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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“That gave the family some comfort, and it is important to take it into the argument that there is comfort in knowing that that young life lost benefited so many other lives. As a family, we still take great comfort from that. There should be no dispute about that and no choices. It was the right choice, and it is the right choice.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. Having been on this earth for as long as some of us here have been, when I listened to your argument on the consent principle and family, I thought of my sister. When her young son, at the age of 17, went out as a brancardier with a diocesan pilgrimage to Lourdes, he found himself part of a terrible tragedy that cost him his life. His family flew out, but Laurence, God rest him, as a young man aged 17, had already consented. He did that at the school of Gonzaga. The point that I am trying to make to you is that that made the loss from that awful tragedy so much simpler for my sister and brother-in-law. Even though it was difficult, they knew about the consent being signed. As the helicopter came in to land at Lourdes infirmary, they switched off the life support machine.”
“Does the Minister agree that closer cooperation between the PSNI and an Garda Síochána in joint operations would help disrupt the activities of organised crime groups involved in the movement of illegal drugs across the border?”
“Minister, what plans are there to expand the greenways and cycling across Belfast and Lagan Valley?”
“I thank the Minister for her answers to my elected Lagan Valley colleague. I know that the Minister knows how important rail connectivity is in helping us to reduce emissions. Will she provide an update on her work with Minister Ryan to improve all-island connectivity?”
“While others ducked and dived, the SDLP Minister stepped up to provide not only regulatory support to the taxi industry but financial support of up to £3,000 for each driver. Many in my constituency of Lagan Valley have been so grateful for her Department's work. As we look to recovery, the industry will need our support, particularly to bring in new drivers to support the local economy. Those matters are on the Minister's radar, and she will ensure that the Department works to support the industry through this period of recovery. It will be helpful if the Minister can outline the next steps and options that she is exploring to support the industry's recovery from COVID-19 and to support our town and city centres as we hopefully continue to work our way out of crisis and into recovery from the pandemic.”
“It made me think about how, when I had the bar in Belfast, I had to have a relationship with all the taxi drivers. My office makes a joke that, every time that I mention the ring of steel that was around the city, I have to put money in a box. People coming out of bars late at night used to have to walk to one of the exit points of Belfast to try to get a taxi. Our taxi drivers kept the city going, and we know the difficulties that they experienced during the worst times of the Troubles. As an MLA, I know what they have done, the part that they have played in Northern Ireland, and the fun and the craic that tourists told me that they had with them. <BR /> <BR />I am pleased to be here speaking on behalf of the SDLP. There are problems, but our Minister has stepped up to the plate to help the taxi industry throughout the pandemic.”
“I had reason to take a taxi from my home out to Moira on Saturday night. I got a text message telling me what colour the car was, its registration and what time it would be there. I took the taxi out and booked one to take me home at midnight, for which I got a similar message. <BR /> <BR />When I spoke to the taxi driver on the way back, he informed me that he does not have a work pattern or a 40-hour week to do. He can work whenever he wants to. He can come in and go out, 24/7. He can come in and go out at the busy times. I asked him, "How does that work at night-time?", and he said that it is up to each individual driver. He is with a large taxi company from Belfast that has now set up in Lisburn. Technology is therefore changing the way in which taxis drivers operate and the way in which they can switch on and off.”
“I am sorry for jumping in ahead of you there, Robbie, but it did not cost you any time. It was just a wee mistake. <BR /> <BR />I heard the great figures from Lagan Valley in your answer to Mr Butler, Minister. What messaging does your Department have to encourage further uptake of the vaccine, especially among young people?”
“Go raibh maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle —”
“Minister, we welcome whatever help has gone out to small businesses, but the re-examination of non-domestic and regional rates must feed in to a broader examination of Northern Ireland's fiscal powers and how they match the long-term economic challenges if businesses are to have any chance of recovering from the pandemic.”
“Minister, have you engaged with businesses in the small business and microbusiness sector, many of which create huge social value but, too often, are frozen out of government procurement? What is the Minister doing to unlock the social value of those small businesses?”
“Minister, your Department covers the appeals service. Did you take into consideration or look into the number of appeals pending because of decisions made by Capita before awarding the contract?”
“I welcome the Minister to her new post and thank her for making that commitment. Will she outline her plans to lower childcare costs, given that Northern Ireland has the second-most expensive childcare in Europe?”
“They should be finished to a high standard, and the onus is on those who rent out the houses or are selling houses to see that the houses are fixed.”
“My daughter bought one of the little army houses with her boyfriend. I do not know whether it is all right to speak about this now. They got new carpet. Both of them have learning difficulties. When I went into their house, I was shocked to see the mould on the walls that was coming from a disused chimney breast. I have since written to Clanmil Housing. I have no problems with saying that. It was only on Thursday. It is not that Clanmil did not know. I have already said that there were learning difficulties, but I had never been upstairs in their house until they got a new bed, and they needed me to assemble it. I was shocked to see the wall and the room that they are living in. They moved in only four years ago, and they are buying it through co-ownership. We should expect better when we put people into those homes.”
“It creates more efficient homes, which helps to tackle the issue of fuel poverty. I hope that the Housing Executive will continue its work and try to utilise unused wind energy for the homes that are most affected by fuel poverty.”
“It requires money and resources that people cannot afford to use when they have to use their limited resources to, for example, make sure that they have enough food or can send their children to school. That feeds into the cycle of poverty and makes it that much harder for families to break out of the cycle and have a self-sufficient home. <BR /> <BR />It is hugely important that tenants know their rights. That is why the fantastic work by organisations such as Housing Rights is so important. I have found the work of Housing Rights to be invaluable, even for legislators like us. When tenants are better informed, the whole system works better. Better homes are available, which are better kept by better landlords. <BR /> <BR />Tackling mould has additional benefits.”
“Mould and damp have a massive impact on those conditions and put those who live in substandard homes at critical risk. <BR /> <BR />Due to climate change, there has been an increase in rainfall over the past few years. That has negatively affected housing in Northern Ireland, because the increase in rainfall has meant that mould and damp have become more prevalent problems for homeowners. That will require us to take more action with the aim of fixing and preventing the problems that are caused by mould and damp. <BR /> <BR />Outside the social housing sector, there is also a massive issue in the private rented sector. Removing mould and damp can be an expensive job.”
“I thank Ms Paula Bradley, Mr Alex Easton and Mr Robin Newton for tabling the motion. Well done. <BR /> <BR />I was shocked to hear that the issue was discussed many times in the House before my time. The problem is out there, it is real, and you see it in houses that you visit. As of January this year, nearly 30,000 out of 42,000 people on the housing waiting list are in housing stress. We need not only to create more homes to house those people but to make sure that homes are fit for purpose to allow people to live in dignity. <BR /> <BR />The issues with mould and damp in Housing Executive properties go a lot further. Poverty has huge implications for health. It has been shown that conditions such as respiratory disease, heart disease and cancer overwhelmingly affect those on low incomes.”
“Minister, when you were on the Finance Committee with me, you told me that you started out in a trade. I also did that over 50 years ago. What I am really asking is this: what is your assessment of the quality of entrepreneurial training for people who start their own businesses here? Those people are the risk-takers and potential employers of the future. Small acorns grow into big trees.”
“I hear what the Minister says. We were told that the Executive approved a paper on progressing the FICT report on 25 March this year and that a FICT working group involving junior Ministers, advisers and officials was advancing cross-departmental engagement to take the report forward. What is causing the delay in progressing it? I hear what you said, junior Minister, but we need to know what the hold-up is and what progress has been made on the report. I hear what you said about your constituency: in my constituency of Lagan Valley, we have the same problems.”
“I read with interest about the number of development-led capital projects that have historically been funded through FTC. I am sure that you know where I am going with this, Minister. It strikes me that the Maze/Long Kesh development in my constituency of Lagan Valley is a perfect project to which to award such funding. Given the historical underspending of FTC, will you push the First Minister and the deputy First Minister to bring forward plans for the site in order to utilise that funding?”
“Thank you, Minister. I am sure that, like me, you have been shocked by the number of successful appeals against PIP assessment decisions. They are particularly shocking in Lagan Valley. Why have you extended Capita's contract for another two years without going through the procurement process?”
“On a point of order, Mr Principal Deputy Speaker, I want to make an apology for being late. I was outside, but I was not sure if there was a place inside. I do not like opening the door, checking and moving in. I cannot move as quickly as I used to.”
“Thank you for your answers so far. In light of where we are with the risks of the pandemic, which are still there, how will the Assembly Commission ensure the safety of staff, Members, Building users and the general public?”
“I thank the Minister for her answers. I welcome her investment to get delivery on the ground. I would like more green projects to be taken forward locally, Minister, especially on Active Travel. Will she or her walking and cycle champion meet me to explore options for delivery in Lagan Valley?”
“Minister, will you update the House on the new test centres, which will help with capacity?”
“I thank the Minister. I realise how difficult it is for those big decisions to be made without a Minister in place. I look at Lagan Valley Hospital and the great work that is being done there and at the Minister's commitment that no building will be closed. Money has been spent there for day procedures. I go back to a question that I have raised with the Minister before: parking is an issue. Anything that the Department can do to alleviate the parking issues around the Lagan Valley Hospital would be much appreciated.”
“Everything that I was going to say has been said. The only thing that I am disappointed about is that I wish the Bill would just progress the scrutiny that we in the Committee are there for. I welcome anything that helps with that, and I hope that this helps with it.”
“I know the musicians who play with him, and they are top-class musicians from Northern Ireland. He is a top-class artist, but he has let himself down, and, in doing so, he has let his music down and he has let all of us down.”
“I was shocked, just like my colleague, when I saw the footage on Twitter. Robin Swann has, as I have passed him in the corridors, always been helpful to me. I want politics to be completely taken away from what has to be done to get our health service fixed. What Junior — Ian Paisley Junior — said was an insult. He attacked a Minister who is hard-working. We can always do more, but we deserve better in Northern Ireland. If I offend anyone, I apologise. Nobody likes a microphone better than me, drunk or — well, not drunk, but with a pint or without one. It was wrong, and he should be embarrassed. He has apologised, but an apology must be meant, and there must be an apology served to all of Northern Ireland for what went on. <BR /> <BR />I know Van Morrison from the bar. He is not a personal friend, but I expect better from him.”
“What I was saying was that the day of the drunk man in a public house is finished. That is simply because of where we are with the professionalism of our bar staff and publicans. The last thing that they want or anyone wants is a drunk man on their premises.”
“Would the Member give way to allow me to clarify?”
“Thank you. Although my colleague represents South Down, he is a Moira man at heart. I know Moira well and worked in the Four Trees bar there. <BR /> <BR />Only together will we build this, folks. If we are seriously thinking about having a world-class tourism sector and inviting people here, we need to make these changes. We need to do it, and we need to stop looking down our noses at publicans and small brewers. We need to think about what they do and how they drive this place on, as I said. I have seen so many people who made their down the Shankill Road and the Falls Road. We need to cherish that, and we need to cherish the offering that we have. I accept what the Minister is trying to do, as best she possibly can. Thank you.”
“When I first worked in bars, it was on a five-year apprenticeship, folks. It was slave labour, but I had the best opportunities to work with some of the best bar people that this place ever produced. Whether selling from bars, distilleries or breweries, theirs are the first faces that tourists see when they come here. They are the first face of the entertainment sector, and they get asked where to go to and how to do things. <BR /> <BR />I support the changes — not all of them, of course — and I hope that the Bill is the start of a long journey and that we help to modernise the business. I hope that we look at what hospitality, or the drinks business, has done for Northern Ireland.”
“If any of you get a chance, even if you do not drink, go and have a look at Hinch Distillery. It is a brand new set-up. I have strayed off topic slightly, but I agree with you. We have some great products.”
“Look, we have the brewers. The brewers do beer. They do not do anything but beer. Then we have the distillers, who do the whiskeys and gins.”
“I agree. There is room for our brewers and our new distillers as well. They add to what we have to offer here. There is no point in going to a marketplace and only seeing one stall; you need lots of different things to be there. I go back to what Kellie — sorry, my colleague from Holywood, no, Antrim —”
“OK, sorry. No one is saying that the current model is working as well as it should for business. It is not working in our communities. This is the start of modernising our licensing laws, which are a key part of our economy, and of supporting the many small family businesses at the heart of our communities. Pubs are not easy, folks.”
“<BR /> <BR />When I think of the money that we have spent trying to create community hubs or spaces across our society to fulfil the need for contact between people in our communities, it is mad that we are presiding over policies that are killing off pubs, which fulfil that exact need for so many. That is why I welcome my colleague's modest proposals for a review of the licensing system. I commend the Minister —.”
“The alarming figures show the extent of the challenge that our hospitality businesses face. We all know how difficult it is; we can all feel it on our main streets and high streets. Long before the pandemic, small rural pubs were disappearing from isolated communities. Those communities do not just lose the local business, jobs or income to the local area. They lose a real part of themselves, because, particularly in rural, isolated communities, a pub is not just somewhere to have a pint; it is a place where you catch up with neighbours and connect with people. It is, in a true sense, a public house.”
“Sometimes, your best pint was maybe when the old lock was on the door, but there you go. This is not about allowing unrestricted drinking. As I have said before, pub owners are smart business people, and there is nothing worse for your business than a drunk and difficult customer. We do all that we can to stop it. <BR /> <BR />My colleague Matthew O'Toole — may I speak to Matthew's amendment?”
“In my area of Lagan Valley, in County Down, we have the fantastic Hilden Brewery, the oldest independent brewery in Northern Ireland. We have the incredible facility at the Hinch Distillery, with a team distilling some excellent whiskeys and being part of the County Down revival. The county is quickly becoming the distillation hotspot of Ireland, with Echlinville, Copeland and the small but mighty Killowen. <BR /> <BR />The extension to opening hours, particularly around Easter, is small but necessary, as these changes will allow small family businesses to operate in the modern world. I hope that no one can come after me now, but I have to confess — I hate to tell you, but I will anyhow — that the restrictions were unnecessary. They were never that effective, at least in my day.”
“I have seen people from across our whole community, who would never have come together normally, share a pint and talk about how all politicians are no good and do nothing. That is only a joke, folks, of course. That was before I came into politics. <BR /> <BR />I have also commiserated with friends during the hard times: the times of loss, hardship and having no one to turn to. Pub owners are family. Once you open a pub, that family extends to all the patrons who pay you the compliment of crossing your door. That is the human element that we must support, and, in doing so, we support Northern Ireland as a whole. <BR /> <BR />Pubs alone provide over £200 million to our economy. That grows when you add in local breweries and distilleries, which are growing day by day and producing award-winning beers and whiskeys.”
“I have been there for the long days of lugging kegs around and scrubbing floors and even on the low days when I did not know whether enough punters would come through the door to keep the business afloat. I do not want to go on about the ring of steel that surrounded Belfast, but we had to operate with all sorts of pressures. I can tell you that the people who made their way into Belfast from the Shankill Road or Falls Road are the people who kept this city open, folks. They wanted to get into a neutral environment. They made their way down, and publicans were glad to get that business in the city centre. <BR /> <BR />I think of the experiences that I have been able to share with so many people through all the happy announcements of births, marriages, new jobs and new opportunities.”
“When we look above the doors of pubs, we see the names of small business owners. They are proud to have their name there. The notices say, "Licensed to sell alcohol either on or off the premises". <BR /> <BR />Folks, contrary to what people might think, during my days in the bar, it was rare to see a drunk person. I firmly believe that that was due to the pricing, structure and operation of good publicans. Drunkenness had to be cut out. We did not want it. It is an absolute mess. The night is long, and you feel it in the pit of your stomach when you are trying to watch a drunk person. That has been eradicated. <BR /> <BR />As I said, when we look above the doors, we see the names of business owners who have worked long hours doing hard and dirty work to give us a place to share all the joys and sorrows of our common human experience.”
“In my time, it was Bass and Guinness, if I am allowed to say that. Publicans found themselves tying their premises to them. We are very lucky: things have moved on. I believe that there is room for everybody, and I welcome the changes. <BR /> <BR />Despite the distraction of ministerial appointments, today is a good day. It is the day when we take another step forward and finally modernise the outdated and, frankly, archaic licensing laws. It cannot come soon enough. Prior to COVID, we were losing 100 pubs a decade. The commercial viability of the industry was already under pressure due to rising costs and the lack of opportunity to increase consumer numbers and market share and to attract tourists. Since COVID, a huge number of pubs, as well as others in the entire hospitality sector, may not survive.”
“I was not going to say too much, because I did not want to try to influence any Member. However, I have heard the way that the debate is going. It was maybe only 20 or 25 years ago that there was a complete drought of local cask beers in Northern Ireland. I think that the first brewery that we had was Hilden Brewery, which was opened by Seamus and Ann Scullion. I used to go to the Brains Brewery in Cardiff, Wales to buy a beer called Brains. I went out to Wales to bring Brains back to Belfast. They would have been glad to get something real, like traditional Guinness, even though it was slightly pasteurised. <BR /> <BR />There is a reason for saying all that, and it ties to public houses. Given the expense and the trouble, publicans found themselves going to certain large houses.”
“Minister, there is £500 million of COVID funding allocated for 2021-22. What guarantees do you have that the money can be reallocated and will be?”