Eóin Tennyson
Upper Bann · Alliance Party · Northern Ireland
“Those who have come forward only now, saying that they are not surprised or that they always suspected that something was wrong, simply to use this as part of a grudge match and settle old scores, should hang their heads in shame, as should those who have attempted to use this matter for party political point-scoring in the Chamber today.…”
“Jeffrey Donaldson and Jeffrey Donaldson alone is responsible for his heinous abuse. We know that abusers lurk in the shadows and that this could have befallen any organisation, community or political party. The allegations that came to light in the 'Spotlight' documentary, however, go beyond the actions of one individual.”
“Scandal after scandal has shown that those who push puritanical, sanctimonious and hostile rhetoric towards the LGBTQ+ community are guilty of nauseating hypocrisy. All Members, including those in the DUP, should reflect on that, on the harm caused, apologise to the LGBTQ+ community and change course.”
“We owe it to them to ensure that, never again, will an institution be prioritised over the protection of victims and to make policy change to ensure that faith-based counselling is regulated, safeguarding procedures are followed and, importantly, that reforms are made to our RSE system so that, never again, will a child or young person no…”
“On a point of order, Mr Speaker. This is an unconventional intervention, but we are in unprecedented times. I ask for your assurance that you will engage fully with any investigations or inquiries that come about as a result of matters that were raised over the weekend.”
“The response from statutory agencies is consistently inadequate. Despite it being an offence under article 87 of the Roads (Northern Ireland) Order 1993, we see no enforcement action whatever from the Department for Infrastructure. I call on the Infrastructure Minister to set out what she will do to start to tackle the issue.”
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“All of us in the Chamber have spoken about our genuine desire to tackle violence against women and girls. Therefore, it is incumbent on us, as elected representatives, and on political parties, to lead by example and to act. Serious questions have therefore been raised for the SDLP and for Councillor Tierney. Given that the charge was rape, how could he possibly not have been aware of the seriousness of the allegations? Why has he not been suspended, and why has there been no mention of sanction or disciplinary action in SDLP statements over the weekend? <BR /> <BR />Leadership is not simply about how we respond to these issues when they appear in other parties but how we respond when they befall our own. Victims deserve accountability and to see this issue treated seriously.”
“It is with genuine regret that I rise to address the issue of providing good character references in cases involving serious sexual offences, after it emerged over the weekend that Councillor Brian Tierney of the SDLP provided a reference for Kielan Mooney, a man convicted of rape at the Central Criminal Court in Dublin. The provision of such references adds an additional layer of distress for any victim in any case, but when an elected representative is involved, that hurt is compounded not only for the victim in question but for all victims in our society. <BR /> <BR />Just because a man is seen to be of good standing, just because he is a sportsperson, is active in the community or has a successful career, does not mean that he is not capable of abuse.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. Part of the reason why the UK's public finances are in such a difficult climate is low growth and low productivity. Given that fact, surely the Member recognises the importance of the UK's returning to the single market to boost trade and boost headroom for investment in public services?”
“I welcome the motion in that we have an opportunity to send a clear and united message from the Assembly to the Government that Northern Ireland's public services and its community and voluntary sector should not bear the brunt of the tax hike. On that basis, I urge Members to support the motion and our amendment.”
“It is clear that, in failing to properly mitigate those cost pressures, we will hamper service delivery, jeopardise the reform agenda and cap our ambitions to move towards a preventative and community-based model of care in our health service. <BR /> <BR />At Westminster, my colleague Sorcha Eastwood MP has tabled amendments on behalf of Alliance that seek to protect vital services. Our proposals would exempt care homes, domiciliary care providers, GP and dental surgeries, pharmacists, health and social care charities and community organisations from Labour's proposed National Insurance increase. However, the UK Government must go further and properly compensate the Executive for all the costs that are incurred.”
“That is against the backdrop of the enormous challenges that those organisations have already faced in recent years, including the loss of EU funds through Brexit and the recent UK Government decision to reduce shared prosperity funding. <BR /> <BR />The picture is also bleak for independent providers. GPs and community pharmacists have warned of the potential for the changes to create a further disparity between funding for primary and secondary care. Those fears were echoed by the Health Minister when he stated that he did not anticipate any additional funding being made available to support family practitioners and the independent sector.”
“<BR /> <BR />There also has been no commitment to provide support for the community and voluntary sector that provides vital front-line public services on behalf of the Government. As mentioned, vital organisations like Women's Aid and Nexus are key to the Executive's strategy to end violence against women and girls. Mental health charities are key to delivering our ambitions on mental health and childcare providers are key to the Executive's ambitions to deliver universal and affordable childcare. The change will create a bizarre two-tier system whereby those third-sector organisations that deliver vital services on behalf of Government are hit harder than those in the public sector itself.”
“<BR /> <BR />Despite the obvious complications and implications, it is clear that no meaningful consultation took place with the Executive or any other devolved Administration, nor with business or third-sector organisations. Whilst the Chancellor has confirmed her intention to provide relief to public-sector employers, she has not committed to covering the costs in full. Instead, we will receive a Barnett consequential based on the funding that is provided to Whitehall Departments. That approach is obviously flawed, given that Northern Ireland's public sector is proportionately larger than that in other parts of the UK. It means that, in effect, Northern Ireland's public services will be funding a tax increase for the rest of the UK.”
“<BR /> <BR />The hike in employers' National Insurance contributions will create obvious and enormous pressures on not only businesses and the community and voluntary sector but the Executive at a time when our finances and public services are under strain. Some of the estimated additional costs to individual Departments have already been read into the record by Diane Forsythe. I will not repeat what Diane said, but I echo her call for the Finance Minister to provide some more clarity in her winding-up speech on the implications for the whole Executive, given that the Scottish Government have already set out their assessment.”
“Thank you, Deputy Speaker. You may be relieved to know that I do not intend to take the full 10 minutes to propose the amendment. <BR /> <BR />During the last general election campaign, Alliance warned of the real and pressing challenges that the UK's public finances faced after 14 years of Conservative rule. We also, however, set out credible and progressive solutions that focused on ensuring that those with the broadest shoulders would bear the greatest burden and on promoting economic growth. Sadly, it appears that the new Labour Government have largely ignored those calls. Instead, they are pursuing a regressive tax on employment, cutting the winter fuel payment and breaking promises that were made to women against state pension inequality (WASPI).”
“Minister, given that you have now failed to replace Fresh Start funding, have prioritised meeting an umbrella body for paramilitary organisations and have ignored the advice of your officials by blocking two schools from transforming to integrated status, do you accept that your credibility on sharing and inclusion is shot, and will you apologise to the parents and pupils of the schools affected for letting them down and prioritising ideology over their wish to be educated together?”
“Today, we can turn the page and work together to build on the unique position that we are in and to market Northern Ireland as a place in which to live, work and do business, having privileged access to the GB market and the EU market. Irrespective of constitutional outlook or position, surely that is an ambition that we can all get behind: good jobs, investment, a roof over people's heads and good quality of life. At the end of the day, is that not what we all care about?”
“Mrs Dodds did not address the point about dual market access, but, when she was Economy Minister, she refused to market the dual market access that Northern Ireland enjoys. If, as Members on those Benches claim, we are not seeing the impact of dual market access, perhaps some introspection about why there is not good global knowledge of Northern Ireland's unique position would be useful. Perhaps we need to think about how we can take better advantage of that unique position. <BR /> <BR />Today is an opportunity to finally bring this war of attrition over Brexit to an end. I think that we have all had enough; I know that I certainly have.”
“It looked at the models that have been referred to over the course of the debate, and they were dismissed, so the idea that those models are going to be reinvigorated now, in 2024, is delusional. <BR /> <BR />Diane Dodds made a number of comments with which I deeply disagreed. First, she accused my colleague to my left, Kate Nicholl, of stating that she or her colleagues in the DUP were in some way backward. Kate is much too kind to make a comment of that nature. I will leave it to the public to draw their own conclusions as to whether they believe the DUP to be progressive or regressive, based on the positions that it takes on social issues, climate change and other matters.”
“I want to take Members back to a time when the Members who are now on the unionist Benches were accusing the Alliance Party of scaremongering when it outlined the inevitable disruption to supply chains that would arise as a result of Brexit. Sammy Wilson, MP for East Antrim, told those who warned of supply chain disruption that they could "go to the chippy". Let us not throw stones in glass houses when it comes to dismissing legitimate concerns or sneering in a debate. <BR /> <BR />David Brooks referred to potential alternative arrangements. That is fantasy politics of the highest order. We had eight years of negotiations between the UK Government and the EU. An Alternative Arrangements Commission was set up.”
“Absolutely. I am happy to apologise. I was referring to other Members in the Chamber. I understand that Mr Aiken voted Remain, and he outlined that in his remarks. <BR /> <BR />We have heard that it would send a strong message for us to reject the motion, and it would. It would send a strong message that politicians in Northern Ireland are willing to cut off their nose to spite their face, that we are untrustworthy, that we cannot do business and that our economic environment is unstable and febrile. That is not the message that any of us in the Chamber, irrespective of our constitutional outlook, should wish to send. We also heard comments about sneering in the Chamber. I note that it is "sneering" when it is the Alliance Party doing it, but it is "robust debate" when a unionist Member is chuntering from a sedentary position.”
“I accept that we do not have as much democratic input now as we did pre 2016, but those are the consequences of the Members' actions in pursuing Brexit. <BR /> <BR />We heard that voting against the motion would send a strong message. It would send a strong message. It would send a strong message that those of us —.”
“Absolutely. There is a border in the Irish Sea for a host of issues, some of which are a product of devolution and some of which are a sad consequence of failures of devolution. Pay is one example. There is also a border in the Irish Sea in respect of the rates support that a number of our businesses receive. Those are the real challenges. Those are the real borders in the Irish Sea that we ought to be dealing with. <BR /> <BR />On Steve Aiken's comment on the Mercosur agreement, Mr O'Toole rightly pointed out that, since Brexit, the UK Government have pursued a number of trade agreements that undercut GB farmers from which Northern Ireland farmers have been insulated. It is also the case, however, that, when we were a member of the European Union, the UK was a significant player with veto power on a number of issues.”
“I did not hear any vociferous cries from those parties about equal citizenship when LGBT people in our society could not access marriage on the same basis as people across the water. I did not hear any vociferous opposition when women in our society did not have the same access to reproductive rights. I heard loud noises, however, the minute that there was a problem with getting sausages from Stranraer to Belfast. That says it all about the priorities of those on the Benches opposite.”
“I have heard many references to the Belfast Agreement. The Member who chunters from a sedentary position was not worried about the Good Friday Agreement when his party collapsed its institutions, so I will take no lectures from those Members on those issues. They also fail to recognise that Northern Ireland has changed utterly since 1998. There is no majority in Northern Ireland any more. We are all minorities, and our political institutions need to start reflecting that reality. <BR /> <BR />We heard in a number of contributions about the rights of young people and rights to equal citizenship. I believe that Mr Gaston, Mr Buckley and a number of others made noises about equal citizenship. Again, I find that galling.”
“Cross-community votes in the Assembly are the least cross-community votes that can happen, because they ignore the voices of genuinely cross-community parties. Again, it would be an outrage if the vote of a unionist politician or a nationalist politician were discounted. Why should we stand for that today?”
“I caution Members about their attitude towards the Alliance Party. If they reflect on the size of the unionist bloc in 2016 versus its size now and on the size of the Alliance bloc in 2016 compared with its size now, with 17 MLAs, they might find that instructive about where many unionists now lie. I am proud to represent people who are nationalist, people who are unionist and people who fit into neither of those boxes. Many unionists are not only pro-Union but pro-European Union and choose to express that view by voting for the Alliance Party. Those on the unionist Benches do not have a monopoly on unionist opinion. <BR /> <BR />We are on record about the need for reform of cross-community voting in this place.”
“I was not afforded any opportunity by DUP Members to intervene, when I attempted to do so — and, yes, deputy First Minister, I did attempt to intervene during your comments. <BR /> <BR />We heard a lecture on the Good Friday Agreement from the DUP today. Thankfully, the DUP did not speak for a majority of people in Northern Ireland in 1998. It did not speak for a majority of people in Northern Ireland in 2016, and it certainly does not speak for a majority of people in Northern Ireland today. We heard about a democratic deficit, but there is no recognition from those on the Benches to my right that people in Northern Ireland not only voted to remain in 2016 but have voted in increasing numbers in eight elections since for pro-Remain parties that are pragmatic and want to see solutions to the issues.”
“What I did not hear from any DUP Member was any introspection regarding their hand in that process. In 2016, they told the public that they could leave the EU, maintain all the benefits and deal with none of the consequences. Earlier this year — in February — they told voters that the Irish Sea border had gone and that they had solved all the issues. Mr Buckley was very quiet, as was the deputy First Minister, in correcting their leader at the time. I see shaking heads now, but that is the reality.”
“<BR /> <BR />I have heard a number of contemptuous remarks about the Alliance Party and our designation on the constitutional question. I am proud to be a United Community politician; it is at the core of my political identity. I would never dismiss or deride the political identity of a unionist or nationalist in the Chamber. If I did, there would, rightly, be an outcry. All that we ask is that that same respect be afforded to Members on these Benches, who, by the way, represent an increasing number of people in Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />We heard from Mr Buckley about shattered trust. Trust has been shattered on many fronts. It has been shattered between political parties, between Governments, between the UK and the EU and between the electorate and the people whom they elect.”
“Recent history shows us that when we act in good faith and in a spirit of cooperation, flexibilities are available. Dr Aiken referred to the specific example of dental amalgam. <BR /> <BR />We have heard from the DUP that unionist concerns have been derided and dismissed. I want to make a number of comments on that point. Part of the reason why we are in this mess is that the only concerns from Northern Ireland that were heard at Westminster between 2017 and 2019, when the protocol was initially being negotiated, were theirs. They held the balance of power at Westminster and propped up the Governments of Boris Johnson and Theresa May. They can cry now at the consequences of their actions, but that will be cold comfort when the people of Northern Ireland know that, when they had influence at Westminster, they squandered it.”
“Absolutely. I could not concur more. Alliance, like the majority of people and businesses in Northern Ireland, is focused on pragmatic solutions. It is not focused on more chaos and instability, which the people of Northern Ireland have had enough of, regardless of whether they are nationalist, unionist or someone who does not fit into either of those boxes. It is in that vein that a number of my colleagues, Mr O'Toole and Members from Sinn Féin pointed to some pragmatic solutions — for example, on a veterinary agreement — that would significantly ease the level of friction and the number of checks in the Irish Sea. That is an outcome that I want to see, because I do not want to see borders or barriers anywhere in these islands.”
“Milk is produced in Northern Ireland and transported across the border for processing in the Republic of Ireland, and then it comes back to Northern Ireland for onward sale. Without the protections of the Windsor framework, that industry would be decimated. Members owe it to the public to be honest about the trade-offs and choices that exist and are available to us.”
“The European Union is a project in cooperation, collaboration and easing trade friction. It therefore could not have been a surprise to anyone in the Chamber that withdrawing from those institutions would create new barriers. Yes, that friction has been felt most acutely by some of our smallest businesses, and at no time have I been glib about the consequences for them. However, I am equally clear that those issues will not be solved by rejecting the motion: far from it. To do so, would be foolhardy, reopen a Pandora's box and create even further chaos, instability and uncertainty for those very businesses. <BR /> <BR />Andrew Muir spoke as a private Member and made reference to the potential impact on agriculture. Our dairy industry is deeply integrated on a cross-border basis on the island.”
“<BR /> <BR />A number of Members during the debate referenced the Invest NI chief executive's comments. It is perhaps no coincidence that those comments were selectively misquoted, because, if Members look at the export statistics that were read into the record by Philip McGuigan, they will see that, while exports are down in other constituent parts of the UK, they are up in Northern Ireland. That is no coincidence. I also note that, when they want to talk about the impact on our economy, business and trade, DUP Members talk about only one set of imports, when anyone knows — you do not have to be an economist to know it, and I am surprised, from her remarks, that the former Minister for the Economy did not know — that you grow your economy through growing your exports.”
“Its continued operation today, however, is absolutely critical, as it is the only viable means by which to protect the Good Friday Agreement, to maintain an open border on this island and to protect our dual market access. <BR /> <BR />While there are no circumstances in which Northern Ireland would be better off than if Brexit had not happened at all, dual market access presents a unique economic opportunity and a competitive advantage. We enjoy privileged and unique access to the GB and EU markets. Those markets combined have almost 500 million consumers and produce over £17·5 trillion pounds in GDP. While Brexit, as my colleague Kate Nicholl outlined, has cost the UK economy a staggering £140 billion, according to independent analysis, the one silver lining is that Northern Ireland has had the fastest growth in the UK in recent years.”
“I say that not to relitigate old arguments but because, until Members in the Chamber ground themselves in that basic fact rather than entertaining the politics of delusion and fantasy that we have seen, we will never make meaningful progress on the issue. <BR /> <BR />The Windsor framework is the product of eight long years of painstaking negotiation between the UK and the EU. It is aimed at squaring an impossible circle of frictions and tensions created by Brexit and is an attempt to mitigate its worst impacts on Northern Ireland. It is imperfect: I concede that. That is why, when the original protocol was proposed, Alliance voted against it at the European Parliament and at Westminster, when other, better alternatives were still on the table.”
“In closing the debate, I will return to the facts, because they have been sadly absent from many of the contributions this afternoon and this evening. The fact is that, when you come out of the European Union, particularly when you pursue the kind of hard Brexit pursued by the DUP and the Conservative Party, you create a border. It then becomes a question of where that border can be best managed and its impact mitigated. <BR /> <BR />Alliance warned at the time of the referendum that those checks would inevitably happen at ports and airports, where they could be controlled and contained, rather than at a porous land border that stretches over hundreds of miles and that people cross daily for their lives and livelihoods.”
“On a point of order, Mr Speaker. Is it in order for Mr Gaston to refer to the Alliance Party as "nationalist" and "republican" when it is clear that we designate in the Assembly as "United Community"?”
“Minister, that is a somewhat disappointing response. While I accept that the public finances are constrained, if businesses go to the wall, our rates base shrinks. Will you commit to working with the Minister for the Economy and the chambers of commerce across Northern Ireland to bring forward some level of support for the hospitality and retail businesses that are struggling on our high streets?”
“Minister, you have talked many times in the Chamber about your ambition to tackle educational underachievement among working-class Protestant boys. Surely you recognise that the presence of a high-stakes, non-resit, unregulated transfer test in our system exacerbates the inequalities faced by working-class young people. Today, you should commit to scrapping it.”
“He conducted himself in those final years with a real dignity that, I think, is inspirational to all of us. Whilst it is those closest to Ken who will feel his loss most acutely, all of us in the Chamber, all of us in politics and all of us in Northern Ireland are the poorer for his passing. He will be sadly missed.”
“He shaped the public's understanding of key political events in those years. <BR /> <BR />It was clear from Ken's reporting that he was a man of great intellect, of great integrity, of compassion and of good wit and good humour. He pursued every story with tenacity but also with sensitivity and great care, and that speaks to the kind of man that he was. He was never fearful to ask the tough questions but, simultaneously, managed to command the respect of politicians from every side of the Chamber, and that is quite the feat. He leaves behind an enormous legacy, and I hope that that legacy will bring some comfort to his family at this very difficult time. <BR /> <BR />The tenacity with which Ken approached journalism was matched in his later years in his battle with illness.”
“I join colleagues across the House in conveying my sympathy and that of the Alliance Party to the friends and family of the late Ken Reid. In particular, at this incredibly difficult time, I offer my condolences to his wife, Liz, his children Gareth, Sarah and Sophie, his grandchildren Summer and Hugo and all his colleagues at UTV. <BR /> <BR />Ken was a towering figure of local journalism. He covered every major political development in Northern Ireland over the course of 30 years, including, of course, the signing of the Good Friday Agreement and the early and delicate days of the peace process here in Northern Ireland. Whilst I did not know Ken personally — he retired a year before I entered the House — I very much felt as if I knew him well, because he was a regular fixture on my TV screen, as he was for an entire generation.”
“but his lack of attention to detail is not surprising, given that he has already misled the Assembly once today.”
“Does the Member agree that the Alliance Party has implemented fully and faithfully the terms of reference for the Windsor Framework Democratic Scrutiny Committee? If Mr Aiken had bothered to take even a cursory glance at those terms of reference, he would know that”
“I thank the Minister for his answer. As the Minister is a constituency colleague, he will know that, while the increased frequency on the Belfast to Dublin route is welcome, it has created some local concern in Lurgan about the increased congestion. Will those plans do anything to assuage those concerns?”
“It is. The Member's remarks are inaccurate and he should withdraw them, given that I voted for an inquiry into the regulations that proposed a ban on mercury in dental fillings. I ask the Member to withdraw those remarks because they are not accurate.”
“On a point of order, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker.”
“With the ETA roll-out imminent, swift action is essential to safeguard the tourism industry and the economy of Northern Ireland from unintended consequences. <BR /> <BR />As we have done throughout the entire Brexit process, Alliance will continue to engage constructively to maximise the benefits and reap the rewards that can be derived from dual market access and as presented in the Windsor framework. We will continue in that constructive spirit until such times as Northern Ireland and the UK are returned to the European Union.”
“That is why we have been calling for such an agreement since January 2021, and I am proud that Alliance was the first party to do so. Industry strongly supports an agreement, recognising the opportunity to address a range of challenges from reducing checks, form-filling and barriers to trade to aiding with the movement of pets and supporting access to veterinary medicines. <BR /> <BR />Secondly, our amendment calls for an ETA exemption for tourists who arrive in Northern Ireland via the land border. Tourism is a vital strand of our economy, and the majority of international visitors to Northern Ireland arrive via Dublin Airport; indeed, the island of Ireland is marketed internationally as a single entity. Any additional bureaucracy will serve as a disincentive to tourists to come north.”
“Thank you, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker. <BR /> <BR />The truth is that the overwhelming majority of people and businesses here want to see pragmatic solutions, not further instability and uncertainty. The commitment of the new UK Government to reset relationships with the EU is welcome, and we know that, through constructive and solution-focused engagement with our partners, flexibilities can be forthcoming and solutions found. Of course, the clearest way to address the additional trade borders and barriers created by Brexit would be for the UK to return to the EU or, at the very least, to the single market and the customs union. Short of that, however, a comprehensive UK-EU veterinary and SPS agreement is the clearest way to benefit our economy, producers and consumers.”
“I am concerned about the impact that Brexit had on cross-community relations and on the Good Friday Agreement when the DUP rode a coach and horses through that agreement and completely undermined it. The Member needs to look in the mirror rather than to cast aspersions on those of us on these Benches post Brexit”
“There is no escaping that fundamental truth, and so continuation of the Windsor framework, when the Assembly votes in the coming weeks, is essential to uphold our dual market access, protect the Good Friday Agreement and respect our international obligations. Any review that follows, to be clear, must command the respect of people from across our community and a broad swathe of political opinion and must not be the kind of sweetheart deal that we have seen between the UK Government and the DUP.”
“Thank you, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker. I propose the Alliance amendment, which would support and enhance the motion by expanding on two fundamental issues: the need for a comprehensive UK-EU veterinary and sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) agreement and an electronic travel authorisation exemption for tourists crossing the land border. <BR /> <BR />As has been well rehearsed, Alliance opposed leaving the EU, but thanks to the recklessly hard Brexit pursued by the Conservative Government, aided and abetted by the DUP, special arrangements are now necessary to address the particular challenges posed to our economy.”