislead the public. You put yourself on this hook, you are trying to get off it, and you are getting deeper and deeper into a hole. <BR /> <BR />The problem here, folks, is not any of us in the Chamber. I have said on every occasion that we have found ourselves in this position that the challenges in our society are much greater than the differences that we face in the Chamber. Each of us has constituents, and each of us serves them every day in our offices.”
“I support the nomination of my friend and colleague Patsy McGlone. There is no greater MLA in the Assembly who would fit that role well and in impartial fashion. He is also very approachable. He has my full support. <BR /> <BR />It is frustrating that, even prior to the debate, the DUP leader had already briefed that there was no likelihood of the election of a Speaker or of a time frame for the return of the institutions. That is a depressing reflection of where this place is, particularly, almost 25 years after the Good Friday Agreement, on the day that we mark John Hume's second anniversary and in the week that we buried Lord Trimble. Has the DUP learned nothing from the past? <BR /> <BR />It is clear to say, "Be careful what you wish for".”
“I will, Mr Acting Speaker. <BR /> <BR />You need to get real here. You are not elected to sit over there and do nothing. You are elected to resolve problems and deliver, so get back and do your work.”
“I am listening to the DUP leader — the real DUP leader, Mr Allister — in the corner shouting at me. The real reason that you are in this position is that you are so fearful of that man and the TUV that you will not put people first. That is the reality. <BR /> <BR />Listen, folks, to a dose of reality. Families are struggling. People cannot travel to their work, and people are in hospitals, sick and dying.”
“Thank you, Mr Acting Speaker. Take some ownership of the decisions that you have taken and the positions that you have adopted. You seem to think that everyone else has forgotten because you repeat the same lie over and over again. What will you do tomorrow? How long will this go on? How many people will die? How many families — ?”
“People are totally and utterly sick of it, and they are watching you today from home standing up there and distracting, hardly even mentioning, might I add, the cost-of-living crisis but talking about the protocol, the protocol — the protocol that is here because you championed Brexit. That is the reality. Take some ownership”
“People cannot visit their loved ones in hospital because of the ongoing rules preventing them from going there in great numbers. There is a reality here, folks. <BR /> <BR />People have elected us all to resolve those problems, and, regardless of whether the DUP accepts it, no one gave Members over there a mandate to fold their arms and stamp their feet. That is the reality. I would love to meet one constituent who says, "Fair play to youse, hey. My children will have no food tonight, but, as long as you sort the protocol, boys, even if that takes you a year". I am not being flippant, but that is what it looks like from this side of the House.”
“I will, briefly, in a wee moment. <BR /> <BR />People cannot even afford to travel to their jobs because of the price of fuel.”
“The reality is that the DUP is ashamed of its involvement in propping up Theresa May's Government. It is ashamed that it polished the big red bus that much that it reversed over the top of it. The reality is that you broke it, so you own it. You have taken no responsibility for the fact that the Brexit protocol is here because of a reckless Brexit that your party championed, day and night. Where has it got our people? Here is a dose of reality for you: people are starving, people cannot feed their children and people cannot heat their homes.”
“<BR /> <BR />Today is about nominating a Speaker to enable the Assembly to function to some degree, even if it is in shadow form. That would not be perfect, but it would ensure that we can resolve the problems that people are facing in their homes, in their jobs and in schools and hospitals, including the cost-of-living crisis, addiction services and mental health services. Those are real-life problems. I do not know who is ringing you, but I can tell you one thing: they are not ringing the majority of Members of the House, saying, "It doesn't matter about everything else. Prioritise the protocol". Using that as an excuse is utter nonsense. <BR /> <BR />This place was built on compromise and agreement. Holding these institutions down will not resolve anything for any of our constituents — not one.”
“You can hit the table all you like, but there seems to be a lapse in reality on the Benches of the DUP. The people who are on the phone to me and, I am sure, other Members across the House are not saying, "My children can starve today, so long as you sort the protocol"; "I can't put clothes on my children's back, but it's OK — they'll do without. Sort the protocol"; or, "My mother is lying in a hospital bed dying, but it's OK. Sort the protocol". Wake up, and come back to earth. This is totally and utterly ridiculous messing about. This, today, is not about real life. It is a distraction move by the DUP. A distraction move so that it does not have to go into office. It is pointing the finger at everyone else on these Benches.”
“Thank you, Mr Acting Speaker, for stepping in today. Unfortunately, you have had to preside over what has been an entirely shameful episode. Many people at home will be watching this with even more frustration than they had four weeks ago. <BR /> <BR />The message does not seem to have hit anywhere near the doors of the DUP Members on the opposite Benches. I am in my constituency office every day, and I listen to constituents every single day”
“I can tell Members that, when you are sitting holding the hand of a loved one who has not got the treatment or care that they need at that critical moment, you will think long and hard about any distraction and drama over a protocol, because that is real life. You can play a game of chess around the Chamber all that you like, but, as the next move is being contemplated, people are suffering and dying. So much for an era of hope, a new start and a fresh beginning. <BR /> <BR />I am a young person in the Chamber. I am hopeful about the future of this place, but it is very hard to remain hopeful when people can return in a fresh mandate with such ridiculous excuses for not forming a Government and refuse to put the interests of each and every citizen in this place first.”
“I will not just yet. Your laugh was insult enough, thank you. I will not be giving way, Mrs Dodds. <BR /> <BR />How do we move forward from here? The reality is that deadlock, destruction, division, drama and distraction do not solve any of the problems. We in the House have been given a collective mandate to put people first and to make the problems that people are facing our number-one priority. <BR /> <BR />Mr Poots mentioned barriers to food. What about the barriers to people's livelihoods because they cannot afford to eat? What about the barriers in front of people that mean that they will not get access to necessary, essential and life-saving healthcare?”
“People are absolutely sick of it. You can laugh, Mrs Dodds, but the reality is that people at home are not laughing. They are crying. They are upset. Many people whom I have engaged with have asked how we get past —”
“<BR /> <BR />We really need to get past the age-old argument of them and us.”
“What about cancer patients who cannot be seen? Those are your families and mine. They are the people whom you represent and I represent. What about the families who opened their door to each and every one of us during the election period whom we all promised to help? There are those who cannot heat their home, those who cannot feed their family and those who are struggling even to travel to work to make ends meet. I knocked the door of everyone, regardless of political or religious background, because I believe in the common good and in standing up and representing each and every single citizen in my community. Not one person in West Tyrone mentioned the protocol, which begs the question: does my colleague in the constituency Mr Buchanan have a mandate to sit at home after today? No, he does not.”
“Mr Speaker, I take the opportunity to thank you and wish you well for the future. It looks, however, from what we are hearing in the Chamber today, as though you will not be going anywhere. <BR /> <BR />It is fair to say that the people at home who are watching today, and who have been watching since we returned to the Assembly at the beginning of the week with some hope, will be very disappointed. In fact, they are sick, sore and tired of the regurgitated narrative and same rubbish that is spilled in the House to distract from the real-life problems that are affecting people's lives. Regardless of how anyone may feel about the protocol and the difference of opinion on the protocol, no one in the House was given a mandate to sit at home tomorrow: nobody. <BR /> <BR />What about the sick in our hospitals?”
“<BR /> <BR />I would also like to put on record my sincere appreciation to the Assembly Commission for its work with the Committee. I thank the Public Services Ombudsman, Margaret Kelly, for her support, work and engagement, the Clerk/Chief Executive and staff of the Assembly for the outstanding contribution, work and support that they provide and the Speaker of the Assembly. I commend the motion to the House.”
“<BR /> <BR />I would like to make a few brief remarks to thank Mr Donnelly most sincerely and to wish him well in his retirement. I wish his successor the very best with, hopefully, the full political support of all parties and Members from across the House. <BR /> <BR />To conclude, this is my last contribution in the House in my capacity as Chairperson of the Audit Committee. Therefore, I would like to thank the Committee staff, the Committee Clerk, Marie Austin, and Committee members for the work that has been carried out over the two years since the Assembly returned. The role and remit of the Audit Committee has vastly increased over that period. There were a number of reviews, which we were delighted to progress, and, hopefully, the new Committee will continue that work.”
“<BR /> <BR />On a wider point, the Committee believes that the overall arrangements for determining the C&AG's salary, which would include benchmarking, should be reviewed in order to ensure that they reflect best practice elsewhere. Given where we are in the mandate, there is no time for the Audit Committee to carry out that particular review, but it is hoped that our successor Committee will take it forward in the next mandate. Mr Allister was right to say that the Committee gave significant consideration to that matter and discussed it widely. We appreciated the C&AG's remarks, and, on reviewing the issue, we recognised that backdating to the beginning of the mandate was the most appropriate course of action.”
“I thank Mr Allister for his contribution, and I acknowledge the tributes to Mr Donnelly from across the House earlier, which were widely agreed on. <BR /> <BR />There is no underestimating the value of the work that is carried out by the C&AG and the great responsibility that the postholder has in supervising the quality of public accounting and financial reporting. It is, therefore, important that the salary of the C&AG equates fairly to that level of responsibility. During its consideration of the C&AG's salary, the Audit Committee noted that the link to judicial salaries in other jurisdictions has long since been broken, so there is a question about whether judicial group 5 is the most appropriate peer group against which the C&AG's salary should be benchmarked.”
“<BR /> <BR />I take this opportunity to thank Kieran Donnelly, the current C&AG, who was due to retire at the end of this month. However, to ensure a smooth handover to his successor, he will now retire at the end of August. I wish his successor the very best in her new role. On behalf of the Committee, I thank Kieran for his work and commitment, and for the significant role that he has played throughout his time in post in reviewing the economy and the effectiveness and efficiency of government. The Committee wishes him well in the next chapter of his life and thanks him for his service. I ask the House to support the motion.”
“That brings the salary into line with that paid to a judge in salary group 5 for that period. <BR /> <BR />I should point out that, under the relevant legislation, the C&AG's salary must not exceed the maximum salary, for the time, payable to any person employed in the Civil Service. I can confirm that the increase in salary and the retrospective increases proposed in the motion remain under that threshold. Also, the salary for the C&AG is charged on and issued out of the Consolidated Fund. Under section 63 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, the Assembly cannot pass a resolution that imposes or increases a charge on the Consolidated Fund unless a recommendation is made by the Minister of Finance. In this case, the Committee can confirm that the Minister is content to make the recommendation.”
“Members acknowledged that the salary might have been considered in 2017 by this Audit Committee, but, because the Assembly was not meeting, such consideration was not possible. Therefore, the Committee agreed that, in the interests of fairness, the salary for the C&AG should be increased with effect from 1 April 2017 — the beginning of this mandate — and again from 1 April 2021. <BR /> <BR />Currently, the C&AG's salary sits at £141,332, and the salary of a judge in salary group 5 sits at £154,527, hence the Committee proposing that, from April 2021 until such time as the Assembly makes a further determination, the C&AG's salary should be made as that of a judge in salary group 5. To address retrospective increases, the Committee proposes that for each year from 1 April 2017 until 31 March 2021, the C&AG's salary should be £150,041.”
“The Committee therefore agreed, at its meeting on 15 December 2021, that the salary to be paid to the C&AG should be the same as that approved by the UK Government for a judge in salary group 5. It later agreed that the increase in salary should take effect from 1 April 2021. <BR /> <BR />The Committee revisited the matter at its meeting on 2 March, having received correspondence from the C&AG specifically asking the Committee to reconsider its decision that the increase should take effect from 1 April 2021. In considering the C&AG's correspondence and the issues that he raised, the Committee noted that previous Audit Committees had not taken the opportunity to table a motion to increase the salary since 2014. Therefore, from 2014, the C&AG's salary remained static while judicial group 5 salaries increased at varying rates over the years.”
“As the House is aware, Standing Order 58(2) provides that the Audit Committee will table any motion in relation to the C&AG's salary. I will deal, first, with the Committee's position on benchmarking the C&AG's salary. It was agreed by a previous Audit Committee that the C&AG's salary should be linked to the salary of a judge in judicial salary group 5. The then Committee felt that that approach was fair and transparent and that it reduced the potential for the Assembly to be seen to be determining the salary in response to political or other factors. The current Audit Committee shared that view and recognised that that approach reinforces the independence of the C&AG from government.”
“I rise as Chairperson of the Audit Committee to ask the House to support the motion. Article 4 of the Audit (Northern Ireland) Order 1987 provides that the salary of the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) shall be determined by a resolution of the Assembly.”
“I will be speaking to another motion on the Comptroller and Auditor General later, so I will add further remarks at that point.”
“I, too, put firmly on record, my appreciation to the Comptroller and Audit General, Mr Kieran Donnelly, who as provided an outstanding service in keeping account and close scrutiny of public expenditure. He was involved in that during some very turbulent times. In the absence of these institutions, it was a very difficult role, in the lead up to the renewable heat incentive (RHI) inquiry, amongst other very important matters. I, along with colleagues across the Chamber, add my appreciation and wish him well in his retirement. <BR /> <BR />The recruitment process for the new Comptroller and Auditor General has not been the most straightforward, but, certainly, it is an important process to ensure that we have selected the best possible candidate, who will fill that role very well.”
“Given the fall of the Executive and the cross-departmental nature of the recommendations in the final report, does the Minister have any concerns that the 47 actions in the report may be delayed or, indeed, not delivered at all?”
“I, too, add my well wishes to the Education Minister for a speedy recovery.”
“Get back into the Executive. Put heat back into people's homes and food on their table.”
“<BR /> <BR />Equally, on the other side of the House, we see that Sinn Féin, in the South of this island, has said that the €200 payment is not enough, but, here in the North, that £200 is more than sufficient. That needs to be addressed. We need more money going into people's homes. We need more money now to support people through this crisis so that they can feed their children, feed their families and get some heat and comfort. <BR /> <BR />It is a good job that we are in the month that we are in — March — and headed for the summer. Imagine if we were headed into the heart of winter when facing this crisis. I would have no confidence that some parties in the House would move too swiftly to resolve it. It is about putting people first. That is why we were elected. Swallow this now, get on with it and put people first.”