Kellie Armstrong
Strangford · Alliance Party · Northern Ireland
“I welcome the opportunity to speak in support of the Fisheries, Aquaculture and Water Environment Bill. It is timely and important. Miss McIlveen, a fellow MLA for the Strangford constituency, has just spoken.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Bill reflects the realities of the post-Brexit landscape by aligning protections here with those in other UK jurisdictions and the UK Fisheries Act. That consistency is important for standards, enforcement and international confidence in our products.”
“Last year, I met the Department and we discussed that. The opportunities for seaweed farming in Strangford lough are wonderful, and the opportunities from seaweed that Queen's University has identified are incredible. We are lucky to have those opportunities on our doorstep, as long as there is licensing and it is properly looked after.”
“Moving beyond managing individual fisheries, the Bill recognises the interconnected nature of our rivers, loughs and seas — an approach that is very much in line with Alliance's commitment to evidence-based environmental policy. The inclusion of a national benefit objective is also significant.”
“A while ago, we saw that commercial bottom trawling had all but decimated the horse mussel population in Strangford lough. It has since been changed to a special area of conservation. That limits a lot of activity in the lough, which is not a bad thing considering that horse mussels are coming back.”
“They allow for timely action on lower-level offences without over-burdening the courts while still acting as a meaningful deterrent. If only everybody were acting properly, we would not need to have those deterrents, but we are where we are, and the Bill hopes to improve upon that.”
The complete record
Every one of 2,635 lines we hold for Kellie Armstrong, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 44 of 53.
“Therefore I take the opportunity to re-emphasise that, in every response to the coronavirus restrictions legislation, my colleague Paula Bradshaw cautioned that it must remain in place for not a second longer than necessary. There are many reasons for that, but the main reason is the profound and appalling impact that it has on mental well-being. I also caution against anyone making public statements about reinstituting lockdown. We need to be sensitive to people's experiences of it and recognise that, if we tighten restrictions in a targeted way, that is not remotely the same as reinforcing lockdown. It is important for our collective mental well-being that we get the phraseology correct and do not create a wholly unnecessary fear of a return to where we once were.”
“One consequence of that will, in some cases, inevitably be symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and disorders that seem to be associated, such as borderline personality disorder. The stress, trauma and related conditions lab report endorses that view. As we have heard, one fifth of the people studied and, therefore, more than likely, one fifth of the population have exhibited symptoms of PTSD associated with the experience of lockdown, and almost one third show symptoms of depression and anxiety. That could be an underestimate. <BR /> <BR />What lockdown asked of us, as fundamentally social animals, was necessary to manage our initial response to the virus, but it was inhuman in the literal sense.”
“As long ago as March, Lord Alderdice, speaking from a position of direct professional experience, raised the prospect in Parliament of a mental health pandemic caused by the sheer inhumanity and, thus, inevitable severe psychological impact of what we were asking people to do. Going without human touch, social contact or anything that delivers the sense of camaraderie and belonging that makes us human will have a deep psychological impact, particularly on those who live alone or in isolated households or communities. A word such as "loneliness" seems relatively tame, but it has a profound impact on our mental health. Being detached from social contact and social norms leads to a proven disturbance in the ability to assess others' intentions and, thus, maintain and build human relationships.”
“I thank those who tabled the motion. I also, regardless of our political differences, take the opportunity to thank Mr Easton for being so open about his mental health challenges during the summer. That took immense coverage, but I have no doubt that, by doing so, he helped a lot of people. <BR /> <BR />I rise on behalf of the Alliance Party to support the motion. Its wording is clear, and I hope that the Minister's response to it is as positive as his response last week. <BR /> <BR />The report of the stress, trauma and related conditions lab was stark, but it was also, in many ways, unsurprising.”
“We have an opportunity to make a difference, but we have short time left to do so.”
“I am going to use my white privilege to say that I do not know what it feels like to be a person who has black skin or who is from an ethnic minority in Northern Ireland today. They do, and those are the best voices to have an input on that. The BAME community must have an integral role in updating the current strategy, and we must take leadership by timetabling effective delivery of all the recommendations. <BR /> <BR />Following on from the Black Lives Matter movement and the impact that COVID has had, our society needs to do more to achieve better good relations for everyone. The timetabling is key. People do not want to hear about what we will do: they want to see a timetable for when it will be done by. I ask that the Assembly supports the amendment and the motion.”
“<BR /> <BR />As part of this Good Relations Week, we need to do more to ensure that strategies are reviewed and updated to ensure that they remain effective and still deliver an outcome. As mentioned earlier by Ms Martina Anderson, one of the key ways in which we could do that is through teacher training in our schools. Of course we want to see better racial equality training and help for pupils in our schools, but we need to start with the adults who are with them in their classes. To be honest, that teacher training needs to be published so that we can all see the content of it. <BR /> <BR />In the disability community, we say, "Nothing about us without us". The same must apply to the racial equality strategy. This room, as has been acknowledged, is white.”
“All the Departments recognise the need to improve on racial equality in the work that they do. That is why they have champions, but those champions are hidden; we do not know who they are, and we do not get reports on what they are doing. We would all like to see those actions happening as soon as possible. <BR /> <BR />We also lack effective data recording to measure how effective measures are or where there are opportunities for improvements. As we all know, in order to access investment, you need to produce a fact-based business case. Unless we have appropriate data collection, that is impossible. <BR /> <BR />If we are to have racial equality, we need to address negative attitudes and ensure that black, Asian and ethnic minorities are visible and that their voices are heard.”
“We have only 18 months of this Assembly term left. If we wait until the end of it to see the rest of the recommendations implemented, they will never happen. <BR /> <BR />It is noted by the Equality Commission that the current strategy has a few problems. It lacks outcome-based actions, and that needs to be reviewed. Actions should be designed to address the inequalities experienced by people from minority ethnic communities in areas such as health and social care, education, housing, employment and participation in public life. That is why we go back to the amendment that we have tabled that calls on the First Minister and deputy First Minister to act. Responsibility for racial equality lies with the Executive Office, and it will be the Department that rolls that out across all the Departments.”
“Any of us, who have worked with strategies in the past, recognise absolutely that, part way through a strategy, you look back at what has been done and what needs to be done in order to see it fulfilled.”
“The Alliance Party's amendment says that we would like to see an updated strategy. We want the strategy to be updated by the people it most affects. I appreciate that Members have said that a working group exists. Members of the BAME community have confirmed that many of the people who are part of the working group are volunteers. Many of them have lost funding for groups, and many of their employed members of staff no longer have jobs. We would like to ensure that, if we are going to include people's voices, we include those people and ensure that they are supported to take an effective part in looking at the update of the strategy. That is right and proper.”
“I thank all who have spoken. We have heard a unanimous voice from the Assembly, stating very clearly that, in this Good Relations Week, racism is wrong and has no part in our society. I thank Ms Sheerin for tabling the motion. It has helped to focus our attention on the fact that we have a number of issues with our existing racial equality strategy. <BR /> <BR />Like many Members, I have spoken with members of the black and minority ethnic community and representative bodies, and they have indicated that they do not wish the hard work that was completed in advance of the 2015 strategy to be wasted. What needs to happen is an effective implementation of the current strategy, given that, as many of us in the Chamber will acknowledge, not all of the recommendations have been carried out. Let us not delay by writing a new strategy.”
“There is no point in putting someone into a house if they are not able to climb the stairs, or they are unable to afford to heat it, or it is not the right space for them. <BR /> <BR />I welcome the motion today. Living over the Shop is one way in which we can revitalise the centres of our towns and cities. However, it needs to be done. It does not need to be talked about any more. We need the grants to become a reality. I appreciate, absolutely, that money will be extraordinarily tight over the next wee while, but can —.”
“We could consider the town centre housing fund in Scotland, which is a 50:50 mix of grant and loan funding that could reduce the cost to government. <BR /> <BR />For years, architects and town planners have said to us that we need to develop town- and city-centre living through services that make these spaces welcoming and inclusive rather than frightening and isolating. The last thing that we want to do is to put people into places in which they feel uncomfortable. We have the opportunity to say to the owners of commercial premises that we have social housing options and social landlords who could come in and take over the space for them. They could buy that space and develop it in a way that would be good for people and meet the objective need.”
“We have to consider lifts and accessibility options for residential properties that are on the first floor. There needs to be consideration of rates and water charges because, as we know, commercial premises would have to split those from the residential premises. <BR /> <BR />We need to think about some other way of making houses and house space available, given that so little land is available. We know that work has been done. The mapping out of land has been done, for instance, in Belfast, and the amount of land available for new housing is very low. Meanwhile, a number of single men are still denied access to the housing market, and a number of older people face the bedroom tax. We pay that for them at the moment, but the time will come when more and more people move on to the benefits system and face the bedroom tax.”
“For instance, we can ensure that bins are not stored on the street by providing somewhere to store them on the residential property. We can ensure that the living space is sustainable by saying that it must include alternative fuel sources to reduce carbon emissions so that we meet our targets. Innovative alternatives to oil tanks are desperately needed if we are to move away from fossil fuels. <BR /> <BR />The space needs to be inclusive and not exclude people with limited mobility. An awful lot of those in our older generation are looking for town-centre living because they no longer drive; they use public transport. Living together in towns, and being together safely in towns, is more important than sitting in a three-bedroom house in the middle of nowhere.”
“In the current situation, there is so much on the Executive's plate that I want to see action as opposed to just considering what might happen. I believe that the Minister is a person who will take this forward. <BR /> <BR />The reason why we need a grant for the Living over the Shop scheme is that shop owners might not be able to provide the money to develop the units. Think of how many towns, outside Belfast, have charity shops. They cannot afford to develop residential places above. Through this grant, there is an opportunity for us to do something different, and a grant that comes with a caveat — it is not a contract — can provide this. So, we can consider things like that which Mr McCann brought forward.”
“In New Decade, New Approach, all Executive parties agreed to a housing outcome — I am looking at Mr Durkan because it was an SDLP approach that was brought forward. I look forward to seeing that outcome being developed with clear indicators to achieve better housing. I think, to be honest, that the Living over the Shop scheme is one of the aspects that needs to be concluded if we are to achieve the amount of housing that we need for all of our people across Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />It is time to move forward the option to develop more living spaces, given that the demand for housing is growing. That is why I cannot go with an amendment that talks about a Minister who is very committed to housing going to Executive colleagues to talk about it.”
“I have listened to the debate today. I can see the merits in the motion and amendment, but I have to say, on behalf of the Alliance Party, that we will support the motion, not the amendment. The reason is this: had the grant scheme been included in the amendment, we could have supported both. Both are well intentioned, and both are needed, but the grant scheme is necessary. <BR /> <BR />The 2016 report that Mr Beggs talked about has already identified that businesses, landlords and Departments recognise the need for a grant income to convert the spaces above commercial properties to make them habitable. Therefore, the Department for Communities is already aware of the need to grant support for the establishment of the Living over the Shop scheme.”
“As others said, we are in the middle of a pandemic. A virus is killing our people. We have an education system that is not being reformed and the Bengoa report has not been brought through from Health. There are a lot of priorities here. I respect this legislation, which is adding only three more days — the birthdays of the Duchess of Cambridge, the Duke of Cambridge and the Duchess of Cornwall. That will change when, unfortunately, people pass away and days are removed, and, when other people are born, days will be added. Those are designated days. All I will ask is this: we have a lot of work to do in this place so can we move on with that?”
“In response to the legislation, I acknowledge the sovereignty of our flags. Alliance has supported the designated days for many years. It shows respect for people who want the Union flag, and it shows respect for those who do not want the Union flag. What it says, which many others here have said, is that we are a community that appears to be divided. However, we are actually just one community; we are all from this place, and we want something better. New Decade, New Approach was that, and we all signed up to it. <BR /> <BR />The designated days have been equality proofed so many times. If I am to be in this Chamber, stuck in the middle here with you, all I ask is that we show each other respect. The flag is the flag; people want it and people do not want it, and it is time for us to move forward.”
“Minister, you have already mentioned the corporation tax issue. Will you give an outline of the guesstimate of how much money the Housing Executive will have to repay the Treasury because that will have an impact on the ability to maintain homes?”
“I start by thanking the Minister for the planned extension of the welfare mitigations. That is very much needed. Will those welfare mitigations be reviewed to see whether they work and whether there are any gaps that need to be filled that are not already being considered? Will that review come to the Committee so that we can look at it and help you with it?”
“Some of our students need assistance, some of our students need to know what their future is, and we cannot leave them behind.”
“<BR /> <BR />The BTEC results were mentioned by Rosemary Barton. Those students need their results. We are leaving those students behind, and I encourage the Minister of Education and the Minister for the Economy to get in touch with Pearson and the other bodies to find out what is happening. <BR /> <BR />I will not discuss the school restart programme because I know that the Education Committee will deal with that later today. The restart is another huge job that must be done. <BR /> <BR />In closing, however, I would like to say that, while all this is going on, special educational needs students are still being ignored and their supported employment programme might be closed down. Those young people have just left school, too, and I wish that the House and the public were as vexed about their future as we are about A-level students.”
“Will landlords see this as an opportunity to raise already exorbitant rent even further? <BR /> <BR />We need to think about the wider implications and what will happen going forward. If we are going to increase the number of university places, there are more things that we need to consider. What about student loans? Will the Student Loans Company be able to cope with the additional requests that will come through? <BR /> <BR />Mental health services are an issue. We have young people who have just completed their A2, who are not going back to school and who will not have that teacher support. Will the Minister of Education look to Youth Services to provide mental health support to young people to ensure that what they have gone through, and the awful COVID situation that we are all going through, are considered?”
“Thank you, Mr Aiken. That is absolutely the collegiate approach that we need to pull Northern Ireland out of this. In-year funding of £35 million solves one year. Can we have that across all the years so that children such as my daughter and her cohort, who have completed AS levels, are not impacted next year when they might find that there are not enough places available? We know that Minister Dodds has been under extraordinary pressure because of the issues that we have with COVID, but she cannot delay on this. Unlike the excluded in Northern Ireland, we cannot see any delays on this. <BR /> <BR />I turn, then, to the Minister for Communities. Another issue has come forward from parents: are there enough student housing places available at our universities for those students?”
“<BR /> <BR />Today's amendment calls on the whole Executive, but we need to hear from the Minister for the Economy on what is happening with the money for university places. We cannot take away the cap on university places. We are potentially looking at an additional 1,000 students for Queen's University and probably the same number for Ulster University. That could equate to an additional £10 million per year for each year going forward for three or four years.”
“Today, I will not talk about the good work of the Education Committee or any of the Members here; I will talk as a parent. The job is not done yet. There are many, many questions on which parents and students need to have clarification. One of the ways out of the debacle would be to answer those questions. For example, saying that CCEA will get the grades out soon is not good enough. We need to know the date on which they will be received. We need to know when UCAS will receive those grades so that we can finally find out what will happen to those young people who want to move forward into higher education. What communication has there been from Northern Ireland to UCAS to identify those students who will still lose out on a place because of the late changes to grades and perhaps some places have been filled?.”
“I pay tribute to those young people. They were dignified in their response to what they were going through. I pay particular attention to the Secondary Students' Union of Northern Ireland, the various students' unions across the area and the teachers' unions because they have shown us that, with a singular voice, they had strength. I am glad, as Daniel McCrossan said, that those concerns were heard and finally taken on board by the Minister, but the job is not done yet.”
“At this stage, I pay tribute to our young people across Northern Ireland. It has been an extremely stressful time for them and their parents, and I declare an interest as the mummy of an AS student who received grades last week.”
“Mr Speaker, it is good to see you back in your Chair. I know, from the number of meetings that we have had through the Business Office, that you have been working quite hard throughout this time. <BR /> <BR />I would like to take the opportunity, very quickly, to take a moment to say this to the SDLP: you lost a giant; we all lost a giant, and I have been thinking of you during those sad times, then and now. <BR /> <BR />On 12 August, which was the day before the A-level results came out, it was United Nations International Youth Day. The United Nations said that the day was:”
“I thank the Minister and again pay tribute to him. I do this all the time, Robin. I pay tribute to him and to all of his staff and the staff of the trusts, who have performed amazingly throughout the pandemic. I am delighted to hear about the day care and the respite care coming forward. We all agreed with that. <BR /> <BR />I agree with the Chair of the Health Committee, Colm Gildernew. I thank him about his mask. I hate those masks with a passion, as I have said plenty of times, but we need to wear them to keep ourselves, our families and others safe. The UK Government have recognised the Action on Hearing Loss recognition of clear masks. Can the Minister confirm, when he is rebuilding our health system or building it back better, whether a proportion of those clear masks is coming to Northern Ireland?”
“It is timely that I come in at this time, Mr Principal Deputy Speaker. The Minister has mentioned that time out of school can be difficult, so can the Minister confirm if it was him or his office that sent an email to a teacher that confirmed that you plan to restart school full-time from September?”
“Thank you, Minister. I am delighted to see the appointment of the panel, which was an important part of the New Decade, New Approach negotiation. The Minister mentioned the money that he will bid for to support its report. Why did he prioritise this panel as opposed to the panel for the independent review of education? Will he bid for money to support a report by that panel as well?”
“<BR /> <BR />I push for the next regulations, the ones that have not yet been written — we already know what they are; they have been talked about today — to have the needs of carers in them. We need the junior Ministers to tell the trusts that there has to be fair and equitable treatment of all people with disabilities and of older people and their carers across Northern Ireland. I make this plea: while amendments Nos 9 and 10 to the regulations are absolutely welcome, it is the people who are doing the work on the ground in looking after the most vulnerable in society who need our help now. I am asking — I am pleading with — the Assembly and the Executive please to put carers first in their next considerations.”
“We worked so hard together as parties to recognise the needs of carers and of those with disabilities, who, to be quite honest, are sick looking at their family because they still cannot go out through the door. We are not looking after them. I reiterate what Pam Cameron said: we need to look after ourselves and one another. I ask the junior Ministers please to put carers at the front of the queue. They have been part of the rainbow of heroes throughout the pandemic; they have worked quietly in the background, and, as has been recognised in the motion, they have been scared, they have been alone, they have been isolated, and they have done all that without much thanks or any recognition.”
“I say to both junior Ministers this morning, "Go back to the Executive and ask the Executive to sort things out for carers". We heard, over the past few days, that some respite services may be available and that daycare centres may be open for 10% of the people with learning disabilities and older people. Honestly. We have carers who have been working 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for 16 weeks. They are at breaking point. How many times do we have to ask in this place for their needs to be recognised? Fantastic: we can all go and stay in a B & B, we can go to the bookies, but we cannot give a carer a break. <BR /> <BR />I am so angry about this.”
“I rise without a prepared speech because I am so angry that I could bite something. While the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Amendment No. 9) Regulations (NI) 2020 allow people to go and stay in overnight accommodation, even though we had a cross-party motion in the House that recognised the pressure on carers, we still cannot have overnight respite care for people with disabilities or older people. I appreciate that the rules and regulations are being laid in a specific way that adheres to legislation, but our carers' needs are falling on deaf ears.”
“Sadly, there is no intermediate process to work through the issue created by the actions on 30 June. There is only one viable option available here. While some want to see the end of the Assembly, the rest of us are here to serve the public, to take difficult decisions and to work together to get out of this crisis. To do so, we ask Sinn Féin to reflect on the damage done, and in the best interests of all citizens, to recognise and own the issue that they created and to apologise.”
“It is still a threat to every person and that is why we need the public to get back to believing the message of social distancing, washing hands and keeping safe. It is still as important now as it was in March. <BR /> <BR />Before this crisis, many in the Chamber were involved in the New Decade, New Approach negotiations and agreed to enter the Executive on the basis of a better way of working together. I am glad to hear today that there has been an announcement of the nomination of Mr Paul Kennedy to the Standards Commissioner role that will come into place and that we will be talking about that here on 21 July. That is one of the mechanisms that we needed to come out of New Decade, New Approach. Our way of governing relies on trust and confidence. Our Government is all or nothing. It is either pull the place down or get on with it.”
“Why should I stick to the rules now?"? We need to rebuild the public's trust and to do all that we can to bring the public with us as we all work through this crisis and the difficulties that we are yet to face. Those difficulties include the end of the furlough scheme. We will see more businesses struggle and people will lose their jobs. As discussed in the previous motion, we have carers at breaking point, and who need services reinstated, before they collapse. We have Brexit and the impacts that that will bring. We could face a second spike as has happened elsewhere; Leicester, Melbourne and across Spain. While the public are tired of lockdown and making sacrifices, the virus is not tired.”
“We have been through so much over the past number of years. Unlike RHI, COVID-19 has touched every single person and family across this place. This crisis is personal. When anyone breaks the rules, it is personal and it hits everyone, and everyone was looking to government here to lead us out of this crisis. Until 30 June, as others have said, the Executive's messaging was working. It was collegiate. It was finally providing the public with confidence that the First Minister and deputy First Minister were working together, and the Executive were working together. However, following the actions of 30 June, that collegiate approach appears to have fallen apart. <BR /> <BR />I really do not know how the afternoon podium announcements will be accepted or believed again. How many times have each of us heard the words, "Why should I?”
“Your actions have helped to save lives. <BR /> <BR />Sadly, we are not free from this awful virus yet, and, having recognised the public sacrifices, I come to my second point. Alliance recognises and understands why there has been such public outrage and anger expressed as a result of what took place on 30 June. The Alliance Party contends that Sinn Féin did not act in accordance with the health regulations, but I am not going to pick over the details of what took place. It is sufficient to say that others are able to wait until it is safe to come together to remember a member of their family who died during the pandemic. They are not risking having gatherings now. <BR /> <BR />While I accept that the deputy First Minister has apologised for hurt that families may have felt, both she and Sinn Féin need to go further.”
“I will be the only Member to speak on behalf of the Alliance Party. We wish our message to be clear and concise. First, I want to pass on my condolences to Mr Storey's family. Grieving is, at any time, difficult, but to have your loved one's funeral be the subject of such intense public and political scrutiny must be very difficult for the family. <BR /> <BR />Many of us have made sacrifices throughout lockdown. Rules stopped us from attending wakes and funerals and from comforting family at the saddest of times. The rules stop us from visiting seriously ill family members in hospitals. The rules are difficult, but the public took on board those regulations and guidelines, keeping the R number down and the spread of COVID-19 limited. To everyone who complied with and upheld those rules: thank you. It has been really hard.”
“Mr Principal Deputy Speaker and Minister, I hope that today we can say that they can depend on us.”
“We are here today to talk about our carers and with our Health Minister. Let us not leave carers behind. Let us not leave adults and children with disabilities behind. Being a carer is not all doom and gloom. It is a privilege to look after my family. There are days when there is a lot of laughter and you can see that the person you care for is happy and coping, and life is good. However, there are days when it is exhausting, frustrating and intolerable. Family carers have remained quietly behind closed doors in fear, desperation and despair. They have always called on their reserves of resilience to survive the most extreme circumstances, driven by the need to stay strong so that they can care for those who need them the most. After all, who else can they depend on?”
“Indeed, when considering partnerships, Health and Education must cooperate to deliver school services and support for children and young people with physical and learning disabilities.”
“I appreciate that that may be for the Department for Communities or the Department of Health, but, to be honest, a lot of the red tape — the barriers — is in place through the trusts. It is time for us to trust our carers and enable them to purchase support until Health is in a position to provide it for them or with them. <BR /> <BR />Carers who work outside the home also need to be protected. A partnership between Health, Economy and Communities could create employment and benefit protections to allow carers to continue to care for their loved ones and not face being sacked, made unemployed or pushed into poverty because the statutory and non-statutory services are not in place. It is not just all about Health; it is a partnership.”
“Carers need emotional support, and, while organisations like FINI have enabled carers to talk to each other, many other carers have not been able to speak to anyone and remain in isolation. Just before I came in this evening, I spoke to the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), who recognise the social isolation and terrible loneliness that is happening. The isolation and the sometimes overbearing responsibility that carers feel needs to be recognised and supported. We need to care for our carers and ensure investment and local support for them. <BR /> <BR />Family carers have asked for and must be given discretion to use individual budgets immediately for family or for managing a family member's support needs in a way that gives flexibility, choice and control.”