Pádraig Delargy
Foyle · Sinn Féin · Northern Ireland
“I echo what other Members have said. Compassion is at the heart of the regulations, which are about understanding and ensuring that parents and families who have suffered the most heartbreaking and unimaginable grief are supported through one of the most difficult times in their lives.”
“The regulations have been extended to ensure that they also apply to parents who have lost a child through miscarriage and that parental bereavement leave is now a day-1 employment right.”
“Why are the public appointments and equality processes important in employment? They are particularly important here in the North, for one simple reason. It is because for so many years, even decades, the unionist Government stopped Catholics, nationalists and republicans from having any access to public appointments and jobs.”
“I start by going to the very heart of the motion and many of the comments that have been made around the Chamber today. The process for public appointments to Invest NI was fair, open, accountable and transparent. It was based on merit and ability.”
“It is a generation that is deeply proud of all those who ensured that we can enjoy the freedom that the unionist Government denied them. My generation will not lie down, will not acquiesce and will not allow regressive change. It will not return to the inequality, the suppression and all the other elements of the unionist state.”
“This is the same SDLP that voted to disbar any republican prisoners from the position of special adviser — the same SDLP that, when another nationalist or, God forbid, a republican, takes the office of First Minister, suddenly wants that title taken away.”
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“By all accounts, this report is a robust and cross-cutting piece of work. It cements what we already know about the need for a commitment to sustainable, green travel and about the impact that air pollution can have on health. <BR /> <BR />I will touch on three key areas of the report. The first is public transport. At the minute, public transport does not meet its purpose, particularly in my constituency of Derry. I have heard a lot of Members talking about rural constituencies; I want to talk about my experience in a more urban constituency. In Derry, there is a lack of bus lanes; buses and trains run at irregular times; and there is a lack of connecting services between the two. The Derry to Belfast line in particular does not meet demand at all. We have seen overcrowding, particularly in the past number of months with COVID.”
“As the Minister will know, the Communities in Transition project was recommendation B4 of the Executive's action plan 'Tackling Paramilitary Activity, Criminality and Organised Crime' and is part of a package to support transition. The delivery of recommendation B4 is going well. Will the Minister now commit to ensuring that progress is also made on the Executive's commitment to adopt the recommendations of the review panel to amend the Fair Employment and Treatment Order 1998?”
“I ask that the Assembly acknowledges that and recognises the loss that families in particular have experienced throughout this crisis. <BR /> <BR />On Friday, disabled people across the North are asking that we, the people who represent them, wear purple to support them and their families as a mark of respect for those who lost their lives during COVID-19, and to acknowledge the resilience and determination that disabled people have shown throughout the pandemic. I ask all of you to reach out to the deaf and disabled community over the next number of days. I ask that the Assembly and the Executive commit to legislative reform that will improve the lives of deaf and disabled people.”
“Friday 3 December, as Ms Bradshaw said, is International Day of People with Disabilities. The theme this year is rights in the context of the ongoing impact of COVID-19. The global themes refer to a post-COVID era, but we are not in a position, as a region, to discuss the post-COVID era or to use that terminology at present. <BR /> <BR />While marginalisation, discrimination, vulnerability and exploitation can impact upon many people, deaf and disabled people in particular have faced challenges in accessing routine health and social care, increased isolation, declining mental and physical health and barriers to accessing food and medicine. It is important to recognise that deaf and disabled people account for almost two thirds of COVID deaths.”
“<BR /> <BR />Abolishing hospital car parking charges will have a significant impact on people's lives, for the better. That is why I support the Bill.”
“Hospital car parking charges come on top of the burden of the price of accommodation and the cost of petrol to get up and down the road. It is yet another cost for them when they get to the hospital. <BR /> <BR />Finally, with the unprecedented workforce pressures that we face, we need to be creative about how we attract and retain workers in our healthcare sector. Retaining experienced workers with the skills and knowledge that they have developed over the years is vital in attracting young people and making sure that not-so-young people can become nurses, doctors, specialists and so forth. It is as important now as it will be in the years to come as we rebuild our workforce. We have a better chance to recruit and retain workers who are well paid and have good working conditions.”
“One of the Bills that I am sponsoring and that I will bring to the Assembly in the coming weeks is about the disconnect that workers should have from their workplace. Gemma Dolan will sponsor a Bill on zero-hours contracts. We are committed to making a real change in people's lives, to bringing Bills to the Assembly that protect workers and families, and to continuing to work for the betterment of people across our society. What those Bills have in common is a desire to put money back into the pockets of our workers, particularly those who went above and beyond throughout the COVID pandemic. <BR /> <BR />I have constituents who travel to Belfast and other centres for healthcare each and every day. This week, I was in contact with a few constituents who travel up to see relatives and loved ones in hospital many times a week.”
“I thank my colleague Aisling Reilly for sponsoring the Bill. Of course, I also acknowledge the brilliant work that Fra McCann did to bring it to the Assembly. <BR /> <BR />As a representative of Derry, I often meet health and social care workers from Altnagelvin Hospital. A lot of my friends and relatives are junior doctors or nurses in the hospital and across the city. I know that workers in the sector are exhausted, drained and have very low morale. <BR /> <BR />The Bill, which will abolish hospital car parking charges, is for everyone. It is one of a list of Bills that my party will bring to the Assembly to address the challenges that our constituents face each and every day.”
“As Mr Buckley referred to, there has obviously been a huge backlog and a huge impact because of the legal challenge, particularly in Newry and mid-Ulster and in my constituency in Derry. Those areas have now gone for a year with no progress. I think that I am right in saying that you have clarified that the work will begin in January. Will it be accelerated to address the backlog?”
“The Minister has demonstrated his intent to utilise public spending for public good by incorporating social value requirements into the procurement process. Will the social value element also include a focus on climate change?”
“They have missed out on so much and so many parts of their young experience, such as formals and trips away, which are essential parts of growing up. I hope that, in bringing forward my petition, other parties can get behind it, because it impacts all young people. It impacts young people in my constituency of Derry and across the North. It is not a unionist or nationalist issue. It impacts young people in Ballysillan just as much as in the Bogside. It impacts young people in Shantallow just as much as in the Shankill. I encourage all Members to back my petition and to sign it online.”
“I do not think that anyone in the House will disagree with me when I say that young people have sustained us and have proved to be the backbone of our economy, particularly over the past 18 to 20 months. They have worked as carers, in supermarkets and in many other capacities.”
“That group would support and benefit our local economy just as much as anyone else. <BR /> <BR />Let us not forget in all this that our economy is changing. I recently visited years 13 and 14 at St Cecilia's College in my constituency, and I found that over three quarters of those pupils are working in part-time employment. A huge number of young people are working in apprenticeships and in other full-time jobs. In many of those full-time jobs, they are paying National Insurance and tax just like everyone else who has benefited from the voucher scheme. <BR /> <BR />The voucher scheme marks a relaxation of COVID restrictions and a return to somewhat normal times on our high street, so it is important that we reward those who have sustained us through the pandemic.”
“I have brought my petition before the Assembly today because I identified a need in and a real desire from my constituents to extend the high street voucher scheme to 16- and 17-year-olds. <BR /> <BR />I support the voucher scheme. The premise of the scheme is that it benefits retail. There is no difference between an 18-year-old and an 80-year-old spending £100 to support our local businesses, so I do not see any reason why 16- and 17-year-olds should not have access to the voucher as well. <BR /> <BR />When the scheme was established, £21 million was set aside in case there was a shortfall and other groups needed to be added to the scheme. It would cost only £4·5 million to extend the voucher scheme to 16- and 17-year-olds. I believe that that would be money well spent.”
“I thank the Minister for her statement and answers so far. I noticed, Minister, that you mentioned the electrification of vehicles, particularly buses. That is obviously very welcome. Will you confirm whether that will be extended to rail travel, particularly for the north-west? Obviously, there is an absence of rail infrastructure across the west in Derry, Tyrone and Fermanagh. If that is to be developed, it is very important that it is developed in line with sustainability as well as connectivity. <BR /> <BR />On another point, I noted that you are looking at the half-hourly service for Derry and that the report on that is due this month. Will you clarify the date on which that report will be published?”
“I have met with classroom assistants from across my constituency over the last number of weeks, Minister. There was consensus among them that there is real concern about their pay and working conditions. I know, from a lot of the classroom assistants whom I have worked with, that it is difficult to retain those brilliant, skilled people. Will you detail the provision that you are putting in place to retain classroom assistants in our schools?”
“I thank the joint First Minister for her statement. On the back of the commitment that it will be implemented, will she give an assurance that the process will commence urgently?”
“I thank the joint First Minister for her update on the scheme. Can she detail what other support has been made available to the sector?”
“We certainly agree with the notion that something needs to be done to improve our skills, but the Member and the Economy Minister must look at what solutions are already in place to make sure that you do not take away from another Department and that other Departments and projects do not fall by the wayside just because the Economy Minister cannot prioritise his spending.”
“However, several weeks ago, I raised with the Economy Minister the fact that 16- and 17-year-olds did not have access to the high street voucher scheme. Again, that did not suit the political agenda, so it was thrown out. <BR /> <BR />Education is not just about young people. The number of mature students enrolled in further education colleges has decreased by over 21,000 in four years. As part of the skills strategy, more needs to be done to remove barriers to education for mature students. <BR /> <BR />What I find most bizarre in all this is that, of the £275 million that the Economy Minister was allocated in the action recovery plan, £21 million is still sitting in the pot. I am concerned that an Economy Minister is not able to work out how that can be reallocated.”
“I do not accept that. The vast majority of people whom I talked to and with whom I went on ERASMUS were from working-class backgrounds. It costs £150 to go on ERASMUS for a week. That is an acceptable and affordable solution for working-class families. There are huge grants that are hugely subsidised by the EU, but, again, it does not suit your political agenda. It is not good enough to just throw that out. <BR /> <BR />There were 26,000 young people between the ages of 16 and 24 who were not in employment, education or training. In Sinn Féin's 'Principles for Economy Recovery' document, we called for a "Youth Guarantee", whereby every young person would be guaranteed access to employment, skills or educational opportunities. <BR /> <BR />Again, I welcome the premise that you are trying to do something for young people.”
“While I welcome the motion's premise and the notion that the Member has tried to do something to benefit young people in particular, I am rather sceptical of it for the following reasons. At the last Committee meeting, we had a lengthy discussion about ERASMUS. I raised the social, economic and political benefits of the programme, particularly for my generation and young people seeking to augment their skills. It does not suit the DUP narrative, and it is not good enough to throw it out purely because it does not suit your narrative.”
“There are several glaring omissions in the motion, the starkest of which is around Brexit. Over the past number of months, we have seen that it has been transformative, particularly with regard to EU funding for skills. From 2014 to 2020, EU funding allocated to the Northern Ireland European social fund amounted to more than €210 million. As my colleague Mr O'Dowd said, that represents over 46% of the cost of the programme. The skills strategy does not specify the exact shortfalls brought about by Brexit. We already know that, last year, the Finance Minister, Conor Murphy, had to allocate £22·5 million to the Department for the Economy so that the ESF programmes could continue until March 2023.”
“As the Minister has mentioned, the A5 is a vital piece of infrastructure for the entire north-west. It is vital that we see a speedy outcome once the public inquiry recommences. On the issue of funding, can the Minister confirm whether she has received any assurance from the Southern Government that they will honour their original commitment to finance half of the project?”
“I know that the Minister is supportive of parkrun events. What engagement has been undertaken and what support has been provided during and after COVID to help parkrun get back to normal?”
“Minister, thanks for that. You have pretty much answered my supplementary question. I want to make sure that all agencies have been contacted. I have been contacted by quite a few people in my constituency with whom contact had not been made. Can you therefore confirm that all agencies have been contacted at this point?”
“By creating and opening new channels of dialogue, we can make sure that the process of implementing the protocol is informed by those who live and do business here.”
“I have met many business leaders in Derry who have highlighted the limitations of the protocol, but they are trying to find solutions. They are working within the protocol to find ways in which we can better it and make it work for our businesses and all people here. <BR /> <BR />The terms of the proposals in the EU non-paper, which, I am sure, all Members will have had the opportunity to look at, offer a number of solutions in the areas of transparency and accountability as we negotiate the new trading realities that have been brought about by Brexit. This is an opportunity that we should take. The EU wants us to have our say; it wants us to shape this process and determine how we can make it work for all the people who live here.”
“Positive and mature political dialogue has brought us here today. None of us have anything to be afraid of in political dialogue and having those conversations. The motion gives every Member across the Chamber, and, by extension, all citizens in the North, the opportunity to have an input into the protocol. The majority of people in the North want to have their say on the protocol, according to a recent Queen's University Belfast study. Some 75% of people want an input into the protocol, so let us give them that. Dialogue allows us to bring to the table the views of those on the ground, not just to find problems but to create solutions. Our views are best articulated by people in the North and by us having those conversations with the EU, not leaving it up to Westminster to speak on our behalf.”
“The Minister will be aware of increasing reports of pupils testing negative on day two but positive on day eight. Obviously, that is a serious concern for our schools and for the health of our children and the staff. Why is your Department not recording the number of pupils who test positive in the days after their negative PCR test on day two?”
“<BR /> <BR />I, again, put it to the Assembly and our Education Minister that we need to start to come up with creative solutions to retain those people who play such vital roles in our schools.”
“A lot of the classroom assistants with whom I worked constantly upskilled and went on courses, but that did not show any benefit in their pay. They did that training purely out of the goodness of their hearts to help to support the children that they worked with. <BR /> <BR />I would like us to come up with creative solutions to support classroom assistants and make sure that we keep those brilliant people in their jobs; that we support them as they support our children. A lot of classroom assistants in our schools struggle to balance their work and family commitments. They have to take on part-time jobs in other sectors, and, ultimately, that reliance on other employment ensures that many feel that they cannot sustain their roles as classroom assistants.”
“As I am sure all Members will agree, classroom assistants play a vital role in our education system. They provide caring and individualised support for children to help them through their time at school and to guide them at the beginning of their journey through life. During my teaching career, I worked with an array of classroom assistants who always went above and beyond the call of duty, particularly over the past 18 months, during the period of the pandemic. <BR /> <BR />Today, I raise the issue of the retention of our classroom assistants. We are losing brilliant people from our schools, and we can stop that happening. We are losing classroom assistants because of low pay and because there is little incentive for them to remain in their roles.”
“Do what is best for our teachers, parents and children.”
“I will resume my point. The Minister of Education has abdicated all responsibility and handed it over to the PHA. Four weeks ago, during one of the first times that I was in the Chamber, I asked whether the Minister could explain what she will put in place to make sure that the PHA is able to undertake contact tracing. I am still waiting for a response. That is another failure by the DUP. <BR /> <BR />Schools and families have been placed in an even more dangerous position than they were in in March last year. The only things that have been consistent in DUP policy, from Peter Weir to Michelle McIlveen, are failure, incompetence and arrogance. <BR /> <BR />I understand that political leadership may not be the DUP's forte, but I ask that the Minister does what is best for teachers by listening to them. Listen to the professionals.”
“You seem to have taken a different approach, Michelle. Instead of handing everything over to teachers and principals, you have offloaded it on to the Public Health Agency (PHA) and washed your hands of —.”
“Peter Weir's position was to make sure that principals and teachers took on all the responsibility. Overnight, teachers and principals became healthcare workers, social workers and IT technicians. Teachers are not looking for thanks for all that; they are looking for respect.”
“I find that baffling: if the DUP were serious about supporting everyone, the easiest and most beneficial way to do that would be to remove selective education — a system that is inherently classist and elitist. <BR /> <BR />Michelle seems to have adopted an approach of standing back and saying, "Well, everything that went before my tenure is nothing to do with me. I am different and distinct". Again, I find that quite baffling, but there is consistency between Peter's approach and yours.”
“I was contacted by people from republican, nationalist and unionist backgrounds with whom I went through the PGCE and then worked with. Unfortunately for Peter — I note his absence today — they were unified in opposition to his incompetence. They were unified in opposition to communication that, throughout, was lacklustre, to say the least. Communication was often received on a Friday afternoon at 4:00 pm and expected to be implemented on the Monday morning. Peter threw teachers and education to the wolves. <BR /> <BR />One of the things that surprises me in the DUP defence of this is that the party always comes back to the idea that it supports everyone, particularly the most disadvantaged children and families in our communities and our society.”
“I noticed on social media yesterday that Michelle McIlveen has introduced an art competition as a way, perhaps, of distracting from the crisis in education. The competition is a way of celebrating 100 years of partition. Seeing as the Minister is feeling artistic, I would like to paint for her a picture of the reality in schools at the moment. <BR /> <BR />Teachers are tired, principals are tired, classroom assistants are tired, parents are tired and pupils are tired. They are tired of DUP dithering, and they are tired of delay and incompetence. I take this opportunity to thank all our education staff for everything that they do, particularly over the past 18 months when they have done their job without leadership. I like to give credit where credit is due, and Peter Weir acted as a unifying figure.”
“Your whole intervention has been ludicrous. Anything that you pointed out were isolated incidents. Again, I would like to remind you that, if you are going to bring up those points, please, at least, have examples that show some credibility and joined-up thinking.”
“Mr Poots, my response to what you said is that the speech was written by me. I noticed that — I can see your notes from across the Chamber — in contrast, you were reading notes from your officials. You clearly do not have a great understanding of them. You have given details of isolated incidents from countries around Europe. I particularly enjoyed the fact that, when you spoke about pigs coming from the South of Ireland, your notes had to have pictures of pigs to remind you of what parts you were talking about.”
“First, when I recently challenged the Economy Minister on his failure to include 16- and 17-year-olds in the voucher scheme, his reply painted a very different picture from today's DUP position. He said that the voucher was not about the public but about businesses. Secondly, if the DUP is concerned about wages, why is Edwin Poots trying to abolish the Agricultural Wages Board, an action that will cut the wage guarantee that keeps agricultural minimum pay rates above standard minimum wage rates? Thirdly, not only did the DUP campaign for Brexit but former Economy Minister Diane Dodds called for the salary threshold for EU workers who arrived in the North through the EU Settlement Scheme to be reduced. Actions speak louder than words.”
“In Britain, shortages of CO2 and haulage drivers have caused havoc with our food supplies and resulted in empty shelves in the supermarkets there. Our place in the single market has insulated us from some of those shortages but not all of them. <BR /> <BR />Let us not forget the root cause of the entire debacle: Brexit. It is the hard Brexit, championed by the DUP and the Tories, that has completely upended the flows of labour. We are totally cut off from a labour market of over 200 million because of Brexit. Brexit means that we no longer have access to vital EU funding, such as £50 million from the European Social Fund, which played a central role in training people up for the workforce. <BR /> <BR />I will give three examples that, to me, validate my apprehension about believing the new DUP position.”
“I share the surprise of my colleague Caoimhe Archibald that Edwin Poots and the DUP have had a road to Damascus moment and suddenly become champions of workers' rights. I welcome that seismic shift in DUP thinking, and I hope that they, finally, have seen the light. I hope that the DUP can follow up on its new-found socialist credentials by supporting Sinn Féin's continued calls for a living wage for all our workers: the hauliers, the carers, the supermarket workers and all the other professionals who have sustained us throughout the pandemic. <BR /> <BR />For me, the DUP position just does not add up. The legacy of 10 years of DUP Economy Ministers is one of misery. Wages in the North are the lowest across these islands, with over a quarter of our workers earning just £8·21 an hour.”
“I thank the Minister for her statement. Will the Minister give us some detail on the cooperation so far between the Executive and the Dublin Government?”
“It is vital that the North gets access to the funding necessary for adequate investment in our public services. Furthermore, NI Water has indicated how multi-year Budgets would allow for the more efficient planning and execution of its capital works programme. A multi-year Budget is needed to plan services properly, but the Executive were only provided with a single-year Budget by the British Government. It is vital that, in future, NI Water can utilise multi-year Budgets to allow for stronger, long-term planning.”
“I welcome that the Living with Water feasibility study has commenced in Derry and includes looking at the A2 Buncrana Road scheme to bring forward integrated drainage solutions for the Skeoge river and Pennyburn catchments. That is a positive development, but I urge that the strategy be rolled out to Derry and across other areas of the North. <BR /> <BR />It is worth noting that the Living with Water programme, along with essential sewerage investment, was one of the British Government's funding commitments in 'New Decade, New Approach'. However, they have reneged on that financial commitment from the outset, leaving us with a financial package that pales in comparison to the money needed to deliver on the commitments in that deal.”
“The motion references the Living with Water programme, which started as a specific programme for greater Belfast. It is a strategy to support economic growth, protect the environment and address flood risk. While it is mostly a plan for investment in sewerage and waste water, it also includes blue-green infrastructure and sustainable drainage systems like rain gardens and permeable paving to make our society more liveable and more adaptable to flood risk. It is a new holistic and integrated approach to the provision of drainage and waste water infrastructure. At the Infrastructure Committee, Sinn Féin has consistently stated that the Living with Water strategy should be rolled out across other areas.”
“That was possible due to the unprecedented allocations from the Finance Minister, Conor Murphy, to the Department, which helped to accelerate the PC21 capital works. I ask the Minister to explore whether, on reflection on that fact, there is room for a more ambitious capital works programme and further prioritisation of waste water in the Department for Infrastructure's budget.”