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 price of electricity is largely determined by the wholesale price of gas. Gas prices have more than doubled in the 2021-22 financial year and continue to rise. The Utility Regulator has stated that high energy costs are likely to continue for a further 36 months. That, coupled with higher than expected inflation, will have a very significant impact on Northern Ireland Water's resource budget. Members, please be aware that the Utility Regulator's warning of high energy costs for the next three years that I mentioned was given prior to Russia invading Ukraine. The situation will be further exacerbated in intensity and duration. <BR /> <BR />Translink informed the Committee that the public transport network is managed with low levels of funding in the budget and by relying on in-year bids to try to remain financially viable.”
“<BR /> <BR />The proposed ring-fenced allocation for Northern Ireland Water does not address the organisation's inescapable pressures, including energy pressures.”
“That also limits the Department's capacity to effectively plan and deliver schemes late in a financial year or even into future years. <BR /> <BR />Regarding proposed capital allocations, the Minister for Infrastructure informed the Committee that year 3 of the draft capital budget allocations in particular present a significant funding gap compared with the indicative capital requirements submitted by the Department. If that gap is reflected in the final Budget, there will, in the Minister's view, be insufficient funding to fully address flagship, inescapable and pre-committed schemes. That would require a prioritisation of schemes over the Budget period, which could result in the delay of some schemes into later years.”
“I thank the Member for his intervention. While I do not have the figure to hand, we are due a briefing from NI Water in light of the situation that is developing. The particular difficulty that we find ourselves in with Northern Ireland Water is that it is the largest consumer of electricity. With the situation even more dire in relation to the war between Russia and Ukraine, Northern Ireland Water is in a dangerous position. I will come on to some further comments on that. <BR /> <BR />As has been mentioned, there is a direct impact on the Department's ability to deliver capital budgets, as it has insufficient resource funding to undertake activities such as developing schemes for progression and procurement.”
“For the past number of years, the resource baseline position for the Department has not been sufficient to deliver its core services and additional monitoring round funding has been required to deliver them. That directly impacts on the Department's ability to deliver capital projects —”
“The Committee for Infrastructure has considerable concerns regarding the significant difference between the Department's overall resource requirements and the proposed allocations to it in the draft Budget 2022-25. The Committee and the Department are concerned that, if the proposed allocations are reflected in the final Budget, the result will be wide-ranging and long-term problems for the Department, Translink and Northern Ireland Water. <BR /> <BR />One important issue that has been raised by the Department is that it requires a resource budget that is adequate to deliver capital projects. The Department has informed the Committee that its reliance on in-year resource funding raises many difficulties in delivering capital projects.”
“I thank the Minister for giving way. May I, as Committee Chair, thank the Minister, the Department and all stakeholders for their engagement with the Committee and for this productive outcome?”
“I thank the Member for giving way. I totally agree with his point, but will he equally agree that it is not just the quantity of Bills but how far-reaching some of them are? Some of the Bills have the potential to vastly change the landscape in which we operate in Northern Ireland.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. He talked about the narrative and eloquently asked how Sinn Féin members can go around the doors with a straight face and say that they did one thing in the Assembly and advocated for another in their communities. Does the Member agree that they have form for such actions? Just last week, they tried to hijack Pat Catney's period poverty Bill, claiming that they would be the great deliverers of such a Bill. Surely to goodness not just Members in this Chamber, but the people of West Belfast and other constituencies, see the hypocrisy of Sinn Féin's position.”
“I thank the Member for giving way and for quite elegantly putting out his case. If only the party opposite had said it with such conviction on the day. Yes, this is an interesting case study for students of politics, but what of the people of West Belfast? Who should they believe? Should they believe People Before Profit or the screeching brakes of the Sinn Féin machine that sits opposite?”
“I thank the Member for giving way. She makes a valuable contribution. Does she agree with my sense of bewilderment that the Minister, after speaking against the amendment and telling us all that it was not legally competent, was out of the scope of the Bill and would lead to the trouble that it is in today, could lead the Sinn Féin MLAs to vote for it?”
“I thank the Member for giving way. Will the Member agree that even more concerning is the fact that the Bill would apply in the social media age that we live in? Many people target and defame people online. If the clause were passed in the way in which the Member has suggested, that defamation and that damaging character assassination would go unchallenged.”
“I welcomed the infrastructure commission when it was first announced by the Minister, but, given that there are four regionally significant applications in the system, three of which we know have been in for 100-plus weeks, with some having been in for over 350 weeks, does the Minister accept that the planning community and, indeed, investors have lost confidence in the planning system in Northern Ireland and that, as such, the lost opportunity was indeed how far-reaching the review of the Planning Act went?”
“Minister, I am sure that you realise that there is chronic concern in the industry regarding the performance of planning, particularly when to date not one local development plan has been completed by local councils or has maybe even got to stage 1. I asked the chief planner at Committee two weeks ago to tell me the number of regionally significant applications that had been submitted in the past 12 months. He was unable to answer. Can the Minister perhaps answer that question?”
“We cannot be complicit. The West must stand united and take on Russia with all its might, economically and through other means.”
“<BR /> <BR />I believe in and support the work of NATO and its desire to ensure that European countries should be in control of their destiny, rather than having the boot put on them by tyrants such as Vladimir Putin and, indeed, his allies. Compare his actions with those of Ukrainian President Zelenskyy. I will close on this: when asked about assistance from the West, Zelenskyy said:”
“I think particularly of those from our shores who are doing Christian missionary and humanitarian work in Ukraine at this time and are determined to stay to help to support the Ukrainian people. <BR /> <BR />The West's response, albeit slow to begin with, has been heartening and should give us all heart. With the exception of some, the international community has been united in its response in isolating Russia and calling it out for what it is. We must stand up to the Russian Federation and to Vladimir Putin, who has all the hallmarks of a 21st-century Adolf Hitler. I do not say that lightly. Time will bear out just how serious a situation it becomes. The West must wake up and realise that it must be united if Putin is to be contained and curtailed.”
“It is clear that Mr Putin has an ally in Mr Carroll in the Chamber. <BR /> <BR />To begin, I commend the bravery of the ordinary citizens of Ukraine in standing up to tyranny. The light of democracy burns bright in their hearts, minds and souls. I can only begin to comprehend the huge pain and suffering that has been inflicted on many of them. Sadly, many in Northern Ireland can draw many similarities with being under the threat of terrorism on their shores. <BR /> <BR />Over the weekend, I spoke to my good Ukrainian friend Oskanna. She lives in Kyiv with her husband and children, and she is worried sick about what a day will bring in Ukraine. My heart and total admiration are with the Ukrainian people, who are worried for their safety but determined to fight for their homeland.”
“The DUP is not to blame for the poor record in office of Ministers who cannot deliver on their individual cornerstone projects. For anybody to suggest that, because of our actions in removing the First Minister and deputy First Minister, certain Ministers are now, all of a sudden, hamstrung in delivering their flagship projects is simply downright deceitful. On that point, I conclude my remarks.”
“However, when Ministers come forward to talk about particular budget pressures and how they will not be able to deliver certain projects — key flagship projects — for their Departments in the five weeks running up to the end of the mandate, that does not stand up to scrutiny. If they were genuinely flagship projects, why were they not delivered on over the past two years? We could all see the Communities Minister's U-turn on the subregional stadia. People can see through it. If it was a key flagship project, it should have been delivered. How many times have we heard Sinn Féin Ministers claim that the proposals for key flagship projects will be brought to the Executive within weeks? It is time now for them to back up their words with actions.”
“The Chief Constable, school principals and, indeed, housing bodies have all outlined the grave impact that the Budget would have. The draft Budget was only ever backed by Sinn Féin Ministers. It seems counter-intuitive to agree a multi-year Budget at the tail end of a mandate, when the parties that form the next Executive are yet to agree a Programme for Government or a basis for expenditure. <BR /> <BR />Sinn Féin wants to talk about the draft Budget as a panacea for Northern Ireland's problems. We have heard Members talk about that today. I welcome a multi-year Budget approach and am on record as saying that.”
“To address the concerns that Members across the House have about the funding and transformation of our health service, we need to deal with the elephant in the room. Unless the protocol is dealt with, there simply will not be the political basis on which we can take decisions in this place that transform services and get on with tackling waiting lists. We have to realise that the protocol deals with medicines and that 98% of our medicines come from that GB pool. <BR /> <BR />In looking at the Budget — I will close on this point — we have to realise that it is time to deal with the protocol and to get on with the issues on which a Budget can deliver. The draft Budget from Sinn Féin would lead to massive cuts to public services. I do not hear Members across the Chamber wanting to talk about that.”
“As my colleague Keith Buchanan said, there has been a grave degree of political amnesia in the debate today and over the last couple of weeks regarding budgets and where we are politically. Some have attempted to politicise the Budget today, in relation to a position taken by the DUP, a move that we said on record for some time we would make and which was called out by other parties as bluff and bluster. It serves as a timely reminder of unionist concerns. The attitude that unionists should sit in a corner and no longer be heard is simply far and beyond the reality. <BR /> <BR />If we are to deal with the pressures facing our health service and to get on with transforming our care, we have to realise the effect of the Northern Ireland protocol. I will not diverge too far from the point; it is related to finance and the Budget.”
“Translink informed the Committee that public transport in Northern Ireland receives substantially less public funding than in any other UK region. It is clear that, if we want to meet climate change targets and ease traffic congestion, we should invest in public transport in the long term rather than providing last-minute funding between monitoring rounds. <BR /> <BR />If the final agreed Budget for the next three years reflects what came to the Committee in the form of a draft Budget, it will do a disservice to the long-term need for the strategic development of our key infrastructure and the development of workable, long-term sustainable solutions to meet our public transport needs and to realise our aspirations for a cleaner environment. <BR /> <BR />I will say some words in my capacity as an Assembly Member for the DUP for Upper Bann.”
“While I certainly agree with the thrust of that statement, it caused the Committee great difficulty in scrutinising the financial viability of organisations, when they were not guaranteed funding for the following month. <BR /> <BR />At a time when Governments throughout the world are being encouraged to invest in safe, sustainable, efficient, reliable and environmentally friendly travel, the only response that Translink could find to that advice was to cut the number of bus and rail services that it provides, thereby reducing the number of passengers using its services, further reducing its income and putting more people into private cars because suitable public transport options were no longer available to them.”
“what she referred to as "continued under-resourcing". In correspondence with the Minister of Finance, the Committee expressed its concern that an October monitoring bid of £24 million for Translink received no allocation and informed him that it would expect allocations in the January monitoring round to take that concern into account. The response from the Minister of Finance was simply to advise that:”
“It is, however, clear to the Committee that something needs to be done as a priority to provide more financial certainty to Northern Ireland Water as a publicly funded organisation and a company limited by guarantee. The fact that there are issues with whether the company can trade when it does not have the required financial certainty is of deep concern to many Committee members. <BR /> <BR />I will turn to Translink. The Minister informed the Committee that:”
“The Member makes a fair point, and he was on the record about it throughout the period in Committee. There was grave angst among Committee members at what was presented to us by departmental officials. If the emergency funding — that pre-January monitoring round funding, which was quite irregular — was available, would it not have been more appropriate to allocate it at the October monitoring round, when the need was presented? I am sure that the Minister will come back on that point. <BR /> <BR />It remains unclear to the Committee what urgency there actually was and what actual risk there was at the time to the supply of drinking water and the treatment of waste water.”
“Given the short period between the outcome of October monitoring and the irregular pre-January monitoring allocation, however, that raises a number of questions. Did the Minister for Infrastructure not make it clear to the Executive during October monitoring that Northern Ireland Water needed the funding urgently? Was the Minister simply not believed? Was the need not quite as urgent as the Committee had been led to believe? The Committee explored that extensively. Why should any Minister or organisation have to suffer the indignity of coming to the Executive with a begging bowl between monitoring rounds to seek funding for a need that, apparently, was clear for all to see? Those questions were foremost in the mind of the Committee as it scrutinised that funding ask.”
“Thankfully, Northern Ireland Water received a pre-January monitoring round allocation of £1·8 million to tide it over until the actual January monitoring round outcome, something that was indeed welcomed by the Committee.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Committee wrote to the Minister of Finance on 3 December to inform him that the Committee had noted that, in his statement on October monitoring, he had informed the House that the increased costs faced by NI Water as a result of increased energy prices could be revisited in January monitoring but that the Committee was alarmed to learn from officials that the Department could not guarantee enough funding to see Northern Ireland Water through to the January monitoring round without having to introduce supply restrictions, interruptions and, possibly, deterioration in drinking water. Northern Ireland Water informed the Committee that, at that point, it was running week to week looking for funding.”
“The Committee has sought more detail on that. <BR /> <BR />As I said, Translink and Northern Ireland Water are two key policy areas under the remit of the Minister for Infrastructure. The Finance Minister is well aware of the issues faced by Northern Ireland Water as a result of the impact on the organisation of the unprecedented increases in energy costs. The Committee was told that the outcome of the October monitoring round created serious risks and uncertainty for the organisation regarding the supply of drinking water and the treatment of waste water, with hospitals and schools cited as being equally at risk as the system is unable to differentiate between sectors. The Committee wants to tease out that matter through its scrutiny of budgets going forward.”
“<BR /> <BR />There are number of specific differences between the Main Estimates and the spring Supplementary Estimates on which the Committee is seeking additional detail from the Department. Resource AME and capital AME uptake has been significantly less than allocated in the Main Estimates. Whilst it is recognised that AME is, by its very nature, difficult to estimate, the figures of 14·5% below estimate for resource AME and, particularly, 68% below estimate for capital AME represent a significant deviation from the Main Estimates. The Committee is seeking answers from the Department in relation to these points. Capital non-budget spend in the SSEs is 41% higher than the Main Estimates. The Department states that this is mainly due to an increase in the net lend requirement for Northern Ireland Water.”
“While almost half of these monitoring round allocations were COVID-related, there is still a sizable amount of other resource DEL allocated through monitoring rounds. It creates significant difficulties for the Department in planning ahead when there are such uncertainties surrounding its resource allocation. Particular difficulties arise in relation to capital spend when the Department needs the certainty of a reliable resource budget to plan and prepare capital projects. The Committee has asked the Department to provide more detail on the specific difficulties that arise from the uncertainty surrounding the allocation of resource DEL and on the extent to which a multi-year Budget may help to provide more certainty.”
“Northern Ireland Water has suffered from a significant increase in energy costs in recent months, which could potentially impact on the company's status, a concern that is still prevalent today, particularly with rising energy costs. The Committee heard from both organisations about the difficulty that they have faced throughout the past financial year. <BR /> <BR />The spring Supplementary Estimates for the Department for Infrastructure make for difficult reading. The Department's resource DEL in the spring Supplementary Estimates is £114 million more than that allocated in the Main Estimates at the start of the year. This represents 33% — one third — of the Department's total resource DEL.”
“The Committee closely scrutinised the spending of the Department for Infrastructure throughout the year. The Committee recognises that it is a difficult time for the Department as the Department has not always been able to secure the funding that it needs when it needs it. When the Minister provided oral evidence on 19 January, she informed the Committee that the lack of adequate resource funding has resulted in a constant struggle for the Department to deliver public services to a high standard. <BR /> <BR />Translink and Northern Ireland Water are two key policy areas under the remit of the Minister for Infrastructure. The COVID-19 pandemic had a severe financial impact on Translink, with the loss of revenue from reduced passenger numbers, which has been exacerbated by the arrival of the omicron variant.”
“I appreciate the Member's giving way. I recognise fully the difficulties that the specific industries that he mentioned have faced, particularly during COVID. However, does he accept that it has sometimes been difficult, particularly with the rules on financial spending in Departments and the need for accountability in the system, to get some of that spend to those most in need, particularly the industries that he mentioned?”
“The Minister understands fully the impact of the affordability of childcare, particularly on working families. I know families who are making the decision not to work because of increased childcare costs, particularly alongside the increase in the cost of living. Will the Minister clarify whether the childcare strategy will specifically address childcare affordability, particularly for working families?”
“Invest NI has had a very positive impact for Northern Ireland globally throughout the past decade. However, as times have changed, the review is extremely timely, and I welcome it. I also welcome the Minister's desire to ensure that Invest NI aligns with the ambitions of 10X. In that spirit, does the Minister agree that small businesses are the backbone of our economy and that, therefore, it is absolutely imperative that Invest NI financially supports the small businesses that seek to achieve that ambition? I think particularly of the many small businesses in my constituency of Upper Bann.”
“We in the House and, indeed, in the party will miss that unforgettable vapour, his enduring spirit and his undeniable wit and charm.”
“I trust that what has been said in this place today and the record of tributes from far and wide across the political spectrum will, in the years to come, be a lasting tribute to the life of Christopher Stalford. <BR /> <BR />In closing, as my colleague Mervyn Storey said, Christopher had a firm faith. As scriptures say, life is a vapour:”
“I had the honour of travelling far and wide with him on council trips and, indeed, on those to do with this Chamber. I know that colleagues from other political parties will feel the same, but how true is it that, in politics, the people whom you walk alongside become a part of you without you even realising it at the time? In this instance, a man has gone far too soon. Life is so feeble and fleeting, and the tragic passing of our dear friend Christopher serves as a reminder that time spent in the presence of friends and family is so precious. My heart goes out to Laura, Trinity, Oliver, Cameron, Abigail, the wider Stalford family and, indeed, his staff and every person whose heart he touched. Our thoughts are with you, and we will continue to pray for you in the days that lie ahead.”
“He took huge pride in his working-class roots, and reaching that seat was truly special to him. I remember, a week after he became Principal Deputy Speaker — I did not know this at the time — he said, "Come on, brother, and see my new office". Many of us have maybe frequented Christopher's office just off the main Speaker's office. He showed me around, and he had the walls donned with beautiful royal portraits that he had gathered up from around this place. He said, "But, brother, that is not the best of it. Wait until you see this", and he opened a cabinet and there was a copy of Erskine May. For anybody who does not know what Erskine May is, it is the encyclopedia for political procedure and debate. That was Christopher Stalford in a nutshell. <BR /> <BR />He was a great travel companion.”
“My colleague Peter Weir had come to me beforehand and said, "Let's not have any interventions between each other on this. I will have my say and you have yours". I said, "No problem, Peter". I did not say the same for Christopher. I sat down beside him, and he made the mistake of allowing me an intervention — such was the back and forward. He loved the fact that colleagues brought this up to him. When it came to my turn and Christopher tried to intervene, I did not let him, but he got his own back, because, when a Member from a different party spoke next, Christopher asked for an intervention and it was all about me. That was his way of subverting this place and its customs and practice. <BR /> <BR />Christopher's proudest moment in this Chamber was becoming Principal Deputy Speaker.”
“He loved it and marvelled at it, whether it was with his sparring partner from South Belfast Mr O'Toole or, outside this Chamber, with his sparring partner William Humphrey. I suppose that I am unique in that I faced it on both sides. Whilst Christopher and I had our debates inside and outside this Chamber, there was one occasion when we had a rare free vote. Christopher and I both forcefully put our points of view across outside this Chamber, and, when we came in, I knew that I had to have my wits about me because Christopher was always prepared for an intervention. As I prepared for that debate, I said, "I am going to stay close to Christopher in this debate", and I remember going to the Clerks and making sure that my name was on the speaking order after Christopher's.”
“The most painful goodbyes are the ones that are never said. For so many of us here today, we never conceived that our most recent conversations with Christopher would be our last. As I stand here, there really are no words and no form of contribution that can sum up the pain and loss that each Member in the House feels today, because there is so much that can be said about such a short life and the impact that it left on so many people. It is fair to say that you did not truly know Christopher Stalford unless you have your own personal story about him, such was the nature of the man. He had a sharp wit and an intelligent mind the likes of which the Assembly Chamber, sadly, rarely sees. <BR /> <BR />Christopher was born for political theatre, both inside this Chamber and outside it.”
“The Ulster Farmers' Union also informed the Committee that the Vnuk ruling not only increases motor insurance premiums for farmers but means that farmers are required to have insurance for all their vehicles that are used on private land. <BR /> <BR />Having considered the evidence, the Committee for Infrastructure is of the view that the legislation is required urgently. The Committee therefore supports the Bill.”
“The Vnuk ruling is considered unenforceable and would require the mass registration of millions of new vehicles. It will present the police with the impossible task of checking registrations and the insurance of farm vehicles on private land. In addition, when accidents occur on private land, the police would find it extremely difficult to identify fault as, unlike on public roads, there would be limited witnesses and CCTV. It is also considered to be an unnecessary cost to farm businesses and Northern Ireland motorists. The Ulster Farmers' Union is of the view that the ruling risks adding £50 to the average insurance premium.”
“Motorsport UK informed the Committee that it had collaborated extensively with the UK Government on the Westminster legislation. The organisation expressed its support for similar urgent legislation in Northern Ireland, given the sporting and commercial importance of motor sport in Northern Ireland and its contribution to sport in the wider United Kingdom. <BR /> <BR />The Ulster Farmers' Union wrote to the Committee to request legislative change as soon as possible. The reasons cited were as follows. The current legislation is considered unnecessary as, in many cases, there is insurance already in place to cover accidents. For example, farm businesses have employer liability and public liability insurance to cover accidents on private property.”
“The Association of British Insurers responded by fully supporting the Minister's position and the views expressed by the Motor Insurers' Bureau. The ABI also supports the view that the issue must be dealt with as a matter of urgency. It stated:”