Andrew Muir
North Down · Alliance Party · Northern Ireland
“Thank you very much, Mr Deputy Speaker. As Minister, I am grateful to the Chair of the Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee and to Members from all sides of the Chamber for their consideration of the Bill and their contributions to the debate, which have been valuable and useful.”
“I will write to you with regard to your query. <BR /> <BR />The other issue, as I said, is reporting pollution incidents so that they can be effectively investigated. There is a duty on everyone to do that promptly.”
“Aquaculture provides real economic opportunities, and the Bill will help ensure that those opportunities are realised responsibly without compromising the environment. Importantly, the Bill includes transitional provisions so that existing licences can continue seamlessly as aquaculture licences, with their conditions unchanged.”
“That is not about being punitive for its own sake; it is about ensuring that the legal framework reflects the true value of our natural resources and the importance of protecting them for future generations.”
“<BR /> <BR />On strengthening the regulation of inland waters, the Bill modernises long-standing powers under the Fisheries Act (Northern Ireland) 1966, ensuring that they are fit for today's environmental and industry challenges. That matters because fisheries management today goes far beyond simply catching fish.”
“<BR /> <BR />A full regulatory impact assessment of the financial impact has been completed. It concluded that the Bill does not introduce significant new financial burdens and that any costs are outweighed by the long-term benefits.”
The complete record
Every one of 4,733 lines we hold for Andrew Muir, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 75 of 95.
“On behalf of the Alliance Party, I support the order. I do so in the context of the Executive being unable to meet as a result of the resignation of the First Minister. I am thankful that the order was agreed in the dying days of the Executive, because the impact previously, when we were not able to make the order, was that bills could not be sent out to collect the regional rate and the district rate. That had a significant impact on people's ability to plan financially and, because there was an inability to collect revenue, on council finances. I welcome the fact that we are able to make the order today.”
“Waiting times in Northern Ireland are now not just weeks and months but years. At what stage do we in Northern Ireland seek assistance outside Northern Ireland to get people off those waiting lists?”
“In 2020-21, £22 million was returned. In the 2019-2020 financial year, over £100 million was unspent. That is a critical issue that highlights the associated challenges. <BR /> <BR />Multiple projects are listed that, as Maolíosa outlined, have a significant impact on people across Northern Ireland. A key issue for me is the delivery of an infrastructure commission for Northern Ireland. It is regrettable that it has been delayed. Lastly, clear benefits are associated with multi-year Budgets. It is regrettable that we are not able to grasp that opportunity. <BR /> <BR />I am proud to have been a member of the Public Accounts Committee. We are a unified Committee. There has not been one vote in the Committee thus far. We work together. Hopefully, it provides a role model for how other Committees should function.”
“Change is needed in that regard. It is notable that 11 of the 44 RHI inquiry recommendations can be traced to shortcomings in the capacity and capability of the Northern Ireland Civil Service. That is a critical issue, and implementation of the recommendations that have been set out by the Public Accounts Committee is critical. <BR /> <BR />On the report 'Major Capital Projects', the ultimate demonstration of the challenges that we have in Northern Ireland in the delivery of major capital projects is the unspent money that is left at the end of the financial year. At the end of this financial year, there would, potentially, have been £36 million of unspent capital funding. It is only through luck and the Treasury's redoing its sums that that money will not be unspent. In other financial years, we have not been as lucky.”
“From my perspective, the principle of generalists also needs to be challenged. That is being considered in a number of areas, such as project and contract management, which I will touch on soon with regard to major capital projects. <BR /> <BR />On performance management, it came up that the performance of only 19 staff had been assessed as unsatisfactory, which equates to 0·1% of the total number of staff. That comes in the context of my view that the overwhelming, vast majority of civil servants whom we have the pleasure and honour of working for us in Northern Ireland are performing highly. However, we also need to have a performance management process in place. <BR /> <BR />The head of the Civil Service has a key role to play, as do the Civil Service commissioners. That arose in the recommendations for action.”
“Those are critical issues that came up as part of the inquiry and need to be addressed. <BR /> <BR />There is a high level of vacancies in the Northern Ireland Civil Service. The last figure that I noted was over 1,400. There is also an elongated recruitment process. That adds to the challenges in the Civil Service, and is also an issue for people who consider applying, or who apply but go elsewhere because, by the time that they receive a job offer, it is too late. <BR /> <BR />One thing that I also picked up on in the inquiry was the significant over-reliance on the Strategic Investment Board. That needs to be addressed in order to ensure value for money. <BR /> <BR />The Department needs to give greater clarity on succession planning, taking into account that the Northern Ireland Civil Service has an ageing workforce.”
“There are many examples of when civil servants have gone way above and beyond their job descriptions and duties to assist the people of Northern Ireland, keep them safe and deliver good public services, and also to safeguard the economy and jobs. <BR /> <BR />In the context of what I have just outlined, the report 'Capacity and Capability in the Northern Ireland Civil Service' was extremely useful and important. The issue of the capacity and capability of the Northern Ireland Civil Service has arisen in multiple Public Accounts Committee inquiries, and is the theme that runs through most of the inquiries that we have considered. When considering the inquiry and report, and then the memorandum of reply that we received from the Department, key issues, such as workforce planning, recruitment and performance management were highlighted.”
“Being a member of the Public Accounts Committee for nearly two years and considering the reports that are presented to the Committee, it is clear to me that government has a number of roles. The first is to keep citizens safe. In the context of COVID-19, that role and aim of government has been clear. The primary duty of government is to keep citizens safe. It is also about delivering quality public services. We excel at that in many different ways. Lastly, it is about enabling economic growth and job creation and delivering thriving communities. <BR /> <BR />The role of the Civil Service is absolutely critical to what I have just outlined. I commend the role that the Civil Service has played, especially over the past two years in the context of COVID-19.”
“I come here today as a member of the Public Accounts Committee to speak about two reports: 'Capacity and Capability in the Northern Ireland Civil Service'; and 'Major Capital Projects'. Both reports are vital, and they are interrelated. I will touch in due course on why I feel that that is the case.”
“Further to that point of order, I thank the Speaker for providing that clarification. I would like to record our discontent with the way that the vote on amendment No 1 was handled. I would not seek to challenge the authority of the Deputy Speaker who was in the Chair at the time, but there was clear dissent in the Chamber, which, as far as I can recall, was not handled correctly. I will write to you separately about that. If we are going to go —”
“On a point of order, Mr Speaker. You have just outlined the procedure. Can you outline practically how that would occur? Would you record their opposition in Hansard?”
“The evidence presented through a recent Assembly Question is that there is a decreasing amount of monitoring-round bid from the Department for roads maintenance. Why is that, given that MLAs report to you so many cases of the need for maintenance across Northern Ireland's roads? Why is the Department not bidding for the funding available?”
“Last year, your Department put a hold on Ards and North Down Borough Council's giving approval for the Queen's Parade development in Bangor. We are still waiting, 13 months later. When will you, as Minister, intervene, give the green light for that to go ahead and lift the holding direction that has been imposed on Ards and North Down Borough Council?”
“The preservation of Stonebridge and its inclusion in those plans will provide a natural marker point for people who walk or cycle that route, thereby preserving our history whilst looking towards a cleaner, greener and more active future. <BR /> <BR />It is vital that we protect and preserve our pieces of industrial heritage. Far too often, they have been demolished or left to go to rack and ruin. I urge the Minister to act swiftly to withdraw the proposed abandonment order.”
“I remember driving over the bridge before the road was moved to bypass it. <BR /> <BR />Engagement with the council, the Department for Communities and the Department for Infrastructure has revealed limited mechanisms to protect the bridge if an abandonment order is made, other than the council's local development plan, which could be years away from being adopted. Currently, there is no ability to list and protect Stonebridge, so the withdrawal of the abandonment order is our last hope for preventing its demolition. <BR /> <BR />In only a number of weeks, hundreds of local residents have signed the petition to voice their opposition to the potential destruction of this piece of local history. Plans are under way for the creation of a new greenway from Bangor to Newtownards.”
“Today I am presenting a petition with 546 signatures calling upon the Minister for Infrastructure to withdraw the proposed abandonment order that has been issued for Green Road in Conlig in my constituency. That abandonment order risks the demolition of the historic Belfast and County Down railway bridge and must be opposed. Whilst the railway line was closed in 1950 and various features of the railway, such as the trackbed, have been removed, many aspects of the old line between Newtownards and Donaghadee remain in place, including numerous bridges, such as the one that is now threatened with demolition. I have been working with residents for a number of years on how best we can preserve that old railway bridge. It has a strong connection to the area, with the nearby Stonebridge housing development named after the it.”
“The Russian Government should be treated as an international pariah. If ever there was a need for inter-cooperation and interdependence, it is now. The world can count its lucky blessings that we do not have Donald Trump any more as US president. The duty is now upon us all to act, and act now.”
“That comes on the back of the interference in elections, from the Brexit referendum to the US presidential elections, and of politicians in the UK and beyond all too willing to accept funding from Russian oligarchs. All the warning signs were there, but the action has far too often been too little, too late. <BR /> <BR />Last night, the EU agreed that all member countries would take in Ukrainian refugees for up to three years without asking them to first apply for asylum. Meanwhile, the UK Government continue to fail to provide a similar response. A full and generous humanitarian response is needed. The Tory Minister for Safe and Legal Migration said it all, really. He said that Ukrainians fleeing Russian invasion could apply to pick fruit on UK farms. What an appalling comment.”
“<BR /> <BR />What is sadly unfolding is not altogether surprising, because it comes on the back of the invasions of Crimea and Georgia and of widespread human rights abuses across Russia: killing and casting into prison those who courageously dare to oppose, imprisoning dissenters, journalists and anti-corruption activists, and persecuting ethnic and religious minorities and LGBT people. My thoughts are especially with my fellow LGBT brothers and sisters. Lenny Emson, executive director of Kyiv Pride, said:”
“Today, we consider an atrocity that is occurring not far from here. In fact, the flight to Ukraine is a shorter journey than we sometimes take for a holiday. The murder, mayhem and human rights abuses being perpetrated are very close to home. My thoughts are with the people being murdered and living in fear of lives and liberties being lost from the advance of Russian troops at the behest of a most evil man, a thug whose only place should be in front of the International Criminal Court.”
“I thank Mr Weir for giving way. I understand the points that you are making. However, a one-year Budget was agreed in advance of the end of the mandate in 2016. Is your argument that the Executive should be able to meet and agree a one-year Budget for the next financial year? We do not have a one-year Budget for the next financial year. We have a Budget that will, essentially, give Departments 45% of last year's funding to deliver services on a wing and a prayer.”
“Thank you for giving way, Mr Buckley. One of the questions that have to be asked is about the October monitoring round. A number of the bids that were made were not met, as you outlined, but the situation had drastically transformed by the January monitoring round, when there was a significant surplus of funds. The Finance Minister talked about that yesterday, but the question that he has to answer is this: why did the financial situation change drastically between the October and January monitoring rounds? If the funding had been available in October, some of the issues would not have materialised.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Executive are not in place, however, so we cannot agree that. It is a saving grace that we can pass the Budget Bill at Second Stage and hopefully progress it to Final Stage to give certainty to Departments in the next few months, but that does not allow them to plan for the future, does not allow them to recruit and does not safeguard community groups that are having to issue protective redundancy notices because they have no assurance over funding. It is vital that we pass the Bill today, but it is also important that I put on record that there has been a clear abdication of responsibility by the DUP, which has left us in a situation where we do not have an agreed three-year Budget nor a forum in which to agree it in the weeks ahead.”
“That is where our differences lay on the draft Budget. I am not saying that those differences were serious, but they did need to be taken into account. They could have been debated in the Executive, and the Executive could have agreed a Budget that addressed our concerns. One was that investment must be across government, tackling the causes and the symptoms of ill health, while another was that the Budget should be linked back to the transformation of our health service, in the context that Northern Ireland has the highest per capita spend on health in the UK. That Budget for the next three years should have been tied through to the transformation agenda in the health service, thus making the Budget more strategic, more cross-departmental and more encouraging of partnership rather than silo working.”
“It would not solve the situation, but it would help go towards resolving some of the issues and helping the people who are in pain and looking for treatment. <BR /> <BR />As finance spokesperson for my party, it is important for me to put on record on behalf of the Alliance Party the reasons that we should pass the motion today, but that must be done in the context of a Budget for the next three years. The inability to agree that is an abdication of responsibility on behalf of a party, namely the DUP, that walked away from the Executive. That is inhibiting the ability to agree that Budget. <BR /> <BR />The draft Budget was the first multi-year Budget in Northern Ireland for more than a decade. There was an opportunity to deliver that change. Investment must be across government, not just in the Department of Health.”
“Some would say that that was the situation before the Executive collapsed. It was, but collapsing the Executive, and the inability to agree a Budget to enable us to tackle the issue, seriously impedes the health of our people. It is reported that, in June of last year, 184,873 patients were waiting for more than one year for a first outpatient appointment. May I remind Members that the target is zero? In England, the situation is comparatively better. It is not good, but it is better. Northern Ireland has the worst waiting lists. In December of last year, only 47·7% of patients in accident and emergency in Northern Ireland were treated and discharged within four hours. In England, it is 83·4%. As a result of the issues that we are debating today, £300 million will sit idle in the next financial year.”
“but I am not seeing much of that in the walking away from the Executive and in the inability to agree a Budget. <BR /> <BR />We need the three-year Budget. We should be able to agree the Budget Bill. It must be passed for the delivery of public services, but it should be agreed in the context of an overall three-year Budget agreed by the Executive, because that Budget would give certainty; allow Departments, businesses and organisations to plan; and allow government services, especially the health service, to recruit and rebuild, in the context of the pandemic, and to deliver the transformation that is needed. Some people doubt whether that is valuable and whether it is needed, but it is needed. The reality is that the waiting lists in Northern Ireland are the worst in the United Kingdom.”
“As I said, there is not entire agreement on what was presented, but that does not give an excuse to collapse the Executive and to take away the forum in which to debate our issues and agree a Budget for the next three years. <BR /> <BR />As Mr Wilson said, it is perhaps proof of the:”
“If we were able to do that then, why can we not do it now? The answer is that we cannot do it now because there is no Executive to meet to agree it. Although I, as the representative of the Alliance Party, and my party may have issues with the draft Budget that the Finance Minister presented, it would have been important to have an Executive to consider the outcomes from the consultation, debate the Budget and, hopefully, agree it. That is a fundamental duty of every Government. Although we are debating a Budget Bill to keep the show on the road, it should be being done in the context of an overall agreed Budget for the next three years.”
“As Finance Minister, when presenting that multi-year Budget for the next four years before the end of the mandate, Mr Wilson stated:”
“We were told in this place yesterday and at other times that we cannot agree a Budget before the end of this mandate — that it cannot be done, that it would not be right to do it, and that it should be done in the next mandate — leaving us in a situation where Departments do not have the cover of a clear policy decision and direction from the Executive on the Budget for the next three years. <BR /> <BR />History, however, proves otherwise. The Budget for 2016-17 was agreed prior to the end of the mandate. It was brought to the Executive and agreed, and a statement was made to the House by the then DUP Finance and Personnel Minister, Mervyn Storey. The Budget for 2011-15, which was a multi-year Budget, was also agreed and brought to the Assembly. It was presented by the then Finance and Personnel Minister, Sammy Wilson MP MLA no less.”
“Most people consider this to be the Budget for next year and our version of the Chancellor of the Exchequer presenting the Budget, but it is not. Conor Murphy is most certainly not our Chancellor of the Exchequer. It is important that there is reform of the budgetary process and that we get clarity on it. Another element that will, hopefully, be covered in the next mandate is training in the process for Members and their staff. <BR /> <BR />Usually towards the end of February or the beginning of March, an Executive agreement on a wider policy decision on the Budget for the next financial year, if not the next three years, would be announced in the Chamber.”
“As far as I understand it, the Fiscal Commission is more of a temporary task-and-finish exercise. I would be interested in hearing an update from the Minister on the work that is being undertaken to put the Fiscal Council on a statutory and legislative basis. The Fiscal Council has proven its worth in the work that it has done and the reports that it has published thus far. <BR /> <BR />One thing that needs to be done, hopefully in the next mandate, if this place is able to sit, is the simplification and improvement of the Budget-making process. If you come here as a new Member of the Assembly, it is difficult to understand all the different aspects of the process. Yesterday, we had the spring Supplementary Estimates and the Vote on Account and, today, the Bill is presented.”
“I will speak to the Second Stage of the Budget Bill conscious that there was a debate on elements of it yesterday, so I will try to avoid repetition. I am also conscious that, with the Budget Bill, we are, essentially, giving approval for the use of resources up to the end of this financial year and authority for 45% spend from this year's budgets into next year, taking us up to 31 March 2023. I am very conscious of that context. <BR /> <BR />First, I want to talk about the work that the Fiscal Council has been doing, which is appreciated. I note and welcome that, as far as I understand it, funding for its work, alongside that of the Fiscal Commission, is being made available as a result of the sole authority of the Budget Bill. It is important that work is done to put the Fiscal Council on a legislative footing.”
“I thank the Minister for her response. The lack of an Executive, as a result of the DUP walking away, means that we cannot agree a Budget for the next financial year. That is causing great uncertainty and apprehension among the school community, including children and young people. Will the Minister reconsider her party's decision to walk away? How will being without a Budget for next year help the education of our young people?”
“Today is about scrutiny of the information that is presented to us, however, and it is important to get clarification on the issue that I raised.”
“I understand that it still has not reopened, yet we are approving expenditure in relation to it. <BR /> <BR />The last thing that I want to come to relates to the Executive Office. The Chair of the Committee referenced this, but she is not here at the moment. I understand that £1·3 million was set aside for the Maze/Long Kesh site. That figure is included in the information that we have been provided with today. It is important that we ask questions about the good use of public funds on this ongoing expenditure. It is important that we highlight that on the record. <BR /> <BR />As I said, we will debate the Budget Bill and continue further debate tomorrow. I welcome the motion from the Committee on the draft Budget, because it is important that we are able to consider that.”
“I thank the Member for his intervention. This is an important issue on which we need to get clarity, because, today, we are approving this expenditure. When I went online to see what the current situation was, the last Facebook post was on 6 August 2020. It stated:”
“It is important to raise that, because part of what we are doing today is scrutinising the information that has been given to us. I understand that concerns have been reported about the governance and financing of that attraction. I am also aware that the attraction is currently closed. The last time that I visited its Facebook page —”
“Expenditure for that is sought under the sole authority of the Budget Act. There is quite significant expenditure in relation to that. Within the document, it details:”
“There are a number of areas within that. One is from the Department for the Economy. It describes itself as:”
“Translink needs to have certainty beyond monitoring rounds. <BR /> <BR />Some items in what has been presented today fall under the sole authority of the Budget Act. I read through that information today.”
“<BR /> <BR />On infrastructure, Northern Ireland Water and Translink received funds as part of the monitoring round that has just passed. I am particularly concerned about Northern Ireland Water's financial position in light of the increasing energy costs that are affecting not only households across Northern Ireland but our public services. Recent events will also contribute to increased pressures on Northern Ireland Water. It needs to have certainty and not to have to rely on monitoring rounds. I am conscious that £300 million that could be used to assist Northern Ireland Water will sit idle in the next financial year. <BR /> <BR />Regarding Translink, passenger numbers are recovering, but it will be a hard slog to get back to the position that we were in pre pandemic and grow beyond that.”
“We owe it to the health service, its patients and staff to have certainty about their finances for the future. <BR /> <BR />Tomorrow, in the Budget Bill debate, I will talk about the wider issues. On the matter at hand, I will talk about a number of issues, some of which have been mentioned already. One relates to justice and policing. Many aspects of the justice legislation need to be funded, whether in the legislation that was recently passed by the Assembly, that which is coming up or that which was passed previously. There are also commitments in New Decade, New Approach: mention has been made of its commitment to police numbers of 7,500. We need to find the finances to keep our people safe and to deliver policing and justice in Northern Ireland.”
“<BR /> <BR />What we have here is not a sticking plaster but just one crutch for the public services that are desperately in need of proper support over the next three years to help people in communities across Northern Ireland to recover and grow from the COVID-19 pandemic through the cost-of-living crisis and in the face of a climate emergency. What we have here is welcome, but it is not good enough. There is a real lack of certainty for the health service over the time ahead. We should have a three-year Budget to enable the health service to recover and plan for the future. I say that today in the context of a potential major incident that has been declared in Antrim Area Hospital, yet we do not have a Budget for the next three years. That is not acceptable.”
“I welcome the fact that we are able to give that authority; it is in contrast to 2017, when there was no ability to do so, so the fact that the motion has been tabled today is to be welcomed. <BR /> <BR />The lack of a decision by the Executive on an overall Budget, however, as a result of the First Minister's resignation and the inability of the Executive to meet, delivers real uncertainty to the people of Northern Ireland. There are many examples of a Budget's being agreed before the end of a previous mandate, so that excuse does not hold water. The Executive should have been able to meet, sort out their differences and agree a Budget, but, unfortunately, they cannot meet, because the DUP First Minister left.”
“Today, we are debating the Supply resolution for the Northern Ireland spring Supplementary Estimates for 2021-22 and the Vote on Account. Tomorrow, we will debate the Second Stage of the Budget Bill and then, on Tuesday 1 March, the Rates (Regional Rates) Order (Northern Ireland) 2022. On 7 March, we will debate a motion from the Committee for Finance on the Northern Ireland Fiscal Council's report on the 2022-25 draft Budget, and, on 8 March, we will have the Final Stage of the Budget Bill. <BR /> <BR />Each debate is different in approach, and it is important that we approach today's consideration in that context. What we are dealing with here is about keeping the show on the road and giving authority for spend most recently incurred.”
“A lot of the debate on this question has focused on resource spending. I understand that there is about £30 million of unspent capital. If that money is not spent, about £8 million of it will be lost to Treasury. What progress has there been on allocating that unspent capital funding?”
“I thank the Minister for his response. The reality is that we do not have a new Budget for the next financial year, never mind the next three years, and the Fiscal Council's findings on the impact on the Department of Justice were clear. Does the Minister agree that we need not only a Budget but a Budget that keeps our communities safe and healthy? Will he reconsider his decision to terminate the consultation on the draft Budget?”
“He was also able to add a bit of laughter to debates; in particular, when the going got tough, he was able to get us through, no matter what time of night it was. <BR /> <BR />On New Year's Day, when I was ill, Christopher was one of the first people who contacted me to ask, "Are you OK?". To me, that was the ultimate measure of the man. He was a man of integrity, a real gentleman and a man who is lost but will not be forgotten. I mourn Christopher's passing.”