Jonathan Buckley
Upper Bann · Democratic Unionist Party · Northern Ireland
“Sinn Féin's representatives in the European Parliament voted against proposals aimed at strengthening the management of illegal immigration and facilitating the return of failed asylum applicants — those who entered countries illegally — to designated return hubs outside the European Union.”
“Last year, Sinn Féin, alongside the open-border brigade of the Alliance Party and the SDLP, voted against my motion in the Assembly that called for action to address concerns about illegal and uncontrolled immigration.”
“People want an immigration system that is controlled, credible and properly enforced whilst ensuring that the genuine, heartfelt, lived experience and concerns of local citizens are at the heart of the debate. That is not an unreasonable position to take.”
“I highlight yet another example of a political party claiming to represent the views of people across the island of Ireland yet taking a position that is fundamentally out of step with the concerns being expressed by a vast number of people across Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and, indeed, the rest of the United Kingdom, and t…”
“The Minister is aware and is, in fact, on record as having suggested that organised drug crime is happening in prisons. I have previously raised that matter in the Assembly.”
“Minister, I am sure that you agree that we cannot continue to leave residents in limbo. There has to be some progress on the matter. A number of unfinished developments have been lying stagnant for a long time, but the number is so small that it would not require that great an amount of money to ensure adequate facilities for residents, e…”
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“The Minister will know that there is a lot of excitement across Northern Ireland about the potential reopening of old lines. In particular, one that is well known to her, as it is to me, is the Portadown to Armagh railway line in our constituencies. Following on from her answer to the previous question, what engagement will there be with local communities when the Department decides whether to advance a line?”
“I welcome the funding, but the statement fills me with no confidence about the speed of delivery. A transformation board that is chaired by the head of the Civil Service, Jayne Brady, has taken 10 months to deliver a minuscule amount compared with what Departments deal with yearly. Is it any wonder that our public services are in the state that they are in? Where is the urgency? Does the Minister share the school of thought that the speed of delivery on transformation runs the risk of making snails look like greyhounds?”
“That was not the only attack. Following that successful attack in Newry, the IRA carried out a further nine mortar bomb attacks. The loss for the policing family was hugely significant. Those were men and women who had signed up to protect the rule of law. We must never fall silent in honouring their memory. We must never allow the narrative to be rewritten. We must always mark their sacrifice. Over 300 officers were killed during the Troubles. They will never be forgotten.”
“John Dowd, Denis Price, Alexander Donaldson, Paul McFerran, Ivy Kelly, David Topping, Geoffrey Campbell, Sean McHenry and Rosemary McGookin: officers killed while serving our community. That is the type of action for which the First Minister, Michelle O'Neill, said there was no alternative. Those are the types of officers who face trauma to this day. Forty were injured on that day, and people who set out to do a day's work, protecting communities, were killed. We cannot go silent, folks. We cannot allow the narrative to be rewritten. Those officers set out to protect life. That stands in stark contrast to the actions of the cowards who attempted to take theirs.”
“Over the past few weeks, we have discussed in the House the deaths of four IRA terrorists who set out with murderous intent to kill police officers. Today, I will talk about the carnage that such gangs created for police families. Forty years ago, on 28 February 1985, the Provisional IRA launched a despicable mortar bomb attack on the police station in Newry. The attack killed nine RUC officers and injured over 40 others. It would become the highest death toll ever recorded or suffered by the RUC. A 50 lb mortar bomb was launched off the back of a lorry on to the top of a Portakabin in which serving officers were having their lunch. <BR /> <BR />The nine dead officers ranged in age from 19 to 40 years old. Seven of them were male and two female, while seven of them were Protestant and two Catholic.”
“Minister, your Department's lack of action on critical issues affecting the Northern Ireland farming community is nothing short of disgraceful. While you push ahead with costly net zero measures, you fail to address a TB crisis that is affecting farming families, and you fail to get to grips with an ammonia strategy that is strangling Northern Ireland agriculture. How do you justify the continuation of those issues whilst real challenges go unhindered? Will you finally put Northern Ireland's farming families first when considering how your Department deals with the real crisis that they face?”
“How can we tackle this horror if we do not have the data, the strategy or the will to take decisive action? We live in a society that is increasingly normalising the sexual threat towards children. It is a society where predators are protected by anonymity, where platforms turn a blind eye and where the response is too slow, too weak and often too late. <BR /> <BR />We must demand action. We must seek stronger laws, tougher sentences and full enforcement. No predator should walk the streets of Northern Ireland safe in the knowledge that their crimes will go unpunished.”
“In the past year, offences have risen by 24%, with 859 cases being recorded by the PSNI in 2023-24. That means that, in the past five years, there have been 3,382 recorded crimes, each involving an individual child who has been robbed of basic human dignity. Let us be clear about this: those are only the ones that we know about, yet there is a silence that allows those crimes to fester in the shadows, emboldens predators and leaves children unprotected. <BR /> <BR />Separate figures show that, across the UK, half of those offences occur on Snapchat and a quarter on platforms such as Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp, yet, in Northern Ireland, the PSNI does not even record which platform is being used. How can we fight that epidemic when we are not even gathering the full picture of the scale of the crime?”
“We hear a lot in the Chamber about emergencies and crises, such as the climate emergency, health crisis and cost-of-living crisis. We debate strategies, funding and urgent interventions, but let me ask this: where is the same determination, intent and urgency when it comes to safeguarding our children? Where is the national outcry for the most vulnerable, the innocent and the voiceless — the children who are being exploited, abused and violated while we stand by and watch the statistics climb? <BR /> <BR />The latest figures from the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children paint a horrifying picture. Crimes involving images of child sexual abuse have almost doubled in the past five years in Northern Ireland, with a staggering 98% increase.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. She makes an important point that there are huge savings to be made — we have heard the examples cited in the Chamber and in our communities — but it is not just a Department of Education problem. There is huge waste across government when it comes to procurement. I am thinking particularly of the need for more government efficiencies to help with our public sector at this hard time.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. Would he go further and agree that not only are there the skills in local PTAs and local communities but there would be huge savings for government, given the huge costs of procurement?”
“It is fair to say that the issue has caused significant concern and distress to many poultry farmers across Northern Ireland. The poultry industry is worth hundreds of millions of pounds to the Northern Ireland economy. It is regrettable, Minister, that you are here talking about the issue via a question for urgent oral answer. Given the seriousness of the issue, a ministerial statement is the very least that the House, and, indeed, the wider agrisector, expected. <BR /> <BR />At a recent Committee meeting, your officials suggested that no budget had been set aside for avian flu. Will the Minister provide clarity on the financial situation that farmers are facing regarding this particular issue? Will he also respond to the direct criticism by the Ulster Farmers' Union that the closure order came too late?”
“When considering revenue raising, perhaps the Minister could look at wasteful spend in his Department. It has been revealed that the radical, discredited Stonewall charity is still being funded through the Department of Finance. That charity has been associated with radical gender policies for younger-age children and had its funding removed by all Whitehall Departments. Will the Minister be the man to step up, remove that funding and adopt a policy of "spend less and tax less"?”
“I thank the Member for giving way. As someone who lost two uncles in farm accidents, I think that what is lost on people is not only the impact that such deaths have on the family but the particular impact that they have on a local community, of which the farmer is the bedrock.”
“Under his vision, however, there will be no agriculture. That is why the inheritance farm tax policy, coupled with the anti-agriculture policies promoted by the Alliance Party and others, must find reverse gear. What did the Alliance Party do last week? It had the opportunity to show its support for the farmer, but the Minister attempted to place even more bureaucracy on the farmer by increasing fines. The Assembly said no, Minister. Sinn Féin, the DUP, the Ulster Unionists, the TUV and independents went through the No Lobby to stop you in your tracks. Despite that, we still face the prospect of anti-agriculture policies from this House and from Westminster, and I say that it is time to stop. I congratulate the farmers who have been putting up a noble protest and ask them to continue.”
“Some 90,000 cows have been culled in the past five years, family farms are being destroyed, farms' viability is going out of the window and farmers are under huge pressure, but there is no mention of that from the Minister. <BR /> <BR />It is the same with ammonia policy. Many family farms want to expand, become sustainable and potentially become more environmentally friendly, but, because of Andrew Muir and the Alliance Party's anti-agriculture policies, they cannot. We hear warm words from them today about how supportive they are of the farmer, but the farmer is not stupid. The farmer can see through their warm words. The Alliance Party in particular is in for a huge awakening to the anger on the issue. <BR /> <BR />The Minister's fifth achievement was his vision for sustainable agriculture.”
“The Member's analysis is spot on. That is the damage that policy intent can have. <BR /> <BR />When I talked to young farmers about where parties stand on supporting agriculture, I started to see a change in this place. It is a positive change, which I welcome. I welcome the fact that Sinn Féin tabled the motion. I recognise its intent and purpose, which is to protect agriculture and family farming. I think that every Member will vote for it. Does that not stand in stark contrast, however, to the Minister's setting out his five achievements of the past year and his failing to mention the £50 million a year that is being spent on tackling and eradicating — not eradicating, sorry, only tackling — TB?”
“He must demonstrate through action that he is prepared to stand up for the farmer. <BR /> <BR />After the farmers' protest in the Eikon centre in Lagan Valley, I was asked what it would achieve. I said in the House that we might see parties "finding reverse gear", getting back on the agriculture community's side and bringing forward policies to promote sustainable, long-term family farm viability.”
“On the one hand, farmers have a Labour Government that are intent on pursuing a scorched earth policy through the family farm tax — a death tax that is penalising farmers and restricting the potential for young farmers to come into the trade — while, on the other hand, they have an Alliance Minister of Agriculture, who, in my opinion and that of most farmers, is the most anti-agriculture Minister of Agriculture in the history of the Northern Ireland state. I see Alliance Party Members shaking their heads, but that fact is not lost on the rural community. The Minister, Andrew Muir, is more interested in and concerned about cows breaking wind than farmers breaking even. That is the reality. He cannot hide. Fancy, sympathetic words in the Chamber to pat farmers on the back will not do.”
“Northern Ireland farmers face a double whammy. The motion refers to:”
“In Northern Ireland in particular, high land valuation, coupled with low profitability, means that farmers' very fight for survival focuses on overturning that devastating tax.”
“I welcome the debate as another opportunity for the House to talk about family farming and the hugely positive impact that farming has had on the Northern Ireland landscape since its inception. Anybody who follows the debate closely will realise that you cannot escape the issue. In whatever farming sector you are in, it is at the top of everybody's conversation list. 'Farming Life' reported — Mr McGlone, the Member for Mid Ulster, highlighted it — that Northern Ireland alone could provide between 40% and 85% of the total number of inheritance tax cases. This has the potential to be devastating for an industry that is already facing huge challenges and anti-agriculture policies.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. For clarity, is the Member referring to the vote on inheritance tax changes at Westminster?”
“I thank the Minister for providing clarity on the matter. With his closing comments in mind, is he aware of any similar media or political focus on the decision to fund a pitch at a school in the maintained sector, not the controlled sector, in Foyle in recent years?”
“I thank the Minister for giving way. I understand the principles and the risks associated with not giving legislative consent. However, can the Minister tell the House why the Department, which first had sight of the legislative consent mechanism six months ago, failed to bring it to the Committee to allow proper scrutiny at the time?”
“Look at the shocking testimonies of those who were involved in grooming-gang abuse across the United Kingdom, whether it be Telford, Rochdale or other areas. Are the police aware of similar grooming gangs in Northern Ireland? We simply do not know how deep it could go. <BR /> <BR />How does this protect our children? How is this justice? Our judiciary is failing our police force and our children, and it is time that we took action.”
“We cannot blame the police in this instance. They carried out a robust, thorough investigation, only to be failed once again by our judiciary. His case is not in isolation. Let us look at the BBC's former journalist, Huw Edwards. Again, there was possession of indecent images and videos. He avoided jail, and those who supplied him with the images avoided jail. In 2023, the National Crime Agency said that eight out of 10 people in the United Kingdom caught with indecent images of children being sexually abused avoided jail. That is absolutely shocking. Members often talk in the Chamber about the dangerous place that this society is for women, and that is true, but please let us put a laser-like focus on the abuse that our young people and children face throughout this country. <BR /> <BR />It is not just the issues that I have raised.”
“It was evidence of real abuse and real suffering. That man contributed to a cycle of harrowing abuse. Members, let me be clear: they were not just images and videos. Each one represented a child who was exploited and had their innocence stolen and their pain recorded for the pleasure of predators to consume. By possessing them, that man contributed to the cycle of abuse. He was not just a bystander; he was complicit. Yet, instead of a lengthy prison sentence, he was handed just 80 hours of community service and two years' probation.”
“I am fortunate to follow two Members who focused their remarks on young people, children and, indeed, the unborn, because I will address an injustice that has left many people in my constituency with a sense of utter disgust and bewilderment at the state of our legal system. <BR /> <BR />Yesterday, it was reported that a 28-year-old man was found to be in possession of 77 grossly indecent images and videos of children.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. He relates a very important point. Does he agree that this is testimony to the fact that Labour's policy of higher taxation will not deliver growth to the UK economy or for our local businesses? I am sure that the Member understands, as many of our small businesses do, that continued increases across the board on costs mean one thing: higher costs for consumers when they buy whatever item it may be.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. The Member makes an important point, because, post lockdown, we have seen a tendency for a lot of our civil servants who work in Belfast city centre to work from home, and, therefore, many such businesses feel that it is unviable for them to open on many days during the week. Does the Member agree with that assessment?”
“I thank the Member for giving way. He raises an interesting point. The VAT rate is not the only thing that Northern Ireland businesses face that is uncompetitive; it is also the case with corporation tax. Many hoteliers and businesses pay through the roof in corporation tax compared with their counterparts in the Republic of Ireland. Does the Member agree that the UK Government need to do much more? Frankly, businesses in the UK are being taxed to death.”
“On a point of order, Mr Speaker. During questions to the Economy Minister, the Minister refused to answer my question, saying that, because there was a question for written answer in the system, she would answer that first. Will the Speaker give clarity: is that in keeping with guidance in Standing Orders on when Members should ask questions for oral answer?”
“The court has ruled that the Police Ombudsman reached conclusions outside her legal scope of office, and, in effect, Marie Anderson has acted illegally and, clearly, in a politically motivated way. I believe that she has compromised her office, and I also believe that she has brought dishonour on that office in more ways than one. Does the Justice Minister agree with that and, if so, what process can be put in place to remove Marie Anderson from office? It is clear that her position is no longer tenable.”
“Tourism is crucial to the Northern Ireland economy, and the Northern Ireland tourist offering faces particular challenges when competing with the Republic of Ireland, which has VAT of 9%. With that in mind, how on earth is it appropriate that Northern Ireland Tourism's website for its marketing campaign and spring marketing toolkit has placed the Republic of Ireland and its offering before and more prominently throughout than Northern Ireland? Is the Minister aware of that? She is the Minister for tourism in Northern Ireland: will she ensure that her Department reflects that reality?”
“I thank the Minister for his answer. Those same woke ideologies are being advanced and made available through Libraries NI to underage children. What will the Minister do to ensure that children are safeguarded and protected from inappropriate and dangerous content?”
“In keeping with the Minister's comments, is this not yet another example of the blind allegiance of some in the Assembly to EU regulation, with zero scrutiny and zero representation, leaving local people at a disadvantage?”
“So that they could sit in the Assembly in cosy, warm rooms.”
“— in particular those like Gerry Adams, who sent many of their young men to die — and for what?”
“Those were not victims or innocents; they were terrorists. Sinn Féin talks about hypocrisy, but there was no engagement from Sinn Féin with the inquiry into Kingsmills, where men were butchered on the side of the road. Sinn Féin has sat silently in every other sphere. Perhaps it is time that it looked at its own ranks —”
“Those were the callous actions that many Members of Sinn Féin in the House set out to justify not just on this occasion but on many others. <BR /> <BR />I can say this: I am extremely proud of and believe that our society is fortunate to have had the intervention of the security forces on many occasions; on this occasion, the SAS. Not just at Clonoe but at Loughgall and on many other occasions when terrorists set out to take life, they were met by real soldiers. Every time we come to the lawfare that is being pushed on us by some in the media and some in the judiciary, they fail to mention this simple fact: had the terrorists not set out to take innocent life, they would have their lives today. <BR /> <BR />We have to set this in context, because this is not justice; this is lawfare.”
“There is significant hurt in Northern Ireland today as a result of the ruling. On many occasions, Members from all communities have come to the House and highlighted cases of injustice, hurt and pain. This is not one of those. The men who set out that night had one intention: to take innocent life. The east Tyrone brigade was responsible for murder and mayhem across Northern Ireland, across the community that I come from and have lived in all my life. <BR /> <BR />In 1991, my great-uncle, Lance Corporal Bobby Crozier, went to his place of work, Glenanne army barracks, only to have an IRA bomb put down the side of a hill, killing him and his colleagues in an instant. No inquiries, no inquests, no justice. His loved ones: two young girls were left with no father; a wife with no husband. Those were the callous actions of the Provisional IRA.”
“How does the Minister propose to break down barriers and address division between him and the farming community in Northern Ireland? At a recent public meeting attended by thousands of farmers, the loudest cheer of the night was when they said, "Tell the Minister to get the boot off the farmer". What will the Minister do to reduce regulation and stop swamping farmers with bureaucracy in order to ensure that they have a viable farming future for generations to come?”
“I thank the Member for giving way. I do not believe that it is that simple. From listening to the debate and, indeed, the evidence, it seems that, in recent times, over 600 cases of cross-compliance were brought and only three were for pollution. It did not stack up that non-compliance was effectively addressing pollution. It actually proves that what we continually see now from the Minister, and particularly his colleagues in the Alliance Party, is more farmer-bashing rather than an attempt to work with farmers to ensure that they can play their role for a sustainable environment while having a viable farming business for the future.”
“I congratulate the Minister on her appointment to a Department that had nobody at the helm throughout the storm. We know that the storm caused significant damage across Northern Ireland, and I pay tribute to the many agencies that put in sterling work to get people reconnected. That was lacking from Fibrus; there were no communications, and constituents still face huge challenges in relation to broadband connection. <BR /> <BR />I think that I picked the Minister up right when she said that her Department had had limited contact in its relationship with Fibrus. Is that the case, and does she agree that the first port of call for Fibrus should have been the Department for the Economy and not individual political parties, which, I understand, it has already met?”
“I thank the Minister for her answer. I agree that every attack on a prison officer is beyond comprehension and should be condemned rightly in this place. However, that the number of attacks should treble in four years is quite astonishing. What is the Minister's assessment? What are the numbers in specialised prison officer units that deal in combat with extreme and violent prisoners? Are enough people recruited to that particular aspect of prison life? Has overall recruitment to the Prison Service been impacted on by the startling rise in attacks?”
“We all know that the legacy of institutional abuse continues to leave a dark cloud over many lives in Northern Ireland. I welcome the progress on an appropriate memorial. However, does the deputy First Minister accept that certain survivors have criticised the redress board for causing them re-traumatisation? Is appropriate action being taken to address that?”
“On a point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker. In light of the number of points of order, I ask the Speaker's Office to review the serious abuse of points of order during this session.”
“We had another statement filled with sanctimonious slurs from the Alliance Party. It is right that that is called out by the Minister and others on these Benches. <BR /> <BR />The Minister has rightly identified a problem and is taking action to address it. In his statement, he talked about changing the system or changing nothing. Does the Minister agree that there also needs to be a change in mindset from some Members? Instead of racing to shameful slurs on Lisneal College, they should, on the other hand, look at clear and practical examples of where schools that are in need receive appropriate funding from the Department to ensure that they can carry on with providing quality education for all our children.”
“When we talk about Lough Neagh in this place, it is often through an environmental lens. Although that is important, it is often used as a stick with which to beat the rural, farming community. For many years, many farmers in my constituency of Upper Bann have had their land destroyed by flooding that is associated with Lough Neagh, largely as a result of Department for Infrastructure dredging issues. When any additional funding is allocated to Lough Neagh, will the Minister ensure that value for money is taken into account and that farming is included in the wider discussion?”