Rosemary Barton
Fermanagh and South Tyrone · Ulster Unionist Party · Northern Ireland
“Unfortunately, I see nothing about women in agriculture in your statement. You talked about succession, for example. Will there be extra support to allow women to succeed to the family farm? Many women have caring responsibilities.”
“My question leads on from Mr McGlone's. You talked about responsibility for the environment, but everybody has to take responsibility for their local environment, and that is the aspect at which I want to look. What conversations have you had with councils about how they will be able to help you meet the strategy's challenges?”
“Thank you, Minister, for that comprehensive answer. Those investments are all very fine and are very welcome in Fermanagh and South Tyrone. We still have a communication problem owing to the mobile network coverage, however. Can you think of any way in which to put further investment into Fermanagh to try to alleviate that problem?”
“When there is an issue involving devolved matters, it is the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Assembly to legislate on those matters. The UK Parliament retains the power to legislate on them, however.”
“<BR /> <BR />A number of strengthening arrangements therefore needed to be considered. There must be an assurance that the Assembly is made aware in a timely manner of those Westminster Bills that require an LCM. There needs to be improved communication from Ministers to the Assembly if normal timescales cannot be met.”
“The amendment that we are debating is to Standing Order 3, and it covers what happens in the event that a Member cannot attend, whether through illness or for another reason, the first meeting of the Assembly following a dissolution. That Member, therefore, would not be able to declare his or her political designation.”
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“Minister, thank you very much for bringing the Bill to the House. My party and I are very encouraged by it. <BR /> <BR />There are many reasons why our young people may not quite be at the stage of considering starting primary school at the allotted age. It may be health problems, developmental problems or other issues. Therefore, it is important that a young person whose parents consider that they are not quite at the developmental stage to start school have an option to defer. A flexible school starting age is needed and is very important. That has been reiterated time and again through educational research. It is only correct that, as they develop, young people are given the best opportunity to commence and enhance their educational experience.”
“On behalf of the Ulster Unionist Party, I welcome the Bill. It gives much-needed flexibility to those of different abilities who wish to start school. I thank the Minister for bringing it forward today; it is long overdue. I also thank TinyLife and the other groups that made representations on, and campaigned for, the Bill. It is something that the Ulster Unionist Party has long thought of and welcomes very much.”
“Minister, what research is being carried out to help inform your upcoming ammonia strategy?”
“Those bags are then put into a slightly stronger plastic bag for the consumer to carry so as not to mix them with her or his other products. Will you give an assurance that that single-use plastic bag will be exempt from the levy? <BR /> <BR />There is general public support for the proposal, to which the Ulster Unionist Party adds its support.”
“<BR /> <BR />Positive change is needed to redress and re-educate customer and retailer behaviours. Moreover, given that the market is now swamped with heavy-duty bags priced at 20p or more, only by increasing the levy on all bags to 25p can a significant, positive environmental change and outcome be delivered. <BR /> <BR />It is anticipated that the increase in the levy will generate additional income for the Department to fund environmental projects across Northern Ireland. Minister, it would be useful if you can advise and inform us of what plans are in place for that additional spend. <BR /> <BR />Furthermore, Minister, there has been a question from butchers regarding the additional levy on bags. In the interests of hygiene, many butchers place sausages and minced meat in plastic bags that are not very strong.”
“<BR /> <BR />Evidence gathered from across the Northern Ireland retail sector outlines that, since the introduction of the levy, a significant number of the larger retailers have already increased the price of their bags to more than 5p. It is clear that, despite those consistent and ongoing increases, customers across Northern Ireland have continued to purchase a range of bags at a cost of up to and over 20p and, frequently, £1 or more. As with everything, there have been downsides to the scheme. A high quantity of bags now in circulation are heavier and thicker and have a highly adverse environmental impact. Many go to landfill, where they take much longer to degrade than single-use bags. In the worst-case scenario, some end up polluting watercourses.”
“On the introduction of the carrier bag levy legislation in Northern Ireland in 2013, there was an understanding that it may be a phased approach. At that time, the levy was set at 5p. However, even then, there were some suggestions that a much higher levy would be more appropriate. The 5p levy appears to have been very successful in that it is estimated to have removed in excess of 1·7 billion bags from circulation and to have delivered significant results on the initial policy objective of protecting the environment by regulating against the unnecessary use of bags. It has generated proceeds in excess of £35 million, which have subsequently been reinvested to support a broad range of environmental projects across Northern Ireland.”
“Minister, do you understand and have you quantified the increased costs of administration, delays and transportation as a result of the checks?”
“We do, however, support the new clause that would be created by amendment No 69, as it is what is necessary in order to appoint a climate commissioner. We also support the introduction of climate action plans, as set out in the proposed new clause under amendment No 70. Further to our support for a climate commissioner, we support the new clause that would be created by amendment No 73 and are therefore against the unnecessary proposed new clauses under amendment Nos 71 and 72. Similarly, we believe that amendment No 74's proposed new clause and amendment No 78 are not needed.”
“I welcome the opportunity to speak to the group 3 amendments. Proper scrutiny is a necessity in independently overseeing regulations and is thus the reason that we will support the introduction of a climate commissioner. It is very important, however, that the costings for that climate commissioner be looked at very carefully. <BR /> <BR />The new clause that would be created by amendment No 60 mandates public bodies to act consistently with the targets in the Bill, and it has our support. The Minister's amendment Nos 61 to 63 are tidying-up amendments, and we accept them. We do not, however, support the Minister's proposed new clause under amendment No 67, because we do not believe that it adequately supports our desire to have a climate commissioner. For the same reason, we do not support the proposed new clause under amendment No 68.”
“I thank Mr Buchanan for giving way. He spoke about planning: does he agree that farmers are still being denied planning permission even when they are trying to upgrade their property to more efficient buildings and to bring in new, more efficient methods for having the same number of cattle in the new buildings as in the old ones?”
“However, we fully support in principle working in tandem with our neighbours. We support the Minister's amendment Nos 77 and 79. We do not think, however, that amendment No 80, which inserts a new clause, is necessary.”
“Mr Principal Deputy Speaker, you have already heard my colleague Dr Steve Aiken make general comment on behalf of the Ulster Unionist Party on the group 2 amendments. I will go into a little bit more detail on what we are proposing to support. <BR /> <BR />We will support amendment Nos 18 to 26 and No 28. We do not support the insertion of the land use strategy, which Dr Aiken referred to, into the Bill, and we will vote against amendment No 27. Amendment Nos 36 and 37 have our support. We believe that the new clause proposed by the Minister in amendment No 38 is a particularly judicious insertion, dealing as it does with just transition. Therefore, we will not support amendment Nos 39 to 42. We support amendment Nos 45 to 49, which insert sensible new clauses on "policies and proposals". We will not support amendment No 76.”
“<BR /> <BR />As we make our way through the Bill, it is most important that targets are achievable, realistic and not aspirational. Our targets must be scientifically based. Our farmers and our agri-food sector must not be severely impacted by the Bill.”
“<BR /> <BR />Amendment Nos 30 and 31 are sensible additions to the Bill, and it is proper that we pay due regard to the expert bodies outside Northern Ireland, <BR /> <BR />Carbon budgets are an essential part of climate mitigation, and we will support new clause 13A in amendment No 32. We appreciate the fact that nitrogen balance sheets are another useful tool, but we are concerned that the 18-month time period in new clause 15A in amendment No 34 is too prescriptive. We will vote against amendment No 34 unless that timeline can be increased, but we are content with amendment No 35. <BR /> <BR />The Minister has made minor changes in amendment Nos 55 to 59, amendment Nos 64 to 66 and amendment No 75, all of which we will support.”
“Consequently, we will vote against amendment No 5. We will support new clause 1A to insert targets for 2030 and 2040, but we will vote against amendment Nos 7 and 8. <BR /> <BR />The Minister and others make sensible amendments from amendment Nos 9 to 17 on carbon dioxide emissions and targets, and we will be pleased to support them. <BR /> <BR />Northern Ireland has already achieved ambitious renewable energy targets, but we support new clause 10C in amendment No 20 to target 80% of electricity from renewable sources by 2030. <BR /> <BR />We continue to support the appointment of a climate commissioner, and we will support further amendments later in the Bill. However, we do not approve of amendment No 29.”
“We send nearly half of our produce to Great Britain, and we feed 10 million people across the UK annually. The agri-food sector is critical to rural areas and to balanced regional development. A recent independent review of the sector found that 86% of agri-food processors are based outside Belfast and almost 26,000 farm businesses operate in rural areas. We have to think about those of us who live in rural areas when we look at the amendments and what they may mean. Consequently, we call on all Members who value our farmers and the agri-food sector to vote with us against amendment Nos 1, 2, 3, 7 and 8. <BR /> <BR />We are comfortable with the Department's amendment No 4, which sets it out that:”
“I am grateful for the opportunity to speak on the group 1 amendments as the Ulster Unionist Party's agriculture, environment and rural affairs spokesperson. We have already heard from Steve Aiken, who is our party's climate change spokesperson. <BR /> <BR />I thank all those who gave evidence to the Committee for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs. It has been a long and tiresome road, but we have got through it. I also thank the Committee staff, who worked with us as we scrutinised the Bill in the various sessions. <BR /> <BR />I turn to the first group of amendments for consideration. The Ulster Unionist Party supports the Bill's target for Northern Ireland to commit to an 82% reduction by 2050. We will vote against any amendments to the contrary. Farming and the agri-food industry are vital to Northern Ireland.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. Ms Bailey, you speak about Scotland having set net zero targets by 2045. You expect Northern Ireland to go the same way. We cannot go the same way because we have a totally different topography. Scotland is a much larger area; it is much wilder, with more forestry and greater areas of bogland etc. We do not have that in Northern Ireland, so you have to rethink that.”
“We are very grateful to the volunteers in the land and water search and rescue services, particularly in relation to our waterways, mountains and walkways, such as Cuilcagh. Indeed, there was a rescue only last week. Minister, you spoke of "future resilience". How do you hope to sustain that future resilience by encouraging recruitment to the volunteer services?”
“I thank the Minister for his statement. As he knows, I live in very beautiful part of the world.”
“Thank you, Minister, for your statement. You spoke about the issues to be addressed, including education. Area planning is in progress in education at present. That recommends that only schools with 105-plus pupils are sustainable. That will have a knock-on effect and really knock the heart out of rural communities. What talks or collaboration have you had with the Minister of Education to address that issue, which would appear to be a conflict in your policies?”
“<BR /> <BR />There are undoubted pressures in the system, but, every day and night, our health workers continue to do extraordinary things under the most difficult challenges.”
“I hope that more of them will choose to work in the south-west of Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />I take the opportunity to thank the Minister for approving the business case for the new Lisnaskea health and care centre. After so long and so many previous broken promises and missed deadlines, I welcome the fact that, at last, we have a Minister in post who genuinely recognises the need to make progress on that. <BR /> <BR />Finally, I raise the issue of the multidisciplinary teams roll-out. It is an issue that the Minister and I have discussed, and I know that he shares my desire to see it rolled out to Fermanagh. I hope that the South West Federation can be confirmed in the coming weeks but especially before the Minister departs from office in May, as I worry that another Minister may not share the current Minister's enthusiasm for it.”
“Even from a practical day-to-day perspective, I know that many clinicians who work in the South West Acute Hospital (SWAH) are especially grateful for the introduction of Phone First, which has allowed many patients to be triaged and referred elsewhere. It has also been well received by many callers. <BR /> <BR />Whilst the shortage of GPs is the result of previous failures to plan the workforce adequately, I welcome the fact that we are training more GPs now than ever before. However, I urge the Minister to ensure that officials remain mindful of likely future demand and continue to challenge when necessary. It is essential that the Department of Health learns from its catastrophic mistakes and failures to act from several years ago. The new output of graduates from Magee should help.”
“It could be a distressed parent of a very young child, a family member who is supporting a loved one in their final hours at home or absolutely any one of the multitude of scenarios in between. Therefore, it is not really surprising that even those who have spent years training to be GPs are sometimes reluctant to take up work in the service, not least because of the pressures from others about out-of-hours work. <BR /> <BR />So we know what the problems are: increased demand, a shortage of GPs and a reluctance by many to do out-of-hours work. In terms of increasing demand, I applaud the progress that the Minister has made with his No More Silos policy.”
“Equally, I know of people who have had to use the service in Fermanagh and South Tyrone, even very recently, who were very pleased with it and were complimentary and grateful for the care that they received. I thank the staff who work in the service, whether they are GPs, nurse advisers or the receptionists who are answering the phones. Let us remember that they are working when many people are at home fast asleep. They also work weekends, when most people are spending quality time with their families or meeting up with friends. <BR /> <BR />Of course, those very unsocial working hours are then compounded by the sheer volume and complexity of the calls that are received. From shift to shift, the staff have no idea who is going to be at the end of the next call.”
“I thank Mrs Erskine for securing this Adjournment debate. <BR /> <BR />There is no doubt that the GP out-of-hours service is under some considerable pressure. Indeed, it has been under pressure for some time, and the service in Fermanagh and South Tyrone is no exception. Unfortunately, it is proving more and more difficult to find GPs who are willing to work in the service. I have heard exactly the same pressures being raised around out-of-hours services even in Belfast. It is not just a challenge in the more rural areas of Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />The fears that are being raised about the current service are absolutely valid. When people sometimes have to wait longer for a callback, and especially when they hear that the service has been unable to fill certain shifts, it of course causes concern.”
“In many cases, victims have not reported the stalking to the police because it is such an insidious crime and so difficult to get to the prosecution stage, due to the various types of stalking. <BR /> <BR />The introduction of the Bill will enable the police to intervene and address stalking behaviours, including threatening and abusive behaviour, after one incident, before the behaviour can escalate, thereby effectively stopping it before it goes much further. Supporting the amendments tabled by the Minister will ensure that we have the robust legislation that is needed to protect everyone across Northern Ireland from living with the abject fear that stalking causes, and it will mean the adoption of a zero tolerance approach to the behaviours involved.”
“Stalking covers a wide range of disturbing behaviours. It ranges from continued, unwanted physical attention to non-physical attention via various mediums. Whilst it is gender-neutral, most victims — 78% — are women, and 87% of perpetrators are men. Most victims will know their stalker, be that through a friendship or acquaintance, or because they are a co-worker or even a relative, and, in most cases, stalking occurs after the breakdown of a relationship. In approximately a quarter of cases, however, stalkers are complete strangers. Some of the after-effects of the persistent manipulation and harassment and the devastation caused to victims of stalking can continue for many years, and, when the stalking has stopped, victims are left nervous and questioning of their own behaviour.”
“Throughout its accelerated passage, the two-clause Bill has received cross-party support, and it is fully supported by the Ulster Unionist Party.”
“I am grateful for the opportunity to speak on the Bill today. I thank the Minister for introducing the Bill, which is most worthy in protecting our animals from their being deliberately harmed when they are on duty. The Bill came about as a result of a police dog named Finn being seriously injured in pursuit of a suspect. Eventually, the case came to court, and it was argued that the suspect who harmed the dog did so in a form of self-defence and had not committed an offence. That brought about a campaign, which was extended to Northern Ireland, and, after an eight-week consultation, legislation was introduced in Northern Ireland similar to Finn's law in England: the Animal Welfare (Service Animals) Act 2019.”
“I noted the Minister's reply to Mr Dunne's supplementary question, and I will return to that for a moment. Is it not very unfair to a business that has lost its greatest means of income and still has bills to pay and, maybe, repayments to the bank to make, to cut, annually, the compensation that it is due?”
“That must tackle not only general harassment of and verbal assaults on women but sexual and domestic gender-based violence, too. Respect for the opposite gender must be encouraged and young men must accept responsibility for examining their attitudes and take ownership of their behaviour.”
“As a mother of a daughter who often walks to work alone, I, too, have concerns. There has been an increase in violent attacks on women over the past two years, whether through domestic violence or coercive activity. Whether it is that or the leering or catcalling in the street that women experience, enough is enough. All gender-based attacks, whether verbal or physical, must become unacceptable and a zero tolerance approach must be adopted. <BR /> <BR />Time is of the essence. Serious consideration must be given to the introduction of an educational framework for our young people in school, from the age of four to 18, that increases awareness of violence against women, from the school playground to the workplace and beyond.”
“I will take the opportunity to speak on the safety of women in our society today. First, on behalf of the Ulster Unionist Party, I, too, express condolences to the parents and family of Ashling Murphy, a young schoolteacher, and my party's revulsion at her murder and, indeed, the other murders of women that have taken place over the past number of years. <BR /> <BR />While out exercising, Ashling was murdered on the banks of a canal at Tullamore. That dreadful deed has left the Republic and Northern Ireland stunned, and many women now fear the consequences of walking to and from work, taking a leisurely stroll, particularly in areas of limited lighting, or running for exercise in the evening. No woman or girl should have to feel afraid because they exercise on foot or walk to work alone. Women are entitled to feel safe.”
“Minister, the interim commissioner's report said that the Ballygawley to Aughnacloy section of the A5 could not be justified as the traffic volumes would not justify dualling. Will you take the commissioner's advice and prioritise sections such as the Omagh bypass and the Strabane bypass so that planning permission can be granted and work can commence to improve the A5?”
“I thank the Minister for his statement. To go back to the support that Mr Durkan mentioned in the previous question, my understanding is that you are offering support with the culling and compensation to cover the birds that have already been culled. What further support will you put in place for those farmers to help them restart after two or three months?”
“Minister, you spoke of the cancer services in the north-west and of your continuing work on that with the Republic of Ireland. Can you give us an update on that?”
“You earlier spoke about imposing 2% efficiencies across a number of Departments. Can you confirm whether those efficiencies will apply to the Department of Health before it receives the extra finances?”
“Even though we may be a week or two behind other parts of the United Kingdom with the spread of the omicron variant, can you confirm that Northern Ireland's vaccination and booster efforts over the next fortnight will be taken on with equal vigour and pace?”
“Junior Minister, temporarily setting aside the issues that we cannot find collective agreement on, do you believe that the areas that were agreed could be implemented?”
“Thank you, Minister, for your statement. I declare an interest: in my former life I was a teacher, and I was a member of the council in the early 2000s. Minister, you will be aware that teachers pay a registration fee to belong to the GTC. That fee was approximately £33 per year, and I am sure that it has built up considerable reserves. Will the registration fee continue to be paid to the new body? What is going to happen to the reserves?”
“In the meantime, I want to ensure that there is an agriculture industry for our future generations.”
“Those changes will impact on a small number of businesses, and I assume that they are the Department's attempts to close a gap in the system that was not originally intended. <BR /> <BR />While the proposals have an impact on young farmers' schemes, I would be grateful for a commitment from the Minister on how he will ensure that the plans do not discourage our younger generation from entering the agriculture sector. The most significant queries from farmers, which were noted in the AREA Committee briefing for the legislative proposal, asked what the longer-term plans for the agriculture support strategy are, what impact it would have on individual farmers and what the wider implications for the agri-food sector would be. However, those are for a debate on another day.”
“I welcome the opportunity to speak in the debate on what are minor changes to the farmers' direct payments scheme. While the proposals are termed as "simplifications", they appear to be about the Department closing some loopholes in the system that may allow for claims that are not within the principles of the scheme. <BR /> <BR />The changes will not make any difference to the vast majority of active farmers in the scheme. The three proposed changes are to limit the number of times that applicants or businesses can submit an application for the young farmer's payment and regional reserve; limit the allocation of entitlements from the regional reserve; and introduce a rule to prevent a change in the head of holding to extend the time that a farm business can receive the young farmer's payment.”
“Minister, your statement also refers to minority languages. I represent Fermanagh and South Tyrone, where there are a number of other languages spoken, such as Polish. Were there any discussions on some of the other minority languages?”
“<BR /> <BR />Were the Bill to become law, and were hunts to come to an end, consideration would need to be given to compensation for the men and women who would lose their jobs. Consideration also needs to be given to the hounds that are specifically kept to accompany hunts. Those animals are not pets, and, therefore, there are limited opportunities for them to become house pets. Furthermore, will many of the hunt horses also be retired? If so, what is their future? <BR /> <BR />In conclusion, I am content for the Bill to pass Second Stage, but a lot of work and assurances are required on a number of clauses, given that alternative methods of eradicating what the agricultural community refers to as predators can address farm livestock protection issues without being a hindrance to biodiversity.”
“However, there are other animals that could also be induced to enter a hole in the ground in order to force a wild mammal to leave its hole. Is that permissible, as wild animals may have the same ending? <BR /> <BR />In clause 4(3)(a) and (b), clarification is needed on the definition of "serious damage". That is an evidential threshold: how is the damage measured? In clause 4(3), clarification is also needed on whether the stalking of wild mammals for food is included. <BR /> <BR />There is ambiguity, again, in clause 6(1). If several people, or even a landowner and his family, are out for a walk and have several pet dogs along with them, those dogs could become involved in the pursuit of a rabbit. An amendment is needed to ensure that ordinary pet owners in Northern Ireland are not criminalised by the Bill.”
“A landowner who is walking across their fields with their dogs off a leash, which suddenly pick up the scent of a wild mammal and give chase, must be protected. One cannot prevent the hunting instincts of a pet. <BR /> <BR />I also have concerns that the current wording of the Bill would end drag hunting, which allows for pursuit by dogs following an artificial scent. Drag hunting could also allow horse riders, who formerly hunted, to continue to meet, socialise and enjoy the countryside. <BR /> <BR />Clause 3(2) states that terrier work refers to:”