John Blair
South Antrim · Alliance Party · Northern Ireland
“It supports the Department's role in enforcement by ensuring that animal welfare standards are being upheld. At their core, the regulations are based on prevention, accountability and transparency.”
“I, like others, rise as a member of the AERA Committee in support of the regulations, which seek to make CCTV mandatory in our slaughterhouses. I do not intend to repeat all of the relevant points that have been covered by the Committee Chair and Committee colleagues.”
“<BR /> <BR />I recognise the work of my colleague the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Andrew Muir, who is using the powers within his remit to help mitigate climate change.”
“I rise as chair of the all-party group on climate action to address the extreme heatwave that is forecast to hit mainland UK, including a rare red weather warning, with temperatures forecast to be as high as 40°C. It is yet another reminder that climate change is not a distant future risk that we can brush under the carpet.”
“They place pressure on our health service, disrupt transport and infrastructure, reduce productivity and threaten food production, water supplies and biodiversity. If such events continue to grow in severity and frequency, the cost to our communities, our local economy and our natural environment will only rise.”
“I thank the member of the Commission for that reply. It is good to hear that those reviews take place, of course. However, further to the information that was presented, will there be an ongoing review of the continuous improvement plan, and will that information be available to Members?”
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“I have no doubt that you will have the same good and positive working relationships with all Members. It is my and our sincere wish that you have the full support of Members across the Assembly to conduct business here properly and to make progress on the legislation and the delivery that the people whom we represent are waiting for and deserve.”
“I put on record what a pleasure it was for me to work with him on the Assembly Commission.”
“— either at plenary Question Time or in the Committee. I am making lighthearted comments, Mr Speaker, because I also want to say to the House and publicly that, in truth, in that role, you were always available and accessible to members of the Committee, whatever their politics or the disagreement at hand, and it was appreciated. I have no doubt that you will bring those characteristics of approachability, accessibility and good working relations to the role of Speaker and add to that your knowledge of this place, first of all, and your publicly declared support for devolution and the success of the Assembly. <BR /> <BR />I will close on two points. First, if you do not mind, I will add to the comments made earlier about the previous Speaker, Alex Maskey.”
“Mr Speaker, it strikes me immediately, of course, that I am the first to address you in the post. It is with pleasure that I extend to you congratulations and very good wishes on behalf of those of us on the Alliance Party Benches and that I do so on a day on which we make progress in this place — the progress that the people of Northern Ireland have wanted, waited for and needed for the past two years. Reflecting on your previous comments, Mr Speaker, I cannot help making a comparison with our previous exchanges in this place, when you were in your role as Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, and I was here in my role as party spokesperson. Of course, we disagreed once or twice — a week”
“That is what I would advise, and I issue that advice on the basis of very recent conversations — as recently as this morning, in some cases — with food banks, businesses, schools, youth service providers, which were mentioned earlier, NHS patients on waiting lists and other constituents. Their need is greater than any need to use them as leverage for political point-scoring or protest.”
“<BR /> <BR />I would prefer that to be done on an inclusive basis, of course, but the point is that some parties that have had the opportunity to take their seats in Government have failed to do so. In the new arrangements, they could self-exclude if they so wish, but they should never ever be able to prevent those of us who are willing to govern and deliver from doing so. It is called choice, and it is fair. <BR /> <BR />I close by asking my South Antrim political colleagues — those in the DUP in particular — to reflect on their position, and I appeal to them to do so.”
“As with every other recall, we know what the outcome is likely to be, and it is utterly depressing. To put it in context, I have been a Member of the Assembly for over four years. I have been afforded the opportunity to debate in the Chamber and scrutinise in Committee for a little over two years, and therein lies the problem. We should be looking urgently at the reform of these institutions. I am not going to go into the detail of that today except to reiterate my and my party colleagues' strong commitment to allow all parties in the Chamber to govern if they wish to do so. That is by far the best alternative to the current arrangements of recurring collapse and chaos.”
“<BR /> <BR />I was going to say that it would be shameful to prioritise party political interest over a health service that is collapsing around us and a climate crisis that is no longer a looming threat but is here and happening now, but I am starting to believe that the party to my right — the DUP — is incapable of shame. The rest of us are aware of the global and local implications and repercussions of the issues that I have mentioned, and we want to get on with it.”
“Bluntly, my party colleagues and I do not care who that will be, although we know that two well-qualified candidates have been put forward; we care only that someone occupies the Chair so that we can reconvene Assembly business, conduct the jobs that we were elected to do and serve our constituents to our fullest ability. Instead, the vote at the end of the debate will be on whether Members care about the issues affecting our constituents and whether they care enough to prioritise those issues over party political interest and protest.”
“I will try to keep my remarks relatively short, given what we have heard already, especially in relation to the cost-of-living crisis. There is little to be added on the core issues of the debate. We have already thoroughly rehearsed the frankly devastating impacts that again failing to elect a Speaker will have on our public services, on the public purse and on the lives of each of our constituents in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis, as well as on their confidence in how this institution supports and delivers for them. <BR /> <BR />To be clear, Acting Speaker, the vote that will take place at the end of the debate is not a vote on who will sit in the Chair that you currently occupy.”
“I thank the Minister for his statement. I genuinely wish DAERA well with the strategy, just as I did — also, I hope, genuinely — when the green growth strategy was announced, but there are some problems. The business plan update presented to the AERA Committee just two weeks ago today showed that, in this mandate, there was not the required interdepartmental collaboration on green growth. It also showed that there would not be the promised second iteration of the marine plan and that DAERA was off target with its afforestation plans. What is the Minister doing in his final days in office to rectify or turn around those red-flagged issues so that the new strategy and the existing green growth strategy will have some chance of success?”
“My opposition to widespread culling is on record here. In the recent past, I presented a petition of over 10,000 signatures to the House. I want to record again my thanks to the USPCA and Ulster Wildlife for bringing that forward. <BR /> <BR />Last week, a report that was published in the 'Vet Record' concluded that there is no evidence that badger culling has had any meaningful impact on the incidence of bovine TB in England. Does that not, therefore, bring into question the use of public money for culling? Did the Minister consider diverting that investment towards biosecurity on farms or the use of more effective cattle testing and vaccination?”
“I thank the Minister for the statement. I was a little surprised when I realised that it mentions the word "climate" only once and makes no mention at all of the Minister's Climate Change (No. 2) Bill. I thought that those matters would be integral to any agricultural policy that comes forward at this time. Will the Minister give an assurance today that the policy direction and sectoral plans, including one for agriculture, which the Minister indicated that he will bring forward, will be reframed to include climate change?”
“I thank the Minister for the updates and the insights from a Justice point of view on the issue of misogyny. Further to that, I will link that to the issue, which is obviously related, of violence against women and girls. Given the work that has been commenced by the Department of Justice and by the PSNI, which I am aware of as a Policing Board member, does the Minister share my concern that access to legislative process could be seriously hindered by the absence of a working Executive and that that could cause a serious hindrance, therefore, to progress on the issue of tackling violence against women and girls?”
“It comes in addition to the Minister having, in this short mandate, shown commitment and paid particular attention to the issue of domestic violence. She should be commended for her determination and congratulated for those achievements. <BR /> <BR />On behalf of Alliance, I support the motion.”
“The purpose of the statutory rule is to enable the new domestic abuse offence convictions, as well as current convictions for all other offences for which there is a domestic abuse aggravator, to be released as part of the Access NI disclosure process. <BR /> <BR />The statutory rule is essential to ensure that children and vulnerable people are protected. It does so by providing potential employees with details of convictions of a domestic abuse offence and non-court disposals of a domestic abuse offence, enabling those to be shared with a potential employer, who will, of course, be making recruitment decisions. <BR /> <BR />I thank the Justice Minister for tabling the motion, which introduces further protections for the vulnerable in our communities.”
“I wish to express genuine regret to the victims of domestic violence for whom the passage of the Domestic Abuse and Civil Proceedings Act 2021 came too late. That is the shameful legacy of three lost years without a functioning Assembly. To those people, I can only apologise. <BR /> <BR />It is hard, therefore, to fathom why, yet again, we are without an Executive, after they were restored just two years ago. The long overdue and increasingly urgent strategy to tackle violence against women and girls has been delayed as a result of further stalemate and stand-off. <BR /> <BR />I will keep my remaining remarks on the motion brief.”
“<BR /> <BR />I trust that Members from across the House will support the motion, and I commend the nomination of Dorinnia Carville as the Comptroller and Auditor General to the House for appointment by Her Majesty.”
“The C&AG fulfils an important element of the overall system of governance that is in place across most democracies. Having a credible, experienced and skilled person to undertake this role is reassuring to the Assembly. <BR /> <BR />I will cover some of the comments made by Members. I will start with Daniel McCrossan, who spoke on behalf of the Audit Committee and paid tribute to some individuals — I will come to that in a moment — and also raised the fact that matters have been tabled for later on behalf of that Committee. Roy Beggs spoke on the importance and relevance of the role, and my colleague Andrew Muir supported the motion. All of those Members paid tribute to Kieran Donnelly. Sinéad Bradley also paid tribute to Kieran and took the time to wish Dorinnia well. She did it with a particular South Down emphasis.”
“I thank Members for their contributions. Whilst neither me or my Assembly Commission colleague Trevor Clarke were on the recruitment panel for the C&AG, as members of the Commission we are assured that a fair and open recruitment competition took place. I repeat Mr Clarke's thanks to Mr Pitt and Mr McCarthy for their assistance with the recruitment process. It is always welcome when those with relevant expertise participate in an important competition such as this. <BR /> <BR />The role of the C&AG is crucial to how the Assembly assures itself of the propriety and regularity of the expenditure incurred across the public sector. In that regard, I again pay tribute to Kieran Donnelly for his work as C&AG and wish him well for his retirement.”
“Following the passage of the Climate Change (No. 2) Bill, will the Minister seek to ensure that all future financial decisions are climate change proofed to ensure that we play our part in averting climate catastrophe and meet the targets set in that legislation?”
“Whether it is the improvement of the road link in my constituency with North Antrim, which was the subject of the original question, or the progress made on the various active travel routes that I looked at in my constituency yesterday — I welcome some progress on those — how will the failure to agree a Budget impact on the Minister's departmental capital infrastructure spending priorities across the board and across constituencies?”
“I thank the Minister for the statement and for the detail regarding planned actions. I associate myself and my party with the comments from across the House about the workers involved and those working to help those members affected. <BR /> <BR />As I am a member of the AERA Committee, my question relates mainly to supply chains. Some of the parties — including the Minister's, it seems — on the local council thought that resources should not be shared with Belfast port at this time of need. I have raised those matters with DAERA for clarification of its intentions. Might good practice involve resource sharing between ports and between agencies to ensure supply chain sustainability at this time?”
“I am not in a position to make a commitment on behalf of the Commission, but I am sure that the points that the Member has raised will be considered. <BR /> <BR />The event that the Member referred to was, of course, held within the precincts of Parliament Buildings. Therefore, it was a matter for the Assembly Commission, not the Department.”
“However, it is for the Department of Finance to determine how any review dealing with the Stormont estate is conducted.”
“I thank the Member for his question. The Department of Finance engaged with Assembly Commission officials to consider the policies and decision-making processes that the Assembly Commission has in place to govern events and requests for commemorations in Parliament Buildings. In particular, Assembly Commission officials provided an update on the review of artefacts that the Assembly Commission has recently conducted and the principles that were agreed for that process. Those principles were agreed by all parties on the Assembly Commission and acknowledge the need to be inclusive of and sensitive to different political views across the Assembly. If the Department of Finance seeks further formal input from the Assembly Commission, that will, of course, be considered positively.”
“I thank the Member for that question. As I outlined, the sustainable development office will continue to work closely with the estates management unit to encourage visitors to Parliament Buildings to avail themselves of the walking trails, for example, throughout the Stormont estate. There is no reason, therefore, why the suggestion in the previous question to extend that to other biodiversity trials could not also be done in conjunction with environmental groups. I am happy to take that back in conjunction with the previous point.”
“As I understand it, there is regular contact between the Department of Finance and the Assembly Commission on estates matters, especially where the estate for which the Commission is responsible interfaces with the remaining Stormont estate. I am more than happy to take the suggestion of further work in that regard back to the Commission and the sustainable development office.”
“In that regard, the Assembly Commission's sustainable development office is a partner of the Eco-Schools group and helps to raise awareness of the wildlife — our bees in particular — in the estate when meeting school groups. <BR /> <BR />The Assembly Commission's sustainable development office continues to liaise closely with the estates management unit to enhance the biodiversity around Parliament Buildings by whatever means possible.”
“<BR /> <BR />Works on the Stormont estate under the control of the Department of Finance are informed by the Stormont estate woodland management plan and the conservation management plan. Those plans have not recommended the rewilding of the formal lawn areas. Across the wider Stormont estate, the estates management unit has provided a woodland environment with minimal intrusion to help to protect and expand the habitat for plant and animal life. <BR /> <BR />The Assembly Commission, through the events office and the education office, promotes the nature trails throughout the estate and encourages visitors and school groups to make use of the grounds when they visit Parliament Buildings.”
“I thank the Member for his question. The Member will be aware that the Assembly Commission has responsibility only for the lawns adjacent to Parliament Buildings within its curtilage, and those end at the railings to the front of the Building. Beyond that, the management of the Stormont estate falls within the remit of the Department of Finance, specifically its estates management unit. <BR /> <BR />While the Assembly Commission has not considered an alternative use for the lawns within its responsibility, support and encouragement for biodiversity and pollinators has been put in place through the installation of an apiary at the west side of Parliament Buildings. As well as increasing biodiversity and supporting pollinators, the apiary is used to raise awareness of the dwindling numbers of native bees.”
“I thank the Minister for his reply. I am grateful for the reviews that are being undertaken and the initiatives that are under way at the behest of trusts. Are all aspects of the pressures on emergency departments being addressed? The issue of access to GPs has been mentioned a number of times today. Is the impact of that on emergency departments being actively considered by the Minister and the Department?”
“I thank the Minister for the detail that he has provided already. We touched on the issue of an inter-agency approach a question or two ago. Can the Minister give a broader update on emergency service reform, including interlinkages between first response services to include cardiac arrest response, for example?”
“By prioritising the safety and well-being of victims who enter the justice system, abolishing shame or fear of blame and closing gaps in the law that offenders try to exploit, I hope that today we can mark the beginning of the end of unreported sexual offending and send a strong signal that we stand to protect victims and the vulnerable in our community.”
“The provisions of the Bill were debated extensively at Consideration Stage and Further Consideration Stage, and I do not intend to repeat any of the points that were made then. The Bill addresses a number of issues relating to the experiences of victims in the justice system, including the exclusion of the public at all serious sexual offence court hearings. <BR /> <BR />As a member of the Policing Board, I am all too familiar with the devastating scale of sexual violence against women in Northern Ireland and of the research that indicates that the vast majority of victims do not report the perpetrators to the police.”
“I am pleased to be able to speak on behalf of Alliance in support of the Justice (Sexual Offences and Trafficking Victims) Bill at its Final Stage. I concur with the many comments made by Members about victims and the work that has to be done across the justice family and beyond on their behalf. <BR /> <BR />The Bill represents the last of five substantive pieces of legislation that the Minister wished to see pass through the House over the past two years. I commend the Minister of Justice for delivering on an ambitious legislative programme to reform our justice system and introduce greater protections to vulnerable people in our communities. The Bill, along with the others, will make a significant difference to those who suffer abuse and exploitation.”
“I regret to say that, on this issue, as in many other areas, we remain the exception to ambition.”
“in which to adapt to climate change, with the risks associated with lower levels of warming being greater than previously thought. The debate should have been about every person, every sector and every Government playing their part in mitigating the impacts of climate action. We should not have limited our ambition for climate action. Furthermore, by protecting one strand of one sector over all strands of all others or even giving the impression of doing so, we stand to lose enormous economic and social opportunities and confine Northern Ireland to being the carbon outlier of Europe. We need ambition at a political level, because the opportunities are ours for the taking. The race to net zero is seeing growth in economic opportunity among our neighbours and competitors.”
“Wealthy nations like the UK disproportionately bear responsibility for climate change. That is known to be a fact. Low-income communities in the global south urgently need justice to cope with escalating loss and damage and to adapt to the future. To deliver anything other than our best was to turn our back on those who are most at risk from and least responsible for the climate emergency. <BR /> <BR />The debate should never have been about the agriculture sector versus the environmental sector. To quote that IPCC report, we have:”
“I am pleased to join the debate remotely today and to speak on behalf of Alliance. At the outset, I thank the DAERA officials who were involved, the AERA Committee members, the Committee officials and those who presented and made representations to the Committee in relation to the progress of the Climate Change (No. 2) Bill and the Climate Change Bill. <BR /> <BR />On the day that the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change gave its "bleakest warning yet" and reported on an "atlas of human suffering", the Assembly in Northern Ireland backtracked on its decision to deliver net zero legislation. I cannot overstate my disappointment in the parties that supported the delivery of a changed, inadequate and disproportionate target and strove to create loopholes in and exemptions to our responsibilities in Northern Ireland.”
“There have been barriers around inheritance and also in succession planning, education, training and access to funding. <BR /> <BR />Government — DAERA, in particular — and all of us in the Assembly and in public life have a role to play in breaking those barriers. The motion from the Committee is the result of engagement and consultation which not only further identified those barriers but stressed the need to find solutions to them. Hopefully, this will lead to increased engagement by the Committee, the Assembly, the Department and the Minister. The engagement must find ways to support women in the sector and across it in a way that has been done in other jurisdictions. <BR /> <BR />On behalf of Alliance, I support the motion.”
“I am pleased to be able to join the debate from a remote location. I support the comments made by the Committee Chair and other Committee colleagues. <BR /> <BR />The glass ceiling that restricts women in the various strands of the agriculture sector is similar to that witnessed over many generations in other walks of life. Those, of course, include politics and other areas of public life. It is important and right to call this out on International Women's Day, and more important to do all that we can to break those barriers. In agriculture, there have been particular and persistent cultural, as well as practical, barriers for women. Those include perception around those assumed to be interested in playing a leading role.”
“I thank the Minister for the statement and the issues covered, ranging from the very serious issue of people trafficking, which was referred to by the Justice Committee Chair, to the proactive work being done by the youth justice PAGs. Further to the information provided, how can we and all agencies work together to improve public protection across the island?”
“Between 28,000 and 36,000 people in the UK die each year from illnesses that are attributed to long-term exposure to air pollution, yet we in Northern Ireland still have no air quality strategy to deal with that. Will the Minister publish the clean air strategy before the end of this mandate?”
“As I stated, I have deep concern about giving methane special regard over the other greenhouse gases, and Alliance will oppose the amendments. <BR /> <BR />Finally, I support the amendments that introduce the specification for financial, economic, social and rural impact assessments. Not only is that good practice but it ensures that the greening of the economy is inclusive, with pathways into green careers to ensure that women and low-income families can fully participate in the new green economy.”
“I therefore support the amendments tabled to establish and implement an independent, Northern Ireland-specific oversight commissioner through the legislation. <BR /> <BR />I will speak to amendment No 57, which is based on amendments that my party originally put forward, and to amendment No 68, which my party tabled to ensure resource capacity for the Northern Ireland climate commissioner. It is so important that our oversight body have the resources to conduct the role effectively. Separate from the Northern Ireland climate commissioner, however, there remains an outstanding need for an independent environmental protection agency in Northern Ireland. I have spoken on a number of occasions about the commitment made in New Decade, New Approach. <BR /> <BR />I turn to amendment Nos 21 and 42, which Sinn Féin tabled.”
“The report highlights how political failure to tackle the climate crisis negatively impacts, even in the immediate term, on all of us right here in Northern Ireland. Our recognition of and response to climate risk can strengthen adaptation and mitigation actions and transitions that reduce those risks. Action is enabled by governance, finance and knowledge but also by capacity building. Many adaptation options already exist and are used to help manage projected climate change impacts, but their implementation depends on the capacity and effectiveness of governance and decision-making processes. <BR /> <BR />Independent climate bodies to oversee climate change mitigation and adaptation measures are widely considered to be a major component of any leading climate action framework.”
“to adapt to climate change, with the risk associated with lower levels of warming greater than previously thought. <BR /> <BR />In response to the IPCC report, the UN Secretary-General said that the findings were:”
“As I stated in my contribution to the debate on the group 1 amendments, Northern Ireland is lagging way behind in tackling the climate crisis. Today's IPCC findings are a powerful and timely reminder that meaningful climate change legislation is needed, and needed urgently. To quote the IPCC, we have:”
“On a point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker. I hope that you do not mind my taking us back to the vote on amendment No 1. I was a little surprised that the vote was taken orally and without a Division, despite the fact that, as I recall, there was clear opposition to it. I respect your judgement on that. However, I am puzzled about how I should record my opposition to the amendment. I was advised previously that that could be done in Hansard. Can you advise on how we can do that?”