Sinéad Ennis
South Down · Sinn Féin · Northern Ireland
“The revelation over recent days that members of the DUP, including the Assembly Speaker, Edwin Poots, had knowledge of the exploitation of a young woman by the now convicted paedophile Jeffrey Donaldson raises serious questions for the DUP.”
“The bottom line here is that a dangerous paedophile went unchallenged and, worse still and despite clear, known red flags, was elected leader of the DUP.”
“We only have to look at Belfast Harbour's master plan, which sets out the possible significant economic impact that that can have. That includes enabling a quarter of all island-wide seaborne trade, which, in turn, creates £8·8 billion in gross value added and equates to 15·7% of the North's total annual output.”
“Instead, the focus must be on whether the agencies that have responsibility, including the environmental regulators and enforcement bodies such as the NIEA and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, are doing enough and whether they have sufficient powers to tackle such issues effectively.”
“The primary objective of the shaking up of driver licensing here in the North is to improve road safety by ensuring that young people are better equipped for driving on our roads. However, at present, many young people pass their tests and are completely priced out of driving because of the insurance rip-off that we are seeing.”
“That reality sees them borrowing from the Department, which is already in a very constrained capital budget position, as the Minister outlined. The provisions in the Bill will ensure that the accountability and oversight mechanisms provided by commissioners on the boards of ports or harbours will continue.”
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“I welcome the opportunity to speak to Sinn Féin's motion. I am old enough to remember when the DUP told Sinn Féin, the SDLP, the Alliance and others that we were engaging in Project Fear when we articulated our justified concerns over Brexit and the impact that it would have on our people and our economy. We were accused of peddling prophecies of doom. That is why I and, I think, the vast majority of people find it so galling that now the DUP and others are using that same rhetoric to undermine the very instrument that has been put in place to protect us from the worst aspects of the type of Brexit that was argued for, voted for and delivered courtesy of the DUP. The protocol is not perfect, but, unfortunately, it is necessary. It avoids a hard border on the island and protects our peace agreement and our all-island economy.”
“That project needs to be delivered as soon as possible. I concur with the comments made by my colleague Liz Kimmins. Do Waterways Ireland and the chief executive officer have an input into the options being considered for Narrow Water bridge? How could that impact on local waterways? Will the Minister give us a general update on the Narrow Water bridge project?”
“I thank the Minister for her statement. Waterways Ireland has stated that there has been an increase of over 3,000 boat registrations since 2016. That probably shows how important it is to keep our waterways accessible and in good condition. People have been waiting for the delivery of Narrow Water bridge for far too long.”
“I thank the Minister for his response. I understand that the fiscal council will focus on the Executive's spending plans but not on their revenue plans. Does he agree that the work of the fiscal council will be more meaningful if the Executive assume greater control over local taxation and revenue-raising opportunities as a result of the important work that the fiscal commission will take forward?”
“Just over two weeks ago, 3,500 bereaved families, relatives of these people, signed an open letter through Relatives for Justice, calling on the British and Irish Governments to fulfil their legacy commitments. Will the First Minister join me in supporting them in this open letter?”
“We have rightly heard condemnations of the events that have transpired at Larne, but I was disappointed to hear, on the radio this morning, Mr Beggs refuse to offer his support to the workers at Larne Port or to state whether he supports them. Can the Minister state whether he unequivocally supports the workers at Larne Port in carrying out their duty of SPS checks?”
“<BR /> <BR />To close, I very much welcome the report and its recommendations, but the sad reality is that if the recommendations had been in place before, some of those who lost their lives in our care homes as a result of COVID might still be here to see their implementation.”
“They have missed huge family milestones — marriages, births and deaths — and were denied the chance to process the consequences of those important markers. Why was that? Because assisted living was treated like a care home setting although we know that it is fundamentally different. <BR /> <BR />It was clear that care homes needed additional funding, and I welcome that, especially as it helped to ensure that care homes had no reason not to pay staff more than statutory sick pay for those who had to take time off. So, I fully back the report's recommendations on funding, particularly where it argues that there should be a streamlined process for funding, development of a true cost of care for future social care reform and consideration of funding to the wider social care sector, an essential part of the healthcare service.”
“In south Down, we had a phenomenal community response when care homes had to put out a call for PPE. That was great and commendable, but it is not how it should have been; that responsibility should have been with the Department of Health. <BR /> <BR />During the first surge, many care homes could not buy PPE and were using their normal weekly stocks in a matter of days. However, it was not only care homes that were left in limbo. Assisted living sites were also left rudderless, and the Minister will know that I have constantly raised with him the case of Camphill Community Mourne Grange in south Down. With assisted living, we are often talking about high-functioning people, and they have effectively been locked in since last March.”
“The North has few large care home providers, and so the ability to buy or introduce quantities of scale just do not exist. That is why the learning around regional decision-making and providing additional funding was so critical for many care homes, their staff and, ultimately, the residents. <BR /> <BR />The lack of comprehensive pandemic planning for care homes in the private sector left them to their own devices. Recommendation 44 clearly offers a solution. The Committee recommends that future pandemic planning should factor in the central procurement and supply of PPE to care homes. Surely, when we reflect on impact of the pandemic, it will be a matter of immense shame that many care homes were just left to their own devices and left on their own to secure much-needed PPE.”
“<BR /> <BR />Social care in the North would be virtually non-existent if it were not for the private or independent sector. It is important that we understand the system in which care homes operated before the pandemic and how, to use the Minister's own words:”
“I will focus my remarks on funding and the impact that that has on the social and emotional needs of care home residents, staff and their wider families. <BR /> <BR />I start by acknowledging that the social care sector was struggling before coronavirus arrived on our shores. As Trevor Clarke mentioned, most care homes are privately run, but they are commissioned to provide residential or nursing care beds. I have also heard that many care homes ask for third-party contributions as part of the process of securing a bed. I would be interested to know whether the Minister is aware of that and whether he has looked into how common that practice is, as, apart from a few statutory or trust homes, the vast bulk of care is provided by the private sector.”
“I thank the Chair of the Health Committee, my colleague Colm Gildernew, and the members of the Committee for bringing the motion to the Assembly today and giving us the opportunity to debate it. To be clear from the start, I welcome the report and acknowledge the work that has gone into developing it from all the members of the Health Committee, the Committee staff and the wide number of organisations and individuals who participated in the inquiry. <BR /> <BR />I echo much of what other Members have said today. The themes that are covered on staff levels, access to care, access to PPE, emergency planning preparations, discharge policy and visiting restrictions are all extremely important.”
“Many fanciful proposals were floated, none of which were based on any kind of reality. It is time to realise the truth: there is no going back to some pre-Brexit utopia. That world does not exist any more for the reasons that I have outlined. <BR /> <BR />The protocol is not anyone's preferred choice. Sinn Féin would prefer that it was not needed and that Brexit had not been foisted upon us, but it is the most workable solution for the island. Therefore, all parties should work together to mitigate the worst aspects of Brexit on behalf of all our citizens, instead of working themselves into a frenzy over a situation that did not happen.”
“We are in this situation because the British Government — the Tory Government — and the DUP argued for, pushed for and voted for the hardest possible Brexit. The First Minister described the events as "an act of aggression" and "an act of hostility", totally ignoring the fact that nothing came to pass on Friday evening. She talks as if the EU followed through with its original intentions to trigger article 16. Thankfully, it did not. Due to quick dialogue and communication, the EU Commission realised that it was making a serious error and endured a humiliating climbdown. A climbdown happened, yet Arlene and the DUP seem determined to keep walking us into a political crisis. <BR /> <BR />The political, economic and geographical reality is that it is simply inconceivable to put a hard border on the island of Ireland.”
“The EU Commission was foolish. Friday's actions were reckless and disproportionate. Ursula von der Leyen, president of the EU Commission, has struggled to get to grips with the vaccine issue in the EU bloc, and, on Friday evening, a bad couple of weeks for her and her team almost descended into chaos. We now need to see cool heads and leadership on all sides. That is what Sinn Féin is advocating, and it is what we are doing. I appeal to others in the Chamber to do likewise. Two wrongs do not make a right, and the notion being peddled by unionist politicos that we enter into some tit-for-tat game with the EU is childish and absurd. <BR /> <BR />Let us inject some realism into the debate.”
“There were no "fallen women" and no "bad women"; there were just women and girls who were failed by and were victims of the two regressive and repressive regimes that existed on this island. Will the joint First Minister agree that any investigation must include questions about the location of the bodies of babies and children who died in the homes?”
“I thank the Member for giving way. One of the biggest issues that I hear about from teachers in special educational settings is that nobody asked them how they felt or consulted them. They do not feel that they are being listened to. Does the Member agree that the Minister should urgently contact teachers, teaching staff and their unions to ensure that the utmost support is given to our teaching staff and that they have all the resources that they need to continue to deliver education for children with special educational needs?”
“The Minister's statement is very welcome. January monitoring is often a time when funding is allocated to repair roads. I notice that the Infrastructure Minister has not made any funding bids in that regard, which is disappointing because many roads in South Down could certainly benefit from funding of that nature. If the Minister were to receive a bid from the Minister for Infrastructure, would he be open to allocating funding for that purpose?”
“I thank the Minister for her statement. She will be aware that the Narrow Water bridge project is gaining pace. When that project is finally completed, it will act as a major catalyst to economic and tourism growth in the wider south Down area. We need the region to go from one that people pass through to a region that people stay in. That can be achieved through extending Ireland's Ancient East marketing franchise to the north-east counties of Ireland, as opposed to the ambiguous nature of "Embrace a Giant Spirit". I am not even sure what that means. <BR /> <BR />Will the Minister commit to exploring that with Tourism Ireland and ensure that it will be on the agenda when tourism is discussed at the next NSMC on tourism?”
“I thank the Minister for his statement. He said that dormant accounts can be used to assist with community asset transfers. Is that assistance both with purchasing an asset and developing it? I am thinking particularly of organisations such as Omagh Enterprise, which has purchased an asset from government but does not have sufficient finance to develop it. Does the Minister agree that that issue needs to be addressed?”
“We know that there has been a delay with some of the financial support schemes that were established recently. Will the Minister set out the steps that she is taking to ensure that councils receive those allocations quickly?”
“I thank the Minister for her statement. On the issue of waterways, what plans are there for a lifting bridge at Newry southern relief road as well as at Narrow Water to ensure continued access to Newry canal?”
“I thank my colleague for giving way. He will be well aware of the nightmare situation that those who reside in assisted living settings have had to endure throughout the pandemic. They have effectively been unable to leave the places where they reside owing to the PHA classing them as domiciliary settings or care home settings. I am sure that my colleague will join me in calling on the Minister of Health to ensure that those who live in assisted living settings are among some of the first to receive the vaccine when it is rolled out.”
“Not only did they delay that needlessly but Minister Poots actively stepped in to obstruct preparations at a critical time and relented only when he was told to do so by the British EFRA Minister. <BR /> <BR />Meanwhile, ports have worked tirelessly in their preparation efforts for Brexit. It is unacceptable that they find themselves in the current position with just weeks to go until the end of the transition period. <BR /> <BR />Sinn Féin wants our economy to grow, which means allowing our ports to respond successfully to all the emerging challenges that stand before them. The increase in the limit to £90 million will go some way to assist in that. I support the motion.”
“In Warrenpoint harbour, for example, I understand that those grants were previously used to help to replace old infrastructure and to construct a deepwater quay. <BR /> <BR />While the Department and the Minister do not believe that the grants will be used for SPS checks, as that work is led by DAERA, they state that such grants and loans could be used for other measures related to Brexit preparations. Given the paramount importance of our ports, it is madness that checking facilities will not be ready in time for 31 December. <BR /> <BR />Although contingency measures have been put in place, the British Government and Minister Poots knew well ahead of time that they needed to upgrade the ports.”
“In 2019, Warrenpoint port handled 3·5 million tons of cargo, and Ulster University estimated that, during 2019, the port put some £9·6 million back into the immediate local economy of Warrenpoint, Newry and beyond. <BR /> <BR />The total number of loans and grants issued by the Department currently stands at £34·3 million. As other Members said, that is very close to the max of £35 million. Also, between £22 million and £27 million in future loans have already been identified by the ports. That is without consideration of any other additional investment that may be needed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. <BR /> <BR />Those loans and grants are used to enable ports to commit to measures for future economic growth.”
“I welcome the opportunity to speak to the Second Stage of the Harbours (Grants and Loans Limit) Bill. Like other Members, I acknowledge that our ports play a huge role in our island economy. The importance of keeping our supply chain secure and open has been acutely highlighted during the pandemic. However, like other sectors, ports have faced many difficulties during this period. It has, for example, meant that a lot of the roll-on roll-off — ro-ro — facilities encountered difficulties at the start of the pandemic, which impacted port income. Freight volume took a hit, as, of course, did passenger levels on ferry operations. <BR /> <BR />It is important that our ports continue to grow and play their essential role in our economy. Warrenpoint port, no doubt, plays a big role in that regard.”
“<BR /> <BR />If we want modern, fit-for-purpose reform of our licensing laws, the Committee needs the time to ensure that that is what we get. As the Chair said, this is to ensure that the Committee is equipped to do that. I want to assure Members that we will make every effort to get this done as quickly as possible, but we need the time and space to make sure that we do it right. It will be with us for a long time, and we need to ensure that it is something that we can all live with. That said, I support the motion to extend the time for Committee Stage consideration.”
“I want to make it clear that it is Sinn Féin's position that we need to reform our licensing and regulation laws. We need that to happen as quickly as possible, not least to help the beleaguered hospitality industry, but also to help with economic recovery from COVID-19. As the Chair said, and as contributions from Members at the Second Stage of the Bill show, there is a lot to consider. This legislation will be with us for a long time, and we need to make sure that we get it right. <BR /> <BR />We have a list as long as your arm. Dozens of groups and individuals want to come to the Committee to give evidence. We need to ensure that we give those groups the respect and the adequate time that they need in order to properly brief members.”
“Will the joint First Minister provide an update on the timeline for delivery of the new HIA support services?”
“I thank the Minister for her statement. What measures are in place to ensure public accountability for the funds allocated to the North/South Language Body's agencies to deal with the COVID pandemic?”
“On a point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker. Is it not a rule of the House that Mr Frew must address his remarks through you rather than to another Member, in this case, Mr Wells?”
“Thank you, Mr Speaker. Minister, B&Bs that pay domestic rates are now part of what has been termed the excluded group. Why was that group excluded, and what support can they expect in the package that you have put forward today?”
“I very much welcome the Minister's statement today. We now need to see every Department getting its finger out to ensure that payments get out to the people who are still waiting for the support that was promised to them.”
“I thank the Minister for her statement and for her continued good work to ensure that the people who need our support at this time are getting it. The support available here far outweighs what is available in other jurisdictions. <BR /> <BR />I ask the Minister what her Department is doing to raise awareness of the enhanced support available. We want to make sure that there is maximum uptake of the grant.”
“Will the Minister outline her understanding of the relationship between the Office of Identity and Cultural Expression and the offices of the Irish language commissioner and the commissioner to enhance the Ulster-Scots and Ulster-British identity.”
“I thank the Minister for his statement. What assurances can he give that the Loughs Agency will continue to receive EU funding post Brexit?”
“It was reported from the British-Irish Council summit that the First Minister stated that the COVID virus would be with us for some time. On that basis, does she accept that further interventions to protect public health may be required in the period ahead, including greater collaboration and coordination among the health agencies on these islands and between these islands to stem the spread of the virus?”
“There has been considerable focus today on the Middletown Centre for Autism (MCA), and rightly so. Can the Minister advise on the extent of cross-border movement of children and young people with special educational needs accessing services like those at Middletown Centre for Autism? What, if any, impact will the onset of Brexit have on those young people's accessing those services?”
“On a point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker. I fail to see how Mr Allister's personal religious beliefs have any relevance whatsoever to this debate.”
“We believed that change was needed, and that change is reflected in the modern and sensible legislation that we have before us. As with most things in life, it will be impossible to please everyone, and I am sure that there will be some who think that the Bill does not go far enough. I believe that we have realistic, workable and fair proposals before us. I encourage Members to support the Bill, and I look forward to engaging with all relevant stakeholders as our Committee continues its scrutiny of the Bill over the coming weeks.”
“I agree. The Member makes a good point. That is another issue that we can get into in Committee, and I am sure that it will come up: the hold that the huge conglomerates have over our local pubs and our local hospitality sector. It is crippling for local producers if they are unable to get their products into those bars and restaurants. That is an issue. <BR /> <BR />From a constituency point of view, the changes proposed for local producers, such as offering samples during tours and selling their products for consumption off-site will give craft breweries in South Down and other places the chance to operate fairly and to become economically viable. That, in turn, will help to grow our tourism product. <BR /> <BR />Sinn Féin submitted a detailed response to the 2019 consultation.”
“<BR /> <BR />Perhaps the part of the Bill that I am most excited about is the proposal to create a new licence for local producers. In my part of South Down, we have a growing number of excellent local craft breweries. I can say that they are excellent because I have probably tried most of them. We have Whitewater Brewery, Killowen Distillery and Mourne Mountains Brewery, to name but a few. I remember visiting Mourne Mountains Brewery a number of years ago, and I was disheartened and saddened to hear that, recently, a group of American tourists pulled up outside the brewery fully expecting, as you would in any other part of the world, to get a tour and have a sample but, unfortunately, the CEO of Mourne Mountains Brewery had to turn them away.”
“We need fit-for-purpose, 21st-century-proofed legislation to help make the hospitality industry more sustainable and to grow and build our tourism product. We need to do that while developing a more balanced relationship between responsible drinking and the economic realities of the sector. <BR /> <BR />The removal of additional restrictions at Easter, which the Bill proposes, will no doubt be most welcomed by the hospitality and tourism sectors, particularly at this time, when the economic impact of COVID is being acutely felt by the industry. That, accompanied by the authorisation of additional hours from 20 days to 85 days, will be a huge boost, and I sincerely hope that the Bill passes to allow the changes to take effect by 2021.”
“As the Chair said, we are still carrying out our scrutiny function through the Committee and very much look forward to getting on with that task, but it is important to talk about some of the headlines in it. The Committee considered the findings of the 2019 consultation, which revealed that there was a consensus amongst those who responded that legislative change was necessary. A large number who responded suggested that opening hours for public houses and other on-sales premises should be increased. Health organisations were in favour of placing advertising restrictions on off-sales, restricting access for deliveries of alcoholic drinks for young people and prohibiting the sale of alcoholic drinks by self-service. It is abundantly clear that change is wanted and needed in order to modernise our liquor licensing laws.”
“<BR /> <BR />As the Chair said, there have been a few amendments to the original 1996 Order in recent years, such as amendments relating to closure powers for police and proof-of-age requirements in 2011 and the introduction of the Licensing of Pavement Cafés Act in 2014, the benefits of which we have seen come to fruition during the pandemic, as the hospitality sector has had to use every avenue available to it to continue trading in some form. All those amendments were made with the aim of striking a balance between facilitating the sale of alcohol, public safety and the public interest, and the same can be said for the most recent incarnation of the Bill, which the Minister has brought to us today. <BR /> <BR />I will not go into great detail on the Bill today.”
“I fully take on board the Chair's last few comments. <BR /> <BR />I thank the Minister for bringing this positive legislation through the Assembly. I know that Minister Hargey was keen to progress the Licensing and Registration of Clubs (Amendment) Bill and, indeed, launched the most recent consultation on our outdated liquor licensing laws in the North in 2019, so it is great to finally debate the Second Stage of the Bill today.”
“I concur with my colleague Martina Anderson: this is an absolute game changer. I welcome the reclassification as the catalyst for the transformative changes in the Housing Executive, which are long overdue, but how realistic is this without the removal of historic debt and the continuation of being taxed as a corporation?”
“I thank the Minister for her answer. Can she provide an update on the status and timeline of Executive discussions with the British Government in respect of providing adequate resources for the scheme, given that it is British Government legislation?”