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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“Members were informed that the legislation would establish the date of census, the area to be covered, the persons who have to complete returns, the persons who should be included in those returns and the questions that should be asked. It also proposed that the census should be, as has already been briefed, held on 21 March. Obviously, that will be subject to any potential COVID restrictions that may then occur. <BR /> <BR />Members then questioned officials and received assurances on the steps that had been taken to ensure the accuracy of the register on which the census is based. The census will include a number of new topics, including a household question on renewable heat systems, an adult question on apprenticeships completed and an adult question on sexual orientation, which will not be compulsory.”
“The Census Order (Northern Ireland) 2020 is made under powers conferred by the Census Act, which specifies that the First Minister and deputy First Minister must direct the censuses taken. The Chairperson of the Committee for the Executive Office has summarised the anomaly that resulted in the scrutiny of the legislation falling on two Statutory Committees. The Committee for Finance was asked to scrutinise the general policy proposals and then write to the Committee for the Executive Office to advise whether it was content. It then fell to the latter to consider the draft order. <BR /> <BR />The Committee for Finance received oral evidence from the register general on the statutory rule on 18 March 2020 at the SL1 stage.”
“I declare an interest as a member of the board of governors of Kilbride Central Primary School and as the parent of my young children at that school. <BR /> <BR />I thank the Minister for the much-needed investment in all the 16 schools but, in particular, for the three in my constituency, Kilbride, St Comgall's and Hill Croft. Where possible, I would like him to commit to expediting the construction work on the schools, because it is vital for our construction sector and what we are trying to do.”
“<BR /> <BR />Related to that issue, the Minister indicated that the Executive have agreed to allow Ministers to set aside the current in-year de minimis rules in reporting any flex in their budgets of over £1 million. Can the Minister please undertake to write to the Committee Chairs, giving details of the decision of the Executive and any guidelines on reviewing the decision as the pressures of COVID-19, hopefully, recede?”
“Does this indicate that the Minister, as part of a wider review of the rating system, is intending to keep the scale of domestic rates under review? <BR /> <BR />We welcome the support being afforded to businesses, especially during the current circumstances. However, is the Minister considering extending the COVID-19 mitigation measures beyond the current three-month period to the same length of time as the rest of the United Kingdom? On COVID-19, the Minister has indicated that an additional £792 million, as well as the previous £120 million, is being made available. It will be interesting to see how these funds are being distributed in order to ensure that the necessary resources are instantly available to respond to new or emerging pressures on those most in need.”
“Despite some of the necessary measures that we are taking, I can assure the House, on behalf of the Finance Committee and other Committees, that we will continue, to the best of our abilities, to make sure that the moneys entrusted to us are appropriately spent. <BR /> <BR />However, we have several specific questions, firstly on Budget allocations. Whilst we note that you stated that the block grant is some £360 million below pre-austerity levels, Departments are largely seeing an uplift in their Budget allocations. The Executive Office alone will see an increase of over 70%. Perhaps the Minister can set out the reasons for such a significant increase. <BR /> <BR />On rates, the Minister stated that domestic rates are relatively low, whereas business rates are extremely high.”
“I thank the Minister for earlier sight of his statement today, and for meeting me as Chair of the Committee to discuss it. <BR /> <BR />These are indeed unprecedented times. While we deal with this crisis, it will be appropriate for us to welcome the additional £912 million of funding. I also take the opportunity to thank our national Government for taking decisive action to help our workers, both employed and self-employed, and to support our economy to allow, hopefully, a swift recovery from the current predicament. <BR /> <BR />It is also important that we, as an Assembly, take time, even in this crisis, to continue to scrutinise the allocation of our Budget.”
“For our excellent Health Minister and his Department, other Ministers, Departments and our very system of government itself, we will be tested heavily in the coming weeks and, let us be honest, months ahead, but I and my team across Northern Ireland will help to do what is right for all our people regardless of the challenges ahead. We support the measure and the amendment.”
“That is to ensure the intent of this necessary legislation is not abused. <BR /> <BR />At this juncture, I and my party give our heartfelt thanks to all our health staff and those across the public and voluntary sectors who have unstintingly risen to the challenge of COVID-19. This, indeed, shows the best of our society joined together for us all. It is their spirit, supported by the people of Northern Ireland, that will help us prevail. <BR /> <BR />Finally, I will direct my comments to the Northern Ireland Executive. Over the last 72 hours, we have seen a commendable and much-needed solidarity of approach. The Ulster Unionist Party will play its role in making sure that there is strong support for the Northern Ireland Executive.”
“Hopefully, we will be able to step back from many of the provisions in the Act, but we must be prepared not just for now but for the medium and the longer term. We welcome the opportunity to revisit this legislation in six months, as, I believe, will the people of Northern Ireland, who will be rightly concerned if these provisions prevailed unnecessarily. <BR /> <BR />My friend and colleague Mike Nesbitt will refer in more detail to some of those issues later in the debate, but, to paraphrase, provisions on mental health, on the registration or, should I say, re-registration of medical staff, the need to ensure continuity of food supply, restrictions on public gatherings and powers to detain potentially infected people are just some of the areas that my party will pay special attention to over the forthcoming weeks and months.”
“<BR /> <BR />Turning specifically to the LCM, there are several issues that we are raising about specific parts of the legislation. Our party spokespersons will have raised those issues in Committees or directly with Departments, but they are worthy of noting here. In the context of what was to be the two-year scope of the Bill, we welcome amendments that were brought in Westminster yesterday that will allow review every six months. Even a cursory examination of the Bill shows that it gives considerable powers to the Executive and individual Ministers to take actions that could, if not used judiciously, be seen to be taking away rights and liberties that we have all enjoyed. However, we are not living in normal times.”
“They cannot say that they have not been warned. <BR /> <BR />It is now indisputable that many people will die. Many people will have their health irreparably damaged. Only with direct action by everyone will that toll of morbidity be reduced. I fear that only when the death toll rises will that selfish and ignorant minority realise that they have exacerbated the health crisis; by which stage, it may be too late. Even at this late stage, we can change our attitude and approach. Just by doing the appropriate social distancing, washing hands, not panic buying and listening to advice, everyone has the opportunity to be a lifesaver. To all those who are watching and listening, I say this: act now and become a lifesaver.”
“<BR /> <BR />The reason why we need to do that is not just because of the virus but because of the actions of an irresponsible minority who seem to be incapable of understanding even the most basic requirements to keep us all safe. The simplest of messages, clear though they are, seem to miss many people who think that, in some way, they are immune or will be infected only moderately, which demonstrates not only a cavalier attitude to their own health but, selfishly, to that of their families, friends and the many vulnerable people in society. <BR /> <BR />For those who think that going to an outdoor market at a disused airfield, having a rave on a beach or breaching social distancing at house parties, there is bad news: over one third of those with COVID-19 are under the age of 40, and two thirds are under the age of 70.”
“I rise as leader of the Ulster Unionist Party to support the legislative consent motion to pass the Coronavirus Bill, and the amendment. May I also join with others to pass on my party's condolences to the bereaved. <BR /> <BR />Unfortunately, the legislation is a regrettable necessity. We need it in order to safeguard all the people of Northern Ireland. In normal circumstances, a Bill of that magnitude and impact would warrant many weeks of detailed scrutiny and would raise a considerable number of questions, not least about its scope and impact. However, these are not normal times. In view of the global impacts of COVID-19, it is important that we fast-track this necessary legislation in order to allow our Government, our Departments and those who provide vital public services the legislative power to do what is required.”
“I declare an interest as vice-president of Mossley Hockey Club. I would like her Department to ensure that, in the expansion of Mossley halt, a full consultation is carried out with the community, including the hockey club, on how traffic management will be conducted and, while expanding this great facility, how disruption to a long-suffering community will be diminished. <BR /> <BR />I would be delighted, along with Pam, to extend an invitation for you to visit both our club and our electric charging unit at the railway station, which you can plug your vehicle into, but it would be better if you came by train.”
“In the discussions about reforming the petition of concern, the First Minister was rightly against the expert input from the Human Rights Commission. Why are you supportive of its expert input in this case?”
“Just for the sake of clarity: would it not be better if it was in one Department rather than two?”
“I thank the Minister for that. For Members' clarification: does that mean that, when we are looking at black boxes, we are double-accounting between two Departments?”
“We will continue to press for good public services, but we must change from constantly asking to be bailed out by the rest of our nation. We should be setting a priority for restoring Northern Ireland to the path of prosperity rather than dependency. As MLAs, we now have a major task ahead of us, and a future responsibility for a realistic Programme for Government will be an appropriate starting point.”
“Are our social housing, our mental health provision, our support to our armed forces veterans even adequate? The answer to all these points, I am afraid, is a categorical "No". We need to change. We need to change our culture of dependency and, at long last, to make the right decisions for all our people. <BR /> <BR />As I have outlined, while we reluctantly agree to the Budget, we must now with urgency, if we are to move to effective future multi-year budgeting, introduce more than a sense of realism into our fiscal management. We must also, again with proper weighting and the rest of it and a degree of urgency, change the culture of inefficiency, lack of accountability and responsibility and, frankly, profligate waste.”
“As to the free money that some seem to be wedded to, when we have access to £100 million-plus of financial transactions capital, we cannot even spend it. <BR /> <BR />As politicians, we have collectively failed the people of Northern Ireland. We now have the option to start putting that right. The blank chequebook is no more, and the Finance Minister's party, if it ever gets into power in the Irish Republic, will discover that. Fiscal accountability and responsible spending must be the new normal. We must put an end to pet projects and actually deliver for the people of Northern Ireland. Per head of population across all these islands — north, south, east or west — we have the highest government spending. Can we really say that we have the best healthcare, education, public transport, universities or even roads?”
“We must demonstrate that there is accountability and responsibility for all of our expenditure. <BR /> <BR />We are entering a period where no political parties can shirk their responsibilities. Can we really afford £28 million for an office of identity or whatever when the roofs of our schools leak and our public transport system is about to go bust? Are we really going to spend £150 million-plus on investigating the past, while struggling to recruit and retain 7,500 police officers that we need now? How much more will we allocate and spend on extortionate university cost overruns, when one of our biggest exports is our children, who would rather go to a university across in Great Britain, while we still manage to pay vice-chancellors nearly £250,000 a year in salaries?”
“Indeed, we have even managed to spend close on £80 million on the A5 and not one square metre of tarmac has been laid. That is nothing short of a disgrace. <BR /> <BR />Now, we are considering the Budget Bill that we, as MLAs, have been asked to pass; reluctantly, I ask them to do so. However, we should do that on the basis of a Programme for Government that has been properly assessed and tested for affordability. Since the Stormont House Agreement, the Ulster Unionist Party has called for a fiscal council, probably so-called because some parties could not accept that we must, indeed, have an office for budget responsibility as in other regions of these islands. Such a council would independently report on the affordability and value for money that our public moneys provide.”
“They are resources that are provided by our taxes and those of our companies and businesses through our payments of rates and VAT here and across all of our great nation. The fact that some of it is in the form of annually managed expenditure or AME does not mean that it is free cash, despite what some parties may think. A fundamental question has to be this: do we get value for money from our public moneys? Do we effectively manage that money? Clearly, in the words of the Northern Ireland Audit Office report on major infrastructure projects, we do not:”
“All of us, as MLAs, owe the people an apology for our collective failure to tackle the problems that have been developing not just over the last couple of years but over the last decade; indeed, the failure to make critical decisions on education, health, infrastructure, housing, the economy and more have demonstrated the failings of our fragmented and, I am afraid, stagnated decision-making process. While there is, perhaps, a justifiable belief in some quarters that Northern Ireland has been overly subjected to the vagaries of austerity and shortfalls in commitments, we have to understand that, in our public finances, our Administration have grossly mismanaged the moneys — in some cases, beyond negligence.”
“Mr Speaker, I start with an apology for not being in my place this morning. I thank my able deputy, Paul Frew, for stepping in at short notice and for making the statement on the Budget Bill today. I also echo the fine words of my fellow member of the Committee. I promise you, Mr Speaker, that we have not coordinated our remarks, but many of mine will be very similar in what we are trying to say and what we are going to do. <BR /> <BR />As we have seen in recent days, there is considerable disquiet in Northern Ireland about the extent of our funding crisis.”
“<BR /> <BR />The motion on the Vote on Account for 2020-21 is a practical measure that usually provides interim resources at approximately 45% of the 2019-2020 provisions until the Main Estimates and associated Budget Bill are agreed before the summer. As I will outline in tomorrow's debate on the Second Stage of the Budget Bill, the Committee for Finance has approved accelerated passage for the Bill, which will be introduced by the Minister later. In the meantime, on behalf of the Committee for Finance, I support the motions.”
“It is essential that all scrutiny Committees continue to satisfy themselves as to the reasons for, as well as the timing of, any significant levels of easement or returns of moneys during the in-year monitoring process, and that the necessary assurances have been received from Departments on any and all Committee concerns. <BR /> <BR />As I said earlier, in terms of the scrutiny of departmental input to the in-year monitoring rounds, the Assembly was not sitting during that time, and therefore has been unable to receive the associated departmental evidence sessions in advance of the June, October and January monitoring rounds. As we move into the new financial year, the Committee will take a keen interest not only in the Department's financial management of its own resources but in its coordination role in the in-year monitoring process.”
“I have no doubt that, over the remainder of this mandate, we will be faced with many challenges, necessitating focused financial scrutiny that will require Committees to work collaboratively with Departments. However, this must be underpinned by the fostering of relationships and a recognition by all Departments that there needs to be a robust challenge function by the Assembly to ensure that, in discharging our duties, we maximise the limited resources available to us to focus on the best possible outcomes in delivering our public services. <BR /> <BR />To achieve that, statutory Committees must continue to ensure that they fulfil their Budget-related statutory roles and responsibilities.”
“<BR /> <BR />Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Committee's discussions with departmental officials also covered a range of issues in respect of how future scrutiny will be facilitated by Departments for the forthcoming in-year monitoring rounds, as well as the departmental engagement that the Assembly and its Committees can expect in the formation of future draft Budgets. <BR /> <BR />During the Second Stage debate tomorrow I will go into more detail on the assurances that we received, but I wish to inform the House that there would appear to be a genuine desire to engage productively and meaningfully with the Assembly in order to facilitate robust financial scrutiny.”
“The political instability that occurred over recent years meant, that in the absence of the Assembly and Committees, the process, as has already been mentioned by the Minister, was overseen by the Secretary of State. It was important for the Finance Committee to establish clarity on these significant adjustments as it exercises a cross-cutting scrutiny function in respect of Budget Bills. Moreover, the scale of these technical changes, combined with the cumulative changes resulting from the normal reallocation through monitoring rounds will, in some cases, have resulted in significant differences between the opening and closing resource and capital allocations of Departments.”
“It was an exercise during which the Committee received clarification from departmental officials on the extent of the in-year changes to the resource and capital allocations for 2019-2020 for a number of Departments, particularly as those changes occurred while the Assembly was not sitting. In some instances, the figures involved were substantial. I shall not get into the specific figures for individual Departments on the in-year movement of money, suffice it to note that just over £150 million was made in resource allocations and almost £64 million in capital allocations. <BR /> <BR />It is important to place on the record that, under the prevailing extenuating circumstances, neither I nor the Committee considers the business being debated today to be routine in the traditional sense.”
“I thank the Minister for his opening remarks and for his explanation of the spring Supplementary Estimates and, indeed, the Vote on Account. At its meeting on 19 February, the Committee for Finance took evidence from Department of Finance officials on the SSEs for 2019-2020 and the Vote on Account for 2020-21. Although those are typically considered routine requirements, they can, by necessity, be quite technical. I thank the departmental officials for their assistance to the Committee in that regard. <BR /> <BR />During the evidence session, the Committee examined the reconciliation between the departmental expenditure limit (DEL) figures in the Main Estimate Budget position and the SSE Budget position before us today.”
“Can the Minister outline any discussions he has had with the Royal Navy, the Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency or the Isle of Man Government to protect our waters from foreign vessels that could fish in our areas from 1 January next year?”
“The Minister will be aware of the all-party opposition to the Hightown incinerator. Will he, unlike his predecessor, commit now and state categorically that he will not ask the Executive to subsidise perversely the amount of waste that may not have gone to the Hightown incinerator, in such a way that they would have been asked to subsidise Arc21 for renewable heat energy that was not going to produce any renewables, any heat and definitely not any energy?”
“I thank the deputy First Minister for her answer. As the deputy First Minister knows, Ministers are bound by the ministerial code, particularly the Pledge of Office, which in paragraph 1.4 (cg) and paragraph 1.4 (ci) refer particularly to paramiltarism and paramilitary attempts to control communities. As the Finance Minister has previously stated that he spoke to the IRA, will he now give that information to the PSNI and an Garda Síochána? If he does not, will the deputy First Minister agree that the Minister of Finance would then be in breach of the code and would have him stand down?”
“He is survived by his family, and we wish them all the best wishes.”
“Indeed, he will probably be looking down now with amusement as there was one time in the Assembly where he made a short contribution in Welsh, and a Member from Sinn Féin congratulated him on his fluency in Irish. Adamson corrected him:”
“He was also the MLA for East Belfast between 1998 and 2003 and was a founder member of the Somme Association. In addition to his political career, he was a medical doctor and had a keen interest and provided a wealth of knowledge in the field of history, particularly local history and Ulster Scots. As many of us can testify, he was the author of numerous books and papers. He made a huge contribution to cultural and political life and will be greatly missed by all his friends in the party. Indeed, Lord Empey, who served with Dr Adamson in both City Hall and Stormont, said he had :”
“<BR /> <BR />Following his retirement in 2011, he championed the cause of special needs education and, something that was very dear to his heart, he served as a chaplain to the Ulster Defence Regiment Association and was president of the mid-Antrim branch of the Ulster Special Constabulary Association. Rev Dr Coulter passed away on 5 September 2018 after a long battle with cancer. We remember him very fondly, and we pass on our prayers and good wishes to his surviving family. <BR /> <BR />Dr Ian Adamson was a former Ulster Unionist Party Lord Mayor of Belfast who died in Belfast. He was a man of many talents and interests. He represented the Victoria electoral area on Belfast City Council from 1989 to 2011 and served as Lord Mayor, Deputy Lord Mayor and High Sheriff.”
“He was part of the team in the background that laid the negotiation foundations for what was to become the Belfast Agreement in 1998, and he was elected as a North Antrim Assembly Member in 1998, a seat he was to hold until his retirement in 2011. During his entire Assembly career, he was a member of the Assembly Commission. <BR /> <BR />He was also active in the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, which saw him represent the Assembly at conferences at India, Australia and Canada. In the Assembly, he also served on the Health Committee and on the Employment and Learning Committee and was our party spokesman on both portfolios during his time on those Committees. In 2010, he was awarded an MBE for his services to the Commission and to the Assembly.”
“On behalf of the rest of the Members from the Ulster Unionist Party, I pay tribute to all our Members, but in particular to Rev Robert Coulter and Dr Ian Adamson. <BR /> <BR />Rev Coulter was a man of faith who served in the Assembly from just before its formation in 1996, when he was elected to the Northern Ireland Forum for Political Dialogue, where he served as the UUP Chief Whip. He had a long political career. In 1985, Robert was elected as a UUP councillor to Ballymena Borough Council. He retained his seat in 1989, and, in 1993, was re-elected to the council and also elected as the first UUP Mayor of Ballymena since the early 1970s. He served as first citizen of Ballymena from 1993 to 1996.”
“I join others in welcoming the Minister to the post. I have just one issue. How many RHI boiler installations have been inspected to date, and how many have been found to be compliant?”
“Will de minimis aid continue to be an issue now that we are no longer a member of the EU?”
“will the First Minister and deputy First Minister give assurances that they will update the Assembly on progress regularly through the proper channels, and not go straight to the media?”
“If we are, in the Prime Minister's words today, and pardon the accent:”
“We must get the best deal for all of us in Northern Ireland. We must have the best deal for every single citizen in Northern Ireland. To that end, we must work together, but there are only 11 months to go. There is a lot to do in a very short time. Now is the time for all political parties and everybody to gather together to make that happen.”
“<BR /> <BR />However, it is good to see, at long last, that the Northern Ireland Executive have set up a Brexit subcommittee after two weeks. It is one of the most fundamental issues we have and one of the most significant things we have to deal with. We have heard much of Norway, Switzerland, Australia and Canada-plus-plus-plus, but the Executive and the political parties, the wider community in Northern Ireland, the business community, agribusiness and academia, who actually understand the issues rather than just delivering rhetoric, must join together to get the best position for Northern Ireland. What I want to hear from now on is Northern Ireland-plus not Canada-minus or Australia-plus. We must do what is best for Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />I was a Remainer, but the reality is that the United Kingdom has left the European Union.”
“It is very clear that the United Kingdom has now left the European Union. Today, I have had the opportunity to listen to the Prime Minister's so-called vision for a trade deal. He is saying that there is no need for the UK to follow Brussels's rules, which creates more than a degree of uncertainty here in Northern Ireland, because, no matter what the rest of our country is doing, Northern Ireland will be following the majority of Brussels's rules as we go forward. <BR /> <BR />Indeed, today, we heard from one of the ferry companies, Stena Line, that it is looking at how it is going to manage potential customs borders and posts in the ports of Larne, Cairnryan, Birkenhead and other places. That should be a matter of considerable concern about where we are going to as well.”
“I thank the Minister for his statement and welcome him to his appointment. We look forward to working with the Minister and his Department and hope that the teething problems that we have had so far around the provision of information will prove to be just that; indeed, in the spirit and intent of 'New Decade, New Approach', we look forward to working cooperatively with the full openness and transparency that you have expressed that you wish to work for as well. <BR /> <BR />Will the Minister set out how, over the past few years, in the absence of a Finance Minister, the initial year-on-year budget allocations were arrived at and how in-year monitoring has been carried out so far?”