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.”
The complete record
Every one of 2,594 lines we hold for Deirdre Hargey, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 21 of 52.
“I beg to introduce the Welfare Supplementary Payments (Amendment) Bill [NIA 50/17-22], which is a Bill to change the end date for qualifying for payments under Article 137A of the Welfare Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 2015; and provide for monitoring of and reporting on arrangements for payments having effect by virtue of Article 137 and Article 137A of that Order.”
“Sorry, I do not know what is going on; I am just choking. Thank you for that intervention, Gerry. <BR /> <BR />I very much see the Bill as a staging post. Of course, we can and should go further with it, but we have a limited time in the mandate. We had two and a half years. We had a pandemic. The move is welcomed by external parties in the sector. It is a good step forward, but, of course, more needs to be done. My Department and I are committed to doing that by working with the sector, looking at the Scottish model and developing our own model here through engagement with clinicians and those who find themselves with a terminal illness. <BR /> <BR />Again, I thank all Members and commend the Bill to the Assembly, before I choke.”
“is there to deliver the service — sorry, I cannot talk any more. <BR /> <BR />That work is ongoing, but it is important to move on this now in this mandate. Again, I want to thank everybody, but I cannot talk any more —.”
“It is not fully implemented. It is working on pilots to begin with and, indeed, on one qualifying benefit. To move to a clinician-led approach, you just cannot flick a switch and do it overnight. We need to work with clinicians and the health service and ensure that the capacity”
“I came into this position last January, and they were one of the first sets of people and stakeholders that I met in my large portfolio. I was struck by the comments, experiences and stories that they raised — sorry, my voice is going. <BR /> <BR />That is why I have brought the legislation forward in the shortened mandate that we find ourselves in. This is welcomed by the organisations that I have been working with on the basis that it is a staging post to where we want to move to with a clinician-led approach. I thank them for their work and support in working with me and the team in the Department to get us to this stage of the legislation. <BR /> <BR />We are obviously looking internationally at the approaches that are being taken by other Governments and Administrations. We are working closely and looking at the Scottish model.”
“I thank everyone for their contributions and those who have shared stories from people whom they have been working with. I thank the Chair, Deputy Chair and members of the Committee for Communities for their support for the legislation and for accelerated passage. I also thank Anne, Mark and Mickey from the Department, who have been working on this. <BR /> <BR />It has been stated that, on PIP — one of the qualifying benefits — there have been two independent reviews by Walter Rader and Marie Cavanagh as recently as last year and that they obviously recommended the removal of the six months. This is on the back of those who have been campaigning, such as Marie Curie and the Motor Neurone Disease Association, whom I met.”
“Members previously indicated a preference to move to a system based on clinical judgement, and I reiterate my commitment to keep this provision under active review as I consider options to take it further. This is very much a staging post to get to that next point. That will include a review of international best practice and looking further into the feasibility of a clinical-led approach. The Bill, however, represents an important step that we can take now to deliver meaningful change before the end of the mandate. I hope that Members are content with the broad thrust of the Bill, and I am happy to deal with any points that they may have. I commend the Bill to the Assembly.”
“Treasury has agreed that the costs arising from implementing the reform in advance of DWP will fall to the block grant, and, once DWP implements the corresponding change, the additional costs here will revert to Treasury-funded annually managed expenditure (AME), and there will no longer be a cost to the block grant.”
“It also contains powers to make, by regulations, any further consequential change required in the provision of the Bill. Provision is also made for the commencement of changes in the Bill. <BR /> <BR />Similar changes are planned in Britain once parliamentary time allows. Given the level of interest in reform, I am committed to pressing ahead with those changes now so that we can better respond to the needs of people here. This is the first time that we have moved ahead of Britain with such a significant social security policy change.”
“In line with my announcement, the Bill will extend the life expectancy criterion in terminal illness to 12 months. The wider 12-month definition will align more with that used by the health service here and the General Medical Council (GMC) for end-of-life care. Crucially, that provision will bring more terminally ill people within the scope of the fast-track process, meaning that they will not have to go through assessments to meet the conditions of entitlement and will get automatic access to benefits earlier. <BR /> <BR />It may be helpful to Members if I outline the aspects of the Bill. The Bill is small, with only three clauses, and contains the key amendments required to primary and secondary legislation in order to give full effect to the change of the life expectancy time frame across the relevant benefits.”
“Similar issues were identified through the recent evaluation work that my Department undertook, alongside the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). My officials ensured that local evidence was gathered through engagement with charities, clinicians and claimants here. While a recent judicial review (JR) challenge ultimately found that terminal illness provision in social security benefits was not discriminatory, the powerful testimony provided during that case, along with the evidence that my Department gathered during the review work, has made a compelling argument for change to be made in that area. That has all been taken into account when considering the reform of the current system. <BR /> <BR />Following the completion of the evaluation and the analytical work, I announced the way forward on 30 June.”
“<BR /> <BR />Members will be aware that there has been significant lobbying over the past three years, here and at Westminster, from charities, clinicians and politicians for changes to be made to the six-month criterion in order to improve access to fast-track support for terminally ill people who have a longer life expectancy. Indeed, many of you will be familiar with the campaign, spearheaded by Marie Curie and the Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA), calling for the six-month criterion to be scrapped. <BR /> <BR />Terminal illness provision was debated by the Assembly in October last year, and issues were highlighted with the scope of the current provision in place. In that debate, all Executive parties spoke in favour of reform.”
“The Bill represents a significant step forward in improving the support that we provide to one of the most vulnerable groups in our society: the terminally ill. Currently, fast-track access is provided to the main disability and working-age benefits in the social security system where a person is terminally ill and death is reasonably expected within six months. In those circumstances, a person receives automatic entitlement to financial support without the need to follow the normal application and assessment route.”
“I thank all the Members for their contributions and for their support. I reiterate my thanks to the Committee and the Executive, which accepted the case for accelerated passage. I look forward to the next discussion, which will be at the Second Stage of the Bill.”
“I thank the Chair and Committee members for their recognition of the need to progress the Bill as quickly as possible and for their support in seeking the Assembly's approval for accelerated passage. <BR /> <BR />Members will have the opportunity to discuss the general principles of the Bill at the Second Stage, and I look forward to that engagement shortly. We have a collective responsibility to implement the change within this mandate, and I believe that the majority of Members want that. Therefore, I ask for support for accelerated passage of the Social Security (Terminal Illness) Bill.”
“<BR /> <BR />Using accelerated passage will enable the Department to carry out the operational implementation of the change with a degree of certainty that the legislation will be in place on time, given that processes and systems will need to be updated in advance. If we cannot proceed by this route, there is a real risk that the Bill's legislative passage will not be completed during the current mandate, which means that it will fall. That will significantly delay the introduction of this crucial reform for people who have a terminal illness. <BR /> <BR />In accordance with Standing Order 42(3), I appeared before the Committee for Communities on 11 November to explain the need for accelerated passage for the Bill and outline the consequences of it not being granted.”
“I had hoped to be in a position to bring forward the legislative proposals much earlier in the mandate. However, a number of issues impacted significantly on that and on the progression of work. The Executive had agreed to high-level reform back in December 2020. However, confirmation of the planned changes was delayed for a further six months, as Treasury had asked questions about costings that required further complex analytical work being undertaken. Waiting for Treasury to confirm the implications for the block grant of us moving ahead of Westminster and waiting for clarity from the Court of Appeal on a recent legal case impacted on my ability, and that of the Department, to bring forward the Bill earlier.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Bill is necessary to reform the terminal illness provision in the social security legislation, to open up the scope of the existing system and to enable more terminally ill people to qualify for fast-track support. I will outline the proposals in greater detail at Second Stage. <BR /> <BR />As required by Standing Order 42(4), I wish to explain my reasons for seeking accelerated passage and the consequences if it is not granted. The plan is to bring changes into operation from 1 April 2022. That would require the Assembly stages to be completed before the end of January 2022, to allow for Royal Assent to be obtained by April 2022. Timescales to progress the Bill are now extremely challenging, and I seek the Assembly's agreement to use accelerated passage for the following reasons.”
“I welcome the opportunity to address the Assembly on this motion. The use of accelerated passage is not something that we ask for lightly and we do so only in exceptional circumstances. I feel that I keep saying that sentence, but we are in exceptional circumstances, and such circumstances exist for the Bill. When taking forward draft legislation, my preference is to have the full Committee Stage to enable clause-by-clause scrutiny and informed discussion on matters arising. However, in the case of the proposed legislation, there are many compelling grounds for a departure from the normal procedure and the use of accelerated passage.”
“I am not sure about the rules on whether a paper can be shared. I do not see why not, but I will certainly check. If it can be, I will make sure that it is shared with Members who request it. There is no problem with that at all. <BR /> <BR />I spoke about article 89 of the Education Order on facilities and the development of Irish-medium education. There are benefits to the economy from indigenous languages in jobs and creativity as well as the cognitive benefits. That was clear from the British-Irish Council meeting. <BR /> <BR />I am happy to clarify the point about the paper and to share it if we are able to do that.”
“All those issues need to be looked at. In the midst of the Budget-setting that we are all going through, a prioritisation needs to take place. The British-Irish Council meeting in November really showed the benefits of bilingualism and the use of indigenous language. I encourage the responsible Departments to ensure that we are rolling out programmes, supports and funding that are geared towards encouraging that further. I will be doing that with the North/South bodies that I fund and the programme of work that they are looking at. I encourage other Departments to do the same, because it is clear that there are key benefits, particularly for children and young people, through the use of more than one language in the education system.”
“That will include my Department, and other Departments will also be asked to become involved, particularly where they have an interest or a responsibility to deliver services for those citizens. That work is under way at the moment. I expect to receive the reports of the expert panels in the coming weeks, and I intend to publish them in the new year. They will go on the Department's website, which can be accessed by all. As I said, further work will be done through the co-design groups that are being established. All of that will be presented to the Executive for agreement.”
“I commenced preparatory work to look at both of the strategies, which included the establishment of expert panels. They are people who are experts in their field, and they are looking at Ulster-Scots heritage, culture and language, and, of course, the Irish language. This was the same process that I adopted for the social strategies — for gender, anti-poverty, disability and LGBTQI+. Again, what will happen from those strategies is that we will go out and engage with the community, but we will also implement co-design. We will ask the organisations, the sectors and those individuals who work in the Ulster-Scots and Irish languages to be part of co-designing the strategy with government.”
“Co-design work with the community and the sector is ongoing. I am hopeful that I can engage with them again soon, and that they will have the opportunity to meet all Ministers in a round-table discussion in order to present their recommendations.”
“There was no specific discussion on that particular issue. However, those issues are picked up more broadly in early years provisions and the work streams that fall there. I gave an update, which is that we are developing inclusion strategies and our language strategies. Work is ongoing to look at issues around access and, of course, other Departments are involved as part of the development of those strategies. The Department of Education and others are involved in looking at the disability strategy and at sign language as well. We are in the development stage of those in terms of needs. Some legislation will have to be brought forward in the next mandate, which will start to build on the protections. An expert panel provided a report on disability, which I published earlier this year.”
“It was the junior Minister who accompanied me to this event, but I know that there are two Department of Education work streams on IML and early years on which officials engage with their counterparts at British-Irish Council meetings. As I said earlier, under article 89 of the Education Order 1998, there are stipulations around what needs to be done by way of education. Given the paper that was presented at the British-Irish Council meeting, there is a recognition from those in the sector of the positives of the use of indigenous languages and bilingualism more broadly. Hopefully, we can develop that further in the time ahead. The Department of Education is critical to that.”
“I most definitely agree. Being bilingual in any language can be really positive, and there was a good discussion about indigenous language and what that means for a sense of place, community and people, particularly for those who converse in and use their native language. There was a good discussion, and benefits are being seen in the Welsh system. There is a good, healthy indigenous community here when it comes to those who use the language as their first spoken language. We are seeing growing numbers in the school and education system as well. The discussion was very good, and the benefits are there for all to see. It can only progress and develop in a positive way in the time ahead.”
“We provide funding to local councils for festivals and programmes, but, again, that is at the discretion of each council. We have no direct role in organising events such as that.”
“We work with the Ulster-Scots Agency, and we are one of the main funders of that organisation. I gave a welcome as part of the celebration and events. Before the situation with COVID, I attended events marking Ulster-Scots language, heritage and history. Therefore, the community has been has been involved in a number of programmes to mark the event and to celebrate it at a community level. The big thing, going forward, is that I have established an expert panel on a strategy that will work on the longer-term sustainability and promotion of the language, culture and heritage of that community. <BR /> <BR />When it comes to marking the centenary of the formation of the state here, the Department has no role in doing that.”
“As part of the NDNA commitments, the Department established a central translation hub for the public sector in April this year. The hub provides written translations for Irish and Ulster Scots. In the first months of the hub's operation, we saw very strong demand, with good feedback on the service provided with regard to the quality and turnaround time for translation. The project to deliver phase two of the translation hub is progressing well. That phase will see the Department assume responsibility for managing a new framework contract for the translation and interpretation of newcomer languages in late 2021. That will allow for the translation and interpretation of 14 newcomer languages, and other languages will be added as and when required.”
“There were discussions about those broad issues, but, obviously, the main focus was on indigenous languages and the additional benefit that they bring to the confidence of a community and a society and also on the cultural aspects for communities and the economic benefits that that can bring when it comes to employment opportunities and jobs. That was the centre of the discussion, particularly around early years. Again, if Members want to see the professor's presentation, I am sure that I can share that.”
“We had a discussion about how — particularly in the midst of a pandemic, when resilience was really being tested — when you look at mental health and well-being, bilingualism and the ability to speak another language builds resilience and confidence.”
“There was a broad discussion on bilingualism: having more than one language, no matter what your first language is. A good part of the discussion was on indigenous languages, so we were looking at the Irish language and Ulster Scots and at Scotland, Wales and England's indigenous languages, such as Scots Gaelic, Welsh and Cornish respectively. <BR /> <BR />In the presentation that we got from Professor Antonella Sorace, the academic based in Scotland, she said that, if you have an additional language and are learning it as a young child, no matter what that language is, it brings cognitive learning and development benefits.”
“Some of the key areas that they are looking at for community buy-in and development at grassroots level will be a fundamental part of the strategies going forward.”
“Through the work being done with the Ulster-Scots Agency and Foras na Gaeilge and, indeed, the networks in which they are involved, extended community programmes are rolled out in each of those organisations and in other smaller networks and bodies. Part of it is about the visibility of the language in the community in which children and young people are living and being educated. There are also after-school programmes, but, because of the pandemic, there have had to be adaptions made, so online language programmes are offered that parents can also access. The intent of some of the organisations is to expand those networks, and there is a real focus on expanding the community networks; indeed, we are engaging with Foras na Gaeilge and the Ulster-Scots Agency to look at how we can do that.”
“In the North of Ireland, a large amount of work goes on. I work with the Ulster-Scots Agency and Foras na Gaeilge. They have a network of organisations, from the grassroots up, that do programmes of work. Throughout the pandemic, additional support and resource went into those organisations and into many others at grassroots level that were to the fore of the community response. They are involved with the communities that promote Ulster Scots and the Irish language through forming strategies that will start to look at each of the communities' longer-term need. They also work together from time to time on the promotion of languages, particularly indigenous languages, and the impact that those have on cultural traditions.”
“There are a growing number of Irish-medium schools and education settings: currently 47, with around 1,000 children enrolled. The Education Minister may wish to provide further details on schemes and provision. She may also wish to comment on the provisions in the curriculum here for schools to embed teaching and learning about the Ulster-Scots language and culture within that curriculum-based teaching and learning.”
“Under article 89 of the Education (NI) Order 1998, the Department of Education is required:”
“We are developing a number of strategies for each of those areas of work. Obviously, the sign language strategy will fall under the emerging disability strategy as part of the inclusion strategies that we are working on. Recently, I established expert panels to look at Ulster Scots and the Irish language. Work is progressing at pace to develop those. We continue to fund and support those sectors to develop the work programmes that they are involved in. My Department has good, ongoing engagement with those sectors. The Department of Education funds a variety of programmes to address the educational needs of young people. It provides ongoing support to and has ongoing liaison with each of those sectors.”
“A number of Administrations had developed projects to support parents and provide them with the information that they needed to allow informed decisions to be made for their child. <BR /> <BR />In addition to discussing the language paper, each Administration provided a brief update on the latest language developments in their Administration. Although it was recognised that the nine IML languages are at various stages of development, Administrations remain keen to work collaboratively to share good practice across these islands. Ministers reiterated their commitment to the ongoing collaborative work of the British-Irish Council and expressed their hope that meetings of this nature may again take place face to face in the near future. I commend the statement to the Assembly.”
“Everyone who spoke acknowledged the cognitive benefits of bilingualism and the additional confidence and resilience that it can bring. The consensus was that the early years sector is vital in the language development of young people, particularly those who do not have the opportunity for intergenerational transmission of the language in the home. <BR /> <BR />Many Administrations mentioned the needs of the language workforce and the importance of providing training opportunities for those interested in joining the sector. Training would ensure that those in the workforce were suitably qualified, competent and had confidence in their abilities. Ministers agreed that parents of children learning IML languages will also require support to make their home environment more conducive to language learning.”
“This statement has been agreed with junior Minister Middleton, and I make it on behalf of us both. <BR /> <BR />The meeting centred on the discussion paper on language acquisition in early years and a presentation by Professor Antonella Sorace on the cognitive benefits of bilingualism in early years. The key topics of discussion were the cognitive benefits of learning languages in the early years, supporting engagement with the IML/early years workforce and best practice to support parents of early years children in IML. <BR /> <BR />Member Administrations were clear in their unwavering support for their respective languages and recognised their important role culturally, economically and socially in the identity of many communities.”
“With your permission, Mr Speaker, and in compliance with section 52 of the NI Act 1998, I wish to make a statement on the British-Irish Council (BIC) ministerial discussion on indigenous, minority and lesser-used (IML) languages. The meeting was held virtually on 17 November 2021, and its purpose was to discuss the British-Irish Council paper on language acquisition in early years, which I shared with Executive colleagues on 12 November. <BR /> <BR />The Welsh Government are the lead Administration for the British-Irish Council indigenous, minority and lesser-used languages sector and its early years sector, and, as such, they hosted the meeting virtually. Jeremy Miles, Minister for Education and Welsh Language, chaired the meeting. The Executive were represented by me, as Minister for Communities, and by junior Minister Middleton.”
“We will do that if we can ensure value for money when it comes to where we are now in the pandemic. Those moneys were COVID-related, and they obviously have to be used for those purposes. If that stacks up in the business case, then yes. I want all the money to be utilised for the intention that it is there for. We know that there is a need in the charity sector in relation to dealing with lost income, its inability to fundraise in the way in which it may have done previously, staff overheads and other pressures going forward, and stabilising the organisations. We are looking at those kinds of areas. Once all the checks and business cases have been approved, I want to move at pace to get that support out there as soon as possible. Once I am in a position to announce that, I will, of course, alert Members and the Committee.”
“I met officials last week to look at those schemes, and they are working to finalise the business cases in order to progress to the next stage.”
“We are working on a series of COVID funding schemes for charities, culture, arts and heritage and other areas. We are engaging with the bodies that would previously have administered that funding. We are also engaging with the sectors on what their needs are now. The previous COVID moneys came when there was a lockdown, and the value for money case stood up and could be attested to. We are working through some of those issues. <BR /> <BR />In the next short period, once I have a scheme that is ready to go, I will make that public. I cannot say any more now because I have not yet signed off on the final scheme, but we are working at pace.”
“I have been very clear in the House about the delay. We have moved the situation forward, which is a good thing. The focus now is on progressing the legislation and getting it through the Assembly before the end of this mandate. When I met the advice sector, the Cliff Edge Coalition and others, they were supportive of the legislation and want it brought through as soon as possible. That is where my focus is.”
“The draft legislation is ready, and I hopeful that it will make it to the Executive meeting on Thursday.”
“I have no details of that individual event. If they applied to the Parades Commission for a parade or a related protest, they have taken the legal route. I do not have any details. I have not received anything in the Department about the event. I would not want to make a public comment unless I had the details or had at least seen them. I have not before now.”
“Anyone can see on the news the lived experiences of the players who have been impacted by that racism. The organisation's response has been disgraceful. I am not aware of any similar incidents here. A lot of the sporting codes here have robust plans in place to deal with racism or sectarianism and the impact on sport. I am not aware of anything having come up. Obviously, if we were alerted to that, we would treat it seriously, because there is no place for racism, sectarianism or any form of discrimination in our society — and particularly not in sport, which often unifies and brings people together. We do not want to see it.”