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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“In total, there are something like 70 recommendations — 55 from individual reports, and a further 15 from the commissioner's covering advice. Of those, ownership for 52 lies with the Victims and Survivors Service, and ownership for seven lies with OFMDFM. The Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety has responsibility for two, and the remaining nine have joint ownership. Some 47 of the 70 recommendations have been fully implemented, and 17 have been partially implemented. All the recommendations are due to be implemented by March 2015. Progress against the implementation of the recommendations is monitored monthly via the monthly victims and survivors update meeting.”
“The Member is absolutely correct. The schemes are of huge importance to victims and survivors. In our previous Question Time, I made it clear that we intended to deal with that during our agreement in relation to October monitoring. Hopefully, that will be dealt with shortly.”
“The definition of a victim is very clear and has been set down in legislation since 2006.”
“As part of that, the service has been asked to produce proposals for a new assessment process, and discussions are ongoing. Any process must take account of the sensitivities involved and the need to ensure that victims and survivors are not subject to unnecessary questioning, while still ensuring that the relevant information is secured to make an informed decision, in line with governance requirements.”
“The individual needs review process was established to assess the needs of individual victims and survivors as defined under the Victims and Survivors Order 2006. The process was informed by the key areas of need identified by the Commission for Victims and Survivors in its comprehensive needs assessment. <BR /> <BR />The purpose of the review was not to extract admissions of any kind from the individuals who presented at the Victims and Survivors Service. Therefore, in delivering the process, the service operated a clear policy of confidentiality for any information provided during the review and ensured that every client completed a declaration to confirm their understanding of the process. <BR /> <BR />Last year, the Commission for Victims and Survivors commissioned an independent assessment of the Victims and Survivors Service.”
“A LeasCheann Comhairle, with your permission, I will ask junior Minister Jennifer McCann to answer the question.”
“I think that Ian Paisley, whatever about his past, did a magnificent service for our young people and for the future. For that, I am proud to be associated with him.”
“There is food for thought in all of that for every Member, in that he had the ability, coming from where he came from, to bridge the differences with me, and, as I wrote in the book of condolence in my city at the weekend, in rising above old enmities, we pointed the way to a better and peaceful future. <BR /> <BR />I believe that the peace process has lost a great friend, and I have lost a friend. I know that, over the weekend, some people in the republican community took exception to me saying that. I have heard that, and it has been on social networks. I say this to them: if F W de Klerk had died before Nelson Mandela, what would Nelson Mandela have said about F W de Klerk? <BR /> <BR />We all have to rise to the occasion, folks. This is about peacemaking and building a better future for our young people. I want to end on that note.”
“<BR /> <BR />I was part of the delegation that went to Liverpool to argue for City of Culture status for my city. We made the case. The announcement was to be made on 'The One Show', and we were all there for that. The announcement was made, and we won against all odds. The first phone call I received after I stepped down from the podium was from Ian Paisley. He said, "Martin, I've just been watching you on TV. This is a fantastic result for the city and a great result for our young people". That had a tremendous effect on me. <BR /> <BR />At the same time, I know that when Ian left office, a number of reasons were cited by journalists and so forth. Some said that the DUP thought that he was elderly, and he was, but others said that it was also because he was too friendly with me.”
“When Ian left office, I asked the late, great Seamus Heaney to write out the "hope and history" poem. Seamus wrote it out in his own hand on the most beautiful parchment paper you could imagine, and we got it framed. I was to make the presentation to him. When I did that in the Executive room, I also presented him with one of my own poems about disappearing sea trout on the west coast of Ireland and Native American Indians. About a month later, Ian asked to see me. He was in his own new room after he had left office here in Parliament Buildings. I went up to the room and was brought into a side room, and there on the wall was Seamus Heaney's poem alongside mine. I said to him, "I appreciate very much you raising me to the elite of the poets", and we had a great laugh about that.”
“I regard Ian and Eileen Paisley as two of the strongest supporters of the peace process that anybody can imagine. I think I can say that without fear of contradiction. <BR /> <BR />So, along with everybody else, I want to extend my deepest sympathy and condolences to Eileen Paisley, her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. I think that she is a remarkable woman and she played a very powerful role in a lot of the political changes that brought many of us together in this House. Sometimes, I think that is not recognised enough.”
“We had a memorable experience in the Oval Office when one of our press officers, Paddy Cullen, was told by John, who thrust a camera into his hand, to "snap everything in sight", when a flotilla of press people came in. The sight of Paddy Cullen jumping up on President Bush's sofa to take the photographs always got a great laugh between Ian and me. <BR /> <BR />It is not so long ago that I went to see Ian and Eileen for coffee at their home. I spent almost two hours with them, and I was really glad that we had that opportunity to talk. It was obvious to me that he was visibly weakening, but he had a project in mind and it was a project he wanted me to attend. Sadly, that will not now be the case, but we had a great conversation for two hours.”
“<BR /> <BR />In December 2007, we went off to the United States of America to begin the work of trying to attract foreign direct investment so that we could give our people jobs, show the world that we were open for business and that a transformation had taken place. I will never forget the meeting that he and I were involved in with President George Bush in the Oval Office which was, supposedly, to last 20 minutes but lasted well over an hour. It was an incredible experience. We were accompanied on that visit by the late John Harrison, well known to everybody in this Assembly. He was also someone we had a great friendship with and a great love for. Ian Paisley loved John Harrison.”
“In one of the first conversations that he and I had together, he said to me, "Martin, you know, we can rule ourselves. We don't need these people coming over from England telling us what to do". On another occasion, when we met here in Parliament Buildings with representatives of the factions in conflict in Afghanistan, he went out of his way to describe himself — as I know he has done on previous occasions — as an Ulsterman and an Irishman, stressing, of course, that the Ulsterman came first. Those two statements were common ground that we could stand on and, as I said, it was an incredible experience.”
“I will leave it to history to decide on Ian Paisley's legacy. I can really only talk about my experiences with him. The negotiations that the First Minister and I were involved in brought Ian Paisley and me into the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister on the basis of equality. I have to say that it was one of the most memorable experiences of my life to be in that office with him for that year. From the word go, for some reason, we hit it off. Not alone did we develop a positive and constructive working relationship, but we actually became friends. We grew to like each other, and that is incredible for people who, undoubtedly for many decades, intensely disliked each other. We genuinely grew to like each other and, in doing so, we confounded the world. I think that was a good thing. He certainly made a huge effort.”
“<BR /> <BR />That was a very remarkable experience; all the more remarkable because I remember that, as an 18- or 19-year-old on the streets of Derry, being like most of the other population in Derry, in fear of Ian Paisley when he came to the city, with his huge stature, his booming voice and his politics, which we did not share or like. <BR /> <BR />There has been a lot of talk about his politics over the last couple of days and a lot of criticism of the actions in which he was involved in the past. And I say that, conscious that, from a unionist perspective, there are also a lot of perceptions and criticisms of people on this side of the Assembly.”
“I, too, thank you, Principal Deputy Speaker, for the opportunity to say a few words about Ian Paisley today. <BR /> <BR />First, I want to wish our Speaker, William Hay, well. He is presently in hospital, and I hope that he recovers very quickly indeed. <BR /> <BR />This is a very sad occasion for all of us. I have very fond memories of that weekend in the spring of 2007 when the First Minister and I, as Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness with no titles, sat down with other members of our party to work out and craft a statement that would be issued by Ian Paisley and Gerry Adams the following Monday; a statement that confounded the international community, which had arrived, en masse, to proclaim yet another glorious failure in the peace process.”
“I am very encouraged by the comments made by First Minister Alex Salmond in the past few days when he said that, whatever way it goes, he will remain a true friend of us here in the North. In all our dealings — those of the First Minister and me — with him, he has always been very positive and constructive, at British-Irish Council meetings, ministerial council meetings and the joint ministerial council meetings that we engage in in Westminster. So, I think that the sensible thing for all of us to do is to wait for the outcome of what will undoubtedly be a very important decision. In the aftermath of all of that, whatever the outcome is, we will engage in whatever dialogue and conversations that need to be had, particularly with the British Government, on how we go forward.”
“We will wait for the vote, and when the people of Scotland decide, whatever way they decide, we will have to deal with the fallout. We will not be the only people dealing with the fallout. It is quite obvious that the British and Irish Governments are very focused on what is happening there and are conscious of their responsibilities in the aftermath of whatever decision is made.”
“Obviously, there will be a lot of focus over the next 10 days on what is happening in Scotland, and, in the aftermath of that vote, depending on which way it goes, we will all have to deal with all the implications. The implications, no matter what way you look at it, could be quite profound, as many of us will know from listening to the debate in recent times. We have not been involved in any discussions, because to do so would be to pre-empt the outcome of the decision of the people of Scotland. I personally have very consciously stayed out of the debate, because I think that what is happening in Scotland is a matter for the people of Scotland to decide, without outside interference. So, I have no intention whatsoever of contributing to a view that would in any way undermine the rights of people there to make their own decision.”
“Junior Minister McCann will deal with this question.”
“When we made provision for the funds for these vital community-led projects, we did so on the basis that the full funding of £80 million would be provided. We are attempting to stick to that in the face of great challenges. It is clear from the proposals that have come forward from the different sectors of the North that there are many projects out there. In fact, you could spend another £80 million and another £80 million 10 times over fulfilling the requests that have been made from what are community-led projects. So, we are satisfied at this stage that suitable progress has been made and that we will very soon begin to see the construction of some very important projects that will aid the community in different parts of the North.”
“The social investment fund process is up and running; projects are in motion. From our perspective, we are satisfied that the money that we provided for that was ring-fenced. We are confident, at this stage, that the process will continue to a successful conclusion.”
“I have not even considered that, but we will give it consideration as a result of your question.”
“I think that the Member, and I suppose the media as well, should know better. They must know that the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister is a joint Department that requires agreement. It is no secret to anybody in the House that the First Minister and I have a different view of the remarks made by Minister Poots, and not just by Minister Poots but by others even in the last couple of days. My sympathy is totally and absolutely with Sir Declan Morgan. The sooner the matter is resolved, the better. We are involved in discussions at the moment in an effort to get an agreed response to what Sir Declan said.”
“Of course we are all, I think, really annoyed and angry that people, not just Christians but those of other religions, are being threatened, intimidated and murdered in this way by ISIS. But this is something way beyond us, and we should not have any illusions about our ability to have an impact on a situation that world leaders appear to be struggling with at this time.”
“I have to be very honest: I do not think that the powers that be that are dealing with these situations give one hoot for what our Executive or this Assembly feels about how that matter will be dealt with. They are, obviously, dealing with the situation from their perspective, and, as an observer, I, along with many other people, wonder whether they have even the foggiest notion about how to deal with the situation. <BR /> <BR />The reality is that, whether these groups are funded or not, it is quite clear that they are well organised, that they have been in existence for some time and that they are totally ruthless in the process that they have been involved in, particularly in recent times, which has been well articulated, where they go to people and tell them that they have to change their religion.”
“— I will just finish — and he said, "Not in a million years". He said that Iraq is worse now than it was then. So, we have only a limited ability to deal with these situations.”
“I think that the powers that be in the world are, obviously, contemplating how it should be dealt with, but I have a very strong view that the invasion of Iraq provided the opportunity for many groups in Iraq and the surrounding region to plunge that country into even worse turmoil than it was under Saddam Hussein. I recently attended a Chamber of Commerce lunch in Derry, where General Stanley McChrystal, who led the US participation in Iraq, made what I thought was a very compelling contribution to the debate. He sat down beside me at the lunch table, and I asked him whether, if he had been President of the United States, he would have authorised the invasion of Iraq —”
“I think that OFMDFM undoubtedly shares the Member's concerns about what is happening in other parts of the world, particularly in relation to the activities of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group, which is wreaking havoc in Syria and Iraq. We have seen, sadly, on the social networks and in the media the outworking of its strategy over recent times, although I think that many people in this part of the world have become familiar with the Islamic State organisation only in recent months. I am told that it has been in existence for much longer than that and has been particularly active in Syria. <BR /> <BR />I do not think that we have any illusions about our ability to affect the activities of a group so many thousand miles away.”
“With your permission, Mr Deputy Speaker, I will ask junior Minister McCann also to answer this question.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, with your permission, I will ask junior Minister McCann to answer the question.”
“Some outlandish allegations have been made over the past while that the First Minister and I have totally and absolutely refuted as being without foundation, but I think that we will continue to face into those challenges, as will the Victims and Survivors Service and the new Victims' Commissioner, to ensure that we are delivering for all victims of the conflict.”
“Anybody who worked with Kathryn Stone had nothing but the highest regard for her capabilities and compassion for victims. She was also very much an advocate for victims, and she was always prepared to discuss with the First Minister and me the challenges that the victims sector was clearly facing. Advice from her was always taken very seriously indeed. As a result of some of the things that have happened in the VSS in recent times, in terms of resignations and so forth, there is obviously a huge challenge to ensure that the needs of victims are properly catered for.”
“Against the backdrop of a very harsh economic climate, we will constantly ensure that we support victims as well as we can. I think that those figures clearly show the commitment from the Executive and from the First Minister and me.”
“As I said, the First Minister and I have allocated £50 million for victims during this budgetary period from 2011 to 2015. In the previous Budget period, 2007 to 2011, £33 million was allocated for victims. The current victims budget is therefore £17 million higher than in the previous Budget. That represents more than a 50% increase. Our current annual budget for victims sits at around £11·3 million; under direct rule, in the three years between 2004 and 2007, the victims budget totalled £11·8 million. Our annual budget for victims is close to what victims received for three years under direct rule. Those figures speak for themselves. The support of victims is a huge priority for the Executive and for the First Minister and me.”
“<BR /> <BR />Given the highly respected person that Kathryn Stone was as Victims' Commissioner and the huge amount of support that there was for her within the victims sector, the First Minister and I took the view that the experience that she gained while she was here would be invaluable in ensuring a successful process of appointing a new Victims' Commissioner. I think that everybody who worked with Kathryn — we received regular reports — had nothing but the fullest admiration for the way that she conducted herself while she was Victims' Commissioner. I do not think that there is any unease in the victims sector about the role that she is playing in the appointment of the new Victims' Commissioner.”
“The Member is correct. The Commissioner for Victims and Survivors, Kathryn Stone, left her post on 12 June 2014. Our officials are working through the processes to appoint a new commissioner. The appointment will be regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments and will follow the code of practice for ministerial appointments. The process will be taken forward by HR Connect, and advertisements have recently appeared in newspapers. The closing date for applications is midday on 12 September 2014. The Victims and Survivors Forum was consulted on the skills and qualities needed for the role, and its views were taken into consideration in finalising the necessary skill sets for the incoming commissioner.”
“<BR /> <BR />Given inflationary pressures and the need to meet the financial considerations of workers and so forth, that inevitably places a huge burden on the distribution of funds and is a direct cause of the challenges that we, as an Executive, and the Finance Minister face as we deal with the economic situation across all Departments. As I said in this contribution, the victims sector is a very important and special sector. We have a duty and responsibility, even in the face of a very difficult economic climate, to ensure that those who have suffered as a result of conflict will be supported. That is why, in the October monitoring round, we have pledged to try to ease the difficulties that many of those groups, including the group in Mid Ulster, are facing.”
“The responsibility to deal with the situation in relation to all victims falls upon the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister and the arm's-length bodies. As I said earlier, we recognise that this is a time of economic hardship and cutbacks. People have to remember that the cutbacks are a direct result of the strategy being adopted by the present coalition Government in London, where, in fact, the First Minister and myself met our own finance people, just last week. They clearly indicated to us that, since 2009 — this is now 2014 — there has been no appreciable increase whatsoever in our block grant.”
“As I said earlier, I am optimistic that the VSS budget will be restored to its 2013-14 baseline position of £11·3 million. I accept that another Member has introduced a caveat that challenges those figures, but it is important to say that we are still pleased that the importance of finding the additional funding was acknowledged by the Finance Minister in the Budget paper and agreed by the Executive.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, with your permission, I will answer questions 3 and 13 together. <BR /> <BR />Funding for victims services has increased over recent years, with £50 million being allocated for victims during this budgetary round. We fully acknowledge that the needs of victims and survivors are an important legacy of the conflict, and establishing the Victims and Survivors Service was an important aspect of focusing on need. As demand increases, we need to consider the supply of services and the funding available to deliver them. <BR /> <BR />Due to the restricted financial climate, we allocated the Victims and Survivors Service £10 million at the start of the year. Of course, we always want to meet demand, which is why we have made a bid for additional funding in the October monitoring round.”
“Those are matters that are obviously under constant review. Over recent years, there has been a number of cases where investigations have been conducted to ensure that funds that are being provided out of the public purse are being properly given to those who are most in need. So, I think that the responsibility of all groups is to work in a good spirit of cooperation with officials and the Victims and Survivors Service to ensure that there is no misappropriation of funds. Where there is any allegation of misappropriation, it will, as always, be investigated.”
“I can go only on the figures with which I have been supplied. Given the Member's contribution to the discussion, I will certainly check the figures that he has provided to the Assembly today.”
“To date, the Victims and Survivors Service has been given a budget of £10 million for 2014-15. A bid for additional resources was not met in June monitoring. That has created pressures. However, I am optimistic that the VSS budget will be restored to its 2013-14 baseline position of £11·3 million following October monitoring. As I have said, the Victims and Survivors Service has been asked to seek to apply efficiencies of 4·4% from the running costs of the service itself and from the groups that are funded under the victim support programme. That is in line with the level of efficiency savings that has been sought by our Department from all of our arm's-length bodies and the Department itself.”
“All victims' groups, the Victims and Survivors Service and the Commission for Victims and Survivors have been asked to find efficiency savings of 4·4% in administration. That is also being applied to our Department and all of its arm's-length bodies.”
“The Phoenix project was originally set up as an umbrella group with a number of outlying offices which, while retaining their individual identities, worked together. The original Phoenix project had seven local offices which were spread throughout the North. However, some of the local groups have now applied for funding under their own corporate governance arrangements. Not all of the individual groups received funding from the Victims and Survivors Service (VSS). Some received only Peace funding. The total VSS funding for groups that were originally within or came under the umbrella of the Phoenix project in the 2013-15 period is £420,198. Those groups are located in Armagh, east Tyrone and west Tyrone, as well as the overall Phoenix Group, which operates throughout the North.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, with your permission I will ask junior Minister Jennifer McCann to answer this question.”
“Albert's message is as true today as it was 20 years ago, and it is this: who is afraid of peace? Those out there who wish to plunge us back to the past need to recognise that the vision showed by Albert Reynolds and other political leaders — they were joined, it has to be said, in fairness, by many unionist leaders during the course of building the peace process — of a conflict-free Ireland is the one that all of us in this room and, I believe, in the whole of Ireland, want to live in. We owe a great debt of gratitude to the vision showed by Albert Reynolds.”
“<BR /> <BR />It was also quite interesting that Albert died in the week that ran into the twentieth anniversary of the ceasefire, which undoubtedly set in train a process that challenges everyone who, even still, believe, in their deluded world, that violence and conflict offer the best way forward.”