Diane Forsythe
South Down · Democratic Unionist Party · Northern Ireland
“The Schomberg Society and the staff and pupils of Kilkeel Primary School worked hard alongside the team from Blue Eagle Productions, especially director Rosie McClelland, to deliver a fantastic performance. We saw Northern Ireland's history, heritage and the pupils' great talent shining through.”
“<BR /> <BR />The production was an excellent way to mark that important historic event and for those P7 pupils to bring their time in primary school to a close. It was bittersweet for the year group, as one of their dear classmates was notably missing.”
“As we come to the end of another school term, I pay tribute to some excellent work at Kilkeel Primary School in my constituency, especially by the P7s. I declare an interest, as my son is one of them.”
“Mrs McCabe, the school principal, shared with the children the words of Proverbs chapter 17, verse 17 on how true friends love at all times — through the good times and the hardships of life. I thank Mrs McCabe for her leadership.”
“The Minister will not be surprised by my question on the delay of the accounts certification on SEUPB, as we are in June 2026, 18 months after the end of financial year 2024. Those accounts have still not been certified in both jurisdictions, and a full further financial year has since passed.”
“Minister, you say that you want to avoid unintended consequences for businesses and property owners, but those measures do nothing for existing long-term businesses that are struggling on, already occupy premises and cannot afford to invest in their properties, and there will be consequences for them.”
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“Obviously, we believe that that should be based on biological sex, but we ask the Minister to clarify his and his party's position on that. <BR /> <BR />Today's take-note motion is regrettable, and lessons must be learned.”
“The Finance Minister and his Department need to reflect on and explain why they prioritised communications with the commission rather than with the Assembly and its Committees. <BR /> <BR />There ultimately needs to be a review of how Departments process requests for legislative consent in order to avoid a repeat of the failure to table a motion in a timely fashion on this occasion. Moreover, the Minister should provide explicit assurances that the flaws in the process will not prevent Northern Ireland from benefiting from the provisions in the Bill. <BR /> <BR />Finally, it is also notable that there was debate in Westminster about whether more than two genders should be permitted when someone creates digital accounts or a digital identity.”
“The Welsh Government laid their LCM on 2 January 2025, and the Senedd gave consent on 6 May 2025. However, in Northern Ireland, we saw the LCM and draft motion on 28 May 2025, in somewhat chaotic conditions and by urgent procedures and beyond the time frames for affording the Committee its place. Therefore, consent was not given. <BR /> <BR />I note that, when officials came to the Finance Committee to explain what had happened, they said that they had been engaging with the Human Rights Commission and UK Government officials for some three months, but never in that time did they consider laying the information before the Assembly or communicating any of it to the Finance Committee. That is poor.”
“The Bill aims to enhance the framework in which data can be shared to improve public service delivery. Advancing work on a National Underground Asset Register will help to make planned works better informed and more efficient and will prevent unnecessary disturbance of underground apparatus with all the additional cost and delay that that brings. To our mind, those are worthwhile aims that Northern Ireland should be party to. <BR /> <BR />Data in the current age brings a lot of questions, and we should have been afforded the opportunity to scrutinise and debate the provisions here. I emphasise the dates. The Bill was introduced in the UK Parliament on 23 October 2024. The Scottish Government laid their LCM on 22 November 2024, and the Scottish Parliament gave its consent on 1 April 2025.”
“That once more demonstrates both the negative impact that the imposition of those arrangements is having on the internal affairs of the United Kingdom and the appetite of some parties for placing in jeopardy the prudent progression of legislation that will benefit communities in Northern Ireland in order to assuage the concerns of another jurisdiction.”
“It is with disappointment that I rise to speak to a take-note motion instead of having the opportunity to scrutinise, debate or vote on whether the Assembly gives its consent to a legislative consent motion. That situation is due to the Finance Minister and his Department failing to follow the process in place. We regret that article 2 of the Windsor framework and, specifically, concerns raised by the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission have been allowed to hijack arrangements for the Assembly to give its consent to the devolved provisions of this legislation, which means that Parliament is legislating without consent.”
“Yes. Can the Minister confirm how much funding has been lost to the Northern Ireland block grant due to its not being spent?”
“I thank the Minister for his statement. It is good to see the 2024-25 out-turn meet the target of breaking even, as set out in the Executive restoration package. In fact, it resulted in some underspends. I have concerns over the reporting of estimates and the culture of over-projections. Last week, the Infrastructure Minister outlined that a forensic accountant had detailed tens of millions of pounds of over-projections in NI Water alone. Overestimations lead to poor management of the real financial needs. Minister, in your statement, you detailed that some of the underspends could be carried forward under Budget exchange limits, but you also said:”
“Does the Minister agree that it is important to ensure that any work at Narrow Water castle is sensitive to the memory of the 18 British soldiers who were brutally killed there by the IRA in an ambush on 27 August 1979, which was one of the IRA's deadliest murderous attacks?”
“When the announcement was made just over a month ago on access to water for the next 12 years, the fishing industry was devastated. Then, hand in hand, the fund was announced. It is a huge number — £360 million — for the fund, but it feels very like something that has been put out there to pacify the industry. Will the funding ever materialise? If it is to be over 12 years, that is £30 million a year across the whole of the UK. Minister, have you any idea of how much will come to Northern Ireland and when? The fishing industry really is on its knees.”
“I thank the deputy First Minister for her statement. It is good to hear what was covered at the East-West Council. What other areas could that body focus on going forward?”
“I congratulate the Executive on hosting a successful British-Irish Council summit in Newcastle, which showcased the best of Northern Ireland in the heart of South Down, where the Mountains of Mourne sweep down to the sea. Choosing AI as the focus was a prudent move, given how embedded it is in our everyday lives. From speaking with other jurisdictions, deputy First Minister, how well placed do you think that Northern Ireland is to be a leader in AI?”
“<BR /> <BR />I note that the Chair of the Finance Committee has stated that the Committee agreed to seek a further update on the costs, running and governance of the office at the end of the year, but I wanted to draw those points out today because I feel so strongly that it needs to be addressed up front. Plans under these statutory rules will commence from September 2025, and I do not believe that it is appropriate to approve the establishment of a commissioner's office with what is effectively a blank cheque, with no budget in place, unclear controls, no review mechanisms and imposing levies on legal practitioners to cover the cost. I hope that the Minister appreciates my concerns on that and that we cannot support progressing without clarity on those issues.”
“<BR /> <BR />My final query that I raised at Committee and that has not yet been answered is whether this commissioner has been granted powers with any built-in safeguards for the unfortunate circumstances in which it is required that the commissioner be suspended pending investigation. Have we learned the lessons from the recent issues with the Police Ombudsman, who, bizarrely, was unable to be suspended whilst under investigation? I ask the Minister whether safeguards are built in here as, again, no answer was forthcoming in Committee and we are here today.”
“My colleague Joanne Bunting, Chair of the Justice Committee, has outlined to me that many Justice Committee evidence sessions from the profession have indicated that many solicitors' firms are closing, particularly the small, more local firms that also undertake legal aid work. I know that from my own area. It is widespread in rural communities, and I note that there will be an Adjournment debate today on access to legal services in Fermanagh and South Tyrone. It is also happening in our cities. Northern Ireland is facing an access to justice crisis, and we have seen a new all-party group established in the Assembly on that topic. From this point, I want to highlight the need to closely monitor and control the impact that the new commissioner will have on the legal profession, which is facing significant pressures currently.”
“Also, what is in place to prevent expansion and an increase in costs to the level of some other commissioners, which hit around £1 million a year, or ombudsmen, which have a much higher annual cost? We need assurance that it is future-proofed and that a review mechanism is built in. <BR /> <BR />I am somewhat surprised that the leader of the Opposition does not appear to share my concerns. Of utmost importance to him is which Minister is in the Chamber and bringing questions on the A5, but my key concerns in this matter are the financial controls in the statutory rules that we are debating. I also highlight my concerns about access to justice in Northern Ireland.”
“There is no incentive for any commissioner or their staff to live within a designated budget. Cost control mechanisms should be built in. The Department wants to commence the legislation from September, but it is clear that it does not know what it needs or what the cost will be. Just because the final cost does not lie in the Department of Finance's budget does not mean that it is not its responsibility to manage the finances and governance and to ensure that the levy that will be passed on to the sector is of fair value. <BR /> <BR />I ask the Minister to please outline what the financial governance process will be in the matter as it progresses through his Department. Will there be a business plan? Who will it be presented to? Who will oversee it?”
“It was outlined to us that, to date, the commissioner has been operating without the powers in those statutory rules at a modest cost to the Department, but, with those powers, the costs will increase, because an office and a staff are to be set up. In response to my queries about how much that was estimated to be, no estimate or business plan seemed to be in place. In an attempt to address my concerns, it was outlined that the spend on running costs throughout the year would not be a cost to the Department of Finance but that it would be recouped retrospectively at the end of the year by charging a levy to all members of the legal profession in Northern Ireland. That has caused me more concern, not less, as that expenditure behaviour looks as though operations are progressing with, in effect, a blank cheque.”
“<BR /> <BR />First, given the fact that we are some nine years down the line from implementing the regulations, I am concerned that more work was not done to refresh the legislation and to establish whether what was passed in 2016 is still relevant and required. The scope of the process needs to be more clearly defined to avoid duplication with the existing oversight and accountability bodies, which the profession also pays for. Will the Minister commit to saying that that clarity will be provided and set out clearly, and will he advise when it will be available? <BR /> <BR />Secondly, I am extremely concerned about the budget and governance process for the regulations.”
“During the process of reviewing the statutory rules, which will enact the role of the Legal Services Oversight Commissioner, the Finance Committee received a briefing on 21 May 2025, at which I raised a number of questions, and another briefing on Wednesday 18 June, at which I raised more questions. I do not feel as though my questions were adequately answered to the point of alleviating our concerns. I take the opportunity to raise those concerns today and to ask the Minister for some clarification and reassurance, where possible, as without the answers to those questions, we cannot support the statutory rules.”
“Minister, last year's Audit Office report on major capital projects outlined the fact that, at the outset of the A5 project, its cost was estimated at some £800 million, but, with the 10-year delay, it was projected to be £1·7 billion. Given the high value of the project, I expect that there was a significant allocation to it in the Department's budget for 2025-26. How much was allocated to the A5 for 2025-26, and what will happen to that money? Will it be reallocated to other capital projects or used to help compensate the farmers whose land has been affected?”
“I thank the Member for his answer. This has been a case of much concern, especially with events taking place in Parliament Buildings in the past number of weeks. Is the Commission taking any steps to consider what will happen if the Equality Commission decides to look at the matter retrospectively and says that the Assembly acted inappropriately?”
“Are you suggesting that, every time somebody new moves into an estate where children are, the local residents should seek information about them in the interests of safeguarding their children?”
“Thank you, Minister. Minister, there have been a couple cases in my constituency, recently, in which people have been moved and housed, and it has then come out, some time later, that there is a child sex offender living in the park, much to the alarm of local residents.”
“Minister, have you made it clear to the board of Northern Ireland Water that that is completely unacceptable, and have there been any consequences or reprimands? How can we be sure that that will not be the position again next year?”
“I thank the Minister for her statement today. 'Managing Public Money Northern Ireland' sets out guidance on the proper handling of public money. As you set out in your statement, Minister, any direction by the board of Northern Ireland Water to overspend without prior agreement is technically a breach. It is clear from your previous statement that the board had indicated that it was going to do that and that, only for your decision to step in, there would have been a breach. However, that does not take away from the fact that a board of a significant arm's-length body in Northern Ireland has put on record its clear intent to undermine the position of 'Managing Public Money' and to undermine the Minister's position.”
“We must be a voice for the voiceless in society. There is no ambiguity over our position. The DUP is firmly a pro-life party. I repeat: last week was a sad week for anyone who values the protection of life.”
“The Bill does not offer a dignified path for those who are facing the end of life; it opens up the prospect of vulnerable people being coerced to end their lives, without the proper safeguards to stop that from happening. <BR /> <BR />It was a sad week for anyone who values the protection of life. It was especially dark for some of the weakest, frailest and most vulnerable in society: unborn babies; women who are experiencing crisis pregnancy; people living with a disability; or those with a terminal illness who are at risk from coercion or abuse. We are taught in Proverbs:”
“You might think that, having added her name to such a significant amendment, she would have found the time to explain her position, especially when she found the time to tweet about virtually every subject that was discussed in Parliament last week, with the singular and notable exception of an amendment that permits late-term abortion up to the point of birth. <BR /> <BR />On Friday, MPs voted to permit assisted dying in England and Wales. The Bill is significantly different to how it was when it was originally proposed; it is even worse. Judicial involvement in the process has been removed, and legal safeguards have been watered down. The Bill requires the founding principles of the NHS to be altered, all to create a system of private provision that will profit financially from the ending of lives.”
“I rise today with profound sadness to reflect on last week, which was a sad week for anyone in the United Kingdom who values life. Having imposed laws on abortion in Northern Ireland, campaigners were successful in getting such legislation introduced across England and Wales. The introduction of new clause 1 to the Bill means that abortions that are carried out at home, either through the taking of pills that are purchased online or any other method, will be decriminalised. That clause is not about cases involving a medical diagnosis that affects the mother or the baby; it relates to any abortion for any reason at any point, right up to birth. <BR /> <BR />DUP MPs voted against the amendment, and others have explained their position, but the Alliance Party's Member of Parliament, who previously signed the amendment, has been silent.”
“I thank the Minister for progressing the strategy today after what he correctly described as a legacy of delay. I particularly welcome the Minister's comments about moving away from the siloed approach to strategies and policies in government. Those of us who sit on the Public Accounts Committee had the child poverty report, and those are some of our key recommendations. I welcome his work alongside the Minister of Education to address some of those early intervention measures. Can the Minister outline some details of the work that he and the Minister for Education have discussed in relation to addressing child poverty?”
“The move forward to having multi-year Budgets presents an opportunity to secure huge potential for strategic planning. We are therefore now in a position to work together to deliver for people and really make Northern Ireland work. The DUP supports the Budget (No. 2) Bill at its Final Stage.”
“Through the Finance Committee, I know that the officials in the Department of Finance are highly capable and that they play a pivotal role in the monthly reporting of each Department's forecast versus out-turn, which requires explanations for significant or unexpected movements. Their role will continue to be critical throughout 2025-26 as we target a balanced Budget. <BR /> <BR />The DUP has been committed to fighting for a long-term, fair funding package for Northern Ireland and continues to do so. We look forward to hearing the outcomes from the Holtham review as progress is made. <BR /> <BR />We must be prudent in our financial management and, at the same time, be ambitious with our plans for public-sector transformation. Under the agreed Programme for Government, significant commitments have been made.”
“We also need to see improvements across public procurement, contract management and the management of multimillion-pound capital projects. It is unacceptable to see reports of the ongoing waste of public-sector money with no signs of improvement. An overspend of £100 million on one hospital means that there is £100 million less to spend on another hospital, while we have other serious health needs in places such as Daisy Hill Hospital or the long-overdue mother-and-baby unit for Northern Ireland. That is unacceptable. <BR /> <BR />We have seen some improvements in the financial position through the comprehensive spending review announcements last week, but it is imperative that we proceed with caution and financial prudence.”
“We have discussed the Budget (No. 2) Bill at length as it has progressed via accelerated passage, and the DUP will support it today. We are now three months into the 2025-26 financial year that started on 1 April and are operating under a Vote on Account, so it is necessary that we pass the legislation to ensure that our public services have the authority to continue to run. <BR /> <BR />We know that the Budget faces immense pressure at a time when many public services are under incredible strain, with all Ministers bidding for well in excess of what they were awarded. It has never been as critical that every Department demonstrate value for money in how it spends its allocation. We need to see demonstrable improvements in financial management and processes in 2025-26.”
“I thank the Minister for her statement. As chair of the all-party group (APG) on voluntary and community sector, I was pleased to welcome the Minister to a meeting of the group a couple of weeks ago, at which she heard a lot from groups about their community-based, grassroots recognition of issues and how they build on that when responding to need, especially in rural areas such as those in my constituency of South Down. <BR /> <BR />Minister, you talked about co-design in your statement. Will you give a bit more detail on how groups in the voluntary and community sector will work with your Department to provide that critical link-up when developing the policy?”
“Minister, how will households that are eligible for assistance be helped?”
“Will the Minister outline to the House what engagement he has had with the Minister for Communities about the other strand of funding that is required for sport, which has sat now for over a decade, namely the funding for subregional stadia?”
“Much has been said in the news about the UK contribution of £50 million towards Casement Park, but when I read into the detail of it, I noticed that Treasury has indicated that the Executive will receive £50 million in financial transactions capital (FTC) between 2026 and 2030 for Casement Park. My understanding of financial transactions capital is that it is a loan, not an award of money. Can you confirm whether the £50 million announced for Casement Park is an award of money or a loan that is ring-fenced for that purpose? If it is a loan, who will have to repay it? Will it be the Northern Ireland Executive or the GAA?”
“I thank the Minister for bringing the statement to the House. I also thank him for his quick action to provide clarity and for his continued commitment to the winter fuel payment for our pensioners. Will he confirm that pensioners in Northern Ireland will have the payment delivered at the same time as those in the rest of the United Kingdom?”
“<BR /> <BR />The question that has to be asked is this: why was it necessary to deny hundreds of thousands of pensioners support last winter? The excuse that it has been reversed because of economic improvements does not bear scrutiny. There has been no change, and, later this week, we will see that the Government are still trying to deal with the fiscal situation when they cut budgets for Departments. It is good to see that, even with a huge majority, whilst the Labour Government may be able to force some things through Parliament, they still cannot ignore the overwhelming views and protests of the electorate. The DUP supports and values our pensioners.”
“They have hit our pensioners, family farms and small businesses hard, and I am glad to see the U-turn on the winter fuel payment. I hope that it is the start of further U-turns. The decision to reverse the cuts to winter fuel payment will see pensioners with incomes of up to £35,000 receive £200 if they are under 80 years old and £300 if they are aged 80 and over this winter. Gordon Lyons has confirmed that his officials are already working with colleagues in the Department for Work and Pensions to understand how the changes that have been announced will be implemented to ensure that Northern Ireland is ready to follow suit. Our pensioners deserve better, all of them. No one who has worked hard all of their life and contributed to society should be left worrying about how to heat their home.”
“I am sure that constituency offices across the country were, like mine, inundated with people expressing outrage at the move. We all know people who were affected, including our neighbours, our family members and our friends. The lack of transparency of the Labour Government was terrible. There was no mention in the manifesto and no warning; they just hit our pensioners hard. <BR /> <BR />In Northern Ireland, our Communities Minister, Gordon Lyons, found that unacceptable, and he took steps within his already tight budget to reduce the impact by giving one-off £100 support payments to Northern Ireland pensioners. That was welcome but did not fully replace what was lost. <BR /> <BR />The Labour Government have made some really poor decisions, with huge impacts, since they took power.”
“Last year, we all got a nasty shock when one of the first things that the new Labour Government did on taking up power was to cut the winter fuel payment to pensioners across the United Kingdom. They cited the financial black hole and the need for cuts, but why the winter fuel payment? It cut deep to the heart of our society, taking from our older generation, from those who have worked all of their lives through many tough times and paid their contributions. Now, in later years, one of the few things that they received was the winter fuel payment to give them a boost for their heat and comfort through the winter. If ever there was a sore blow, it was that one, hitting hard at some of the most vulnerable. <BR /> <BR />I say "vulnerable", but I will tell you something: most were up for a real fight on this one.”
“I thank the Minister for his answer. Minister, the anti-poverty strategy will obviously require commitment from all Departments. Will that set a good precedent for cross-departmental working and moving away from a silo mentality in the Executive and Assembly?”
“In the interests of increasing opportunities, what are the Department and Sport NI doing to promote female participation in sport?”
“I also extend thanks to the Finance Minister for his officials' continued engagement with the Finance Committee. I genuinely believe that, working together and sharing that work with other Committees, we have been able to improve some processes to enhance Budget scrutiny across the board. I look forward to continuing to work closely with them. However, I note that, in 2024-25, we had huge in-year allocations, the like of which we do not expect to see repeated in 2025-26, so we approach the year with caution. <BR /> <BR />The 2025-26 Budget will be challenging, but the DUP supports the progression of the Budget (No. 2) Bill today.”
“Not a lot has been said about the fact that that has been achieved in 2024-25 — although the year is not quite closed off — but I wish to acknowledge that and to commend all the officials in the Department of Finance and across the Civil Service for their continued work in monitoring, reporting on and managing the Budget, month in, month out.”
“Last week, my colleague Diane Dodds rightly highlighted that the hundreds of millions of pounds of overspend on capital projects in Health could have paid for the mother-and-baby unit that we all want to see delivered, and for many more much-needed capital projects, including enhancements to Daisy Hill Hospital and Craigavon Area Hospital in my Southern Trust area. <BR /> <BR />We need to work together to ensure that the money that we receive is spent wisely. The financial package that we received required that a balanced Budget be delivered.”
“I welcome last week's publication of the new public procurement policy statement. As a member of the Public Accounts Committee, I am committed to ensuring that the £2 billion of goods and services that are procured each year are delivered by spending public money in the most transparent and efficient way. <BR /> <BR />Another important point that came to the Public Accounts Committee was about the management of capital projects. Given that it can be cited that we face a £3 billion overspend on key projects, it is imperative that things are done differently.”