Liz Kimmins
Newry and Armagh · Sinn Féin · Northern Ireland
“I do not know how it will have affected North Antrim specifically unless the Member is referring to something in particular. We all have a responsibility in climate change and what we do to try to mitigate its impacts.”
“As the Member rightly said, removal of the zero-detriment policy is for the AERA Minister, and I have engaged with the Minister on that, as well as on the removal of the statement of regulatory principles and intent. I recognise that removing that would have detrimental impact on future development.”
“In response, we recently developed and introduced new appraisal guidance, which represents a significant and deliberate shift in approach. Under the previous arrangements, schemes were largely determined by a monetised cost-benefit ratio threshold where, typically, projects that fell below a ratio of one did not progress.”
“A number of significant issues have led to that scenario. I assume that the Member is referring to waste water capacity. I have said that NI Water has suggested that it needs between £3·5 billion to £3·6 billion for the next price control period.”
“Recruitment is a key challenge faced by all Departments. In questions to the Minister of Health, my colleague from Newry and Armagh referred to the recruitment issue that recently impacted on Daisy Hill. The challenge is not unique to DFI. I want to put a focus on ensuring that we build our internal capacity and improve staffing levels.”
“The Executive and the Assembly agree that the Executive's Budget is not adequate, which is why we are in that negotiation. When it comes to the capital budget, we have to factor in a timeline for the legal challenge that we are going through. It is unlikely that we will get a decision from the court on this side of the summer recess.”
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“I thank the Minister for his statement. As others said, what we face this morning raises serious concerns. Supporting governance is a key safeguard in the delivery of services. Can the Minister confirm whether annual appraisals were carried out for the individual involved? They are a way of identifying issues early on, so I am keen to hear whether they were completed in the lead-up to the issue.”
“I thank the Minister for his statement. The role of carers in our society was widely recognised and acknowledged pre-COVID and has been further emphasised throughout the pandemic. The restrictions have had an even bigger impact on support networks for carers, both on a statutory level and in their informal settings. That said, we have seen money provided for care homes and domiciliary care, as Members have mentioned. On the basis of that and the increased role that they have played throughout the pandemic, is the Minister considering a one-off grant payment for unpaid and informal carers?”
“I thank the Minister for his statement. What is being done to ensure that fishermen from North and South will have access to all the island's waters post Brexit?”
“I thank the Minister for his answer. Is data being shared effectively, North and South, with the Minister's counterparts in the South in line with the agreed memorandum of understanding?”
“I thank the Minister for her answer. The announcement of the development of an anti-poverty strategy is very welcome. I know of the great work that the neighbourhood renewal groups do. We have nine groups in my area in Newry, so it is really good to hear that they will be a key part of that. <BR /> <BR />Will the Minister provide an update on her plans to deal with the long-term future of neighbourhood renewal?”
“Four months on, can the Minister assure us that work is under way in conjunction with the PSNI and the Public Prosecution Service to deliver that recommendation in a timely fashion?”
“I thank the Minister for her answer. Strategic recommendation 1 states:”
“I thank the Minister for her statement. Minister, you have already mentioned Brexit-related issues and your commitment to continuing to work with your counterpart in the South on transport issues, and the Member who spoke previously touched on that as well. Can you advise the House whether there has been any indication that drivers from the North will need a green card to travel South?”
“Compensation figures suggest that my area of Newry and the surrounding areas are among those with the highest number of claims, suggesting that the roads there have the worst defects. Can the Minister outline how she intends to address the issues in the worst-affected areas?”
“— to say that we absolutely need more resources, and she highlighted that the Minister had been working hard to get them. <BR /> <BR />In conclusion, the Minister stated that she has made a lot of progress, and she gave us a comprehensive —.”
“I ask the Member this: are you suggesting that, at this very time, we dip in to much-needed funds for health, the economy, education and our rural and urban communities, which need it more than ever? I put that to the Member. <BR /> <BR />Kellie Armstrong spoke in support of the amendment —”
“Sinéad Bradley spoke in support of the amendment and stated that COVID had impacted on PSNI resources, particularly from the increase in domestic violence. She also highlighted the impact of Brexit, which is coming down the tracks, and said that, as highlighted by the Chief Constable, the pressures of no deal on the PSNI would be immense. In response to previous comments, Sinéad mentioned how the House agreed to NDNA without significant finances being secured. She asked if we intended to bring every Minister to the House for every item that was agreed as part of NDNA. She said that she did not think that it was valid to say that the amendment is distracting and said that it was steeped in reality. <BR /> <BR />Alan Chambers spoke in opposition to the amendment, stating that it is useful to have a generous family member when needed.”
“I take issue with that, because I would like to see examples from the Member of where the GAA has not been welcoming of the police. That is a very strong allegation to make.”
“He said that partnership with the community and community consent are crucial, and he highlighted the impact of moving police who had built relationships with communities to other areas. He welcomed the Chief Constable's commitment to minimising extraction. He said that the Sinn Féin amendment reflects the overarching commitment of Policing with the Community to the duties and areas of responsibility of police officers. <BR /> <BR />Paul Givan highlighted his opposition to the amendment. His view of representativeness was that it was "a stain on this Province". He said that the GAA should be more welcoming of the police.”
“<BR /> <BR />Tom Buchanan spoke against the amendment, saying that it is a distraction and takes away from the core issue. He asked the Justice Minister to inform the House of what progress she has made. <BR /> <BR />My colleague Seán Lynch spoke in support of the amendment and welcomed the renewed focus on this issue. He spoke about representativeness and the need to ensure that all communities are represented by the police who serve them. He said that there should be an ongoing commitment to having in the police more women, more people from ethnic minorities, more LGBT people and more people from working-class backgrounds. He said that all should be more visible in both rank-and-file and leadership roles.”
“<BR /> <BR />Mike Nesbitt spoke against the amendment, stating that NDNA does not say that the Executive commit to asking the British Government for funding. He said that Patten did not recommend 7,500 as a solid figure but as a rough estimate. <BR /> <BR />John Blair spoke in support of the amendment and addressed the funding shortfall. He said that the motion falls short in addressing the need for collaboration and planning. He highlighted the pressures on the PSNI, acknowledging the extra pressures as a result of COVID from, for example, domestic violence and other issues that have arisen particularly from lockdown. He said that police resourcing is a priority for the Minister and that we should use today to review and refresh our approach to joined-up policing.”
“Linda also highlighted the fact that it was timely to remind us of the British Government's refusal to pay for other things, including the victims' payment scheme, and she stated that the amendment simply asks that Members support Ministers in going not only to where the money is available but to where the duty is to supply it. <BR /> <BR />Dolores Kelly spoke in support of the amendment and said that it is disappointing that we are not all on the same page on this. She said that the British Prime Minister recognised the need to invest across England and Wales and that we had hoped for similar recognition for the North. Dolores also spoke about the huge need for greater representativeness and said that there is a challenge in achieving this. She said that more needs to be done right across the piece to recruit from all backgrounds.”
“In winding in support of the amendment, I will summarise the comments made during the debate. My colleague Linda Dillon moved the amendment and highlighted our acceptance of and agreement with the thrust of the motion. She said that we were glad to see the emphasis on neighbourhood and local policing teams as we recognise their importance in tackling the scourge of drug dealing, domestic violence, child sexual exploitation, rural crime, antisocial behaviour and other issues. We have to be realistic that commitment needs resources, and the Sinn Féin amendment adds realism and improves the motion on that basis.”
“Yes, I am just getting to it. <BR /> <BR />Correspondence was issued on 22 September stating that emergency surgeries would not be returning, and that is where the concern has come from. However, this is a short-term plan, so can the Department of Health give assurances that it is committed, in the longer term, to ensuring that the acute surgery service in Daisy Hill will not be downgraded?”
“<BR /> <BR />I am fresh out of a meeting this morning with the chief executive of the Southern Trust, so I can answer the Member's question: emergency surgeries are returning on 19 October.”
“I thank the Minister for coming this morning and welcome his comprehensive statement. I commend the significant work that has been done thus far. Going back to the response to COVID-19, the Minister will be aware of the concerns about the relocation of Daisy Hill's emergency department. It is very welcome and positive that it is coming back on 19 October, as a lot of work has been done on it. In my experience as a representative for Newry for almost seven years, we have always had to fight for the retention of services in Daisy Hill Hospital. So, naturally, any move to make changes causes concern in the community, and we work very hard to allay those fears. However, as the Member for Newry and Armagh said, there have been concerns about the future of emergency surgery in Daisy Hill.”
“I thank the Minister for her statement. The issue of closing time for the hospitality industry is a clear example of the need for us to work on an all-Ireland basis in our response to COVID-19, particularly for people living in border areas. What engagement have the Executive had on that basis?”
“I thank the Minister for her answer. Will she give the House an assurance that she is committed to ensuring that this long-delayed project will be delivered urgently?”
“We have a huge job of work to do, and we can do it, but it is important that we get a rapid response and that this is communicated clearly to the public.”
“I do not want to go over those points again, but particularly for staff, patients and their families, accessing testing has proved really challenging, and it is obviously impacting on staffing levels within the hospital and on people in their wider lives. <BR /> <BR />Coming out of today, in the immediate aftermath of this, we as elected reps, and the senior management of the trust, need to work very, very hard to rebuild confidence, because confidence has been damaged here. For me, we were advised that Daisy Hill would be a COVID-free hospital, and there has been a serious upheaval as people were moved to Craigavon. We have lost our ED for a number of months now. This proves the need for the ED to come back, as we see that Craigavon is almost bursting at the seams with the workload that the staff are managing at present.”
“<BR /> <BR />I think, Minister, that there needs to be more transparency to ensure that rumours do not circulate, that people are getting the correct information and that staff, patients and their families have better awareness and are more diligent in their day-to-day activities. We feel that there needs to be better communication, from the trust and from here in the Assembly, to ensure that people remember the stark message that this has not gone away. We know that this can get into our hospital settings — nothing is impossible — but it is important to keep that message live. <BR /> <BR />One of the biggest things that I have learned over the last number of days is around testing. There have been issues, and I have raised them with you, Minister.”
“<BR /> <BR />Just today, I have been contacted by family members of patients on the male medical ward in Daisy Hill who stated that they were not made aware at any stage of an outbreak on the ward. This has had major implications for their families. Their family member is currently in Craigavon, and the associated members are self-isolating while they await test results, which obviously has wider implications. Similarly, staff have been in contact with me to say that they first found out about the outbreak through the media, which is concerning. At a time when we want to ensure that staff feel valued, this can damage that too.”
“I thank my colleague John O'Dowd for bringing this Adjournment debate this evening. I, too, wish to extend my condolences to all the families of the deceased, both in Craigavon and in Daisy Hill in my constituency. I thank the Minister for coming here, because I do appreciate that it has been a very tough couple of days. Without going over what everyone else has said here this evening, I, too, welcome the fact that there will be an SAI review, but, like others, I have concerns about the effectiveness of this, particularly as we need to get answers as soon as possible to ensure that this does not happen again. I believe that there is immediate learning that we can be looking at around key issues.”
“Can you confirm today that this COVID outbreak will have no implication for the reopening of A&E in the next few weeks?”
“I thank the Minister for coming to the House again this week on this important issue. I too have had a number of contacts over the past two weeks since the issue first arose in Daisy Hill. As with other Members, I have had concerned patients and families contact me about their safety in hospital and staff contact me about their safety in the workplace. I really welcome the reassurances that you have given here this evening, Minister. <BR /> <BR />As the weeks have gone on, this has been a major issue. When we hear news like this around a COVID outbreak, it obviously raises concerns. Daisy Hill has been without A&E for six months. I have been liaising with the trust on many occasions, and I really appreciate those engagements.”
“Thank you, Minister, for coming this afternoon to clarify a number of issues that we are all getting at the minute. It highlights the vital service that GP practices provide and what the implications for other services would be without them, as one Member rightly pointed out regarding A&E. You mentioned a need for additional PPE, and I know that the BMA has expressed concerns about a potential second wave. Are you content that the systems are in place for PPE and contact tracing in the event of a second wave?”
“I thank the Minister for coming this afternoon. In light of a previous Members's comments about the confirmed cases at Daisy Hill Hospital, can the Minister reassure me that Health and Social Care staff will have access to COVID testing? Over the weekend I had contact from staff who stated that they have been refused testing despite being in that vicinity.”
“I thank the Member for a very comprehensive response. <BR />Would the Commission agree that the Assembly not only needs to follow public health advice but that it needs to be an exemplar in best practice in how it deals with COVID-19?”
“It is important to emphasise the impact of the measures taken by your Department now and when our colleague Deirdre Hargey was Minister. It is important to commend that. In the light of that, Minister, what are your plans to continue to support the community and voluntary sector as we continue to navigate COVID-19?”
“EU citizens are being penalised, and, when we should be encouraging people from other countries to contribute their skills to our economy, we are treating them particularly badly. Similarly, there has been a lack of clarity around the mutual recognition of qualifications. We talk about nurses and doctors all standing on the same qualifications across the EU. Where does that stand? There has been no mention of that. <BR /> <BR />Going back to the original motion, it is very important that the Economy Minister looks at this, reaches out to all those sectors and provides detail, clarity, training and education to help them move forward in the short period ahead.”
“I thank the Member for his contribution. In the absence of any clarity going forward, it is difficult to take a position on that at this stage. However, it is something that we need to be looking at very seriously, regardless of the outcome. <BR /> <BR />Going back to my point about cross-border operations, I come from a border constituency where cross-border working is a huge part of the economy. It is also very important to highlight how cross-border workers have been left behind and forgotten about throughout this. That impacts not only on the lives of individuals who do not know whether they will have a job post-31 January but on employers in the area, particularly local employers, as I said previously.”
“<BR /> <BR />As a representative of Newry and Armagh, I see that Newry has been seen in recent years as developing into a specialist area for financial services, with indigenous firms, including First Derivatives, which is a massive employer, not only in the constituency but across the North, providing in the region of 2,000 jobs to the local economy. The lack of clarity being afforded to those firms is causing significant concern. <BR /> <BR />On the topic of cross-border operations —.”
“The financial services sector is experiencing huge uncertainty around passporting firms in the North. If this continues, we could see these firms gravitate towards the South as they are likely to no longer view the North as a viable option to do business because of red tape. The loss of passporting, with no clear replacement system, will have a serious impact. We are already seeing businesses put in place contingency steps to trade on both sides of the border in the absence of any clarification on their future.”
“I will speak in support of the motion and the amendment. There has been a lot of focus, particularly around the trading arrangements, and I want to home in a bit more at a sectoral level with regard to financial services and the lack of attention that that sector has been given in the protocol and subsequent discussions. <BR /> <BR />It is very important to emphasise the very challenging situation that the financial sector finds itself in, particularly, as my colleague mentioned, 16 weeks out from a deadline. The protocol makes no reference to financial services, despite a recent report from the Department for the Economy that outlined the huge importance of the sector to the economy in the North, employing 24,000 people and making a contribution of £2·4 billion to the economy in the last year.”
“Will the Minister give an update on the sentencing review carried out by her Department?”
“What is the difference, when they are working in the exact same environment? <BR /> <BR />Rather than going back over the same points, I just wanted to raise those key things. It is important that we recognise that the people are fed up. This is not politicking. This is ensuring that people get the right support and guidance that they deserve. <BR /> <BR />I support the motion.”
“No. <BR /> <BR />The last thing that I am going to raise is in relation to driving instructors. The issues that I have been hearing about, particularly since the announcement last week that they could go back to work, even though they had never been told that they could not work, are more around the confusion over how that can pan out in reality. They are seeking clear guidance from the Minister on that. That is the message that they have been giving. I have been contacted by people from Ballymena and Belfast as well as in my constituency, because it has not been clear. Although they have been signposted to guidance, they still feel very much that examiners are being told to do different things. What is the difference? Why are they being told that they can go back to work, but examiners cannot?”
“That is why we need to look at this and develop a bespoke response to dealing with the issue. <BR /> <BR />It is important to realise that the Economy Minister has made it very, very clear that it is not up to her to lead any intervention for the road transport industry, as this is considered under the Department for Infrastructure. That is why we are here today as a Committee: because we have responsibility for these sectors. It was important that we came together to raise the concerns because there has been toing and froing for far too long. People are just frustrated; they are fed up and they cannot see a way out of this. We are hitting Brexit right in the face now. We are less than six months away from the deadline, which is another major challenge coming down the road.”
“I am under the impression that all taxi drivers are entitled to raise their concerns. Whether they are from north Belfast, west Belfast, Newry, Strabane or wherever, they are all entitled to raise their concerns. <BR /> <BR />Others have mentioned taxi drivers and private bus operators. I want to focus on the hauliers and pick up some of the points about driving instructors. I have engaged locally with hauliers in my constituency, some of whom have vehicles haemorrhaging money — haemorrhaging money. Hundreds of vehicles parked up every week, and no support in place. These are some of the key providers for our economy, and they have been left very much to fend for themselves. I totally appreciate that not all hauliers are in the same position, and they recognise that themselves.”
“I had a prepared speech, but a lot of the points have been covered. I do not want to go over old ground when a majority of us are on the same page. It is important to clarify that — to follow on from Mr Muir's comments — we are not asking the Minister to hand out the money. With her responsibility for transport policy, we are asking her to lead on these issues, provide clear guidance and bring proposals to the right people. <BR /> <BR />I cannot go on without mentioning Mrs Kelly's comments. It is quite unfair to say that the only complaints from taxi drivers are from those in north and west Belfast. That is not the case in my constituency. I ask her to reflect on that later. Why would that be an issue, if it were the case? What was the implication there?”
“When is the process likely to be completed and the appointments made?”
“As others have said, it is very sad to hear of job losses like this, and we will hear of many more. That brings me to my question, which, in the same vein, is about sole traders and how many of them will face similar challenges. Is the Minister considering providing financial support for sole traders? Many of them are still waiting on an update because they have been excluded from the supports that have been available to date.”
“I thank the Minister for the opportunity to ask another question. As it is Carers' Week, it is important that we pay tribute to the thousands of unpaid carers who, throughout the pandemic, have very much held court, for want of a better word, with the closure of day centres and facilities that are a major lifeline to help them through very difficult times. Can the Minister update the House on the reopening of day centres and respite services? I know that the plan is to work towards that: can we ensure that it is a top priority? Many families feel that they have been very much left to their own devices. Can he ensure that support is available to them, going forward?”
“The reopening of the emergency department is, obviously, not part of that for this first phase, so I am keen to hear more about that.”
“I thank the Minister for his statement. It is welcome that we now have a bit of a road map ahead of us for the restoration of services. I pay tribute to the pathfinder group in my constituency, which has done excellent work over the last three years to ensure the retention of the emergency department at Daisy Hill Hospital. The work of that group is a model that could be used in lots of other areas. <BR /> <BR />On that note, how will the Minister decide what services will reopen first? Will he ensure that we avoid a postcode lottery and that services in centralised sites will not be opened first on that basis to the detriment of other hospitals such as Daisy Hill? I have been engaging with the chief executive of the Southern Trust on that matter and was pleased to see its plan this morning as well.”