Matthew O'Toole
South Belfast · Social Democratic and Labour Party · Northern Ireland
“I appreciate my colleague's giving way. Unfortunately, I was not here for all of the Minister's remarks — like her, I have been in the Chamber for a lot of today, so I had to pop out and attend to some other business. I presume that the Member will agree that these provisions could be more properly included in the Sentencing Bill.”
“Clearly, however, the regulatory and enforcement regime for all those watercourses and marine environments is way out of date ecologically and, indeed, economically.”
“We learned about the antics of Jeffrey Donaldson that were not criminal — so far — only after his conviction. Reporters have been able to go and find that information and people have been able to speak — felt able to speak — because Mr Donaldson has been sent to prison, convicted of appalling crimes, and is therefore less likely to seek r…”
“We are pleased, in broad terms, to support it at Second Stage. We welcome the move towards an approach to fisheries management that is ecosystem-based rather than narrowly species-based.”
“We were robust in opposing those who were not willing to deal with the nutrients action plan, for example, which should have been a core part of dealing with Lough Neagh. Of course, the farming industry needed to be engaged, and the Minister has been doing a lot of that work recently.”
“On a point of order, Mr Speaker. In just a few hours' time, the House will go into recess for more than two months. There are two outstanding and grave matters that the public in Northern Ireland want us to deal with, but we are walking away, so I want your advice on Standing Orders.”
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“The CBI supports the reduction in the service cost of childcare for working parents, and NICVA strongly advocated the reform of childcare. <BR /> <BR />Reform and sustainability were highlighted by a number of contributors to the Committee's work. The Committee heard that the issue for Health is not necessarily only about resource but is about reform. The strong message is that reform is now essential against a backdrop of a challenging Budget and the sustainability required by the Executive restoration package settlement. Stakeholders insist that the Executive must improve their communication with the public about what reform and transformation mean. It is almost always associated with closures in Health and Education rather than increased opportunities and services.”
“The lack of affordable, readily available childcare creates a poverty trap, with some people unable to go out to work and unable to access opportunities to acquire skills. Packages of skills support need to be linked to the provision of childcare, and free childcare should be provided at further and higher education campuses to enable parents to access the learning and skills development opportunities that those packages provide. <BR /> <BR />Employers For Childcare welcomed the resources that the Executive have made available for childcare even though the amount of resources is too small. That body is concerned that Education will be the predictable locus of spending. Its view is that the funding must be accompanied by detailed proposals for delivery across Departments and that it needs to be more cross-cutting.”
“Social Enterprise NI further suggested that social value must be at the core of government spending. <BR /> <BR />The Construction Employers Federation advocated that an infrastructure commission be prioritised in future Budgets. It is vital that the Executive maximise their use of the reinvestment and reform initiative (RRI) to ensure that the £220 million available, as highlighted in the ERPS — there are lots of acronyms today — is used in the current financial year. The Minister might be able to provide an update on that in her remarks. <BR /> <BR />Many who provided a response to the Committee on the Budget stated that high-quality childcare is a key element in creating a solid foundation for addressing our skills deficits and growing our economy, as well as a vital part of any forthcoming PFG.”
“It suggested that Departments put much greater emphasis on the aspects of their remit that drive economic growth through their budgeting. Indeed, that should have formed a key strand of the PFG. We need greater focus on in-work training and strategic investment in capital and skills. The UUEPC said that plans should be developed to give working adults greater access to careers advice, particularly those in vulnerable industries and sectors. <BR /> <BR />The Committee heard a number of times about how skills deficits act as a constraint on the growth of our economy. Levels of qualification and educational attainment here, as well as our levels of economic inactivity, are some of the worst in these islands. Issues with our skills shortage were referenced by a number of key stakeholders, including the CBI and CIPFA.”
“They are not, as some Committees in other jurisdictions on these islands are, simply there for scrutiny purposes, as and when it suits them; they have a statutory role that must be respected by Departments. In the absence of a public consultation, scrutiny by those Committees becomes even more important. <BR /> <BR />It is stifling and worrying. The considerable talk from Ministers and officials about this being an exceptional Budget must be borne out by better practice and significantly greater transparency. Lack of consultation and scrutiny means that the usual process of challenge and sense-testing is absent from the Budget. The UU economic policy centre highlighted to Committee members the need for there to be strategic budgeting to support economic growth.”
“The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy's (CIPFA) Northern committee advocated budget stability and sustainability through a five- to 10-year PFG, with strategic objectives to which all departmental and arm's-length body (ALB) business plans align. <BR /> <BR />Numerous Members have expressed concern about the lack of scrutiny that the Budget has received. As I mentioned, Statutory Committees have received little opportunity for scrutiny. Their scrutiny is based on statute and should not in any way be seen as being at the discretion of their corresponding Departments. Mr Speaker, I am sure that you and other Members would agree that it is important to constantly underline the word "statutory" in relation to the Committees of the Northern Ireland Assembly, as I did earlier in my speech.”
“Social Enterprise NI (SENI) told the Committee that each Department should have a series of policy interventions sitting under Programme for Government objectives. NICVA strongly supported that stance, highlighting the need for an accompanying investment strategy. PFG objectives should be linked clearly and effectively across Departments, with the Budget clearly following those priorities. A PFG would make budgeting easier. <BR /> <BR />Both the Nevin Economic Research Institute and Pivotal highlighted to Committee members that there is a distinct lack of strategic goal-setting underpinning the Budget. The Fiscal Council also noted that a PFG would help to ameliorate budget pressures over the next few years and included the lack of an agreed Programme for Government as a red flag in its Budget assessment.”
“Rightly, much has been made of this being our tenth single-year Budget in a row. Respondents to the Committee stated that multi-year Budgets offer significantly greater stability, certainty and sustainability for Departments and for the economy more widely. The Committee understands that the Executive's ability to set multi-year Budgets is constrained by what the UK Government do. However, single-year Budgets see rash decisions being made in the deployment of funds, if those funds need to be used before the cliff edge of the end of the financial year. That is made worse by the Budget exchange scheme being too limited in scope and size. <BR /> <BR />As has been said by many, it is vital that a Programme for Government is in place to facilitate good budgeting.”
“The timing of the Budget also adds to the challenges associated with it, and the Fiscal Council believes that ensuring that future Budgets are set in advance, as part of a normal Budget cycle, will help to manage ongoing budget pressures.”
“<BR /> <BR />Employers for Childcare, in its response to the Committee, acknowledged the "unprecedented burdens" on the 2024-25 Budget, highlighting challenges such as:”
“However, Members must be mindful that there are outstanding pay claims and that any claims already met create an annual charge on the Budget. Further pay claims will come annually as public servants seek pay recovery following years of pay freezes. <BR /> <BR />The Fiscal Council noted as a red flag a real-terms fall in resource and capital in this Budget compared with the 2023-24 Budget. Sir Robert Chote and his Fiscal Council colleagues see a further red flag in every Department having budgeted for a 3% wage growth, meaning that they have started the fiscal year with an inbuilt wage cost pressure. While the Budget is 7% higher than the Secretary of State's Budget for 2023-24, it is 2% less than the final plan that Departments were working to by the end of 2023-24.”
“Those themes include: the challenging nature of the Budget, the problems associated with another single-year Budget, the need for a Programme for Government (PFG), the lack of scrutiny applied, the need for strategic budgeting to support economic growth, the importance of childcare reform and sustainability, fiscal issues and revenue raising. <BR /> <BR />I know that this has been said repeatedly, but I will say it again: this is a challenging Budget. The limitations of this Budget envelope, following years of underfunding, meant that a significant number of bids put forward by Departments could not be met, with the same occurring yesterday with respect to what was a sizeable June monitoring round pot. The Executive restoration package settlement (ERPS) from the UK Government went some way to meeting pay pressures at that time.”
“Additionally, the Committee wrote to a limited number of stakeholders who would be in a position to give an overarching view on the Budget, focusing on its content and how that might reflect a strategic approach, or otherwise, and what might help to make the Budget more accessible to stakeholders and the wider public and identifying any gaps. <BR /> <BR />The Committee also sought the views of the other Statutory Committees. Again, I offer my thanks and those of the Committee to all who participated. The exercise, though short and specific, proved to be very fruitful, and the Committee has been able to identify a number of distinct themes around the 2024-25 draft Executive Budget.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Committee agreed, in the absence of sufficient time to undertake a call for evidence on this Budget — meaning the 2024-25 Budget statement — to undertake a short inquiry, to publish a report and to organise a take-note debate, which we would have liked to have had at some point in the past month or two, that members would instead undertake a targeted engagement. To that end, the Committee organised a short round of evidence sessions with the Fiscal Council, the Ulster University economic policy centre (UUEPC), the Nevin Economic Research Institute, the Pivotal think tank and NICVA.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Committee's engagement on the content of the Budget has not been limited to discussing it with Department of Finance officials and seeking the views of other Statutory Committees. The Committee undertook an engagement exercise, and the Deputy Chair reflected on that when she spoke on the Committee's behalf in the debate on the Budget at the end of May. As this debate does not have time limits for speeches, I can expand on the report that the Committee published following its engagement.”
“Given that the Assembly agreed to that provision when it passed the Bill in 2021, it is important to put on the record that Departments' adherence to it in respect of their Statutory Committee is important. In fact, it is critical, and Departments need to understand that the word "Statutory" in Statutory Committees exists for a reason. <BR /> <BR />The Finance Committee has an overarching responsibility to support other Statutory Committees in their scrutiny of the Budget cycle. Indeed, the Committee has already agreed that this is a strategic priority for members, and we intend, in the autumn, to discuss further ways in which that support can become more practical. The Committee will confront the Executive with their statutory responsibilities to all Committees, and all options are on the table.”
“Additionally, it has become clear that a number of Departments have been less than forthcoming in providing appropriate information to those Committees to allow them to perform their statutory scrutiny role. That cannot continue. I will add that Mr Frew was correct to raise the question yesterday about adherence to a provision in the Functioning of Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act. The provision, which came, I believe, from an amendment to the Bill that he tabled back in 2021, requires that Departments give their Committee due notice of bids to monitoring rounds. It does not appear that that has been happening, certainly not with any degree of consistency.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Committee, as might be expected, has regular briefings from departmental officials regarding the Budget and a range of related issues. Most recently, the Committee was briefed last Wednesday on the Bill, as well as on the June monitoring round and the Statement of Excesses. It often seems that those briefing sessions are weekly. Indeed, the Committee will receive further briefing tomorrow on the June monitoring round and the provisional out-turn for 2023-24. I thank the officials on the Committee's behalf, particularly for their candour and willingness to engage in discussion and, on occasion, debate. <BR /> <BR />As we heard from a number of contributors to yesterday's Supply resolution debate, there has not really been sufficient time for Statutory Committees to fully engage with the Budget.”
“Indeed, it could affect one of my party colleagues or someone from any other party that is in opposition at some point. <BR /> <BR />The Minister wrote to the Committee on 30 May, requesting that members grant this Budget Bill accelerated passage, the rationale being that the Vote on Account of 65% will run out in the autumn, making it necessary for the Bill to have finished its stages by that point. After considerable discussion and briefing from the Department, the Committee agreed to grant the Minister's request at its meeting on 26 June. Therefore, the Committee for Finance has granted accelerated passage to the Bill. If it passes this stage today, it will proceed to Consideration Stage in September, following the recess.”
“I thank the Deputy Chair of the Finance Committee, Diane Forsythe, for speaking on behalf of the Committee on yesterday's Supply resolution motions on the Main Estimates and Statement of Excesses. As Members are aware, a quirk of Standing Orders means that time is not afforded to me separately for my roles as leader of the Opposition and Chair of the Finance Committee. That has meant that, in timed debates, I have asked the Deputy Chair to speak on the Committee's behalf to ensure that the Committee's views are given the appropriate prominence, and she has graciously agreed to do so. I ask again that Standing Orders be reviewed to consider that ongoing anomaly. It may affect someone other than me at some point in the future.”
“More broadly, I hope that this is a signal to people that the Assembly takes seriously the question of building safety. This has to be the beginning rather than the end of that process. As Daniel McCrossan said, there now has to be a process of detailed consultation with affected stakeholders on the broader building safety programme. With that, I conclude my remarks.”
“<BR /> <BR />In a post-Grenfell and, indeed, a post-mica and post-pyrite age — we are not actually post mica and post pyrite, as Daniel McCrossan rightly said; we are still uncovering the depth of that — homeowners and, indeed, people who rent will expect us to be as front-footed and ambitious as we can be in what we do to address the issue of defective premises. <BR /> <BR />Notwithstanding the fact that I want to see more post-legislative engagement, I welcome the fact that the legislation has been brought forward by the Minister. I missed the beginning of his remarks — business is moving quickly — but I hope that he is able to confirm that homeowners whose cases are under appeal will be able to benefit from the legislation.”
“There was some initial — it was not quite a dispute — discussion about where departmental responsibility lay. One of the complaints that we often make about the devolved Departments is their silo mentality: in this instance, there was a relatively constructive and productive move towards one Department taking responsibility and bringing forward the legislation, which I welcome. I echo what others said: I hope that this is the beginning rather than the end of a conversation and a programme of reform around building safety that includes other Departments, most notably the Department of Finance, where part of the policy for building regulations sits, and the AERA Department.”
“Notwithstanding the preference for full Committee scrutiny that my colleague Daniel McCrossan outlined and, indeed, acknowledging the wish for key stakeholders to have ongoing engagement with the Department on the implementation of the legislation and the broader building safety agenda, I welcome the fact that the Minister has moved with speed on the issue. I have an interest in the policy area. The case of Victoria Square, which is in my constituency, was brought to the attention of the House and, indeed, broader society in Northern Ireland. Of course, the legislation is designed to be much broader than that and will address the anomaly that arose in the Defective Premises Order for property owners in Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />I welcome the fact that the Minister took responsibility when we came back.”
“Minister, I pulled my first pint in O'Toole's pub 24 years ago. I am a few years off 50 yet, but I might take you up on your suggestion. You and I could perhaps be pulling pints together, free from the stresses of Stormont. <BR /> <BR />We know that a great part of the offer on the island of Ireland is our hospitality, particularly rural pubs. However, in the North, we have lost a lot of rural pubs, in part because of our licensing system and other economic pressures. What conversations has the Minister had with the Communities Minister and others about ensuring that our licensing system and local producers of whiskey, beer and other craft products, particularly on this side of the border, are property geared up to capitalise on that? When people come to Ireland, they really want to experience the rural pub and that local produce.”
“The Minister discussed lots of important things at the NSMC. He acknowledges the connectivity of the island and the interrelationship between transport networks on both parts of the island. One of the strange things that we do is subsidise long-haul air routes out of the North at a cost of £2·5 million to the public purse in order to, in some strange way, stymie Dublin Airport. It is not working; it is a waste of money. Could that money not be better directed towards our rail network, active travel or, indeed, anything else? Will he make representations to his colleagues — the Finance and Economy Ministers — to do away with that preposterous waste of money?”
“Deputy First Minister, in order for Northern Ireland to meet its renewable energy targets as set out in climate change legislation, we will need interconnectors east-west and North/South. We need that North/South interconnector, and the Executive need to make progress on the permissions in order to deliver that. Do the Executive still support the development of the North/South interconnector, and when will we see progress on its delivery?”
“Given that today's monitoring round was clear that the allocations were made at risk and that there was some lack of certainty over whether the UK Government would agree to the specific allocations, does that not indicate that it is a prima facie breach of the pre-election guidance?”
“I thank the Member for giving way. He will be aware of the pre-election guidance that was issued by the Executive Office, which said:”
“Thank you, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker; I am sure that it was not personal. <BR /> <BR />Minister, I want to push you on dual-market access. Airbus is basically a pan-European company, with operations all over the continent. There really is a specific opportunity for the talented workers that you talked about to be part of a wider supply chain. It is important that you, your Department and Invest NI push the fact that we have dual-market access because it might be that we can grow the workforce here given the ability that we have to move stuff across the continent and into the UK market.”
“I am glad that the Minister is committed to reducing congestion around schools. In my constituency, there is a range of them — Rosetta Primary School; St Bernard's Primary School; Fane Street Primary School; St Bride's Primary School — where this is a real challenge. It is not about just congestion, as you say; it is also about air quality and healthy living. <BR /> <BR />There is a scheme that operates outside lots of schools across the water called the School Streets Initiative. Is he aware of that, and will he work to roll that out in the North where it is applicable and useful?”
“We, as the official Opposition, will continue to be constructive and robust in calling for that plan. We have not seen it yet — it has not been published today — but I hope that, at some point in the months to come, the people of Northern Ireland will have a proper plan.”
“Get the cameras into the Great Hall and tell people about the money that you are allocating just days before an election, but be honest with them that you have not yet delivered a proper plan to recover public services.”
“We will also call for a multi-year comprehensive spending round, which will allow the Minister and others in the Northern Ireland Executive to deliver properly thought-through, serious, strategic multi-year Budgets that are allied to an outcomes-based Programme for Government. That is what we, as the official Opposition, will call and press for, because, so far, since we returned in February, we have had disjointed allocations — sometimes, made at the last minute, as with today's announcement — and a series of legally meaningless motions brought to the Assembly by Executive parties. By all means, do a last-minute monitoring round in breach, in my view, of the pre-election guidance.”
“They have had a series of disconnected allocations, many of which are, in and of themselves, welcome, but they do not, in any way, represent a strategic plan to rescue and recover public services. That will come only when we have a Programme for Government that is aligned to a multi-year Budget. <BR /> <BR />As and when a new UK Government are elected later this week, my party will call for an improved financial settlement, as, no doubt, will others, whether they do or do not take their seats at Westminster. In that regard, I will join the Finance Minister and other parties in the Chamber to get the best possible financial settlement for Northern Ireland.”
“Before that, we had two years of a pandemic. Before that, we had three years of collapse. I hope that the new-found commitment to stability from the two leading parties in the Executive will continue, but, in order to deliver on the commitments that the Executive parties have made on rescuing public services, we will need to see not just a monitoring round a few days before an election but a properly thought-through multi-year Budget that is aligned to a Programme for Government. That is not too much to ask. The people of the North have been promised a Government for all. They have been promised leadership and a plan to deliver the rescue of public services, which are in a state of collapse, in many cases. They have not got that yet.”
“Of course, I would add in parenthesis that it is relatively unusual to have a monitoring round statement accompanied by a press conference with the First Minister and deputy First Minister in the Great Hall at Stormont. I am not aware of that happening on too many occasions. That also underscores the fact that there is nothing normal or routine about doing a monitoring round in this way: at legal risk, three days before a UK general election. I think that I have made my point in that regard, but I will keep making that point. I will make those points in correspondence with the head of the Civil Service. <BR /> <BR />I will talk about the specific Estimates that we are debating. It is important to acknowledge that, when we returned in February, we were in very unusual circumstances. Stormont had been collapsed for the previous two years.”
“That does not sound to me like routine business, given that there is no Parliament and that Treasury Ministers are operating in a shadow context. I would not call that normal or routine. <BR /> <BR />I wanted to use my remarks to highlight the unusual nature of the monitoring round that we have just had, which is connected, because, as we hear in the Finance Committee, all Budget processes are connected to one another. The monitoring round is making allocations that are not reflected in the Estimates document that we are technically debating or the resolution that we are being asked to vote on. Nevertheless, they are welcome allocations. I will not go through them all. The Minister did that in some detail, both in the Chamber and with her colleagues the First Minister and deputy First Minister in front of the cameras outside.”
“All those risks would, of course, be mitigated if we were to wait a few days and have clarity from a new UK Government. <BR /> <BR />Of course, with regard to the additional payment — the welcome additional payment, of course — that has been made to education workers, the Minister said in her monitoring round statement:”
“Not just is it in contravention, in my view, of the clear pre-election guidance that was issued by the Executive Office just over a month ago but, in addition to that, it is happening at a time when there is "demonstrable and real legal risk". Those are not my words but the words of the Minister's departmental officials. Indeed, she herself used the word "risk" in the oral statement that she has just given, where she has acknowledged that there is specific risk around the allocations because they are not based on a Main Estimates document that has been laid by the UK Treasury in Parliament. That is because, as I said, there is no Parliament. In addition, she said at different times in her oral statement that there is risk that the amount that is ultimately received in the monitoring round could be lower. That is not normal or routine.”
“2) Bill to make some specific points around the lack of a strategic plan for the rescue and recovery of our public services and, indeed, the lack of a meaningful multi-year Budget. <BR /> <BR />In the monitoring round that we have just heard about, the Minister made a succession of commitments. Some of those commitments, as she said, are made at risk. They are made at legal risk because the UK Treasury has not laid Main Estimates in the UK Parliament. That is because there is no UK Parliament until the general election on Thursday. So, it is important to acknowledge, first, that, rather than the monitoring round happening as routine business, it is happening in anything but a routine context.”
“However, today, we stand up to debate the Estimates document, having just had a statement on June monitoring on 1 July, as I said, three days before a UK general election. In my view, that is in flagrant breach of pre-election guidance published by the Executive Office just a few short weeks ago. It is clearly not strategic, not planned or not forward-looking to have our debates on public finances happening at this point. As the Minister said, we are debating limits that are now, in a sense, out of date. <BR /> <BR />We will not, as an Opposition, divide the House on today's Estimates, but we will use the opportunity of today's debate and tomorrow's debate on the Budget (No.”
“Thank you, Mr Speaker. I thank my colleague the Deputy Chair of the Finance Committee for speaking on behalf of the Committee. Given the procedural restrictions of "one Member, one speech", as it were, I felt that it was important that my responsibilities as leader of the Opposition and as Chair of the Finance Committee and the fact that this is a timed debate should mean that I should not give both speeches. I suggest that both roles be looked at by the Procedures Committee going forward. <BR /> <BR />Today, we are looking at the Supply Estimates, and, tomorrow, we will debate the Second Stage of the Budget (No. 2) Bill. When we came back in February after the collapse of these institutions, as after previous collapses, we were encouraged to believe that there would be a more coherent, systematic and strategic Budget-making process.”
“We wanted and needed a June monitoring round, but it could have happened in four days' time, after the UK general election. Why have you done this today? Is that not a shabby indictment of Stormont?”
“Minister, this is a shabby and disgraceful use of Civil Service resources, three days out from an election. You have brought the Northern Ireland Civil Service and your Department into disrepute. I admit that there are many important allocations in your statement, but, throughout it, you say things such as although there is a risk, you are willing to accept it. Does that not fly in the face of your statement that this is normal and routine business? Does it not also fly in the face of the idea that this is normal and routine business when, in page 9 of the statement, you say that you may not even be able to complete the additional payment for education workers because the Treasury may not agree to it? <BR /> <BR />Minister, many of the allocations are welcome.”
“I echo Carál Ní Chuilín's admiration of Robbie for reading out that entire answer. <BR /> <BR />At the outset, there are a couple of specific challenges when it comes to promoting a healthy lifestyle here. As fascinating as the Building is, it is very poorly located for public transport; probably the worst legislature on these islands. What more can be done with Translink to encourage greater public transport connectivity with Parliament Buildings? Can the Assembly Commission look at increased shower facilities for people who choose to cycle to work — Mr Carroll was mentioned — and others, including me, who try to use the grounds for running when we get the opportunity? There are very limited shower facilities. Those are two obvious things that could be improved: public transport access to the Building and shower facilities.”
“It is definitely right to say that there are high levels of educational achievement in Northern Ireland in specific areas. We should be proud of that, and no one should doubt it. However, it is also the case that, society-wide, there are real problems with the high number of people leaving school without any qualifications, relative to other jurisdictions, and with the impact that that has on our overall economy. What specific actions does the Minister want to take during his stint in office to address that long tail of educational underachievement?”
“Other than that, the Opposition are, of course, happy to support the order proceeding, and we welcome the fact that the Minister has brought it forward.”
“First, section 7 of the updated order makes clear that an officer who fails to comply with the code is not going to be held legally responsible. That is clearly a reflection of the fact that it is not a legally binding or justiciable code, in that sense. It would be helpful if the Minister reminded us what penalties there are, or how it will be viewed, if an officer does not abide by the code. Clearly, it is a code; it is not criminal law. That is fair enough. Secondly, does the Minister have either specific examples or a broader sense of the prevalence of the use of crypto assets amongst criminals? What is the profile of those criminals in Northern Ireland who are making use of these crypto assets?”
“I will speak briefly on behalf of the Opposition to say that we support the order and welcome the fact that it has been brought forward. Clearly, it is important that the investigatory powers of the police reflect the changing technological landscape. There is clear evidence of the increased use of crypto assets by criminals here in holding their assets, so it is welcome and right that this updated provision and code has been brought forward by the Minister. I welcome the fact that it has happened speedily. It illustrates the importance of having a devolved legislature and serving Ministers who can bring forward necessary legislation or secondary legislation or codes under legislation, as this is. <BR /> <BR />Will the Minister update us on a couple of things when she is wrapping up?”