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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“I beg to introduce the Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) Bill [NIA 35/17-2], which is a Bill to make provision in respect of safe access zones for premises providing abortion services.”
“<BR /> <BR />There is nothing in the Bill to stop the unlawful charging of letting agents' fees. That is something that the Minister has already committed to addressing, and she said that her Department is working on that. It seems remiss not to use this vehicle to bring forward that simple change, while a wider review of the regulation of letting agents is ongoing. There is nothing on rent control, and I fear that many of the Bill's provisions will simply do nothing for the vast majority of those in the private rental sector here, as leases over 12 months are very rare. Indeed, the Bill may ensure that it stays that way. <BR /> <BR />That being said, it is good to hear the Minister say that she wants to do even more. I look forward to seeing the Bill being strengthened as it passes through its various stages.”
“<BR /> <BR />There is, however, so much more that the Bill needs to do. The four weeks' notice is grossly insufficient. Indeed, even 12 weeks' notice under the conditions that are currently granted by the Department's temporary coronavirus measures still makes it very difficult for people to try to sort out alternative accommodation. I know that the Department stated that it was unable to extend that indefinitely without consultation first, so I am pleased that it is consulting on the notice to quit period. While being given notice to quit is always going to be bad news for tenants, the very least that this Government can do is to ensure that they are given maximum time to prepare and that landlords are required to give tenants notification of their rights alongside their notice to quit.”
“I know the difficulties that were caused for fire safety standards when flats were taken out of the definition of HMOs under the Houses in Multiple Occupation Act (Northern Ireland) 2016. That meant that the Fire Service could no longer carry out its much-needed inspections in much of the Holylands area, for example. I hope that the Bill will go some way towards ensuring that all properties in the sector are held to the same standards. <BR /> <BR />The Department's ability to make regulations around the energy efficiency of homes is welcome, but of course the devil will be in the detail of those regulations. Getting that right could go some way towards significantly reducing our carbon emissions, as the Minister mentioned, and helping to alleviate fuel poverty. I hope that the Bill aims to deliver on that.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Bill is absolutely necessary to try to start to get some sense of control over the sector. However, I am concerned about the level of ambition in the Department in bringing it forward. I understand the time limitations that we, as legislators, have in this mandate, and I recognise that the Minister indicated that this is only the start of a process of housing reform, but the very real fact remains that private renters are suffering now and cannot wait years for change. We knew that change was necessary for so long. We are well past the point when tinkering around the edges of the private rented sector is adequate or even sufficient. <BR /> <BR />Aspects of the Bill are good, particularly in trying to bring health and safety standards into line with best practices.”
“The Nevin Economic Research Institute produced a working paper in 2018 that clearly identified the high housing cost burden on low-income households in the private rented sector. Rents are too high. They were too high then, and they have only increased since. Working families and young people are particularly affected by that, and they desperately need the Executive to step in. We only need to look down the road to Dublin to see what happens when the financialisation of the housing market is allowed to go unchecked and unrecognised. The anecdotal evidence suggests that we are heading in exactly the same direction and, as our colleague Andy Allen said, energy price hikes of up to 26% are being imposed on households across Northern Ireland. That was announced this week.”
“I have had tenants living for months with gaping holes in their ceilings, with exposed wires and water leaking in. I had students who moved into a property only to find that it did not have a toilet cistern. When they reported it, the landlord just shrugged. Those stories are just the tip of the iceberg, and that is before we even look at how difficult it is becoming to access private rented accommodation. <BR /> <BR />People are now lining up outside housing for viewings and are bidding on rental prices. They have to have guarantors and provide application fees, multiple months' worth of deposits, references and credit checks. It is becoming akin to 'The Hunger Games' out there rather than just applying for a house. <BR /> <BR />Then there is the cost.”
“I know and understand the confusion, stress and panic that that causes, because I have been in that situation. I know exactly what it is like to be told that you have nowhere to go due to private rented systems in which you, as the tenant, have little say, no power and limited rights. We need to address that imbalance as a matter of urgency. <BR /> <BR />Like the Minister, I am an MLA for an area with the highest density of houses in multiple occupation and with six of the most deprived social output areas due to living environment. Those are in our constituency. I also have a long list of horror stories from those in private rented accommodation, with some landlords charging £50 for call-outs that residents neither asked for nor needed.”
“We are in a housing crisis. That has been said, but we have so many crises in Northern Ireland that I really have to wonder whether we are desensitised to the meaning of the word. Over 40,000 people are on the social housing waiting list, and that figure has risen by 10% since the coronavirus pandemic hit. Many more are excluded from even being on that list, and the only option that is left to them is the private rented sector. <BR /> <BR />In my role as an MLA — many others here have also said it — I have lost count of the number of constituents who have come to me in despair after being served with eviction notices by private landlords, through no fault of their own and without any realistic prospect of being rehoused any time soon through the social sector.”
“I am not on the Committee for Communities and will not, as others have, address the schedules and clauses in the Bill, but I will keep a close eye on the Bill's progress as someone who was a lone parent, was served a notice to quit, spent time with my young children in a homeless hostel and experienced the degrading treatment and lack of rights in the sector.”
“It has become a really reasonable notion to think that a divided society is a lucrative business for some, but it is not for victims and survivors and certainly not for the communities that bear the brunt.”
“We have received €1·3 billion from the EU since 1995, with a promise of another billion up until 2027. We have received $4 billion in peace-focused grant aid, €120 million from Atlantic Philanthropies and £27 million from the International Fund for Ireland. So a legitimate question is this: how have our communities that have been most affected by the violence and the division seen so little benefit from any of that? The areas that bore the brunt of the conflict remain the most economically and socially disadvantaged 23 years after the peace process began. The problems have become ingrained and deep-seated, and we are leaving it for the next generation to deal with. <BR /> <BR />We have seen peace-building entrepreneurs and peace-building institutes, some owned by politicians, receiving lots of public money and private donations.”
“We have the statistics that highlight the concentration of drug and alcohol problems in the communities that were most impacted by the violence. We have the highest rate of suicide in the UK. We have higher incidences of self-harm. We have higher rates for prescriptions to deal with mental ill health. We have higher levels of depression. <BR /> <BR />We do not need a blanket ban on prosecutions. We need a victim-centred, collaborative, inclusive approach to dealing with the legacy of conflict, one that fully recognises cross-generational impacts and redresses the harm that has been caused. That includes actually addressing mental health spending in Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />Post-conflict Northern Ireland has been a sponge for Peace money.”
“They fail to deliver justice for the victims of crime. They further a culture of impunity and can reduce the trust of a society in its state institutions, something that we can ill afford to heighten. The Northern Ireland peace process is held up as a beacon around the world, yet communities, families and individuals — the victims and survivors — who continue to be poisoned by the grief and pain of the legacy of our past are being told, "Draw a line in the sand. Get over it. There will be no justice". <BR /> <BR />There are countless studies of intergenerational trauma that show how complex grief and trauma cause significant distress and physical and mental disadvantage not only for immediate victims but for entirely new generations.”
“I rise, of course, to support the motion. I also rise saddened that we are seeing more political machinations causing so much hurt and damage to victims and survivors. We are all aware that the move comes from a Tory manifesto commitment to protect armed forces personnel from litigation; it does not come from consultation or conversations with victims and survivors. Boris Johnson has told us that the amnesty will help Northern Ireland to draw a line in the sand under the Troubles. Well, I have not believed a word that that man has said yet, and I will not start with that appalling sentiment. If you are listening, Mr Johnson, there can be no peace and reconciliation without truth and justice. <BR /> <BR />It is generally accepted that amnesties as a tool for peace and reconciliation fail to meet and resolve victim and community needs.”
“We can facilitate streaming, academic achievement, grammar streams, comprehensive streams, special needs streams and all physical abilities in one school. That was the idea behind Lagan, and it is still trying to achieve that. However, it took 35 years of that school proving itself before the Department stepped in and gave it a proper building. <BR /> <BR />There is much to be said about the Bill. I really welcome it. The debate is long overdue. We still, from listening to a lot of what has been said today, understand integrated education in a very narrow way that does not befit what is potentially on offer in the sector. I commend the Member for bringing the Bill forward. I am really looking forward to seeing amendments if it passes today.”
“There was such little investment in that school — there were only four or five full-time members of staff — that I left school with one CSE, so I did not get an excellent academic education. However, what I did get was amazing lifelong learning that has stood us all in good stead. We still have an education system that is focused on academic ability. We segregate along those lines as well as along the denominational ones, with our academic achievements and our grammar school system. All ability means that you can have all that in one school. It means that families can choose one school to send all their children to. <BR /> <BR />Whether it is academic or physical abilities that divide, one school can cater for all of that. We really need to get our head around that.”
“We were in a scout hall. We then moved up to a primary school and had a series of mobiles. We were not funded properly. Not a single penny was given. I come from a house where my mother could ill-afford to cover those costs. She sold her car in order to get my sister and I bus fares to go to that school. It was struggling parents who put that school together. If proper resource was given to integrated education and for schools to fully commit to what that means, we may see a bit of a change there. I absolutely agree with what you said. Integrated education is not a panacea, but it needs proper commitment from the Department. <BR /> <BR />All ability and all children together is not just about an interdenominational divide. It is about all abilities, physical and academic.”
“I thank the Member for his intervention. I hope that he does not think that I am being pious, but I will take that home with me; that is OK. I am not saying that integrated education is a panacea. I never have, and I never would. However, it goes much further in providing reconciliation than most other things that I have ever seen in Northern Ireland. Lagan College started as an all-children-together movement for all abilities. That is not just all abilities academically, which will take me to the amazing education that I got. It may fit with the points that you raised, Mr O'Dowd, about expanding to the proper curriculum that an integrated school should be able to provide. <BR /> <BR />When I was at Lagan, we were taught the Irish language. It was optional; again, that was parental choice. However, we could not do sports there.”
“I thank the Member for that. I welcome the fact that our society is becoming more diverse and that people are beginning to move freely and are able to live in areas. That is demographics. That is not a school going, "Ach, great. We'll take anybody from anywhere". That is not what is happening. I still go into schools and see the Stations of the Cross on walls. I still go into schools and see pop-ups of the Pope. I still go into schools that play football and not Gaelic games. I still go into schools, and that integration is not there. It is not about numbers.”
“We had to establish the school in a scout hall in Ardnavalley, and we had to face protests and the world's media. We had an armed RUC guard to get us into that scout hall. Castlereagh council did not want the school on its land. It fought the establishment of the school. <BR /> <BR />I went to a Catholic primary school, and I made my confirmation, as we all did, in P7. When the diocese found out that there were two pupils going to an integrated school, they helicoptered the bishop in to come and take that mass. He stood at the pulpit and told the community that there were Catholic schools and Protestant schools and neither would be taught together. To this day, the Catholic Church does not fully operate in integrated education. So, let us not perpetuate this notion that there are de facto integrated schools: there are not.”
“<BR /> <BR />I find it really disappointing that we still understand the concept of integrated education as a numbers game, as 60:40, 70:30 or 50:50, because it could be 95:5 or 100%. In some areas in Northern Ireland, because we still have a divided society, it would be impossible to hit those numbers from a local intake of school pupils, but that does not negate the possibility of that school being integrated because the integration comes from the ethos, the commitment, the curriculum and the culture. <BR /> <BR />As has been pointed out, when Lagan College first opened, back in 1981, my sister and I were two of the 28 pupils, and while it was quoted that Peter Robinson recently stated that he finds it morally wrong that children are educated separately, it was a very different case back then.”
“<BR /> <BR />All schools in Northern Ireland are religious schools. They are all Christian, as has been mentioned already. All our schools are run on a Christian ethos, apart from, perhaps, the Holywood Steiner School, but I could be wrong about that. The issue that we talk about is interdenominational rather than religious. <BR /> <BR />I am really tired of listening to claims that so many schools are integrated just because of their pupil diversity. That is not what makes a school integrated. It is not about the languages that are spoken. It is not about the diaspora of the pupils. It is not about the social mix. It is about the ethos, the education, the curriculum, the sports and the culture. That is what makes a school integrated.”
“Learning about world cultures is therefore a valuable thing, and that is very different from what we use the education system for in many of our schools, where it is about religious instruction. The curriculum should be used for cultural education. That is really important. <BR /> <BR />The issue was raised earlier about partisan appointments in the Bill. All our schools, bar one — the Holywood Steiner School, but I could be wrong about that — are still linked to Churches and have Church representation on boards of governors in schools. We know that those influences are really taught through the ethos of a school, so I assume that what is meant by partisan appointments in this Bill is exactly that. Non-partisan is non-religious. It is about the Church and education being closely entwined in schools.”
“The curriculum and what is taught in sports, in history and in other subjects is very important as well. The teaching of culture is very important. That is absolutely right. I remember from my RE classes that we were also taught to celebrate the Jewish Passover, and, in my first year, I had to go back home and talk to my mum about getting a recipe for unleavened bread, because I had to bring that in. I do not think that there had ever been anything other than a pan loaf in our house before, so that was an education in itself.”
“In one second. I will first address the other point that the Member raised about RE being a very popular subject choice. We are also told continually that it is mandatory, when it is not. Most pupils will be told that they have to sit the exam, but parents have to find out for themselves that their children can opt out. A lot of schools make it hard for them to opt out, and it is sold as an easy exam to get. I speak from experience, having been told exactly that, so that is probably why you see a lot of pupils taking that exam. I will give way to the Member.”
“There is a lot to say on that one, but thank you. I was talking about religious instruction, not religious education. Learning about the world in which you live and about the human population, its cultures, its traditions and its religions is absolutely precious and should be taught. That is a very different thing from religious instruction. The two should not be confused.”
“Not all parents have the choice, however, because a lot of them really have only one school option in their area for their child because of capacity, intake and educational attainment. <BR /> <BR />I hope that it comes as no surprise to anybody in the House that the Green Party does not support the education system being used for religious instruction, no matter what the religion or the denomination. Schools are places for education and learning, and churches are places for religious teaching and instruction, yet most schools in Northern Ireland are still linked to a Church, and the Churches are given places on boards of governors. It is the board of governors that influences and decides the direction of travel for the school, the ethos of the school and the curriculum that is taught in the school.”
“When I look at our schools, I see parental choice, about which much has been said. Parental choice is what led to the Irish-medium sector, and it was parental choice that led to the integrated sector. I do not know of any parents who chose to establish controlled schools or Catholic maintained schools, but, in my lifetime, I have seen the Irish-medium and integrated sectors come about through parental choice. It was parents who drove, financed and established Irish-medium and integrated education, and that is what parental choice is all about. Again, let us not lose sight of the fact that I am not aware of any parents who choose to send their child to a school so that they can be a good Catholic or so that they can be a good Protestant. Rather, parents try to choose a good school that will suit their child.”
“I am happy to give way to him when he is ready.”
“We are starting from where we are today, and we have the ability to rebuild and maybe to build better, if we make those commitments. Rather than starting from scratch, what would that look like? <BR /> <BR />Across the school estate today, it is estimated that 50,000 seats are empty and that we spend in the region of £95 million a year on the duplication of services. A recent report from the Integrated Education Fund told us that we have spent £1 billion on cross-community projects for pupils in the past 10 years. Of course, nobody would build that from scratch, but that is what we are sustaining today. We can do something better. <BR /> <BR />I was listening to Mr Stalford when he said that I went to Lagan College — yes, I did — and mentioned the great education that I got there. I would love to hear his thoughts on that great education”
“<BR /> <BR />Not many here would argue that our education system is sustainable. Many of the issues and problems have been raised. It is fair to say that integrated education remains the poor relation in that system. I certainly support it being given equal footing and the proper importance at departmental level. If that importance was given to the sector, perhaps 37 of the 38 grant-maintained integrated schools would not be waiting for over a year for the Department to appoint governors to their boards. They have been sitting without governors for over a year. That is just one element of the level of the Department's commitment today. <BR /> <BR />Much has been said about the unsustainability of the school estate. I hear that we would not have built the system this way if we were starting from scratch: that is a bizarre comment.”
“I have listened intently to the contributions and found the debate absolutely fascinating. I welcome the Bill, and I have no doubt that, if it passes Second Stage today, the amendments tabled to it will be equally fascinating. I commend Kellie Armstrong for sticking with the Bill. I heard the questions that were raised about why she did not wait for the review, but, as far as I am aware, work on the Bill started in 2016, long before any attempt to undertake a review and before any thoughts of single education systems or 'New Decade, New Approach' were discussed. I commend her for her tenacity in introducing the Bill in this mandate. I certainly would not wait for a review to bring any change through the Northern Ireland Executive any time soon, but there is potential for her private Member's Bill to do some good.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. I go into schools, and I have worked in schools. There is no doubt that preference and importance are given to schools that are driven by a religious denomination. We talk about respect, diversity and equality for all cultures and beliefs, but the system that we have favours one over all others. For example, when I go into Catholic primary schools, they have the Stations of the Cross around the walls and pop-ups of the Pope sitting at the front doors. On respect and diversity, surely that is the dominance of one over the other.”
“<BR /> <BR />Minister, given that your Department has not implemented, has not funded and has not established any services at all, what do you mean by "temporarily paused due to staffing resource issues"?”
“I would like to declare an interest as a board member of Informing Choices NI. While the Minister may think that the funding it receives from his Department is substantial, I can assure him that it is not sufficient to cover the demand for the services that it offers. <BR /> <BR />Minister, this was being discussed last week on BBC Radio 4's 'Woman's Hour'. At the end of the discussion, they read out a response that had been passed to it from your Department about the provision in the Western Health and Social Care Trust. The response stated that the services for EMA had been temporarily paused due to staffing resource issues since April 2021, and that your Department was monitoring ongoing efforts by the trust to roll out services.”
“Back in 2016, the sustainable agricultural land management strategy report stated that 98% of Northern Ireland soils were inadequately analysed every year and that 82% of soils were below optimum fertility. Have those statistics improved?”
“I send my congratulations to the new Executive team, but be in no doubt at all: all eyes are on you. People are in crisis, and people will be watching your every move. I wish you luck.”
“Women here are still denied access to services, and 371 women have been forced to travel to England, during a pandemic, to access healthcare that has been denied to them. <BR /> <BR />No one is fooled that this overnight political agreement on how to deliver an Irish language Act will bring any stability at all. I question whether it will even bring an agreeable Act, particularly when we look at where it will come from: a Tory Government whose track record is of lies, spin and non-delivery. That is yet another well-worn track.”
“All those were made without people's agreement, and they all remain undelivered. <BR /> <BR />This five-party Executive have a long track record of manufacturing political crises, rather than tackling the long-standing and ever-growing list of multiple crises that people are living through: the housing crisis, the climate crisis, the waiting list crisis and the mental health crisis, to name just a few. We need to see delivery, whether that is delivery of abortion rights, an independent environmental protection agency, a childcare strategy or enhanced provision for integrated education. You can take your pick; there is so much that needs to be done. <BR /> <BR />Let us not forget that it was Westminster MPs who approved our new abortion regulations, just a year ago. Look at how that has worked out.”
“The nomination of a First Minister and deputy First Minister is welcome, but we should not be here again. Continually taking people to the brink and back is ridiculous, manipulative and simply wrong. How many more five-party political agreements will be made, rolled back on, stalled, not followed through and then manufactured into a crisis before calling an election? <BR /> <BR />It was 23 years ago that the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement was put to the people for ratification. It was given overwhelming endorsement, and yet it remains largely undelivered. Although it was not perfect, it was right. Since then, political crisis has brought us many political agreements. We have had St Andrews, Haass/O'Sullivan, Eames/Bradley, Stormont House, in-and-out Ministers, Fresh Start — false start — and New Decade, New Approach.”
“If you are talking about rights and culture, they should never be measured by "appropriate demand".”
“No problem. Thank you for giving way and for your explanation of the amendment. We in the Greens decided that we could not support the amendment simply because it did not refer to the fiscal responsibilities but "appropriate demand".”
“Minister, this morning, I received a response to a question for written answer about the regulation of Stanton Healthcare in Belfast. The response stated that it is not regulated. On Stanton's website, it says that its services include counselling, pregnancy testing, STI testing, post-abortion care, ultrasound referrals and many other things. Do you think that it is dangerous if it is not regulated and we do not know what is being offered? Why is it not regulated?”
“I know that you have a birthday coming up, so I take this opportunity to wish you a happy birthday, and I hope that you get to spend some good time with your family. I look forward to seeing what you take up next and to seeing you break many more glass ceilings for women in public life. Perhaps that will not be only in Northern Ireland, but I will wait to see. Good luck and thank you very much.”
“On behalf of the Green Party in Northern Ireland, I also congratulate Arlene Foster, the First Minister for a short time to come. My colleague Rachel Woods and I have not had the experience of working directly with you, First Minister, but we congratulate you for your track record: the roles that the Speaker announced that you have already taken up, the roles that you have held as the first woman in Northern Ireland and for your track record of breaking so many glass ceilings. <BR /> <BR />I wish you well. The grace and fortitude that you have shown over recent times have been remarkable. I have absolutely no doubt that your time in public life is not done. We look forward to seeing the work that you do in the future.”
“Increased productivity will not address any of the problems that we have spoken about today: climate breakdown; ecological destruction; declining water quality; widespread habitat destruction; rural, urban and farming poverty; and a lack of access to locally produced, healthy food. I support the motion.”
“Moreover, I cannot support any amendment that supports increasing agri-food productivity in Northern Ireland. We have already intensified way beyond what our natural systems can cope with, and we are seeing widespread ecological collapse now as a result.”
“<BR /> <BR />Northern Ireland has a rich heritage of food production, an economy heavily reliant on food and agriculture and such pride in the quality and traceability of our food, yet so many of our population do not have access to locally produced, healthy food, and many of our farming families live below the poverty line. Our focus must shift from the intensive export-focused, production-focused and volume-focused agricultural model to thinking about how we can best deliver healthy, affordable food to Northern Ireland, improve farm incomes and resilience and address the nature and climate emergencies. <BR /> <BR />I will not support the amendment. It implies that the agricultural transition to nature-friendly farming is already under way.”
“There is no reason why we cannot have something similar in Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />I want to touch briefly on the need for a food strategy in Northern Ireland. A report released last Thursday showed that low-income families in Northern Ireland need to spend almost half their weekly income if they are to afford healthy food. Households on a low income struggle to make a limited budget go further and tend to eat less well, which leads to health inequalities, including higher levels of obesity, diabetes and heart disease.”