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.”
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“We have to review the Housing Executive, and I will be fighting at that time for a review of the right-to-buy scheme within the Housing Executive. If we are going to have a voluntary scheme, both social housing and the Housing Executive need to be similar so that there is no differential. Under the legislation that is in front of us, the right to buy will continue for two years after it receives Royal Assent. When will that be? It could be a month from now, two months, three months or six months, so there is time to look at the Housing Executive and to consider. <BR /> <BR />I am very disappointed that the Department did not share all the information with the Committee prior to the Minister's bringing this to the House so that the Committee had time to discuss it.”
“If we do not sort out the classification or reclassification of social housing, there will be no new builds in social housing. The impact that that will have on our community includes the construction industry and the fact that people will not have houses that they can move into. It is a larger economic issue. <BR /> <BR />The Minister has said that she will deal with the Housing Executive in the future, and I welcome that completely, because the Housing Executive is sitting in a state at the moment where it is going to face an enormous bill for corporation tax in this financial year, because it cannot buy things to mitigate that cost. What impact will that have? That will have the impact that the Housing Executive may face huge difficulties in doing its own maintenance work.”
“If the Member had stood up and said that his amendment was on the back of absolute clarification that he had received from ONS that it would take forward the legislation with his amendment and accept that, then I would have supported it. However, I do not believe that the Office of National Statistics will accept that amendment and take this through, and the result of that will be that social housing will lose money. It will not be able to borrow, it will not be able to build houses, and we will see an end to the co-ownership scheme, because we will not be able to fund that either. <BR /> <BR />This is a piece of legislation that needs to go through quickly, because we are under pressure. This place was not here for three years, and, as a result, we are left with a situation where a crisis is looming.”
“Just as I start off, I reiterate what my colleagues have said and wish former Minister Deirdre Hargey back to full health very soon. We will welcome her back to the Chamber. I welcome Minister Ní Chuilín to the post; we will miss her in Committee, because there is a font of knowledge there. I also acknowledge Christopher Stalford, the Principal Deputy Speaker. Mr Deputy Speaker, I recognise that we are whittling through Speakers rightly at the moment, so I wish you good health for the next wee while. <BR /> <BR />On this matter, I am unfortunately unable, on behalf of the Alliance Party, to support the amendments today. Like others, I am absolutely sympathetic. I believe that the right-to-buy scheme has haemorrhaged houses out of our housing market, leaving housing stress and the waiting lists in the situation that they are in.”
“To all our friends here in the Ulster Unionist Party, I say that I am really sorry for your loss. Unfortunately, so many of our friends from that new Assembly are leaving us. I think in particular of Lagan Valley, which has lost so many.”
“On behalf of the Alliance Party, I pass on our condolences to Mr Bell's family and to all his Ulster Unionist colleagues. I did not know him, but I wish that I had, hearing the wonderful words that are being spoken about him today. <BR /> <BR />I acknowledge the fact that he was of the new Assembly back in 1998. Changing times. We are here today on the shoulders of those people, who took a courageous step at a time that came after a couple of decades that were not so nice for this place. I know from all the tributes that have been paid that Mr Bell was the first person to be mayor of both Lisburn and Belfast. <BR /> <BR />Not too many people who leave political life are thought of as being a gentleman and an inspiration and recognised for the positions that they held and the service that they gave.”
“I note from the comments of Mr Beattie MLA that there is a two-year period within which victims will be able to claim. Will the Minister confirm whether she is working with groups in preparation for that claims process, because the last thing that any of us want — we must recognise this — is those 800 individuals being retraumatised by the process. They will need not only the criminal justice system, but the support mechanisms that are available in the community.”
“Thank you, Minister Long. As others have said, the motion is important as it corrects an unfair retrospective exemption for criminal compensation on the basis that the victim lived in the same household as the perpetrator. On behalf of the Alliance Party, I welcome the motion and commend the Minister for righting an issue that, as she has confirmed, was completely incompatible with human rights. <BR /> <BR />Amending the same-household provision will bring Northern Ireland in line with the rest of the UK. It means that victims who were injured when they were living in the same household as the perpetrator, and who were previously excluded, can apply for compensation. I appreciate that that is limited to victims between 1969 and 1988.”
“I do not know about the rest of you, but how much more pressure do you want to put our businesses under? How much more stress, how many more mental health problems, are you prepared to put on the owners of businesses? It is time to catch ourselves on. We need extra time, and we need the Government in Westminster to recognise the fact that this will have a detrimental impact here. We are in a health crisis, and we are looking at an economic crisis because of it.”
“<BR /> <BR />I want to be very clear — this is already in the press — that Alliance and the SDLP asked for an extension at the Executive. What was voted on was a proposal to come back to this in two weeks' time. If the Executive can come back in two weeks' time, surely, this country, the people who work here and the businesses currently in financial crisis need time. Do people think that COVID-19 does not exist? Do they think that the upcoming redundancies are not real and that the people who have had to move on to universal credit because we are in such a social crisis do not exist? How can we keep piling on the problems? It is time to look at the negotiations. The EU has said that it is prepared to open a longer period of time and I say thank you to them for that.”
“However, the more distant the relationship between GB and the EU, the greater the requirement for checks and barriers in the Irish Sea. Under the protocol, checks cannot be avoided entirely. The protocol is the sad and inevitable outworking of the UK Government's decision to seek a hard Brexit. We need a UK/EU deal to mitigate the scale of the impact. Any downturn in or hit to the GB economy would have a severe impact on us in Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />There is a suspicion that the UK Government are determined to proceed with the current timescale and end the implementation period in order to mask the economic damage of Brexit, even one without a trade deal, in the wider recession and economic turbulence arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Government are running to a very tight timescale for agreeing their future relationship with the EU. This is about more than the economy and trade; it is also about matters such as policing and security. No deal, including no trade deal, a retreat to WTO rules or an Australia-style deal, would have a severe impact on the UK economy as a whole. The UK would be needlessly distancing itself from its nearest and most important market. Many independent economic studies, as well as the Treasury, have already indicated that this would be the most damaging scenario. <BR /> <BR />Some may argue that this presents less of a risk to Northern Ireland, given that we have the protocol and will have an ongoing relationship with the EU.”
“The Government need to be focusing their resources on managing that crisis and its aftermath. Businesses and other stakeholders have only so much bandwith. There are sole traders and self-employed people who have not yet received any support from the Assembly — we are still waiting for that — and charities that have not yet received finance grants. Yet we expect those people to switch their focus from surviving to planning for the withdrawal agreement and what will happen after December. <BR /> <BR />The end of the implementation period entails the end of the right to freedom of movement. That has particular implications for key aspects of our economy and society, particularly our health service and social care, at a time of extreme stress due to COVID-19. Is anybody addressing this? No.”
“As my colleague stated, the Alliance Party supports the motion and, in particular, the amendment because it extends to all society and recognises the current crisis. Alliance has made clear its position on this over a long period. Indeed, Alliance MP, Stephen Farry, raised the issue of extending the period for negotiations due to the challenges of COVID-19 at Prime Minister's Questions on 18 March. <BR /> <BR />This is not, as others said, a Leave versus Remain matter. It is about having the time for negotiations on the future UK/EU relationship. I do not understand why people think that this is a bad thing. Brexit has happened, but the deals are not yet done. One year was already a very ambitious and unrealistic timetable. With COVID-19, it is now even more challenging.”
“I completely appreciate ensuring that the children of parents who are no longer together must have child maintenance payments made, but I have always been concerned about the second family, and whether that family is taken into consideration when the calculations are worked out.”
“I absolutely agree with the Chair of the Committee, which has already seen and considered part of the regulations. I have absolutely no problem with arrears being dealt with in this way — it looks like common sense because arrears can create emotional difficulties between partners who are no longer together and can lead to years of problems. <BR /> <BR />Just for clarification, when we look at regulation No. 3 about the joint and unlimited partnership accounts, I have a slight concern about how the amount is calculated. Is any consideration given to the non-resident partner's own children and whether the deductions that are being taken from that non-resident partner's future or other children that they have, in a way that does not leave them living in poverty?”
“As mentioned by others, I would like the Minister to work with social housing to ensure that any future voluntary scheme for a right to buy includes a requirement to deliver inclusive and cohesive communities by ensuring that mixed tenure is maintained. <BR /> <BR />I absolutely welcome what is coming with the Bill, because it means that our construction industry can see that the market is there, that there is work for them to do and that we will be able to provide the funding for them. It is a difficult one to take forward as an urgent case, but it makes sense. We need to deal with the ONS reclassification and we need to do it as quickly as possible. I thank the Minister for bringing the Bill forward.”
“The Alliance Party recognises that many people have availed themselves of the system but also that the lack of replacement builds meant a 42·5% increase in social housing stress waiting lists from 2009 to 2019. The Housing Executive still will be able to sell off its homes. We need to align social housing and the Housing Executive right to buy, and I encourage the Minister to complete the review of the Housing Executive as soon as is practical. <BR /> <BR />I also want to highlight the fact that the 'New Decade, New Approach' document included an agreement for a housing outcome to be added to the Programme for Government. I appreciate that while we are going through the pandemic, work still needs to be done to ensure that housing is treated as a priority and will appear in the updated Programme for Government.”
“The Housing (Amendment) Bill takes forward change to the way in which housing associations are designated. As other Members mentioned, it has been some time in coming, and I thank the Minister for bringing it forward. I appreciate that accelerated passage is not the way to go, and I have said that before, but, in this instance, it is. This will allow social housing to continue to receive funding and will enable co-ownership to continue to help people to buy their home. <BR /> <BR />One issue of note, today, which others mentioned, is clause 7: the statutory house sale scheme will be abolished. The right to buy may continue if the social housing association chooses to take forward a voluntary scheme.”
“<BR /> <BR />I know that the officer has been arrested and charged, but it is time that the whole police force in the Minnesota area and other parts of America take a cold, hard look at the type of force that they use against people. As Mr Beattie said, we did not see colour, we saw a man dying in the street with the knee of another person on his neck. That has to stop. That is not right. George Floyd lived until he was 46. His family is now grieving, and we are very sorry for that.”
“Instead of having a president in America who is calm, courageous, principled and has great leadership, we have a person who fans the flames of division, racism and bigotry. There are a lot of things that America could do better and one of them would be channelling that anger in a different way. There is a lot of difference between a protest and looting, raiding and violence for violence's sake. We absolutely condemn the violence that is taking place. <BR /> <BR />It is time that we take the attention back to what happened. This is not a police versus community issue. It shows that there has to be transparency and accountability. We know full well here in this place that our past has shown where police got things wrong. Now, thank goodness, we have professionalism and a force that has improved and that has learned from mistakes.”
“He has condemned the protests and has said that his brother stood for peace. He has asked everyone to channel anger elsewhere, and that anger should be focused on the lack of leadership that is current in the United States and in so many other places across the world, where things like racism are taking hold meaning that people are not treated equally.”
“I rise with a lot of sorrow. On behalf of myself and the Alliance Party, I pass on our condolences to George's family and his community. As others have said, the use of police force and the eight minutes and 46 seconds that that knee was on the neck of a person — the last three of which when George was unresponsive —are shocking to see, read about and hear about. We have absolute empathy with those who have felt anger. However, I draw everyone to what George's brother has said. George's brother Terrence Floyd has condemned the violence that is happening.”
“If we put people first in the Budget planning process, we can come out of this awful crisis with some hope for the future. <BR /> <BR />I ask the Minister to confirm whether he can and will ask Ministers to ensure that, when providing future financial asks, they do so not just to provide services but to provide services that deliver positive change and progress for the whole community.”
“We have all seen and worked with those charities that, over the past nine weeks, have quite frankly helped to keep the community alive. They were the people who helped to deliver food parcels; who were the only voice who called that isolated person who was shielding; who looked after care workers' children; and who volunteered and worked in care facilities, putting themselves at risk. <BR /> <BR />Care homes care for many people who have nowhere else to live, yet the staff there receive the lowest wages. Healthcare staff went on strike to get fairer pay. We need to learn from coronavirus and do things better and smarter for everyone who lives here. Perhaps, it is time to reconsider society. Maybe we should consider providing a universal basic income, and then we could address poverty.”
“We need to be more creative and less dependent on red tape and bureaucracy. There are businesses and organisations that can reach people much more quickly and effectively. That is why contracts and tendering systems need to be updated to allow social enterprises and local companies to deliver services that will not only deliver a service but will invest back into local communities and society. <BR /> <BR />In future Budgets, we need to learn from what we now know as a result of coronavirus. Investment is needed in community care services to ensure that those who care for our most precious relations — older people, children, people with disabilities and those who are sick — are not treated as cheap labour. There needs to be investment in charities that support the community.”
“When lockdown relaxes and we progress through the Executive's phased plan, we must ensure that planning applications are progressed much more quickly by councils, still within the rules, in order for contracts to be agreed and signed and to ensure the commencement of new-build projects. <BR /> <BR />With regard to benefits, mitigation measures will continue. We all agreed that that was a good thing. However, we should push DWP to bring forward managed migration into universal credit. We need to know whether that will be brought forward in this financial year, as it means that more costs would be met and would allow us to deliver on the poverty strategy's aims when that strategy is brought forward. That is where we come to planning. We need the Executive to set out the strategies that will underpin how the Budget is spent.”
“Housebuilding legislation is going forward to address the necessary reclassification of social housing. The amount of potential capital investment that was unspent in previous years is shameful when we consider how many people are in housing stress. We must invest in housing in order to meet that and facilitate the type of housing that society needs. With the Budget that is being brought forward, we need to stop doing what we have always done and start to deliver real opportunity, utilising money as efficiently as possible. One good thing that has actually come out of the coronavirus crisis is that we have managed to meet homelessness head-on. There needs to be the same commitment for the rest of the year in order to prevent the number of homeless people rising again.”
“In coming months, we will have a lot to do to encourage confidence in the Government when those business owners feel so let down and left out.”
“I am glad that much of the money for Translink has been front-loaded this year, but what happens after October? Will we still have a company that is asked to wear down its reserves to the point of bankruptcy? <BR /> <BR />So far, the support for those who are self-employed and have taken the risk to set up their own businesses or work as sole traders has been found wanting. We may as well kiss programmes such as Go For It goodbye. We will have a difficult time encouraging anyone to risk setting up their own business or to become self-employed.”
“As has been said before in the Chamber, "Without drains, there are no cranes". That must be a priority. If we do not sort out the pipes under the ground, we will have no new homes and we cannot invest in construction. We will not deliver on those city deals programmes. Perhaps now is the time to look at innovative ways to fund necessary services. Alliance has spoken many times and has faced a lot of criticism, but I will say it again: Northern Ireland Water needs to be able to treat income differently to allow it to borrow to invest in our waste-water treatment system. If it is not invested in, there will be no cranes and we will see further economic crisis. <BR /> <BR />The position with Translink is stark. If we do not invest in our public transport system, we will not have one.”
“I remind the Minister and the Executive that the Committees' role is not just to scrutinise but to assist and support Ministers. Committees can ask the questions, "So what? Is that project necessary? Is that really a priority? Do we have to spend the money now, or can we programme it to be spent in the next year?". <BR /> <BR />We need to generate the necessary savings that make this Budget, for the rest of this year, as effective and efficient as possible. There are key areas where we need investment. Others have talked about them, but I will highlight them again. I ask the Minister to outline how he intends to take this investment forward after October, for the rest of the financial year. With regard to Northern Ireland Water, if we do not invest in our waste-water system, development will be hindered across Northern Ireland.”
“I get it: we are in a crisis, but we need to plan our way out of the crisis. That is what government is; that is what leadership is about. During 'New Decade', we all agreed that we needed longer funding periods. We talked about three-year Budgets. The virus has taken that ability away from us. <BR /> <BR />Sadly, we expect some businesses to close and some people to be made redundant. We hope that the situation does not cripple us with huge hikes in future rates bills, with the cost of construction going through the roof and the costs of food and fuel going up again. Mr Frew mentioned that, when he talked about savings plans. I concur with him. I agree that the Executive should not just spend money at this stage but should be looking to see where the savings are and where we can spend the money properly.”
“I am also mindful that Westminster can decide to reduce spend in areas and that that can have a negative consequence here. What do we know of their plans? Will we be completely dependent on the whims of Westminster this year? <BR /> <BR />I recognise that Departments have huge costs at this time, but they also have many projects that are not being taken forward because of the coronavirus. I expect that those savings will be identified and drawn back into the centre for reallocation in the monitoring round. We will hear about that in September and October. Due to necessity, Committees have not been able to scrutinise details in the way that we should and that was called for in the renewable heat incentive (RHI) report. Sadly, we are again considering a one-year Budget.”
“'New Decade, New Approach' had agreed priorities, many of which have not been brought forward yet. I am concerned that, unless those priorities are detailed in a Budget, they will not progress in this term of office. For example, the review of education may not progress. That is not negotiable. There are reasons why some parties joined the Executive, and some of those reasons are in 'New Decade, New Approach'. It is therefore vital that the Budget includes the investment required to deliver on those priorities. I ask the Minister to tell us, in his summation, what his thoughts are about that. <BR /> <BR />I appreciate that the Budget cannot provide detailed information at this time. I know that we have an ever-changing picture, as Barnett consequentials flow into Departments here.”
“Yes, we would like to have seen more detail, and, yes, we would like to have seen it much earlier, but we have lost so many citizens throughout the crisis that it was right and proper to concentrate on them. <BR /> <BR />As we know, the figures provided in the further Vote on Account 2020-21 is the expenditure up until October 2020. Clarification is still required on what will happen after October. Others have said it today, and I will say it again: the Budget is not set against an agreed Programme for Government. We await that document from the Executive. Most Committees still await ministerial priorities. The virus has interrupted so much, but we should not allow it to distract us completely from the objectives that we all want to see progressed.”
“I will not spend this time criticising Ministers; in fact, I will thank a Minister. The House has already agreed the Supply resolution for the further Vote on Account. That allows existing services to continue until this legislation is passed, enabling funds to meet the balance of estimated expenditure for this financial year. <BR /> <BR />As we have heard today, this year's Budget is a moving feast. Due to the coronavirus, the Finance Minister and the Executive have been allocated unprecedented funds to help citizens through the crisis. As the amounts change regularly, it is a difficult process to manage and report on, so I thank the Minister for getting us to this stage.”
“I just want to find out if the £20·3 million for councils is just for these first three months and whether councils will be asked to use part of that money to advise businesses, charities and so on about PPE, going forward.”
“We met as a Committee last week and heard from the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives (SOLACE), who outlined the financial difficulties that councils were having, so we are absolutely delighted that that is the amount of money that has come forward from the Executive to help councils that have lost out on income not generated through, for instance, leisure centres and so on. Can you confirm, Minister, whether that £20·3 million is to cover this period of three months or whether there will be more to come if there are further extensions to rates? Will the councils be asked to help prepare for this different society by working within the community to identify where personal protective equipment (PPE) and other protections should be in place for the community?”
“Just moving on to the detail of the statement today, I absolutely welcome your announcement that there will be some movement forward on the charity sector. That has been causing a lot of concern, given that the Department of the Economy has been announcing a number of business support grants, but the charity sector has been left out. I urge the Minister to do all that she can to ensure that that payment can go out quickly. <BR /> <BR />The Minister said that we would be in a different place as a society moving forward, and I am delighted to welcome the £20·3 million of council funding that has been announced today.”
“The fact that we are not having public outcries being reported every day in the media about the benefit system and access to benefits says a lot about your Department.”
“Thank you, Minister. I will speak today as the Deputy Chair of the Communities Committee. Our Chair is not available, and we wish her well with a private matter. <BR /> <BR />Minister, I put on record our absolute appreciation for you and your Department. Anybody reading that statement will see the amount of work that has been going on in the Department. Everyone recognises the key health workers, but the hard work put in to help people on benefits, including those who are being introduced to benefits and have no idea how they work, has shown that, although not stress-free, the process can work quite smoothly. Today, we heard about a 90% increase in the number of people who have become unemployed during the pandemic.”
“A lot of people have lived in isolation; for instance, widows who live at home and single parents. What will we be able to do to support society as it comes out of this? As we know, it will not go back to normal. It will not be a case of flicking a switch today and step 1 will start. There will be progression. How can we support the mental health of society and those who are struggling so much at present?”
“I thank the Minister for her answer. Let us think about mental health, when we come out of this. I am so sorry for anyone who has lost some one during this terrible time. We have lots of grieving families who have not been able to grieve properly. A lot of our front-line health workers are seeing the cold face in the deaths that have been happening.”
“I join with others to condemn absolutely those who have made threats. <BR /> <BR />I thank the First Ministers. This is not the worst document in the world. Compared to those of other nations, this is a document that the community can look at, but, as you can imagine, people will automatically ask, "When will we go to stage 1?". We are not going to give them dates. There is no point; you have said that. We will do it when it is safe to do so. However, if we are starting to go back to work, a number of people are concerned and will ask, "What about childcare?" and "What about education? We cannot go to work unless our kids are looked after." What support and hope can you give to those people?”
“Should we not actually be accepting their honesty? Thank you.”
“We should be looking to build local inclusive schools that work for the whole community. We should stop enabling division by using presumptions that no other country in the British Isles recognises as being fit for purpose. <BR /> <BR />I have not tabled an amendment to the order because I was told that it was a waste of my breath to even try, "The deal is done; they are the questions that are being asked. Go away, Kellie". I am saying to the Executive Office that it has the last chance to bring this census up to date by removing an unnecessary question that harks back to a segregated past that we are all working so hard to move on from. Junior Ministers, I ask you to consider what I have said. Do you think that it is right to not accept what people have said about their faith, or no faith?”
“I think that keeping the second religious question in the 2021 census is a very flawed measurement; it is one that is outdated and backward. What the census is doing is saying that we must consider you as you have always been with regard to what you once were and where you once lived — no such thing as a shared society. <BR /> <BR />The Education Authority uses the census to track demographic shifts and patterns, but the school census should be able to provide that information. The root-and-branch reform of our education system is defined in 'New Decade, New Approach' as child in education centred and not along the lines of segregation. Therefore, why when planning for a shared future, would any Minister allow outdated and backward-looking information to guide them?”
“In consultations for the 2021 census, there appears to have been support for maintaining the census as was, but, given that so few actually responded, I find it difficult to understand why the then Ministers accepted the results: 1,400 consultations were sent out and 50 were received back.”
“As part of the monitoring process, employees and job applicants are asked to answer a question on a monitoring form stating whether they are part of the Catholic or Protestant community or neither. Sadly, the Equality Commission, the equality regulator, supports the production of religion and religious upbringing census outputs to help inform whether an affirmative action programme is needed, even though it has already written to signify that race should be considered in that employment piece. There is no such affirmative action being considered for people who, like me, have disabilities, and gender, age and race are not considered. All we are doing is using this information on religion. The system is enabling an unfair society because the census is asking backward-facing questions.”