Brian Kingston
North Belfast · Democratic Unionist Party · Northern Ireland
“As a DUP member of the Justice Committee, I welcome the Victims and Witnesses of Crime Bill moving to Second Stage. As other Members have mentioned, we are currently handling three substantial Bills at Justice Committee: the Justice Bill, the amendments on which we completed voting on earlier today after seven days of debate; the Criminal…”
“We recognise, however, that the commissioner is not to be an appeal mechanism for when, for example, the outcome of a trial is considered to be unsatisfactory, such as when an unduly lenient sentence is handed down.”
“The special measures include ensuring that an alleged perpetrator is not allowed to cross-examine the victim of the alleged offence, including in sexual crime cases. <BR /> <BR />We heard comments from the Sinn Féin Member for Mid Ulster in praise of her party's support for victims' human rights.”
“We are aware that the trial process often focuses more on the defendant who is charged with an offence than it does on the victims of the alleged crime. Victims must be at the heart of the justice system, not peripheral to it.”
“We welcome the fact that, through the legislation, the post will be formally established and regulated. <BR /> <BR />The principal aim of the commissioner is to promote the interests of victims and witnesses. The commissioner is intended to have a strategic role rather than to become involved in individual cases. Indeed, clause 8 states:”
“Although the Minister notified us a week ago that he would make his statement, it was disappointing that we received the text of it less than an hour before he was scheduled to give it in the Chamber, which did not help us with scrutiny.”
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“Creating opportunity for children from disadvantaged backgrounds, be it through greater educational attainment, training, apprenticeships or employment, will be crucial to breaking the cycle of poverty for many. That requires buy-in from a number of Departments, not least Education, Economy and Communities. Child poverty is an Executive responsibility. Its significance in the context of devolution is enshrined in the Northern Ireland Act 1998. Building on the Audit Office findings, there must be strong levels of accountability for individual Departments. Departments need to be able to monitor and report on progress against specific actions. <BR /> <BR />Poor health and well-being remains a key barrier to tackling poverty.”
“It is misguided to think that outcomes for children from low-income backgrounds will be transformed without our taking a holistic approach to the factors that, in many cases, led previous generations into the same situation. We also, however, recognise the need for targeted interventions to address child poverty. Evidence suggests that adults who grew up in poverty tend to earn less, have a higher risk of unemployment and pay less tax over their lifetime, so the earlier that support is provided, the better. <BR /> <BR />Dealing with low incomes cannot be singularly addressed by providing financial support to those affected, although it is essential that the most vulnerable be protected in that way. We need to address the root causes of poverty, which are multifaceted, rather than simply tackle the symptom.”
“The Northern Ireland Executive continue to be hamstrung by the absence of a fiscal floor that is baselined back to the point from which Treasury funding for Northern Ireland public services dropped below assessed need, in April 2022. Looking forward, it is vital that we be afforded the same protections that Wales enjoys to prevent its funding falling below need. We require the uplift in funding and a proper fiscal floor. Without addressing that chronic underfunding, the prospect of ring-fencing funding for tackling child poverty, or poverty more generally, is deeply challenging amid competing pressures. We feel that the Alliance amendment injects a sense of realism in that regard. <BR /> <BR />There are many drivers of poverty.”
“<BR /> <BR />The recent Northern Ireland Audit Office report expressed concern that having a:”
“The DUP is fully committed to an anti-poverty strategy that makes a tangible difference to the life of children across Northern Ireland. It will be crucial to stopping the recent rise in the number of children and adults living in relative poverty. Furthermore, we believe that it is not possible to deliver better outcomes for children from lower-income households without taking a whole-system approach to tackling the causes of disadvantage in our society. We submitted an amendment to the motion that made that point, but it was not selected for debate. We welcome the Alliance Party's amendment, however, in particular its focus on an integrated anti-poverty strategy. <BR /> <BR />We need an anti-poverty strategy that is deliverable and that will not simply gather dust. That means focusing on interventions that yield the greatest results.”
“I thank the Minister for his answer, but it is disappointing that there is no prospect of additional funding for community pharmacies. The pharmacists whom I have met tell me that they are not able to draw a salary: they are, literally, using up their life savings out of loyalty to their customers and their staff. I ask again: is the Minister seeking to take forward any sort of review of the funding arrangements, or is he just accepting that there is no money available?”
“How successful has the CIT project been to date? What has been delivered through it?”
“As a member of the Communities Committee, I welcome the Minister's statement, the fact that he has stepped forward to take responsibility for this matter, in conversation with other Ministers, and his plan to bring forward the necessary legislation. Does his Department have the necessary resource, which he just explained, to deliver on the matter in a timely manner and be part of the joint working across the Executive to deliver for the residents?”
“In North Belfast, we have a number of interfaces. In places, it is like a patchwork quilt. Some people almost try to deny that there are issues there, but there are, and, even though there has been a great improvement in those areas, things can flare up, so those issues need to be managed well. <BR /> <BR />I thank the Minister for his attendance today. I thank the Member opposite for securing the Adjournment debate, and I look forward to the Minister's contribution.”
“They work hard, and we need the vacancies in those public-facing positions to be filled.”
“<BR /> <BR />I also want to speak positively, as my colleague did, about the building successful communities programme, which was an initiative of a former Minister from my party who recognised that always waiting for the waiting lists to grow in certain areas to justify a development was a negative cycle and that there was a need to break that by putting some new housing into an area. It has been very successful in lower Shankill and Tigers Bay, and it also operated in lower Oldpark. The actual work in lower Shankill is continuing. As well as housing, there have been other developments with the new walkway and improvements to some publicly and privately owned sites with clawbacks in place. It has made a significant difference in those disadvantaged areas. <BR /> <BR />My colleague mentioned the Housing Executive staff.”
“I am a very strong supporter of the co-ownership scheme, and it is making that path possible for people. <BR /> <BR />I want to mention a particular area with opportunity sites, which is Glencairn. With the Forthriver ward now moving into North Belfast, it certainly has opportunity sites and is very much in need of a village plan. As the Minister may know, through Belfast City Council, we have most of the funding needed for a community facility at the heart of Glencairn. There is a need for remaining funding to cover the cost of that, but the area is crying out for a proper village plan and it has the opportunity sites within it to make that viable.”
“I sometimes hear of other areas where residents and communities are opposing social housing, but that is certainly not the experience in North Belfast. People want to see developments taking place, and we urge the Department to work where there is that willingness and see sites brought forward. <BR /> <BR />I agree with the comments about co-ownership. We have seen private developments where, in some areas, the market was not strong and developers were sitting on their land. We are now seeing sites moving forward and, in some of those areas, maybe a third of the houses are being sold through co-ownership. I agree that it provides a path into home ownership for people for whom, otherwise, the level of deposit or the mortgage interest rates would be prohibitive.”
“We will have to address the need to invest in the waste water system and find a way to fund it to address the problem. <BR /> <BR />The Minister may be aware that, in the greater Shankill area, a lobby group has set up the BUILD project, which has mapped the number of derelict and housing opportunity sites, as I call them, in that area. Over 70 viable sites have been developed, some in private ownership and some in statutory ownership, with the Department for Communities, the Education Authority or other Government bodies. My colleagues and I have been working with the BUILD group to push for statutory bodies to meet, at a senior level, the Housing Executive, the Department for Communities and Belfast City Council and asking for a coordinated strategic plan to bring forward those sites.”
“Now, typically, you would need 150-plus to have any chance. As I said, we are constantly working with the Housing Executive, the Department, housing associations and private developers to see those sites brought forward. There are always complications along the way, but that work continues. <BR /> <BR />Yesterday's debate about water infrastructure was obviously very relevant to this. It is usually one of the main stumbling hurdles, with developers being told they have to build extra pipework to make the connections to the storm drains or the sewerage system and to keep the two systems separate, which is adding six-figure sums on to developments and making some small developments unviable. This issue will not go away for us, as an Assembly.”
“<BR /> <BR />Closely associated with that housing work is the work on the environment: alleyways, areas where there has been dumping and areas that are not being well maintained, where proper maintenance may not have been planned from the start. <BR /> <BR />First, the good news is that demand in North Belfast is increasing. That is good. It would be good, though, if that resulted in more social housing sites being brought forward. A frustration that we have is that, where that demand increases, we do not see the increase in the number of sites. That means that more people are frustrated and disappointed and asking us to lobby for them to help them to get social housing. I can remember the times when people could get a social house in greater Shankill or North Belfast with fewer than 50 points.”
“I welcome the debate, as others have done, and thank the Member for securing the debate on housing in North Belfast. I think that all five MLAs from North Belfast agree that this is the number-one issue that they deal with in the number of requests that come into their constituency offices. Those come from people who are seeking for us to help to push their case for social housing or who require repairs to social housing, as well as from people in private tenancies — a bit more work is needed, through the council, to make improvements to those properties — or from people who are being threatened with eviction and are in crisis. There is also the ongoing work that we all do to try to see derelict and housing opportunity sites developed. It typically takes years of work to bring a successful outcome in those cases.”
“A number of issues have contributed to that, but, certainly, finance is one that has resulted in the high level of vacancies, particularly in public-facing services. We have been told, however, that progress is now being made. We will continue to highlight the financial needs of the Department in responding to those societal needs, particularly for services that support low-income households. <BR /> <BR />The DUP is leading the charge at Westminster for a funding package for Northern Ireland that will be based on the recognised level of need here in the same way that such a package was provided for Wales. Our interim party leader, Gavin Robinson, has been spearheading that campaign, and we will be unrelenting in demanding a needs-based Budget for Northern Ireland.”
“It is widely recognised that the rate of new social housing completion is not keeping pace with housing need. The Department has committed to building around 1,500 new social houses this year, but, at the same time, the Housing Executive's stock is declining by around 500 properties each year due to the right-to-buy scheme. The Housing Executive's stock is now around 83,000. It was once much greater than that — it was once close to double that number. We also know that reliance on temporary accommodation continues to grow year-on-year. It greatly increased during COVID, and it has not declined since. That is another key need that must be addressed. <BR /> <BR />We also heard about the number of vacancies that are in the Department.”
“They are trying to promote neighbourhood regeneration, deliver community services, promote community development and capacity building and run advice services. There is concern that those neighbourhood renewal partnerships are losing staff. The situation is demoralising: people are looking to other sectors where they can get paid and have more job security. That is a need that we will continue to highlight on the Committee and with the Minister.”
“They did not know that until there were only a few days to go, and they have only a three-month contract. They were told that they would get a two-year contract in the last financial year but the second year of that was to be confirmed, so it was not really a two-year budget at all. Also, I am advised that there was no pay increase last year. For the two previous years, the increase was just 2%, so it did not keep up with inflation, and for the 11 years before that there was no increase at all. I am hearing concerns that some staff may be being paid below the minimum wage based on their actual working hours. <BR /> <BR />Those are staff who are working in many of our most disadvantaged communities.”
“I will carry on and speak as a member of the Communities Committee. I recognise that this is a largely procedural debate regarding the finances in the last financial quarter, but it provides an opportunity to make some important points and highlight needs. During my time on the Committee, we have been receiving briefings, catching up on matters and hearing regularly about the consequences of an inadequate departmental budget and the financial pressures that have resulted from that. For example, as many Members are aware, staff employed in neighbourhood renewal partnerships did not hear until 27 March whether their funding would continue into the new financial year. That was, literally, with a few days to go until the new financial year. They have now been given a three-month contract and await a full departmental budget being set.”
“Madam Principal Deputy Speaker, I wish to speak as a member of the Communities Committee, but perhaps it is inappropriate for me to speak before the Chairperson, if he has not spoken yet.”
“It predated EU membership and, of course, demonstrates that UK cooperation with our European neighbours is valued and endures post-Brexit. <BR /> <BR />The United Kingdom and France are at a very high position by any measurement of soft power in the world, given their ability to have influence and be respected by other countries. Both nations are strong advocates for democracy and peace, promoting positive cultural and political values. In recognition of that enduring Anglo-French agreement, we say, "Vive la France" and "God save the King".”
“Edward and Sophie inspected the troops from both nations as they represented His Majesty King Charles, who continues his cancer treatment. We convey our congratulations to Charles and Camilla on their 19th wedding anniversary today. <BR /> <BR />Meanwhile, yesterday in Paris, at the same time, 16 soldiers from the Coldstream Guards took part in the changing of the guard at the Élysée Palace. They were not just the first British soldiers but the first from any nation outside France to take part in the ceremony. The ceremony included the singing of 'God Save the King' by a French military choir. <BR /> <BR />The military and diplomatic cooperation of the Entente Cordiale has endured through two world wars and subsequent conflicts. It laid a foundation for cooperation between our nations through NATO.”
“I wish to give recognition to the special and unique events that took place in London and Paris yesterday to mark the 120th anniversary of the Entente Cordiale. In 1904, the United Kingdom and France signed a series of agreements that became known as the Entente Cordiale, which ushered in a new era of friendship between the UK and France. <BR /> <BR />Yesterday, to mark the 120th anniversary, in our nation's capital, French soldiers took part, for the first time, in the changing of the guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace. It included the playing of 'La Marseillaise' and the carrying of the French flag during the changing of the guard. It was the first time that soldiers from outside the Commonwealth have taken part in this prestigious ceremony. The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh were there in place of the monarch at the ceremony.”
“What impact has the Illegal Migration Act 2023 had, and what engagement has the Executive Office had with the Home Office on it?”
“<BR /> <BR />Passing motions in the Assembly can be very detached from the realities on the ground. Over many years, I have worked with community and elected representatives and statutory services in the greater Shankill and North Belfast to improve community relations and address periods of increased tension when there have been clashes and attacks as, sadly, has been the case recently. As Carál Ní Chuilín did, I pay tribute to those community and elected representatives and statutory services who work on those difficult issues and make a genuine difference at community level, particularly for those living in interface areas.”
“Importantly, that does not mean that public services should not be located in areas that are predominantly associated with one side of the community in Northern Ireland. If public services were removed, such an approach could compound disadvantage by reducing the uptake of those services. <BR /> <BR />We in the DUP certainly support a shared future. We are committed to investing in and transforming our public services to ensure that they are accessible to everyone. However, we need an approach to the debate that is respectful and tolerant of the many national and cultural identities that exist in communities across Northern Ireland. Community engagement is central to building a shared and inclusive future. Without community buy-in, that transition is simply not feasible.”
“It means recognising this as a place that has a range of identities and recognising people's right to choose to associate or not to associate with any particular identity. <BR /> <BR />In education, we in the DUP respect parental choice and the fact that there is a number of sectors in our school system as a result. Those schools must be of a viable size in the interest of the public purse. It is not just schools in the integrated sector that have a diverse enrolment; in particular, many schools in the grammar sector and the controlled sector have diverse enrolments that go across a range of community and ethnic backgrounds. <BR /> <BR />Statutory services must be open and accessible to all, particularly lower-income families, who are more likely to be reliant on public services.”
“A shared future for the people of Northern Ireland is something that, I trust, we are all committed to in the Assembly. Indeed, that is a key theme of the Executive. For example, the Executive Office has programmes such as Together: Building a United Community, Urban Villages and Communities in Transition. It is also facilitated by many other Executive Departments, including the Department of Education, through the shared education initiatives that many schools participate in. The Department for Communities also facilitates that in the collaborative working that takes place between communities through programmes such as neighbourhood renewal. <BR /> <BR />The DUP recognises that a shared future does not mean trying to do away with personal, family and community identities. Rather, it means promoting tolerance.”
“<BR /> <BR />Although we have disagreements on tactics, will the Member not recognise that the DUP twice obtained substantial progress on restoring Northern Ireland's place in the United Kingdom internal market and within the UK? He should give us credit for the progress that was made.”
“Something that we and all unionists in the Chamber will agree on is the damage done by the Northern Ireland protocol, which was imposed on this country by Boris Johnson and his colleagues in the Conservative Party. The question for those of us on the unionist Benches is this: what are we doing about it? The stand that the DUP took delivered change. The EU said that it would not renegotiate the deal, but it came back to the negotiating table because of the stand that the DUP took. Even then, when we got the Windsor framework, and then when improvements were made to it, we held out for more, and we worked with our Government. Will the Member not recognise the progress that was made in 'Safeguarding the Union', which will be implemented and from which we will see an action plan?”
“Will the Member accept that we have a duty to protect our place in the United Kingdom internal market, which was damaged by the Northern Ireland protocol? While there may be advantages to having access to the EU market and any other market, that cannot be at the expense of our place in the UK internal market, which is where the majority of our trade is done.”
“Does the Department have any plans for further pilots to take forward the craft kit scheme, including in north Belfast?”
“Alex Easton said that lives, hopes and ambitions are being shattered by violence and abuse and that we need to address the root causes. <BR /> <BR />Jim Allister pointed out that the debate was important and necessary, that victim-blaming is part of the issue and that the powerful testimony of Máiría Cahill, who suffered repeated abuse, was very relevant to the debate.”
“Absolutely. A recurring theme in colleagues' comments was that this needs to be a strategy that results in actions, not just in fine words. <BR /> <BR />As I was saying, Cara Hunter pointed to the need to educate young people about what sexual harassment is and for them understand issues of consent. Sian Mulholland said that there is an important role for protection measures online. She said that men and boys are an important part of the solution and that a safer society for women and girls will be a safer society for all. Justin McNulty said that under-reporting is a major part of the problem. When lives are taken, their names are known, but thousands of others are abused in silence, and their abuse goes unreported.”
“Sorcha Eastwood reminded us of the uneven criticism directed at female MLAs in many areas of the media compared with that directed at male MLAs, and she said that abusers can be at every level of society. Cara Hunter pointed to the need to educate young people —.”
“She added that we need to have challenging conversations with children from a young age and that abuse should not be ascribed to stranger danger but, in many cases, comes from people known to the victim, be she a woman or a girl. <BR /> <BR />Cheryl Brownlee said that co-design, including involvement from the voluntary sector, government and the voice of lived experience, has been key to the strategy. She pointed out that men and boys also suffer violence and abuse and that that should not be overlooked. She said, however, that victims of gender-based violence are disproportionately female. It is estimated that domestic and sexual abuse costs Northern Ireland up to £1 billion a year.”
“We have a long history of mistreatment of women in society, however, so there are roles for all Departments to play. Diane Forsythe said that violence against women and girls is very real in Northern Ireland. She added that under-representation of women in senior positions has affected the prioritisation of many issues, including in the Assembly, so there is a need to change attitudes and educate society. <BR /> <BR />Paula Bradshaw, as Chair of the Committee for the Executive Office, said that consultation had resulted in some changes to the draft strategy and that the task is not to tackle violence against women and girls but to end it. Linda Dillon said that there should be no acceptable level of misogyny and disrespect towards women.”
“She pointed out that Northern Ireland is the only region in the UK and Ireland not to have such a strategy and that we need a whole-society approach in which misogyny and sexism do not go unchallenged. John Stewart, who chaired the Committee for the Executive Office in the previous mandate, during the consultation phase, said that it is important that we learn from what has worked well and not worked well elsewhere. He said that previous motions on the topic passed unanimously. Sinéad McLaughlin expressed concern that there was uncertainty over the funding for implementation. She pointed out how everyday phrases can commence a negative, escalating attitude. Deirdre Hargey pointed to changes in society and said that the four Ministers in TEO are now all female.”
“In proposing the motion, Emma Sheerin said that the commitment was outstanding from the previous mandate and that extensive co-design work had gone into it, including with groups providing support to victims and survivors. She said that the root cause is misogyny and the belief that women can be dominated by men. That is a challenge to men and boys to examine their attitudes. <BR /> <BR />In proposing our amendment, my colleague Harry Harvey said that the issue has the potential to affect every home and that the onus is on all of us to recognise the issue and take action. The vision is one of a changed society, with the goal of eradicating violence against women and girls. <BR /> <BR />I congratulate Connie Egan on her maiden speech.”
“I thank all Members for their thoughtful contributions to the debate on the important matter of the strategic framework to end violence against women and girls. The purpose of our amendment is to highlight the need for the Executive Office and other Departments to prioritise funding for the delivery of programmes contained in the associated action plan and to clarify the need for the Government at Westminster to address the current inadequate funding of Northern Ireland, which is below the level of need, so that essential programmes such as this can be adequately funded. <BR /> <BR />As a man, I acknowledge, reflecting on the attendance and on who spoke most during the debate, that, if we view this as a woman's issue, we miss the whole point. I will reflect on some of the comments made earlier.”
“When does the Minister think the new special educational needs framework will be fully implemented?”
“What initiatives exist to improve the availability and affordability of flood insurance for people who live in properties that are at risk of flooding?”
“It is my responsibility, along with others, to provide the best standard of representation for North Belfast people, to speak up for them and to ensure that their concerns and voices are heard and heeded.”
“I thank my office staff of Naomi, William, Mary and Jordan for their public service, as well as our team of councillors and my colleague Phillip Brett MLA. <BR /> <BR />In my role as a local parliamentarian and legislator, I will continue to push for quality statutory services and for the right interventions and investments that will address the needs raised by my constituents across a wide range of issues, such as housing, the local environment, education, health, training and employment, economic development, infrastructure and inward investment, all without crippling their personal and household finances through excessive taxation, which is relevant to today's debate.”
“I see that the clock is not running, so I have time to mention briefly some of our North Belfast luminaries: Sir Kenneth Branagh, Sir James Galway, Ciarán Hinds, Eamonn Holmes, Anna Burns, Norman Whiteside, Carl Frampton and, of course, the late, great Frank Carson. It was the way he told them. North Belfast is often seen as being like a patchwork quilt of different communities. There is a growing and strong willingness and determination among the various parts of North Belfast to work together for the mutual benefit of all our people and to tackle negative issues that arise. I will always support those collaborative efforts. <BR /> <BR />My constituency office is constantly busy, assisting constituents with issues of concern.”
“North Belfast has an acute hospital at the Mater, a range of business parks, industrial areas, shopping centres and retail hubs, significant community sports facilities, parks and the beautiful Belfast hills from Black Mountain to Squires Hill, Cave Hill and on to Carnmoney Hill.”
“<BR /> <BR />As an elected unionist, I am passionate about promoting and defending Northern Ireland's place within the Union, playing our full role within the United Kingdom and also maintaining positive relations with the rest of this island, Europe, the Commonwealth and the wider world. <BR /> <BR />North Belfast has many positive assets, from Premiership football teams, the superb new Ulster University campus at York Street and the many excellent schools that are involved in shared education through the North Belfast Area Learning Community (NBALC). We have half of the Belfast harbour estate, which is a key driver of our economy, including its impressive City Quays development and the new film studio at Giant’s Park.”