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 thank the Member for kindly giving way. I recognise the important point that the Member made about the importance of the independent review of education. That said, why, then, has his party brought forward the Bill at this stage and not waited for the independent review to report?”
“I thank the Member for giving way. I think that you will find that the children who have been let down are those who have been in tears for much of this year as a result of the failure of those in positions of leadership to act sooner. The previous Minister did not act quickly enough on that; he should have acted a lot sooner. Does the Member agree? Does he also agree that the transfer process is not fit for purpose in its current form and that that is not news?”
“We are up for the discussion and debate and to shaping the Bill, and we look forward to moving forward with it. We will vote to agree the Bill's Second Stage today.”
“I ask Ms Armstrong to explain how the Bill will fit with the review to which all parties committed in New Decade, New Approach and the majority view of the House that the transfer test needs to be replaced with a fairer system. <BR /> <BR />Notwithstanding those concerns, the SDLP will support the Second Stage of the Bill, and it looks forward to considering the details at Committee Stage. The Bill needs considerable work; I cannot put it any other way. I understand what the Member is trying to achieve, and, for that reason, I broadly support it, but I have considerable concerns about some of the details and the problems that could arise for other sectors that are doing invaluable work in supporting our children and teachers and providing a first-class education service for so many.”
“<BR /> <BR />Although I broadly support the Bill, I was concerned when it was tabled. We have had much discussion in the House about the independent review of education. We support that and most — probably all — Members support that. Therefore, it is disappointing that we have that review coming down the tracks and we have the Bill. I would rather that we had waited until the independent review of education had happened before the Bill was introduced. The Bill pre-empts some of the outcomes of the review. We will have to wait and see what the wider review throws up, but I fully support the review, and I do not see why the Bill has come first. I say that openly and honestly.”
“Finally, it proposes inspections of integrated schools by the ETI to ensure that they are upholding their integrated ethos. However, there is a need to clarify some of the language that is used in the Bill and define how it will work in real terms. That is where a lot of the focus needs to be. <BR /> <BR />As stated earlier, the SDLP broadly supports the Integrated Education Bill. However, we believe that many of the issues that arise from the application of the provisions of the Bill need further clarification and work. We would welcome the opportunity to discuss and debate the provisions at Committee Stage, where the Bill should receive considerable scrutiny to ensure that it is shaped properly and where members of the Education Committee can thrash out any problems.”
“Mr Sheehan also made this point: those "special circumstances" are not expressly specified in the Bill. More work — much more work — is needed to clarify that at Committee Stage should today's Second Stage be agreed. <BR /> <BR />The Bill also addresses a number of other issues. It proposes developing an integrated education strategy with mandatory reporting by the Department of Education, including on how the Department, the Education Authority, CCMS, the Youth Council and CCEA have performed their functions in respect of integrated education. The Bill also provides for training in diversity at initial teaching training (ITT) and continuing professional development (CPD) levels, including with other school staff and governors. Again, we have no issue with that.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Bill places a duty on other educational bodies to promote integrated schools, including the Department of Education, the Education Authority, CCMS, the Youth Council and CCEA. Whilst that seems attractive on the face of it, Mrs Armstrong needs to explain how the responsibility of that duty to promote will work with the existing responsibilities that those organisations have towards their own sector. That is where this gets quite complicated, in my opinion. The idea, therefore, requires careful consideration and consultation — quite a lot of consultation — with all sectors. We look forward to supporting that process. It is a vital process that needs to happen. <BR /> <BR />Clause 7 requires all new schools to be integrated unless there are "special circumstances".”
“We must value the work that is done in these schools and these sectors. <BR /> <BR />I do have concerns about the Bill; I will not stand and say that I do not. I absolutely have concerns about the Bill, and it needs to be shaped. However, we have to recognise that we need greater integration of children in education, and that it needs to happen sooner rather than later. That is roundly where I am at. We will work with the Member to do what we can to shape the Bill and — to steal Mr Sheehan’s phrase — make it fit for purpose. I will not stand up and say that we are against the Bill. There is something here. I have a lot of concerns about many things in it, but we want to work with the Member to shape it.”
“It is ironic to hear a DUP Member talking about sitting on the fence, given the previous Minister's reputation in the House on dealing with education matters during a crisis. Thank God that we now have a new Minister, who hopefully will not sit on the fence. <BR /> <BR />The points that you made about concerns around CCMS and the controlled sector are absolutely right. I am a product of the controlled sector. I went to a controlled primary school. It has shaped me in a very positive way. I went to school with other children, and I did not care what religion they came from. There was a natural integration in that school, and I am a product of that. I benefited from it, and I cannot sing enough praise of the controlled sector. Equally, when I went to secondary school at Holy Cross College, I had a different experience.”
“Completely abandoning our faith-based schools or Irish-medium schools is not the way forward. I must reinforce that very strongly. I shared those concerns with the Member when we met. She was very kind to meet us and give us a heads-up, but I have very clear concerns on that.”
“Mrs Armstrong also claims that the problem is particularly bad at post-primary level, and that around 20% of children seeking post-primary places in integrated schools are not successful because the existing integrated school estate is too small. I agree with her on that point. In that context, there is a need to create a level playing field for the integrated sector by ensuring that children are able to get into their school of first preference. However, it is important to note that any change cannot happen overnight and that, to put it very simply, there is not a one-size-fits-all fix to the problem. <BR /> <BR />Our priorities should be the quality of education provided and how that can be done sustainably without the need for school closures or any decision that has a hugely disproportionate impact on parts of our society.”
“Like many Members, I have seen some great work being undertaken in the integrated sector. In my constituency of West Tyrone, Drumragh Integrated College is one such example and has been a beacon of top-quality education in the wider Tyrone and Omagh areas. It provides an outstanding resource and service for many local children in my constituency. It is a school that I have visited on many occasions. There are countless other integrated schools across the North that also deliver first-class education for their pupils. <BR /> <BR />The SDLP is broadly — broadly — in support of the Bill brought forward by Mrs Armstrong. We generally accept her claim that not enough children who want integrated education can get places in integrated schools because the sector is much too small. That has to change if this society is to move forward.”
“Thirty years later, however, it is disappointing that only around 7% of our population attends integrated schools. That is despite the benefits of integrated education having been well documented for decades and the fact that it has helped us move forward and towards peace by reducing prejudice and widening friendship networks among all our children.”
“<BR /> <BR />It is important to recognise the valuable contribution that all education sectors made towards promoting peace and reconciliation over the troubled years of our history and acknowledge the work of schools through the education for mutual understanding (EMU) programme, which, from the early 1990s onwards, resourced schemes to bring children from different schools together to share educational and social opportunities. In more recent times, that work has been targeted more precisely and advanced by the shared education programme endorsed by the Executive Office. The integrated sector has, of course, made an important and valuable contribution throughout that time. <BR /> <BR />Integrated education has existed here since 1981 and the formation of Lagan College, and it has produced some positive outcomes.”
“We need to invest more in integrated education. Despite having come some way with provision here, having 65 fully integrated schools and another nine in the pipeline, we have not come far enough. <BR /> <BR />This is part of a wider debate. Whilst integrated education is important, there is other work to be done on integration and a shared future on shared housing, shared sport and shared social pursuits. There is no point in having integration in schools but not in other places. We can educate children together, but they live apart. We need to deal with the housing issue in many parts of Northern Ireland.”
“As the SDLP spokesperson on education, I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the debate. I thank Mrs Armstrong for tabling the Bill. <BR /> <BR />The SDLP believes fully in integrated education and believes that more should be done to support and enhance our integrated education sector. We have concerns about the Bill in its current form, and we will work carefully with colleagues across the House to ensure that it becomes fit for purpose as it proceeds. <BR /> <BR />When Mark Durkan was Finance Minister, the SDLP increased the education budget generally for three years running, and, in cooperation with the then Education Minister, Martin McGuinness, made specific provision for an uplift in resource to integrated education. The rationale was that we needed to make integrated education a more real and viable choice for parents.”
“I thank the Minister for the statement. Minister, you will be aware that, since 2010, school budgets have received savage cuts, approaching 10%. Indeed, children in NI were among the most disadvantaged when compared with other jurisdictions. The money has never been restored, and the Department of Education has constantly made bids to your Department. For example, this year, £116 million was sought and £39 million was delivered. When will you, Minister, prioritise education, or is it not a priority for you or your party?”
“I thank the Minister for that answer. The figures are stark. It is an issue that needs to be tackled. Obviously, I welcome the recent developments regarding new builds, particularly for the Adria site in Strabane. That will alleviate pressure on that side of the constituency. That said, there is a serious issue regarding the provision of bungalows in social housing stock, and that is not specific to West Tyrone. There is no availability of ground-floor accommodation for elderly or disabled people in constituencies such as mine. What is the Minister for Communities doing to tackle that very serious issue and to ensure that those in need have access to suitable housing?”
“I thank the Minister for that answer. First of all, Minister, as a Member and a colleague of yours in the Assembly, you have my full support as Health Minister. You have been doing a very good job in very challenging circumstances, and, from the SDLP's side of the House, I offer you our full support. I have to say that I was no great fan of Van's anyway. <BR /> <BR />Minister, you will be aware of the group Hernia Mesh Awareness NI, which, as a result of the lived experiences of its members, has been campaigning for an end to hernia mesh procedures. What support is your Department making available to those people who have been adversely impacted by the procedure?”
“I thank the Member for kindly giving way. I think that I am right in saying that what the Member is trying to say is that the removal of the EU funding is adding further financial pressure on the Department's budget.”
“It lacks vision, aspiration and strategy. I appreciate that this place faces serious challenges. We will not resolve those problems by pulling down this place, poking each other in the eyes or talking about collapsing or wrecking devolution; it is about pulling and working together and delivering on those important issues.”
“No, you have had your moment. No Member, except probably the Members from West Belfast, can safely say that there has been a serious starvation of funding and investment — anything with "west" in it — but West Tyrone has certainly been starved. No matter what picture is painted or how people portray that I am playing politics, I am reflecting how people's lives are affected. That is what I am elected, and continue, to do. It is high time that we prioritised those issues. We cannot drive on our roads unless they are safe. We can talk about new roads all we like, and Mr Beggs is right to point out the money for them, but if we do not invest in our infrastructure, people get killed. People get killed. That is not playing politics; that is a fact. <BR /> <BR />There are many issues. The Budget is not ideal.”
“I am not here to talk about fluffy-duck politics. I am here to paint the picture that my constituents have reflected. <BR /> <BR />4.30 pm”
“I thank the Member for his meaningful intervention. <BR /> <BR />During the previous intervention, I noted that the Member said that this is playground stuff. Would she rather that I came into the Chamber and said, "People are on waiting lists, but they will be grand", or, "There is a big pothole the size of a crater in the middle of Omagh, but it will be grand", or, "The flooding issues in Omagh need investment and have not been resolved, but they will be grand; we will get a canoe and get people out of their businesses"?”
“On the Member's intervention, let us be clear: Nichola Mallon is addressing a three-year collapse and neglect of our roads network because the Member's colleagues walked out the door and, as a consequence, left our roads network in its current state. In fact, prior to doing that, they did not even allocate a budget to deal with the issues.”
“Gladly. The money has just been allocated. As I said many times, she is not a wizard or a miracle worker. She is just a North Belfast MLA, a hard-working mother and someone who cares about the people in this place. Nichola Mallon will do everything that she can to address the issues with our roads infrastructure, but she cannot do it without the necessary funding and investment.”
“It is an Executive flagship priority, and I and the people whom I represent desperately need it to be delivered. I will give the Member an intervention.”
“The only way to resolve those issues is through a meaningful intervention by the Minister of Finance and for him to listen to Minister Mallon and work with her to try to address those very serious issues. <BR /> <BR />That brings me to another point. The A5 has often been debated in the House, and there is no greater advocate for that road than me. I want to see it built. There is nothing more important to West Tyrone than the development of that road. It will change people's lives and create necessary connectivity and links. It will also address decades of funding neglect from this place. The delays are frustrating, but I hope that the Minister of Finance will work with Minister Mallon, the Irish Government and whoever else will give us money to ensure that that project is realised.”
“I thank the Member for his intervention. I absolutely welcome any extra resources, but there should have been more to date. There is not enough money. Yesterday in the House, the Chair of the Committee agreed when I intervened and said that that Department is underfunded. That Department is underfunded. Anyone who looks at the figures will know that it is desperately underfunded. As a consequence, each and every one of our constituents is being affected. <BR /> <BR />Nichola Mallon is a great Minister — I may be biased in saying so — but she is no wizard. She cannot create miracles and resolve things without money. She cannot pay staff if she has no money. She cannot fix potholes, street lights or the issue with NI Water if she has no money.”
“I will not at the moment, but I will. <BR /> <BR />The other point that I will make is this: I remember going to Donegal as a child. They used to say that the state of the roads there was an absolute disgrace. Compared with the roads in the North, it is an absolute pleasure driving in Donegal now. The state of our roads is an absolute disgrace. They need to be dealt with. <BR /> <BR />As the Minister, Nichola Mallon is doing a very tough job in a very tough Department that is filled with challenges. The Minister of Finance will know that, because he previously held that Ministry, as did his colleague Chris Hazzard. It is not an easy Department. NI Water desperately needs investment and money put into it. Developers cannot build houses and businesses cannot invest because the infrastructure is not there to deal with that.”
“<BR /> <BR />I have extreme concern that the budget allocated to the Infrastructure Minister will not deal with the state of our roads network, will not deal with the pressures facing NI Water and will not fix every single pothole that constituency colleagues of mine, particularly those in Sinn Féin, stand and point into every single day of every week. I am just as frustrated about the potholes, but pointing at them will not resolve the issue. Allocating money and spending money to invest in our roads infrastructure is the only way in which we will resolve those problems. The roads affect every single one of us and every single one of our constituents. We need good-quality roads. We need investment in our roads.”
“There is a serious lack of bungalows available for disabled people, elderly people, people in need and people who are blind. There are no suitable houses. How do you put people who cannot see into a two-storey house? They therefore sit on a waiting list. Some will wait for 10 years, because no bungalows are being built. Nine times out of 10, when people go into a bungalow, they remain there until the day and hour that they pass away, so there is no availability of bungalows. That is a serious social housing issue that needs to be addressed and prioritised. Housing is generally a considerable issue, and there needs to be greater investment in housing stock to provide high-quality and good-quality housing for all our people.”
“GPs have told me, in countless emails, that they are under immense pressure, that the system needs reform and that there is a need for intervention. In A&E, staff tell me that they cannot cope any more. Waiting lists are spiralling out of control. It is a serious crisis that Members elected to this House need to address together. That is my plea to the Minister of Finance, the Minister of Health, the First Minister and the deputy First Minister. We can do it. It is not rocket science. This is a very small area. Our population is not massive. In everyone's interests, we need to get this right. <BR /> <BR />I have mentioned that social housing has been largely underfunded for many years. We talk about vulnerable people, but, when you drill down into it, we are not good at looking after vulnerable people.”
“There are people who are desperate to speak to a doctor, and the doctor is obviously under immense pressure, when we consider that 5,968 GP out-of-hours shifts were not filled in the past year. That issue will be resolved only by proper planning and investment. <BR /> <BR />On the opposite side, A&E managers in Altnagelvin and other places say, "Daniel, there must be something that can be done. We have huge numbers of people who can't get a GP appointment now appearing at A&E". There is no siphoning-out process. If I was sick or unwell when I was a student in Liverpool, I literally walked down the street from my student accommodation to a walk-in clinic. The triage nurse in that clinic determined whether I needed to see a GP or go to A&E. If I needed to go to A&E, the clinic got me to A&E. <BR /> <BR />The system here is broken.”
“Anybody looking at this place from the outside will say, "Is that really how they look after the vulnerable in their communities and their society?". We need to deal with that issue, and we need to deal with it now. <BR /> <BR />The crisis that absolutely exists in GP services is adding to the pressures. That is not a popular thing to say, but there is a crisis in GP services. I said that publicly a few weeks ago and got the sharp end of many GP tongues, but there is a crisis in GP services, and it is the responsibility of this House to deal with that crisis. GP services are people's first point of call when they are in need of medical attention. How many phone calls to a surgery will it take before someone gets an answer? One hundred? One hundred and twenty?”
“Is that how we look after the vulnerable in our society? When that lady presents to me, as an MLA, or to another MLA, what are we supposed to say except, "It's a terrible problem. It's desperate"? What are we doing about it? We need this crisis to be prioritised, and we need it to be resolved. Tough decisions need to be made. If we do not do that, more will die on waiting lists, and the figure of one in four will increase.”
“I welcome the Member's intervention. He just missed an intervention by Mr Lyttle, who pointed to a similar issue in education. Mr Carroll is right. The time for the mentality of sticking a plaster over a problem is long gone. It is like brushing the dirt under the carpet. At this stage, the carpet is touching the ceiling. <BR /> <BR />We need to grab this head-on and deal with it. Nobody wants their granny or granda, mum or dad, brother or sister, neighbour or friend to suffer on a waiting list. A few weeks ago, I visited the house of a lady who has been on a waiting list for four years. She had needed one hip operation; she now needs two. All the bedrooms in her house are upstairs, and there are no facilities downstairs. At 77 years of age, that lady is literally crawling up and down the stairs.”
“Colm Gildernew rightly said that no office of any Member has not received correspondence, messages or phones calls or requests for meetings from constituents who have been in tears, in pain and suffering. They are desperate. It makes me, as an MLA, feel entirely useless that, because there has not been enough investment in waiting lists, I can do nothing to help those people. There are 335,000 people on waiting lists in Northern Ireland. That is a terrible reflection of how this place has failed. I have heard Members say that we need to take politics out of health: I agree. It is a problem that we need to resolve together, with tough decisions, action and investment. We cannot allow waiting lists to continue spiralling out of control. One in four of our population is on a waiting list: that is absolutely shocking.”
“This issue has been raised on many occasions, but it cannot be said enough: health waiting lists are the biggest crisis facing these institutions — the biggest crisis. While parties have their own issues and other issues are going on across Northern Ireland, such as Brexit, the protocol and COVID, people are literally dying on waiting lists. Our health service has saved countless lives this year. It is a health service that has buckled under pressure and underinvestment. It needs reform. It also needs leadership from this place and tough decisions made that will eventually resolve the huge issues that affect our people.”
“Unless there is delivery on that now, some prioritisation of funding needs to be given to address the school estate, because this cannot continue. Again, children are paying the price for political failure. It is just not on. Nothing in today's debate or in the Budget has set out anything that suggests the advancement of that scheme. It will continue to slip further and further. As a result of that slippage, the school buildings in which children in my constituency sit are crumbling around them. That is not good enough.”
“To date, all that I have seen is the site being cleared, but there has been no development. As a consequence, we have seen an entire generation of schoolchildren go from first year to right past their A-level year without any form of delivery in the same schools that have received no investment in their current infrastructure. All the schools in Omagh, which is in my constituency, that will form the Strule education campus are inadequate — some are unsafe.”
“That will deal with some of the issues, but areas such as Omagh, Castlederg and west Belfast also need serious intervention and a strategy that will help to take people out of poverty. Minister, you are in a very strong position to do that. We need to start talking about improving people's lives. <BR /> <BR />The Strule campus in Omagh, which I have mentioned, has the potential to provide first-class facilities to a number of local schools that are currently teaching in inadequate — I put that mildly to cause no offence — accommodation. They have been promised and promised and promised that the project would be delivered. The collapse of the institutions led to delay in the delivery of that vital priority — a priority clearly stated by Martin McGuinness and Peter Robinson when they were deputy First Minister and First Minister.”
“People are stuck and need investment in infrastructure, education, good-quality social housing and road infrastructure. If we do not get that, people will remain stuck, and there will continue to be high levels of unemployment and economic inactivity. It gives me no pride whatsoever to say that my constituency is exactly reflective of that reality, because people there feel as though there has not been the meaningful investment that has been needed so for long in the area. <BR /> <BR />That brings me to a positive point. The city deal funding will be transformational. The SDLP has long fought for that money and that intervention in the north-west. It will be transformational. It will be a fantastic launching pad, and I am delighted to see that Strabane will also benefit as a result.”
“I thank the Member for that very good intervention. I have to say yes. I go back to prioritisation. We have a terrible habit of simply sticking a plaster on something and hoping that that resolves the problem instead of dealing with it. Bengoa did that with Health. What have we done? It is gathering dust. The education underachievement document will do it with Education. Let us hope that it does not gather dust. Sticking plasters no longer work. This political institution has, hopefully, matured over the last number of years and will know that we need to prioritise those issues before they spiral any more out of control. <BR /> <BR />I remind the Minister that there are many areas dotted across Northern Ireland, the North of Ireland, that have very high levels of deprivation.”
“There is no better starting point than waiting lists, when we have so many people suffering as a result of what I can only describe as political failure.”
“I thank the Member for the intervention. For a start, collapsing the institutions is not an option for resolving the challenges that we face. People need politicians in place to deal with the challenges that our society faces on a daily basis, be they waiting lists, education or housing. To collapse the institutions for three years was unforgivable, and to entertain any debate or discussion about doing that again is entirely unforgivable, particularly when so many are suffering. Yes, I understand that there are budget restraints. I understand that there is not an endless pot of money. What we do have, however, are people in political positions now, whom we did not have for three years, who could prioritise and address the issues of need.”
“Yes, absolutely. On the Budget, there are key issues and challenges that face constituencies such as West Tyrone. There has been a lack of investment, and the Strule educational campus and our roads infrastructure, through the A5, have not been delivered. Despite the once-famous hokey-cokey politics of the DUP and Sinn Féin dragging down the Assembly, Sinn Féin and the DUP have been in power for 14 years. That arranged marriage has delivered very little, but it is high time that it did, particularly for places west of the Bann such as west Tyrone. Promises are good, aspiration is great, but money and delivery are vital. What we need, now more than ever, is properly funded Departments that can address Ministers in place —.”
“I believe that was a positive intervention and one worth making. It is also concerning that there is no long-term plan to deal with it, and I hope that it is addressed. <BR /> <BR />I would like to focus my remaining remarks on the issues that are facing everyone in the beautiful constituency of West Tyrone. We face many challenges. There are infrastructure deficits that long predate the —.”
“It is a serious issue, and it is concerning that it is not being taken seriously enough given the work that the expert panel put in. I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed working with the expert panel. I reiterate that the report cannot be left to gather dust. The recommendations are very good; they are critical. We know what the problems are, and it will take money to resolve that. It will take £36 million. We need to see the money put up in order to resolve educational underachievement. <BR /> <BR />I heard other Members mention holiday hunger. I thank the Minister and the Minister of Education for, at an earlier stage, addressing holiday hunger during the pandemic. Holiday hunger is having a huge impact on many disadvantaged children across the North. I have welcomed the interventions to date.”