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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“To his credit, he responded promptly to confirm that departmental officials were working with St Conor's Primary School and other agencies to improve the situation. <BR /> <BR />The petition shows the strength of feeling in and around St Conor's. I have raised the issue with local council chief executive Alison McCullagh, who confirmed:”
“St Conor's is a busy, vibrant school. It is on a small plot of land next to a busy road. There is no land on the school site that could be used for extra parking or to assist with or alleviate that serious concern. There are 440 pupils and over 50 teachers on the site, and it is clear to anyone who goes to the school at the start or end of each day that there is not sufficient parking or space on the existing school site to ensure the safety of children, teachers or parents. <BR /> <BR />The petition shows the strength of public support for a resolution of the situation. Some 1,300 people signed the petition in just under a fortnight, not online but in the old-fashioned way by hand. I have already flagged the issues with the Minister of Education, Minister Weir.”
“I present a petition on behalf of 1,301 parents, grandparents, carers, pupils, teachers, staff and residents who either attend St Conor's Primary School on the Brookmount Road in Omagh or live nearby. I would be grateful if it could be forwarded to the Minister of Education for consideration. <BR /> <BR />The petition reads:”
“It will not be a silver bullet, but it will be a launching pad from which we can transform the lives of the people whom we represent, attract business, investment and opportunities, and give people a reason to stay at home in Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />The A5 is vital. The SDLP is committed to the project, and Minister Mallon is dedicated to delivering it. With support across the House, we need to join together, with no jibes or bickering, to challenge our biggest opponent: the Alternative A5 Alliance.”
“<BR /> <BR />To put it clearly: we need these roads so that our constituents can prosper and develop, our young people can stay at home, and our families enjoy better infrastructure. Unfortunately, looking at a map, it is as clear as the nose on my face that something went wrong many years ago when railways were removed from a specific section of Northern Ireland, never to be replaced. We now have a Minister who has the courage, foresight and vision to start talking about reconnecting this island, North and South. <BR /> <BR />No one in the House can disagree that my community, my constituency and my people have suffered considerable neglect for many decades. That is changing. I am delighted to hear that Sinn Féin, the DUP, the SDLP and the Alliance Party can stand together in support of this road project.”
“I will not. You will have your opportunity. <BR /> <BR />They spend that time finding reasons to object to the project and to delay its progress. People have died in the time that has passed. In the past few years, 15 people have died. Sinn Féin and I have our fights and our arguments, as do the DUP and I, but we are all united to our core regarding the need to deliver this absolutely necessary infrastructure project. I am sick, sore and tired of constantly having to repeat my support for the project. Minister Mallon, thank God, is totally committed to the project. It could easily have gone into the hands of another party across the Chamber, which, as is clear from recent statements, would not have delivered it.”
“In saying that, I speak for every person from every part of every community in West Tyrone, with the exception of the small minority that speaks out against it under the mask of the Alternative A5 Alliance. <BR /> <BR />Let us address the elephant in the room. The biggest hurdle to the project is a small minority who, day and night, spend seven days a week, 365 days a year, finding reasons —.”
“I admit that I am sad that there is a lapse in the sense of unity as the UUP continues to support calls to scrap the scheme. That is not what people in West Tyrone want. Mr Beggs would do well to understand what the people of West Tyrone want: they want that road. I welcome that Mr Buchanan had the courage and conviction to speak up and say that the delay over the last number of years has been fundamentally flawed and that he and his party support the project, as do the other parties. <BR /> <BR />Mr Beggs would do well to learn from the mistakes of the past, when, for over 50 years, he and his party presided over the neglect of the north-west. It is unfortunate that I have to say this, but the statements released by his party are hugely unwelcome in West Tyrone.”
“Equally, they are frustrated by the continual delays and, as Mr McHugh rightly pointed out, the ease with which troublemakers can, because of faults in the legal system, bring forth challenges that run against the greater interests of the people whom we represent in West Tyrone.”
“I follow other Members in welcoming the Minister and thanking her for her presence at this all-important debate. <BR /> <BR />This has gone on for far too long. That has been well said in the Chamber. There is a sense of unity of purpose around the need and desperation to deliver that vital roads project, which runs right through the heart of our constituency, from Derry right through to Ballygawley, right through the very core of West Tyrone. It does affect us. It affects each and every person whom we represent in our constituency, the majority of whom are rightly overwhelmingly frustrated and demanding that the road be delivered.”
“I thank Mr Buchanan for giving way. Does the Member agree that a lot of those costs have got way out of control because of the continuing legal actions by the Alternative A5 Alliance? Does he agree that we, as MLAs for the constituency and recognising the importance of the project, should stand together and call it out, tell it that this needs to stop and that it should let the road go ahead?”
“— and it will save lives if it works together, collectively, on the challenges.”
“<BR /> <BR />My final point is that the role of the House, the function of the Assembly, is vital to saving lives —”
“No one wants to be told that they have cancer, but we need to send out a message from the House: if you go early, as soon as you have noticed any changes, your life could be saved. <BR /> <BR />Many people are not with us today because they did not have symptoms or maybe because they felt that they would be OK. I have lost family members in those circumstances. Many across the House have lost loved ones in those tragic circumstances. It is vital that the necessary investment is put into cancer services. If you are too late, there are no second chances. We need to do all that we can to battle this terrible disease. As I have said, I know that this Health Minister will do everything that he can, and the House must support him to deliver and to invest properly and fully in cancer services.”
“Huge numbers of positive things are happening, but, equally, in our society, we know — Members have referred to it — that there are those who say, "Sure, it'll be all right. I'll be grand." A year, if they are lucky, or maybe months later, they may not be here because they did not act swiftly enough. That message needs to go to loved ones as well to ensure that, if their child, son, daughter, grandparent or other family member is unwell, they get them checked immediately. They will be given the necessary priority. <BR /> <BR />Age does not matter. That is an important message to put across. It does not matter how young, old or healthy you are. The slightest change in your body could point to a very serious signal of change and to very difficult news indeed. Everyone wants to avoid that news.”
“It was noticed by another person. He went and got tested. It was cancer. He was fortunate that it was noticed at a very early stage. Otherwise, it could have been much more severe. The treatment that he received was second to none. He received first-class professional care from the start of the process to the end, and he got reassurance as well. He also received the vaccination as a priority.”
“It supports all those who find themselves in those very difficult circumstances. <BR /> <BR />I made reference to those who may have changes in their body, be it lumps or feeling unwell. There is a whole range of issues. Some will have no symptoms whatsoever, but those who do, regardless of where we are in the pandemic, should always, always come forward and seek medical opinion and advice and support. In recent months, during the pandemic, a close friend of mine had a mole on his neck, and it changed throughout the pandemic.”
“I trust that this Minister, given his very positive record over the past year, will prioritise cancer services and the many challenges that our health service faces, but, at the centre of this, it is important that, at the outset of each debate, we reflect, as Members have done, on the huge and considerable sacrifices made by the beating heart of our NHS, which is our staff. They are the people who get up every day and do so much to save lives and to support our families. During the pandemic, they are there with our loved ones when many of us cannot be due to restrictions. <BR /> <BR />I want to follow what Mr Robinson said about the North West Cancer Centre in Derry. It is a fantastic resource that was long overdue and long needed and is absolutely playing a vital and key role in helping to battle that deadly disease.”
“Thanks to the Minister for being here today to respond to this very important debate. First, I want to thank our hardworking NHS staff, including nurses, doctors and domestic staff. They have made huge and considerable sacrifices throughout the entire pandemic and also beforehand. Members have referenced that, prior to the challenge of the COVID crisis, our society and our health service were crippled with considerable challenges. There was a need for change, reform, investment and a full review of services. Bengoa did provide the map, but COVID has delayed the progress.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. It is a very important issue for all of us. <BR /> <BR />The Member will agree with me that early intervention is key and that we should send out a message from the House that, no matter what age or how healthy you think that you are, if there is any change to your body, you find any lumps or you feel unwell, you should get checked immediately. It is vital that people seek support straight away.”
“Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. Mr Wells has been bouncing around the Chamber and has not sanitised a single desk today, including this one, that one and the one behind me. Perhaps you could remind him about safety —.”
“Minister, this is, as you said, a very painful case. It is hitting the local community very hard, and people are annoyed by it. Can you reassure the House that every possible avenue has been explored to save the school? Is closure really the only option that is left, given the circumstances of the case?”
“— entirely wrong. Ridiculous for a First Minister —”
“Before the First Minister answers my question, I ask her, when she addresses it, to address the House with facts. Last week, she addressed the House with incorrect claims against me, claims that were totally wrong. I would appreciate it if spurious remarks were not made by the First Minister. <BR /> <BR />How can the First Minister ensure equality of delivery and value for money from Communities in Transition spend? Will that be made public?”
“I thank the Minister for her answer and for recognising that there is an issue. Minister, I understand that there is a contractual arrangement between caravan park owners and caravan owners, but there is also a responsibility in the House to ensure sufficient regulation so that those caravan owners are protected and not abused. Very few have received discounts, given that caravan park owners have received government intervention. Does the Minister believe that there should be government intervention for caravan owners who have had to pay out thousands without being able to access their mobile homes?”
“I ask the Minister to reaffirm her commitment to this project.”
“I thank the Minister for her answers to the question so far. I will make a very blunt point: the Department's budget for roads in 2011 was £57 million; it is now £27 million. People can read into that as they wish. <BR /> <BR />Minister, thank you for putting the hypocrites in Sinn Féin in their box. The reality of the delays to the A5 project is that we had five years with two Sinn Féin Ministers and a three-year delay when the institution was down. Thank you for putting them in their box and for making it very clear that the delays are firmly in their corner.”
“Minister, they say that hindsight is a wonderful thing. Given the level of infection in classrooms when schools have been open and the huge numbers of pupils who had to isolate, if the Minister could go back in time, would he do anything different about classroom sizes? Would he have put in extra resources or, if possible, split the size of classrooms?”
“Thank you to Mr Muir. I have to say that being surrounded by eight of you is quite strange. Mr Muir, thanks for taking an intervention. <BR /> <BR />You are right about the banking situation: the closures have been accelerated by COVID-19, because we are more dependent than ever on the online links to our accounts. However, there are rural communities, such as mine in west Tyrone, where many people will not have that luxury because broadband provision is so bad. Are the banks not just being opportunistic by using the situation to their advantage in order to abandon rural communities such as those in parts of west Tyrone, as opposed to putting the interests of the loyal communities whom they serve first? Does the Member agree?”
“I thank the Member for giving way and welcome his recent appointment to the Education Committee. There are many challenges. The Member has recognised the huge crisis that faces SEN children and their families. Does the Member agree that it was not so much about a lack of resource or financing as about a real lack of leadership? There was a deliberate attempt in the EA to cover up its failures as opposed to facing down and addressing them to help those children. In fact, the system failed here.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. On the topic of rates, it is vital that the intervention continues, particularly with the uncertainty as to how long businesses will remain closed. Hopefully, the Minister will provide some clarification on that in his response. However, given how the pandemic has affected everyone's lives, right across Northern Ireland, does the Member agree that it would have been very good and positive for every council to take a similar approach to the Member's council, in striking a 0% rate. I am proud to say that my colleagues in Derry and Strabane did so last night.”
“Now that we have this document, can you provide some clarification on when those who are planning to get married can do so with members of their family in attendance, be it 25, 50 or otherwise? If you could provide some clarification, it would be very welcome.”
“I thank the deputy First Minister for her statement today. It is disappointing, for a Member of the House, that the pathway document made its way on to the TEO's website before it was circulated to MLAs. The communications strategy with Members of the Assembly urgently needs to change. It is long past due. <BR /> <BR />It is welcome that we have finally got this document. Deputy First Minister, you are right that it has to be said that it offers some hope to people who have been at home for some time. There are many couples who are hoping to get married. In the last year, many delayed their ceremony because there was uncertainty over whether there would be a reception, which was because of the level of infection in communities.”
“Will the Member take a brief intervention?”
“I thank the Member for giving way. What about support for the families who have lost loved ones as a result of the rapid spread of infection throughout our communities, which, some would say, was due to the Executive's insufficient, slow and protracted action and decision-making that has been far from good?”
“The Member's party has had some influence over the last few years with the British Government. Given the huge problems with infrastructure deficits that we face here in Northern Ireland, surely the Minister and leader of the DUP could persuade Boris Johnson to divert the funds for his beloved tunnel to tackle some of the deficits across Northern Ireland that badly need to be addressed.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. I want to point out some of the detail. The outcome for the Department from the 2021-22 Budget was £420·7 million. That is an increase of £2·8 million, which is a 0·7% increase on the 2020-21 opening resource allocation of £417 million. That is proportionally less of an increase than for any other Department and less than the average departmental increase of 6%. That identifies a key issue that needs to be resolved, and the Finance Minister has the wallet to do it.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. He makes a very valid point and draws direct attention to the exacting issue facing the Department for Infrastructure. Does he agree that the Department for Infrastructure is massively underfunded and that the Minister of Finance should have provided for the bids made by Minister Mallon this year rather than running around at the last minute with a wheelbarrow full of cash saying, "Take it now"?”
“I thank the Member for giving way. I hope that he agrees that there is a long outstanding issue of pay and benefits for Assembly staff. Members' staff have been treated very badly. Have the Member's staff taken up the changes to the determination? If so, the Member could be accused of having double standards.”
“<BR /> <BR />In coming to its conclusion, the Committee was mindful of the wider public expenditure position, and, as set out in its letter to the Finance Minister, it agreed that the Executive's draft Budget document should make provision for the Assembly Commission to have a resource DEL budget of £49·333 million and a capital DEL budget of £1·684 million, with the resource DEL broken down into £45·833 million of non-ring-fenced DEL and £3·5 million of ring-fenced DEL.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Committee sought further information from the Commission on the cost of the remedial work required for the roof of Parliament Buildings but was advised that the matter was still under investigation. No further information could therefore be provided at that stage. There is no cost given for the remedial work in the budget, but, given the potential impact of any repairs on the Commission's future budget and the Committee's role in looking at value for money, details of the cost, when known, have been requested.”
“Members heard that most of the capital works planned are needed to address underinvestment in previous years in the fabric of the Building and viewed them as being necessary in order to face the challenge of a fully functioning Assembly, especially in difficult times such as these. Indeed, the Committee pressed the Commission to ensure that works are progressed as quickly as possible. The Committee, however, received correspondence from the Minister of Finance asking that the Assembly Commission engage with Enterprise Shared Services (ESS) to determine whether there is a more cost-effective solution to the capital requirements. That matter has not been fully dealt with but is something to which Committee will return.”
“Officials attended a Committee meeting in December to update members on the scope of the review and the revised figures. The increase in resource DEL was predicted mainly due to MLA constituency costs and party allowances increasing, and it also included an increase for secretariat staff salaries to reflect pay progression and recruitment. In the light of the Chancellor's pay freeze announcement as part of the spending review, it does not include an additional pay uplift for staff salaries. <BR /> <BR />The increase in capital DEL was, in the main, down to broadcasting infrastructure improvements, remote working solutions and the replacement of TV systems in the Building.”
“Issues discussed included electronic access control to the Building, the security management system, the audio system in the Chamber, updates to the telephone and television systems in Parliament Buildings and the potential financial impact of roof repairs to Parliament Buildings. The Commission's review of expenditure was subsequently carried out, and it resulted in an increased expenditure of close to half a million pounds in resource DEL and nearly £300,000 in capital DEL.”
“However, at the time, members noted that the figures would need to be amended to take account of the expenditure that could arise from the outworkings of the Assembly Members' salary and expenses determination, which the Commission published in the summer. As Members will be aware, the Commission has a legal requirement to meet all costs associated with Members, including salaries, allowances, expenses, Members' staffing costs and pension contributions. Those budget elements are determination-driven and are not under the control of the Commission. <BR /> <BR />During the October evidence session with Commission officials, members focused mainly on the indicative capital budget for 2021-22.”
“The intention is that that additional Committee function will be codified before the end of the mandate. <BR /> <BR />The Committee began its scrutiny of the Commission's indicative budget in October 2020 on the understanding that an in-depth review of every category of expenditure would be carried out to reach the final figures. The indicative budget that was presented for 2021-22 was largely the same as the original budget for 2020-21. That was primarily based on the hope that many of the plans that were in place for 2020-21, such as outreach and engagement activities, would be progressed in 2021-22.”
“Normally, the Audit Committee would produce a report outlining its deliberations on the draft budget for the Assembly Commission, Audit Office and the Public Services Ombudsman, but, because of the tight time frame for the 2021-22 Budget process, a letter was sent to the Minister of Finance instead. That is referenced in the motion. Before I give detail on the Committee's scrutiny of the Commission's budget, I will outline the background of the Committee's approach. The Committee followed the approach of the previous Audit Committee. To reflect the constitutional independence of the Assembly from the Executive, a methodology was introduced in 2016, similar to that adopted by the Audit Committee for agreeing the annual Estimates for the Audit Office and the Public Services Ombudsman.”
“The Minister rightly referred to the blight of homelessness across these islands. However, the pandemic has demonstrated that rough sleeping is not inevitable and is a consequence of political and budgetary choices. Is the Minister exploring other policy initiatives that colleagues elsewhere have implemented? What impact will the Finance Minister's rejection of her bid for homelessness services have on the number of homeless people here over the next 12 months?”
“I thank the Minister for reaffirming her commitment to the vital A5 project, on which there is a united front for delivering. I hope that the Minister agrees that the most damaging interference in the project has been from the Alternative A5 Alliance, which has derailed the project time and time again with legal battles, working against the majority of people, who want the road delivered. Will the Minister join me in calling on representatives across the House to stand with her to see that vital road project delivered and developed immediately and as a matter of urgency in order to save lives and improve economic prospects across the island?”
“I thank the Minister for his statement, which will bring some relief to teachers, young people and parents and will finally help to curb much of the lingering uncertainty that he has continually presided over. I am glad that he has finally put the dodgy algorithm tool in the bin, where it should have been last year. Last year, he did not trust teachers' judgement and he ignored all the warning signs. Will he now admit that he and CCEA got it very badly wrong and that he added to the hurt, stress and anxiety of our young people and their parents and teachers? He left tears in the eyes of a lot of young people last year because of his failure to listen and act. Will he now, given that he has admitted in the statement that it was wrong, apologise to those young people so that we can move on and learn from those lessons?”