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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“Engagement is ongoing with employers to look at potential placements, and I hope that, as soon as we can go live with the scheme, we can issue more details on the uptake that we get from young people.”
“The Job Start scheme is different from Kickstart. There is greater flexibility in the Job Start scheme in that, if a single job opportunity arises, we can engage with the employer. There are restrictions in the scheme across the water in that a smaller employer would need at least 30 applications before that can be considered. <BR /> <BR />We are looking at any area across the employment sector. We want to engage with young people to ensure that they are job-ready to look at opportunities lasting up to six months, where they can be placed in a work-based environment with job and youth work coaches who can support the young person and match them to job opportunities.”
“<BR /> <BR />I will update Members as we move through this, and I appreciate that the Member has communicated with me on this; others have as well. We want to get this resolved as soon as possible.”
“We are trying to launch the scheme in this financial year, so, as yet, no money for the scheme has been returned to the centre. The delays are around financial commitments in terms of whether we can run the scheme in the new financial year. I completely understand the frustrations. I have been raising this in terms of the financial commitments in the Budget, because this is one of the critical areas as we start to look at recovery from the pandemic. Because of the current restrictions, there are limitations on what we can do to engage with young people entering the labour market, albeit that we hope that those restrictions will start to ease in the coming months. This is under constant review. It is an urgent matter for me to get the programme up and running as soon as possible when we have the resources committed to do so.”
“I commit to getting the Job Start scheme up and running as soon as possible.”
“I thank the Member for his question. The Job Start scheme was due to launch on 14 December. Unfortunately, the Department has had to pause the scheme because clarification is needed on funding approval for it going into the new financial year. I continue to keep the situation under review and will advise of developments. There have also been limitations due to the current regulations, which encourage people to stay at home. <BR /> <BR />We engaged with employers and key stakeholders in devising the Job Start scheme, and I want to get it kicked off as soon as I possibly can. The Budget was announced yesterday, and we can see the pressures that it has presented. I continue to engage with the Finance Department and other Executive colleagues. I continue to look at the labour market and at what interventions we can make.”
“If you are looking for specifics on a programme at the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum, I am happy to give you that detail after this sitting.”
“I am not aware of the percentage but I can get that information to you. We do, of course, engage with museums. Your question feeds into the initial question. Given the pandemic, we are working with our museum partners to try to get as many exhibits as possible into the public sphere, rotating them where possible. The worst thing to do is to keep material in storage where members of the public do not see it. <BR /> <BR />There is an ongoing programme, and we are learning how to put virtual exhibitions online. As a result of the pandemic, people have not been able to visit these spaces, so we are trying to look at ways of improving and doing more of that. We are also looking at whether, when things open up again, some exhibitions can go out beyond the museum building. <BR /> <BR />We continue to keep that under review.”
“<BR /> <BR />The regulations are under constant review, and we will engage with the sector on how to reopen safely. I will update Members on that. On the specific issue that you raised, Matthew, I will come back to you in a bit more detail.”
“We are keeping the regulations under constant review, which is in line with seeking the health advice on what is safe to do. We want to engage with the sector, and we have ongoing engagement with officials. I am not aware of any issues with the two being compared. We are looking at all of this in the context of health and safety. If an issue has arisen, I am happy to look at it. I will take your question away to get an answer. <BR /> <BR />Staff continue to engage with the sector. Obviously, we want things to reopen as quickly as possible, but only when it is safe to do so. In the coming days, the Executive will look at issues with the current regulations and where things sit. That discussion will depend on what the Health Minister brings to the meeting.”
“In the midst of the pandemic, and given the impact that it has had, when looking at these organisations and their sustainability, I am keeping these measures and any supports that we can introduce under constant review, and I am liaising with colleagues in the Executive on budgetary issues and commitments. I will update Members as those progress.”
“National Museums has received an additional £1·22 million in resources from the Department. Working with the NI Museums Council and collaborating with the Art Fund, we have been looking at a programme to support 14 museums to reopen and to work in a safe environment. The outline value of that work so far has been £11,000. The NI Museums Council has also collaborated with the Arts Council and with the organisations emergency fund for local museums to the value so far of £50,000.”
“Thanks very much. I am not aware of any request pertaining to that exhibition coming into the Department. However, if the Member and the council want to write to me, we can arrange a meeting to look at the issues and the request and then see how we can take it forward.”
“Thanks very much for your question. Preparations are under way for the reopening of museums by National Museums and the Museums Council, building on the processes developed last year. That includes updating risk assessments to comply with the latest COVID guidance; working collaboratively with other bodies to redesign exhibitions and the visitor experience; and undertaking promotional activity in advance of reopening. I know that our museums are looking forward to welcoming visitors back and to ensuring that they do that safely.”
“Thanks very much. It is an important question. The Member will be aware that when Carál was in this role on a temporary basis she signalled a commitment to reform the terminal illness rules during the debate that took place at that time. The issue has been raised at the Executive. I think that there is broad support for urgent change. Treasury has raised areas of clarification in our attempts to make changes. Officials are working with Treasury to get the clarifications sorted out as soon as possible. A paper will be brought to the Executive for approval to make those changes. I will update members of the Committee, and the Chamber, when we do that. I want to expedite this as quickly as possible.”
“That is one of the issues. We are considering the comments made by Marie in her assessment. It is one of the areas that we are looking at in terms of disability and the requirements there. I will bring forward an assessment of it, as well as what the next steps will be, when we publish it, along with my Department's commitments, in the spring.”
“We cannot change it right away; we cannot change something like that in a matter of months. However, I am instructing officials to look at what we need to do in the time ahead. We are looking at that in-house model, as, importantly, it meets the needs of those who require it. Engagement with those individuals, and with the advice sector, in the design and in what that will look like will be critical in the time ahead. There is a commitment from me to look at all of it and to do that.”
“When I review my officials' recommendations on the reassessment of the PIP process, that is one of the critical areas that I will look at in more detail.”
“When I came into the Department, that was one of the areas I was acutely aware of, given the impact of the assessments and the concerns raised by the people who go through them and by the independent advice sector in terms of people's experience. As I said, I want to create a social security system that works with people, empowers citizens and is empathetic to their needs. There are restrictions at the moment. I cannot change a complete system right away. You will understand that a lot of the processes and the IT infrastructure do not just pertain to here; they work across England, Scotland and Wales. However, I have instructed officials to look at a reworked in-house model. I know that that has been picked up in the recommendations as well.”
“That is obviously an important question. In the review, Marie Cavanagh came forward with 12 recommendations in certain areas. We have engaged with over 250 responses on the impact of PIP. We are looking at disability assessor training around that. Giving those with a disability their independence and empowering them to engage is something that I want to seriously consider. When my officials come back with their assessment of the recommendations, I will pick up on those issues in the time ahead. The report will be published by the spring.”
“In line with the approach adopted for the first independent review, my Department will publish a formal response in spring this year, so, in the coming months, we will publish a response on how we are taking that forward.”
“The independent reviewer, Marie Cavanagh, provided my Department with a copy of her final report on 11 December 2020. I take the opportunity to place on record my thanks to Marie for her report, which is extremely comprehensive, and for completing the review despite the unprecedented challenges that have arisen as a result of the pandemic. I acknowledge the important contribution made to the review by people and organisations and recognise that the findings are important in continuing to improve the PIP process and to ensure that it is delivered with compassion and in an empathetic manner. My officials are currently considering the recommendations in the full report.”
“I want to look at all the strategies in a co-design process with the stakeholders impacted on by the policies and strategies. The co-design panels and expert panels that have been designed are starting to look at that. We have ongoing engagement with the organisations that work in and around the wider policy issues around poverty and, indeed, with children and young people. Obviously, I want to directly hear the voices of children and young people and how any future policy will impact on them. I want them to be involved in that co-design process. Again, we are looking at ways to do that in the midst of a pandemic, to hear their voices and, importantly, to work with the organisations that support them directly, such as the NI Youth Forum and other local forums and organisations.”
“It is critical to hear the voices of those who are directly impacted on by the policy that I, the Executive and the Assembly as a whole want to take forward. I had an engagement with the NI Youth Forum just last week on those issues and issues across my Department's remit.”
“The Member will be aware that existing mitigations were included in yesterday's Budget announcement. I have a commitment to bring the paper on mitigations to the Executive in the coming weeks. I am also carrying out a review with departmental officials and, importantly, engaging with the critical stakeholders that impact on areas around poverty to look at what further mitigations and protections we can bring in. It is part of ongoing work, and I will inform the Committee and the Assembly as we take all of that forward.”
“As work progresses on the strategy, there will be a number of opportunities, particularly for young people, to engage with the development process. I will be engaging with the Children's Commissioner and other stakeholders who give young people a voice. It is planned that the anti-poverty strategy will be published this December, subject to Executive approval.”
“The extension will allow time for further engagement with the anti-poverty strategy expert panel and co-design group on how to address child poverty in the longer term. The panel and the group have been established just in recent months. They will consider whether the measures to deal with child poverty in the overarching anti-poverty strategy currently in development are the right approach or whether a stand-alone child poverty strategy is required. <BR /> <BR />A review of 'People and Place: A Strategy for Neighbourhood Renewal' is ongoing and involves a co-design approach with the key stakeholders. It is expected that the review will be completed within the current Assembly mandate, and its findings will inform the development of the anti-poverty strategy.”
“Before I start, thank you, Christopher, for your well wishes. I place on record my thanks to the Chair of the Committee, who was in contact with me when I took sick. I also thank Carál Ní Chuilín, who stood in for me very quickly at a challenging time, and all Members for the well wishes for my health. I am back again and glad to be engaging with everyone. <BR /> <BR />I thank the Member for her question. When Minister Ní Chuilín was in post recently, she announced the extension of the 2016-19 child poverty strategy until May 2022. The purpose of the strategy is to ensure that work is done collectively to tackle the issues faced by children and families impacted on by poverty.”
“I thank Members for their contributions and, again, give the commitment that I will bring back any further changes to the House for scrutiny. I commend the motion.”
“If people are really sincere about calling out those who are responsible for policies such as welfare change, that is the British Government. As for the impact of all these changes, if you are looking more at issues of partition and its impact here, I think that the fact that we do not hold our own fiscal levers would be a more genuine debate to be had. <BR /> <BR />That said, I am keen to see the LCM go through for the reasons that I set out. It brings protections. We have a system that works across the jurisdictions, and the LCM ensures that people here, living in the North, are not left behind when we bring forward the necessary changes, which are about protecting their pension funds and how those pension funds can be used.”
“I thank Members for their contributions. I thank the Committee members and Chair for their words and their support for the LCM and understanding of the reasons for it. <BR /> <BR />The pensions dashboard has not been fully developed yet. There is no firm date, at this point, for that. The focus is on ensuring that the right type of dashboard is developed, without necessarily rushing for a timescale. Staff continue to engage on that, and, once we have further information, we will update the Committee as soon as possible. <BR /> <BR />I thank other Members. People were concerned, and we do not hold our own financial levers. People will remember that, in 2015, financial sanctions were placed on the Assembly and on the block grant that we get because we cannot raise our own finances.”
“<BR /> <BR />Again, I am grateful for the support from the Committee and request that Assembly agrees to the extension of the NI provisions in the Westminster pensions Bill.”
“Including the provisions for here in the Westminster Bill allows those important provisions to be enacted at the same time as they are in the other three jurisdictions. That provides legal certainty for schemes and employers to allow preparatory work; for example, for the introduction of collective money purchase benefits and pensions dashboards to proceed in tandem. <BR /> <BR />The use of the legislative consent motion in this case should not be seen as a precedent or an indication of how I intend to proceed further. I am aware of the Assembly's role in considering legislation, particularly the value of Committee scrutiny. I therefore anticipate, subject to the necessary approval, shortly bringing a Bill before the Assembly for the regulation of master trusts.”
“The provisions here were omitted from the Westminster Bill. It should be necessary to table a further Assembly Bill to ensure that pension systems continue to function and that scheme members are not put at a disadvantage compared with those in Britain. As the Westminster Bill has not yet completed its passage through the House of Lords and has yet to be considered by the House of Commons, it is doubtful that a corresponding Assembly Bill could be introduced before the autumn at the earliest. The Assembly would be unlikely to complete that work before spring next year, assuming that a slot in the legislative programme could be obtained. I am also aware that there will be significant demands across Departments for Bills to be progressed through the Assembly before the end of the current mandate.”
“At the completion of the roll-out across the jurisdictions, over 10 million people were either newly saving or saving more into a pension as a result of automatic enrolment. <BR /> <BR />Although most private sector defined pension schemes are closed to new members and/or new accruals, the sector remains an integral part of the pensions system with around 10·4 million members relying on them. In addition, roughly 14,000 employers support defined benefit pension schemes, and around £1·5 trillion in assets are held by those schemes. The defined benefit sector is of crucial importance to the economy. <BR /> <BR />The Bill ensures that the pension system is fit for the future by strengthening it and introducing important safeguards and deterrents against those who seek to avoid their responsibilities.”
“<BR /> <BR />Importantly, under the Bill, the power to make subordinate legislation and commence provisions relating to devolved matters will rest with the Department for Communities. Likewise, the powers of control over the subordinate legislation will rest with the Assembly. <BR /> <BR />The proposed changes are largely beneficial to scheme members. Pension dashboards will provide clarity regarding pension saving, while there will be the introduction of an important safeguard and deterrents against those who seek to avoid their responsibilities relating to pension schemes. Pension reform in recent years has meant that more people make provision for their retirement through saving into a workplace pension, while individuals have more flexibility over their pension at retirement.”
“It delivers clearer scheme funding standards and defined benefit schemes and strengthens the regulator's enforcement of the improved system. That is particularly important in the changing defined benefit landscape, with many schemes closed to new members or future accruals. The aim of that is to help trustees to improve their scheme funding, invest in decisions and manage potential risk. <BR /> <BR />The Bill introduces new powers to protect pension savings to help scheme trustees ensure that transfers of pension savings are made to safe and non-fraudulent schemes. It ensures that the Pension Protection Fund can continue to administer the compensation appropriately and amends the definition of administration charges to make it clear which costs are covered by the definition.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Bill increases transparency about individuals' pensions savings by producing a framework for pensions dashboards — a consumer-friendly digital interface to improve information for savers so that they can prepare for their retirement.”
“<BR /> <BR />Members will be aware of several recent high-profile insolvency cases where employers have failed to give the proper weight to their responsibilities to their defined benefit pension schemes. The Bill seeks to address that in range of ways: for example, a requirement on those responsible for corporate transactions to set out how they will mitigate against any adverse impact on the pension scheme and by enhancing regulatory information-gathering powers and powers to ensure that those responsible for schemes comply with pensions legislation. <BR /> <BR />There will also be new sanctions on those who wilfully or recklessly harm their pension scheme, including a maximum seven-year prison sentence and a civil penalty of up to £1 million.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Bill makes provision for collective money purchase schemes, also known as collective defined contribution schemes (CDCs), where contributions into a scheme are pooled and invested to deliver an aspired benefit level. That builds upon and facilitates the initiative by Royal Mail and the Communication Workers Union, which have concluded that the CDC scheme would offer better outcomes for the workforce than a traditional money purchase scheme. <BR /> <BR />It strengthens protections for scheme members to give the Pensions Regulator stronger powers so that savers can be confident that their pensions are protected and that the regulator is better able to take action if pensions are put at risk.”
“<BR /> <BR />As with schemes operating here and across those other areas, it is highly desirable that the same regulatory framework is in place here and within the same time frame as in Britain to ensure that the people involved in those schemes are still protected and to facilitate compliance, planning and enforcement. <BR /> <BR />The Bill aims to help people plan for the future and to protect people's pensions by giving the Pensions Regulator greater powers to tackle irresponsible management of pension schemes, including actions by employers that could compromise the viability of a pension scheme. I, personally, very much support the principle that members' interests should be at the core of everything that we are doing.”
“I apologise that this is a long speech because it is technical, and I want to make sure that I do not leave anything out. <BR /> <BR />Although pensions are a devolved matter, in general, pension policy and legislation here operate in line with corresponding pension provision in England, Scotland and Wales and in line with section 87 of the NI Act 1998. In addition, the Pensions Regulator, the ombudsman and the pensions protection fund all operate here and in those other three jurisdictions. <BR /> <BR />Here in the North, provisions that mirror those made for Britain elsewhere in the Bill were included in the Bill in the absence of the Executive and functioning Assembly in order to ensure that the pensions system can continue to function properly with members' interests at its heart.”
“I thank the Chair of the Committee for her words. Also, just to respond to Ms Armstrong, when those deductions are being looked at, those are considered. This is about dealing with legacy debt that is over 20 years old. As I said, part of the calculations were based on estimates, so they do not really reflect what the true income was at that time, and most of those will probably be written off. <BR /> <BR />Again, I thank Members for their consideration of this. I know that the regulations are quite technical and long and that they are dealing with legacy issues and debt. I commend them to the House.”
“These measures will help to make child maintenance fairer for all parents and ensure that we fully deliver on the commitments of the compliance and arrears strategy.”
“They also change the wording of the Child Support Fees Regulations (NI) 2014 to clarify and maintain the policy intent and they go on to state that any arrears that occurred on collect-and-pay or direct pay, which will be moved into the collect-and-pay service, will include the collection of fees, and that those fees are enforceable. <BR /> <BR />The two packages of regulations build on previous work to widen enforcement powers and close down loopholes. They also commit to the Department tackling the historic arrears that represent the child maintenance legacy schemes in a way that best balances the interests of parents and public funding. <BR /> <BR />The Department will further develop collection measures and information-gathering powers.”
“<BR /> <BR />On protected trust deeds, the regulations extend the write-off powers to enable the Department to write-off related to the Scottish protected trust deed, which is legally uncollectible as a result of this process. <BR /> <BR />These regulations extend the list of organisations that must provide information to my Department to include mortgage lenders and occupational pension providers. Previously, those organisations had to comply with such a request but it had to be carried out by an inspector visiting the premises. <BR /> <BR />The regulations make further technical amendments to change the way that the Department will calculate child maintenance liabilities for a parent who is claiming expenses.”
“Extended deductions for arrears from all benefits from which my Department can deduct for ongoing maintenance prevent arrears from being deducted at the same time as deductions towards ongoing maintenance. <BR /> <BR />The maximum that can be deducted at any one time is always £8·40 to enable deductions for ongoing maintenance and arrears from universal credit where the non-resident parent has earnings and meets the criteria for the flat-rate maintenance calculation. My Department could already deduct for ongoing maintenance from universal credit where the non-resident parent had no earnings and met the criteria for the flat-rate maintenance calculation.”
“The purpose of these regulations is to introduce changes to legislation, introducing remaining compliance powers: namely broadening the range of benefits from which arrears of child maintenance can be deducted; expanding the list of persons from whom relevant information can be requested by my Department; write-off powers to extinguish debt where a protected trust deed has been granted to a parent and has expired; and making a minor and technical change to the child maintenance calculation and fees regulations. <BR /> <BR />These regulations increase the amount of maintenance that can be deducted from benefits towards arrears to £8·40, that is £7 and a £1·40 collection fee. That is 20% of the overall amount. That now aligns with the amount that my Department can already deduct from benefits for ongoing maintenance.”
“It would, on average, cost between £500 and £1,000 to investigate such cases and take further action. Given the background and historical aspect of the legacy cases, it was deemed to be highly unlikely that the arrears would ever be recovered. To date, my Department has addressed almost 10,000 cases with an arrears value of £27 million through the process that I have outlined. <BR /> <BR />The second package of regulations are the Child Support (Miscellaneous Amendments No. 4) Regulations.”
“<BR /> <BR />The regulations enable legacy child maintenance arrears to be written off without seeking representations from parents with care where there has not been a payment in the past three months; the case started on or before November 2008 and the arrears are less than or equal to £1,000; the case started after 1 November and the arrears are less than or equal to £500; or the arrears occurred under the 1993 to 2003 schemes that have transferred to the child maintenance system and the debt arrears are less than or equal to £500. <BR /> <BR />Those amounts were selected as it was deemed not to be cost-effective to attempt the collection of individual arrears of less than £500 or of less than £1,000 where the case is more than 10 years old.”