Steve Aiken
South Antrim · Ulster Unionist Party · Northern Ireland
“I thank the Minister for his statement. Minister, as well as the move to reduce the cost to the Assembly of vacant non-domestic properties and to increase liability so that we will not have so many vacant properties, you will be aware of the Dilapidation Bill and of the conversations that have been taking place in Wales and Scotland about…”
“Instead, that most dysfunctional Department, under the most inept Sinn Féin Minister in the Northern Ireland Assembly and a series of grossly over-superannuated permanent secretaries, gave the money back.”
“We know that her Department spends more on legal cases, fighting judicial reviews and being chastised by judges for legal ineptitude and on vesting land and ripping out hedges and fencing and then trying to unvest it and paying even more money to put back the fences and hedges that it took out.”
“We can hardly blame the current permanent secretary, as she has just taken up her post, but, surely, her predecessors must bear some accountability or responsibility, especially considering the senior civil servants' salary scale of between £146,000 and £163,000, with, of course, their taxpayer-funded pension contribution of 34·2% — £218,…”
“It must be said that £181·3 million is a lot of taxpayers' hard-earned money. It is money that is raised from local commuters, vehicle owners, farmers, local businesses, logistics companies and, above all, our constituents — those vital people whom we are elected to represent.”
“The Minister will be aware that, under the public appointments guide published by the Executive Office, it is clear that she is supposed to take independent advice before appointing board members. What independent advice did she receive, particularly about the board members selected?”
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“The issue here is about having an education system for all our children in Northern Ireland in which they can all be educated together equally. It is not about putting one sector of that education system above the others. That has to be the key thing here, because one issue with the Bill is that it is putting the integrated education sector above all the others. That is not where we should be.”
“I thank the Member for his intervention. He could indeed take that view. <BR /> <BR />We have two issues with amendment No 4. The first is with the definition of the word "support" that is currently in clause 5. I hope that our amendment Nos 5 and 6 will address that. The second issue is with the fact that the amendment is further elevating and giving primacy to integrated education, over and above the provisions that exist for other education sectors. <BR /> <BR />Amendment Nos 7, 8 and 9 seek to introduce the word "support" into the Minister's new clause that was ordered to stand part at Consideration Stage.”
“It is required to make the Bill more legislatively coherent, and that is why we support it.”
“Steady, team. Come on. Let us concentrate. <BR /> <BR />I need to make a declaration of interest. I am a member of the board of governors of Kilbride Central Primary School. I have met a considerable number of heads, teachers and other governors about the Bill, and they have expressed their concerns to me about it. I will represent those people as I go through my remarks. <BR /> <BR />I will speak specifically to the group 1 amendments, which relate to definitions and supporting information, duties and regulations. The Ulster Unionist Party will not support amendment Nos 1, 4, 7, 8, 9 and 21 to 28. <BR /> <BR />Our issue with amendment No 1 is to do with the words and how they are used, and we do not feel that we are in a position to support it. <BR /> <BR />Amendment No 3 appears to be a technical amendment.”
“Do not laugh. I can give you a UUP application form any time, if you want to come and join. Feel free.”
“First, I apologise that it is not the usual handsome Robbie Butler standing here making these remarks, but I shall do my best as I go through them.”
“Last year, I commended the Second Stage of the Budget Bill to the House in the hope that, next time, we would all do better. I am not sure that I can absolutely tell Members that the scrutiny of the Estimates and Budget Bill has improved substantially. The emergence, however, of the Fiscal Council, the provisions in the Financial Reporting (Departments and Public Bodies) Bill and the appearance of Estimates memoranda may prove to be quite positive signs of progress. On that basis, I can and will commend, on behalf of the Committee for Finance, the Second Stage of the Bill to the House.”
“That may prove to be crucial, not only for our investment strategy but for attracting foreign direct investment.”
“Perhaps the Minister can indicate whether he is considering further Department of Finance measures in respect of procurement and capital allocations to improve capital delivery in the future.”
“By that measure, it appears that a level of normality is, perhaps, beginning to return to departmental spending. <BR /> <BR />I intend to leave commentary from other statutory Committees to the Chairpersons of those Committees, but I will make a few key points. The first is that the Finance Committee was quite surprised that only two victims have so far received payments from the Troubles permanent disablement scheme. The Committee accepts that the funding of that scheme is a key consideration, but hopes that that is not driving the delays. <BR /> <BR />As was indicated yesterday, Members were surprised that capital spending is not being used as much as was expected to pump-prime the post-COVID economic recovery. As the House is aware, construction employers have been most critical of the relevant Departments.”
“It is a matter in which the Finance Committee has taken an interest and about which I expect its successor Committee will continue to seek clarity. <BR /> <BR />As with last year, the Executive continue to receive substantial additional support from our Government, which is very welcome. The COVID allocation from Treasury seems to be over £1·5 billion for 2021-22. That has enabled the provision of numerous targeted support schemes. There is much to be welcomed about the Executive's financial response to the crisis. That said, there have been underspends and other issues with some of the schemes, as I said yesterday. Reconciliation between the Main Estimates and spring Supplementary Estimates, unspent resources and headroom provision are all significant issues, but much less so than last year.”
“It increasingly looks like significant restrictions are on their way out, however, and we hope that that will be for good. <BR /> <BR />The impact of COVID on departmental spending for 2021-22, although not just as significant as in the previous year, is still very much worthy of note. Indeed, only a few weeks ago, we all welcomed the omicron measures for the hospitality sector and the granting of a further rates holiday at the start of 2022-23. Less welcome, however, were the restrictions on non-domestic rates appeals that the Assembly felt obliged to enact. That legislation showed up a degree of legal uncertainty about non-domestic rates. That is a little worrying, as they form a key part of the public finances in this jurisdiction.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Committee has tabled a motion for debate on the 2022-25 draft Budget, which I hope the Business Committee will schedule for Monday 7 March. I anticipate that, during that debate, statutory Committee Chairpersons will speak to the very helpful and well-thought-out short reports that they produced on the impact of the draft Budget on their Departments. I hope that they will address expenditure issues for both resource and capital for 2021-22, as well, of course, as dealing with the Vote on Account transitional issues. <BR /> <BR />This time last year, I referred to the pandemic and to the considerable impact that it was having on individuals, communities and our hard-pressed businesses. Regrettably, as we can see from what is happening in Antrim Area Hospital in my own constituency, COVID-19 is certainly still with us.”
“The Committee was advised that, in those unwelcome circumstances, the Northern Ireland Act 1998 would allow the new Finance permanent secretary to avail of a progressively larger percentage of the Budget for allocation in 2022-23, although that will apparently cover only business-as-usual spending. The Committee has sought further clarity about that. Officials also appeared to advise that, in the unfortunate situation in which there is no Executive, it would be preferable for a Budget to be set at Westminster in the autumn to ensure continuity of departmental spending. I will not dwell on those matters any further, but will conclude on them by saying that we hope that all political differences can be resolved in due course and certainly before the 24- or 48-week period expires.”
“As Members are also aware, although the absence of the Executive may well adversely impact on some Budget allocations that were not made before the First Minister resigned, the Department has advised that the Budget Bill can progress as normal. <BR /> <BR />This legislation provides legal cover for expenditure in 2021-22. Insofar as it refers to the Vote on Account, it also provides legal cover for some spending in 2022-23: up to 45% of the 2021-22 Budget. It is, therefore, understood that the Department will be able to continue day-to-day spending in the absence of Executive formation in the aftermath of the election, but only until the end of July.”
“Over the period of the mandate, from a rocky start to begin with, we now have a pretty good working relationship and understanding with the Department. That has been particularly useful, and I know that the Committee is pleased with it. <BR /> <BR />During this year, new financial reporting legislation has passed and the Fiscal Council has been established. Although their outworkings are still works in progress, the benefits of both are quite evident already. As a consequence of all that, the Committee felt a little more informed than usual and agreed that it was generally content that, on the expenditure in this financial year, there has indeed been appropriate consultation with it, and thus accelerated passage would be granted.”
“I apologise to Members, to you, Mr Speaker, and to the Minister because I will have to nip out fairly shortly to get back to the Finance Committee that is in session. You will see members of the Committee playing tag team over the next hour or so. I see that my earnest friend from South Belfast has made it here to look at the detail as we go through. <BR /> <BR />I thank the Minister for his opening commentary on the Second Stage of the Budget Bill. My remarks will be made on behalf of the Committee for Finance. Officials have kindly provided the Committee with a number of written and oral briefings on the Bill. Additionally, the Department has helpfully kept members apprised of spending decisions throughout 2021-22.”
“I thank the Minister for his statement. I declare interests as a member of the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly (BIPA) and of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) and its energy network, which takes me directly to my question. The meeting was hosted by the Government of Jersey. Recently, there was a threat by the French to cut off Jersey's electricity supply. Given that important international relationship, was there any discussion about security of supply and future concerns about the integrated single electricity market (I-SEM) and interrelationships, with the EU in particular?”
“I thank the Minister for giving way. Minister, remember there was a paying down of FTC? Will that change affect that?”
“The Member makes an interesting point. This might be of interest to the Finance Minister: we have had difficulty in getting audited accounts from some of those bodies, particularly Tourism Ireland. Maybe the Minister will reflect not only on his allocation of funding but on being able to account for it as well.”
“I declare an interest as an ex-member of the ship's company of HMS Caroline. <BR /> <BR />The Member raises a very good point. A question needs to be asked about the amount of money in the endowment process and the mishandling of the issue with HMS Caroline, particularly by the Department for the Economy: is the money sufficient for us to make sure that HMS Caroline stays in Belfast? I think that we, as an Assembly, would like to see that.”
“I anticipate and hope that some of the Chairpersons of those Committees will speak eloquently to those issues today and tomorrow. In anticipation of that, I will conclude my contribution to the debate as the Chairperson of the Committee for Finance.”
“From what we heard at Question Time earlier, you indicated that that would not be the case, but it would be quite useful if you confirmed that. <BR /> <BR />Perhaps the Minister might also comment on how the in-year capital underspends happened. I also ask him to comment on the end-of-year capital surges, which, according to the Department's own figures, will see 55% of our capital spending happening in the last three months of the financial year — 55% of all our capital spending. Does the Minister agree that that may not be the best approach, and that it might be part of the perennial reason why Departments seem to struggle to spend their capital budgets? <BR /> <BR />Statutory Committees have kindly provided some commentary on the 2021-22 capital and resource spending to the Finance Committee.”
“<BR /> <BR />Turning to capital, we began the financial year quite ambitiously, with lots of planned conventional capital, reinvestment and reform initiative (RRI) borrowing and financial transactions capital (FTC) spending. However, throughout the year, we have seen RRI borrowing dropping and then, quite surprisingly, in January, substantial capital reduced requirements. At January monitoring, the Minister redirected current FTC spending to meet future repayment costs. RRI borrowing was also reduced and replaced by conventional capital spending. Again, in your winding-up speech, Minister, can you confirm what you believe the final capital position will be, and whether any moneys will have to be returned to Westminster?”
“The Committee is more than a little concerned about the £400 million of additional money that has been generated by the increase in all our National Insurance contributions. It would seem that the Department of Health, for which that money is earmarked for waiting list reductions, may not be able to access that accruing resource in 2022-23 as it cannot be included in the Vote on Account, even though, as we have already heard, the £300 million for the council tax and power consequentials can be. That appears to be more than just an anomaly. Maybe the Minister could talk about the legal advice that he has had specifically on that issue. Indeed, perhaps, he will clarify whether an Executive must be in place in order to access that £400 million plus the £300 million that is leftover from 2021-22.”
“<BR /> <BR />Notwithstanding those problems, the overall strategic financial position prior to the collapse of the Executive, although difficult, seemed to be reasonably sound. Support was going to hard-pressed businesses, and the Executive's coffers appeared to be heading towards being appropriately depleted as we approached year end. A very welcome, if unexpected, spanner in the works was the additional £250 million of late consequentials. It is hoped that the Minister can assure us that all is well and that his Department will, indeed, be able to land all the unspent resources before the end of the financial year. <BR /> <BR />I want to take a moment to mention the Vote on Account.”
“The bids and the reduced requirements were, often, quite significant. In the case of the latter, that continued, surprisingly, until the final monitoring round. All that is quite unusual, and is one of the many unwelcome products of the pandemic. <BR /> <BR />To be fair to the Department, that all presented a significant challenge, with a number of new, novel and untried schemes coming to the fore and, sometimes, driving those large underspends. There were also errors with some ultra vires payments being made for the localised restrictions support scheme (LRSS), some frauds that are being investigated, and, indeed, some good-faith write-offs for other schemes. Indeed, as the Assembly is aware, the Comptroller and Auditor General has qualified his opinion on certain COVID support scheme matters.”
“The position in respect of other unspent resource DEL is less clear, however. Perhaps the Minister, in his winding-up speech, will provide an update on the additional allocations that he mentioned in his statement last week and referred to earlier in his remarks. <BR /> <BR />More generally, spending in 2021-22 has been characterised by the exchange of substantial amounts of money for all the monitoring rounds. Each of the allocations exceeded £150 million. The total change in resource DEL since the Main Estimates is over £800 million.”
“It is thus understood that, subject to the Assembly's approval, the Supply resolution and the Budget Bill will pass. Thankfully, that means that the collapse of the Executive will have no adverse impact on the public-sector pay run at the end of March. <BR /> <BR />There are, however, still questions that may need to be resolved about departmental spending for the rest of 2021-22 and during the Vote on Account period. I refer, first, to the outcome of January monitoring and the surprisingly high level of unspent resource and capital departmental expenditure limit (DEL), coupled with some last-minute and very substantial Barnett consequentials. Officials have helpfully clarified that perhaps around £300 million, including the council tax rebate and electricity discount consequentials, can be carried into next year.”
“A number of other Statutory Committees indicated as much in their helpful recent submissions to the Finance Committee. Members look forward to further iterations of the memoranda in the next mandate and to all other Departments emulating the Department of Finance by sharing those documents with Statutory Committees in a timely fashion. <BR /> <BR />The Supply resolutions are the founding resolutions for the Budget Bill for 2022 and are part of the process of providing legal authority for the Executive's spending since the passage of the Budget (No.2) Bill in 2021. The Finance Committee wondered whether, in the absence of an Executive at this critical time in the Budget Bill process, the legislation would be moved and these debates take place. Officials clarified that Executive sign-off on the related legislation is not actually required.”
“On behalf of the Finance Committee, I thank the Minister for his opening remarks on the Supply resolutions for the spring Supplementary Estimates and the Vote on Account. The Minister's officials kindly provided written and oral explanations at a number of Finance Committee meetings. If the Minister could pass on his thanks to those officials, that would be very much appreciated by the Committee. <BR /> <BR />Officials also provided copies of the Estimates memoranda for all the Departments and some other bodies. The Committee was pleased and pleasantly surprised to receive those. To be sure, further work is needed to optimise their content, but, notwithstanding that, it is a very positive development in improving the Assembly's scrutiny of the Estimates.”
“Only one person has been disciplined by the NICS board over RHI. Does the Minister think it was appropriate for the Civil Service board to have taken the disciplinary process decisions on this very controversial and cross-cutting issue without informing Ministers or the Executive?”
“I thank the Minister very much indeed for his statement. Minister, how radical do we expect this review to be? I noticed that, on numerous occasions, you, quite rightly, talked about fintech, media and the creative industries. One of the common features of those, and, indeed, of Northern Ireland industry, is that civil servants did not know very much about them, so they were able to develop much more rapidly, without interference, to get where we are. Will Invest NI actually be radical in what it proposes?”
“<BR /> <BR />However, it is from these Benches that I most fondly remember him: the gentle, and sometimes not-so-gentle, wit and incisive observation and the need, above all, for him to support democratic accountability. From whichever corner the challenge to democratic accountability came, he addressed it robustly. <BR /> <BR />He brought a passion for politics that transcended the narrow political confines of this place. He was on a journey to greater political office, but he never forgot his roots. South Belfast and Northern Ireland will miss him, but he will be very much missed by his family. There was a lot to respect Christopher for and today we have lost a lot in the Assembly and in Northern Ireland. He, his family and his children are, and will continue to be, in my prayers. May he rest in peace.”
“I can see two of the other Members who were with us on that trip: we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, and Christopher was particularly good company. <BR /> <BR />Christopher was more than a keen historian and a self-acknowledged political geek. He had an encyclopaedic knowledge of US politics and politicians and was more than able to drop the odd uncomfortable truth to the assembled, retired Democratic Party senators, particularly about their "senatocracy" — one of his words and the easiest way of putting it — and gently, by Christopher's standards, rib them about their double standards and get his point across, especially from his hard-earned, unionist and working-class perspective. Quite frankly, it was fun to watch.”
“He did it with wit and skill and more than a gentle reminder that I needed to do my homework. It was a very valuable lesson but it was given in such a nice way that we became, at the very least, good political colleagues and, indeed, friends. <BR /> <BR />That also reminded me that Christopher was, and is, a member of the A-team. Many of us enjoyed his many interventions, pointed and well-argued questions and excellent debating skills and realised what a talent he was. <BR /> <BR />I also remember fondly his good company. Several years ago, we both represented our respective parties at an event in Yale in the United States. We were both, very clearly, the only unionists in the village. After a few hours together, we definitely found common cause and a degree of conviviality.”
“I add my sincere condolences to Christopher's family, Laura and his beautiful children, and his many political friends and colleagues on all sides of the House. <BR /> <BR />One of my first political memories of Christopher was appearing on 'The View' with him. Even though I was a complete and utter newbie, he gave me the political respect of completely tearing me apart on the programme.”
“<BR /> <BR />My question to the Minister is this: with the amount of capital and resource that is available, particularly the £45 million that he referred to and is looking at, why are we in the position of having the announcement yesterday that the subregional stadia programme cannot go ahead, yet money has apparently been ring-fenced for the Casement Park project, which has no business case or plan and which may equally have to come back before the Executive to check its funding and any additional funds that may come forward?”
“<BR /> <BR />It would seem that there is no shortage of capital or resource projects, including the subregional stadia programme, to which that money could be put, and the Committee understood that the Treasury is to permit a carry-over of some of the aforementioned extra Barnett consequentials. The outstanding problems would seem to be political. <BR /> <BR />I think that the Committee will welcome the decision to press ahead with the rates holidays and other allocations. I am not so sure about the decision to pause the consultation. That is a mistake. With the added work of the Statutory Committees, that consultation may have been very useful in informing the work of a successor Executive, whenever they might be in place.”
“I thank the Minister for his statement and for meeting the Deputy Chairperson of the Committee and me earlier today in order to discuss its key points. <BR /> <BR />During the January monitoring round, I expressed some considerable surprise at the levels of reduced resource requirements and capital underspends. It looked then like the Minister might well struggle to get all the unspent moneys properly disposed of before the end of the financial year. The picture now seems to be additionally complicated by two things: the very welcome, if unexpected, additional Barnett consequentials from our nation, associated with council tax and electricity measures in England; and the less welcome and regrettable resignation of the First Minister.”
“It is also notable that Russia has challenged the Irish to avoid calling for sanctions. Ireland appears to be driven by whatever the EU response is. Maybe, for once, Ireland, as a temporary member of the Security Council, can also take a strong leadership stance and encourage its fellow EU nations to realise that appeasing dictators never leads to good outcomes.”
“<BR /> <BR />Here in the Assembly we need to realise that not only has our nation already been directly attacked by Russia twice with chemical and radiological weapons but our health service and critical infrastructure has been under constant cyberattack, much of it by Russian hackers. We need to realise that our and, indeed, Ireland's energy security has already been challenged and that we are not immune from conflict on these islands. We should stand strongly with our Defence and Foreign Secretaries as they call for stronger action. Given that we hear so often from some quarters in the House about the benefits of the European Union, the European Union should be called on to act cohesively, for once, against Russian aggression. The mixed messaging from Paris, Berlin and Budapest does not send the resolute response that is needed.”
“The fact that the attack is on a precarious democracy seeking closer association with the EU, NATO and the West and will indeed disrupt energy supplies or worse should be a wake-up call for all European and Western allies to double down in responding to Putin's tactics. Instead, we have seen President Biden's misspeaking, the German Government's representative refusing to supply arms and suggestions by some that we should back off and show Putin some respect. As lessons from history show, following any policy of appeasement leads only to further and wider conflict. There is more than a whiff of Munich in the air. The only person who is drawing comfort from any of this is the occupier of the Kremlin.”
“Events on the other side of Europe may seem far from the Assembly, but, in this interconnected and integrated world, the Russian pressure on the Ukraine will have and already is having a direct impact on us. With Russia positioning significant land, air and maritime forces on the borders and in the vicinity of Ukraine's sea and air lanes, the potential for major war on our continent is now very real. The energy crisis and the pushing of many of our most vulnerable people into fuel poverty is also a direct result of fears of a Russian invasion of its neighbour. That the threat of a hybrid conflict involving proxies in eastern Ukraine, Russian nationalists, cyberattacks, violence and more is being ramped up is unmistakable.”
“For us, that means that we need to get to the 82% solution, or better, by 2050. The science is very clear. Indeed, when the UK Oil and Gas Authority saw the issues that were being caused in Lancashire, including microquakes, it put a halt to fracking. <BR /> <BR />I declare an interest: some of my family live in Oklahoma in the United States. The area around Shawnee in Oklahoma, where they live, has been very much affected by fracking. It has had an impact on the water table and supplies, and there have been other issues, which has not been much of a benefit. <BR /> <BR />The Assembly has an opportunity. That is why we should all join together and support the Bill.”
“Those of us who noted the profits that were announced by Shell and BP today will know that that is something that the major hydrocarbon companies are doing. The last thing that we want in Northern Ireland is a situation in which somebody uses fracking to drill, thereby creating problems with the environment, and finds some form of resource that they leave in the ground to exploit at some indeterminate time in the future. That would desecrate the environment and have no net economic impact whatsoever. As we move towards decarbonisation, we very clearly need to be led by the science. <BR /> <BR />In the Assembly, we have had a lot of debate about the Climate Change (No. 2) Bill and the climate emergency. We in the Ulster Unionist Party have said that we listen very closely to the science from the Climate Change Committee (CCC).”
“The fracking process might not be used specifically for that, but we must keep it in mind. <BR /> <BR />The Bill is very narrow in its focus, but it is very important that we send a strong message from the Assembly that we do not wish to see any form of petroleum or gas drilling going on in Northern Ireland. There is another reason for that. Many people will be aware of the way in which oil and gas companies now look at their accounts. Many of them look to what they call "distressed assets", or assets that are left specifically in the ground. <BR /> <BR />Oil and gas companies across the world are expending an awful lot of effort on drilling and are using hydraulic fracturing to do their drilling processes, but they are leaving those assets in the ground and then using them as tradable assets in the energy markets.”
“Thank you very much indeed, fellow Members. <BR /> <BR />However, some significant and important questions have been raised by the Minister. When we talk about hydraulic fracturing, one of the issues is what else it is used for. One of the issues that is quite important when we are looking at the future energy mix is the use of geothermal energy. The fact is that, sometimes, drilling will be required for that. It is important that we delineate how fracking is specifically used, because it may be used for things such as water boring. One of the most significant areas that we need to look at is carbon capture and the use of underground storage facilities for that purpose. My friend from east Antrim and many of us from that area have raised issues about the implications of gas caverns.”
“Thank you very much indeed. I do not wish to go in to one of my normal, extremely long scientific definitions.”
“As my friend Mike Nesbitt pointed out, the Ulster Unionist Party will support the Bill as it goes through the Assembly. It is good that we have had the opportunity to listen to all sides of the argument during the debate. I do not detect anybody, anywhere in the Assembly who is for fracking in Northern Ireland. If we look at what is happening across the rest of our nation, particularly the report from the United Kingdom Oil and Gas Authority, it is very clear that there is no attempt to introduce fracking onshore anywhere in the United Kingdom. That is a very appropriate place from which to continue our discussion this evening.”