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. I thank everybody who contributed to the debate today and those who contributed previously. <BR /> <BR />I came into post in January 2020. It has been a shortened mandate. If you are going to do something, you of course want to do it right, but doing something completely right would take a whole mandate. We could not have done this practically in two and a half years.”
“It is important to thank the campaigners and families. We engaged directly with them and listened to their stories, their concerns and their views on the legislation's development. I know that the Committee also engaged with the campaigners and families as we developed the Bill. As Minister for Communities, I reiterate my commitment and, indeed, that of all those in the Department to continue to work with those campaigners and families as we progress the important overhaul of legislation in phase 2. The work to make sure that we address the wider issue of online gambling begins now. The whole arena of the internet was not created when the existing legislation was first brought into being. I look forward to that engagement. <BR /> <BR />I hope that all parties can support the Bill that is before the House.”
“I thank Members, and members of the Committee for Communities, who worked with me over the past six months to improve the Bill and for their proactive engagement throughout. I thank the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Committee for their dedication in supporting the Bill during its progress. <BR /> <BR />The Bill is about balance, giving greater protections to gamblers while making sure that we regulate the sector. None of that would have been possible without my team in the Department. I thank them for bringing forward changes, and I thank the drafting team and those in the Assembly who made sure that we got the legislation through before the end of the mandate.”
“<BR /> <BR />I am seeking to increase fundraising opportunities for local charities, sports clubs and other voluntary and community organisations by increasing the maximum ticket price for societies and lotteries from £1 to £100. That has long been asked for by the charities and community sector. Guidance that my Department will draft will make it clear that tickets at or close to the maximum should be the exception, not the rule. I already have the power to vary the frequency of lotteries and the price limit of tickets. <BR /> <BR />Before we move to the remainder of the debate and, ultimately, the vote, I acknowledge the contributions of the many stakeholders that worked with the Department and the Committee for Communities in the development of the Bill and, importantly, in looking forward to the next phase.”
“<BR /> <BR />Some raised concerns, during the debates, about the lack of treatment available for those impacted by gambling. My Department deals with the regulation of the industry; it is not primarily responsible for the treatment of gambling addiction. However, my officials and I will continue to work with the Department of Health in that area, looking, in particular, at how the levy to support individuals and organisations can be used. I am seeking to balance the risks by issuing a code of practice that operators must comply with. Operators must always recognise the inherent human risks in the products that they offer and take proper responsibility for those risks and, indeed, the adverse consequences for many individuals.”
“That is why I said that the Bill is the first step in a two-phased approach. There is a much larger job to be done, in the next mandate, to create a wholly new, more modern and more agile system of control that will be fit for the modern age and able to offer a more effective regulatory foundation, now and into the future. <BR /> <BR />Many people gamble. For most, it is something that they enjoy and do occasionally. However, for many others and their families, gambling has devastating impacts and consequences, which we heard about during the debates. I want to make sure that the industry does more to help people who have problems with gambling. That is why I included powers in the Bill to allow me to introduce a mandatory code of practice and a statutory levy to help to pay for research, education and treatment.”
“I do not intend to speak at length, because, through the various stages, we have had extensive debate on the details of the legislation. However, it is an important point in the process that we are now, finally, moving to updating and progressing changes to our gambling regulations for the first time in almost 40 years. <BR /> <BR />The Bill represents the first step in a two-phased approach to overhaul gambling regulations. In the minds of many, online gambling, in all its forms, represents the most concerning type of gambling in its impact. The structure of the Betting, Gaming, Lotteries and Amusements Order 1985 is such that it was not possible in the time available in this mandate to draft provisions that fully addressed online gambling, in effect, writing a completely new order.”
“Therefore, there is a direct correlation between terms and conditions of employment and how they impact on women and children and their direct impact on poverty. <BR /> <BR />We need a difference in approach. The current economic system globally is not meeting the needs of the majority of people. It is there to serve a small interest, because in all these cost-of-living increases, somebody is making a profit. It is the large, multinational companies that are making profits. Their profits have not been impacted. Instead, it is the people who are on the ground struggling every day who are making up the cost and the difference. Therefore, we need a different conversation about how we protect people and rebalance the economy to make it one that works for small businesses and, importantly, for workers.”
“Definitely, yes. We need to look at what we can do in order to ease the burden for people. We also need a bigger conversation on the type of economy that we have, the level of wages and rights around collective bargaining on, for example, terms and conditions. <BR /> <BR />Private Members' Bills on enhancing those rights are going through the Assembly. I welcome them, but we need a critical conversation around even gender-proofing budgets that we have. For example, I recently made an announcement on improving the terms and conditions for those who are in the community and voluntary sector. They have seen the first pay increase in over a decade through the decision that I made. However, when you analyse the figures, you see that 84% of those who will now receive, as a minimum, the real living wage are employed in the women's sector.”
“I made the decision on the rent freeze in response to the cost-of-living crisis that residents are facing. I made a similar move throughout the COVID pandemic, because people are making stark choices about their outgoings and the cost-of-living crisis is really beginning to hit. <BR /> <BR />I have called on housing associations to follow suit. They are autonomous bodies. I do not have direct control of their rent, but I asked that they follow my direction and call for a freeze this year because of the crisis that people are dealing with in the here and now.”
“— the British Government need to stand up and do a lot more to meet the needs of people on the ground.”
“For all laws, it would make sense to look at the financial powers that we have because, at the moment, where the cost of living is concerned —”
“We know in particular that those who are in work, the working poor, are really struggling not just with the current cost-of-living crisis but through the trajectory that we have seen for those whose incomes do not supplement their outgoings and rising costs. We need to look at the matter. The emerging anti-poverty strategy will dovetail and work in coordination with the review of welfare mitigations, as will the disability, gender equality and LGBTQI strategies, so they need to be given the utmost urgency and importance in a new Executive. <BR /> <BR />I agree with as many powers as possible coming back to the Assembly, which is made up of locally elected representatives, and taking them away from Westminster so that the people here can decide on their future.”
“The current mitigations will continue to run. Thankfully, the bedroom tax no longer has an end date, and that is good. Any review of mitigations must look at additionality, so it was not about stopping one of the existing mitigations. To do so would have a completely negative consequence on addressing poverty and inequality. I have asked the current review panel to look at a number of areas, such as the two-child policy and the wait for universal credit. Again, that is in the context of a time when the Executive were functioning. <BR /> <BR />We spend over £600 million mitigating the worst effects of Tory welfare changes, and we need a serious conversation about what more we need to do. We know the levels of poverty that are out there.”
“Les Allamby, the former chief commissioner of the Human Rights Commission, is leading that review, and I expect its recommendations in the coming week or so.”
“We have just extended the existing mitigation schemes. I am glad that I got the Assembly's support in doing that. Last week, we had the Final Stage of the Bill that removed the end date of the bedroom tax mitigation. That mitigation will continue to run, thus binning the bedroom tax, which is a progressive step that the Assembly has taken. Under New Decade, New Approach, there was a commitment to review the existing welfare mitigations. To that effect, I have set up an independent advisory panel to carry out that review and make recommendations on future mitigation packages. In particular, I asked the panel to consider a wide range of new mitigations, including looking at the two-child policy and at financial support for people who are making a new claim to universal credit and for carers.”
“Definitely, yes. This is a humanitarian crisis, and we need to do all that we can to provide support and sanctuary, as we have done in previous crises. I will work to provide solutions, and that is where my focus is at the moment. I wrote to the head of the Civil Service so that my Department can start to get the work done, even in the absence of a functioning Executive, due to a party walking away. The Ukrainian people should have not just our solidarity but our proactive support in their time of greatest need. My Department and I are ready to take on whatever role or function is needed to ensure the safe passage of refugees from the conflict that they have been impacted by.”
“Normally, those issues would be highlighted around that table. However, despite the barriers that that may create, I have written to the head of the Civil Service to ensure that my Department stands ready to look at a refugee scheme and to make sure that we are up and running to assist in any way that we can with the humanitarian crisis faced by many Ukrainians. I hope that the Department can roll out a scheme similar to the one that we ran for the Syrian refugees. If a proactive way can be found around the lack of a functioning Executive, my Department stands ready and able to receive Ukrainian refugees. We are ready and waiting for that to happen.”
“We are all seeing distressing images on the TV of people fleeing their homes because of violence on their streets and in their communities. Our thoughts are with the almost two million people who have been forced to flee and become refugees as a result of what is happening in Ukraine. My Department has a long-standing history of welcoming people from war-torn countries into our communities. Indeed, the community as a whole here has been very open to welcoming refugees and asylum seekers, who want to remain in their home but who, through no choice of their own, have had to leave because of conflict and violence. Indeed, we have run the Syrian resettlement scheme to address some of those issues. <BR /> <BR />At the moment, there are obvious difficulties because we do not have a functioning Executive.”
“<BR /> <BR />In the longer term, the function will transfer to DOJ, but, because there is no functioning Executive, that had to cease. I assume that, if an Executive are up and running after the election, that will be picked up again and the transfer of those functions will continue.”
“We are working at pace to try to address the backlog in appeal hearings. As I said at a previous Question Time, we are working with the appeals service to see what we can do. The main issue with appeals is the availability of medical evidence and, indeed, new medical evidence that has come forward. We are working with the appeals service to try to front-load as much of that as we can. <BR /> <BR />As I said, I agree that a good section of the population wants a face-to-face hearing and interview and does not want to do either over the phone, albeit we have enhanced that service for those who do. We are continuing to work with the appeals service to deal with the backlog. Dealing with and making progress on the backlog is a priority for the Department.”
“I will communicate directly with you on the waiting times.”
“I know that I gave an answer last month on the average waiting time. I do not have the exact figure, but I will communicate that to you directly. <BR /> <BR />Obviously, there was a backlog, and the pandemic exacerbated things. We have been moving at pace to try to resume hearings and deal with the backlog. We are also moving to other modes of contact. We are doing interviews through the use of digital technology, such as the telephone, for those who choose it, and other methods. We know that, for many, that is their preferred method, but there are still those who want face-to-face contact. We are working at pace, in conjunction with the Public Health Agency and other Departments, to try to fully resume face-to-face listings and deal with the backlog, which has been impacted by the pandemic.”
“I am hopeful that, in the next mandate, on the basis of that review, we can bring forward more robust legislation that further protects and enhances the work of that sector.”
“On the independent review of charity regulation and support, there was good, extensive engagement with the independent panel that was set up. It had good engagement with charities and looked at their needs going forward.”
“Funding has gone out during the COVID pandemic. There has been over £130 million of additional support, and over 9,000 awards have been made to individuals and organisations to mitigate the worst financial impacts of the pandemic. We did a lot of work to support charity organisations to make sure that we could stabilise them and that, despite the loss of income that they would normally fundraise for, they could still deliver their services and keep their doors open. The first fund has been going well, and the second fund that we opened recently has also been drawing down well for many charity organisations across the board. <BR /> <BR />We continue to work with the charities sector on recent legislation that we passed around regulation on the back of the McBride judgement in 2019.”
“The collaborative approach where we brought money together from the three Departments was good, and I have written to them to see how we can develop that and keep that approach going.”
“In the Warm, Well and Connected programme that we ran in the Department, those charities really stepped up to the plate in working with us to meet the needs of rural residents and in looking at the issue of isolation, connectivity and, particularly, mental health and well-being. The financial assistance was critical to them in making sure that, first, they remained open but also that they could move to new modes of interaction; for example, going online and trying to do door-to-door services. Even our libraries extended those services throughout the COVID pandemic. <BR /> <BR />We need to look at legislative protection. I will continue to work with DAERA and DFI around rural infrastructure to look at what we can do to further support them.”
“There has been good collaboration with DAERA and the Department for Infrastructure in looking at the needs of rural communities. We came up with a bespoke COVID recovery revitalisation programme that was targeted at those rural communities, and we continue to engage with those Departments on the work that we do in the Department for Communities. <BR /> <BR />As I said, a range of financial supports has gone out to charities across the board to assist them throughout the COVID pandemic, particularly where there has been a loss of income or where the closure and stopping of their fundraising activities has stunted their ability to deliver much-needed services. As the Member said, our charities have been excellent throughout the COVID pandemic in responding to people.”
“That will restore the regulatory framework following the McBride judgement, thereby providing certainty for over 6,500 charities.”
“That will help to provide some certainty and security for those vital organisations. <BR /> <BR />I have also made £43 million of Executive COVID recovery funding available in this financial year. Some £23 million is to help organisations to manage their financial positions where they have COVID-related deficits. Up to £20 million will be used to support salary costs for new entrants through the COVID employment and skills initiative. That will help organisations to attract and, importantly, to retain staff in those critical sectors. <BR /> <BR />I am considering the independent review of charity regulation in the North to ensure that our system of regulation is appropriate, proportionate and provides public confidence. The most recent Charities Bill 2022 is awaiting Royal Assent, having passed its Final Stage in the Assembly.”
“All Departments provide funding to charities to help to deliver our Programme for Government outcomes, and we will continue to do so in the absence of our First Ministers. As the strategic lead in the Executive for those sectors, I made nearly £90 million of Executive COVID support and recovery funding available in the 2021-22 financial year to charities, social enterprises and the wider voluntary and community sectors, including culture, languages, arts, heritage and sports organisations. The funding prevented the potential closure of local charities as a result of the pandemic, supporting their vital work at a time when it was needed most. <BR /> <BR />I have made £1·5 million of funding available to existing European social fund (ESF) projects that are continuing into 2022-23.”
“At the minute, we are looking to continue to expand the adviser discretion fund, for example, to look at the whole issue of digital connectivity and ways in which we can support those who are unemployed or looking for work at the moment with digital inclusion. I hope to make an announcement on those issues and enhancements in due course.”
“There is practical hands-on support from work coaches who work directly with individuals to go through all their needs with regard to processing their benefit claims or maintaining the benefit that they may be on. They also help them with interview skills and writing applications. Obviously, there was the Job Start programme, where we gave 25 hours per week of practical experience to young people up to the age of 25 to test out employment sectors that they were interested in working in. <BR /> <BR />As I said, we offer upfront childcare costs through the adviser discretion fund. We can cover other costs — clothing, for example. That may be available for people who want to go to interviews.”
“We are now seeing more and more families availing themselves of that opportunity to allow them to access employment. Recently, I launched a £10 million skills and employment fund targeted at the creative industries, the culture, arts and heritage sectors and the community and voluntary sector that will see upfront employment opportunities for the next three years for people from those sectors. Applications have been going really well, with organisations in the community applying to create hundreds of posts.”
“As I said, we are rolling out those new labour market partnership approaches. That is really where they will operate: in each of the council areas. The councils will come together through those partnerships, working with the private sector and the community and voluntary sectors to develop action plans to meet the employment and economic needs of their boroughs. <BR /> <BR />As I said, some really good programmes are beginning to run in the Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon area, which I went to. Of course, other councils are coming forward with their proposed action plans, which we will look to implement as soon as possible. Obviously, we continue to look at other employment programmes, even through the adviser discretion fund, where I have supported upfront childcare costs.”
“It was able to run a programme to start to recruit people to fill a gap in that council area. That is one example. <BR /> <BR />We are working with the remaining councils to get their action plans and priorities in place. That is really about bringing the private, public and community and voluntary sectors together to respond to the needs of individuals who are looking for work or to progress and the needs of employers with regard to where employment opportunities will be over coming years. It is an exciting programme, and we look forward to seeing the roll-out and the impact that it will have at a local level.”
“Labour market partnerships are a new approach, working through the 11 councils. Rather than have just regional programmes, LMPs are tailored to meet the needs of each council area. I recently visited Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon (ABC) Borough Council, which was the first to undertake the programme and put forward its proposals. Councils will meet regularly as part of a regional group that will tie in all local labour market partnerships directly with the Department. The LMPs will have ongoing engagement and liaison with the Department, and not just with jobs and benefits offices but across the Department. Up to now, there has been really good work, for example, in the ABC council area, where there was an identified shortage of HGV drivers due to Brexit and other issues.”
“While face-to-face services continue to be constrained by measures such as social distancing, jobs and benefits offices are using other service delivery channels, such as video, telephone and digital, to ensure that people requiring assistance are supported.”
“On 5 May 2021, jobs and benefits offices reopened for people on a one-in, one-out appointment basis. That was extended to multiple appointments in the autumn of last year. Face-to-face services continue to be prioritised for vulnerable groupings: young people aged 18-24; those not engaging using telephone or digital channels; and those who need to verify their identity to make a new claim. <BR /> <BR />Concern about the COVID omicron variant has meant that plans for the wider resumption of services, which include opening digital zones and offering a drop-in service, have been put temporarily on hold. My Department, in conjunction with other Departments, is considering the COVID-19 measures that are in place throughout its workplaces, in line with Public Health Agency (PHA) advice.”
“The money has been secured. It is an Executive commitment. I have been clear in stating that the money has been secured for the subregional stadia programme and for Casement Park under the regional stadia programme. That there is no functioning Executive is still an impediment, but I have communicated to Ministers my intent to progress the subregional stadia programme where I can in the absence of a functioning Executive by asking them to work with me. We still need to work through the legal impediments that may arise as a result of there being no functioning Executive, however. I continue to engage proactively with Ministers and the sporting bodies — the IFA and NIFL — to ensure that clubs are in a state of readiness so that, when the programme opens, clubs can apply to it seamlessly, enabling the process to be quickened up.”
“The working group continues to meet, and the team in my Department that works on the subregional stadia programme continues to meet the working group. As I said, I have met the IFA and NIFL about progressing that work as quickly as we can, by identifying clubs' needs and overcoming the issues that I mentioned around inflation and cost rises for materials. I can confirm that responses to the two letters that I issued in recent weeks have been received from the Ministers of Finance, Justice, Education and Infrastructure.”
“The Finance Minister responded by saying that he is willing to do all that he can, working with me and other Ministers, to make sure that we can progress the programme. As I said, I have asked Ministers around the Executive table to work with me to overcome any impediment from there being no functioning Executive, and I will continue to engage with them over the next couple of weeks.”
“Clubs are not in a position to receive the payment right away. That is not where we are in the programme. We are identifying the needs and the capital expenditure that is required and looking at how we can meet clubs' needs with the budget that we have. Additional work is being done, which is why I wrote to the Finance Minister, because of the timescale when the programme was first agreed. We are seeing an increase in capital costs across the board, and hospitals, housing and other projects have been impacted. We need to work all of that out to ensure that we can cover the controllable costs.”
“The fact that there is no functioning Executive presents big challenges with budgets, sign-off and approval on a lot of the programmes and other spending. We see that from other Ministers. I continue to do all that I can to progress this vital programme, along with all the others in my Department that need Executive approval. I continue to work with the IFA and NIFL to do that. The programme will have a tangible benefit for clubs on the ground and makes sure that benefits are spread across the North. I am committed to doing all that I can in this mandate to ensure that the programme moves forward.”
“To be clear, this is still a flagship Executive project, committed to under New Decade, New Approach (NDNA). I made a commitment to deliver it as quickly as possible. I communicated with colleagues around the Executive table on the concerns about progress because of the need for Executive approval. I am exploring what we can do to progress stadia development in the mandate, notwithstanding some of the impediments, namely, having no functioning Executive. I await responses from the Ministers who have not yet responded and am still looking at all the legal routes to ensure that we can progress this. In the meantime, I continue to meet the IFA and NIFL. We had good engagement on getting clubs ready to look at their needs and their capital stadia needs. I will meet them again in coming weeks to progress that work.”
“It would be better to tell you which Ministers have, if that is OK. The Ministers of Finance, Justice, Education and Infrastructure have responded.”
“If we had a functioning Executive, I could bring a formal paper to them on the financing and on moving ahead to the next phase. I do not know, frankly, what the protocol has to do with the subregional stadia programme. I will leave it there.”
“I reiterate my commitment to investigate all options available to progress this important programme in this mandate.”
“I still await the response of a few other Ministers to my letters. <BR /> <BR />I have consistently stated that the programme will benefit the entire football family, including clubs. The need for a spread of investment and accessibility to improve facilities across the region has been a common theme throughout the review exercise. In addition to supporting increased participation and developing more sustainable and inclusive family-oriented facilities, the programme will provide an opportunity to contribute to the delivery of wider Executive priorities, including the social, economic and cultural needs of communities.”