David Honeyford
Lagan Valley · Alliance Party · Northern Ireland
“Ten years ago, the UK voted to leave the EU, and Northern Ireland was removed from the EU against its will. People will have voted for many reasons, but people were lied to.”
“Many families have spent the past decade worse off, and the loudest supporters of Brexit have punished them, while we have the likes of Farage appearing to be prospering personally. <BR /> <BR />Ten years on, the question is not whether Brexit was right or wrong, because the evidence is clear for everyone to see.”
“<BR /> <BR />The biggest cost of Brexit has been instability, which scares off investment. Since the Brexit referendum, the UK has had seven Prime Ministers, and we have had the Assembly collapse twice. Political uncertainty has become normal. However, when politics becomes unstable, ordinary people pay the price.”
“We need to see more happening, because east-west collaboration is already happening. We need more collaboration to grow our economy further, but talk is cheap. People say such lines on the news but then come to the Chamber and vote against collaboration.”
“Two and a half years into the term of this Executive, much of that remains missing. The same applies to waste water infrastructure and planning reform, with delays continuing to block growth and investment. We should do much more to collaborate North/South, as we do east-west, to improve people's lives.”
“The Executive are failing to provide certainty and follow-up on their commitments. My colleague Andrew Muir having had his green growth strategy blocked for over a year is just one example.”
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“I want to see Santa come at Christmas, but it may not happen. Minister, your party has been in control of the Department for many years. When will we see delivery and waiting lists driven down?”
“I appreciate your giving way. I agree with everything that you have said to this point, Sinéad, but was there anything in what I said or any part of the motion that says that we would not work together to deliver for people on a cross-border basis?”
“<BR /> <BR />Sharing this island is fundamental to me and to Alliance, but it means providing leadership and government here and now to deliver what our young people and business community need right now. That cannot be ignored or bypassed.”
“This is about putting more money into people's pockets, giving them opportunities and allowing them to work in jobs in which they can thrive and grow; a shared future; a reconciled and practical example of a shared island, delivering social justice — integration that delivers better. <BR /> <BR />I cannot support the SDLP amendment, as it changes the call of the motion by removing the extension of Skillnet Ireland to Northern Ireland. I have addressed how it would and should work on an all-island basis. The same system should work, but the amendment simply says that the Minister should pass responsibility to a new body that does not exist. Importantly, there are no plans in the South even to make that body exist, and so the amendment puts ideology in front of the betterment of the people. Alliance wants that betterment right now.”
“By doing so — this is at the heart of the motion — we will create better opportunities for young people that deliver prosperity and give hope and, ultimately, deliver for our workforce and local employers and raise standards of living for our population.”
“Businesses tell me all the time that they want to create apprenticeships but do not have a link to a training course in a technical college to enable students to get the qualification that the business needs. What is currently being done needs to be adapted to meet what businesses need. Doing what we have always done will not cut it. The skills gap must be addressed urgently. Businesses are calling for that, and our young people deserve it. <BR /> <BR />Alliance is calling on the Minister for the Economy to establish a talent-developing agency that is modelled on Skillnet Ireland and other proven European approaches.”
“What the motion calls for would deliver that specific action and join the work of the two Departments so that we are not wasting money and resources by duplicating different courses at different times for the same people. Local business organisations are calling for that. NI Chamber has been leading the shouts and campaigning for that, and we are calling for it to be implemented right now. <BR /> <BR />I want to give an example of how this would work. I recently met a large IT company in Belfast that employs graduates. Once they are employed, the company has to put them on an intense internal training course for 12 weeks. Why is that? It is because their degree does not cover what the business needs. There are other examples.”
“<BR /> <BR />I must note that I am concerned about the approach of the Department for the Economy and the Department of Education to working together in this area. That concern comes from a recent Public Accounts Committee (PAC) investigation into skills, which found complete breakdown in this area, with fragmentation and substantial amounts of money being wasted through duplication. One of the recommendations was about ensuring that funding for further and higher education bodies is directed towards the provision of courses that address the skills need and adapt quickly to provide the growth areas in our economy. By further working with the Department of Education, the Department for the Economy must do more to raise awareness and incentivise the uptake of those courses to reduce the skills gap.”
“Alliance wants to see the Skillnet Ireland model implemented in Northern Ireland, working together North/South as needed. That is a flexible model that links business and industry with colleges, universities and schools. It is based around a sector or a geographical area. Having a Skillnet Ireland model would enable cross-border, all-island economic cooperation, and, as I said, we should work on a North/South basis to help remove some of the mobility and skills issues that we hear about repeatedly in the Economy Committee and that arise when somebody lives on one side of the border and the business is on the other side, whichever way round it is. We must focus on making sure that we put the appropriate training courses in place to match what industry needs, thus creating opportunities and empowering people.”
“We have to create opportunities, give hope and fundamentally ensure that we stop leaving young people behind. We must make sure that delivery opens up pathways for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, empowering them and offering them a better future. We have to remove barriers for people who did not pass GSCE maths and English at the age of 16 to give them a future and enable them to hope for better. This must include people with additional needs. I commend Alma White on the work that she has done with Caleb's Cause to help a generation of young people who also need our support. <BR /> <BR />That is why Alliance is calling for the extension of what already exists in the South and what our local business organisations have been calling for. Let us learn from what works and implement it here.”
“Prosperity must be shared. Everybody must be given opportunities to better themselves. Job opportunities, skills and social justice for all must be delivered. <BR /> <BR />As industry moves quickly with the advancement of AI and advanced manufacturing, it is becoming increasingly difficult for our young generation to secure training and employment opportunities, because opportunities are either limited or in high demand. No young person should be left without hope or have their future blocked by barriers, and no business should be held back by a broken skills system. Skills are the foundation of any economy, and an ever-growing skills base is vital if we are to deliver the economic and social transformation that Northern Ireland needs.”
“If, however, we are not going to give them the help and the hand up that they need in order to align their skills with the requirements of business and industry to get opportunities, we cannot move forward. From examples across the border — very close to us — we can see that far more people move into employment if the right connections are in place or built to enable them to do so. <BR /> <BR />I will provide some context for our economy here. Our economy is crying out for an additional 5,000 skilled workers each year just to stand still, yet we are failing our young people and our business community. Alliance therefore tabled this motion as the party of opportunities. We want to see the region flourish. We want people to have opportunities, skills and qualifications. Their not having them is a barrier that must be addressed.”
“Thank you, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker. The latest figures, released this week, show that almost 25,000, or 10%, of our young people between the ages of 16 and 24 are not in education, employment or training (NEET). They are without hope and have had their futures put on hold. Rather than table one on culture wars or the constitutional battles that we have week in, week out in this place, Alliance tabled this motion, which speaks to our core values of social justice, reconciliation, building a shared society, working to share this island and just making life better for everyone. To do that, we cannot leave 25,000 young people behind. It is an issue that the Assembly must tackle. <BR /> <BR />It is fundamentally wrong to complain that our young people are lazy. We heard that narrative earlier this morning.”
“The integration of the business community and investment in infrastructure has to be a part of that. <BR /> <BR />We have to share this island. Aviation is an example of an area in which that has to happen. At a time when a constituent cannot get to see a GP, and when delays meant that the Department of Health spent £2·5 billion on a computer system in the past three years, I am not putting my name to a call to fund an air link to America. We do not even have a flight. To put public money into that when people cannot get GP appointments is bonkers. There is no way that I can support the Ulster Unionist amendment, but I will support the DUP motion.”
“Cork has a regional airport. Cork has Pfizer, Apple and other massive American companies. There is no connection from Cork to America. However, Cork does have connections to Frankfurt, Munich, Paris and Madrid, as well as to London, Manchester, Glasgow and all of those. It is about building connections and growing them as part of a wider strategy, acknowledging that there is an airport on the island that has worldwide links. There are eight million people on this island. There are not airports with worldwide connections for tourists and the business community in every region of France. France looks to Paris and then to Geneva and everywhere else. We have to think a little bit bigger than, "This is Northern Ireland. We have to have our own".”
“I absolutely agree: there is an opportunity for us. We should grow the market here, but you cannot take it in isolation; you have to look at the whole. I go skiing every year in the Alps in France, and I fly into Geneva airport. The French are not having an argument about building a new airport because people fly into Switzerland. Putting forward something that suggests that we are two completely different and alien places is bonkers. It reduces the issue to being a constitutional one, rather than it being about the practical delivery of better provision for everyone.”
“Any strategy needs to be based on the wider context, not just on the three airports here. It needs to look at the wider piece. If we look at Europe —”
“I was about to say just that. <BR /> <BR />Part of the strategy has to be departmental. It has to be wider than just saying, "We want a route here" or, "We want a route there"; it has to be what our economies and businesses need. Infrastructure, including the all-island transport rail review, needs to be incorporated into it, as does the innovation strategy. It cannot be just some political vanity project. <BR /> <BR />The reality is that 70% of our tourists travel through the South, and 84% of all flights from this island leave from Dublin Airport. There is already a global hub on this island; it might take Steve seven hours to get there on some sort of slow boat, but it is a 90-minute drive for anybody else. In reality, you cannot have a strategy without referencing that.”
“Steve, if it takes you seven hours to get through an airport, I am not sure how long it would take you to get a train to Belfast airport and then get through it. <BR /> <BR />An aviation strategy must be about economic growth. It must be wider than just routes.”
“People here want better job opportunities, higher wages and higher living standards. Public transport network links to the airports are essential. The Ulster Unionist Party left that out of its amendment. Connectivity via, for example, the Knockmore line to link my constituents and those in South Antrim to the International Airport must be part of that wider strategy.”
“We support the motion. I am laughing at some of the comments that have been made in the Chamber, because we come at the motion with a focus on creating jobs, greater investment, exports for our businesses, connectivity, support for our business community and opportunities for everyone; we are not that focused on the constitutional sound bites that we have heard here today. <BR /> <BR />The facts are unavoidable: we live on an island. Aviation is not a luxury in that regard; it is absolutely essential in order to connect us to the rest of the world. We are the only region without an aviation strategy. That failure needs to be put right. We need that connectivity and frequency of flights to GB and Europe. Essential to maximising the dual market access that we have is connectivity.”
“What further support does the Minister need from his Executive colleagues over the next year as he addresses the crisis in water quality across Northern Ireland?”
“Last week, the Minister announced £82 million of spending for 20 clubs, but he has only £36 million available. The GAA, Ulster Rugby, Ulster Hockey and all the other sports also need capital investment, so can the Minister tell us what other capital funding he is exploring to bridge that funding gap so that we can finally see the delivery of the full football fund, Casement Park and upgrades to all the other grounds that need them?”
“I welcome the Minister's statement earlier, what she has said in answering the question and last week's announcement about the new renewables scheme. However, it is all developer-led. I have repeatedly asked for a Department plan to link all of that together to give confidence that we will move forward in a way that gives best value for money. Is there a plan, and when will we see it?”
“I welcome the statement and thank the Minister for providing it to us earlier. Minister, you talked about the uplift, and that is verified, but what is different today from what was in place last year? What has changed? Do you accept that RHI has been mismanaged by the Department and that trust has been damaged? What are you doing to repair the trust not only with those RHI participants who went into the scheme in good faith but with the MLAs who are on the Committee?”
“That happened because once people find that a service is good, reliable and connects them, they use it. That is the important part. We need a timeline from the Minister of where we go from here so that we can look at delivery. If we had a timeline, we could start to deliver. I appreciate that the Minister is here tonight, and I appreciate her work on it. She has been engaging on it over the past while since she has been in post. It is about that timeline for delivery of what we can do and when we can see it happening for people.”
“I completely agree that we need to look at this on an all-island basis. I talk all the time in here about a shared island and at looking at stuff strategically not as a political vision but as development that will help people. We cannot afford to be left behind with this, and it needs to be built into such strategies. I agree completely that the line should be upgraded and seen in its totality rather than as an individual part of the system. Net zero should also be considered, with fewer cars and lower emissions. <BR /> <BR />The other element is the way that it will be used. The midnight train from Belfast to Lisburn never happened. We called for that for years. We were told that it could never happen and that it was too expensive and would never run. However, it was put on at Christmas and has continued to today.”
“<BR /> <BR />If you look at other plans, you can see that, the week before last, Dublin launched plans for the Metro. Those are ambitious plans for an underground system that would connect Dublin Airport to the city. Belfast City Airport today announced its 2040 strategy, but my first question is this: why do we have to wait to 2040? Can we not bring that forward, do it much earlier and start delivering quickly for people?”
“If we created those other connections, we could start to offer sustainable transport and ways to deliver it. <BR /> <BR />The benefit to the wider area would be substantial. The economic growth at the airport has been mentioned, and, as Trevor, John and Declan said, jobs would be needed there and must be filled, and people must be moved so that that can happen. That is key. The connectivity piece is really critical for tourism and to allow the business community to get inward investment and local companies to get their business out so that investment in this place can grow. It is part of the all-island rail review. I agree with Steve on that. That has to start to be delivered, and this is one of the low-hanging fruits, especially as the track is already there.”
“We have overdeveloped Hillsborough and Moira to the point of absolute saturation such that you cannot move in either village at any point in time and the traffic is completely crazy. However, we have Ballinderry, or Ballinderry Upper, which we have not developed, and there is a train line there and main road infrastructure. Developing that area could ease the pressure on planning for housing, especially as we all need housing. However, if this railway line were to reopen, we would have the infrastructure in place before we started to develop housing, rather than putting the housing in place before matching it with infrastructure. That would start to ease the pressure on the M1, which mainly becomes a car park as you come into Belfast, and on the A26 to Antrim.”
“I remind the Member that it was not us who closed the line in the first place or who reduced the service. That part of Lagan Valley has not changed. The area between Ballinderry and Glenavy remain the same. <BR /> <BR />We have waited too long for progress on this matter. It is two years since Translink's feasibility study came out, and that is too long. If this place is to start being seen as a place that delivers for people, this is exactly the kind of project that we can deliver and change that we can make for people's lives. It is about connecting communities and the benefits that that can bring to the villages right across the area that every Member here has named. <BR /> <BR />One of the problems that we have had in Lagan Valley is that we have two or three main villages.”
“I thank John for bringing the Adjournment debate to the House and for all his work on the issue. When he was a councillor, David Ford was in the Assembly, and the Knockmore line was being put forward then. <BR /> <BR />I bring a Lagan Valley, rather than South Antrim, perspective to the debate. We will fight about where the line goes. Reopening the Knockmore line is about connecting people to jobs. It is about linking the airport to the rail network and building a economy. It is about our community.”
“I thank the Minister for his statement. As others have said, every penny invested in sport is really welcome. I associate myself with the Minister's comments about our athletes and their success. Half of the South's Olympic medals came from our incredible athletes from the North. The context is that £1 million is spent here and £230 million is being spent in the South. Have you had any engagement with any Minister in the Southern Government on the Shared Island Fund to look at increasing the money that is available here to ensure that, in the future, our athletes have the facility in the longer term for more money to be invested in them and to harness sport for reconciliation?”
“I welcome the progression of the programme for Lisburn Rangers, Ballymacash Rangers and Lisburn Distillery in Lagan Valley. I have worked with all three. They are brilliant clubs, and I look forward to seeing their projects delivered. Minister, you talked about going above the £36 million and taking forward projects valued at £82 million, with applications totalling almost £100 million approved. First, have you created expectations on which you cannot deliver? Secondly, what discussions have you have with the Minister of Finance about having the budget for the roll-out over the years that you talked about to deliver on all the projects?”
“It is about providing good jobs, achieving regional balance, having stronger exports and putting money back in people's pockets. It is also about creating hope and securing our place in a modern economy.”
“<BR /> <BR />We need a strategy and delivery plan that provide a strong skills pipeline for apprenticeships and reskilling; a Skillnet Ireland-type body in Northern Ireland that supports SMEs to adopt digital and industry technologies; regional investment zones such as at the Maze and Blaris, which are in my area; plug-and-play industrial parks; and net zero manufacturing to keep firms competitive. We have the talent, the ambition and the entrepreneurs here. We have 19,000 young people who are not in education, employment or training. We need to identify how we can address that issue. We need government leadership and a manufacturing strategy and action plan that deliver on growth and bring in skills and jobs for the next generation.”
“<BR /> <BR />Last week, I spoke at the Northern Ireland Manufacturing and Supply Chain Conference and Exhibition at the Eikon exhibition centre, at which industry leaders showcased the latest technology and innovation. They were really clear that they need to hear more than words from the Assembly. I again call on the Minister for the Economy to bring forward a manufacturing strategy and, crucially, an action plan to go along with it. <BR /> <BR />Other regions are racing ahead. Germany has its Industrie 4.0 strategy, Singapore has its advanced manufacturing 2030 vision and the Republic updates its strategy every five years. Only last week, it launched a new action plan to deliver on that. Meanwhile, we risk falling behind here, and that means missed investment, weaker productivity and lost opportunity.”
“Today, I welcome the investment in 1,000 new jobs. That good news shows the value of investing in our people. Three years ago, funding went into college training programmes. The weekend's announcement proves that supporting skills and backing our young people delivers real opportunities. That is why it is essential that, moving forward, Northern Ireland have a joined-up approach, such as that taken by Skillnet Ireland in the South, in order to build a pipeline of talent linking business with education and our colleges to build opportunities and attract global investment. I have just left a meeting with Seagate, during which we talked about exactly the same thing.”
“Leprino is creating jobs and more employment in the area to add to the success of Coca-Cola, PRM and Leckey in my constituency. <BR /> <BR />It is a joke that, on the very first day back, a negative motion has been tabled that is inaccurate, looks backwards and completely talks us down rather than allowing this place to grow. Alliance, however, will always tell the story of creating jobs and skills, bringing investment and wanting to see opportunities, be they in Upper Bann, Lagan Valley or North Antrim. We want this place to do well. We want it to be better for people and to create jobs and put money in their pockets.”
“Yes, 100%. <BR /> <BR />On Friday, I met representatives from Leprino, which was Glanbia. Michelle Guy and I met them to talk about skills and the problem that they are having in bringing in workforce. They are bringing in skills, and apprenticeships are growing. The degree pathway is coming in, but there are also opportunities for people who work on the ground floor, as they are able to be promoted from within. That company will grow by 15% in the next two years. Leprino is moving all its production to Magheralin in Upper Bann. What is the reason? I did not say anything; I just asked why it is happening, and the simple answer was that it is because of Brexit and dual market access. From here, we can access Europe, the South, with the all-island economy, and GB.”
“<BR /> <BR />I want to give a positive story about a business in Upper Bann that is in an area that will come into Lagan Valley after the next election. We keep hearing in this place that we have not seen dual market access. I have talked about Coca-Cola and that success. I have talked about Monster Energy drinks and that success. I have talked about PRM Group, and Marks and Spencer was mentioned. There has been an increase in business in 1,000 lines for Marks and Spencer in Lisburn because of dual market access. There is also Leckey. I could go on. I will talk, however, about Leprino in Magheralin.”
“That is thanks to access to the EU markets and the UK market. <BR /> <BR />You quoted the FSB, but, actually, the motion completely misquotes it. Steve constantly makes a declaration of interest at the start of every contribution, so I might as well copy him. I am a member of the FSB, and I declare that. I have huge respect for what it does. I come from a business background. However, there were 778 responses from the 5·5 million businesses that are in the UK. The FSB itself said at Committee that that is not representative of 5·5 million businesses. Of those 778 responses, 112 were from Northern Ireland. The FSB does not claim that a third of businesses have stopped trading, so for the motion to do so is not only inaccurate but a downright, complete manipulation of what was said.”
“You asked what business wants. Over the summer, I spoke to representatives from the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the CBI, and I met representatives from the FSB twice. They all want stability and less drama in order to allow businesses to operate. They want us to stay out of the road and allow businesses to make money. Business is crying out for stability and certainty. It does not need the DUP to talk this place down. <BR /> <BR />Let us talk about facts. Northern Ireland to GB trade is up by 12%. Actually, it is 12·4%, which is more than 12%. GB to Northern Ireland trade went up by 16% in the past year. Our economy is growing faster than that of any other region in the UK. The UK economy is not growing at any rate, but, for the first time in a long time, we are better than anywhere else as the UK limps along.”
“It is a result of the choices that you guys all made all those years ago. That is why we got a hard Brexit: your obsession with it, your objection to softer deals and your collapsing this place. You created the conditions for which we needed the Windsor framework. The problems are your own. If you want to go and talk about it, have a committee somewhere in a room, and go and deal with your problems, but do not bring to us your "no, nay, never" politics, which are anti-stability, anti-investment and anti-opportunity, when we want this place to move forward.”
“On the first day back, this is the first motion. A couple of weeks ago, we had an announcement that 19,000 young people between the ages of 16 and 24 are not in education, training or employment and have absolutely no hope of anything in the future, yet the DUP brings a motion on the Windsor framework. You could not make this up. It is negative and anti-business. It is not about jobs, skills or stability. It is just more drama and more of the DUP talking Northern Ireland down, as it continually does. The previous Member who spoke confirmed that this has nothing to do with the economy or business; it is about their constitutional rights. That is all that this is about. However, the bit that the DUP cannot get its head around is that it holds the responsibility for the Windsor framework. It did not fall from the sky.”
“The Executive Office has a key role to play in providing much-needed support for asylum seekers and refugees, especially with the recent publication of the refugee integration strategy and delivery framework. That provision should help towards aspects of that strategy. <BR /> <BR />Overall, Alliance believes that the Bill is the best mechanism to help Departments to tidy up several administrative matters and handle routine financial matters. It is positive to see that miscellaneous legislation is being regularised by the Bill to ensure that the necessary powers are up to date, especially given that the previous Financial Provisions Bill was enacted over 10 years ago. <BR /> <BR />We welcome the Bill, and I look forward to its coming to the Committee for scrutiny.”
“The Bill is another positive step towards doing something about that and provides the Department with the flexibility to support that aim. <BR /> <BR />Alliance welcomes the provision to enable the Executive Office to:”
“We also welcome the changes around tourism that the Minister mentioned. We would be interested in the Minister's response to comments about Casement Park and larger developments. <BR /> <BR />It is important that the Executive Office will have powers to incur expenditure to do anything that it deems necessary to support its leading role in implementing the aims of the strategic framework to end violence against women and girls, which was referred to a number of times. The tragic murder of Sarah Montgomery happened in the past number of days. That brings into sharp focus and highlights the key priority that tackling violence against women and girls must be for the Executive through the Programme for Government.”
“It is some time since we have had such a Bill, so it is really welcome that it is moving through the legislative process. Although the Bill is largely technical, it is welcome that it will give almost every Department enabling powers to make it much smoother to lend funds or incur expenditure that Departments deem appropriate, to amend technical aspects of legislation and to provide services that otherwise would not be provided. <BR /> <BR />Most of the financial provisions align with departmental priorities and strategies. For the Committee for the Economy, of which I am a member, it is welcome that the Department will be able to establish a limited company, where that is deemed to be in the interests of growing the local economy, and to provide financial support through loans to higher education institutions, should it see fit.”
“I feel like Matthew O'Toole, being on my feet constantly. I will be a more positive Matthew than the version that you are used to, Minister. The SDLP complained earlier about the number of Bills that have come through. The length of time that we have been back and the fact that the Bill is coming through only now shows how long it takes, after this place collapses, to start to get legislation through the House. It is a reminder that it is not just the length of time for which we are down but the length of time that the process takes once we come back that causes the delay. <BR /> <BR />On behalf of the Alliance Party, I support the Administrative and Financial Provisions Bill, which will help to deal with routine financial matters.”