Martin McGuinness
Mid Ulster · Sinn Féin · Northern Ireland
“It was noted that full sectoral audits had been carried out by Departments of the Executive and the Irish Government to identify impacts, risks, opportunities and contingencies that may arise following the UK's intended withdrawal from the EU.”
“<BR /> <BR />We welcome the establishment by Minister Heather Humphreys and Minister Chris Hazzard of an Ulster canal advisory forum, which met for the first time on 23 September 2016.”
“That is something that has never been previously asked. It is interesting that the Member has chosen to call for that. From our perspective, we will have a discussion.”
“We also have 220 people now employed at that centre. They are people of the highest specialisms imaginable in medicine. The dedication that they have to that centre is absolutely amazing.”
“The big decision that was taken by both Administrations at the North/South Ministerial Council meeting — by the Executive Office, the Department of the Taoiseach and the Department of Foreign Affairs — was to put a high-level working group of civil servants in place to deal with the challenges that clearly lie ahead.”
“<BR /> <BR />The oversight board led by Dick Spring and the interdepartmental group set up in both jurisdictions have worked hard to get us to this stage, and I can give assurances that our Executive will continue to give their support to ensure that we deliver the best bid possible.”
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“They have attacked the most vulnerable in society, slashed the Budget for public services and undermined the credibility of these institutions. <BR /> <BR />We in Sinn Féin are clear on what needs to happen. It is the platform that we stood on in the recent election: protections for the most vulnerable; a workable Budget; and powers to grow the economy and create employment. We believe these are the aims that all parties could and should unite around. Sinn Féin has worked and maintained the institutions over the past eight years in the face of great provocation and attack. Power sharing, partnership and devolution are the only ways forward. These principles are the basis of the institutions here in the North. Any undermining of these basic principles by the actions of the British Government or parties will be unacceptable.”
“<BR /> <BR />Of course, we are not alone in our battle against austerity. I note that the Scottish First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, will today make an important anti-austerity and anti-cuts speech. Of course, they are on the right side of the argument. They are on the right side of history. I appeal to all Assembly parties to join them. The Scottish Executive have requested a tripartite meeting of the representatives of the Scottish, Welsh and local assemblies. We should take up this offer and develop a common position in the Executive and with the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly in opposition to Tory austerity. The current crisis has come about solely through the actions of the British Government. It can be resolved only by the actions of the British Government.”
“It has always been my view that the outstanding issues in the Welfare Reform Bill can be resolved, but this requires political will from all parties in the Assembly to protect the most vulnerable. Make no mistake about it: the biggest threat to our political institutions remains the ongoing Tory austerity agenda of cuts to our public services and the welfare state. This is a time when the Executive parties need to stand together to defend our public services, particularly in health, education and welfare. We need to stand up for the people who elect us rather than acting in the interests of a Tory elite. We need an immediate negotiation with the British Government for a Budget which protects our public services and for fiscal powers to give us control over our economy.”
“No, I will not give way. In the face of such devastating Tory cuts, our public services, our welfare system, our Departments and the Executive are, in my opinion, not sustainable. None of the Executive parties stood on a platform of implementing those Tory cuts, and Sinn Féin will not abandon children with disabilities, adults with severe disabilities, families with children and the long-term sick. That is why we moved a petition of concern to stop the passage of the welfare Bill, and I welcome the fact that the SDLP has supported our position.”
“Sinn Féin will not support a welfare Bill that does not contain those protections, and we will not be part of any agenda that punishes the poor and dismantles public services. <BR /> <BR />In my view, the measure of any society, and, indeed, of any Government, is how it treats those most in need and those who are most vulnerable.”
“From our perspective, we need to get everything that we are doing here into kilter with the need to ensure that what is coming down the tracks from the British Government in July is fed into our planning for the delivery of vital services for people in the future. <BR /> <BR />The approach of the Secretary of State and the British Government in relation to the refusal to tell us how that is going to impact on us — indeed, we are not the only people who are not being told; they are not even telling people in England thus far — is absolutely unacceptable. We made it very clear in our election manifesto that the Executive need a viable Budget for front-line public services and welfare protections for the most vulnerable.”
“Here we are, talking about vital budgetary matters affecting the future of our people, and we are being told by the Secretary of State that we have to wait until the Chancellor of the Exchequer announces the July Budget before we will know the implications of where the axe is going to fall on vital front-line services delivered by our Departments and of welfare cuts impacting on people who have already been threatened by the Tory welfare cuts agenda. <BR /> <BR />Of course, it also raises the question as to what is coming down the tracks at us in July. It will even impact on the negotiations that took place during the course of Stormont House in relation to alleviating the plight of those who would be affected by the welfare cuts. There is all sorts of speculation about taxing carers' allowance and taxing welfare recipients.”
“<BR /> <BR />The British Government's Cabinet of Tory millionaires has announced plans for further eye-watering cuts of £25 billion to our public services and our welfare protections for people with disabilities, the long-term sick and large families. Those new cuts are set to begin almost immediately, and they will devastate our core public services. In meetings that the party leaders attended last week, they will know that I challenged the British Secretary of State Theresa Villiers on two occasions for a breakdown of how that £25 billion raid would impact on the people of the North. She refused point blank to tell me. She told us that we would have to wait for the July Budget.”
“No, I will not give way. In the recent elections, Sinn Féin stood against Tory austerity and for social justice and equality. Our approach was mandated by over 176,000 voters, almost 25% of the popular vote. In contrast, the Tories received only 9,000 votes in the North, just over 1% of the vote. Chris Hazzard got more votes in South Down than the 16 Tory candidates who stood in the Westminster elections in the North. It is a party that does not have a single Assembly seat or local council seat. They have no democratic mandate for their austerity policies here in the North of Ireland, yet they have already taken £1·5 billion from the Executive's block grant.”
“The crisis has been created by the austerity agenda of a Tory Administration in London that is attempting to decimate our public services and punish the most vulnerable people in our society.”
“<BR /> <BR />This week we are facing into a building crisis in the political institutions here in the North. The immediate difficulties that we are facing into have been triggered by the decision to bring to the Assembly the welfare Bill, which, in my opinion, does not implement the protections agreed at Stormont House and subsequently for children with disabilities, adults with severe disabilities, the long-term sick and large families. <BR /> <BR />Capitulating to pressure and demands from the Tories in London is, in my view, a major tactical error. However, the crisis we are facing, and I say this to all the parties in the Assembly, is not of the making of any of the parties here or in the Executive.”
“Our concern is wider and is about the grave implications of the further cuts threatened by the Tories as part of a £25 billion reduction that will be outlined in the July Budget. Obviously, our concern has to be about what proportion of that will affect us. <BR /> <BR />These cuts, which have been described as "eye-watering" by Tories themselves, will affect the most vulnerable and will lead to the loss of thousands of jobs in vital front-line services in areas such as health and education. They also formed absolutely no part whatsoever of the Stormont House Agreement. Last week I spoke to someone who was in Downing Street and who spoke to key officials there. He said that only one word could describe what is coming down the tracks at us in July. The word that he used, which was not mine but his, was "brutal".”
“<BR /> <BR />Obviously, we are dealing today with very important matters in whether we are going to move forward in the Assembly to ensure that, in our deliverance for citizens, we deal with that on the basis of the huge challenges that we all face against the backdrop of the changes that have occurred in recent times. There is a big focus today on welfare. Obviously, the British Government's approach to welfare is a source of great concern, but this is not just about welfare — this is bigger than the issue of welfare. Sometimes I think that, even within the media and people commenting on the predicament that we find ourselves in, you would almost think that it was the only problem that we face.”
“In terms of my relationship with Peter, nothing could be further from the truth. So, it was with great concern that I learned yesterday morning that he had taken ill and been brought to Dundonald hospital and then on to the Royal Victoria Hospital. I think that he has made a major contribution to the progress that we have made here over the last eight years. It is a source of great concern that someone like him could be hospitalised with the illness that he is dealing with. We are very sincerely and genuinely concerned, and we hope that he will recover from this and be back in his job.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. First of all, I extend my warmest best wishes to the First Minister, Peter Robinson, for a speedy recovery. I want to make it clear that we have in our thoughts and prayers Iris and the rest of the family. <BR /> <BR />I have worked with Peter for the last eight years in the Office of First and deputy First Minister. Throughout all that time, even though we have different political allegiances and sometimes different political opinions about how we take our work forward, we have never had anything other than a good personal relationship. Of course, there have been commentators out there who, every time they get the opportunity, try to portray relationships here as poisonous and as though people hate each other and so forth.”
“I hope that the Cameron Administration will recognise the folly of this society, in particular, in its context of emerging from conflict, not experiencing the fruits of peace, through very damaging cuts to our front-line services.”
“It will come as no surprise to anybody in this House that my view is that the 18 MPs who were elected, if they all went to Westminster, would not make a blind bit of difference to where the Tories are coming from — not a blind bit of difference. What will make a difference will be a united front from our Executive and all the parties in this Administration in making our case. There is no doubt that the Scots will make their own case. Others in Wales will also make their case. The hope, certainly for all of us, has to be that what is happening in Scotland will have an impact on the Cameron Government and that they will recognise the historic nature of what is happening in that part of the world.”
“Of course, the Greek Government are dealing with the European Union, and we are dealing with a British Government that are very anxious to remove us from the European Union, so whatever flexibilities the European Union is prepared to give to Greece do not appear to be on the radar of the now established new Tory Administration with an overall majority. <BR /> <BR />I said some weeks before the general election that the cuts that we have been dealing with are crucifying our Executive. Now we are promised more cuts over a very short period of two or three years. I think that what all of that argues for is for all of us in this House and within the Executive to work together.”
“You just have to look at the way in which the Scottish National Party, which has had an overwhelming success in the election, is now majoring on austerity. All of us will be affected by it, not just people on welfare. In the run-up to the election Tory Ministers refused to say where the £12 billion will actually fall. That needs to be considered. We need to hear what the plans are. Do not forget that there are other cuts of £18 billion. No doubt they will be directed at front-line services, the Education Department, the Health Department and other Departments.”
“I am finding it difficult to understand what that question means, but, if you are talking about austerity, obviously, we are in very challenging circumstances. It has been anticipated that we will face an austerity agenda right through to 2018-19. From our perspective, given the already huge challenges that we face, there is a huge responsibility on all of us in the House, but specifically among the five parties in the Executive, to be clearly seen to be working together in the interests of society. <BR /> <BR />As I said earlier, the fiscal situation is very worrying indeed. During the Conservative Party conference, the Chancellor of the Exchequer — who has now been reappointed — spoke about the £30 billion worth of cuts. The challenge that that poses for all the devolved Administrations is very clear to everyone.”
“Parallel with that, the steering group has asked the programme board to begin developing a revised business case, subject to the decision of the Executive. The First Minister and I await the contribution to all of that from the Ministers whom I have just named. It has not yet come.”
“The position is that the existing training facilities of the Police Service, Prison Service and Fire and Rescue Service are not fit for purpose. A joint facility for all three services will undoubtedly improve training opportunities and strengthen interoperability. <BR /> <BR />Based on advice and recommendations from the programme board, the NICS steering group commissioned a review to clarify the training needs of all three services in the changed financial climate. An interim report was provided to the steering group at the end of February detailing the programme board's assessment of all training needs as estimated by the three services. On the basis of that report, the Minister of Justice and the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety will report further to the Executive.”
“I think that the Member is well aware of my interest in the situation at Desertcreat. It is an issue that has to be brought to the Executive, and it has to be brought to the Executive by a number of Ministers, not least the Minister of Justice and the Minister of Health. No paper has yet been submitted to the Executive. When it is, it will certainly be considered. The Member will be very keenly aware that the First Minister and I met with a delegation from the area some weeks ago and restated our determination that the Community Safety College would be located at the Desertcreat site. That is still my position.”
“In short, it will come as no surprise to anybody to hear me say that one of the major blockages is the very severe fiscal situation that all the interested groups that are keen to develop that site have to deal with at the moment. As you know, there are quite a number of interested groups, including the council, the Department for Employment and Learning and others. Particularly in the context of a new Government being elected in London, whatever about the threats that are coming through the further cuts to our Budget within the comprehensive spending review and whatever negotiations take place around the new comprehensive spending review, we will have to consider all that very seriously, both at Executive level and, indeed, in the different interest groups that are keen to relocate to that site.”
“The Member is absolutely right about our visit to Enniskillen and our meeting with local interests, including the council. There have been ongoing discussions involving a range of officials and, indeed, Departments about what is a very important site in the area. Obviously, what have come to bear in the last two years are the very severe economic challenges that we are all dealing with. I will certainly try to get an update for you in your capacity as the new MP or as the MLA for the area — whichever decision you make. We will forward that information to you so that we can, as I hope to in every area that has an MP, work closely together with elected representatives at council, MP and Assembly level to ensure that we are utilising to the best of our ability the resources that are available, including that site in Enniskillen.”
“I might even get round to that. I certainly think that it is appropriate not only to congratulate Tom on his success in Fermanagh and South Tyrone but to point out that our candidate got 23,000 votes, which is more than every one of the other 17 MPs elected in the North, including Gregory. Congratulations are due to Tom, Danny and Mickey Brady as new MPs and to all other Members of the House, some of whom are double-jobbing.”
“Following on from the junior Minister's congratulations to Danny Kinahan on his election as MP for South Antrim —”
“<BR /> <BR />You also need to be conscious that the Stormont House Agreement did not deal in any way whatsoever with the recent announcements of £30 billion more cuts, £12 billion of which will be in the area of welfare. That is an issue for all of us, and I made an appeal at the weekend that we all work together to try to protect people as best we can and also to combat the activities of a Government that has been elected with a majority. <BR /> <BR />Remember: I predicted there would be no kingmakers in the Assembly, which turned out to be the case. Some people asked me whether I would eat my words, but I think that they are eating theirs.”
“The Member is well aware of our position on the welfare cuts that the Tory Party is attempting to impose on our people. He should be, because he is a member of a party that supported the Tories when they were elected five years ago. Of course, the Member belongs to a party that represents the Tories in this Assembly. <BR /> <BR />The reality is that the decisions my party has taken are about supporting disabled children, severely disabled adults, the long-term sick and families with large numbers of children. Obviously, the issue needs to be resolved. There were discussions some weeks ago, which were interrupted by the general election. I believe that, in the aftermath of the election and of Question Time today, we will be involved in further discussions on how to move forward.”
“We are all very conscious of the budgetary situation. Some £1,500 million has been taken out of the block grant in recent years, imposing enormous pressures on Departments and on front-line services, not least on the voluntary and community sector. The First Minister and I recently met NICVA to hear at first hand about the problems that it is experiencing. We will continue with that engagement, because we think that it can be beneficial. NICVA appreciated the meetings and the level of engagement, which allowed us to explore how we can continue to support the community and voluntary sector and how it can interact with us at a time of great fiscal challenges for all of us.”
“With your permission, Mr Speaker, junior Minister McCann will answer the question.”
“Mr Speaker, with your permission, junior Minister McCann will answer the question.”
“That is the challenge. We all know that there are particular difficulties in education, centring on a long chain of underachievement in post-primary education. As a former schoolteacher, the Member will be as conscious as I am of the reasons that that is the case. I will not go into them in this answer, except to say that, between us and the Department of Education, we are focused on the challenges that we face with the education matters that the Member has raised and are consistently seeing how we can improve performance. There has been a very definite improvement in performance over the past 10 to 15 years, but we have to keep that going.”
“A more ready example of signature programme collaborative working is the nurture unit programme through which the Department of Education and the Department for Social Development have worked together to develop 20 new nurture units, which help to support the social, emotional and behavioural development of young children as well as providing an opportunity to challenge some of the barriers that can contribute to low educational attainment. <BR /> <BR />These are excellent projects, and early indications are that they are getting real results. My original answer points to that, with a 6·1% increase in attainment levels following this programme.”
“One of the objectives associated with the Delivering Social Change framework was to ensure greater collaboration and more effective joined-up working between Departments. The Department of Education was the sole lead Department on this programme on literacy and numeracy, and it worked with the Western Education and Library Board to implement it. <BR /> <BR />Our Department, OFMDFM, has been responsible for overseeing the development, implementation and evaluation of all Delivering Social Change signature programmes.”
“They explained to us the remarkable progress made with many pupils who were previously, in their view, lagging behind. So, the value of this has been tested, and it is very, very important that we carefully consider how we can take it forward.”
“From the very beginning, we made it clear that the work that we do through the Delivering Social Change strategy is about planting seeds. The hope is, from our perspective, that we will get the individual Departments that have a responsibility in these areas to take up the mantle of progressing these issues. The Delivering Social Change signature project on improving literacy and numeracy is a two-year programme scheduled to finish at the end of June 2015, and we are considering its future. <BR /> <BR />Central funding for all the signature programmes was, as I said, intended as seed funding, with projects to be mainstreamed within departmental budgets should they be deemed successful. It is obvious that this programme has been deemed successful. The First Minister and I have been in schools and spoken to teachers.”
“That question is more appropriate for the Minister of Education, but, as a former Education Minister, I accept that there are huge challenges in relation to young people who are not turning up at school. There is a huge responsibility on the Department of Education, through its attendance officers and through the school principals and so forth, to ensure that everything is being done to encourage people to come into education. Parents also have a huge responsibility to ensure that their children are turning up for school and being educated. <BR /> <BR />I will certainly pass on the Member's remarks to the Minister of Education. No doubt, at a future stage, he will be able to give you much more detail on the work that his Department is doing to try to rectify that problem.”
“The data identifies that, in the 2013-14 academic year, 45·4% of pupils in Delivering Social Change supported schools achieved five or more GCSEs at grades A* to C or equivalent, including GCSE English and maths, which was an increase of 6·1 percentage points from 39·3% in 2012-13.”
“<BR /> <BR />A report by the western region's education authority on the first year's implementation of the programme has been finalised and will be published later this month. The Education and Training Inspectorate is due to report at the end of May on its evaluation of 80 schools in the programme. Copies of those reports will be placed on the Department of Education website as soon as they are available. Ahead of their publication, the Department of Education has provided headline data from analysis of the 2013-14 summary annual examination results for year 12 pupils.”
“The Delivering Social Change literacy and numeracy signature programme has provided up to two years of additional teaching resource to support schools in their work to improve educational outcomes for our most disadvantaged children and young people. Anecdotally, we are aware of innovative approaches developed by schools. We have received positive feedback about the impact that the additional teaching support has had on pupil outcomes. <BR /> <BR />As part of their self-evaluation of the programme, 76% of primary schools supported by the programme stated that it had been successfully implemented for literacy and/or numeracy support. In the post-primary sector, 68% of schools stated that it had been successfully implemented for GCSE English, and 76% for GCSE maths.”
“Mr Speaker, with your permission, I will ask junior Minister McCann to answer this question.”
“We are confident that that will allow for further projects to be approved in the very near future.”
“The majority of projects have received letters of offer, and we are focusing our efforts on the 22 projects that have not yet reached full approval stage. The appraisal process, whilst lengthy, is important to ensure that money is allocated to projects that will meet evidenced need, achieve maximum impact, deliver the outcomes intended and represent value for money. We remain committed to ensuring that all projects within affordability levels are approved and commenced as soon as possible. To achieve that, a new multidisciplinary business case unit has been established that includes economic and financial expertise. Staff in the unit are proactively engaging directly with project promoters and lead partners to resolve outstanding issues and to gather the necessary information.”
“I agree 100% with the Member. As we go forward with the proposed schemes relating to the social investment fund, it is vital that they are designed to ensure that everybody in North Belfast and other areas can benefit in a way that ensures increased cross-community participation. It is absolutely crucial that we do that. A big effort has been made by those responsible for bringing forward the projects to recognise the importance of ensuring that there is an opportunity for the community to come together. We know that there are particular problems associated with North Belfast that we do not experience in other zones, so it is incumbent on all of us as we go forward to ensure that the sizeable resources that are being made available are used in a way that improves people's lives and brings people more closely together.”
“The experience has been useful for everybody, not least for people at grass-roots community level. It has been hugely beneficial, but it will be only over the next while — the letters of offer are out now; there are still some to be done, but the majority are out there — that people will begin to see the physical changes taking place in their communities. That is a good thing.”
“I think that it will have a major impact on communities. As we said from the very beginning, this was not about having a top-down approach; this was about us making it clear that there was a sizeable fund available and, essentially, as a result of that, asking people to come forward with their ideas from a grass-roots level to bring forward suggestions about how community life could be improved. That covers a wide range of issues, such as education, young people and infrastructure projects and how we can improve and refurbish existing properties in different parts of the zones that exist throughout the North. <BR /> <BR />There were teething problems from the very beginning because it was an innovative idea, and public money was being spent, so we had to be sure that we were approaching all of this sensibly.”
“Three projects in the Belfast north zone worth £5·4 million have received letters of offer. A further letter of offer for an increasing community services cluster, worth £2·7 million, has still to issue. That brings total funding committed in the zone to £8·1 million or 90% of the £9 million allocated to the zone. Work is ongoing on the last project within the zone's affordability limit. It is on community services, which is around the issue of refurbishment.”
“We are in the lead on disability awareness in the advocacy signature project under the Executive's disability strategy, and we have held events to increase the level of debate and discussion around what is a very important issue for people who are, unfortunately, disabled.”
“Consultation is obviously very important, and we have been diligent about how that is done. Since the publication of the Executive's disability strategy in February 2013, we have taken forward a number of actions to improve the lives of people with disabilities and their families and carers. We are currently considering further projects submitted by Departments to deliver outcomes under the strategy. The proposed projects cover a range of disabilities and ages, from children through to older people. <BR /> <BR />From our perspective, it is very important that we not only consult but are involved in disability awareness and advocacy.”