Deborah Erskine
Fermanagh and South Tyrone · Democratic Unionist Party · Northern Ireland
“Minister, you did not mention the removal of the zero-detriment policy, which is a concern that I have. That is worrying for anybody who sits in the Chamber, and for the construction industry in particular.”
“I thank the Minister for his comments about the Western Trust's chair. I, too, pass on my sympathies to his family. <BR /> <BR />Minister, we had the pause to the emergency general surgery consultation process last July. You asked the trust to provide a vision plan.”
“Quality assurance is really important when looking at roads. A number of us in the Chamber could take you to potholes that we have raised with the Department that have been fixed but have then reopened within a matter of days, meaning that we have had to go back into the portal to raise it with DFI staff again.”
“I thank the Minister for her statement and hope that she enjoyed her visit to Enniskillen. The statement mentions moorings. I want to focus on the Fermanagh end of the Ulster canal. I have received communication about accessible jetties and ensuring that jetties and moorings are up to standard.”
“<BR /> <BR />That was laid bare last Wednesday when representatives from the ICRIR said that they had written to the Irish Government 11 or 12 times without receiving any form of reply from them. That is shameful.”
“<BR /> <BR />It is interesting that, for years, Sinn Féin has called on the UK Government to provide information, yet its silence on the Irish Government is deafening. There are people who sit in the Chamber who know exactly the truth about what happened, yet they are prepared to lie about their involvement in the IRA.”
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“Madam Principal Deputy Speaker, whilst I recognise that the Bill reconciles and gives authority for the use of resource for the 2024-25 spring Supplementary Estimates for the first few months of the next financial year, I would appreciate a little latitude so that I can convey to the House the Committee's approach. Over the past 12 months, the Department has faced a number of challenges on issues relating to our water infrastructure; addressing the backlog of MOTs; traffic congestion in and around Belfast; and the condition of our road network and its wider impact on road safety.”
“Over recent weeks, the Committee has, as part of its ongoing financial scrutiny, engaged with departmental officials and Translink to get a sense of their assessment of their needs over the next financial year. The Committee, at its meeting tomorrow, will receive oral evidence from Northern Ireland Water on its requirements for next year. <BR /> <BR />Due to the time constraints on the Assembly's consideration of the provisions of the Bill, it was critical that time was factored into the Committee's work programme to get a sense of the Department's requirements. That is in the context of having a draft Budget that is being consulted on, which means that the final allocations for the Department and for those that it provides resource to are not yet fully known.”
“I welcome the opportunity to speak as Chair of the Committee for Infrastructure at the Second Stage of the Budget Bill. I welcome the Minister to his new place and thank him for his work and assistance during his time as Infrastructure Minister. I know that he will miss every member of the Infrastructure Committee, including me.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. He raised the issue of Lough Neagh, and I thought that that might be a way in because he talked about agriculture. It is important to point out that there are 76 waste water treatment works around the edge of Lough Neagh. They are important, because we have to ensure that overspills there are monitored appropriately. We cannot just blame agriculture. There is an issue with the statement of regulatory principles and intent (SORPI) arrangements that also causes pollution.”
“I thank the Minister for his statement and answers so far. I commend him for his work on the matter. I understand that he and his Department have been working on it for quite some time. It is a hot topic that comes up regularly for me in my constituency of Fermanagh and South Tyrone. People want to see abuses in the system challenged and dealt with. Will the Minister outline how many people have been referred to the Public Prosecution Service for prosecution over the past four years for benefit fraud and how many have been prosecuted?”
“<BR /> <BR />Like myself, the Minister was at the UFU rally and heard about the plight of our farmers. Since then, what has he done to bring that plight right to the door of our Chancellor? As I have always highlighted in the Chamber, our farmers are not and should not be the scapegoat for reducing emissions or pollution in our waterways. There are many more places and people at which the finger should be pointed. <BR /> <BR />It is time. It is time to step up. It is time to stop ripping the heart out of our rural communities and to start supporting our farmers. The warm words that we have heard in the Chamber today are not enough. It is only right that we sing with one voice and urgently seek to have the changes reversed.”
“<BR /> <BR />From what I can see, we are essentially encouraging the break up of family farms. Young people do not want a millstone around their neck. They will really struggle with taking on farms with massive amounts of tax payments. The changes to inheritance tax will affect our food security and our economy as a whole. Those who have no idea about farming may think that the £1 million cap sounds huge. In reality, taking land prices, machinery and all that into account, the figures do not take long to mount up. There are very few viable farms worth under £1 million, but those farmers are not bathing in sterling banknotes. Land value has been mentioned in the debate. When you look at road infrastructure projects and the value of the land that is required to make way for their construction, you see how land value is an issue.”
“Absolutely. The Member makes a very important point, and I have seen that a number of times. This policy is ripping the heart out of our rural communities. <BR /> <BR />We have to be real: governmental policies are putting farmers under pressure and causing stress in communities. In the Chamber, we talk an awful lot about mental health, and that is important, but we forget about the mental health of our farmers. With ammonia regulations choking development and bovine TB not being addressed quickly enough, it beggars belief that Governments would advocate for a scenario in which meat comes from other countries as a result of their trying to reduce greenhouse emissions on farms here. We are not encouraging our own food security or helping our own farming community.”
“Think on that for one moment. There will be no time for those families to grieve. Instead, they will have to pick up the pieces after a massive bill has landed on their doormat.”
“The farming community has not just been hit with a triple whammy; it is being hit constantly. <BR /> <BR />Agriculture is no small part of our economy: it is worth £6 billion. There are 26,000 active farm businesses in Northern Ireland that give employment to 51,000 people. What are we doing to support those farm businesses? That is not some hypothetical question; it is a question that has been posed to me a number of times by the community that I represent. <BR /> <BR />I do not say this lightly: there are people, right now, who are really worried about a sudden death on a farm. The chances of sudden death are a lot higher on a farm due to the nature of the business. People are worried about what the taxman will bring, even when a hearse is pulling out of their laneway and they are grieving the death of a loved one.”
“I also declare an interest: my in-laws are farmers. <BR /> <BR />It is no surprise that, as a representative for Fermanagh and South Tyrone, I see at first hand the massive impact that Labour's ill-thought-out inheritance tax policy is having on our family farms. That is what I want to focus on: the real-life impact on our farming families. The outworkings are burnout, stress, anxiety, worry about unexpected death and more. This policy is essentially daylight robbery: a land grab by the Labour Government on farms that have been in families for decades. I have spoken many times in the Chamber about the perfect storm that is facing our agriculture community: rising costs, avian flu, bovine TB, the threat of foot-and-mouth disease, bad weather and a lack of understanding of the sector and its needs. Now, we have this governmental land grab.”
“As an MLA, I receive reports of intimidation, antisocial behaviour and, sadly, domestic violence in social homes. It is important that we are able to support the people who are affected. How common is intimidation, in comparison with domestic violence?”
“It is our capital city for nightlife and the centre of our economy, so it is also important for Northern Ireland as a whole.”
“Thank you. I had not planned to speak, but I sat in and listened to some of the contributions. Like many in the Chamber, I enjoy the Belfast nightlife — maybe a bit too much. Transport is a fundamental issue for people coming into the city centre. I know that I could not get a bus from Fermanagh to Belfast if I were to go there for a night out. There is another fundamental problem with transport across the city. We need to deal with that and to support our taxi industry by meeting its needs. Accessible travel is an issue for people who are disabled and want to enjoy the Belfast city nightlife. I am speaking as a DUP MLA, not as Chair of the Infrastructure Committee, but the Committee has been looking at that. <BR /> <BR />I thank my colleague for securing the Adjournment debate, which is important for Belfast.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. I am probably a bit premature in coming in, but you touch on an important point. The Infrastructure Committee, like the Agriculture Committee, has an important role in looking at legislation that is coming. Tomorrow, we will scrutinise the Department's budget, but we do not yet have evidence on that in our packs. That is coming from officials. Scrutiny is needed, but we need to have the information to do the scrutiny in a timely way.”
“Will the Minister commit today to taking immediate control of the situation, convening an urgent meeting with the telecoms companies and the UK Government and ensuring that services are restored in the coming days for people in my constituency and across Northern Ireland?”
“I congratulate the Minister on her new appointment. <BR /> <BR />Ten days ago, the storm took out five telecoms masts, even threatening critical blue-light communications, yet customers, many of whom are elderly, vulnerable or running businesses, are still without broadband and mobile services with no estimated restoration time. While NIE has been able to provide restoration times, multimillion-pound companies such as Vodafone, BT, EE and Fibrus have failed to do the same. People in my constituency are being forced to travel to access networks at their own expense. <BR /> <BR />This is not a time for telecoms companies to hide. They must communicate with customers urgently, and action must be taken.”
“I thank the Minister for her clarification that there have been asks to the Government. I suppose that, in the days and weeks ahead, we will see an actual figure in relation to that. Like her, I put on record my thanks to the front-line workers. I am aware that local businesses are counting the cost as a result of loss of food and things like that, so will there be any financial support for the likes of those local businesses that are counting the cost of the storm?”
“I thank the Minister. I record my thanks to DFI staff for their work over the weekend. It seems a bit crass to be talking about the major roads programme when we see the destruction that is across even rural roads in the likes of my constituency. <BR /> <BR />It may seem strange that I am not advocating just for my constituency today; I want to ask about the York Street interchange and to check whether that will be part of the major roads programme. We talk quite a bit in the Chamber about congestion, and that is one of the measures that could alleviate it. We saw £400 million secured by the DUP confidence-and-supply agreement, and that project is part of New Decade, New Approach. Will that project be included in the prioritisation programme?”
“No problem at all, Minister. The question is:”
“I thank the Executive for their coordination and all the front-line staff and volunteers for their work over what was a very difficult weekend. My question follows on from what the deputy First Minister said about water. In my constituency, the lack of supply is a real issue. We are now on day 4 without water in a lot of areas. Can the deputy First Minister and the First Minister detail the community response that there is to get water out there? It was yesterday before water went out to some leisure centres. What is the financial impact on NI Water, and how will that be mitigated?”
“Hopefully, the Speaker will allow me some latitude for this question, as it points to school places. Last week, the Minister made a decision on closing Lack Primary School. I have spoken to a number of parents who are concerned about the lack of school places in controlled schools in the area. Will the Minister act to increase school places? What is his Department doing to support parents, pupils and staff through the process?”
“There is a broader problem within the Agriculture Department with the funding that is provided, because we have seen the loss of funding to agricultural shows as well. In Fermanagh, we lost the Fermanagh county show last summer, the first year that it had not gone ahead in over 150 years. That was also a huge loss to my area, and we cannot afford to see the fishing events lost. Yesterday, I spoke with the Agriculture Minister directly on this, and I have written to him as well. These events are so important to my constituency and for Northern Ireland overall.”
“The Erne Pike Classic in October contributes around £100,000 to the local economy. That is huge investment for my constituency. If those fishing festivals are lost, our local businesses will suffer and our economy will take a massive hit locally. <BR /> <BR />The Fermanagh Classic competition has been held for nearly five decades and its loss would mean not only a financial loss but a heritage and culture loss in the area. It is imperative that the Executive have a bit of joined-up thinking when it comes to these types of events. We cannot speak out of both sides of our mouths when it comes to increasing our tourism offering and, on the other hand, have a situation in which a Department is a cornerstone to whether or not an event takes place, but we turn our backs from supporting it.”
“I am calling on the AERA Minister to act quickly to support the Fermanagh Classic and Erne Pike Classic fishing festivals. These fishing festivals are hugely popular and attract tourism to County Fermanagh during months that can be difficult for the hospitality sector. It came to my attention over the weekend that DAERA has stopped financial and logistical support to the organisers of these competitions, which could put them in jeopardy. The overtime cost of the Department's fisheries staff is thought to be in the region of £3,000, yet Fermanagh and Omagh District Council recently conducted an external survey of the fishing festivals and indicated that the Fermanagh Classic in May generates local spending of approximately £300,000 as anglers typically stay, on average, for two weeks in the county.”
“This is therefore an area in which we must play catch-up very quickly in order to save lives. <BR /> <BR />I thank the proposer of the motion. The DUP will support the motion today.”
“I hope that information sharing between Departments and the local impact teams that intervene will be effective from a cross-departmental perspective and that that is monitored to ensure the best outcomes for our children and young people. <BR /> <BR />Recently, Autism NI launched a public petition calling for a specialist autism mental health service. It received over 20,000 signatures. If that does not speak to the need, nothing will. Minister, if you have not done so already, I challenge you to look at the comments and not be reduced to tears at what families and other people have had to endure. <BR /> <BR />In the previous mandate, the DUP introduced the Bill that became the Autism (Amendment) Act (Northern Ireland) 2022. I recall the large amount of work that was undertaken to ensure that our services reflected need.”
“<BR /> <BR />I ask the Minister of Health to ensure that he will be informed by service users, families, advocates and the autism reviewer when reviewing the service that is supposed to be in place to assist people impacted on by autism. Last week, the Minister of Education outlined his plans for developing SEN support and services in schools. I note that the Minister of Health was present for some of the ministerial statement or for questions on it. In order to support children and their development on their education journey, it is vital that there be mental health and well-being services available to support them.”
“Given the prevalence of autism in Northern Ireland, such a service is needed, and if we do not act, need will continue to grow. More crucially, lives will be lost. <BR /> <BR />At this juncture, I place on record my thanks for the work that our healthcare staff do. They are trying to provide services — through child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS), in EDs or on wards — in pressurised environments. I am sure, however, that there will be mental health professionals who will say that training needs to be improved and that there needs to be a specialist mental health service here that will ultimately lead to better outcomes, potentially 10 times over, for people who are living with autism.”
“Figures show that autistic adults are nine times more likely to die by suicide, while autistic children are 20 times more likely to self-harm. If we delve deeper, however, we see that there are families, parents and carers struggling with the stress and worry of how to help their child or young adult within structures that are currently bursting at the seams and that ultimately do not have the capacity or resources to cope. We have all dealt with constituents who are facing such issues. <BR /> <BR />Organisations such as Autism NI have been lobbying and fighting hard for a specialist mental health service for autism. There needs to be autism training for those working in the health service to be able to meet patients' needs and treat them effectively so that they are not disadvantaged in their care right at the point of need.”
“Mental health issues affect so many in our communities. Today is solely about mental health services for those living with autism, however. We all know the message "It's OK not to be OK", but what about those who live with a health condition that makes their ability to communicate their emotions much more difficult? That is a situation that many children, young adults and adults in Northern Ireland are experiencing today. They do not feel that there is a service available that understands them or their needs when it comes to dealing with autism and mental health difficulties combined. <BR /> <BR />When one looks at the research figures, they point to the extreme need to grapple with the problem, as has already been highlighted in the Chamber.”
“Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. Like Mr Boylan, I welcome the opportunity to speak to the motion. I do so as vice chair of the APG on autism.”
“I thank the junior Minister for her answer. Does she agree that the example set by political leaders has a significant bearing on building good relations in Northern Ireland? In that context, does she accept that the First Minister's recent attendance at an IRA commemoration event and her glorification of terrorism are examples of not building good relations in our community? Will the junior Minister and the First Minister therefore desist from attending events that glorify terrorism?”
“Like the Minister, I know the value of farmers in our rural communities and throughout Northern Ireland. The policies that the Labour Government have put in place are really driving farmers into poverty. It is very simple: no farmers, no food. I would like to know what practical support will come from the Minister's Department and what he can advise farmers to do in relation to the breadline that they are facing.”
“What is the Minister doing about having conversations with the police about that?”
“The police are part of the Justice Department. I do not understand why the Minister keeps firing PSNI issues off her table to the Chief Constable. There are clear concerns in my constituency that custody suites that are being upgraded are in close proximity to operational policing matters. I am pretty sure that concerns have been raised with the Justice Minister about the timescales and how those custody suites are operating, not least the fact that it adds cost to our policing service.”
“I thank the Minister for his statement. One issue that my constituents bring up time and time again — actually, I spoke to a constituent in relation to it just on Friday — is information sharing between Health and Education, which is relevant when dealing with speech and language or mental health matters. I note from the statement that the Minister will formalise information sharing across Departments, which is really welcome. Following on from the last question, how do the EA's proposals on local impact teams fit with the SEN reform agenda? More specifically, when will the impact teams become multidisciplinary to include allied health professionals?”
“Why has engagement not taken place urgently on the traffic chaos in Belfast before now? We all knew that traffic chaos would come, so why has that taken until now?”
“Minister, we talked yesterday about the traffic chaos in Belfast. You answered my question on the strategic oversight group. It is meeting not daily but weekly. It does not include the Chamber of Commerce or the business community. Yesterday, there was "Work from home" messaging from the Department, and you were then publicly embarrassed over bringing forward your meetings with businesses.”
“I thank the Minister for his statement. I have so many questions that it is hard to pick which one to ask. First, however, I welcome the announcement about lung screening. Along with colleagues, I sponsored an event here at which Cathy Brokenshire really adequately made the case for the need for lung screening in Northern Ireland. I am keen to see the detail on that. <BR /> <BR />What does the Minister mean by "dental reform"? We have a crisis at the minute because of the number of dentists who are moving from NHS to private work. Will that reform look at the funding models? Will it look at dentists' pay? In my area, we do not have a proper out-of-hours emergency dental service, so that needs to be looked at. I want to see detail on what "dental reform" means.”
“I thank the Minister for his statement. He said that attracting planning staff to the public sector and retaining them is a growing challenge and that the planning and places work sector will explore ways in which to attract people and build capacity. We can learn from Administrations that have successful approaches, so can the Minister provide some examples of measures implemented elsewhere that have been successful? Will they be considered here? Can he also confirm whether any measures will be aimed at the wider public sector, including at councils, given their importance to the planning system?”
“The Minister will be glad to hear that I took the train into Belfast on Friday night, although I had to drive from Fermanagh in order to get the train. Will the Minister outline how many times the strategic oversight group on traffic issues has met? Is he minded to widen the group out beyond the PSNI, Translink and the councils to groups such as the night czar, Hospitality Ulster and Retail NI?”
“I welcome the Minister's statement. I notice that the Minister got Executive approval for collaboration on the strategy. The critical issues are the delivery of planning and waste-water capacity improvements. Therefore, does the Minister recognise that there is huge frustration among housing associations that cannot get water connections for developments, including one in my constituency in Dungannon? Will the Minister continue to push for timely delivery from the Infrastructure Minister on planning and waste water capacity issues, especially given that the Infrastructure Minister does not recognise the figure of 19,000 developments that cannot be connected to the waste water infrastructure?”
“I thank the Minister for giving way. I appreciate and welcome that he will look at that again if new information comes to light. At this time, economic growth is very important for my constituency of Fermanagh and South Tyrone. Businesses will plan their operations and where they go based on where the transport routes are, so I just want to impress upon the Minister their importance for economic stimulus in my area.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. Does she agree that the review puts us in Fermanagh at a huge disadvantage? Other projects will have years to get feasibility studies and other things in place, but the review leaves Fermanagh behind again on all that preparatory work.”
“Full delivery of those commitments stands to unlock opportunities for economic growth and job creation in our communities. We will work constructively with the Executive and the UK and Irish Governments to that end and to progress the four feasibility studies that are under way. Hopefully, we will see more on rail and transport development across Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />It is crucial that we now see the impetus moving away from the ideas phase and aspirations to delivery. The elephant in the room is, of course, funding. As an integral part of any implementation plan, timescales need to be firmed up and underpinned by a clearly agreed understanding of available Executive allocations. Therefore, I commend the amendment to the House.”
“<BR /> <BR />Recently, Translink introduced a new online fare structure for the Enterprise service that is more closely aligned to the Irish Rail web fare. Translink has been operating in a challenging situation with an increasing cost base. There can be no question that the underfunding of public services in Northern Ireland has created disparities. Subsidies are likely to be required to meet the shortfall between the cost of running a rail service and rail revenues. That requires effective funding over a longer period than is currently the case with single-year budgets and an ad hoc in-year payment. <BR /> <BR />The all-island strategic rail review and the Union connectivity review present a clear vision for better connectivity throughout the British Isles.”
“Irish Rail has been able to reduce its standard and online fares by 20% in recent years due to funding that has been provided by the Department of Transport. My party does not support the aspiration of a unified approach to cross-border rail services, not least because Irish Rail and Translink are constituted differently and it would require a harmonised approach to subsidies going forward. Any solution must, ultimately, respect the legal and political status of each jurisdiction as well as the bespoke funding arrangements for each operator. That does not, however, mean that we should not strive for greater alignment in fare structures within those parameters. Practical cooperation is possible and should be pursued. It is misguided, therefore, for the motion to propose to pitch alignment of fares in the context of economic integration.”
“Funding is the component to drive forward any rail or transport expansion here. We must be realistic about that. Businesses' investment and profit also drive that agenda. That is why I recognise the need for an aligned fare structure to ensure that the people of Northern Ireland have a fair and accessible transport network offering. We must ensure that fares are reasonable in our own jurisdiction to create that greater economic growth, ensure that barriers to movement are removed and promote regional development between jurisdictions. <BR /> <BR />It is important to note that Translink and Irish Rail are funded in different ways. Translink last increased Enterprise fares in March 2023. They had not been increased for five years prior to that revision.”
“I was then horrified that officials deemed a transport hub offering in Omagh to be an acceptable alternative to developments in County Fermanagh itself. I am not great at geography, but I know that Omagh is in Tyrone, not Fermanagh. Fermanagh should not be disregarded. It is an integral part of the economy and has a wonderful tourism offering. A sustainable and reliable transport offering is needed for my area. <BR /> <BR />Whilst the motion refers to the all-island strategic rail review, for which some money is coming from the Shared Island unit, it is important to recognise the Union connectivity review. It overlap the all-island strategic rail review on the development of rail, but it has also provided the funds for the necessary feasibility work. That work was funded via the UK Government's Union connectivity development fund.”