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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“In the past year, sickness leave in the Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS) has cost £44 million in direct salary costs. That is an increase of £5 million on the previous year, 2023, when it cost £39 million. Previously, in 2022, it cost £38·6 million. That is a cost of over £121 million in the past three years. It is a huge, recurring and increasing cost to our Northern Ireland Budget. We have a serious issue that needs to be given serious attention and scrutiny. That reported cost does not include wider arm's-length bodies and other bodies in the public sector, and it does not include the cost of agency staff, consultants or staff on temporary promotions to cover the absences, so the real full cost is much more. <BR /> <BR />There is a problem here.”
“We also call on the Health Minister to publish a transformation plan with degrees of aspiration for how the allocated funds will support the delivery of transformation. He needs to be able to report the outcomes. We need to see transformation, because we all want to see lives saved. We need to stop treading water and managing the decline. <BR /> <BR />I want us to join together and make the case for fair funding today, but I would also like to see the Minister of Health set out a clear and ambitious plan for investing that money in the right place at the right time with the right results. He has the support of us all. We just want to see the detail and a plan for moving forward. We ask, through the motion, that we unite to see delivery on that. Lives depend on it.”
“Timothy Gaston spoke about the need for a long-term funding package like that for Wales. <BR /> <BR />I thank our Minister of Health for being here throughout the debate. I welcome his invitation to Professor Bengoa to come here on 9 October, but I am somewhat disappointed, in that I feel that I heard more of the same from him today. He said that the health budget was inadequate and then listed the details of existing waiting lists: we know that, and we have heard it before. We need to see more being done. We want to offer the Health Minister support through the motion and encourage him to take more action. <BR /> <BR />We welcome the additional £76 million, but we acknowledge that we need to see more.”
“<BR /> <BR />My colleague Alan Robinson rightly said that our health service is at breaking point and that one of the most difficult tasks for GPs is to refer patients to a waiting list, because they know that they will not be seen for some time. That is a real and concerning statement. Alan also rightly highlighted how the Fiscal Council has said that the stabilisation package offered by our UK Government will largely be used up by the recurrent public-sector pay packages. That is why, last December, when others claimed that we should not look a gift horse in the mouth, the DUP insisted that the package did not go far enough. <BR /> <BR />Órlaithí Flynn talked about tackling health inequalities. In particular, she spoke strongly on issues that affect women and the need to invest to prevent rather than just treat illnesses.”
“Liz Kimmins spoke to the fragility of our health system and referenced our local A&E department at Daisy Hill Hospital, about which we feel strongly, the struggles to attract GPs, and workforce planning leading to crises across service delivery. Mark Durkan rightly said that we need to invest to save and agreed on the need to fund the transformation. Alan Chambers noted how waiting times are unacceptable and how people in Northern Ireland are just not getting the treatment that they deserve. Linda Dillon highlighted the challenges, in particular those of the social care system, which, she said, carried the weight of a broken system. She also highlighted the challenges in rural constituencies.”
“<BR /> <BR />When devolution was restored in 1999, the Department of Health received one third of Northern Ireland's block grant. Today, it consumes more than half. We already spend more per person on health than any other UK region. That shows that it is not just about throwing money at the problem. <BR /> <BR />I thank all the contributors to the debate. It was on something about which everyone feels strongly. <BR /> <BR />Nuala McAllister, in speaking to her amendment, spoke strongly about cooperation, engagement and consultation. Everyone wants that and recognises that we need to move forward here.”
“Thank you, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker. In reflecting on how my colleague Diane Dodds opened the debate, let us remember that we are talking about real lives and real people. We are talking about our families and friends. Diane tabled the motion on a matter that she feels passionately about in order to open up debate in the House, and I thank everyone for their contributions. <BR /> <BR />The stabilisation package that our UK Government offered, although welcome, does not provide the space or the financial firepower to take forward the public services transformation agenda in a meaningful way. While we are right to highlight the cliff edge perpetuated by the Government's short-term stabilisation package and the benefits that extra funding could achieve, a lack of money cannot be an excuse for inaction.”
“<BR /> <BR />Our road surfaces are also a disgrace. The entire main road from Kilkeel to Newcastle needs to be resurfaced. I welcome that a small portion is going to be resurfaced, starting this week, but we need much more. I am inundated with constituents asking why the roads cannot be resurfaced. Why have the damaged roads not been fixed? Why are the people in South Down being left behind? I am as frustrated as they are. I travel on those roads every day as well. We need urgent attention to fix our damaged roads and resurface our major through routes. We deserve it. The people of South Down deserve better than the roads that they have. They pay their taxes like everyone else, and they do not deserve to be left behind.”
“I am frustrated to, once again in the Chamber, bring attention to the state of the roads in South Down. The matter is raised with me every day. We are not proud in any way to have some of the worst roads in Northern Ireland, and they have been for some time. Last year's floods caused complete devastation to parts of our roads. The fact that, almost 11 months on, we still have two unrepaired major road collapses from the floods, with no communication to users about when they will be fixed, is a disgrace. The A2 Shore Road at Rostrevor and the Kilkeel Road out of Hilltown are both busy, main through roads that operate with significant traffic. Under traffic management, they remain reduced to one lane, and that causes huge disruption daily to locals and businesses, and it has put off tourists throughout the summer.”
“I thank the Minister for bringing the subject to the House today. I want to address the chaotic handling of the issue by the new Labour Government and the unnecessary stress that it has placed on our councils, in particular, over the weekend. Does the Minister have a quantification of how much, our councils and Departments estimate, they have invested in project development on each of the city deals to date on the basis of the commitment of £617 million by our UK Government? That total would be a strong way to show the Labour Government how much has been invested in Northern Ireland to date.”
“Will the Minister ensure that the fuel poverty strategy reflects the Labour Government's cuts to payments?”
“Let us be professional, ambitious and prudent. Let us support our local businesses and their employees by agreeing the motion.”
“I welcome her commitment across the issue, and I look forward to seeing the new procurement regulations coming through the Finance Committee. Again, I am grateful to see her engagement with the FSB on the issue. <BR /> <BR />I reiterate the point that I made with regard to the shared service data. The percentages that are being paid within targets look relatively high, but what is not captured are the businesses that are not doing business with the public sector because they have either been priced out or do not have capacity or they have had a loss of confidence as a result of late payment for their services and do not engage currently. <BR /> <BR />We believe that government bodies should pay their invoices on time and in full, if not early, where possible. We support the Minister in any action that she will take to move this forward.”
“<BR /> <BR />Sinéad McLaughlin spoke strongly about how we should take today as a chance to reaffirm that Northern Ireland is a small-business economy and do what we can to emphasise and support that. My colleague Joanne Bunting raised the specific issue of legal aid, which is important, and highlighted evidence that was given to the Justice Committee. It shocked me to know the detail of some of that: taking 12 to 16 weeks to make legal aid payments for services provided a year prior is just unacceptable. The evidence from the Law Society and the Bar Council saying how that was putting people out of business and costing Northern Ireland the provision of legal aid and putting our justice system at risk really brings to light the wider impact of this situation. <BR /> <BR />I thank our Finance Minister for coming to respond to the debate.”
“We support the amendment, as we want to see all public-sector bodies taking this approach, although we recognise the problem that the Finance Minister faces with regard to control over local government. Nevertheless, we appreciate her commitment on the issue. <BR /> <BR />I thank David Honeyford for his contribution, and we look forward to his private Member's Bill on the topic. Deirdre Hargey welcomed the Finance Minister's work to date with the FSB, and I echo those thanks. It is good to see our Finance Minister's commitment on the matter. I congratulate Colin Crawford on his maiden speech and welcome him to the Chamber: it is great to see him here. He spoke about the ripple effect of late payment on other bodies and companies and how the public sector should lead by example.”
“The consequence for our government procurement system is that with fewer competitors able to bid for those contracts, we see less value for money in the awards. That is unacceptable, and we need to see an end to that culture and appreciate the impact that it has.”
“When the businesses are significantly out of pocket and invoice, they then have to wait a further 30 days for a target payment by government. That puts even more pressure on them. Following that, for government to miss the 30-day target is horrific for the businesses, especially when it is often only on a technicality. That is putting people out of business. The reputation of government in paying that way spreads, and many small businesses and voluntary and community sector organisations stay away from bidding for those contracts because they have seen what happened to others.”
“<BR /> <BR />To put it further into context — this has not been widely spoken about today — it is generally standard practice in government-awarded contracts to the private sector that the service provider will be out of pocket for the cost of its staff salaries and supplies in order to deliver the work under the contracts, and it will invoice in arrears after a number of months to receive the money back. Therefore businesses are already well out of pocket by maybe tens and hundreds of thousands of pounds before the invoice is issued for government to pay them. That already pushes many small and microbusinesses out of the market, as they do not have the reserves or overdraft facility to allow them to bid for the work.”
“Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I thank everyone who contributed today, and I echo all the points that were made at the beginning by my colleague Paul Frew. <BR /> <BR />As an accountant who has worked across the private sector and the voluntary and community sector, I have lived and breathed the impact of this issue. I am acutely aware of the extreme pressures that the late payment of invoices has on operational cash flow. It is bad enough when that is within the private sector, but when it is government that is late paying invoices to our small and microbusinesses, it is absolutely unacceptable.”
“Going back to the £114 million additional revenue that we have been asked to find, we are clear that it is wrong for Government to simply ask hard-pressed householders to pay more when they have no realistic expectation of seeing better outcomes. Ratepayers in Northern Ireland should not be expected to plug holes in our public services when those holes have been created largely by the Treasury's failure to provide reasonable funding in the first place. Until a fairer, long-term settlement is agreed with Treasury, that will continue to be the DUP's position. I commend the amendment to the House.”
“Of course, we are willing to take any steps to identify waste, and we do not want to see it in our finances. There is no room for waste. We need efficiencies to deliver our services.”
“I thank the Member. I am not saying that; I am saying that, by quoting the independent review of education in Scotland, the savings should not be exaggerated.”
“Indeed, the key finding standing out from the independent review is that, even if all the savings identified were realised, a significant funding gap would remain. <BR /> <BR />The stabilisation package offered by the Government, while welcome, does not provide a long-term solution to the problems that we have outlined, nor will it provide the impetus or space to take forward the public services transformation agenda in a meaningful way. It also comes with —”
“The Executive's interim fiscal framework makes no reference to that in the context of the Executive's requirement to publish a sustainability plan. We want to see Departments tackle waste and duplication wherever it is found, but we are also aware of the fact that language is important and that streamlining the delivery of services must not be viewed as an attack on the various national and cultural identities in our society. Notably, the independent review of education and previous studies in Scotland have highlighted that the existence of separate school sectors, for example, does not necessarily lead to additional costs. Where savings could be made, they should not be exaggerated.”
“However, it is not entirely clear whether it is advocating that that be applied retrospectively from April 2022 or purely on a prospective basis. That is why we have sought to amend the motion. It is important that, as an Assembly, we are clear and ambitious in pursuing a long-term fiscal framework that is fair and provides the quantum to deliver and transform effective front-line services. The Northern Ireland Fiscal Council made it clear in its updated assessment of relative need in March 2024 that adopting a slightly higher or lower estimate of relative need than 124% will not have much near-time impact on the Executive's spending power if it is not baselined from the point when Northern Ireland dropped below need. <BR /> <BR />Our amendment also seeks to amend the reference to the cost of division in the motion.”
“<BR /> <BR />While the other parties welcomed the financial package presented by the Government on the return of devolution earlier this year for those reasons, the DUP made it clear that what was offered fell well short of what was required to put our public finances on a stable footing. The failure to baseline the effect of the new formula from the point at which spending in Northern Ireland dropped below need in 2022 will lead to a further cliff edge in just two years' time. At that point, funding levels will again drop below what is required to fairly and sustainably fund services on a comparable basis to those in England and potentially stay there for decades. <BR /> <BR />The Alliance Party motion calls for a baselined relative need factor above 124% to take account of our policing and justice requirements.”
“<BR /> <BR />In light of that, the DUP successfully led the campaign for a new needs-based funding model for Northern Ireland. The previous Government were forced to accept a new definition of need, which will apply to future Barnett consequentials received by the Executive. While that is a step in the right direction, it does not address the impact of that historical underfunding on the size of our block grant. Had Northern Ireland been funded in keeping with the new 124% relative need factor since April 2022, core budgets in our Province would be worth at least £500 million more every year. The failure of the previous Government to ensure that that was the case has left the Executive's finances in an even more precarious position.”
“Thank you, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker. We are all well versed on the current budgetary pressures in Northern Ireland. I welcome Members tabling the motion to keep our finances front and centre of discussions in the Assembly, as the finances available define the parameters of what we and the Executive are able to do. The huge pressures facing departmental budgets and the delivery of public services in Northern Ireland have been building for years largely because of the Barnett formula causing spending to grow at a slower rate than in other parts of the United Kingdom. With a mounting list of inescapable pressures and projected departmental overspends of hundreds of millions of pounds, the Assembly must speak with one voice and make the strongest possible case for change from the UK Government.”
“I thank the Minister for bringing this issue to the Chamber today. It is good to hear him speak so strongly in opposition to the decision by the Labour Government. What engagement has the Minister had with the Labour Government since their decision to limit the winter fuel payment?”
“I wish the Royal County Down Golf Club every success in hosting the event and wish all competitors and spectators an enjoyable tournament.”
“Some 80,000 fans are expected to descend on Newcastle for the event, with a potential global television audience of 400 million homes. The last time the club hosted the event, nine years ago, it was estimated that spectators and participants contributed £4·4million to the local economy, with 30% of visitors travelling from outside Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />There is great excitement throughout Newcastle and the Mournes with a memorable experience on offer to see some of the golfing world's most popular stars in action, including our home-grown favourites: Rory McIlroy, Tom McKibbin, Padraig Harrington, Shane Lowry and Séamus Power. It will be a huge event in Newcastle. I really welcome it and all that it brings to showcase our area and inspire the next generation of golfers.”
“This week, in South Down, we are honoured and excited to welcome the Irish Open golf tournament to Newcastle. The Royal County Down Golf Club in Newcastle has the honour of hosting the Irish Open. The club was rated by 'Golf Digest' as the world's number-one course, and, just months ago, Northern Ireland was named the best golf destination in western Europe by the International Association of Golf Tour Operators. What better place to host the tournament than South Down, with the unrivalled backdrop”
“It is timely that the critical nature of funding for the voluntary and community sector has been raised on the same day that consultation on the draft Programme for Government was brought to the Chamber, as organisations in that sector play an incredibly valuable role in this. <BR /> <BR />We support the call for the UK Government to honour their funding promises and provide clarity on the future of the funding without delay. Our amendment adds the call on the UK Government, working in conjunction with the devolved Administrations, to deliver on meaningful local projects that add value in our communities. I commend the amendment to the House.”
“Given the tough decisions that will need to be taken by Executive Ministers in the coming weeks and months, we, on balance, do not believe that adding to the challenges facing our Departments by devolving responsibility for the schemes solely to local Ministers would be prudent or conducive to providing greater certainty to the community and voluntary sector. <BR /> <BR />It should be noted that, even under the framework of the previous EU structural funds, there was a role for the UK Government, working in conjunction with the devolved Administrations. That should be the blueprint. Locally, there is a need to enhance work with local projects to ensure that they are able to compete for funding effectively.”
“We have always been clear that the aims and funding objectives of the Shared Prosperity Fund must align with the Executive's agreed plans for economic growth and social inclusion. We cannot be in a situation again where funding coming from the UK Government duplicates aims already covered by an Executive programme or where Northern Ireland's unique circumstances are not reflected in the development or administration of the funding. <BR /> <BR />Equally, the DUP does not believe that providing a more meaningful role for the devolved Administrations in deciding how and where the funding is targeted needs to be at the expense of retaining a national approach to providing greater economic and social cohesion between different parts of the United Kingdom.”
“The size of the pot is, of course, extremely important. However, it is also critical that the priorities of future programmes better reflect the needs and circumstances of communities in Northern Ireland. Local projects have been hit with a double whammy: not only are we receiving less than we ought to, but the reduced funding that is coming is not being directed in the right way to meet local needs. Over the past two years, we repeatedly sought clarity on when shared prosperity funding would be available, how it would be administered and the degree of input that would be afforded to local Ministers. It is clear that, on all those fronts, the engagement of the previous Government was severely lacking. We want to see that remedied in future Northern Ireland investment plans.”
“The UK always paid more into the EU than it received back under structural funding. There can be no excuse for any shortfall in the funding now. The DUP does not accept that the situation was in some way inevitable as a result of our exit from the EU. Ultimately, previous Governments made promises that they have not honoured. We are also of the view that long-term, multi-annual budgeting for replacement EU funds should be a priority in what comes next. When the DUP held the Department for the Economy, it secured funding to ensure that projects benefiting from the European social fund were extended to March 2023. However, we need the Government's support to go beyond the temporary fixes. <BR /> <BR />Sinn Féin's motion focuses primarily on the quantum of the funding provided under the Shared Prosperity Fund.”
“<BR /> <BR />The DUP believes that the UK Government have a responsibility to provide clarity on the future of the funding without delay. It is appalling that community and voluntary organisations, which do essential work, have been left in such an uncertain position. The cliff edge of March 2025 must be removed. With organisations, sadly, preparing to put staff on three months' notice, the decision-making cliff edge is even closer. We need clarity before December of this year. It is urgent: staff in the sector are skilled and valued, and they deserve clarity. We, as a society, cannot afford our services to collapse as we get closer to the cliff edge. <BR /> <BR />We want to see the spending power that was provided under the EU structural funds replicated and enhanced.”
“I welcome the motion's bringing to the Floor the critical issue of the funding of the voluntary and community sector in Northern Ireland, and I thank the Members for the opportunity to speak to it. Importantly, as chair of the all-party group on the voluntary and community sector, I welcome the opportunity to formally recognise once again on the Floor the value of the sector. Its contribution to the delivery of positive outcomes across society in Northern Ireland is critical to every Department in delivering public services at the heart of communities in every constituency, urban and, especially, rural, such as my constituency of South Down. They deserve clarity about the sustainability of their funding.”
“I thank the Minister for her answer and her continued work on the issue. As she mentioned, and as we all know, online abuse starts early in these times where children cannot escape it. Cyberbullying causes huge devastation in schools and society. The Education Minister has introduced a pilot scheme for magnetic pouches in schools to address the impact of phones on children. Does the Minister agree that that is an opportunity for her to work with the Education Minister and support his initiative to help to address cyberbullying and online abuse in schools?”
“Does the Member agree that the current Westminster Government have much to do to develop policies to make a difference in this area?”
“<BR /> <BR />The Budget needs to be approved to keep Northern Ireland public services running, but it also needs to be used as a baseline and with a commitment to transform our public services, because the 2026-27 financial cliff edge at the end of the financial settlement period will be upon us soon. We cannot continue to roll forward continuously. We need transformation now. We need a Programme for Government and a plan, and we need to see delivery. Our DUP team is committed to that delivery and to continuing to fight for improved finances and a better future for Northern Ireland. We support the Bill.”
“Each Committee will speak to its own specific issues, and I am grateful that many of them have shared those issues with the Finance Committee. <BR /> <BR />Difficult decisions need to be taken. As a country, we cannot afford for any Minister or Department to blanket overspend due to dissatisfaction with their Budget allocation and then expect the Assembly to approve additional resources to continuously plug the gap without plans to transform services. Transformation and the delivery of improved value for money need to be a key priority of the Executive in exercising their functions. We need to see improved cross-departmental working, the removal of siloed working and the removal of duplication of tasks.”
“However, today, we are where we are. <BR /> <BR />Our public services face incredible challenges. Every Department has been awarded significantly less than it bid for, yet compromise has been found. With Departments under pressure and the potential to run out of funding in-year for outside factors like demand on statutory services under the existing 65% Vote on Account, it is necessary that we progress this Budget through accelerated passage to keep our services running. <BR /> <BR />Satisfactory scrutiny of the Budget has been noted, but a number of Departments, led by their Ministers, need to be clear, open, transparent and honest with their Statutory Committees on their plans for how they will live within their Budget allocations.”
“It is not ideal that we move once again to a single-year Budget position, but we understand that multi-year Budgets are a shared goal of all in the Executive when we move to align with the new comprehensive spending review. It is not ideal that we are progressing a Budget without a Programme for Government, and the need for its urgent agreement and publication is immense. It is also not ideal that, once again, we are progressing the Budget by accelerated passage. However, in our Finance Committee research, we noted that every Budget Bill that has ever been moved here was taken through by accelerated passage. It is an attractive goal to hope that this Executive and Assembly could set a new first by bringing the first ever Budget Bill forward through a full scrutiny process. Let us hope for that in the future.”
“I rise as DUP finance spokesperson. I will be brief, as much of what we might cover today about our finances was discussed in this place yesterday. <BR /> <BR />The DUP, led by Gavin Robinson MP, has long championed a new needs-based funding model for Northern Ireland, and, without our work, it would not have been possible to be moving forward on an improved funding basis today. However, we have been consistent in our stance that the current financial position is not sufficient and that Northern Ireland needs a long-term plan for our finances to enable us to move forward on a sustainable basis. <BR /> <BR />We are in an extremely challenging Budget cycle.”
“Thanks to the Minister for her response. The recent consultation that was released by the Department looked at reliefs already in place and begged the question from many sectors that were not afforded discounts of whether they would see those. With this full review, looking at our local businesses and our town centres, which are decimated, what can we tell our local businesses about when we will see a date for an action point for help on their business rates?”
“I thank the deputy First Minister for her statement. How does the work of the British-Irish Council complement the work of the North/South Ministerial Council and the East-West Council?”
“I thank the Minister for his response. Some eight months on from the slippage, I am sure that he understands the frustration that is expressed regularly in my constituency office. He also knows that I believe that the roads in South Down are some of the worst in Northern Ireland and that I have been consistent in taking every opportunity to raise that. Whilst I welcome the commencement of some of the works, can he give me an update on when the resurfacing from Kilkeel to Newcastle will be scheduled?”
“This process is not ideal, but we need to do our best to make it work for those we represent. Every Minister and their Department need to be open, honest and transparent with their Statutory Committee, the Assembly and the public. We need to do our best to deliver value for public money and make Northern Ireland work at its very best. We support this step.”