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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“First of all, like the First Minister, I pay tribute to you, Mitchel, as Speaker. I think that, in your stewardship of that office, you clearly followed on from the Trojan work that was done prior to your appointment by a fellow Derry man — William Hay, now Lord Hay. In the last two terms of the Assembly, the work done by William and yourself sent, I think, a very powerful message to everyone about the ability of unionists and republicans to inhabit the Chair in a way that showed them to be totally fair and impartial. I also think the work that you did to raise up women within the Assembly was very important. I join you in congratulating all those women who have been elected to the Assembly and look forward to the day in the not-too-distant future when even more are elected.”
“On radio interviews over the weekend, I heard people make the same proposition that the Member for South Down has just made. <BR /> <BR />Obviously, the political landscape in the South has changed. Going into the election, we were the fourth-largest political party; we are now the third-largest political party, with a batch of new TDs. That opportunity has to be used sensibly. It is my sense that we will see a Government formed, probably around Easter or after. If that is the case, it appears to be shaping up to be the Fine Gael party and the Fianna Fáil party coming together. That in itself would represent a dramatic development, given that, for the first time in elections south of the border, both those parties recorded less than 50% of the vote. The landscape is changing fairly dramatically.”
“Is it not interesting that our institutions are the most stable institutions on the island at the moment?”
“In the eight years that I worked with Peter Robinson in the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister, all that we were interested in was making this place work, making the Executive work, delivering for our people, getting jobs, trying to improve people's lifestyles and standing together against the activities of those who would plunge us back to the past. <BR /> <BR />I just think that it is a pity that we still have small-minded MLAs in the Assembly. One of them has just spoken, and another spoke a very short time ago. Fortunately for all of us in the Assembly, the vast majority of people are not like that.”
“Is it not just as well for all of the people out there, who we represent, that I am not as bitter as the Member who has just spoken? I spent a year in the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister with Ian Paisley during which we built up not just a good working relationship but a friendship that lasted until the day he died. We had many conversations about many things. I know that the Member held the Reverend Ian Paisley in a very high regard: in all the conversations that Ian Paisley and I had, not once did we recriminate about anything — not once.”
“That is not an agenda that the First Minister and I have any intention whatever of kowtowing to.”
“The First Minister and I met the panel just a few weeks ago. The panel is effectively beginning its work. They have already touched base with a number of key sectors and stakeholders. We will look forward to receiving their report when their work is completed. They are now effectively up and running, and we wholeheartedly support the work that they are involved in. We hope that it will bring to the fore what is an important debate, which is for whatever armed organisations are out there to recognise that they make no contribution whatever to our society other than a detrimental one. We need to see coming out of the panel's report something that will be a further discouragement to groups that, in a foolish and misguided way, think that they can destroy these institutions and effectively plunge us back to the past.”
“I was pleased to meet representatives of the local communities, including a meeting on 15 February. Having spoken with them, I have no doubt whatever that their concerns are genuine and are motivated by the best interests of their communities. This has developed into a neuralgic issue for the local community. We have to ensure that the interests of local communities are protected, particularly when concerns are raised about the use of materials that could be detrimental not just to the environment but to people's health.”
“As the Member knows, I am very aware of the deep and genuinely held concerns, shared by many people, regarding the potential environmental impacts on the locality, particularly from the use of cyanide to extract gold from ore mined in the Sperrin Mountains in a proposed processing plant. Although the issue has not come before the Executive, it is clear that these concerns need to be addressed fully, openly and inclusively, involving all the communities affected by any potential environmental or health implications for the area.”
“On a number of occasions, I have made it clear that Sinn Féin policy was to argue for the establishment of an independent, international truth commission. We did not achieve that, but what we have done is compromise on the structures and mechanisms that we agreed on prior to Christmas. I further make the point that there is not much point in establishing them if people are not prepared to go forward. If I am required to go forward on any point of relevance to me, I am absolutely willing to do so.”
“That brings us back, once again, to the negotiations we participated in prior to Christmas and the huge progress made. There is not much point in establishing an organisation like the independent commission for information retrieval, or the other organisations that we agreed to, if we do not encourage people to participate, thereby ensuring that families who have been victims of the conflict get some information and the resolution that they seek.”
“That brings us into the whole area of how we deal with the past and its legacy. During the Fresh Start negotiations, we made huge strides forward by agreeing the mechanism and structures that were required to deal with that. Obviously, we have a problem with the whole issue of disclosure and the British Government's approach to it. The Secretary of State has, on a number of occasions over the last number of weeks, expressed her belief that this can be resolved. I hope that it is, because victims on all sides of the community deserve to see those institutions up and running and the menu of options that many of them seek made available to them.”
“I was unaware that there was an attack, but, if that is the case, I unreservedly condemn it. Anybody in our society who believes that that makes any useful contribution to moving away from conflict and towards a normal society is mistaken. Those engaged in such activities are enemies of us all, in my view.”
“Likewise, respecting the position of other parties, an opposite argument will be made. At the end of the day, it will be a democratic decision of the people, but I hope that it is a democratic decision in big numbers to stay in.”
“Obviously, "the deal" — I put that in inverted commas — has been put out there by the British Prime Minister. The die is cast. Quite clearly, there is going to be a public debate about that over the next while. I do not know what the opinion polls are saying about how narrow the vote is between in and out, but, going back to the question from your colleague MLA Attwood, I think he made a fair point when he said that, in the context of this being a very close-run thing, the votes of people in Scotland and here in the North of Ireland are going to be very important. That is why it is unavoidable for us to not have a debate around the issue of in or out. From our perspective, those who will argue to stay in will be making the case that as many people as possible who subscribe to that agenda should go out and vote for it.”
“Invest is very much involved in ensuring that, wherever there are opportunities, whether in Britain, Europe, the United States, the Far East or China, we have the ability to move at very short notice to ensure that we take advantage of them.”
“We are always very focused, particularly through Invest and the work of the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment, to engage everywhere with all those who potentially are interested in trading with us. Obviously, it is back to the whole debate around Brexit; the amount of trade that takes place between this part of the world and Europe is absolutely phenomenal. The work that we are involved in obviously centres around our office in Brussels. We opened a new bureau about a year ago in Beijing in China. Of course, the bureau in Washington works consistently on our behalf and is very connected to Invest NI in terms of its trade missions. That work is ongoing all the time.”
“That will have to be considered over the next while. Of course, the duty and responsibility to finalise an approach on how we utilise the presence or otherwise of junior Ministers will fall to whoever has responsibility to take the Executive forward in the aftermath of the Assembly elections.”
“Given the decisions that we took in the Fresh Start Agreement on the reduction in the number of Departments and given the number of areas of responsibility that we have given over to other new Departments, we will have to give serious consideration, first and foremost, to whether we need junior Ministers in the Executive Office or whether they might be better employed supporting bigger Departments, such as the Department of Health or the Department for the Economy.”
“The junior Ministers in OFMDFM will cease to hold office on 5 May, the date of the Assembly election. No decisions have yet been taken on the appointment of junior Ministers to the future Executive Office or to any other Department following the planned restructuring. Such decisions will be informed by an assessment of the responsibilities and business needs of each Minister.”
“The First Minister and I are meeting President Obama, and we will obviously have a conversation with the Taoiseach while we are there. <BR /> <BR />The US is of huge importance to all of us, and I do not think that, given the support that we have received from it over many years, there is a party in the House that does not accept that. The US has been absolutely invaluable to the peace process and to how we develop our economy in a way that delivers benefits to our people. It is therefore hugely significant, but I do not think that President Obama leaving the White House, as he will do at the end of the year, will change the American attitude to the North. They will retain that interest, whether it be former Secretary of State Clinton in the White House as president or, God forbid, Donald Trump.”
“The Member mentions the election south of the border. I am, of course, delighted that our party performed very well, with an increase in our vote of something like 50% and a new batch of young TDs. I am particularly delighted that there are quite a number of women among them. <BR /> <BR />It is my sense that forming a Government in the South will probably be a lengthy process, with no Government being formed until some time after Easter. My sense is that it will be some sort of arrangement between Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil — either a grand coalition or a willingness by Fianna Fáil to support a minority Fine Gael Government. It is still very unknown to all of us how it will work out in the period ahead. It is a scenario that impacts on all of us, but, no doubt, the Taoiseach will travel to the United States.”
“That means that we have to ensure that the education establishments are well equipped and well enough funded to ensure that we have the output to meet companies' needs. The point that I made earlier is also hugely significant: a very clear declaration of our intent to do something about that is the amalgamation of DEL and DETI into the Department for the Economy.”
“I agree with the Member: it is vital. Quality of life has an impact on those who come to explore potential investment in this part of the world. Education is critical to that. That is why we hope that the returns from our visit to the United States will be considerable, given that we have predicted that, if, on the basis of affordability, we can reduce the rate of corporation tax to 12·5%, we can create something between 30,000 and 37,000 new jobs, That is absolutely vital for employment for our young people and those currently out of work. <BR /> <BR />As we go forward, we will have to deal with the challenges that an increased interest in potential investment in the North poses for us. The Member is right to identify the issue of skills: skills are of critical importance.”
“The previous First Minister and I, on the occasions that we were in the United States over many years, had conversations with some of the highest-profile business people in the world, and the question of our continuing involvement in Europe always came up. No doubt that will be a feature of the conversation when we go there. I still think that the First Minister and I have a compelling case to make about the potential opportunities that are there not just for potential investors but for us in getting our young people into employment, which is a vital consideration for all of us as we move forward.”
“As I said in the previous answer, the First Minister and I absolutely appreciate the contribution that North America has made and the support that we have received. I am particularly delighted that Drew O'Brien of the State Department will arrive later this week with a high-powered delegation of people who are looking at potential opportunities. When you consider that the vast bulk of our foreign direct investment has come from the US, meeting potential investors in the United States is very important. <BR /> <BR />The conversation on corporation tax is a vital one, given that there will be intense interest.”
“<BR /> <BR />The First Minister and I are very focused on the issue. Obviously, in the aftermath of the Assembly election, with the reduction in the number of Departments from 12 to nine, we are amalgamating the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment with the Department for Employment and Learning. That sends a clear signal of the need to ensure a joined-up approach to attracting foreign direct investment and providing potential investors with the skills that they require.”
“I absolutely agree with the Member. In a very successful five- to six-year period, when the previous First Minister and I, along with the then Enterprise, Trade and Investment Minister — now the First Minister — travelled extensively to the United States, we successfully brought more foreign direct investment to the North than at any other time in the history of the state. That was a remarkable achievement, given that we did it in a world economic downturn. The Member is correct: if we are to continue to be successful, particularly in the context of a lower rate of corporation tax, it is vital that we support our educational establishments so that we produce sufficient numbers of people with the skills to take advantage of the opportunities that will clearly be presented.”
“Our itinerary will include one-to-one meetings with senior executives from companies across a full range of sectors, including two major speaking opportunities with CEO-level contacts in New York and Silicon Valley, California. <BR /> <BR />We have taken a long-term view on promoting our position with targeted regions around the world, and the establishment of bureaux in Washington DC, Brussels and Beijing is a clear signal of the Executive's commitment to this strategy. Through their work in collaboration with Invest NI, I am confident that we will continue to attract further foreign direct investment and new jobs.”
“The sustainability of the local economy is the core of our Programme for Government. It is important to recognise that, since 2011, in the face of a global economic collapse, the Executive have succeeded in growing our economy. Over 40,000 new jobs have been created over the past five years, with almost 10,000 in the last year alone. Retaining those jobs and continuing to attract new opportunities continues to be a priority, especially in light of the recent devastating news at Bombardier. Next month, the First Minister and I will visit the United States and will use that opportunity to promote local businesses and the advent of a reduced corporation tax at a series of meetings with prospective investors on the east and west coasts.”
“I acknowledge that all sorts of figures have been bandied about in recent times to reinforce the arguments of certain individuals. What I am arguing is very clear and simple: any exit from Europe would be hugely detrimental to our farmers, our business community, our educational establishments and the community and voluntary sector, as well as to the island of Ireland as a whole. My interest in the debate relates to what is good for every one of Ireland's 32 counties, including the six that reside here in the North.”
“The meeting that the First Minister and I are attending tomorrow is with the Foreign Secretary in London. Obviously, the joint letter that we sent with Wales and Scotland was not favourably received by the Prime Minister, who appears hell-bent on going ahead with the referendum in June. However, the die is cast, and we now have to deal with the ongoing debate that will run over that period. There is a very real danger that the debate will become a Punch and Judy show between the British Prime Minister and Boris Johnson. That debate will continue over the next number of months. The debate is very important because the implications of an exit from Europe, for us in the North and for the island of Ireland are very profound.”
“He was asked about it, the First Minister was asked about it and I was asked about it, and we all stated our positions. I am in the "stay in" camp, and I think that the damage that would be done to us in the North and to the island of Ireland by an exit from Europe makes a compelling case for staying in. Look at the number of organisations and political parties in the North who are in favour of staying in. I believe that, when it comes to a vote, an overwhelming majority will vote to stay.”
“I think that the Member is correct. It is certainly my view that there is no doubt that the strength of opinion in the North among the business community, farming organisations, the community and voluntary sector, the universities, educational establishments and, of course, the majority of parties in the Assembly is for staying in Europe. David Cameron was here at the weekend. Boris Johnson was here this morning, and the First Minister and I met him in what was a good news story with the £62 million investment in 200 more buses from Wrightbus that will secure jobs for 300 people for the next short while. During our visit to Antrim this morning, the media were very focused on the fact that he was here and on his views and opinions.”
“<BR /> <BR />When we have to answer questions of this nature in the Assembly, particularly from the perspective of the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister, I am always very conscious that there will be differences of opinion at times about how we should answer them. I say that respectful of the positions of other parties, like, for example, the DUP. Everybody is obviously entitled to their position in the debate. My sense of it is that we would lose out considerably for our farming community, our business community and the work that is going on in our universities. A lot of parties in the Assembly have expressed their opinions, and we await with interest what the Ulster Unionists have to say. It will be a big debate in the time ahead.”
“This will obviously be a huge debate over the next weeks and, indeed, months. People have said that, if there was a decision to exit Europe, we would effectively be walking into the unknown. The reality for us is that we have received significant support from the European Union, and we would, for example, lose access to the structural funds, which were something in the region of £982 million over the period 2014 to 2020. That is made up of things like the European regional development fund, INTERREG, Peace IV and the European social fund. Common agricultural policy funding is worth approximately £2·5 billion in 2014-2020, and we would lose access to competitive EU funding, which, in the four years from 2011-12 to 2014-15, amounted to £95 million. So there are implications.”
“The proposed referendum date is Thursday 23 June. That will leave just six weeks between the Assembly election and the EU referendum. A considerable part of the referendum campaign will run in parallel with our local elections. A lot is at stake, and clarity is needed to fully explore the implications of staying in or leaving the European Union. We would have preferred that the debate leading up to the referendum be kept free of other campaigning distractions. In a joint letter with the First Ministers of Scotland and Wales, we made our concerns known to the Prime Minister. The First Minister and I will meet the Foreign Secretary in London tomorrow, and we will press him for an informed public debate on the referendum, conducted in commonplace language that is clearly understood by all.”
“With your permission, Mr Deputy Speaker, I will ask junior Minister McCann to answer this question.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, with your permission, I will ask junior Minister Jennifer McCann to answer this question.”
“There has been criticism from the party that the Member has identified. I think that that criticism was wrong-headed. Clearly, these projects, whether in mid-Ulster or elsewhere, will bring enormous benefits to local communities. It ill behoves anybody in the House to try to undermine projects that we are funding on foot of communities having identified for us developments in their areas which would bring them enormous benefits.”
“I remember an SDLP Member for West Belfast, at the beginning, when the social investment fund was being spoken about, trying to make out that it was a slush fund for paramilitaries. I think that the working out of all of this, and the very careful nature of how it is dealt with, has proven that statement to be totally and absolutely wrong. The social investment fund is bringing, and will continue to bring, huge benefits to local communities. It is they who have made the decisions, and all the projects that have been put forward thus far are highly creditable.”
“Rather than focusing on what other people do, whether in relation to a party voting against the Budget, or parties not voting against the Budget but uttering criticisms of it, we prefer to focus on what we are doing: constructively and positively delivering for communities. Of course, the social investment fund has a bottom-up approach, in which local communities identify their priorities. We have been happy to go with that. There have been criticisms in the House about delay, but the delay is about getting it right. These are huge amounts of money, and we need to be sure that they are being spent properly in the interests of all of our people. <BR /> <BR />You can clearly see from the projects that are being rolled out that they are having, and will have, a very positive effect in communities.”
“I absolutely agree with the Member: if there is a Barnett consequential flowing out of that announcement, I believe that it should be ring-fenced, because I accept, absolutely, the argument that he has made consistently about the need to vastly improve our services to those who are affected by poor mental health.”
“If he made the announcement in the context of it being for England, we need to explore whether it will have a Barnett consequential for us. I have no doubt that when such announcements are made the Department of Finance and Personnel will explore how we can benefit from them.”
“That is probably true of Scotland and of Wales.”
“I cannot say that they have. My answer to the previous question addressed the issue; the British Government have informed but not involved or consulted OFMDFM on their negotiations on EU membership.”
“That represents a massive investment in the sector. We all recognise the importance of the agriculture sector to our economy and our rural communities, and CAP funding has been vital to its sustained growth and development for years. Furthermore, there is the potential loss of access to competitive EU funding, which, in the period 2011-12 to 2014-15, amounted to over €95 million. That would be a huge blow, particularly to the business sector and research and development, which are central to developing the economy.”
“The financial implications are absolutely massive for us, not least for our farming community. The North of Ireland is a net beneficiary of the European Union. We have received significant support from the EU through a number of funding programmes to which, in the event of a Brexit, we would no longer have access. They include structural and regional development funds, comprising the European regional development fund, the European social fund, INTERREG and the Peace IV programme, which are worth €982 million over the period 2014-2020. Loss of that funding would be severely detrimental to society here and would be devastating for our local economy. <BR /> <BR />We would also lose access to funding under the common agricultural policy, which is worth approximately €2·5 billion in the 2014-2020 period.”
“One thing we all need to bear in mind is how it could economically affect us in the North, particularly when you have, for example, the Confederation of British Industry in the North saying that over 90% of its members are against an exit.”
“The point made by the Member is important. Up until now, although there have been conversations, because of the inability to work out exactly when the referendum will be, it has been difficult to zero in on how we take things forward. On account of it being flagged up that there could be a referendum in June, it is important that the First Minister and I engage with David Cameron and others, including the devolved Administrations in Scotland and Wales, about the issue. <BR /> <BR />It is all on public record. The First Minister of Scotland has put it on public record, and it will come as no surprise to anybody that we share concerns about the close proximity of a referendum to the Assembly elections. We have not even dealt with the arguments on the merits of staying in or leaving.”