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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“I want to address not only this Budget but the lack of a Budget. I understand that we have come out of the pandemic. I sit on the Finance Committee, and good work was done during the pandemic for workers. Payments were made through Land and Property Services (LPS), and a lot of help was given through that outreach. Mistakes were made, but none of us has a crystal ball. <BR /> <BR />I will take only one moment of your time, but I was elected to try to help. I thought that the greatest contribution that the Finance Committee could make was to have a Budget that would last for three years. I speak on the Budget Bill that we are discussing, but great opportunities were missed. I believe that those will play out in the years to come. <BR /> <BR />This might be the last time that I speak in the Chamber.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. Does he agree with the Fiscal Council's report that this was "a golden opportunity"? We heard contributor after contributor yesterday, even the Minister, agree that it was a golden opportunity that has been missed, simply through the politics that have been played out in the House.”
“I will just come back on that point. All that I know is that, since I have been here, having a Government — an Executive — in place has always been better than the position that we are in at the minute, which is that of having no Government.”
“Last week, I spoke about those who come to my office because they are struggling. They are not getting the benefits that they deserve and cannot keep up with the cost of living. This week, we saw a huge increase in the price of oil — 35% — when we already have some of the highest numbers living in fuel poverty. Quite simply, more needs to be done.”
“We are not there, of course. We do not even have an Executive any more, and, on the basis of recent conversations, I am not convinced that some here will approach in good faith the discussions to form an Executive after the election. Even if the Executive were to be set up and they agreed a Programme for Government, it is uncertain how much it would reflect the allocations in the draft Budget. <BR /> <BR />I will finish with what the Fiscal Council had to say about the return of multi-year Budgets:”
“The report is clear that Budget allocations need to be:”
“No explicit proposals have been put forward for consultation. The report continues:”
“The draft Budget makes no concrete suggestions. The consultation asks:”
“The draft Budget makes no concrete suggestions, which even the Fiscal Council found surprising. With an election looming, the consultation asks:”
“As I listened to the debate on the Budget, I thought of the song, 'I May Never Come This Way Again'. Committee Chairs and Members put much work into the Budget. <BR /> <BR />In the Budget debates, I was clear about recognising the difficulties in bringing forward a Budget, whether that is due to our political nonsense, the pandemic or the current global crisis towards which we seem to be looming. There is no doubt that a full, detailed Budget will be a difficult proposition. However, we cannot overlook the clear criticisms made by the Northern Ireland Fiscal Council about the draft Budget. Those criticisms are mostly based on lack of detail. The report states:”
“I thank the Minister. I am looking at the cost and setting up of that scheme and thinking into the future. Have you or the Department been thinking about how part of that might be utilised to look at a scheme for Ulster licensed vintners or trade organisations? Such a scheme might, given that the costs of setting up the high street scheme have been met, come at a discount. Could such a scheme, even if it is only a discount scheme, be rolled out, continued or expanded?”
“The trust has told him that no carers are available, and, although he can be funded to hire his own, he has no idea how he will do that, because his wife has supported him for so long. He cannot shower or manage his medication and is distraught about losing his wife. That is the reality of the impact on our communities of the lack of strategy and clear policymaking. We cannot let that continue.”
“<BR /> <BR />The long and short of it is that we need action now. Yesterday, in my office — not for the first time — I filled out a form to cancel a personal independence payment (PIP) appeal for someone who died while they were waiting for their case to be heard, during which time they had not been receiving the benefits to which they were entitled. I then spoke to the mother of a severely disabled child who desperately needs adaptations to her home to make it liveable for the child. Due to spiralling building costs, however, the disabled facilities grant will cover less than half the amount required to make that build. I then spoke to an elderly gentleman whose wife and full-time carer has been sent to hospital, probably for the last time.”
“I know that the Minister shares my frustrations and that he can do only so much, but strategic leadership must come from somewhere. <BR /> <BR />As a member of the Finance Committee, I have found the debate on the Budget thoroughly depressing. Most of the focus has been on what happens next. If the Minister had the authority to include headroom to make further allocations, the extra £400 million for the Department of Health could be utilised. When it comes to how a further Budget can be brought later in the year without an agreed budgetary position set by the Executive, all debate seems to presume that the Executive are not coming back. If Westminster needs to step in to pass a Budget because of the lack of an Executive, that will show a complete failure of political leadership.”
“Some headline progress has been made on the Programme for Government, but we are still no closer to that being the case. More concerning than that is the fact that published strategies lack detail or anything concrete. I note that, in an energy strategy published in December 2021, apart from some admirable high-level goals, the direction of travel that is advocated is that we need to produce more strategies. To be fair to the Minister of Finance, how could a more outcomes-led Budget be produced in that environment? <BR /> <BR />I will not labour the point about the need for a multi-year Budget, as other Members and I have raised that numerous times and the Minister answered questions on it yesterday. However, the Executive being unable to agree a Budget that lacks detail in the first place is not a good start.”
“With new Barnett consequentials being made available and new developments emerging during the pandemic, the Minister had to react, and, although I have been critical, I do not underestimate how difficult that has been for him. <BR /> <BR />I thank the officials for the huge amount of work done to bring forward the Estimates and the Vote on Account yesterday and the Budget Bill today. Throughout the pandemic, those officials have worked to react to new announcements and new programmes being delivered. Their work should be commended. <BR /> <BR />Every year since the return of Stormont, Member after Member has spoken during Budget debates about the need for strategic thinking about our finances, for clearly defined policy goals and for Budget lines that connect clearly to outcomes.”
“This is the first time that I have been on the Floor, Mr Deputy Speaker, since the death of Christopher Stalford. I want to say to the party opposite and to Christopher's family that I was in the Public Gallery on Monday but did not speak. You had my greatest concerns about how difficult it must have been for you all. I was thinking of you and of his family and four children. <BR /> <BR />As we debated the Budget last year, we all talked about the unique situation that we were in with the pandemic and about the extra and unpredictable funds coming from the Treasury. We find ourselves in a similar situation this year, although, admittedly, there has been a different scale of in-year spending adjustments. The unprecedented and unpredictable nature of the pandemic clearly meant that large in-year adjustments were inevitable.”
“<BR /> <BR />I echo the words of Mr Chambers, who paid tribute to the former Member from the UUP Jo-Anne Dobson; in fact, I pay tribute to all those who tried to get such legislation through. I think that they first introduced the idea of an opt-out system in Northern Ireland in order to come in to line with the rest of the United Kingdom. It was Jo-Anne who got the ball rolling on such legislation in 2012. I am sure that she is delighted that such a Bill will finally become law. <BR /> <BR />Folks, this is a good day for our home place. It means that lives will be saved through the process of organ donation. Currently, around 140 people are waiting for organ donation in Northern Ireland. I hope that the Bill will ease their worries and the worries of their family about receiving a transplant.”
“I am honoured to speak today on the Organ and Tissue Donation (Deemed Consent) Bill, which, as the Minister stated, will be known as Dáithí's law, in tribute to such a strong young boy. I pay tribute to all those who have fought so tirelessly for such legislation, as the Bill reaches its Final Stage. They never stopped campaigning, no matter how difficult the fight became. They have been so inspiring to us all here. I am sure that everyone in the Chamber today agrees with those sentiments. I think that we have all been moved by the fight of Dáithí and his parents for such a Bill. I am sure that it is a great relief for them to see the Bill reach Final Stage.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. I am not a member of the Committee, but I think that there is some politicking going on here. To be honest, some parties walked away from their responsibilities. This SDLP Minister stood up, faced them, answered them and showed you that there is an increase. Please stop politicking.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. It is no secret that the pandemic has thrown all our public services into disarray, which has led to many delays across all those public services. Look at our health service. A lot of that is due to the pandemic. Does the Member agree?”
“<BR /> <BR />I will finish with one last comment. I think of young Jamie's mother — Jackie's wife — who very soon followed her son to the grave. I can tell you, folks: she went into her grave with a broken heart, never mended from that day. I pass on my condolences to all the victims.”
“I did not want to speak on this, and I do not want to make any political statements about it. However, I operated in my workplace in a bar, which was not too far from Hamilton Street, and I knew the family of James Kennedy. I knew the father, Jackie, very well, and I remember the shock that we had at the death of that young boy at 15. I remember my mother baking a cake of wheaten bread and bringing round the ham to Hamilton Street and the pure sorrow within that house. <BR /> <BR />All of this really shocked me, all the statistics and all those who died throughout the Troubles. At times, to keep my place of work open, I probably called on the police to try to open up the town, but that does not excuse it. If there was wrongdoing in the police, we need to root it out. There is nobody here who would disagree with that.”
“Her state visit in 2011, in which, famously, she spoke cúpla focal and visited the Garden of Remembrance, was a very significant moment for this island and for relationships between Britain and Ireland. As a proud Irish nationalist who believes passionately in mutual respect, I wish her well, and, as a former publican, I would be happy to raise a dram to her service.”
“I join the tributes to the service of the Queen on her platinum jubilee. I am proud to represent a shared community at its best, and one united community, in Lagan Valley. Although I am a nationalist — I am not a monarchist and nor is my party — the jubilee will be significant to many of my constituents and friends, so I am happy to join in paying tribute to the Queen for her long service. If this society is to move forward, it can be only on the basis of mutual respect and celebration of diversity. That was core to the message of our former party leader John Hume. <BR /> <BR />I also acknowledge the Queen's significant contribution to reconciliation between Britain and Ireland.”
“I can speak only for my own business, but if there is a lot of money changing hands and you are not paying the staff their true worth, I know what happens, folks. It is very easy to supplement your wage. I am not saying that anyone would do that, but you need to give staff their true worth, lift them up, listen to where they are, bring them in and make them part of that business in order for you to grow. <BR /> <BR />Once more, I commend the Bill, and I hope that the SDLP will shape it as well. I would love to be back to help shape it.”
“<BR /> <BR />I will speak for a second on these contracts in business. The business owner needs workers and people who will buy into the ethos of their business, be there when they need them and be flexible. I take on board and appreciate what you said earlier, Mike. I went out of my way to try to look after the staff as I best as I possibly could. In fact, I am still in contact or friendly with most of them. The point that I am trying to make is that, in a contract, you can be flexible, and you need to be flexible in your business. I also sat on the Belfast and Ulster Licensed Vintners Association before it became Hospitality Ulster, and I dealt with the unions as we tried to negotiate a settlement.”
“I was not going to speak on this issue. As we near the end of the mandate, however, I wanted to commend the Bill sponsor for introducing it. We have to consult, as all Members have said. There is a lot more consulting to be done on it, but it is a good, honest Bill. As it works its way through, we will mould and shape it. I will go out in a few months' time — some time in May — to face the electorate, so I thought that I would take the chance to say that I am supportive of the Bill, because nobody knows whether they will be coming back. John — a Member from Lurgan, which is in my neighbouring constituency — said that he worked as a chef. When I worked in the industry, the only people whom I could never negotiate with were the chefs, because they are under stress all of the time.”
“I have employed people at different times. I will speak about students. They had a contract and their set hours, but they were given flexibility. Sometimes, they had to go and do exams, and, sometimes, we had a function on at night. Flexibility can be built into small contracts so that they are open and flexible for all those who are working on them. I hope that the Member agrees with me.”
“I apologise, Mr Deputy Speaker. <BR /> <BR />Those workers contribute to the worth and profitability of the business. The Bill just gives them a little certainty and ownership of it.”
“On the point about casual labour, I am looking at it from the position of the public house sector. Those workers become an integral part of the team. Flexibility can be set around that, and —”
“Thank you, Minister. You will know that I do not agree with you on that. As you know, your Department provided free condoms under the c-card scheme, yet you say that period products are not a health issue. Do you not feel that that is unfair? What can you do within your powers to rectify that?”
“Minister, there is no doubt that you have a huge underspend across the Executive whilst small businesses and suppliers of our night-time economy, which are, I know, the responsibility of the Department for the Economy, have gone without support. Why is that money sitting in your coffers? Could it be used to uplift our hospitality industry?”
“This is a big ask, but will you promise that you will continue to monitor that situation and act with speed to be fair to our young people and put their well-being first?”
“Minister, many small businesses are suffering the consequences of omicron, even if they were not subject to restrictions. I think of travel agents, many suppliers to the hospitality trade and others involved in the night-time economy. Given that £100 million is still unallocated, surely you and the Economy Minister should get together and find ways to support the businesses that are on their knees.”
“Kilcoo, the Down senior football team, won the Ulster Championship at the weekend. That game should have been played in the Belfast stadium, as planned. There is a shortfall in the GAA and a big void in senior games. Will you undertake to bring such games back to the stadium in Belfast as quickly as possible?”
“Thank you, Minister, for your answers so far. Would you accept that failure to communicate details of the £2 million emergency fuel scheme before its launch resulted in widespread confusion and frustration?”
“Thank you, Minister. Minister, what strategies does your Department have to prevent the high risks of infection from avian flu among commercial bird populations over the next 10 years?”
“In fact, I say that they definitely cannot do that, and it would be a complete disservice to those whom they represent. I urge the British Government to reject that party-political bung. Our institutions should not be used to dig out the DUP or anyone else. Reject the gerrymander, and let us get on with the important work of doing all the good we can, for all the people we can, in all the ways we can, for as long as we can.”
“I have worked to help people on Christmas Day and on family occasions, and I was delighted to do that, because that is the role that I was elected to do. I am sure that many Members can give similar examples. In addition, we have had debates in the Chamber that have gone on all night; we have record amounts of legislation that need to be considered; we have policy and Budget documents that run to hundreds of pages and require detailed scrutiny, particularly in the post-RHI era. <BR /> <BR />My work as an MLA is to do all the good that I can, and that requires my full attention, as it did even during the three years when I was prevented from being in the Chamber. How any person from any political party, in this day and age, can feel that they can fulfil their role as both an MP and an MLA at the same time is beyond me.”
“Even without the litany of boozy parties held in Downing Street while people were told not to visit dying relatives, I can still see an entire day of examples and the manifestation of running public services low with almost complete incompetence, and misleading the public has now become the default for some. <BR /> <BR />In that context, it has been reported that the restriction on double-jobbing as an MP and MLA is to be removed. They are calling it the "Jeffreymander": it is a new word in the English language. We have been told that it is important to help to maintain the stability of the institutions. My simple question is this: how? Since being elected as an MLA, I have been contacted by constituents at all hours of the day.”
“When I was first elected, I spoke about my desire to work for one community in Lagan Valley: all of us together. Since then, I have been proud of the work that my little office team has done in Lisburn for the thousands of people who have contacted the office in Smithfield. We have helped people to get the homes, benefits and medical supports that they require. We have tried our best to help with every unique case that has come our way. Yet, when I meet people I do not know, I am completely embarrassed to tell them that I am a politician, due to the long line of elected individuals who have misused the trust that the public have placed in them.”
“In light of the regional strategic transport network transport plan, Minister, will you provide an update on the major roadworks that are under construction? Off the back of that and regarding the Knockmore link, which is in my constituency, is it a good time to feed into the plan to get the railway open from Antrim to Lisburn?”
“I tried to keep my little speech as short as possible. Had you been here 20 minutes ago, you would have heard some of them.”
“On a point of order, Mr Speaker. I am not sure whether it is a point of order. You can help me with that.”
“They do not deserve to be attacked for sticking to rules that are set to try to make our lives safer. <BR /> <BR />Restrictions on the public should not be implemented unless completely necessary. Once again, we find ourselves in a situation where they are required. We have to come together, folks, in these times, to do what is right, and I hope that that is what happens today. I will support the regulations, as proposed by the Health Minister.”
“<BR /> <BR />To those who do not want to see the certification and to those who do not want to get the vaccine, let me say this clearly: you have every right to your opinion. However, you have no right to attack business owners and young staff by threatening them with fake legal action just for implementing the rules. They are trying to do their best and to make a living, and some of the staff are starting out in their little careers.”
“<BR /> <BR />Anyhow, as I said, certification is only one tool to be used, and the combination of stricter adherence to social distancing and the use of face coverings are all ways to reduce the risks of people getting sick and to reduce transmission of this virus. <BR /> <BR />COVID certification has been used across Europe for many months now. Democracy has not fallen. I have spoken to businesses that had been using certification in advance of today's decision, and, yes, more needs to be done, particularly with those who are older, to help them with the process of getting their domestic certificate. My office has been working with many constituents each day to help them with that process, and I hope, and I know, that all other Members in here are doing the same.”
“Yes. Thank you for the intervention. I have to agree with what you said. I sit on the Finance Committee. There is a shortfall of £50 million in the Department of Finance. It is not a shortfall, but it is to compensate people who are trying to claim back rates paid for business that was lost because of COVID-19, and that not being allowed for in the rateable valuation of that business. I hear what you are saying and I accept that, but we have to do everything that we possibly can to keep our businesses open and allow them to at least try to trade. That is my belief. I am not saying that it is the right one.”
“We have asked a lot of our business owners over the past two years, and many have struggled to make ends meet and keep their businesses afloat. I fully believe in doing all that we can to keep the public safe and in trying our best to keep businesses open and functioning. We have heard from the Minister about the terrible impact that the current surge and the new COVID variant, if left unchecked, will have on our health service. We cannot just sit by while more and more people get sick. That is not to say that the vaccine certificate will be able to reverse the surge by itself; no one who has advocated for certification has said that that is the case. It is just one tool, as we have heard in the House today, that must —”