Pat Catney
Lagan Valley · Social Democratic and Labour Party · Northern Ireland
“I am delighted that he will get his own private Member's Bill through, which will bring equality, again, within teaching. He had to do a huge piece of work on the back of that. <BR /> <BR />It makes me proud to be part of this Assembly.”
“I am excited for the future. I will go back to the Minister. I have done so twice and will do it again. I do not know how the relationships required by the Bill's cross-cutting nature will go or which Department will hold the powers that the Bill provides to ensure that period products are available as widely as possible.”
“I have done that with every single Member whom I have met out there and talked to. I thank Members across the Chamber for their kind words to me personally today. This is not electioneering, folks, but I will tell you this. As we walk out and face the general public, no one knows what way they are going to go.”
“When I started out, I did not know the whole process of where or how it goes, but I know the process now, and I know that there is a lot of work, including from the civil servants. Mr Deputy Speaker, I will go back to tell you about when I had the little pub next door to Churchill House.”
“I will not be much longer, folks. I want to say that, as I was coming down this morning, I had the radio on, and I heard about an art project that is going on in Belfast. This may well be my last opportunity to speak about the ring of steel.”
“There was a bit of toing and froing, and I did not know which Department was going to lift the Bill and take up the chalice, which some people may have thought was a poisoned chalice. I thank the Minister, Deirdre, for taking that chalice. It was brave and correct to do that.”
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“We can also use sustainable farming practices to promote the restoration of natural habitats. I know that companies such as Jordans have good initiatives. What is the Minister doing to promote sustainable farming practices to help restore our natural habitats?”
“Also, whiskey is a growing industry here now, and all the malt whiskey is made in County Antrim. Can you tell me how those businesses, not to mention many more examples, will operate and how they will find crossing the border numerous times? To me, it is impossible.”
“I thank the Minister for giving way. As, I am sure, you realise, my colleague and friend, as he stated, was sitting outside in the Lobby. We are moving in and out of the Chamber, as we are allowed only four Members in at a time because of the COVID restrictions. There is no doubt that he would have been glad, like the rest of us, to sit here and listen to all that you have had to say. Thank you, Mr Speaker. <BR /> <BR />Minister, when you were a Member of the European Parliament, you had your office in Lisburn, in my constituency, and not far from where your office was there is one of the biggest employers in Lagan Valley: Coca Cola. Coca Cola makes its syrup in Ballina in County Mayo, in the west of Ireland. It brings it up to the North of Ireland for packaging and distribution round the whole of Ireland.”
“Will the Minister give way? I am sorry, but I just want to ask you about one point that you made.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. I do not deny that huge effort and a huge amount of money went towards the furlough scheme, but this would be a smaller step to try to retain it, and not be beyond our political thought and wishes to try to maintain our economy, battered and bruised as it is.”
“Thank you. I was just going to say that. OK, thank you.”
“We must use all the pressures that we can to support those working to get through this terrible time. I urge everyone to support the motion and the amendment. On top of that —”
“<BR /> <BR />Of course, I must also mention all those who have not been able to avail themselves of any of the support mechanisms that have been put in place because of COVID. For months now, I have been asking questions of Ministers, who have assured me that there will be more support coming, but we still have 10,000 small businesses and sole traders who have received nothing. The support mechanisms were blunt tools. They had to be set up quickly to help people as quickly as possible, but, now that we have had time to reflect, to look at the impact of the schemes and to figure out what has been missed, we need to look at the underspend in the schemes and budgets. We cannot go through another Budget process without putting something in place for those who were left behind.”
“They are very responsible people, settled strongly in the community and often the pubs have been passed down from generation to generation. <BR /> <BR />It cannot be just my office that has been overwhelmed by the number of calls and emails coming in from people who could, potentially, lose their job. They come from across our society. They are our shopkeepers, our tradespeople and members of all our families. To just end the support for the furlough scheme in October is just not acceptable. I do not deny that it took a big step to propose the furlough scheme. Surely the steps that are needed to continue it are much smaller and not beyond the possibility of political thought and ability.”
“Absolutely. The Member is 100% right on that. Sporting clubs, whether rugby, GAA, handball, soccer or whatever, are the backbone of local communities, and the clubhouse is a source of revenue, so I agree with you on that. <BR /> <BR />Pubs that remain closed have lost their business, as I said, and that will not come back, so it is a double hit. Closed bars make no money but it still costs a lot to try to maintain them. We need to find a safe way for small, family businesses to open and give them the financial support that they have lacked throughout the pandemic. Many owners still live above those pubs, and although this might sound strange to you, the public house is, in a way, an extension of their living room.”
“Even pubs that can open and are doing everything that they can to stick to the guidelines have had to live in fear of visits from the large number of PSNI officers with the power to shut them down for the smallest infractions. Instead of making pubs seem as though they are the troublemakers, with visits from the Chief Constable and teams of officers, we need to stop ignoring them, listen to them and work with them. <BR /> <BR />Pubs that have remained closed have lost business to the pub down the street. I know of pubs that are traditional wet bars, which, by selling a bowl of soup, have been able to open. That is very unfair to public houses that are following the law, because, once that business goes, believe me, we are creatures of habit, and it is very difficult to get that revenue back into your public house.”
“He is a hard-working and hands-on publican whose family have provided a centre point for the community for decades. I also speak of another little bar called Laverys on Chapel Hill. One hundred years ago two weeks ago, it was burned in the infamous burnings in Lisburn over the shooting of Swanzy, who murdered the Lord Mayor, who was then one of three lord mayors in Ireland, in County Cork, Tomás MacCurtain. There is a history attached to those businesses. That is my reason for talking about them here today. Places like that could be gone forever without support. <BR /> <BR />All of those businesses are happy to comply with public-health guidance, but you cannot escape from the hypocrisy of some of the guidance, with pubs being blamed for outbreaks when a third of them cannot even open.”
“This is an incredibly important motion. Although more and more of our businesses are able to come back in some way or form, there are still many out there that are not allowed to open. Obviously, I declare an interest as a former publican. Pubs are an integral part of our hospitality trade and sector. Across the world, the Ulster/Irish pub is famous. They are part of our history. Relationships have sparked, revolutions have been plotted and all the world's ills have been put right in our pubs. They closed in line with Government guidance, and they remain closed. <BR /> <BR />Some have been with us for hundreds of years. My friend Brian has a bar in Holywood called the Maypole. It has been a licensed business since 1857. I know the owner, Brian, well.”
“Thanks very much to the Member for giving way. I hope that you agree that the Eat Out to Help Out scheme at least got people used to going back to public houses and restaurants again and gave hope for the future.”
“Minister, thank you very much for your answers so far. I would also like to pass on my sympathies to those families who find themselves in the situation of having lost a loved one. <BR /> <BR />Minister, I cannot confirm if it is right, but I was told that the Chief Medical Officer and the Chief Constable of the PSNI were in Belfast on Saturday night and were going around public houses. What do you have to say about that? I do not want to make it political. I know that you would do everything in your power and I want to do everything to support you, but I do not think that that is the best use of our Chief Medical Officer when we were having an outbreak in Craigavon hospital. His time could have been better spent.”
“I will not be long, Mr Speaker, but it is important that we embrace the young people who have not done as well as they would have liked. The future will not be mapped out for them by exam results but by good, hard work and dedication. I ask the House to commend the entrepreneurs who are able to start their own businesses. They are the wealth creators.”
“It is good to have you back, Mr Speaker. Thank you very much, Mr McNulty, for giving way to me. Today, we are having an incredibly important debate that impacts on our young people, and we stand resolutely with those young people. I asked you to give way because we need to send out that clear message: that their futures do not depend on the exams set when they are 16, 18 or 11 years of age. I left school at the age of 15, and I was very lucky that I was able to go to a public house in Moira called the Four Trees, where I served an apprenticeship, as it was then. I now represent Moira as an MLA. With good, hard work, there is plenty of opportunity out there. We need to send out a clear message to our young people across Northern Ireland.”
“I am having a problem; sorry about this. I thank the Minister. I am also a little late coming in, and I apologise for that. <BR /> <BR />As my colleague from South Belfast stated, we are, across the House, in the process of trying to set up an APG on fair banking. This represents everything that is fair for our rural community: that those in that community and in our market towns are able to have that facility. <BR /> <BR />I thank the Minister for his statement. It is a pity that, because of the collapse of Stormont, this measure was not introduced in 2017. However, today, I welcome it being brought in and thank the Minister for this move.”
“that there is a new owner of that establishment who is spending great money and has great ideas for the bar. It was founded in 1610, and it was a spirit grocer's. Contrary to what people say about me, I would be willing to step up to the bar first and buy a pint if you would find the time to get out there. My only "Get out of jail" card is that that might be contrary to the ministerial code of conduct.”
“Minister, on your way home, if you take the country road out towards Lisburn, there is a beautiful little bar called Robin Stewart's — it used to be owned by Jackie, who is now retired. The point that I am trying to make is”
“Keep in mind that they are the backbone of our small rural and urban Northern Ireland economy.”
“I welcome you back, Mr Principal Deputy Speaker, and wish you a speedy recovery. <BR /> <BR />I welcome the fact that the Minister is looking into the barriers to the allocation of FTC. However, that has been long looked at by different Finance Ministers. I hope that you are the Minister who can deliver this. The allocation has been an issue for the Assembly for a long time. Some £92 million unspent is a lot of money. <BR /> <BR />In the Minister's speech, I saw that there was no help for single-person businesses and sole traders. These businesses received no COVID support. It has been indicated to me that the monitoring round could address that gap. I have already asked about help with VAT. Will the Minister keep these businesses in his mind? They are crying out for help, as I said earlier. They need any help or support.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, I think that I owe you an apology for the last time that I was here. I have seen you personally, and I am now making my apology publicly as well. You have a difficult task. <BR /> <BR />I want to ask the Minister about single-person businesses and businesses with an NAV of less than £51,000. We need to give them as much help as possible, not only financially, although that is the greatest help. Can you, when you speak to the Treasury — this is not unlike what my colleague across the way said about VAT — look at deferring the big-ticket payments that businesses find themselves making at the end of the year? It would be a help and would give much comfort to businesses that are struggling to open.”
“Thank you very much, Minister. I am aware, from your previous answers to me, that an advisory group has been set up to look at the gaps in the COVID response funding. Our hospitality and tourism sectors contain a vast proportion of single-person businesses. How close are we to finding support for them?”
“I thank the Minister for his answer. The agriculture sector was in a time of great difficulty and uncertainty even before the pandemic. Having listened to what he said, I feel that he must, surely, agree that we must extend the transition period to allow some stability in the sector before the impact of Brexit.”
“Can the Member tell me why, when I go for a walk where I live, which is not too far away, I can see "for sale" signs on pensioners' bungalows, if what he is saying is the case? They come on the market at some time, and that robs them of the chance to ever go out socially again.”
“I also wish both Deirdre and the Principal Deputy Speaker a speedy recovery, and I wish the new Minister every success in her new role.”
“I saw him most Tuesdays, when he came into town to go to the market, and our friendship grew. He was always happy to offer advice when I myself became an MLA. I know that many of you here knew Billy, but some did not. Hopefully, you do not remember the ordeals that many of us in Northern Ireland had to endure, but I can tell you that he was a good man and a good friend. When I think of Billy, even though our friendship started because of an act aimed at tearing our community apart, I will always remember how he reached out and rallied the local community to help make me and family feel included and safe again. He was an inspiration and a true gentleman. <BR /> <BR />I pass on to his wife and family my condolences and those of all my SDLP colleagues.”
“There had been five petrol bombs thrown at our home: three onto the roof, one at the back door and one at the front door. It took the fire brigade around half an hour to get the fire under control. I thought for sure that we would leave the house, but, next morning, first to my door was my local MLA Billy Bell. I am not sure whether he was an MLA then. I think that he was, but Billy, from the Ulster Unionist Party, was the first politician to my house, offering help and support and trying to help me in any way in which he could to ensure that I stayed and was not forced out. All of the Churches in the area — all of them — sent messages of support. The whole community rallied to support me. <BR /> <BR />That was the start of my friendship with Billy Bell.”
“To Leona, Billy's wife, to his children, to my Ulster Unionist colleagues, to the DUP and to all in the House, I say that we will miss Billy's contribution. He laid the foundation stone for where we are in Lisburn. <BR /> <BR />I am very sorry to hear about the passing of our colleague and friend, and my mentor, Billy Bell. I knew him when I was a publican but not very well. I first came to know Billy back in 1995 when he supported me and my family through a horrific ordeal, one that, sadly, happened to too many families in Northern Ireland. Such ordeals are hopefully now consigned to the history books, but it taught me the importance of community. <BR /> <BR />It was late at night. My wife and children were sleeping. I was about to doze when I heard a large explosion. I remember seeing flashing and flickering lights outside the windows.”
“That is the first I have heard that Billy passed away, and I want to send my condolences to his family. I want to take you back 25 years, to when my house was petrol bombed one night with my children inside. First at my door was Billy Bell. May God bless him and may God rest him.”
“On reading the motion, it seems that, if accepted, it would create special treatment for Prison Service staff. I ask the proposers of the motion to clarify their intentions on that point. If it were to be agreed, what would be the repercussions for other public-sector workers suffering stress and mental ill health? Where would such a policy begin and end? In a way, that is me answering your question and putting it back to you.”
“Thank you, Mr Principal Deputy Speaker, and thank you, Doug, for your intervention. On a lot of what we are discussing here, we are in parallel. I am trying to be in agreement with you, but it is about the management of this and it is about best practice in work. It is for all of that and embracing civil servants, prison staff and anyone else who finds themselves under stress — and that related to COVID-19. There should be a mechanism, and that is what we are trying to do. We are trying to develop that, and that is the point I am trying to make. However, I am not sure that your motion fulfils that or gets us to where we want to be. <BR /> <BR />This represents a significant divergence from common practice, not only in the public sector but in the private sector.”
“Unfortunately, the latter part of this motion calls on the Finance Minister to cease the issuing of written warnings to members of the Northern Ireland Prison Service who are suffering from diagnosed mental health conditions and, instead, to manage the needs of those individuals through positive engagement and compassionate management that focuses on their needs. This represents a significant divergence from common practice, not only in the public sector but also in the private sector.”
“Indeed, some have paid the ultimate price, and our thoughts today should also reflect the recent murders of David Black and Adrian Ismay. I take this opportunity to call for all threats against prison staff to be removed. <BR /> <BR />Any human resources policy on the management of sickness and absenteeism must include help and support for those suffering from mental ill health, but must also allow managers to take formal disciplinary action as and when necessary, in keeping with best practice and employment law and the needs of the service as a whole.”
“As a Member privileged to serve the Lagan Valley constituency, which, as Members know, includes many people who work in Maghaberry prison, I am keen to see recognition of the unique challenges faced by prison officers and support staff. I myself am from Moira, and my wife is from Maghaberry. I remember the old aerodrome on which the prison was built, and I remember the building of it and how people's fortunes changed there. <BR /> <BR />The point I am making is that, while working in a small bar in Moira, and even though I am from the nationalist community, I also got to know quite a lot of prison officers of all ranks, all ages and both sexes. Living under stress and threat is not anything new to the staff there.”
“I did not mean it that way; I meant it this way. You know who you are yourselves, anyway. <BR /> <BR />I welcome the opportunity to speak in this debate. The impact of this pandemic on mental health will be felt for many years to come. People of all ages will have been impacted by the fear and stress, and there is still the predicted recession, which will bring its own challenges. Whilst there will be few people left unscathed by the effects of the pandemic, I think we will all agree that front-line workers, especially those working on the COVID wards, will need support for their mental health and well-being. <BR /> <BR />This motion concentrates solely on the stress levels experienced by prison staff.”
“I congratulate Cara Hunter; I thought that her speech was great. I am so proud that we have so many young people right across the Floor able to make such great speeches.”
“In the unfortunate event that travel cannot be secured, swift access to a last-minute authorised resale platform should be easily available, with information on the process to follow, printed clearly on the ticket. <BR /> <BR />We all hope to see ease of access to travel resume long before 2022, but we now live in a world where it does no harm to attempt to future-proof and mitigate possible disruptions. Like my colleague from Lagan Valley, I wish, on behalf of the SDLP, the organisers and the athletes every success. We will be supporting the LCM today.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Commonwealth Games delivery unit in the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has advised that the organising committee's ticketing strategy is in development, with tickets not likely to be sold before summer 2021. It is anticipated that the strategy will include an authorised resale platform for those ticket holders who legitimately can no longer attend. The SDLP believes that it is important that ticket holders from Northern Ireland have an extra layer of protection to allow for the potential breakdown in travel planning. In the event of a flight or ferry crossing being unavailable or cancelled, all ticket holders should be enabled to retain their tickets while attempting to secure alternative travel.”
“I thank the Minister for her statement. The LCM supports the creation of an offence that prohibits the unauthorised sale or resale of tickets for the Commonwealth Games that are due to take place in Birmingham in July and August 2022. The offence aims to safeguard the sale of tickets for the games from any money-laundering activity and to keep the tickets affordable. The Bill does not intend to prevent the legitimate resale of tickets. Ticket holders who can no longer attend will be able to pass on their tickets to family or friends, provided that that is not done in the course of business for profit or in a public place.”
“I thank the Minister and his team for producing the strategy, and I completely agree with him that we have to address the wider impact of COVID-19 across the service. The strategy makes startling reading about the dire situation that the service is in. However, one thing that is clear is that there is no chance of progress and recovery without the hard work, adaptability and ingenuity of health service staff. <BR /> <BR />Minister, I welcome the establishment of the management board. My only concern is that it seems similar to existing groups such as the transformation implementation group and the transformation advisory board. Does the Minister agree that it is crucial that the board is outcomes-focused and that front-line staff who deliver care on the ground are fully engaged in its work?”
“We are about to put through a second Bill, through accelerated passage, with the hope of a further Bill in the autumn. How confident is the Minister that we can get ahead with the process to allow the important high level of scrutiny that is required? <BR /> <BR />Finally, I will mention the crisis that no one seems to want to talk about, and which we will be debating today: Brexit. I hope that we can have a true, honest debate on Brexit because it warrants that.”
“I hear what they are saying about taxation powers. I, too, would welcome that debate, and I am up for it. <BR /> <BR />All Members are aware of the financial stresses that we are under. I am pleased that the Minister announced the extension to the rates holiday. I congratulate him on that. The Committee sent him a letter stating that at the time. I want to approve the funding. Early warnings of spending pressures are vital to us. If the Minister could see that those warnings came to the Committee as quickly as possible, as we scrutinise, we could share the burden and heavy lifting that has to be done. I ask the Minister and his Department to see that we are furnished with those as quickly as possible. <BR /> <BR />Since we got up and running, we have been chasing our tails with the Budget process.”
“I know that there is money there that, looking down through it, has been held back from infrastructure projects. If we are going to drive our economy on, we need that spend. <BR /> <BR />There are those in business, such as accountants, who will save £1 million in order to set the books right. However, there is also the salesman, who will spend that £1 million in order to make an extra million.”
“As my colleague said, we support the Bill. I heard what Mr Frew said, and I would prefer that all of the information is given to us at the right time. I do not know all of the reasons, but, as the weeks go by, I would undoubtedly prefer to move on and do the job for which I was elected, which is to scrutinise what comes before us. <BR /> <BR />I note the Minister's rationale, and I have remarked previously about the 80% spend. How confident is he about that? Again, I want to make the point that the Bill's purpose is to serve the Departments until the end of October, so that we are not creating massive financial stress for Departments for the next five months. I would say that there will be other Budgets. I do not know; I am not the expert. I do not have a crystal ball that allows me to say that.”
“However, with these small steps, if everyone sticks with them and goes along with them, then maybe, just maybe, we can come out of this to a much better new normal and a much better and stronger society. I am asking everyone to stick to the rules and follow them as closely as possible as the relaxation comes in.”
“There are regulations about not travelling to them, and I ask people not to break any of those regulations, but also to tidy up after themselves. <BR /> <BR />To conclude, I think there is a possibility that our shops may open by 8 June — again, with social distancing. We as an Executive should send out a message, and whatever help we possibly can, to our councils to see that those shops are ready to try and get back open. Another small move is around street vendors who are coming back and maybe selling food. That creates an atmosphere of trying to come back and get normality back together. However, let us not forget, folks, our businesses that cannot open. We have plenty of businesses that cannot open, and we know them. Our offices are inundated by queries from them.”
“As we go into our parks and walk around, with social distancing being practised, we can see vendors coming out. There is ice cream there as we take our little children or grandchildren, if we can, in order to regulate, as best we possibly can, all that social distancing. <BR /> <BR />I have heard people talking about litter. There was a statistic about Lagan Valley that I found shocking. On one day — a good, sunny day — there could be five tons of litter left in our parks. On one day last week, 10 tons was collected by the council and brought to landfill. I plead with people — and the majority of people already do this — to bring their litter home with them, because our beauty spots are for all of us. They belong to all of us.”
“I also support the motions. We are all out in order to try to protect as best we possibly can the people here in Northern Ireland — our constituents. <BR /> <BR />I want to speak for a moment about Lagan Valley. Normality will come back, but the week that is in it is volunteers' week. It is child safety week and volunteers' week. Where would we be without our wonderful volunteers, who have stepped up to the plate and helped as much as they can to alleviate as much of the pain as possible? From 1 June to 7 June, I ask everyone to think about child safety and our volunteers. <BR /> <BR />Little bits of normality are creeping back in, and that brings normality. These regulations are a step down. I have heard it said that they are baby steps, and they are, but they are baby steps with a vision.”