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 45 of 53.
“I am not just saying how terrible everything is, and I hope that I can express the families' wishes in a way that honours their input to the motion. Carers need a detailed plan for the reintroduction of services for the person they care for. They need to be a part of creating that plan, and the planning needs to start now. Indications are that external services will not be restored to meet assessed need for a long time, and that needs to be clarified and shared with family carers. Carers need clarity, not rumours or suggestions. It would be really helpful if trusts could assess the long-term, night and day care and the impact that that has had on our carers. If carers go down, if they get sick, our health service cannot cope with taking over caring duties for the people with disabilities who are cared for and look after those carers.”
“Not only had parents and carers to take over full-time care, they also had to act as teachers and provide the interventions that had to disappear. Families need to know when services will resume. They need to be part of that process. They will need to reintroduce their loved ones to a routine that once was and prepare them for the necessary changes, such as face masks, handwashing and social distancing. Some of their much-loved support staff will have gone, reallocated to other necessary services or, unfortunately, made unemployed. Minister, I am sure that you agree that carers and families should be recognised for their extraordinary efforts throughout the crisis. They have worked as hard as any of your medical staff for four months without a break. <BR /> <BR />There is a solution.”
“They try to maintain good hand hygiene, but that is not easy when the person does not want you to touch their hands. That goes on day after day. The only thing that keeps the person going is that there is no one else to do it. The person whom you are looking after is your loved one. You will do anything to help, support and care for them, even if you are physically exhausted, emotionally drained and have not, perhaps, slept in days. <BR /> <BR />We also had school support provided, such as physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech and language therapy. All that ceased to be available for children with special educational needs, which had a severe impact on the health and well-being of families.”
“Who would look after the person then? <BR /> <BR />For many carers, having to deal with the fallout of services being removed so quickly has caused many problems. Breaking routine throws a carer's world into chaos. It is difficult to explain to a loved one why they are not allowed to go to work, day opportunities or day care, watch them become more insular, almost retreating into themselves, or see their independence reduce, while providing all their care. Every day, that means that — I will explain what carers do — they wash the person, dress them, help them with their toileting, prepare their food and help to feed them. They are their entertainment; they protect the person; they do all the cleaning; and they wash all the clothes.”
“In most cases, services were removed without warning or consultation with families. The services included day care, respite care, day opportunities and other social care support. Carers took over immediately, providing full-time care and support. When I say "full-time", I do not just mean full-time working hours; I mean 24 hours a day, seven days a week. How do I know that? I know it because my amazing brother needs such care. My dad, who is in his mid-70s — he will not like me saying that — has provided full-time care for my brother with only short periods of respite provided by me and other family members. I know exactly what it is like to live with the fear that carers have. What if their loved one catches COVID? How would they cope in hospital on their own, without us? What would happen if I or my dad got COVID?”
“From the outset, I want to confirm that the motion has been created with Families Involved Northern Ireland (FINI), which represents a regional network of carers and family members who provide substantial unpaid care for disabled adults and children. Those carers are part of the rainbow of heroes who have protected and looked after some of our most vulnerable family members, who, thankfully, have not come into contact with COVID-19. They have kept their loved ones safe, irrespective of the exhaustion and ongoing anxiety throughout the past 16 weeks. <BR /> <BR />One of the key issues with lockdown was the almost immediate withdrawal of many statutory and non-statutory services. That showed how quickly COVID-19 forced changes on us. So many people with disabilities and their families rely on those services.”
“Thank you, Mr Principal Deputy Speaker. I promise that I will not take my full 10 minutes, as I know that a lot of Members will want to speak on the motion. <BR /> <BR />I propose the motion not just on behalf of the Alliance Party but on behalf of a cross-party group of MLAs. I thank all those who signed the motion. I also recognise the work of the many volunteers and carers who contributed to it. I recognise the work of Chris Lyttle MLA, who is not speaking on the motion today, in negotiating with quite a few Members in the background. <BR /> <BR />We have come together to recognise the significant impact that COVID-19 has had on children and adults with a disability and the exceptional, amazing contribution of family carers throughout lockdown.”
“<BR /> <BR />Pensions can be complicated, and master trust schemes are certainly complicated, but one thing that I would like to draw everyone's attention to is the simplification for those of us who have pensions and who have jumped across different jobs over the years. The pensions dashboard will, thank goodness, enable people to see in one place where their money is, whether they have five pensions, one pension or 10 pensions. I certainly welcome that. <BR /> <BR />As others have said, we now head towards the Committee Stage. Having read through the Committee correspondence on the consultations, I know that political parties, unions and other employers have supported the Bill, and that goes to show how important it is that we move it through. We support the Minister in doing so.”
“As we know, pensions are a devolved matter. However, policy and legislation have acted in accordance with section 87 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 to ensure that pension provision corresponds to the rest of the UK. <BR /> <BR />I will not go over the areas that have already been discussed by other Committee members. The Committee has supported the Bill, and the work on the master trust scheme is, of course, very important. To go back to what others said about the Pensions Regulator, it means that, through this legislation, the regulator can take action earlier when employers put the viability of their pension schemes at risk. Specifically in relation to Northern Ireland, clause 117 introduces schedule 8, which makes provision for Northern Ireland corresponding to that made for England, Wales and Scotland.”
“Today, I am disappointed more than angry. I was in the Chamber when the deputy First Minister gave me sympathy. My uncle died during the coronavirus pandemic. We buried him, without being able to see him, and we had his month's mind in the same situation. I go back to the question for urgent oral answer: how do the First Minister and deputy First Minister propose to restore credibility to the Executive's promotion of the restrictions under the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) Regulations? It is important that we bring people with us. I have suffered the death of a loved one during this terrible period, and I do not want anyone else to have to go through that.”
“She wants to get back to school but is scared. She is scared. If a 17-year-old is scared, what is it like for a seven-year-old? We have a job to do, folks, and I really hope that we can do it and get these young people back to school as soon as possible. Let us work together on this.”
“There is a lot going on. <BR /> <BR />You know what? The message that we send from this place needs to be more positive. It has to be a message that young people are listening to because they want to hear about their schools, and we are talking about something that interests them. This is a great motion. We have a good Minister, and he cares. We have a Committee that also cares, and it meets people so often that I do not know how Chris Lyttle does it — my head would be turned. We have a good team here, and, for the sake of your young people, we should be talking more positively. <BR /> <BR />I am the mummy of a 17-year-old who regularly does my head in. She is looking to get out and torture wee fellas, but she is not getting to do that.”
“The children who have experienced loss and bereavement need time to speak. They need time to talk to each other, which is very hard when half of their classmates work at home for part of the week and the other half are at school. They then swap, meaning that they never see the other half of their class. <BR /> <BR />My heart breaks for pupils who are transitioning from P7 to year 8 — first year, in old money — and for those in upper sixth or fifth year who have left school. There was nothing: there was no real end for them. <BR /> <BR />We have to be aware that there will be difficulties because of the horrendous pandemic. We could see a rise in racist bullying in schools. Across the water, people of Asian background have been picked on and bullied by people saying that they are the cause of the virus because they are Chinese.”
“<BR /> <BR />We need to see the teamwork for ourselves and for our teachers, while working with pupils and parents. We need to recognise not only the physical but the emotional needs of our young people, which will be one of the toughest things for classroom assistants and teachers, alongside parents, to deal with. <BR /> <BR />Young people need time to talk. Some have not had a good lockdown experience. Sadly, we know that the increase in domestic violence across Northern Ireland means that a number of young people have had to leave their home. Some have seen family conflict. Let us face it: we are fighting with each other in the Assembly because we are stressed out. It is non-stop. Our whole day, morning, noon and night, is work. We never get to leave it behind when at home.”
“I take my hat off to all those parents: to those who are at home all day with their kids, trying to work as well as homeschooling; and to parents who have had to go out to work and been worried sick about how their children are getting on while with whomever they have been with, perhaps they have been at a school in which they sit beside two or three others from very different age groups. <BR /> <BR />One size will not fit all. I do not know about the rest of you, but I get many calls from the parents of children with learning disabilities asking how, with social distancing, the at shoulder support is supposed to happen and whether we can give them a solution. <BR /> <BR />We cannot lock the toilets in post-primary schools. Girls have periods: let us not shy away from that. We cannot exclude our young people from having access to space.”
“What they do need to hear is that their schools will be a positive experience, that we will come out of coronavirus and that they will be able to get back with their friends again in a safe way. <BR /> <BR />Mr Frew brought it up, and I have to say to all the parents out there that there is a reason why I did not become a teacher — homeschooling has proved that completely.”
“Thank you so much, Temporary Speaker. I was not expecting that. I will keep it brief, because I would like Mr Carroll to have his opportunity. <BR /> <BR />From the very start, I will declare an interest. I am a mum of a 17-year-old who is due to go into her A-level year, so my heart is broken with her. I am also a governor of a primary school and a post-primary school. <BR /> <BR />Of course, we will support the motion and the amendment — why not. However, can I please ask, as my colleague said, that we start building a bit of teamwork? We are talking about our young people across the whole of Northern Ireland. They do not need to hear politicians ripping lumps out of each other.”
“There are issues that we need to deal with with the Housing Executive, but given the fact that, today, we heard from the Finance Minister how much money is handed back because we cannot access the financial transactions capital, it is right and proper that we process this as quickly as possible.”
“No Committee is ever entirely happy with accelerated passage, and the reasons to support it have to be important enough for the Committee to agree to set aside its statutory scrutiny role. In this case, the Committee agreed that the reasons were that important and the financial and wider societal issues warranted supporting the Minister's request. Today, we are glad to see the Bill reach its Final Stage. We look forward to it receiving Royal Assent and hearing, hopefully, soon after that, that the ONS has reversed its decision. <BR /> <BR />As an Alliance representative on the Committee, I thank the Minister for taking this forward so quickly.”
“The Committee accepted the Department's position that the Bill had to be passed before the summer recess to reduce any further costs to the Department. <BR /> <BR />The Committee was informed that the ONS will review the Housing (Amendment) Bill once it has received Royal Assent, so the sooner that is achieved, the sooner ONS can reverse its decision. Registered housing associations will then have the confidence to plan their housing programmes and to access financial transactions capital, and that can be restored. At a time of uncertainty, the more certainty that the Assembly can give the better. <BR /> <BR />I will conclude where this process began, with the request for the Bill to proceed via accelerated passage.”
“There is a tangible impact on those organisations as a result of how they are classified by the ONS. <BR /> <BR />It is the case that the ONS decision has prevented the Executive accessing funding through financial transactions capital — a government loan scheme that was used to support the housing co-ownership scheme. Clearly, that significantly impacts the funding of the Northern Ireland Co-ownership Housing Association and reduces the opportunity for people to get a foot on the property ladder. Maintaining this funding is costing the Department £3 million per month. That is money that can be spent on a range of other priorities, and any further delays mean that other important issues are denied that funding.”
“I am glad to inform the House that, as per Minister Ní Chuilín's comments given in the House, the Committee was briefed last week on this matter by a senior departmental official. The Committee accepted that the cause of that oversight was no more than human error and was reassured that the Department is reviewing its procedures to ensure that it does not happen again. I thank the Minister for taking the issue so seriously and getting it resolved quite quickly. <BR /> <BR />The urgent need to reclassify registered housing associations is clear. These housing associations are the cornerstone of our social housing development programme. To be classified as public bodies renders their ability to raise private funds to build homes an impossible task.”
“When Minister Hargey briefed the Committee on 13 May on the need for accelerated passage, I do not believe that it would have changed the Committee's view, but it was an oversight that should not have happened, and that has been accepted.”
“The commitment that has been given by the Minister to quickly bring forward proposals on the future of the Housing Executive's house sales scheme is accepted by the Committee. Indeed, that will likely form part of a much wider and detailed consideration of the reform or revitalisation of the Housing Executive. The Committee looks forward to engaging with the Minister on that issue in the autumn. <BR /> <BR />As the Minister has highlighted, during discussions on amendments, it was made clear that the Committee was not in receipt of the analysis of responses from a consultation that the Department had had on key issues relating to the Bill.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Bill itself is relatively straightforward, but the road to Final Stage was not quite so straight. My Committee colleague Mark Durkan presented a number of amendments, which were considered very sympathetically by Members, but did not get the same level of support when it came to the vote. It is understandable that the omission of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive's house sales scheme should be questioned when the housing associations' right-to-buy scheme is included. However, again, in a narrowly scoped Bill, it is the housing associations' right-to-buy scheme that is of key importance. <BR /> <BR />The status of the Housing Executive or its house sales scheme are not matters of concern for ONS, as has been highlighted by the Minister.”
“It is not very often that I have the Dispatch Box in front of me. I wish our Chairperson well. She is unable to be here due to a health issue. She will have the Dispatch Box back the next time. <BR /> <BR />I want to thank the Minister very much for coming forward and getting the Bill to this stage. It is almost four years since the Office for National Statistics took the decision to reclassify registered housing associations to the public sector and designate them as public non-financial corporations. During that period, we have relied on derogation after derogation from the Treasury to ensure that the impact of that technical issue is minimised. However, that derogation runs out in March 2021. I am, therefore, glad that we have reached the Final Stage of a Bill that provides the housing association sector with some certainty.”
“Up until very recently, when you clicked into the coronavirus legislation, there was a document that spelt out for you exactly what it meant — what businesses were open and what it meant for individuals. That has not been updated since 12 June. Can we please do that? It was a useful document to share with people, but we have nothing to give them now, as has been highlighted by others. It is time that we put people back to the front and started to look after our society so that their mental health is not in such a terrible way when we come out of this that they cannot cope.”
“<BR /> <BR />I am making a call today to please provide robust guidance from Health, from Communities, from whatever Department it needs to come from to help those carers understand that they have not been forgotten about, that we know that they have worked so hard over the last number of weeks on their own without the support mechanisms that would normally be in place. <BR /> <BR />Constituents need to know what the changes mean.”
“Normally, you could have got a bit of respite". Do we have any guidance coming forward for those people that says, "OK. We are going to help now. The state is going to help you again"? <BR /> <BR />I know that we are debating amendment (No. 5) and amendment (No. 6) to the regulations today, and amendment (No. 8) and amendment (No. 9) are planned for the future. Can we please bring people back to the focus? Carers do not understand why a hotel, a pub and a hairdresser are more important than they are. While I appreciate that we need to get our economy back up and running, can you imagine the cost to each and every person across Northern Ireland if our carers collapse? When those people go, our health service will completely collapse.”
“<BR /> <BR />We have a community out there that is looking to us to show leadership. We have a community out there that needs our help. We have a community out there that is still scared. As my colleague Paula Bradshaw said very clearly, when the easements come forward, they must come with robust guidelines. We still need to help people to understand how to look after themselves when the footsteps are going forward to lead them back into normal society again. When will they get the guidance that says, "As a carer, thank you very much for the last 12 or 13 weeks of looking after" — this could be an 80-year-old — "your their disabled adult son or daughter. Thank you for doing that. We know that you have been on your own. You have been stuck in the house with that person. You have done everything.”
“Thank you, Deputy Speaker. I apologise. I thought that my name was on the list from earlier. I really appreciate you allowing me to come in now. I will follow on from Mr McCrossan's contribution when he mentioned the lucky-dip approach to how different aspects of relaxing lockdown are coming forward. I will not take too long today, but I ask the Executive and Ministers to absolutely consider putting the people back to the forefront of our lockdown relaxations. <BR /> <BR />Like many in this room, I am inundated day in, day out by calls from carers who are at breaking point across our society. They have no respite care, they have no day centres, they have no breaks, they are depending on food parcels, and for those who do not have a shielding letter from their GP, those finished last week.”
“He has the full support of the Alliance Party.”
“I just want to make it clear that, when I gave my speech on behalf of the Alliance Party, I said that we had worked with a collegiate approach in the Commission but that, when there was an opportunity for an amendment after the Commission had put forward its motion, we chose to back the amendment. Therefore, there is no issue with Mr Blair's having signed the motion.”
“We respect the collegiate approach of the Commission, but I am sure that everybody can respect the fact that, as a party, we have been pushing for this. We put it in our written submission and said it at the Commission meetings. We were not given the opportunity to take that forward. We would be happy enough to vote for the motion as it stands, but, when there is the opportunity for an amendment for an independent body, we will take that.”
“I was not here when that panel was chosen. I can go only by what happened when that panel brought forward its determination: when HMRC had to come to this place and say that the way in which the panel was paying expenses to MLAS was wrong; when there was a recoupment of costs from all MLAs, as otherwise this place would have faced a fantastic tax bill. Something, therefore, was going wrong. When the Alliance Party has an opportunity to go for an independent body, we will take it.”
“If you let me carry on, I will bring you in in a moment. The recruitment of the panel would be key. We can no longer allow our staff to be treated like second-class citizens because people wanted to get at the MLAs. We need people with expertise in business management and HMRC issues. In the period in which the IFRP has not been in place, the Commission has handed over the management of the determination to staff in this place. That has been unfair, because that determination has been unpleasant to deal with, and staff have had to deal with MLAs in that. We should, therefore, be looking at the amendment; we should be considering alternatives. We should be looking at transparency, and we should be above and beyond.”
“The Member has helped me to confirm why it is so important. The previous panel was not independent. It was brought forward through a recruitment process that determined people who could not be on the panel, but did not determine people who should have been on the panel. Where was the expertise in accountancy, HR or HMRC issues? It was not there. We have the opportunity now to have an independent body like the one at Westminster — a body that will include all of the professional qualifications that we need to ensure fairness for our staff and the public.”
“We would not give our staff the power to dictate their own salaries, but we would be giving ourselves that power. We are saying that we are going to set out salaries for our staff. We are the employers, but we are using public money. They need to be reviewed. The treatment of staff in MLAs' offices by the existing determination is deplorable and would not be put up with in any other place. An independent body such as there is in Westminster would be appropriate. <BR /> <BR />We were not successful in the Commission, and that is why we say today that we could have gone with the motion, but there is an opportunity with the amendment. The amendment gives us the opportunity to look at an independent body and to bring into scope someone else who will help scrutinise and set standards for payments to MLAs.”
“Thank you very much. On the day that I was there, there was a call around the room and each of the parties was to say yes or no to whether they would support having an independent body like the body in Westminster. The Alliance Party was the only one to support that, and everyone else decided that changes needed to be made. <BR /> <BR />We have in front of us a motion that the Alliance Party, on a collegiate approach, could support, but we will take any available opportunity to support an independent body to look over all of the money that goes to MLAs. <BR /> <BR />Today is the International Day of Parliamentarism. The United Nations General Assembly resolution states that the International Day of Parliamentarism should celebrate giving confidence to the public, and its resolution states the need for transparency.”
“Interesting issues were raised by the other Members who have spoken. I attended a Commission meeting at which this matter was debated. Alliance has maintained throughout that it would prefer that an independent body look at all aspects of payments to MLAs: salaries, pensions and allowances, even though the allowances do not go into our pockets, which some people do not seem to understand, but are to pay our staff and our rent. However, we were voted down that day, and, that day, the collegiate approach was the motion that is before us.”
“She escaped and was able to come back to Northern Ireland, but so did her partner. Nothing has happened about it because it happened outside this country, and the person lives with its scars every day. She is safe now, thanks to organisations that work with people who have managed to get away from their abuser. <BR /> <BR />I hope that the House can think about that woman and other men and women out there who are going through this and are taken out of this country to be abused. Some have been taken away to be killed. It is right that we send out a clear message to abusers that you cannot hide here.”
“That will extend the powers of the courts here to try certain sexual and violent offences that have been committed outside the UK. That includes offences such as forced marriage, sex offences, murder and manslaughter. <BR /> <BR />Having worked with an organisation that some Members may know called Invisible Traffick, I know that it is vital that we are able to prosecute offenders who are from here for the crimes that they do elsewhere. I had the privilege of being in the Long Gallery in this Building when I heard from a lady who had been taken out of this country by her partner and did not realise that, when she was plied with drink and drugs and was convinced to sleep with her partner's friend, that was the start of her being put into prostitution and used and raped, ongoing, for up to five years.”
“I also thank the Minister for taking a practical and proactive approach to the Domestic Abuse Bill. Many people and families are extremely grateful for the Minister's focused approach on an issue that is far too prevalent in homes across Northern Ireland. The Domestic Abuse Bill, which was reintroduced at Westminster on 3 March, included provision for the whole of the UK. It is right, therefore, that the Minister makes best use of resources in the time available by legislating through the UK Bill, as it means that the whole of the UK is in a position to formally ratify the Istanbul convention. My colleague in the SDLP mentioned that. <BR /> <BR />It is appropriate that we endorse the extension to Northern Ireland of the relevant provisions of the Domestic Abuse Bill.”
“I will not take too long. Minister, earlier you mentioned zero emissions, and potential new builds would be looking towards that. Apart from zero emissions for environmental benefits, has there been a cost-benefit analysis of the savings that schools could achieve through innovative ways of heating and lighting their buildings?”
“I will be quick. Minister, thank you very much for you answers. As we know, some who needed food parcels did not get them. Unfortunately, many who did get them did not need them. Are you considering having an easy version of how to decide who does need them, and I do not mean by means testing, and will you continue the priority slots in supermarkets?”
“Thank you very much, Minister, for your statement. In it, you confirm a further £19·1 million for Strule and shared and integrated education. The dictionary definition of further is additional. Given that Fresh Start is a fixed budget, is that more money? Will the Minister breakdown how the £19·1 million will be spent? If Strule accesses the majority of that amount, is that part of the planned spend on Strule or is this more money that is going out of Fresh Start to one project? If the Minister is able to access further capital funding, what money is he planning to spend to facilitate the necessary space for the educational restart programme?”
“Thank you, Temporary Speaker. It seems quite strange to say that but it is good to see you sitting up there. It is a different way to look at this place.”
“Is the Minister convinced that enough PPE will be made available to our agri-food producers to ensure that those staff members and our food chain will be kept safe?”
“We need to have a commitment to getting back to building houses and to take away those delays. We need this legislation for housing associations and, depending on how the review of the Housing Executive goes, it may well be brought into this legislation anyway.”
“I appreciate that we are going through a speedy resolution on this Bill because of the nature of what is contained within it, but the Committee does have to have its time and its place, and I hope that we will have that when we review the Housing Executive. <BR /> <BR />Unfortunately, at this stage, I cannot support the amendments. I completely understand the rationale behind them. If the Member had said, "ONS has said, 'Yes, absolutely, bring the Housing Executive into this and we will accept the Bill as it is'", then there would have been no problem, but that is not here. I just do not believe, given the discussions that I have had with people within the Department regarding the ONS, that that is a possibility at this stage. We do this now and then we deal with the Housing Executive, and we can align the two going forward.”