Deirdre Hargey
South Belfast · Sinn Féin · Northern Ireland
“His double standards, including his condemnation of and opposition to equality and rights for our LGBTQ+ citizens, have caused real harm to others. The revelations about his double life expose the staggering hypocrisy of the DUP's moral facade. We need to know whether failing to act sooner left more vulnerable people at risk.”
“One week ago today, Jeffrey Donaldson was found guilty of 18 child sexual offences, including rape. That conviction was made possible only by the strength and resilience of the two victims who came forward and reported the abuse. Donaldson was an abuser. He abused children, but he also abused his position in politics and faith.”
“They now say that they knew about his behaviour, but, crucially, they did nothing to expose his inappropriate hypocrisy and double life. The 'Spotlight' programme and other reports have shown that senior members of the DUP — its most senior figures, including the then leader, Edwin Poots — were aware of serious issues and allegations abou…”
“It is therefore not credible to suggest that the intelligence agencies were blind to his compromised double standards and double life. <BR /> <BR />Those questions demand answers from the DUP leadership. They demand answers in the House from the deputy First Minister, who was closely associated with Donaldson.”
“It is clear that there is a huge disconnect between Whitehall and the reality that is being felt by people on the ground. A British Treasury policy that is managing decay, real-terms cuts and disastrous policy decisions such as Brexit or the funding of wars over public services comes on top of existing disparities between how public servi…”
“The answer is not the short-term fixes or cash injections that we have had in the past, which have allowed for the repeated Treasury script of record settlements and inability of the Executive to manage their finances — scripts that are often parroted in the Chamber.”
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“Thank you very much. Today I seek the Assembly's approval for the Coronavirus Act 2020 (Extension of Provisions Relating to Local Authority Meetings) Order (NI) 2022. The order extends the provision of section 78 of the Coronavirus Act 2020, which is due to expire on 24 March of this year. Section 78 provided the Department with an enabling power to make regulations to give councils across the North the ability to hold meetings remotely or by hybrid means during the coronavirus emergency. The extension of the provision will permit the arrangements introduced under the 2020 Act to continue to be used until 24 September of this year. I welcome the support expressed by the Communities Committee at its meeting of 16 March 2022.”
“I will be very quick. I love how Mark got the SDLP election mantra in there, in the middle of congratulating you, Paula. Obviously, you will be missed. There is no doubt about that, given the contribution that you have made, particularly to the Communities Committee. I have enjoyed working with you in the time that I have been here. Like the Deputy Speaker, I wish you well in the more important role that you are taking on with your mummy and daddy in the time ahead. <BR /> <BR />There is nothing left to be said about the regulations other than that I commend the motion to the House.”
“In complying with the requirement to assess the value for members that their scheme provides, and to report net investment returns and costs and charges, trustees and managers are required to have regard to the guidance issued by the Department.”
“They have been introduced alongside guidance to help trustees of schemes that are in scope to meet the requirements. <BR /> <BR />The regulations clarify the statement of investment principles, for example the requirement for default investment funds. They may make consequential amendments, for example to the information that must be published on a publicly available website. They amend the definition of charges and make changes to the way that performance fees may be taken into account when assessing whether or not a scheme complies with the charge cap that limits the charges that can be applied to default investment funds. They also provide a cap on early-exit charges and a ban on member-borne commission charges arising under existing arrangements.”
“It also includes a provision to control the level and range of charges. <BR /> <BR />The regulations require trustees of relevant schemes, with less than £100 million in assets and that have been in existence for at least three years, to conduct an annual assessment of the value that the scheme offers to its members. They specify the criteria that must form part of the assessment, including the quality of the scheme's record-keeping, the promptness of accuracy of administration and the extent to which existing requirements concerning trustees' knowledge and understanding are being met. Those measures aim to encourage consolidation of defined contribution pension schemes so that members can benefit from economies of scale and a diverse range of asset class that larger schemes bring.”
“The rule that we are considering today is somewhat technical and places administration and governance requirements on trustees of occupational defined contribution pension schemes. In particular, it requires trustees of certain schemes to disclose their investment returns and demonstrate that they are providing value for their members. It increases flexibility for defined contribution schemes to take account of performance fees payable to fund managers when calculating the cap on charges that apply to default investment arrangements, which are funds into which members are automatically placed by the scheme. It makes other changes. For example, it changes how specific types of pension schemes must comply with the requirements to produce a statement of investment principles.”
“It is really an attempt to redraft it in a more appropriate legislative form. <BR /> <BR />I am glad that we are at this point. Again, I thank Pat for working with the Department on the amendments, and I thank everyone in the House for getting the amendments through this stage. Hopefully, these are amendments that we can now all vote on and move the Bill to the Final Stage.”
“My role was just to get it to this point, to ensure that I could work with the sponsor of the Bill to ensure that it became law. By next week, hopefully, we will have moved one step closer to that being the case. <BR /> <BR />With regard to queries that were raised, the regulations will set out clearly the premises where products are available and how they can be accessed. They will, as has been said, be subject to Assembly scrutiny, so there is no attempt to remove any bodies. Indeed, the amendments ensure that anyone who menstruates can have access to the products. That is really clear; they are open to those who need them. <BR /> <BR />The Office of the Legislative Counsel stated clearly that amendment No 14 does not impinge on the policy or intent of the amendment agreed at Consideration Stage.”
“Thank you to everyone who made a contribution in this debate and at the previous stages. <BR /> <BR />I will comment quickly on the remarks made by the Chair of the Education Committee on subregional stadia. I know that it has nothing to do with this. I just want to assure him that I have proposals ready to go. I am looking at legal advice on how I can progress those proposals, but of course the quickest way of doing that would be by having a functioning Executive to which I could present them today or tomorrow. <BR /> <BR />Getting back to the Bill, it is welcome. It is quite clear, from the previous stages and when it was discussed at Committee, that it is necessary and will have a hugely positive impact on many people's lives.”
“I will briefly address amendment No 14, however, as it amends an amendment to clause 8 that was made at Consideration Stage. Legal advice has indicated that the provision as worded causes a contradiction in the definition of "need" throughout the Bill. The amendment addresses the drafting issue without interfering with the purpose or intent of the provision. Those are the amendments.”
“Amendment Nos 5 and 6 are technical. Amendment No 7 confirms that the regulations must be made by affirmative resolution. Amendment No 8 inserts a new subsection that provides a definition of a body with functions in respect of amendment No 1. Amendment No 9 is a technical redraft. <BR /> <BR />I view the amendments to clause 2 as being of particular importance. They ensure that the Bill captures the public bodies to which it is intended to apply, and they also provide clarity on the conditions under which certain premises such as schools operate. Failure to agree to the amendments would greatly undermine the practical application of the Bill. <BR /> <BR />Amendment Nos 10 to 32 are technical in nature, and their only purpose is to make the Bill legislatively sound. I do not intend to go through them individually.”
“<BR /> <BR />The amendment addresses concerns that a number of Departments raised at Consideration Stage about the ability to define certain premises such as schools to ensure that proper protections are in place to safeguard the people who legitimately use them. It is extremely important that we consider how certain premises are used and who has access to them, particularly when one of the Bill's core principles centres on dignity, privacy and confidentiality. Enabling clarifications to be made of different types of premises assists greatly with that endeavour. <BR /> <BR />Amendment No 3 is a technical fix. Amendment No 4 permits the regulations made under clause 2 after the consultation required by subsection (7) to be made individually or jointly, enabling a single Department to take the lead if necessary.”
“The amendment redrafts the subsection so that Departments that have responsibility under clause 2(2) to specify public bodies can do so by their functions in respect of hospitals, schools and higher and further education. By restructuring the subsection in that way, Departments are better able to capture public bodies through the much broader definition of their functions. <BR /> <BR />Amendment No 2 inserts a new subsection, the purpose of which is to address the multitude of premises where products will be available that will be caught by the Bill. The amendment extends the regulatory powers in clause 2(2) to enable premises to be further defined by their use, by when they are open and by who could be said to have legitimate access.”
“A wide range of premises are caught by the Bill, and it is important that issues to do with their use and access be properly considered. The issue was raised by the Education Committee and at Consideration Stage by Paula Bradshaw, and it has also been brought to my attention by a number of Departments. The amendments address those concerns by enabling Departments, by regulation, to list their public bodies and to define certain premises by their use and by who has legitimate access to them. <BR /> <BR />All the other amendments are technical in nature and are simply to ensure that the Bill complies with the law. For those reasons, my speech will be brief. <BR /> <BR />The legal advice behind amendment No 1 indicates that clause 2(2) as drafted risks many public bodies not being captured by the provision.”
“I thank my team in the Department for making sure that the legislation was possible by tidying it up at this stage. I thank Gerard, who is here today, Beverley, Dianne and the team. I thank Pat, the Bill sponsor, who worked with us to make sure that we could table the amendments. I make it clear from the outset that my amendments do not impinge on the policy intent of the Bill; rather, they will improve its implementation and correct minor legislative drafting issues. <BR /> <BR />The amendments to clause 2 ensure that all public bodies can be properly accounted for in future regulations, and they are specifically designed to enable protections to be put in place through the definition of certain premises such as schools and healthcare settings.”
“I think that he needs to be called out by the —”
“On a point of order, it is hugely inappropriate for a Member to target a civil servant and staff from a Department. There are rights under employment law for the staff who work in a Department and who are implementing a legally binding agreement on behalf of the Minister in said Department. Those comments need to be withdrawn.”
“It helps to fulfil our responsibilities under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, and, importantly, it is a step towards equality for all our citizens.”
“I was also a councillor on Belfast City Council, where people go to register life events, and, indeed, the council made moves a number of years ago to have bilingual Christmas signage on the front of that building. The same arguments were used then about cost and dissatisfaction. The signs went up, and guess what: nobody batted an eyelid. The sky did not fall in. People got on with their business and continued to use that building on a daily basis for the business that they needed to engage in with the council. <BR /> <BR />The motivation for the motion is clear. The real motivation of those whose argument attempts to pit some rights against others is to deny rights. The clear reality is that this is the first step in meeting a New Decade, New Approach commitment that parties agreed to in re-establishing the institutions.”
“I do not know what the fixation is with an individual staff member not just here but at the Committee, and I find it a bit concerning. The reality is that the measure is a New Decade, New Approach commitment. Officials got to work to take forward that commitment, which got the institutions re-established. In the last two days of applications being opened, the number of people who wish to have their certificates and life events registered in Irish or bilingually has exceeded the figures that the Member gave. <BR /> <BR />As I reflect on that, I find that this is of interest to me, because I cover languages in my Department. I sat with representatives from the Irish language and Ulster Scots communities a few weeks ago to progress the expert panel reports and to develop strategies.”
“The initial cost was to put the necessary system in place to produce the certificates. There will be no additional costs for the production of the certificates, but the legislation will very much bring huge social value and impact for Irish language speakers, particularly those who would like to record the events in Irish or through bilingual means.”
“<BR /> <BR />It is important to address the whole issue of cost. There was some mention of the ongoing cost of the introduction of the regulations.”
“Once a registration has completed, all certificates from that date onwards are produced with headings in the language selected at the point of registration, and that cannot be changed. <BR /> <BR />I ask Members to support the introduction of the legislation, which introduces choice. At the point of registration, it will allow individuals or couples to choose whether their certificate is in English, in Irish or is bilingual. It will enable them to obtain a certificate with the headings in Irish, English or a combination of the two, with a bilingual English and Irish version. It does not change the current position for members of society who wish to continue to obtain a life event certificate in English, because this is primarily about choice for individuals in our communities.”
“<BR /> <BR />At present, under the existing legislation, it is possible only for certificates to be produced in English, although the content can include Irish names or street addresses. The new regulations are aimed at providing the public with more choice in the registration of a life event. They will enable certificates that are produced from a new registration to contain headings in English, Irish or bilingually. Since the introduction of the legislation on 11 March, a person attending to register a life event has been provided with a language choice. They can select English, Irish or both, and that has enabled certificates to be produced with headings in the selected language.”
“I welcome the opportunity to respond to Members' comments on the Marriage, Civil Partnership and Civil Registration (Amendment) Regulations on behalf of my ministerial colleague Conor Murphy. <BR /> <BR />Members will be aware that the New Decade, New Approach deal included a commitment to make any necessary statutory provisions for births, marriages and deaths to be registrable in Irish. The option for registration in Irish has also been taken forward to include stillbirths, civil partnerships and the conversion of civil partnerships to marriages, and vice versa. The regulations are a first step in a phased approach towards taking the NDNA commitment forward and in enabling people to access public services through their chosen language, whether that be English, Irish or both.”
“I am glad that I, as Minister in a shortened mandate, have been able to bring forward those protections for people in the private rented sector. I ensured that the concerns of the housing sector and the legal advice were heard in the Chamber, and, ultimately, that protections for people and families were brought forward. <BR /> <BR />I commend the Bill to the House.”
“That concern was rightly articulated by housing campaigners who have been fighting for additional protections for years.”
“<BR /> <BR />I have consistently demonstrated my determination to ensure that all rents are fair and that tenants are protected in their homes. I have been a housing campaigner for most of my adult life. I work with people in private rented accommodation, in social housing and the homeless. I do that not just as a Minister or an MLA but as a housing activist and campaigner and as a community activist and campaigner. That is something that I will continue to do because it is part of who I am as a person. <BR /> <BR />I also clearly articulated the risks of an ill-conceived amendment that would, in effect, have meant that the protections that are secured in the Bill would be lost. I have clear legal advice that the amendment would have killed the Bill.”
“I thank everybody who spoke not just today but throughout the lifetime of the Bill since it was first introduced in the Assembly last year. <BR /> <BR />I will pick up on the point about the consultation. We had a completely shortened mandate. A lot of work has been done between the Department and the Committee to get through a lot of legislation in that shortened mandate. If I had left the consultation to be completed before introducing the Bill, we would not be standing here today with it because, clearly, we would not have had the time to progress it. I had to introduce the Bill when I did last year to ensure that we would get it through before the end of the mandate, and, thankfully, we are doing that. That has because of the work of officials within my Department and with the Committee.”
“I thank the team in my Department, the Assembly staff team, the Office of the Legislative Counsel and the various other legal teams who have worked on the Bill, enabling it to get to this stage. <BR /> <BR />I hope that all parties can give the Bill their full support. I commend the Bill to the Assembly.”
“I have always said that the current notice to quit periods are too short. The Bill will increase the notice to quit periods once regulations regarding exceptions have been made. <BR /> <BR />I reiterate that the Bill is just the beginning of private rented sector reform. The Department will now begin the next phase of work on the regulations. <BR /> <BR />I acknowledge and express my thanks for the contributions of the many stakeholders who have been involved with the Bill, including those in the housing sector and organisations such as Housing Rights. I thank Members who have engaged in the debate wholeheartedly over the past eight months. I also thank the Chair, Deputy Chair and all those on the Communities Committee for their dedication and support in progressing the Bill to this stage.”
“The changes in the Bill will improve safety, security and standards in the private rented sector and will assist tenants who struggle to afford their rent. Everyone should have a safe home. We will finally have electrical safety standards and fire and carbon monoxide detectors in private rentals. I have laid the foundations for energy-efficiency improvements that will reduce fuel poverty and assist us in meeting our climate change targets. <BR /> <BR />I thank Ciara Ferguson for working with my team in the Department on her amendment on notices to quit.”
“When I came into post, I knew that reform was urgently needed to improve protections in the private rented sector. Regulation of the sector has barely changed, but more and more families live in it, including more and more children and vulnerable people. For many people and families, it is not a choice; they have no option. <BR /> <BR />The improvements secured through this Bill have been a long time coming and will enhance conditions for tenants living in the sector. It seems incredible that some of them have only arrived in 2022. Things such as electrical checks and carbon monoxide detectors are decades overdue. I have been clear that this Bill is the first step. There is a lot more to be done in the reform of the private rented sector, and we have a lot to get on with.”
“Thanks very much to the Communities Committee and its Chair. The rule is seeking to combat those who want to avoid their responsibilities to pension schemes, and provides for greater security for members' defined benefits and retirement savings. I commend the motion to the Assembly.”
“The Pensions Regulator has issued a code of practice that aims to provide further clarity on how it will interpret and use its powers. In summary, the regulations enhance the regulator's ability to take action to protect pension scheme members.”
“That is a widely known and understood measure that is used by the industry, and it gives the most appropriate picture of the net profits that are available to provide support for a defined benefit pension scheme. <BR /> <BR />The general approach assesses the annual benefit tax position of the employer had the act or failure to act not occurred, and that is then compared with an assessment, including the act or failure to act.”
“<BR /> <BR />The employer resources test enables the Pensions Regulator to overcome the challenges of assessing an act or a failure to act that has affected the financial strength of the sponsoring employer and, consequently, its ability to support the defined benefit pension scheme rather than damaging the scheme directly. The purpose of the employer resources test is to provide the Pensions Regulator with a tool to simplify the process to make an assessment of the impact of an act or failure to act on the employer at that time. <BR /> <BR />The regulation sets out how the value of the resources of the employer is determined, calculated and verified. For example, what constitutes the resources of the employer is determined as being the employer's profits before tax.”
“The rule that we are considering provides the technical details for the employer resources test that was introduced by the Pension Schemes Act 2021 in connection with changes to the contribution notice regime. <BR /> <BR />The Pensions (NI) Order 2005 gives the Pensions Regulator powers to issue a contribution notice if certain conditions are met. The regulations provide the technical details that are specific to the employer resources test, which forms part of the Pensions Regulator contribution notice regime. The regime enables the regulator to impose an obligation on the recipient to pay a specified sum of money to a defined benefit pension scheme.”
“<BR /> <BR />To conclude, I thank Pat for bringing the legislation to the Floor of the House. I thank the Education Committee, which has been working on the Bill over the last period. My involvement, as Minister who stepped in, is to ensure that we conclude the process on this important piece of legislation before the end of the mandate in a couple of weeks. Very quickly after that, we will be able to move to a point where the provision of these products is natural and does not need to talked about because it is part of things that happen every day. Again, I give my continued commitment to the process to ensure that the Bill is competent. We will table further technical amendments to make the Bill the best that it can be. I thank the Bill sponsor, the Committee and everyone else for progressing it to this point.”
“Robbie Butler's proposal is to amend clause 1 so that the Executive Office is the lead Department. The issue that the Bill addresses is cross-cutting in nature, as we can see from the discussions today. Therefore, I agree with him that it naturally sits within the Executive Office for oversight and progression. As other Members noted, I continue to work with the Office of the Legislative Counsel (OLC) in order to table further technical amendments to the Bill at Further Consideration Stage. Those will tidy up the Bill to ensure that we get it through to completion so that it becomes law. I have taken on board the comments of Members on clause 7, which amendment No 15 addresses. I agree that we need to make the legislation inclusive for everyone who is affected by the issue.”
“The legislation shows that the House, again, is listening to ensure the well-being of those out in the community who are impacted by periods daily. The Bill is definitely an important piece of legislation, and we have to make sure that those who need access to period products have it. <BR /> <BR />The Department of Education's period dignity pilot scheme in schools and, indeed, other small-scale projects have shown that there is clearly a demand for the provision of period products in schools. I acknowledge the work of the Education Committee to date in scrutinising the Bill and identifying some of the issues that have been flagged up today. <BR /> <BR />On the issues raised today, I note the position on which Department will be the lead Department regarding the provisions in clause 1.”
“It is unacceptable that a normal bodily function should continue to stand in the way of things that many of us take for granted. It is important that we are discussing these issues in the Chamber, as has been said. I take periods, I bleed and, as part of that, I get tired. I can often get grumpy and frustrated, depending on what part of the month it is, but I have never had to face a situation where I did not have access to period products. When you listen to the testimonies of the activists on the ground and of those who do have that barrier, you realise that, with the Bill, we can remove that barrier and give them the dignity of being able to access those products. That is not to say that the pain and tiredness will go away, but it will definitely make it easier.”
“Indeed, they discussed the barriers that many of them face to participating fully in society, whether that is in education, work, leisure activities or, of course, the key issue of healthcare.”
“I took the decision to lead on the Bill in order to ensure that, when it passes, it is technically sound and provides us with a workable basis on which to move forward with implementing the free provision of period products for those who need it. It is important that we reach agreement on who will lead on the implementation of the Bill. <BR /> <BR />I hope that some of you heard in the Chamber last Friday the powerful testimonies and lived experiences of the women who took part in the Women's Parliament event, which was hosted by the Speaker.”
“I thank Members for their contributions. I acknowledge how appropriate it is today, on International Women's Day, as has been said, that we are working collectively to tackle an issue that impacts so many women. I thank Pat for pursuing this important issue. I assure him and all Members of my support for the overall objectives of the Bill. <BR /> <BR />It is obvious from listening to the Members who spoke that this is an issue that unites all parties. We gave a collective commitment through New Decade, New Approach and on the re-establishment of these institutions to improve well-being for all. I want to see issues on period dignity being a central part of that.”
“This is very much the beginning of planting those acorns to create the change in this mandate and to increase the protections that we can give. It is, however, only the start of the radical change that we need to take forward by, in some ways, ripping up the 1985 Order and writing a new Order and set of regulations that meet the needs of people here in 2022 and going forward. My Department and I commit to not waiting another 37 years. The work has already begun to look at phase 2. I will continue to work with Gambling with Lives and all those other organisations, as well as in the Chamber, in order to bring about the changes that are needed. <BR /> <BR />I commend the Bill to the House.”
“I came into a shortened mandate, and I have led the change. Of course, there is more to do. I have always said that it would be a two-phased approach. I want to work with those in the community in order to take forward the much-needed additional changes that we need. <BR /> <BR />Some have reflected on Pete and Sadie Keogh's work with Gambling with Lives. Many other individuals and organisations have been impacted. In a recent interview, Pete said:”
“To completely change the Order, which will be needed and which the Chair talked about in her opening speech, would take nearly an entire mandate to do. I could have chosen to do nothing in a shortened mandate, which would have left no additional protections or reform of the Order, but that would have been disingenuous and would not have been a good thing. I worked with those who are campaigning for change in order to make changes that we could achieve in the shortened mandate. The Bill gives added protections. It also prohibits the use of certain gaming machines for under-18s. It gives enhancements, and those in the community recognise that. <BR /> <BR />In a shortened mandate, I have led the first change on gambling since the current gambling legislation was brought in, when I was five years of age.”
“The Member will know from the last part of the Consideration Stage, that, when you look at the services and operation of gambling in other places that have the opening hours that we are proposing, you see that it is not the fact that they are open that has the direct result of problem gambling but the wider societal issues, which the Bill, in part, starts to address with codes of practice and a levy that can be used to support those who have an addiction to or issues with gambling. There is a wider health issue that we need to address as well, as the Member well knows. <BR /> <BR />The reality is that when the Order was created in 1985, the internet was not a thing; it was not written into the Order.”
“Yes, of course. That was better than muttering.”