Maurice Bradley
East Londonderry · Democratic Unionist Party · Northern Ireland
“The proposal to establish formally the post of Commissioner for Victims and Witnesses of Crime, which is efficiently held in designate form by Geraldine Hanna at the moment, has the potential to provide victims with a stronger voice and ensure that public bodies are held to account for the services that they provide.”
“Good intentions alone are not enough. <BR /> <BR />I would argue that victims must never become an afterthought in our justice system, whether that be when considering road traffic offences, violence against women and girls, child criminal exploitation, hate crime or sentencing reform.”
“I will speak as a DUP member of the Justice Committee on the Second Stage of the Victims and Witnesses of Crime Bill. For me, the Bill is not simply about creating another office or changing another piece of legislation; it is about people.”
“<BR /> <BR />As the Bill progresses through Committee Stage, I will approach its policy objectives with an open mind. I look forward to hearing directly from victims' organisations, witnesses, legal professionals and criminal justice agencies. Where the Bill can be strengthened, it should be strengthened.”
“One of the comments that I hear most often is not about what happened but about how people felt afterwards. They felt forgotten, left in the dark and like just another case number moving slowly through a system that they did not understand. That should concern every one of us. Justice should not end when an offender is charged.”
“Minister, you have partially answered my question, but it was really about the fact that, when services are centralised in the greater Belfast area, services are denied to those elsewhere in the Province. There has been a continued reduction in services across Northern Ireland because of their centralisation in Belfast.”
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“I rise to speak on this disturbing report. It is not pleasant reading. While no one is above the law and all should be subject to the law, the report is strong in both supposition and allegation. I think of friends in the RUC who were murdered, blown up, maimed and left with severe disabilities. In my area, an IRA bomb explosion on the street where I worked killed six innocent civilians, mainly pensioners. I will never forget my memories of that day. <BR /> <BR />I feel strongly that all victims of the atrocities that were carried out in Northern Ireland throughout the Troubles should be remembered. Anyone who breaks the law should be subject to the law, be they RUC officer or terrorist. I extend my sympathy to any family that lost a loved one during the Troubles, no matter what their background or where they come from.”
“I thank the Minister for his very welcome announcement. I hold Foyle Search and Rescue very dear. In my constituency, it, along with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), provides a valuable service in the River Bann and along the north coastline. I am well aware of the work that both organisations and others do. <BR /> <BR />Minister, do you agree that the funding will help to reduce some of the pressure on those organisations? As was mentioned, many of them are run by dedicated volunteers with no aim but to save lives. The funding will provide fantastic equipment, such as thermal imaging cameras, that can be used to save lives.”
“I thank the Minister for his statement. You touched on this, Minister, but I was heartened recently when a number of rural halls in my area received funding via the rural halls refurbishment scheme. While I welcome that capital support, I believe that it needs to go much further. Many volunteers who are involved in rural halls have felt despondent and that their work has been undervalued. The scheme has helped to encourage, build and utilise infrastructure, including that already in place, but a priority should be placed on rebuilding rural communities, especially in light of their isolation as a result of COVID-19. Does the Minister agree that the scheme should be expanded?”
“Thank you very much, Mr Deputy Speaker, and thanks to the Minister for her answers so far. I appreciate that childcare is a cross-departmental issue. How is the Department working with the Department of Health to support the childcare sector?”
“I thank the Minister for the comprehensive answer. Perhaps we will hear the rest of it later. <BR /> <BR />Minister, it is my understanding that over 300,000 homes throughout Northern Ireland are eligible, yet only 300 applications are being processed each day. People are experiencing frustration when they try to get on to the website or get through by phone. I think that we will be in this situation for some time to come, so is it apt for you to look at setting up a multi-agency task force to deal with the problem immediately and on an ongoing basis?”
“I thank the deputy First Minister for her response. Undoubtedly, recent restrictions will have an impact on consumer demand and the travel agents' recovery. I know of one travel agent who is on his own and runs his own business: he has had to pay back £50,000. In lieu of that, can the Minister's Department influence the Department for the Economy in order to rejuvenate the scheme that it once had?”
“I thank the Minister for her statement. Minister, you have outlined the basis for the action that you are taking. Will you outline the key findings of the review that prompted your decisive action?”
“Neither he nor I would be here today because we would be in jail.”
“Thank you very much, Mr Deputy Speaker. I shall be brief.”
“Ask anybody in here from a country background like me what a fox can do if it gets into a henhouse. It does not kill for food; it kills every hen in the henhouse. That is cruel, but it is the fox's instinct. We are making legislation to curb animal instinct but not that of the fox. The fox has no natural enemies that I am aware of; it has to be culled. It is a pest. The grey squirrel is a pest and rats and mice are pests, so I cannot understand why the legislation is trying to protect a fox. Yes, I have reservations about hunting with packs of dogs, as does everybody of a right mind, but the issue is the damage that foxes do to the countryside. <BR /> <BR />If Mr Allister and I had walked our dogs across the countryside and they took off because they were not on the lead, we are country people —”
“I thank the Member for giving way. I, too, have reservations about hunting foxes with packs of dogs. However, like the Member opposite, I have had dogs all my life, mostly golden retrievers. As the Member himself will know, you cannot keep them out of water and you cannot keep them from chasing wild animals; it is their natural instinct. My last dog was a Newfoundland, which is a heck of a bit bigger but a dog that is more in love with the water. <BR /> <BR />I have reservations about the Bill and cannot support it in its current form. I agree that it is cruel to chase an animal to exhaustion and rip it apart if you catch it — that is cruel — but what about the damage that the fox does? You mentioned curlew, but there are also lapwing, grouse, corncrake and plovers: all ground-nesting birds that are taken by foxes.”
“I thank the Minister for his answer. Will the Minister be giving much financial support, especially to the higher education establishments, in order to attract students from Saudi Arabia?”
“Minister, in view of the comments made around the House, are there any live applications in the system that include fracking? Has the Minister approved any?”
“I thank the Minister very much for her answer. A number of local sporting clubs have been in contact with me for an update on the review, which you have clearly said will be coming very shortly. Those clubs are in need of some guidance now so that they can move forward and plan their future events.”
“Mr Speaker, I apologise to you and the House and the Minister, as he is still here, for not being in my place for Question Time.”
“I thank the Minister for his answer. He has also answered part of my supplementary question. For his information, I have not got a card yet, so I have not spent it anywhere. <BR /> <BR />Like many MLAs across all constituencies, I suppose, I have had numerous enquiries about verification. The Minister addressed that issue yesterday by sending out a communication to confirm that MLAs can now verify people's identity. That is very good, but what more can be done to encourage people to spend their money in shops that were not open during the pandemic, so that the economic benefit goes to those who need it most?”
“I thank the Minister for his statement to the House. Minister, bearing it in mind that Northern Ireland is still one of the least tree-covered areas in GB or Europe, will the project protect ancient woodlands in the area and lead to increased woodland cover?”
“I also welcome my colleague Deborah Erskine to her place as a new Member for Fermanagh and South Tyrone. I wish her all the best for the future. <BR /> <BR />I ask the First Minister what consideration will be given to applicants without the required medical evidence, given the fact that record-keeping then was not as thorough as it is today and applicants may find it difficult to get such evidence. The application form asks for medical records and press reports of the event as evidence. Many doctors and consultants have since retired or passed away, and many local newspapers may not be with us for much longer. Can the Minister look into that for me?”
“How much money have they got in Wales compared with what the Minister has to spend on infrastructure? Perhaps —.”
“The impact is serious not only in housebuilding but in industry, with investment opportunities and potential employment being lost through a lack of infrastructure. My constituency is a massive tourist area. That industry, too, is being impacted through a lack of investment in infrastructure. <BR /> <BR />Waste water and sewerage should be a priority for the Assembly. It needs massive investment right across Northern Ireland and should be treated as a priority. If we fail to invest in the future, we are leaving a legacy of failure to those who come after us, just as those who came before us left a legacy of failure to us. <BR /> <BR />I support the motion, but I also refer to the remarks two Members made about the Welsh model. What is the finance for the Welsh model compared with what the Minister has at her disposal? I did not hear that.”
“<BR /> <BR />It is my understanding that capacity issues exist at most of the 70 treatment works, with Northern Ireland Water advising that no additional development can be accommodated in places such as Armoy in my area of Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, as was mentioned by the Member for North Antrim, or Ballybogy, Dervock, Ardgarvan, Aghanloo, Mayboy and Mullans. Those are all small settlements where young people cannot find housing to allow them to remain in their own communities. <BR /> <BR />Those are just some areas, but they are a snapshot of what is happening across Northern Ireland. A proposed 19 out of 70 water treatment plants had been committed to. How many have actually been upgraded during the 2015-2021 funding period, and how many are at or nearing capacity?”
“That is at least 60% to 70% of the network. <BR /> <BR />Rising rainfall associated with climate change, and heavier and more frequent flooding, are causing waste water and sewage to mix more often, at a risk to health. <BR /> <BR />Since vital investment in the 1970s, much has changed across the country. I ask the Minister to put a realistic figure on what her Department needs for this service alone, and the likelihood of her Department getting proper finance in this mandate or, indeed, in the next mandate. Perhaps it is time for the House to look at multi-year Budgets. I certainly think so.”
“The direness of the waste water capacity and sewerage infrastructure situation in Northern Ireland has been referred to across the House. The problem is not specific to any one area of Northern Ireland but is right across the country. As such, it is having a severe impact on investment in housing, industry and retail. <BR /> <BR />It is also not a problem caused by the current Minister or her Department. It is solely the fault of continued underinvestment in waste water and sewerage infrastructure. Minister, you hold the portfolio, but this is not of your making. Waste water and sewerage infrastructure needs massive investment to negate the lack of investment over the years. Most of the current 40,000 to 50,000 kilometres of water mains and sewers operated by Northern Ireland Water have been in the ground for the past 50 years or more.”
“Minister, thank you very much. There are around 1,500 registered sex offenders in Northern Ireland. Sixteen of them are women, and 413 live in the Belfast area. I do not think that the police could devote the necessary time to monitor the movements of such criminals. Nor could the landlords, the Housing Executive or the statutory organisations devote the time, manpower and resources to do that job properly. Therefore, Minister, does your Department have any plans to make relevant information on sex offenders more available to the public? People are worried about their children and vulnerable adults being near such people. Is there any way that more information could go out to the public?”
“I ask the Minister whether her Department will undertake a review of infrastructure throughout Northern Ireland with a specific focus on the restrictions that a lack of infrastructure for waste water and sewage places on the rural community. I corresponded with the Minister some time ago about the village of Armoy. It is but one example, but that situation is replicated throughout Northern Ireland.”
“I thank the Minister for that answer. Have dentists and dental practitioners been overlooked, particularly since commitment payments were removed almost a decade ago, which led to a reduction in income of some £12,000, with nothing put in place since? Is it the case that, in order to survive, dental practices are being forced down the private care route at the expense of NHS patients?”
“I thank the Minister for his detailed answer. However, it would be wrong to label all GP practices generally. As you said, there are some excellent practices operating exceptionally well through the pandemic, but there are some that are not. What additional stress is the lack of GP appointment availability having on our NHS? What additional stress have limited home visits by doctors on call had on the NHS and its excellent staff at all levels, who feel that stress?”
“I thank the Minister for that answer. He has probably answered my supplementary question as well. Has he had any assessment of the impact of the 12·5% reduction in the regional rate during 2020-21, the four months of the rates holiday in April, May, June and July 2020 or, indeed, the business support scheme? If those measures turn out to have been a success, does he envisage further help being given to our retail sector in order to regenerate town centres and to keep businesses in town centres rather than out-of-town retail centres?”
“Will the Minister elaborate on how his Department has been at the forefront of promoting hydrogen energy, not only for carbon reduction but its other, knock-on, benefits? Are there any plans to introduce hydrogen or biogas into Northern Ireland's gas network in order to support decarbonisation and help to keep costs down?”
“I thank the Minister for that answer. Opening a new veterinary school in Northern Ireland would be a bonus for young people, as they then might be able to take up being a vet as a career. How close are we to an announcement, either in the affirmative or the negative?”
“None of us knows what tomorrow may bring, but if in death I can help a life, it is a choice worth making. <BR /> <BR />Signing up for organ donation was a very personal decision that I took when it was a little-known thing to do and not fashionable. I appeal for better education around becoming a donor. I believe in it, I support it and I would love to see an increase in people choosing to become organ donors. It was my choice. I believe in choice, and I would like to see better education on the benefits of becoming an organ donor. If a life can be maintained from a death, it is worth it, but it has to be a choice.”
“I was not going to speak on the Bill, but I decided to after listening to the debate. It is a very emotive topic, and a good and healthy debate has taken place so far on the Bill. <BR /> <BR />I am an organ donor and have been for a number of years. I made a conscious decision to become a donor in my 20s and have maintained that ever since. I still carry an organ donor card. My family are aware that I am an organ donor, and if any of my organs may help another who needs a donor organ, which could be a matter of life or death for them or help their quality of life, I would like to think that some of my organs could be of benefit to them. I appeal to people in the Chamber and throughout Northern Ireland who are in good health to think about becoming organ donors. It is the right thing to do. I believe in it passionately.”
“Minister, this is a serious matter. You said that letters will be sent out to all the patients affected, but what about letters to those who are unaffected to give them some reassurance that they are not at risk?”
“There is genuine concern that, if the amalgamation is approved, the new school will operate over two sites. That will create staffing issues, timetabling problems and extra costs. Will capital funding be made available for a new school? Has the Department learned any lessons from its experiences of other amalgamations?”
“I welcome the Minister to her new post and I apologise to her for forgetting to declare an interest as a member of the board of governors for Coleraine College.”
“The people of Northern Ireland will not thank us for pulling this place down in the midst of an economic emergency, a health crisis and the uncertainty over the Northern Ireland protocol and its implementation of a border on the island of Ireland that is enforced at our ports. If it comes down, it comes down, but forget about elections; it is direct rule. Who wants to come back to a place like this, which is dysfunctional and does not make decisions based on what is best for all its constituents but only for a particular part? I support the amendment.”
“There is a lack of infrastructure that has stopped communities growing. I do not intend to go on, as my colleagues and I who sit on the Procedures Committee have voiced our concerns and voted against the motion's coming before the House during debate in the Committee. We lost on a vote of 50% plus one. <BR /> <BR />Many other points that I have written down have been covered by my colleagues, so I will not repeat them. This country faces myriad threats. Once again, a crisis has been created out of nothing, and there are threats of not nominating a deputy First Minister. So be it; if that is what happens, that is what happens. The electorate are tired and weary of this place and of us who sit here. This is a crisis in the middle of a pandemic.”
“That is not to mention the thousands suffering in pain while waiting for an assessment or surgical procedure. Many will not survive that. That is a sobering thought. Is this motion really a priority at this moment in time, in comparison with that? Do political parties in the Chamber want to prioritise spending outside of where it needs to be allocated: in health, education, infrastructure, communities and the economy? I repeat that I want to see all aspects of the New Decade, New Approach deal implemented — all of it. That is what was agreed, and that was what the DUP and all parties in the Executive committed to. The motion should be coming here as part of a holistic deal to implement what was agreed earlier — the entire deal. The Health Minister alone needs a commitment of £700 million over five years.”
“Culture in a divided society is crucial, and it is crucial that culture — all culture — is celebrated with respect, consent and mutual understanding. I have absolutely no issue with supporting that. I take exception to what the Member opposite said about people on this side of the House having disrespected the Irish language. I have never disrespected the Irish language or anything to do with it at any time in my life. I take a wee bit of exception to that, but I will not hold him to it. <BR /> <BR />In his statement to the House today, the Health Minister provided shocking figures: 330,000 patients waiting for their first outpatient consultation; 110,000 waiting for inpatient or day-case treatment; and a further 130,000 patients waiting for a diagnostic test.”
“I support the amendment to the motion, based on cost and need at this particular time, while we are still in the midst of a pandemic. I agreed with the full implementation of all aspects of the New Decade, New Approach agreement with the collective consent of all: not a piecemeal implementation of the bits that we like or want but in its entirety, including sign language, which affects a large section of our community, as was mentioned by the Member on the opposite Benches. That is an important piece of legislation that seems to have dropped off the radar, but it is no less important than any other aspect of NDNA. I attach no blame to the Minister for Communities for that failure to legislate for sign language, given the time constraints that her Department faced.”
“That would be a loss of land that needs to be managed and protected to enhance the environment and wildlife. <BR /> <BR />I take a point from Mr McGlone's contribution. As a young boy growing up, I listened, every evening and afternoon, to the sound of the corncrake, cuckoo and grasshopper. These are sounds you do not hear any more. That needs to be addressed. Nature-friendly farming will help wildlife of all sorts. I support the motion.”
“While the motion is focused on farming, farming is only part of the solution. Business, transport, government and society have a vital role to play. Urban areas are also key. We could all be doing a lot more to protect biodiversity and wildlife. The farming industry is also exposed to trade deals and imports, with no guarantee of a level playing field. We expect our farmers to go above and beyond and yet compete with imports of a lower environmental standard and lower cost. I reference Brazil and the decimation of the rainforest as one destructive influence. <BR /> <BR />Consumers will continue to want the product. If we in Northern Ireland reduce production, we may run the risk of land abandonment, where farms are no longer profitable.”
“We need a just transition for our farmers in delivering environmental change: not just transition, but a just transition.”
“The Assembly should endeavour to help the agri-food sector to be the best that it can be across those four areas. Nature-friendly farming is central to that. Farmers are pivotal to delivering on environmental outcomes. The DUP has always supported policies that deliver a profitable, sustainable and productive agri-food sector. The Minister has delivered a wide range of programmes such as reforestation, small woodland grants and farm business investment schemes, while recognising the positive role that farmers play in sustaining and improving our environment: carbon sequestration, habitat creation, biodiversity etc. The Minister is also bringing forward a climate change Bill that is based on independent scientific advice and evidence and will set achievable but challenging targets that will require significant financial support.”
“Northern Ireland has a unique opportunity to redefine its agriculture policy for the first time in almost 50 years. It is an opportunity to develop a framework that is better suited to local needs and long-term sustainability in the industry. I note that Minister Poots's vision for future agriculture in Northern Ireland was centred around four outcomes:”
“I thank the deputy First Minister for her answer. Are the solutions of the task force's four work streams of protection, recovery, adherence and strategic communication in line with those in the rest of the UK?”
“I thank the Minister for his statement on the important issue that is educational underachievement. There have been several reports on educational disadvantage. Will you confirm your commitment that this will be actioned by you personally? How can you evidence that commitment?”
“I thank the Minister for her detailed answer. It was a wee bit longer than the last one. All that remains for me to say is that I look forward to the review coming back. Stiffer sentences are the way in which to encourage support. It will be a big bonus for the people who work in the emergency services to know that, if they are attacked, the offender will get a just sentence.”
“I thank the Minister for that very short but definite answer. It is good news.”
“It is our duty to ensure that that happens. The Education Committee is united in its concerns and its desire to see change and reform.”