Nichola Mallon
North Belfast · Social Democratic and Labour Party · Northern Ireland
“I have had the very moving opportunity to meet families who have tragically lost a loved one on that stretch of road. That was an important opportunity for me to hear at first hand their experience and the experiences of the local community as they try to go about their everyday business while living in close proximity to a key transport…”
“I take safety on our rural roads very seriously. My Department continues to be actively committed to improving safety on our roads and to work closely with our road safety partners to deliver a programme of road safety education, engineering and enforcement activities.”
“I thank Mr Muir and all the members of the Infrastructure Committee for very constructive working relationships. At times, those working relationships were tense, but they were always very constructive — I mean that.”
“It was important to me to take forward the motor insurance legislation to try to protect people against a hike of up to £50 in their motor insurance premiums. Members will be aware that I took the decision to freeze any hike in public transport fares.”
“That commenced a consultation process that is open until 6 May. I encourage anyone with an interest in this significant project to make their views known during the consultation period. <BR /> <BR />In advance of the major upgrade, it is important that we do what we can to improve road safety.”
“I have announced my intention to extend the concessionary fares scheme to provide free travel for people with disabilities who currently pay half fare and to new operators who have already indicated or expressed an interest in joining. I am aware that many people with a disability have limited travel options.”
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“I thank the Minister. Minister, on a number of occasions, you have emphasised the grave severity of the issue, yet you spent the first five minutes — one third of your response — deriding and scolding the Opposition, followed by another two minutes telling us what we already knew. Will you please address the substantive issues and address and answer some of the questions that I and other Members posed?”
“Is the Minister content that there is a diversity of traditions in the 94 applications received to date?”
“I thank the Minister for her commitment to showing leadership on homelessness. Is she satisfied that her Department is doing all that it can in working with other Departments and partners outside government to prevent and tackle homelessness?”
“The Member will be aware that I posed a series of questions about what the Ministers and Executive were doing. Is the Member in a position to answer those? Is all of that information in the public domain?”
“— to Scotland for best practice. On this, I urge the Minister to look to Scotland with regard to the independence of the regulator and to ensure that, in moving swiftly to address budgetary pressures, he does not store up a series of problems for the longer term.”
“<BR /> <BR />Prior to the move to reclassify housing associations by the Office for National Statistics, good regulation and effective regulatory infrastructures have been a popular theme in policy development over the last two decades. We are often asked to look —”
“Hopefully, today, the Minister will provide answers to these questions and others posed by Members across the Chamber or, at least, follow them up in writing if it is not possible to provide definitive answers today. <BR /> <BR />Before I conclude, I would like to touch on another point. I firmly believe that with change comes great opportunity. We have here a real opportunity not to freely deregulate but to ensure that we deliver sensible, modernised regulation with empowerment of the tenant at its core. Within this, there is also the opportunity, I would argue, to revisit the recommendation of the PricewaterhouseCoopers strategic review of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, which was supported by the Housing Executive and widely across the housing sector, to establish an independent regulator of social housing.”
“What discussions have both Ministers had with their counterparts in Scotland and Wales to deliver a joined-up approach and ensure that Northern Ireland is not left behind? What is the Minister's clear and detailed timeline for specific action? What amended legislation is being proposed? At what stage is that legislation? When will it be enacted? Will it be within the time frame that any Treasury derogation allows? If it falls outside the derogation period granted, what safeguards will both Ministers provide? How advanced are derogation negotiations with the Treasury? <BR /> <BR />I tried to obtain some of that information through a question for written answer tabled on 26 September, but, interestingly, the answer has been embargoed until today. Perhaps the Minister can explain why the embargo was put in place.”
“In fact, apart from a joint press release that talked in vague terms of an approved Executive paper seeking a non-detailed reversal of the ONS decision, including amending unspecified legislation and plans to seek a derogation, the House has been provided with no concrete detail of what both Ministers are doing. The Member for South Belfast referred to multiple statements from each Minister: I do not know where those statements are. <BR /> <BR />This leaves questions to which we seek answers. What level of deregulation will be implemented? Will it have empowerment of the tenant at its core? What consultation has taken place and will take place to ensure that Northern Ireland gets the right response?”
“In fact, the Minister for Communities and his counterpart in the Department of Finance clearly did not deem the issue important enough to come before this democratic Chamber to make a statement on the matter, give some reassurance to the House and to the people who elected us, give reassurance to each of the 22 housing associations affected and, most importantly, give reassurance to the 37,000 people on the social housing waiting list and the 15,474 deemed homeless and desperately waiting and waiting for a home. Perhaps the Minister will share with us today the rationale for taking this approach.”
“<BR /> <BR />Yet, despite the significant ramifications of the reclassification, there has been little to no detail of what plans the Communities Minister and Finance Minister had in place in preparation for it — we knew in all likelihood it was coming down the track — and nothing, beyond headlines, of what actions the Ministers had actually taken since the reclassification was announced. In truth, the motion contains more detail than anything forthcoming to date from the Executive or either Minister.”
“It is not only important but essential that the motion was brought to the House today. It is essential because of the profound financial, economic and societal impact of the reclassification by the Office for National Statistics of Northern Ireland's 22 housing associations from independent social businesses to public bodies on housing associations' ability to access finance to build critical and much-needed new homes and the potential to add £1 billion debt to the Executive's balance sheet, as the motion points out, with all the serious implications and consequences that will have for Executive investment in education, health and economic initiatives, among other things.”
“I thank the Minister for her answer. As she said, given the overlap between mental health and addiction issues and youth justice and the criminal justice system, will the Minister raise the need for a specialist treatment unit for children and young people with addiction and mental health issues in her discussions with the Health Minister?”
“Will the First Minister confirm whether the deputy First Minister suggested publishing the report, or at least sharing it with other Executive colleagues, as outlined in an interview with the BBC?”
“Addressing the issue of parental responsibility is never an easy thing, but we should certainly not shy away from it, not least on this matter.”
“As many Members articulated, the solution to this escalating problem lies not in one source. We certainly need more robust enforcement of current legislation, not least in PSNI seizures. The House needs to be able to satisfy itself that the legislation and other tools at the disposal of the PSNI, councils, courts and others is as effective as it can be. <BR /> <BR />I am not suggesting that this would be the case, but the review of current legislation must not be a paper exercise and no more than that. If the review finds that more is required in legislative interventions, the Executive should not be found wanting. The game changer, I believe, is in raising awareness of the dangers and in promoting the legislative requirements that parents and others who purchase these vehicles must follow.”
“I say that in no way lightly but to reflect the seriousness of the matter. The seriousness of it comes home when people are injured or, tragically, killed. It also comes home when you speak to the many residents — their numbers are increasing — whose lives are blighted by the noise, the disturbance and the risk of injury and death from vehicles that are being driven on our roads — I have witnessed that with my own eyes in North Belfast — and in our public parks, which are there for us all to enjoy and use safely.”
“They are motor vehicles that can travel at up to 60 mph and can kill, and they should be treated as such. That is the unequivocal message that we must get across, particularly as Christmas approaches. Yes, when used in a controlled, safe and responsible environment with the necessary training, they can be fun. In agricultural settings, as Mr Beggs pointed out, the vehicles are, for example, often critical in carrying out farming duties. Outside that structure, however, they can be devastating, and much more work is required to educate parents in particular about the legal requirements and the dangers of the vehicles and to encourage their safe and responsible use. <BR /> <BR />There is a role to be considered for other more robust measures when parental culpability is evidenced.”
“I share Ms McCann's view that it is important that the House sends a strong and united message of responsibility to parents, who often buy the vehicles, and to the vehicle users. It is also important that we send a strong message to the PSNI and other responsible agencies that they need to robustly enforce current legislation. Equally, there is a responsibility on the Executive, working with those agencies, to ensure that the legislation is as effective as it can be. Ms McCann has helpfully taken time to outline the conditions and legal requirements that must be met in respect of the ownership and use of the vehicles. The critical point that we must get across, which nearly every Member has touched on, is that these vehicles are not toys.”
“lost her life after she was struck by a scrambler. As other Members have pointed out, we have lost people across different constituencies as a result of the dangerous and irresponsible use of these vehicles. It is important to take a moment to extend our sympathies to those who have, sadly, lost a loved one in that way. <BR /> <BR />In recent years, we have seen a rise in the dangerous and irresponsible use of quads, scramblers, go-peds, buzz boards and mini-motors, not least around Cave Hill Country Park and Marrowbone park in my constituency, North Belfast. Accordingly, there has been an escalation in the number of injuries inflicted by these vehicles. <BR /> <BR />I thank the Members to my right for bringing the motion before us today.”
“On Tuesday 19 July this year, as has been referred to by many Members, Valerie Armstrong, a devoted mother of three described by her parish priest as”
“It is important that we acknowledge that people with some of those anxieties and that nervousness can be reassured somewhat by the fact that copies of the agreement have been provided to our First Minister and our deputy First Minister, the British and the Irish Governments, the Parades Commission and the PSNI. Hopefully, with them acting as guarantors, that will help to allay some people's fears, and we will have seen the last of worries, anxieties and potential trouble when it comes to contentious parades in my constituency of North Belfast.”
“<BR /> <BR />The first key milestone of the agreement was tested and passed on Saturday. All efforts must now focus on ensuring that the remainder of it is adhered to by all sides. It is right to acknowledge that there is a sense of nervousness about the level of expectation that perhaps both sides have for the outcome of the process and, in particular, the community forum that is a critical element of it. However, while we in the SDLP acknowledge — it is important to do so — the anxieties that people might have, we are very hopeful that north Belfast is entering a new era and that we can have a clear focus on the issues that are really damaging people's lives, including mental health and training and employment opportunities, to name but a few.”
“A lot of people entered the weekend with a sense of nervousness and anxiety. Certainly, the SDLP is pleased that, on Friday night and Saturday morning, everything passed off peacefully. The three lodges, from what I could see, adhered fully to the Parades Commission's determination, the illegal camp was very swiftly dismantled thereafter, and the protest was peaceful. However, as many Members pointed out, there was a deeply disturbing moment when Father Gary Donegan was confronted by a number of very angry protesters. What I witnessed was appalling, vile and frightening. I tried to intervene twice because I was truly appalled at what I was seeing. I can assure the House that Father Gary Donegan then, in the heat of that moment, and subsequently, has responded with nothing but dignity, and you would expect nothing less.”
“However, we welcome the move to open up the tendering process and think it will be a positive move if approached correctly. It improves the opportunities for us in Northern Ireland to build on our success in producing world-class TV productions, not least 'Game of Thrones'. <BR /> <BR />Finally, my party colleague in Westminster, Margaret Ritchie MP, has already sought assurances from the Secretary of State that the collaboration between the BBC and RTE, which is much valued, will not be undermined. It is important that I take the opportunity to reiterate that point.”
“I thank the Member for his intervention. I firmly believe that all appointments should be done in an open and transparent manner, whether for a spin doctor or for appointments to the new unitary board. <BR /> <BR />Members passed comment on salaries, which is only right. We welcome the move to greater openness and transparency regarding the salaries of the BBC's highest earners. The public have a right to know how public money is spent, and it is as simple as that. <BR /> <BR />Just to air a note of caution, the SDLP would be strongly against any suggestion of a move to introduce subscription charges for the BBC. We do not want to see a first-class and second-class system in which people can access their public service broadcaster only on the basis of their ability to pay.”
“We are very clear that the out-of-London quotas must extend beyond the Outer Hebrides and include the social and cultural distinctiveness of Northern Ireland. In the North, for example, Derry and Belfast have clear cultural and social distinctions that must be protected and reflected through local services like Radio Foyle. The SDLP also welcomes the extension to the Assembly of parity with Scotland and Wales in relation to the appointments of nation members to the new unitary board. That is an accountability step that is long overdue. Members also touched on the issue of salaries.”
“I fervently believe in the importance of having a reliable public broadcaster that acts in the public interest, serving all audiences through the provision of impartial, high-quality and distinctive output and services that inform, educate and entertain. You will find no disagreement here on this objective of the BBC's mission in its Royal Charter, but the real test is in how those objectives are put into practice. I do not intend to go through the charter comprehensively — I know that other Members will point out issues of importance to them — but there are just a few things I would like to touch on. The SDLP welcomes the out-of-London quotas, but that must extend beyond the outer suburbs of London. It must reflect the cultural and social —”
“Thank you, Mr McGlone. I am sure that the Minister will take the time to explain the rationale of the Bill as currently proposed. <BR /> <BR />I will take some time to outline the SDLP's current thinking on amendments — undoubtedly, we will table others as the Bill progresses. We seek the right balance between a robust and attractive hospitality and tourism sector and ensuring that we do what we can to reduce the harm caused by drinking, particularly drinking in the home. We look forward to considering the Bill in Committee and to working with the Minister as we shape the Bill going forward.”
“<BR /> <BR />We cannot address all of our concerns about the harmful overconsumption of alcohol in this Bill, but it must modernise our outdated licensing legislation and do so in a way that supports and encourages the consumption of alcohol in a controlled and safe environment.”
“As Members who have spoken before me have rightly pointed out, 70% of alcohol in the North is consumed at home. In a vast number of situations, that is fine and poses no problem, as it is taken in moderation; in other instances, however, it is much more harmful, and I understand the rationale for a debate on minimum unit pricing. <BR /> <BR />In my constituency — this has been referred to a number of times in the debate — we have the harmful and illegal phenomenon of "dial-a-drink", as it is known. It certainly needs to be tackled more robustly. I do not believe that enough is being done to tackle it, considering the very harmful nature of the activity.”
“I agree with the Member; it is something that we need to take a serious look at to reflect the reality of the current situation. I also agree with Mr McCann that the anomaly and omission of Drumbo racetrack is another matter that we should explore further as the Bill progresses.”
“I believe that this fails to recognise the unique and bespoke offering that many microbreweries and distilleries offer in the industry and in enhancing our tourism offer. There has been much consensus on this point during the debate today and I look forward to seeing it evolving and being shaped as the Bill moves forward.”
“<BR /> <BR />When we are talking about responsibility, it is important to acknowledge and recognise the great strides that have been made by the hospitality sector to promote the responsible sale and consumption of alcohol. The industry itself, as many Members have pointed out, has voluntarily led the way when it comes to developing and implementing an industry-wide, high standard code of practice. I welcome the fact that the Bill intends to give statutory recognition to that effort and the industry code of practice, which, I would argue, provides a model for other industries to learn from. <BR /> <BR />The SDLP's current thinking is to welcome key aspects of the Bill and expand on others. We also believe that a gap exists in the legislation through the fact that it omits the licensing of craft breweries and distillery premises.”
“<BR /> <BR />Regarding the anomaly affecting under-18s at functions like school formals, the SDLP welcomes the proposals contained in the Bill permitting the attendance of under-18s at functions in licensed premises provided the bar remains closed. However, we are also sympathetic to the amendment being suggested by Hospitality Ulster to allow under-18s to remain in licensed premises after 9.00 pm when attending a family function. It is unnecessarily harsh, for example, to send a 16- or 17-year-old away at 9.25 pm from the birthday party of a father, mother or grandmother where there are responsible adults and family members present. The proposed amendment adds a helpful degree of common sense in a responsible manner, which is, I believe, the balance we should be seeking to strike in this legislation.”
“<BR /> <BR />The SDLP, recognising the critical role that the hospitality sector plays in shaping the visitor experience and in providing a controlled environment in which to consume alcohol, would be in favour of extending opening hours, increasing the number of nights applicable under additional hours late licences and increasing the extended hours late licence per year beyond what is currently proposed in the Bill. This is not to advocate or create a situation where we have 24-hour access to alcohol in clubs and bars; these increases would be intended to moderately and modestly build on those proposed by the Minister.”
“If we are serious about joined-up government, then the Bill should seek to make the licensing trade offering more sustainable and attractive to tourists. This is a strategic objective that is necessary if we are serious about meeting targets in tourism income and delivering the 50,000 jobs related to it by 2020. <BR /> <BR />As this is only the Second Stage of the Bill, the Committee for Communities, as Mr Stalford pointed out, has not yet had time to reach a considered and agreed view on any amendments that it intends to bring forward. It is fair to say that there is a degree of consensus emerging but it is not for me to pre-empt that discussion or process.”
“Although I am still a new Member in the House, I am aware of the deep sense of relief, particularly in the hospitality and tourism industries, that the Bill is finally making its way through the Assembly, and I want to pay tribute to the Minister for bringing it forward so early in his tenure. <BR /> <BR />As many Members have pointed out, the purpose of the Bill must be to modernise liquor licensing legislation whilst working to reduce alcohol-related harm. Absolutely no one, especially in the hospitality sector, is making a case for deregulation. Therefore, the fear of a leap to deregulation should not cloud consideration of the merits of any amendments which might subsequently come forward in respect of the Bill.”
“Given that people can avail themselves of the one-year mitigation package only when they go through the appeals process, why has money not been specifically ring-fenced to advise, assist and support them through the appeals process? What guarantees can the Minister give that much-needed resources and money will not be diverted from front-line advice services?”
“I thank the Minister for her response. In addition to the meetings and discussions that she outlined, what engagement is she having with people in rural communities who will be directly affected by the impact of any potential Brexit?”
“Given that paramilitarism has often been the context and backdrop against which many of the peace walls have been built, can the Minister confirm how many times the cross-departmental board, chaired by Justice, has met since the Executive published an action plan on 19 July to address paramilitary activity?”
“It seems from the statement that Foras na Gaeilge has had its budget cut by 21% since 2014, compared with the 5·4% cut for the Ulster-Scots Agency. Will the Minister provide some insight into that disparity?”
“I record my apologies for not being in my seat last week when called for a topical question to the Health Minister. <BR /> <BR />Can the Minister outline how changes to legislation may impact on the operation of Uber in the greater Belfast area?”
“I thank the Minister for her answers to date. She referred to the dire waiting lists in the Belfast area. Just last week, a distraught mother contacted me, Minister. She had just been told that her daughter had to wait up to 22 months for a diagnosis, with a possible further one-year wait for intervention. She is currently watching. What is your direct advice to her?”
“At the very last minute, the grandmother was overtaken by intimidation cases and lost out on a new-build property which was perfect for their physical, mental, emotional, social and educational needs. <BR /> <BR />This is the human impact of the current housing selection scheme and it is why the scheme can no longer continue to operate as it is. In reforming or replacing it, there must be proper transitional arrangements. Above all else, and I will end with this, unless thousands more houses are built — and unless bungalows are built and are no longer deemed to be not worth building because they are not profitable — any reform of the assessment scheme will be a meaningless paper exercise. If that is the case then all of us should be ashamed.”
“<BR /> <BR />Secondly, a young family — a father, mother and their two children — woke up this morning, for the 608th morning, in a hostel that they were told was only ever going to be a temporary crisis intervention because, despite their best efforts, those of the hostel staff and mine, we cannot get them to anywhere near the level of points required to get a house in north Belfast, which is where their children go to school. <BR /> <BR />Thirdly, there is a disabled grandmother who has full custody of her three grandchildren — two of whom have disabilities — because her daughter, the children's mother, lost her life in tragic circumstances.”
“Their fate is determined by the system, a system often established by a group of bureaucrats far removed from the experiences and lives of those it will dictate to and define. I will share a few examples from my constituency with you. <BR /> <BR />First, a father, fighting for custody of his child in the care of social services almost lost her because he did not have enough points to secure a suitable property with the extra bedroom that social services said was an essential prerequisite for full custody.”
“<BR /> <BR />The current assessment of intimidation cases that provides access to transfer for tenants with antisocial behaviour records requires urgent reform, as does the recognition of homelessness in temporary accommodation and the recognition given to unsuitable accommodation, not least for people with disabilities, who, in my view, are the biggest victims of the housing crisis. As Members have said here, there have been a number of reviews of the selection scheme. What we need now is for the Minister to introduce a series of recommendations for its replacement and for that to go out to public consultation. <BR /> <BR />I will end by saying that behind every statistic is a human story.”
“However, we also know that there is a surge in the number of intimidation cases reported to the Housing Executive in the run-up to the release of a new social housing development. Why? Because under the current selection scheme, points mean prizes, and an intimidation case is awarded 200 points and guarantees escalation to the top end of the list. We also know of successful applications in terms of intimidation points from people with known track records when it comes to antisocial behaviour. The outworking of that system in the cases that I have referred to means that very problematic tenants are simply moved around and become concentrated in new developments, and a whole new cycle of problems begins.”
“Put simply, it is because not enough social and affordable housing is being built, and the housing selection scheme is not fit for purpose. In fact, it is operating contrary to a number of, if not all, the system's founding principles: the principles of prioritisation based on greatest housing need, of fairness and equity, of openness, of consistency in application, of value for money and, certainly in my constituency, of a choice of where to live. <BR /> <BR />Those of us who deal with housing issues daily know that the system is being abused by some to the detriment of the many, many genuine people, not least, as Members pointed out, when it comes to intimidation, for example. Yes, there are genuine intimidation cases, and that must be recognised, and the people affected must be supported.”