Clare Bailey
South Belfast · Green Party · Northern Ireland
“It is a great relief to finally be able to move my Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) Bill at Final Stage. When I was first elected, I pledged to the people of South Belfast that I would work hard on equality issues, for human rights-compliant legislation and, particularly, for women. Today is the last sitting day of the mandate.”
“Yet, despite "Stay at home" messaging and regulations to prevent public gatherings, the concerted campaign of harassment and intimidation against women and staff continued unabated, and all authorities — the Health Department, the Department of Justice, the PSNI — claimed that they could do nothing to stop it.”
“The efficacy of the Bill is achieved without being unnecessarily heavy-handed or putting significant additional pressures on any criminal justice system. I hope that we can move on from those debates. <BR /> <BR />This is absolutely a landmark moment for the Assembly. I have seen many Bills passed today that I am incredibly proud of.”
“I thank the Member for that. It is worth noting that, comparatively, this Bill takes a light touch in respect of offences being committed, because the punishment for breaching safe access zones around the world, in almost all cases where they are operational, can result in imprisonment and wildly higher fines than what is being proposed i…”
“I am also aware that the Minister, who, Mr Butler, is your party colleague, has also confirmed that he will produce a policy paper setting out how his Department intends to implement the requirements for safe access zones, including guidance to operators of health and social care premises.”
“None of that is what I have experienced with abortion services. <BR /> <BR />I went out to consultation on the Bill in 2017, just as the Executive was collapsing yet again, and the three-year hiatus meant that I could not progress the Bill any further.”
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“Trade deals today go way beyond negotiations about tariffs on goods, whether they move north, south, east or west. Either way, Northern Ireland is not set to benefit. Trade deals affect how we regulate big business and foreign investment, how much we charge for our medicines, the standards of the foods that we eat and the environment that we create. In short, trade deals shape what sort of society we will live in. <BR /> <BR />This move from the UK Government is setting us up in the eyes of the world as a rogue state. That is not something that any of us should be supporting. Northern Ireland continues to live in a fragile peace process and we should reject any and all attempts to undermine our peace agreements. For that reason, the Green Party will support the motion.”
“No, you have had plenty, thanks. <BR /> <BR />Many others will also not be seen to be complicit in this either. Many resignations have already happened from people with more integrity and self-respect than this Tory Government. For example, Jonathan Jones, the Treasury Solicitor and permanent secretary of the Government's own legal department was the sixth senior Whitehall official to resign this year amid growing tensions between the Prime Minister and staff at the top of the Civil Service. His departure follows the exit of Cabinet Secretary, Mark Sedwill, Simon McDonald from the Foreign Office, Philip Rutman from the Home Office, Richard Heaton from the Ministry of Justice and Jonathan Slater from the Department of Education. <BR /> <BR />If Brexit was simply about economics, it would have been sorted long ago.”
“Good luck. However, while we have all listened to his lies and spin for years, this latest move to brazenly break international law should be taken as a new level of duplicitous governance, and the Green Party will not be on record as supporting it.”
“In the Conservative Party manifesto, Boris Johnson himself wrote:”
“No such threats have come from the EU negotiators. They have consistently repeated that Brexit is bad for us all. The majority in this House also agreed that there is no good Brexit for Northern Ireland. While the protocol is imperfect, it guarantees that whatever the circumstances, there will be no hard border on this island. It will protect the Good Friday Agreement and our place in the internal market and it further ensures that trade from Northern Ireland to GB remains unobstructed. That is the central ask from most businesses here at home. <BR /> <BR />The Prime Minister has told us many times that in the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018, we have got a deal that is oven-ready. We have just got to put it in at gas mark 4, give it 20 minutes and Bob's your uncle.”
“The Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, has openly stated that he believed that he could get a no-deal Brexit through the Commons. He said:”
“I support the motion. The willingness of the UK Government to unilaterally move to change the EU withdrawal agreement protocol — a protocol that they painstakingly devised, agreed and signed off with the EU — which would, as the current Secretary of State unequivocally stated to the House of Commons last week, break international law, should be roundly rejected by all in this House. The EU and the UK Government agreed the protocol as the best way to secure peace in Northern Ireland and it cannot and should not be allowed to be changed unilaterally. The narrative from some that the move is needed as a safety net or — the irony — as a backstop, should also not go unchallenged. <BR /> <BR />It has not been the EU negotiators who have been consistently threatening a no-deal Brexit. That has always been the threat from the UK Government.”
“It would be good if the Minister could, because this is key. Consumers in Northern Ireland have been paying very high energy rates and I see this as one of the reasons, along with the lack of storage and infrastructure, why we need to get that balance. The scheme started 40 years ago and a lot of work was done, but it has stalled. In the current context, this a good opportunity not just to lower prices and increase availability but for a great, green job-creation scheme.”
“No chance, Mr Speaker; no chance. It will be the first number one that I get.”
“I asked that, Minister, because you mentioned that parties in the Holylands have been happening for as long as the expansion of HMOs in the area has been happening. I see that as a very simplistic statement to make, and I stress to the Minister that government and the statutory agencies have taken a hands-off approach in the area for decades on the issues of regeneration. Can we take any hope at all that the establishment of this working group will continue to rectify this long after COVID?”
“With the environmental impact of the new interconnector, the expense of construction and the recent drop in supply demand by up to 290 megawatts — SONI predicted that that will be the case until about 2029 — is the interconnector still our best option, or could public funds be better spent on greener generation schemes, such as the Camlough hydro-electric pump scheme?”
“Yes. We have much to do and a lot to get done, but let us not rely on asking already under-resourced and under-pressure organisations to do that work for us. Let us today pledge to review and implement the strategy and to resource the next five years to make the world an easier place for our new communities.”
“What it has allowed for has been the acknowledgement that, to date, we have failed to protect fully our BME population and failed to remove barriers to full participation for them. The fact that I am a white woman speaking to a room of other white people is also not lost on me. We have much to do —.”
“We know that a lot of our BME community are key workers in the COVID-19 crisis. It is shocking to realise that those people appear to have suffered disproportionately during the crisis because of the inequalities and further barriers that they encounter in our society. Tackling those inequalities must be a priority. We must be prepared to learn from their experience, but we have limited time. The BME community has been patient enough with us, and we must act resolutely to ensure that our young people have the opportunities that they need and deserve. <BR /> <BR />Today's debate, regardless of any majority vote in the end, will carry no sway in mandating the Executive Office to deliver on either the current strategy or any future strategies.”
“The Northern Ireland Assembly must renew its commitment to building a society in which racial equality and diversity is supported, understood, valued and respected and in which people from minority ethnic backgrounds have a sense of belonging that is acknowledged and valued by people from all backgrounds, as outlined in the strategy, in order to ensure accountability for the its implementation, while working hand in hand with the current subgroup and using its expertise to move us forward.”
“That comes back to a strategy only being as good as the political will to implement it. There is still lots to do. The subgroup has been established and meets regularly on a quarterly basis. It is sad that it was probably not even consulted before this motion was tabled. <BR /> <BR />However, I believe that commissioning a new strategy could be quite a regressive move and would delay us tackling the racial inequalities that exist. Our time would be better spent reviewing and resourcing the current strategy as it is, and developing and rolling out anti-racism training which is absolutely key for us all to learn about tackling racism in our society. There is a need for more significant staff resources and funding to be dedicated to tackling racism, and that needs to be for the long term.”
“<BR /> <BR />One key action in the racial equality strategy is the establishment of a Ministerial panel: that has not been done. So what has been done with regards to racial equality since January 2020 when the Assembly reconvened? I know of only two of the key actions that have been implemented: the appointment of departmental champions, for which we have had no updates on ongoing work and we know nothing about the training and resources given to them; and the subgroup has been established —.”
“Unless I am mistaken, we are only in 2020, so there are five years in which we can rectify that and to look at what we need to do. <BR /> <BR />Let us be real, this strategy, like every other Executive strategy, is only as good as the political will to implement it. I have consulted with black and ethnic minority leaders over the last few days, and they, like me, believe that the strategy continues to be very much serviceable. The problem lies in the lack of implementation. Do we really have the resources to develop a whole new strategy when the current one has not been delivered or implemented? What is needed are action plans and resources to implement the undelivered 11 key actions already committed to in the current strategy, along with an anti-racism strategy that will also be resourced.”
“I am the fourth South Belfast MLA to speak. It is great to see all my South Belfast colleagues here today, and, obviously, I am proud to take the shout-out for my constituency being the most diverse across the land. I know for a fact — well, I would be pretty confident, — that Deirdre Hargey, the fifth MLA for the area, would be here today if her health allowed. <BR /> <BR />I am also part of the Italian immigration story that was referenced by my colleague Christopher Stalford. My family are all integrated educational alumni. There were 27 languages spoken in my children's primary school. All of those were reasons why I chose the school. <BR /> <BR />This motion really does confuse me. Many have already pointed out the problems with it. It states that:”
“Let us redesign our planning system and make it fit for purpose today, and let us focus on creating a happier and healthier Northern Ireland for all.”
“In the context of our climate emergency, the impact that it has on our carbon emissions is unforgivable, never mind what it has meant — this is exactly the point that the Member made — for our built heritage across our Province. We can do things better. We can encourage landlords to use their properties better. We should also use public money better. Let us work on that. Let us put our focus on meeting the needs of our constituents in a sustainable way. Let us use public resource to create public housing at a scale that is actually needed.”
“I thank the Member for his contribution. I assure you that it is not idealistic; it is experience that I speak from. I speak from experience as a mother who was forced out of private rental due to high rents and who lived in a hostel for many months before being offered social housing. That is where my ideals come from. <BR /> <BR />It is not enough for landlords to make lots available. Perhaps, we should look a bit more closely at why that might be happening. What public policy could be contributing to that? Landlords are already being incentivised to sit with vacant commercial property by our rating system. Developers are also being incentivised to knock down and rebuild rather than repurpose and reuse under our VAT system.”
“Thank you. <BR /> <BR />I will address exactly that point in a second. <BR /> <BR />We need to create liveable, breathable urban spaces with good housing; green spaces; no congestion; access to health centres, schools and parks; and a butcher, baker and candlestick maker all within your living space. We do not need to give away grants to create more private rental accommodation to make any of that happen.”
“I thank the Member for his contribution. It is something that I will be —.”
“We cannot just throw public money at private property owners to create some new flats and bedsits and expect regeneration to somehow happen on its own.”
“We know that we need more one- and two-bedroom housing units, which LOTS-type accommodation could help with, but driving more people into the private sector, with its rising rents, is not the answer. The Nevin Economic Research Institute's research on housing in Northern Ireland makes it clear that affordability is a major issue in the private rented sector, because costs are simply too high. Sadly, some of our housing association rents are pushing up the boundary of what we consider affordable. <BR /> <BR />We knew that we needed to reimagine our towns and city centres long before COVID hit, but it has provided us with another reason and opportunity to build back better. Housing-led regeneration is a way forward. Our towns and city centres should be places where people want to live. There is no quick fix.”
“It seems that some have not learned lessons from previous mistakes with this type of proposal. The overprovision of houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) in areas such as my constituency of South Belfast has decimated some neighbourhoods and communities and has created social and environmental problems that cost statutory agencies millions each year in trying to manage. <BR /> <BR />HMOs and LOTS serve a purpose but only when used properly and only with proper controls and planning. That is why the amendment provides a much more proportionate and balanced response to the issue. We need more high-quality, affordable and long-term homes. We know that single men between the ages of 26 and 59 make up the biggest proportion of people on the housing waiting list.”
“The Assembly cannot stand over a situation where restrictions are placed on our largest social housing provider creating new homes while grant incentives are provided to the private sector. The Department for Communities' review of a previous, similar scheme remarked on:”
“The Green Party supports the amendment to the motion. We do so because we believe that housing is a right, not a luxury; nor is it a commodity to be bought and sold or traded for financial gain. Unfortunately, that is what it has become, leading to inflated prices, inflated land values and inflated profits in the private housing sector. <BR /> <BR />We are not in the same situation as our neighbours in Dublin or London just yet, but we are heading there, make no mistake about it. For example, as of March 2019, there were just under 40,000 people on our housing waiting lists, yet, in the 2018-19 financial year, we built fewer than 1,000 new social homes while 7,000 homes were built in the private sector.”
“It has been brought to my attention that appellants for PIP and ESA are being sent multiple letters when they appeal to suggest to them that they should apply for a paper-based appeal, but those letters do not inform them that they have thirty times less chance of success with the paper-based appeal. Is the Minister aware of that practice?”
“Given that five women whom we know of so far have been murdered in their own home in Northern Ireland during the lockdown, does the Minister think that any further measures can be put in place by her Department to support the increasing need for emergency refuge space?”
“The Minister will be aware from his own departmental figures that, in most areas of special conservation in Northern Ireland, we have unacceptable breaches of ammonia levels; in some of those areas, it is up to 300%. Will the Minister give us some detail of what he will do to address this critical issue?”
“Why is anybody in the House surprised, shocked or dismayed to hear anything coming out of this Prime Minister's mouth? What we should be doing is being left in no doubt that this UK Government will act in their own best interests and not in the best interests of people. If there is anything to be held onto, it is the fact that there is no good Brexit for Northern Ireland. All that we can hope for is that the EU will step up and step in and make sure that it holds the Prime Minister accountable.”
“Look how that is turning out. Probably most famous of all is the Prime Minister's lie on his bus during the Brexit referendum campaign about saving £350 million a week by leaving the EU that would be spent on the NHS instead. Even last week, Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, claimed that he was not even aware of Marcus Rashford's food poverty campaign the very day after he had issued a gushing press statement on the footballer's efforts. Let us remember that, during the Conservatives' 2005 election campaign, the Prime Minister, Mr Johnson, said:”
“The Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, back in December 2019 told us:”
“Mr Speaker, it is great to see you back in the Chair. <BR /> <BR />I do not know why anybody is even surprised by Boris Johnson coming out and saying what he has. This is not the first time that he has made the threat to break the protocol. The protocol is a legally binding international agreement and one that he has continued to threaten to break, but what surprises me more than Boris's threats today is that anyone would still believe what this Prime Minister says. I will give you a bit from his track record. Let us remember that the Prime Minister was sacked from his job with 'The Times' newspaper for making up quotes from his godfather and that the Prime Minister, when he was Mayor of London, promised to eradicate street homelessness in London by 2012, when it actually doubled under his mayorship.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. It is interesting that you focus on that and it was good to hear the Minister point out that the time frame was unachievable. He went on to explain that, when we set deadlines, come up with strategies and put them out, we actually exceed the targets that are set in them.”
“Certainly. A climate change Act is well overdue. We are on the brink of disaster. The predicted temperature rise of 4° will be catastrophic for Northern Ireland. We have been given a rare opportunity: let us not lose it.”
“While innovation has a part to play, nature-based solutions are best placed to tackle both the climate and biodiversity crises by restoring, protecting and managing carbon sinks and restoring native woodlands.”
“The New Decade, New Approach agreement includes new commitments to introduce legislation and targets for reducing emissions that are in line with the Paris agreement. We have seen little to no movement so far, however. We are already behind the rest of the UK. Work on the legislation needs to begin immediately, and it must be underpinned by ambitious, time-bound and legally binding sectoral targets. While there will be huge wins from the decarbonisation of the energy sector, that must be accompanied by reductions in others sectors, such as transport and agriculture, in order to meet long-term emissions reduction targets. We need to front-load those interim targets to ensure that we reach 80% reduction in emissions by 2030 and net zero by 2045 at least. <BR /> <BR />We must also recognise that solutions will not always be technological.”
“We have a unique chance here to change the course that we are on to irreversible climate catastrophe and to build back better. We need to rebuild with a transformative green new deal. Our COVID-19 recovery plan must decarbonise the economy in a way that tackles inequality and enhances the lives of ordinary people, our workers and our communities. The transition to a green economy must be underpinned by values of social justice and the principle that no one gets left behind. <BR /> <BR />Legislation is long overdue. Scotland and Wales have their own legislation, and both countries are set to meet and outperform their climate targets by 2020. In Northern Ireland, our emissions are not falling at anywhere near the same rate. We have increased our share of the total UK emissions.”
“<BR /> <BR />We need to start thinking about what a post-pandemic economy looks like. We all want to get back to normal, but normal is not working. As professor of green political economy John Barry has said:”
“<BR /> <BR />The reality of climate change is that those who are least responsible for causing the problem are those who will feel its effects most acutely and are least well equipped to respond to it. Climate change will not be a great leveller. It will not affect us all equally. For all our declarations of a climate breakdown and an ecological and biodiversity crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic has shown us what an emergency looks like and how to respond to it. Climate change, like COVID-19, requires a global to local response and long-term thinking guided by science and the need to protect the most vulnerable. It requires the political will to make that fundamental change to the way in which we live our lives in order to respond to what is an existential threat to humanity and all life on Earth.”
“Climate change exacerbates chronic and contagious diseases, worsens food and water shortages, increases the risk of pandemics and aggravates mass displacement. The UN forecasts that there could be anywhere between 25 million and one billion environmental migrants by 2050. Think about that. <BR /> <BR />We see the social implications of climate change in Northern Ireland. In agriculture, for example, more and more small farmers are unable to withstand the extreme weather events that we now see occurring year-on-year, forcing them to leave the land. If we look at projected levels of flooding by 2050, we will know that we are likely looking at a housing crisis of epic proportions, as much of Belfast, among other areas, will end up under water.”
“I am happy to support the motion, which, my party and I believe, is long overdue. I thank my Committee colleague Mr McGuigan for moving it. <BR /> <BR />I am pleased to see the acknowledgement of climate change as a human rights issue in the motion. For many, climate change may seem like a distant possibility — something far into the future — but that misconception is destructive. It is a falsehood, and it is our responsibility to face it head-on. Communities in the global south already experience the effects of climate change in the form of floods, droughts, hurricanes and other extreme weather events. Climate change causes death and destruction, threatens peace and security, increases social inequality on a global scale and threatens economic stability and our way of life.”
“The commission was established in an attempt to move forward on issues that could not garner political support, at the Executive level at least. Will the Minister provide assurances that, when the costly and long-overdue report is finally received, the political will to implement its recommendations exists?”
“The package for the sea fishing industry has set a precedent for supports to be made available that are not calculated based on the proportion of losses incurred. Given that the Department has been able to provide for the sea fishing industry with a lump-sum financial package, with the only criteria being the size of the boats, it is not unreasonable, then, to expect that similar standards should be applied to other sectors that have experienced more severe impacts because of COVID. While I support the motion, I call on the Minister to apply eligibility criteria for all applicants within his remit and to do it equitably.”
“<BR /> <BR />The perishability and seasonality of plants has meant that the sector has faced stock write-offs unlike any other industry. Growers have waited weeks and months with little or no cash flow and no indication of whether a package would be forthcoming until now. Many growers were not in a position to order plants that had to be ordered and paid for a year in advance, as they need to be propagated. Many were not in a position to buy stock for autumn or winter next year.”
“According to the Horticulture Trades Association, fewer than one in five growers received help through the Government's business support measures; just 1% received financial support from the Government's coronavirus business interruption loan schemes; 48% of growers were ineligible for assistance loans, as they had no cash flow; over three fifths of UK growers said that they were not eligible for business support grants; and nearly four in five growers were not entitled to any kind of rates relief. No allowance has so far been made in the support package for horticulture to account for this or to allow for the fact that the industry does not receive an annual subsidy from public funds, which all other sectors do.”
“However, I draw attention to the ornamental horticulture sector, which has been lumped in with agriculture for the purposes of allocating a support package, without consideration being given to the fact that it differs totally from the agriculture and fisheries sectors. <BR /> <BR />Out of all the sectors, the horticulture sector has arguably been most affected, yet the level of support that it has received is nowhere near what has been accorded to the fishing industry. The sector has experienced catastrophic losses, yet the criteria for schemes such as the self-employed income support scheme, the coronavirus job retention scheme and the bounce back loan scheme all excluded growers from benefiting in many cases.”