Peter McReynolds
East Belfast · Alliance Party · Northern Ireland
“I start by sharing my condolences and those of my party colleagues to the family of Kourtney McCormick on her tragic passing. <BR /> <BR />I welcome the important next step in the introduction of the graduated driver licensing scheme as Alliance spokesperson for Infrastructure, a Policing Board member and chair of the all-party group on r…”
“<BR /> <BR />I commend those from the driving instructor industry, the DVA and those in the Northern Ireland Road Safety Partnership for all their work in preparing for the smooth introduction of the GDL measures. They have been proactive and thorough in ensuring that they understand what is expected of them to make GDL a success story.”
“We have already had 33 road deaths this year alone, and more than 150 since 2024. It is clear that more needs to be done to improve road safety.”
“The revised restrictions will include a mandatory minimum learning period of six months; a programme of training; a logbook; passenger restrictions; new R-plates; the extension of the post-test period to 24 months; and removal of the 45 mph speed limit on motorways.”
“First Minister, the Institute of Directors and the Construction Employers Federation are still calling for the establishment of an independent, expert-led infrastructure commission some five years after it appeared on page 27 of the previous Executive's COVID recovery plan, to which you were a co-signatory.”
“<BR /> <BR />East Belfast and Northern Ireland as a whole have huge potential for aviation development, and the master plan is just one part of a larger move towards sustainable and environmentally friendly travel.”
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“As the mobile action plan identifies, no Department has overall responsibility for mobile and digital roll-out. There is a need to work collectively to deliver parity of service across Northern Ireland. That also relies on a number of factors, of which planning is one. I recognise that the planning system can present a barrier to the expansion of mobile coverage by preventing the installation of infrastructure, thereby threatening to maintain regional disparities. <BR /> <BR />It is for that reason that mobile networks are built on a local basis, with the construction of one piece of infrastructure that requires one application to one planning authority.”
“The impact of 4G in rural areas is overwhelmingly positive and well documented: it is improving productivity, spearheading innovation and driving economic growth.”
“That is evidence of a significant digital divide between our rural and urban communities that contributes to the regional imbalance that has emerged west of the Bann, a problem of which we speak regularly in the Chamber and that I also regularly hear about from family. All our communities deserve access to high-quality, affordable and secure digital infrastructure to ensure that every person can benefit from fast and reliable communication networks.”
“I speak as an infrastructure spokesperson for the Alliance Party and as someone who had the wisdom and good sense to marry a woman from Strabane five years ago this November, so I speak to the motion as someone with family outside Belfast who are affected by poor mobile connectivity. As has been articulated by my party colleague, Andy McMurray, we support the principle of the DUP motion and the amendment from Sinn Féin, which rightly acknowledges the role of the Department for the Economy when it comes to increasing high-quality mobile coverage in rural areas in Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />Some 75% of Northern Ireland's rural areas are designated as total 5G not spots, meaning that, in three quarters of rural areas, you cannot access the 5G network.”
“Will the First Minister outline what focus the Department intends to give to the work on flags, identity, culture and tradition in relation to the Programme for Government?”
“Will the Minister outline what recent conversations have taken place between the Department for the Economy and the Department for Business and Trade at Westminster regarding Harland and Wolff?”
“A key part of ensuring that our water is safe to drink is ensuring that the waste water infrastructure operates as it should. What steps are you and your Department taking to work with Northern Ireland Water to improve its waste water treatment sites?”
“I will do all that I can to make sure that we get the commissioned services and the improvements that we need to make living with the condition easier.”
“I have recently been appointed as chair of the all-party group on ADHD. We are reinvigorated to do that and do what we can as a group to make sure that those living with the condition get the support and services that they deserve. Last week, we had our first meeting with the Health Minister and welcomed what he told us. That work appears to be taking place, and we recognise that it will take time that we simply do not have to correct the issues and challenges that people living and potentially living with it face. <BR /> <BR />As a group and as an ADHD community, we will continue to watch, engage and listen, but, crucially, we will not let it slip off the radar again. Those living with ADHD have suffered in silence for too long.”
“<BR /> <BR />Two to three generations of children have now grown up to be adults with ADHD. In that time, they have masked their symptoms and soldiered on into adulthood thinking that they were the problem when it was the lack of services and support that was failing them and, potentially, their parents due to the genetic link that exists in ADHD.”
“<BR /> <BR />Those challenges include being told that you are on a waiting list for eight to 10 years for an ADHD assessment, and, in the meantime, there is nothing available; being told that the private diagnosis that you paid over £1,000 for will not be accepted by your GP, but you can pay hundreds of pounds a month instead privately or join a waiting list because there is nothing available; or, lastly, being told that, because your child with that childhood diagnosis who had access to medication has reached the age of 18 and is now an adult, they will need a renewed diagnosis and there will be a gap in service due to fragmented care pathways. That is before we reach the daily symptoms of the condition and the impact that it has on that individual.”
“I rise today to speak on a topic that I have raised several times in the Chamber, and that is attention deficit hyperactivity disorder — ADHD — and the colossal gap in services that exists for children and adults across Northern Ireland. Last week, I was grateful to the Health Minister for meeting ADD-NI, which is a charity that has really led the charge on the topic over the past 27 years. On that note, I will single out Sarah Salters and Keith Anderson and thank them for the work that they have done over the past number of years in highlighting the unfair and needless challenges facing people living with and, crucially, potentially living with ADHD across Northern Ireland.”
“I thank the Minister for coming to the Chamber today. The Minister will, no doubt, be aware of the concern and uncertainty that many employees woke up to today after seeing social media. Will he confirm when he will meet the unions to update and reassure them that he and his Department are taking the matter seriously?”
“I thank the Minister for his response. He will be aware that the consultation closed in February: we are now in June. Can he assure me that he and his officials are doing everything that they can to ensure that that important education facility remains open and is supported to deliver on the aims of the 10X strategy? Summer is nearly here, and staff and students are contacting me about the proposed closure.”
“I thank the Minister for her response, and I certainly agree with the sentiment of her answer. Minister, do you agree that what took place on Saturday evening demonstrates the coercive control that such organisations exert over our communities and that discussions around group transition are no longer appropriate in 2024?”
“Will the Minister outline what support is in place for rape victims at trial?”
“I welcome the motion and the amendment. I welcome the goals and the ambition to secure a situation where fuel poverty is simply not allowed to happen again in Northern Ireland. It is crucial, however, that we work together to deliver a domestic renewable energy market for the benefit of our people and the planet. <BR /> <BR />Lastly, I welcome the fact that the Minister has accepted the need to work with the Utility Regulator — something that David Honeyford commented on — and note that his Department is exploring biomethane in particular, which is something that I was hearing about from Minister Muir today. He was energetic in his support for it, so my interest piqued when the Minister mentioned it. <BR /> <BR />I commend the motion and the amendment to the House.”
“It was good to hear the Minister for the Economy mention that he has been engaging with Minister O'Dowd on those issues in recent times.”
“Similar to Ms Eastwood, I have stood in too many homes in East Belfast that have walls painted black by damp, homes that have children living in them who cough from the damp in the air or homes that have residents wearing extra layers just to get by each day. Today's debate can go some way to making sure that such situations never happen again. <BR /> <BR />Secondly, as a member of the Infrastructure Committee, it was welcome for me to hear the Chair of the Economy Committee, Phillip Brett, and Philip McGuigan talk about the good working relationship on that Committee on such matters. I am sure that the Infrastructure Committee will be keen to work jointly with that Committee when it comes to planning issues and the necessary reform of the system to support our net zero targets.”
“An esteemed environmentalist, Sir Jonathon Porritt, talked to me about the need to be ambitious in everything that we do and to go from there to see where we end up. I try to apply that in all the approaches of my politics and to do my best for everyone. <BR /> <BR />I will not run through all the contributions from Members, as I think that we have all been pretty engaged throughout. Two things, however, jumped out at me that were highlighted by a number of Members. The first was the figure cited by David Honeyford and by Sinéad McLaughlin that 70% of houses here are reliant on home heating oil and that we have the least-energy-efficient homes in Europe. I have been aware of that via a handful of oil clubs in East Belfast, where I am an MLA, that seek to buy oil in bulk in order to drive down the cost.”
“If we get that right, we can stimulate the green economy and deliver for all the people who live here, while also addressing fuel poverty. <BR /> <BR />I will now turn to this afternoon's debate. As I said, we welcome the amendment from Ms McLaughlin on the need to increase retrofitting of social housing, and I welcome the consensus around the Chamber on the topic. It is such motions and amendments that got me involved in politics, as I want to make a difference and ensure that we reach everyone across our society, regardless of their community or class. I acknowledge that there is an ambition in the Chamber today, and I always remember speaking at an event while I was Deputy Lord Mayor of Belfast.”
“<BR /> <BR />As I have said before in the Chamber, 82% of renewable energy developers do not see Northern Ireland as an attractive place in which to invest, and, on average, it takes over three years for a wind farm application to be determined, with data from July 2023 showing that 125 applications for wind and solar farms are pending, the earliest of which was submitted in November 2012. That is important, because we will meet neither our "80 by 30" target nor the aims of the motion if we do not urgently address the gaps in our planning system. We need a planning system that has everyone singing from the same hymn sheet about what needs to be done to improve it and to deliver on the potential that we have in Northern Ireland.”
“There is significant untapped potential in renewable energy generation, especially from wind, in Northern Ireland, with here being one of the best places in the world to harvest the benefits of wind-generated energy. We truly could be a market leader in that space. To do that, we need to take urgent measures to speed up the consenting of renewables and permitted development rights for green infrastructure and to give priority to projects that deliver renewable and low-carbon energy in the planning system.”
“<BR /> <BR />The motion and the amendment contain key asks and set a direction that, I hope, the Minister will take us in, specifically when it comes to addressing our reliance on fossil fuels, energy transition and development rights for green infrastructure. As a member of the Infrastructure Committee, however, I think that it is also important to highlight the gaps that exist in our planning system, as has been mentioned in the debate, in order to achieve an increase in the renewables sector, a reduction in our reliance on fossil fuels and a rapid expansion of the domestic energy market. That is because, from April 2023 until March this year, less than half of total electricity consumption in Northern Ireland was generated from renewable energy sources. We can and must do better.”
“Those particular statistics are not from a film, however. Rather, it is real life that many here face, so it is essential that we as an Assembly and an Executive take the necessary steps to deliver energy that is sustainable and affordable and that we ensure that no gaps exist for people to fall between. It also shows me, as a new Member, the importance of having an Assembly again so that, when there are problems in our society, the mechanisms are there to address them, Ministers are there to take the necessary steps and we have a strategy or framework in place to work towards collectively for the benefit of everyone here.”
“Members will no doubt have read the briefing document circulated by National Energy Action in advance of today's debate. It sets out the importance of today and the potential next steps from the Assembly, as well as the impact of energy prices on households here from a recent survey. We already heard that 41% of households spend at least 10% of their outgoings on energy costs, with 19% just coping with those costs, because they have not been able to afford the costs of energy. Grimmest of all, we heard that one in 10 households is skipping meals to ensure that they have enough money to heat their home. When I read that last statistic just last night, I was reminded of a film that I saw eight years ago, 'I, Daniel Blake', and of the young mother in the film who skips meals so that she can feed her children.”
“Thank you, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker. I thank the contributors to the debate for their input. It touched on not only the challenges posed by the cost-of-living crisis faced by households across Northern Ireland and the climate emergency but the potential solutions that could lie out there, including a greener and more sustainable economy. <BR /> <BR />I will take this opportunity — my first — to welcome the Economy Minister back to his post.”
“I thank the Minister for his response. I have heard the Minister mention the standard of applications a number of times. Will he confirm whether, in saying that, he means local, major or regionally significant applications?”
“Thank you, Minister, for your statement. Can you provide an update on the sustainable production of biomethane?”
“However, brave people opted to stick to the frameworks and plans that had been laid and not to deviate, because the bigger picture and the need to stick to process were important to them. For the current challenge facing policing, we must stick to the rules and procedures that are in place to best hold our Police Service to account and allow the Justice Minister to make a more informed decision, should we as a Policing Board not be satisfied on the conclusion of the investigatory powers tribunal and the McCullough review.”
“It is better that we let that work take place, or we risk confusion, overlap, waste of public funds and, quite simply, ignoring the checks and balances that are put in place to safeguard and protect the public. <BR /> <BR />I was at a strategic planning event last week where we looked at the last five years of policing, at the present-day challenges and ahead to the next five years of the new policing plan. In the course of the conversations, one of the facilitators asked my table whether we knew about the challenges that faced the establishment of the PSNI on day 1 on 4 November 2001. He spoke about how some feared that it was too risky a decision to take at that time and that a pause would be best.”
“Moreover, I am aware that, just yesterday, the Chief Constable announced a review by Angus McCullough KC and a group of experts and stakeholders, including key, well-respected human rights and legal advocates, to ensure that the investigation is as robust as possible. That will lead to a public-facing report. During the work, Angus will be available to the Policing Board for scrutiny and updates. We will likely hear more about that at this Thursday's Policing Board meeting. Once we, as a board, are better informed by the work of Angus and the experts and stakeholders, we can decide whether it is appropriate for the Justice Minister to conduct an inquiry.”
“With the unamended motion, the appropriate process to determine whether alleged wiretapping and other unlawful practices have been and are being used against journalists would not be followed. <BR /> <BR />I share the SDLP's concerns, but to ignore the role of the Policing Board in the present scenario would risk undermining the delicate structures of policing here. I agree with the proposer of the amendment. The amendment would allow the Policing Board, which is operationally responsible for the PSNI, to be better informed as to what has taken place and to collectively decide its next steps, in which it may deem it necessary to involve the Minister of Justice.”
“<BR /> <BR />Since becoming involved in politics over 12 years ago, joining the Policing Board recently and chairing its partnership committee, I have been impressed by the many police officers with whom I have come into contact, their commitment to serving their community and the wide-reaching roles that they sometimes play as first responders — as paramedics, nurses and social workers. That gratitude, however, extends only so far. When serious allegations or concerns are raised, it is essential that the rules and appropriate processes are followed, whether that be for what I want to hear or not, to establish what has taken place. We tabled the amendment for that reason.”
“Having seen the 'No Stone Unturned' documentary many years ago and been made aware of the injustices that it highlighted, I feel that it is more than reasonable for sources to remain anonymous for fear of reprisal. What is more important in the circumstances of that documentary is access to truth as well as justice for the serious crimes that took place. It is in that context that I reaffirm my party's support for those holding power to be held accountable but also for those who have allegedly been under secret surveillance and for human rights law.”
“I welcome the motion and support the amendment. I also declare that I am a newly appointed member of the Policing Board. The motion is important because it reaffirms the Assembly's support for a free press and journalism in a democratic society, a sector that we all make use of every day to stay aware of the issues facing our constituents as well as wider society, as we work together to create a Northern Ireland for all. <BR /> <BR />I agree with the motion that journalists must be free from intimidation, harassment or surveillance. That is a significant part of UK law, through the Human Rights Act 1998. It is fair and essential that journalists are able to freely report on issues of public importance and not be obligated to reveal their sources. That, simply, would not last long before objectivity, truth and justice fall by the wayside.”
“I thank the Minister for his statement and take this opportunity to wish him well in his new role. He will no doubt be aware of the issues that face many adults in obtaining access to a potential ADHD diagnosis. I laid a petition with the Speaker on the matter on 23 April, calling on the previous Health Minister to urgently commission adult ADHD services in Northern Ireland. Unfortunately, I am yet to receive a response. The petition now has 3,882 signatures. Will the Minister agree today to meet me and ADD-NI as a matter of urgency to tell us his plans to tackle adult ADHD in Northern Ireland?”
“I thank the Minister for his response. Can he outline how he will ensure that necessary capital works are delivered for the new academic year, so that all children with a specialist placement in a mainstream school or nursery are able to access their place on a full-time basis from the start of the academic year?”
“The contrast between what Minister Muir bid for and received is stark: £95·8 million bid for versus £15·2 million received. The Minister is now reprioritising within that context. <BR /> <BR />Many in the Chamber have mentioned this point already but it needs to be repeated: Northern Ireland requires better financial governance. That includes the implementation of a more effective funding formula and the establishment of multi-year Budgets to ensure stability and progress in our financial management.”
“The programme offers initiatives, packages and measures aimed at promoting the economic and environmental sustainability of Northern Ireland's important agricultural sector. The rural affairs aspect of the AERA brief continues to require funding for various initiatives. Those include the development and implementation of social enterprise support programmes tailored to rural areas, with a focus on improving health and well-being, addressing rural poverty and combating social isolation by connecting rural and urban communities. <BR /> <BR />The funding package proposed for the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs is insufficient to sustain progress and take the necessary steps for a more environmentally friendly and cleaner future across the sectors governed by DAERA.”
“Improving that level of depletion demands immediate investment and resources. The Department responsible for the environment must be in a position to formalise the many overdue policies and strategies that have remained stagnated alongside the Assembly's collapse, such as the biodiversity strategy, the marine strategy, the peatland strategy and the clean air strategy. Many of those awaited strategies relate directly to climate change and are, therefore, crucial to protecting the natural environment. Implementing those strategies will require dedicated resources and expenditure. <BR /> <BR />I welcome Minister Muir's recent agriculture commitments such as the farm support and development programme.”
“It is evident that prioritising more immediate short-term concerns such as waiting lists has its benefits. There is no doubt that many areas of our public services require urgent attention and expenditure. However, failing to adequately fund environmental protection will result in significant costs in the future. Those costs will have not only economic but social implications, and, of course, they will have environmental implications. <BR /> <BR />At last week's RSPB event in this Building, entitled Nature Can't Wait, the recent biodiversity intactness index was referenced repeatedly. That index is a tool for identifying the amount of nature that a country has lost over time, and it placed Northern Ireland twelfth from the bottom out of 240 countries. That is 228th and the lowest in the G7.”
“Mr Speaker, I welcome you back to your post. <BR /> <BR />I rise on behalf of the Alliance Party to make some comments on matters relating to the expenditure proposals for the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, as laid out by the Finance Minister this month. I start by commending the AERA Minister on his work so far in committing to tackle our climate and environmental challenges. The environmental crisis that we are experiencing in Lough Neagh, in particular, presents a significant challenge not only in the current financial year but on an ongoing basis due to budgetary constraints. The required work and statutory commitment to climate action may result in other important strategies and programmes being put on hold or delayed due to budgetary constraints.”
“I thank the junior Minister for her response, and I congratulate her on her appointment to her new role since I last saw her. <BR /> <BR />What resources will be available during this and future financial years to ensure the implementation of the strategic framework?”
“Given the evidence that the absence of the institutions caused considerable harm to preparations for the pandemic, what steps will be taken in the coming weeks towards meaningful institutional reform?”
“I will keep my remarks brief. It is with no doubt that I welcome the introduction of the regulations from an Infrastructure perspective. I remember my colleague Sian Mulholland leading the charge on this while we were councillors together in Belfast, alongside Katrina McDonnell from The Homeless Period Belfast. <BR /> <BR />Equitable access to period products in public spaces is long overdue, and I give thanks to former MLA Pat Catney for bringing this much-needed legislation forward in the Assembly. It will go some way to relieving period poverty, tackling the taboo around periods and ensuring that women and girls will not have to go without basic sanitary provision in 2024. Period products are essential items, and it is time that we started treating them as such. Today's changes will go some way to achieving that.”
“I appreciate that Minister Murphy was of the view that he would not be able to do that and that it was a campus decision. However, like Ms Bunting, I fear that we are sleepwalking into a decision that we will look back on and wonder whether more could have been done. I call on Minister Hargey to do all that she can to intervene and to engage with senior management as a matter of urgency.”
“As I have said multiple times in the Chamber, with the energy that we now have in this Building — a restored Executive, a Minister in post and a watching public who do not expect us to be perfect at all times — it would be a crying shame for my constituents in East Belfast and for us as elected Members if we allowed the campus to close without so much as attempting to intervene. <BR /> <BR />That is why I again call on the new Economy Minister to take an interest in the proposed campus closure, take up the offer that Naomi and I made earlier this year on behalf of the college to meet them, hear their concerns and challenges and listen to what plans for the future could be realised with government intervention at this time.”
“That is data that, I must say, I am not so sure about, given the graph that I and Michael Long, a councillor for the area, were shown that compared the enrolments at the Castlereagh campus with those in all the other campuses in Belfast. When we asked for a clearer breakdown, we were told that that data was not publicly available. I know that the staff share my concerns regarding the accuracy of the information, further compounding the uncertainty and distress in the college at this time and over the past number of months. <BR /> <BR />Finally, it would be remiss of me not to highlight the scenario that we were in last year. I was a frustrated MLA and this place lay empty and silent to the concerns that were being raised by staff and students at the proposed closure.”
“We will need skills to deliver on that strategy. The goals of the 10X strategy are essential and the Castlereagh campus plays a crucial role in delivering them and creating the minds that are going to deliver for the economy here in Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />Aside from the skills that East Belfast would begin to miss out on, there are passionate staff who care about their students and have been in contact with me, as they have been with Ms Bunting. At one of the public consultations last year, teachers spoke out at the slow erosion of classrooms in the college over the past number of years, which skewed the data that the college had presented to show how enrolments had been steadily declining over the years.”