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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“Has the Northern Ireland protocol, particularly the Trade and Cooperation Agreement when it comes to the recognition of qualifications, increased the pressure on the availability of veterinary services and vets in Northern Ireland?”
“<BR /> <BR />On Friday, in many ways, we lost an unsung inspiration and the biggest supporter of Her Majesty. His loss to her and to all of us is most keenly felt. Our nation mourns, but his life and example give us hope for the future of our United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. I say finally, the words of the Royal Navy hymn:”
“During the Irish president's state visit to the United Kingdom in 2014, I had the privilege of seeing at first hand how much pleasure he saw in the improving relationships across these islands and amongst our nations. <BR /> <BR />The man himself leaves the most abiding memory. At the 100th anniversary of the Submarine Service in Westminster Abbey, he spent his time talking to the families of those who were serving at sea and had been away for months. He never forgot to thank them for their service and sacrifice. He put them at ease, reminisced and gave them comfort, often with a wry but always affectionate sense of humour. At his core, he was always a Royal Navy officer who never forgot the lore of the sea and those who served on it.”
“He had respect for what many tried to achieve in difficult circumstances and used his wealth of experience to understand. As someone who fought with distinction in the Second World War and saw the global winds of change at first hand in what is now the Commonwealth, he brought insight to Her Majesty through the good and, sometimes, not so good times; indeed, I know that, as a great friend to Northern Ireland, he was saddened by the horrors of the Troubles and wished only for peace. The murder of Lord Mountbatten had a profound effect, but he never allowed animus against those who committed so much violence, from whatever quarter, to prevent him reaching out to support the peace process.”
“<BR /> <BR />While I feel that sense of loss and, indeed, the sense of the passing of an era, I thank, in particular, the deputy First Minister and members of the SDLP for their recognition of that loss. May I state how welcome your remarks were? Whilst we may disagree on much, those were welcome sentiments. I appreciate your sympathy and reaching out to those of us who hold the Union and the monarchy dear. Thank you. <BR /> <BR />I had the privilege of meeting Prince Philip on many occasions during my service in the Royal Navy and, later, in my role supporting the British-Irish business environment. His humour has been much and frequently remarked on, although it was in the naval environment that he felt fully at home and where his anecdotes were very much more of the salty kind.”
“The grief and mourning that she and the rest of the royal family feel are echoed by many not just across our nation but across the Commonwealth and beyond, from the many thousands of young people who found a new sense of purpose through the Duke of Edinburgh's Award scheme to those who welcomed his keen interest in science, technology and education, his long commitment to the environment and his early championing of the crisis of climate change, and his support of the families of the many who have served across all aspects of public life, a support to which he brought his own unique, witty and emphatic style. Rarely has someone who never sought the limelight but decided to sacrifice himself for duty, for support and for the stability of the institution that he and we most treasure garnered so much respect and affection.”
“I join in the tributes to His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. At the outset, I send my and our party's condolences to Her Majesty The Queen and the other members of the royal family. We all share in Her Majesty's grief and sense of loss for her husband. He was her constant companion, supporter and muse, and, after 73 years of being together, through momentous times of change, that sense of loss must be profound.”
“<BR /> <BR />I welcome, as indeed does our party, the joint statement from the Northern Ireland Executive today. That is a start. I say to the First Minister, the deputy First Minister and the other members of the Executive that that is an important move towards where we need to get to. All of us politicians must stand shoulder to shoulder to make sure that we use our best endeavours across all of Northern Ireland to make politics work. Violence and the threat of violence have no place in any society. In particular, it has no place in Northern Ireland. We must work together to stop it happening. We support the motion.”
“<BR /> <BR />I will comment on remarks that I made last week about Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary. I make clear that we fully support the HMIC in its work and that its professionalism and ability to investigate impartially is not in any doubt. We look forward to the publication of its findings on the policing of the Bobby Storey funeral as soon as they are available. <BR /> <BR />The violence and destruction across Northern Ireland is unacceptable and unjustifiable. If it does not halt now, the risk of someone being seriously injured or killed is there. Any anger must be directed through political, diplomatic and legal channels. To use violence is to lose the argument. It is to inflict great damage not only to your cause but to your community, because those in it are the ones who are left to pick up the pieces.”
“I re-emphasise our full support for the PSNI. Given the attacks on any of our police, who are on the front line of defending us against terrorism and who are helping to deliver our public safety during the pandemic, it is beholden on all politicians to support the police as they continue to do the most difficult tasks. They deserve our unreserved thanks. <BR /> <BR />On behalf of my party, I re-emphasise our abhorrence of attacks on the police, and I wish all 55 who were injured a swift recovery. We also trust that those who have injured and attacked the police and committed criminal acts will swiftly be brought to justice. We will continue to pass on our support in the discussions with the Chief Constable that we will have this afternoon.”
“The burning of cars and roundabouts in Cloughfern, very close to my constituency, just in sight of where we are setting up a Nightingale recovery facility at the Whiteabbey hospital, is beyond perverse.”
“It is that breaching of those regulations that puts all people at risk as much as the violence.”
“I thank Mrs Long for bringing the motion to the Assembly. Violence on the streets or anywhere is completely unacceptable. Organised criminal gangs bringing out children, young people and others to commit acts of wanton destruction helps no one and no cause. The image that it portrays of Northern Ireland in the 21st century and into its second century is not one that anybody should want to see. The violence must stop before someone is killed. <BR />COVID has not gone away. Creating chaos and disruption not only damages Northern Ireland but creates opportunities for transmission of the disease. The violence is in breach of the law and the health regulations. That, indeed, is the very reason that we have complained so vehemently about all those who have undermined the health regulations so far.”
“They were restrictions that none of us wanted, but they were based on the best scientific, medical and UK-wide advice that was available. We must all continue to follow that. <BR /> <BR />As I draw my remarks to a close, I thought that the deputy First Minister had the opportunity today to apologise for breaching the rules and regulations and for attending that funeral rather than to apologise to the Assembly for the hurt that was caused, but I have not heard that. That is what the people of Northern Ireland wanted to hear today to draw a line under this matter. Is there an opportunity for her to change her remarks and address the real issue at hand?”
“<BR /> <BR />We have heard today that this is not an orange and green issue, and it is not. It is an issue of public health, integrity and morality of government. The first duty of any Government, regardless of circumstances, is the protection and safety of their people, not a small section, an interest group or even a political party but all its people: the old, the sick, the vulnerable, and, above all, the vital healthcare and public service workers who, on several occasions, have been nearly overwhelmed by the tsunami of hospital admissions. It was to prevent the collapse of our national healthcare system, to stop hospitals being overwhelmed, to avoid running out of ventilators and ICU beds and to stop the burnout of critical staff that restrictions on our daily lives were introduced.”
“There is no doubt that there will have been and are direct links between crowds, proximity, public gatherings and the spread of the disease. While Sinn Féin opposite believe that the rule of law does not apply to them, the sharp scientific reality of viral infection does. Sinn Féin and its followers are not somehow immune. Infection, as they have been keen to point out, recognises no borders; indeed, Sinn Féin's president, its finance spokesperson and the many others who travelled to Belfast breached the Irish Republic's rules on distance and travel. They were, in all probability, vectors for the very disease that the Northern Ireland Executive, of which Sinn Féin is supposedly a part, said they were trying to control. In the midst of a pandemic, why would you risk it? Unless, of course, unfortunately, you did not care.”
“However, there were many thousands of others, including the Hume and Dallat families, who also wanted to grieve but accepted that sacrifices had to be made for the good of us all. Those families did not have organisers, stewards and liaisons or coordination organised between the police and elected representatives. They did not allow their funerals to be used for propaganda. Above all, they did not flout the rules, not because they did not want to grieve but because they understood that, in the midst of a pandemic, it was the right thing to do. <BR /> <BR />Let us remember why the rules and regulations were introduced and by whom. We are in the midst of an unprecedented public health emergency that has, so far, cost 2,115 lives and infected 120,000 people, many of whom continue to suffer long-term effects.”
“<BR /> <BR />Those of us who could not attend the funerals of our loved ones and believed that, by our actions, we could reduce the enormous burden on our health service and believed in adhering to the rules thought that our sacrifice would be matched by those in government; indeed, we all had a reasonable expectation that the very government members who set and agreed the regulations would show leadership and actually follow the rules that they had agreed. Many of us, despite our political differences, recognise a sorrowing and grieving family. I can understand grief, and I say to all of us that we cannot forget the very real sadness of the Storey family and the fact that the loss that they suffered is being revisited by these events.”
“The events surrounding the funeral of Bobby Storey, with the mass breaching of the COVID rules and regulations by members of Sinn Féin, including the deputy First Minister, the Finance Minister, MLAs, TDs and other elected representatives, have undermined the rather limited faith that the people of Northern Ireland have in the integrity of our Government, the rule of law and, indeed, the very process of democracy itself. At the core of all our concerns is the fact, rather than the perception, that there is now a two-tier justice and policing system in Northern Ireland. There is one rule for Sinn Féin and another for the rest of us.”
“Officials also advised the Committee that, because the European Union's energy performance of buildings directive is not covered under the Northern Ireland protocol, the legislation being considered today sits outside those considerations. Therefore, after consideration, the Committee agreed that it was content to recommend that the Assembly affirm this rule.”
“I thank the Minister for his opening remarks. The Committee considered the draft rule at its meetings on 3 March and 10 March 2021. As indicated, the rule will reduce the statutory fees that are charged when data is registered for domestic and non-domestic energy performance certificates, display energy certificates and air conditioning inspection reports. <BR /> <BR />Members indicated some concerns about the other costs to prospective households that are associated with energy performance surveys, which can exceed £50. It is also understood that the Department for Communities may be considering a minimum energy performance certification level for rental properties in order to improve the energy efficiency of private rented stock. That, although interesting, is, of course, not in the regulations.”
“<BR /> <BR />I do not want to stand here again expressing our condolences after cases of domestic violence and violence against women. It is time that it stops. It must stop. Let us make sure that the Justice Minister fast-tracks legislation so that we get to that point.”
“We have a variety of issues that we need to deal with. We need to deal specifically with hate crime legislation. We need to make sure that misogyny is not used as an excuse for violence. There is too much violence in our society. There is far too much violence against women. What do we — particularly the men in Northern Ireland — say to our young daughters, our wives, our mothers and our sisters? We have to acknowledge that we have a significant problem and have to deal with it. There is no point in putting it off further and further. We must all work collectively to make sure that such tragedies do not happen again. We must make sure that the authorities, no matter where they are, really listen and deal with the issue when people come to them and say that there is a significant issue that needs to be dealt with.”
“I, too, state our condolences to the families on the loss of Karen and Stacey. I note the remarks of our Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey, who has talked about the sadness and shock that this has caused across the whole community. The fact that here we are talking in the Assembly about violence against women in its worst form underlines what a significant issue we have in Northern Ireland, particularly with domestic violence and violence against women. The fact that we are having to debate this when we are still waiting for a strategy to deal with crimes against women says something about all of us: we have failed. <BR /> <BR />This kind of thing should not happen. When concerns are raised with authorities, they should be dealt with and dealt with swiftly so that such tragedies do not occur.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. I want to highlight the fact that the Ulster Unionist Party supports building the graduate medical school at the Magee campus. Obviously, one of our biggest problems is trying to recruit and retain medical professionals, and anything that we can do to speed up the building of the medical school will be useful.”
“I thank the deputy First Minister for her comments and answers. Obviously, one of the most fundamental questions that we have is about public confidence in the Executive and the political messaging that is needed going forward to have it. Will the First and deputy First Ministers assure us and the people of Northern Ireland that they will maintain the message and have their political parties roll in behind it?”
“I am just glad that he does not want to put a bridge over the top of it, like you want to do at Narrow Water.”
“The Minister, as a former Finance Committee Chairperson who denied accelerated passage for a Budget No. 2 Bill in 2012, is, indeed, sincere in wanting to find such a way forward. In the meantime, and on behalf of the Committee, I commend the Second Stage of the Budget Bill to the House in the hope that, next time, we will all be able to do much better.”
“For Education, there are concerns about special educational needs and the school restart programme. <BR /> <BR />Much of the feedback from the Committees refers to unfunded bids and an over-reliance on in-year monitoring. It seems that, every year, the Budget process is different, and it seems that, every year, there is a different reason for that. It also seems that this year will be the same as all the others, despite COVID and the increase in funding from our Exchequer. <BR /> <BR />The Committee hopes that the independent fiscal council, coupled with a new memorandum of understanding between the Executive and the Assembly, possibly backed up by legislation, may offer us a way out of a process that I cannot believe that anyone finds satisfactory. Whether it be for 2020-21 or 2021-22, there has to be a better way to do Budget scrutiny.”
“The funding is yet to be determined for the victims' pension scheme that will be administered by the Department of Justice, and the Minister of Finance has advised that the actual estimate may be anywhere between £600 million and £1·2 billion over the lifetime of the scheme. All Members agree that the continuing absence of clarity on that issue is not acceptable. <BR /> <BR />For Agriculture, there are concerns regarding a number of relatively modest but very important and unfunded bids, including those relating to pillar 2 replacement funding and bovine tuberculosis eradication. For Health, there is the absence of funding to support the post-pandemic catch-up necessary for hospital waiting lists as well as concerns about delayed transformation programmes.”
“Some of us had assumed that capital would be used to jump-start economic activity in 2021-22, and that, coupled with a large number of related and currently unfunded Department for the Economy resource bids, is most worrying. <BR /> <BR />I will now turn to other resource issues. The Department for Communities shortfall in its draft resource budget is projected to be significant. The absence of COVID support schemes and labour interventions for that Department may lead to substantial delays in the receipt of benefits when furlough ends and an unavoidable increase in AME spending on social security. That appears to look like a false economy. <BR /> <BR />Turning to the Department of Justice, there is an alarming possibility of a cut to PSNI numbers instead of the promised increase.”
“The Committee gratefully received feedback from all the Statutory Committees that, despite the short timescale, have done their best to interrogate departmental submissions. The Chairpersons of those Committees will undoubtedly and — I am sure looking around me — eloquently refer to the pressures that their Departments face. I will, therefore, merely give the House the key points. <BR /> <BR />It is surprising that Infrastructure has received far less capital in the draft Budget than it sought, and that, consequently, it may be unable to fund in full the capital aspects of Northern Ireland Water's draft determination.”
“Nonetheless, if Standing Orders are to be fulfilled in a manner that ensures transparency in Budget scrutiny, a new approach is definitely required. That may involve a new Budget memorandum of understanding between the Assembly and the Executive and a very clear role for an independent fiscal council. I suspect, however, that, in order to manage what appears to be a perennially uncertain process, new legislation will be required. <BR /> <BR />As I indicated previously, the Vote on Account provides legal cover for spending in 2021-22, which can include new services. Although no such new services are footnoted in the Vote on Account, I will, as is usual, now make remarks on the draft Budget for 2021-22.”
“Unspent resources apparently amount to hundreds of millions of pounds, which has necessitated a special carry-over arrangement with HM Treasury. The Committee still awaits clarity on the unspent resources for the current financial year. I have no doubt that the Minister will furnish us with those details as soon as they are available. <BR /> <BR />With all of that going on, it is not surprising that the Committee did not feel appropriately consulted. To be clear, the Department and Minister have engaged cooperatively and have genuinely sought to explain. Most of the difficulties were probably not of the Department's making. Instead, they were often the product of circumstances or difficulties at the Executive.”
“Additionally, uptake of some schemes was much lower than expected, and some important sectors and individuals have, with some justification, felt overlooked. That having been said, the Minister gave us some hope yesterday that that situation might yet be addressed for some. <BR /> <BR />The upshot of all the additional money, new support schemes and underspending on other, non-pandemic-related services has been a little bit complex, to say the least. We have had multiple allocations outside of the usual in-year monitoring rounds. We have had three — not two — Budget Bills and a significant reconciliation between the Main Estimates and the spring Supplementary Estimates, including around £1 billion of headroom being included in the latter.”
“For the present financial year, I advised the House yesterday of the unique situation in which the Executive have found themselves. A global pandemic found its way to Northern Ireland. Many people lost their lives. Sadly, many continue to do so. Many others have suffered emotional and financial loss as a consequence of the pandemic. <BR /> <BR />The Executive received from our Government very substantial additional support, which was most welcome. That enabled the provision of numerous support schemes for hard-pressed individuals, families and businesses. In that regard, there is much to be welcomed in the Executive's financial response to the crisis. There were, however, also issues with Land and Property Services (LPS) effectively retooling itself from a collection agency to a distribution agency.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Assembly may find it notable that, whereas some advances had been repaid in 2021, others were not, thus leading to the facility becoming almost exhausted. As one can imagine, that is a highly unsatisfactory outcome, which, to some degree, replicates the experience of this time last year, despite the extra £3·3 billion that was made available from our Exchequer. I anticipate therefore that some Members might seek to remedy the situation either through the good offices of the Committee on Procedures or through a suitable legislative vehicle. <BR /> <BR />I will turn now to the substance of the Bill. The proposed legislation provides legal cover for expenditure in 2021 and, insofar as it refers to the Vote on Account, also provides legal cover for some spending in 2021-22.”
“Members noted with concern that, despite the very significant additional cash that has been available throughout the year, the cash-advance facility had reportedly been almost exhausted by February 2021. Consequently, it was understood that, if accelerated passage had been denied to the Budget Bill, Departments would literally have run out of money before the end of March, thus endangering essential services, possibly including COVID-19 supports. Members had not been warned of that and learned of it, with some alarm, only at the very recent Committee meeting. Members felt that, faced with the possibility of essential services stopping, they had no option other than to accede to the Minister's request for accelerated passage.”
“The answer lies with the use of section 6 of the Financial Provisions (Northern Ireland) Order 1998. That legislation provides the cover for the Department to make cash advances from the Consolidated Fund.”
“I thank the Minister for his remarks. With your indulgence, Mr Deputy Speaker, before I make my remarks on the Second Stage of the Budget Bill on behalf of the Committee for Finance, I would like to briefly comment on the question of accelerated passage. <BR /> <BR />The Committee for Finance is in a unique position in respect of the requirement for it to provide confirmation to you, Mr Deputy Speaker, on the public expenditure proposals covered by the Budget Bill. When we were considering the matter, it was evident that the majority of Committee members did not feel that they had been appropriately consulted in respect of the relevant public expenditure proposals. Why, then, did I, as Chairperson of the Committee, write to you in order to indicate the contrary?”
“Thanks very much indeed for giving way. I must declare that I am a member of Unite. My staff, who are union members, have, in the past, expressed their concerns about the fact that they lack support. Speaking on behalf of my staff and other trade union members, I can say that they, too, are delighted that our staff are being paid what they are worth.”
“It did not say that in 'New Decade, New Approach'.”
“Thank you very much, Mr Deputy Speaker. Obviously, we are all against fantasy bridges, tunnels and roundabouts. Will the Minister say why she is still committed to the Narrow Water bridge when, in fact, she should be using that investment to deal with the infrastructure problems on our roads?”
“We have an opportunity to make sure that victims know when that money is due to come to them. Expectations that were raised last week in the Finance Committee have been changed by comments and clarifications from the Department. It is beholden on us to make sure that that much-needed money for the victims of terrorism gets to them.”
“<BR /> <BR />It is also important that I, as Chairperson, warmly welcome the rates holiday for businesses and recognise the challenge that LPS has had to rise to in respect of the provision of a programme of rates relief. On behalf of the Committee, I endorse both Supply Resolution motions. <BR /> <BR />I will make a few short remarks in my capacity as the Ulster Unionist Party spokesperson on finance. During the reading of the Supply Estimates, and at last week's Committee meeting, there was much discussion about support for the victims' payment scheme. One of the issues that has exercised many Members and victims is the matter of when the funding to victims is likely to happen. This month marks the 49th anniversary of the despicable attack on the Abercorn bar. Jennifer McNern, whom some Members will know, is still waiting.”
“Members have had concerns about the speed of payments and the limited support for some hard-pressed and, apparently, forgotten sectors. That said, the Committee was pleased by the rapid disbursal of support, well in excess of £100 million, which took place between December and January. The Department retains headroom of £300 million to cover the possible costs of additional support measures. Perhaps, the Minister might tell us a little more, if he can, about what he has in that regard, particularly for the sectors, such as the travel industry and driving schools, that have not yet benefited significantly. Every Member can give examples of small and medium-sized companies that have had difficulties.”
“The Department advises that existing services should be read as including not only services for which sums have been appropriated before 31 March 2021, but services in respect of which specific legislation has recently been passed or is under consideration. Thus, the Vote on Account is not always simply a financial float that allows things to continue as they are for the first few months of the next financial year. It can be more than that: it can allow other new services to start. Even if that is not the case this year, the Vote on Account is always worthy of the scrutiny of the Committee and the House. <BR /> <BR />The Department of Finance has benefited from additional allocations of over £200 million to cover the cost of business support measures, including the localised restrictions support scheme.”
“<BR /> <BR />In order to allow for departmental flexibility in that regard, the Estimates show a headroom of almost £1 billion, even though the available resource is considerably less than that. Members and, sometimes, officials have struggled to keep abreast of the multiple allocations and to understand the use of headroom in the Estimates. I ask the Minister to provide, in his response, a further explanation of the latter and, perhaps, to issue an epilogue to the Estimates that will provide a final record of where the most recent allocations have been made in 2021. <BR /> <BR />It is understood that the Vote on Account provides finance to allow existing services to continue in the early months of 2021-22 pending the passage of the Budget (No. 2) Bill.”
“The subsequent Executive allocations often had to be made at short notice and outside the usual monitoring round process. <BR /> <BR />Furthermore, and as we are aware, the Executive apparently find themselves, even now, with a considerable underspend of sums of, perhaps, over £500 million. Thanks to the special carry-over arrangements with HM Treasury, some of that will be spent in 2021-22. However, it seems that quite a lot of money remains to be disbursed in the current financial year. The Committee has recently urged the Minister to work with his Executive colleagues to bring forward new schemes, or bolster existing schemes, particularly for under-supported business sectors, in order to use up the money and to help other good and applicable causes.”
“In tomorrow's debate, I will, with your indulgence, address this further and speak fairly briefly on the issues relating to accelerated passage for the Budget Bill. For now, I will address the Supply resolutions. <BR /> <BR />To put it mildly, this has been an unusual year. In order to deal with the very serious regional consequences of the global pandemic, our Government have made significant additional sums available to the Executive. There have also been some underspends as various functions have had to stop or be curtailed and the associated finances have had to be redirected. That has made the reconciliation of the Main Estimates and the spring Supplementary Estimates utterly different from previous years, and allocations from the UK Government have been in excess of the £3 billion of resources.”