Harry Harvey
Strangford · Democratic Unionist Party · Northern Ireland
“Thank you for your statement, Minister. I am pleased to see the non-domestic rates element of the review, which we have called for as a party, progressing.”
“Thank you, Minister, for your statement. You highlighted the Change Maker funding programme and support for 65 grassroots organisations. I am sure that you will agree that it is vital that the benefit of schemes is seen at a grassroots community level.”
“Minister, the thrust of graduated driver licensing is to provide new and learner drivers and riders with better experiences and skills over time, doing so in low-risk environments. There was much consternation across the House and in Committee around the way in which the Minister first announced that plan.”
“<BR /> <BR />Further clarity will be required from the Minister and her officials on a number of proposals, particularly in relation to how the learner logbook will operate and how verification by a qualified driver will be policed in practice to ensure that there is limited opportunity for the abuse of that new element.”
“It is no secret that the cohort of 17- to 25-year-olds proportionately remains the age group with the highest involvement in serious injury collisions on our roads. It is against that backdrop that many of the changes that have been emphasised are to be welcomed as the Department seeks to increase safety on our roads.”
“<BR /> <BR />Minister, if you get a chance, I want you to tell us a wee bit more about the removal of the 45 mph speed limit. Maybe we could have a conversation about it at a later stage.”
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“As we move towards Christmas and the focus of many turns to the Christmas story of the Christ child of Bethlehem's manger, I pause to remember the many babes conceived in recent months whose lives have been cut short as a result of the practice of abortion. I was saddened to see that, between April 2024 and March 2025, some 2,899 abortions were carried out in Northern Ireland, legislated for by the previous Westminster Government through the Abortion (Northern Ireland) (No. 2) Regulations 2020. This year's figure represented an increase of 3·7% on the 2023-24 reporting period, which equated to 2,795 souls. <BR /> <BR />In total, 11,192 abortions have been carried out in Northern Ireland since the new legislation came into effect and to the period ending 31 March 2025.”
“Thank you for your answer. It is vital that everyone can access the estate. Does the Commission have any plans to assess whether the current number of disabled parking bays is adequate?”
“I thank the Minister for his answer. Minister, how will the Department ensure that the new standards will be applied fairly and proportionately across all farm types?”
“I welcome the statement by the Minister. Minister, you have elaborated about road safety, and I had the privilege of attending the launch of your drug-driving advertising campaign last week, which was also attended by Road Safe NI and The Road Ahead NI. On research and innovation, will you elaborate a wee bit more about hydrogen refuelling, please?”
“I thank the Minister for his statement. Minister, can you provide some clarity on whether you are engaging with the Treasury on the design of a scheme to ensure that Northern Ireland households get the benefits of energy cost reductions?”
“We must see the road network improvements that will support transport resilience for the future, and I trust that the Minister will act for the benefit of Newtownards. I also look forward to her exploration of the idea of a Strangford/Portaferry bridge.”
“The long-awaited park-and-ride facility will be of immense benefit, but it cannot be viewed as a silver bullet.”
“Along with colleagues in this place, I have, for several years, been highlighting the issue of pedestrian safety at Teal Rocks specifically and motorist safety along the Portaferry Road more generally. It is shameful that DFI officials have been unable to reduce the national speed limit along that section of road, which is used by schoolchildren to board school buses. I call again on the Minister to rethink the Department's position on that issue in particular. It is an issue that everyone in the Chamber and, indeed, every councillor has submitted a request about. Residents, traders and visitors are all calling on the Minister to intervene and to work with the local community to establish what can be done to ease an ever-increasing problem.”
“Thank you very much, Mr Deputy Speaker. I thank the Member for her very useful intervention. <BR /> <BR />It is not acceptable that the main arterial route to facilitate the bypassing of the town remains a single carriageway, with no traffic management solutions being proposed, despite the congestion that that is causing for the Newtownards community. Although we all appreciate the departmental budgeting constraints at this time and thus do not expect miracles, the Newtownards community does not find it acceptable that absolutely nothing has been achieved. Nothing has even been attempted by the Minister's Department to address the issues. <BR /> <BR />In other parts of the town, road safety continues to be a concern for many.”
“Such a statement fails to appreciate the enormity of the congestion that manifests for significantly long periods, not "short periods at peak times". Yes, I am happy to give way to the Member.”
“Despite that, the Department has been unable to come up with any meaningful solutions to alleviate the traffic congestion that motorists experience daily. In her response to a question for written answer dated June of this year, the Minister stated:”
“Although development is to be welcomed, and although the town has inevitably benefited economically from increased footfall, pressure on the town's infrastructure has continued to build, with little or no response from the Department. Residents find themselves in gridlock daily, spending unacceptable amounts of time sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic merely to get around the town, let alone to go through it. <BR /> <BR />The Comber Road and Castlebawn roundabouts have already been mentioned in the debate. It is not an exaggeration to say that that area of the town comes to a complete standstill every weekday, with queues along the Messines Road often tailing back to the main A20 dual carriageway. Journey times, particularly for those from Belfast coming to and from the peninsula, have continued to increase in recent years.”
“I thank my party colleague and fellow Strangford MLA Michelle McIlveen for securing this important Adjournment debate. For many years, she has worked tirelessly to raise the issue of traffic flow across Newtownards, and I pay tribute to her for continuing to battle the Department on the matter. <BR /> <BR />Anyone who lives and works in Newtownards, or, indeed, anyone who has had the pleasure of visiting that beautiful market town, will be aware of the traffic pressures being experienced at all times of the day but particularly at peak periods and on Saturdays. Over recent years, Newtownards has seen a huge increase in the number of chimney pots, with large numbers of out-of-town residential developments springing up.”
“In the meantime, efficiencies through reform and transformation will remain our party's focus.”
“Inability and reluctance to avail ourselves of expertise within the Home Civil Service has hampered knowledge-sharing and skills transfer. Programmes within the 'Safeguarding the Union' Command Paper that are designed to facilitate better collaboration and exchange across the UK Civil Service will undoubtedly assist transformation, once implemented. The Procurement Board, which has been tasked with ensuring the effective operation of public procurement, has been unable to achieve what it was commissioned to do. The sheer scale of projects falling outside of their procured targets demonstrates that a rethink is required urgently, if stakeholder confidence is to be regained. The challenges are evident, and multi-year budgeting would undoubtedly play a part in addressing them.”
“The fact that they are the rule points to a serious lack of capacity within our Civil Service. We, as a party, have continually highlighted and sought to address that in recent years.”
“If public procurement and the major capital schemes that have emanated from this place over the past decade can teach us anything, it is that fundamental reality. The York Street interchange, which remains on paper, and the Royal Victoria Hospital (RVH) maternity hospital, which is already 10 years late and some £40 million over budget, are just two examples of where the system is failing the people of Northern Ireland. Significantly delayed and over-budget capital projects should not be accepted as the norm. They —”
“Thank you, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker. Multi-year budgeting has long been called for in the House. It would be difficult for anyone to deny the obvious benefits that it would bring to the functioning of government as a whole and of individual Departments. Many points have been eloquently made in the debate, but, for me, the focus must be on transformational reform. Whilst no one should be in any doubt as to the impact that multi-year budgeting would have, there is a tendency to frame the conversation in such a way as to present it as the silver bullet. The importance of other tools that, arguably, are more readily available should not be underestimated. <BR /> <BR />It does not matter how long the budgetary period is if you fail to implement robust guard rails to ensure that you remain within it.”
“Minister, in recent days, some schools have been unsure about whether they have been acting lawfully by continuing with school assemblies. Can you confirm that teachers can continue with assemblies and that they are within the law in doing so?”
“Minister, you note that the authors did not cost the impact of their proposed reform of the surrender principle. Is it possible to advise how much it would cost?”
“I thank the Minister for her answer. Minister, our local councils play a vital role in the promotion of many of our rural tourist sites. However, success varies from one local authority to the next. What can the Department do to ensure that best practice models and ideas are shared across Northern Ireland?”
“May we be ever thankful for those who gave their all to afford us the peace that we enjoy in this part of the world today, and may we continually pray for an end to conflict throughout the globe.”
“I pay tribute to the Royal British Legion and all the organisations that play such an instrumental role in leading our cities, towns and villages in the acts of remembrance each year. I always view it as a great honour to attend events in my constituency over Remembrance Weekend and to see each community come together to pay their respects. <BR /> <BR />Remembrance is not only about the past; it is a call to us in the present to prepare for the future, to reflect, to learn and to build on our common humanity for the good of all. We are reminded in the Book of Ecclesiastes that:”
“On the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, the guns of the Great War fell silent. It was the war to end all wars, but, sadly, the intervening years have seen many bloody conflicts, with millions of lives lost to war. On this Armistice Day, we are reminded of all those who gave their tomorrows for our today: those who fought for freedom in Flanders; those who stormed the beaches of Normandy and the shores of Sicily; and those who fell in the defence of Northern Ireland in recent conflicts. Today is a day for reflection and thankfulness for their sacrifice. In schools, shops and workplaces across the nation, the public will have paused in silent reflection this morning to honour their memory, lest we should ever forget.”
“Minister, if you were to balance the budget this year, what would that mean for the education sector?”
“Given the huge financial pressures faced by the Executive, including on capital, can the DFM outline the challenging environment for any additional expenditure?”
“I agree with the Member that there surely are those cases, but, in effect, there are things that cater for that. Thank you.”
“I am almost finished, but I certainly will when I come to the end. <BR /> <BR />Those who repeatedly and wilfully fail to meet their obligations to the LPS should not be let off the hook. There is an onus on the Minister to show good governance and equality on the issue, to ensure that every possible effort is made to collect what is owed to the Government and to tackle the scourge once and for all.”
“<BR /> <BR />Let me be clear: the DUP will fight for hard-pressed working families. Those who prepare for and pay their bills on time should not be required to pick up the tab for those who do not.”
“<BR /> <BR />I would also be interested to hear from the Minister on the disparities across council districts, where disproportionality appears to exist between the level of unpaid rates and the population data, and on how the Department intends to combat such regional imbalance. Sinn Féin made much of austerity in the past. We all know the impact that the cost-of-living crisis continues to have on our citizens, yet the Department seems more interested in crippling ordinary, decent people with even higher bills than in getting tough on those who think that the rules do not apply to them. Scrapping the early payment discount, raising the rates cap or removing business support should not be our primary focus until uncollected rates debt has been sufficiently addressed.”
“The Finance Minister and his predecessor have pointed to favourable trajectories in the past for annual recovery figures. However, the Department has published little by way of new, concrete proposals to systematically combat the issue. As of 31 August 2025, £145 million remains unpaid. If the Department and the Minister are to get serious with those flouting the law and significantly reduce that figure in the coming years, we must see a doubling down on processes and procedures and tangible actions, such as an increase in the target figure for gross collectable rates for Northern Ireland, which remains considerably lower than that in other jurisdictions at 93% compared with, for example, 96% in England, as has been highlighted.”
“It is unfortunate that similar industry has not been procured to address the issue of recouping unpaid rates. To do so would be to provide a much fairer and more sustainable means of increasing revenue without placing additional burdens on those who already meet their obligations.”
“I join my party colleagues in bringing this motion to the Assembly today. It highlights a significant issue as part of the wider conversation on revenue raising. The figures outlined in the motion, which were supplied by way of previous answers from the Department, are astounding, particularly when viewed in the context of what it takes to operate some of our front-line public services across Northern Ireland. The current landscape of our public finances was acknowledged in the Programme for Government, which highlighted the fact that there is not enough funding for services to meet the needs of people here and that our ability to deliver on all our priorities is dependent on the availability of funds. <BR /> <BR />In light of that, the Department has engaged in a review of rating and has been consulting on proposed changes.”
“I thank the Minister for this very positive fund, which builds on the legacy of our most successful Olympic games. Does the Minister feel that this investment could see more young people getting involved in sport? For example, might we see more Rhys McClenaghans?”
“Their courage in sharing their stories helps others to feel less alone and encouraged to open compassionate conversations about miscarriage, stillbirth and neonatal death. The week culminates in a global wave of light at 7.00 pm on 15 October, when everyone is invited to light a candle and leave it burning for at least an hour to remember all babies. <BR /> <BR />We must continue to advocate for high-quality bereavement care, better support for families and continued investment and research to reduce preventable deaths. To all parents who have lost a baby: your children are remembered, your grief is seen and your love endures. <BR /> <BR />I invite all Members to join me in recognising Baby Loss Awareness Week and in supporting the families and organisations that are working tirelessly to bring comfort, awareness and hope.”
“This week marks Baby Loss Awareness Week, a time to remember and honour the lives of babies who have died during pregnancy, at birth or shortly after. It is also a time to acknowledge the deep grief experienced by parents and families and to reaffirm our collective commitment to supporting those who have endured such unimaginable loss. <BR /> <BR />This year marks the twenty-third year that Baby Loss Awareness Week will run, between 9 October and 15 October. Every day in the UK, 13 babies die before, during or after birth, and that figure does not include miscarriage. Across the country, families will light candles, wear pink and blue ribbons and take part in remembrance events to break the silence that too often surrounds baby loss.”
“I welcome the Minister's statement. Will he expand on the social value piece and the impact that that will have on local communities?”
“I start by thanking the Minister for all the work that he has put into the Northern Ireland Football Fund. <BR /> <BR />Minister, you will appreciate the immense disappointment felt by the clubs whose applications were not successful. Ards Football Club in my constituency of Strangford was one. Where do we go from here to ensure that clubs such as Ards FC, which does so much for the local community, receive the investment that they so desperately need and deserve?”
“Thank you, Minister, for your answer. On the successful bids from the first phase, how will the board and, more broadly, the Department ensure that transformation projects are progressed and delivered as quickly as possible?”
“Minister, I welcome your statement. Will you explain your 10-point plan?”
“I thank the Minister for all that he is doing to tackle underachievement. The Minister will agree that education in the home that supports the work of teachers is vital in tackling underachievement. Can anything more be done through targeted support so that there is greater engagement in education from parents?”
“Thank you, deputy First Minister. Do you agree that the Murphy review was a missed opportunity?”
“Minister, how much finance is invested into that area via HED?”
“Will the deputy First Minister inform the House of how the work of the East-West Council differs from the British-Irish Council or the North/South Ministerial Council? How can other parts of the UK get more involved?”
“Minister, will your Department consider other road safety measures on the existing road, namely speed limits, lines, barriers and overtaking lanes, which might help in the meantime?”
“Provision for the creation of an advisory panel, alongside the inquiry panel, is a positive element of the Bill and demonstrates a victim-centred approach and victim-centred action. <BR /> <BR />The pain of the past can never be undone, but the Bill is a recognition of that pain. I support the Bill's passage.”
“I thank the Member for his intervention. Yes, I totally agree. I appreciate that. Thank you. <BR /> <BR />There is tremendous hurt and anger around the issue. We must acknowledge that. The Committee has been alive to the lived realities and experiences of so many victims and survivors. We have all heard accounts from those who were subjected to horrific physical and emotional abuse. Whilst the Bill will never undo past tragedies, nor could it ever quantify the trauma that was experienced in appropriate financial terms, it provides, in some small way, for an official acknowledgement of the wrongdoing that was experienced by victims. As the Executive Office moves in the coming months to enact the Bill's contents, it is vital that, throughout the process, the voices of victims continue to be heard.”
“<BR /> <BR />I am pleased that provision has been made at clause 35 for the prioritisation of applications for those who are suffering from a terminal illness. In addition, the simplified criteria for scheme eligibility will undoubtedly aid and, I hope, boost the number of applicants who come forward to avail themselves of the scheme, which will, in some way, acknowledge the tremendous weight of hurt that was visited upon the many victims of historical institutional abuse, be it in mother-and-baby institutions, Magdalene laundries or workhouses across Northern Ireland.”
“I am glad that clause 37, for instance, makes provision for single lump sum payments for recipients and that initial £10,000 admission-based payments will not impact on an individual's benefit entitlement nor take into account other payments or require any waivers to be signed. That is an important distinction from any previous redress scheme and will ensure that recipients can avail themselves of the financial award in its entirety. I welcome the £10,000 admission-based payment and note that a harm-based payment scheme will follow. It is important that admission payments be administered as quickly and efficiently as possible, cognisant of the age demographic of many of those affected by historical abuse.”
“I welcome progress on the matter by way of the Inquiry and Redress Scheme Bill and the opportunity to contribute to the debate at Second Reading. <BR /> <BR />The magnitude of historical institutional abuse has been a blight on our shared societal history and the history of the institutions that were directly involved. It is imperative that victims remain our primary focus. A victim-centred approach has been the aim of the Executive Office. I welcome the work that has been done to bring the Bill to the House. Of course, it is only the beginning of the process. Much is still to be done to continue to support those who have been affected and to acknowledge the life experiences of the individuals and families touched by those historical horrors. <BR /> <BR />Turning to some of the specifics of the Bill, I welcome its clarity on payments.”