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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“That attitude explains the cavalier approach to cost controls and the management of public money that we have seen from parties in the Chamber in the past. <BR /> <BR />It is also important that we reflect on how we got here, because the funding challenges did not emerge over the summer or fall from the sky. Some of us have been warning about them for years. Westminster austerity has been mentioned, and that is correct. Public services have been underfunded by Westminster, but I will take no lectures on that from those who not only propped up the Conservative Government but championed some of their most destructive policies. <BR /> <BR />It is true that our public services have been starved due to Northern Ireland's being funded below relative need.”
“It will, therefore, be custom and practice in every Department to have debates with their arm's-length bodies around the management of public money and protocols and rules of engagement. Indeed, if a Minister acts in a way that is counter to the policies set out in 'Managing Public Money', it is the permanent secretary who will rebuke the Minister. The idea that this is a political issue fundamentally misrepresents the issue at hand and, more than that, is dangerous. The protocols are in place and the roles of accounting officers exist in order to ensure good governance. When we start to politicise those in a disingenuous way, it erodes trust in not only the institutions but our ability to deliver that good governance.”
“I want to make a number of observations about the debate that has taken place this afternoon, because this is an important issue. Policing and justice funding is something about which this party has been raising the alarm for many years, if not beyond a decade. The first observation is the number of Members who have either misunderstood or, more likely, seem to wilfully misrepresent policies around managing public money and the role of an accounting officer, which is one of the few roles that a permanent secretary has that sits outside political direction and control. In any organisation, a healthy tension between accounting officers is necessary to ensure good governance.”
“Is there additional legislation that can be used to tackle those who commit offences in Northern Ireland?”
“I thank the Member for giving way. Does he recognise that this is a debate on the Budget (No. 2) Bill and not on Budget policy? It is one thing to vote against Budget policy, but to vote against the Bill would mean that Departments had no statutory authority to draw down cash and would have less money as a result rather than more.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. He has articulated well the challenges and shortcomings. When will he get to the proposed solutions?”
“That would have been an enormous act of self-harm, upending our negotiations with Treasury, putting at risk the progress made to date and plunging our public services into even further disarray. The folly of that strategy has been laid bare. If we want to be taken seriously as a negotiating partner and secure the additional funding in our public services that, we all agree, is needed, we must govern responsibly. The passage of today's Budget Bill is an important step in that direction.”
“Indeed, I remain concerned more broadly that climate change is not being adequately considered by the Department of Finance when assessing bids and that a fundamental reappraisal of the draft investment strategy does not appear to have happened either following the publication of the climate change legislation or the Economy Minister's economic vision. Again, I understand the time constraints in this mandate. I know that we are just back, but I hope that, when we are talking about future Budget Bills, we will have made significant progress in those areas. <BR /> <BR />I want to reiterate that, when we debated the Budget in May, we were told by some that we should oppose it.”
“<BR /> <BR />It is important to say that, despite all the constraints and challenges, progress is being made in many important areas. A £25 million investment in childcare sends an important signal about the Executive's direction and priorities and will provide essential relief to working families. The £40 million announced for the pay and grading review for education workers represents significant progress for often undervalued workers. <BR /> <BR />There are, however, also areas where more work is required. While the additional funding for Lough Neagh announced yesterday is welcome, it does not match the scale of the problem, the ambition of the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs or, I am sure, the Finance Minister or the expectations of the public.”
“<BR /> <BR />We are aware that, even if all those elements were in place, the state of our finances would still largely be dependent on decisions taken at Westminster. No amount of local revenue raising could mitigate the cuts that have been implemented at Westminster over the past 14 years, nor, I would argue, is it fair that people in Northern Ireland should be asked to pay more and receive less. That is why our engagement with whomever is in government after Thursday's election matters. I hope that there will be a strong team of MPs from Northern Ireland there not just to advocate fair funding but to scrutinise our fiscal rules and to champion a fair and progressive system of taxation that properly invests in our public services.”
“There are also areas where there is significant consensus, for example, the expansion of reinvest and reform initiative (RRI) borrowing powers, increased Budget flexibility and the ability of the Executive to carry a reserve. <BR /> <BR />There is also a need for significant public sector transformation, and I welcome the progress that has been made under the Minister in setting up the interim public sector transformation board. <BR /> <BR />The Executive must finally break free of the inertia that stymied their predecessors, particularly in the two largest-spending Departments. That includes finally setting out a pathway to reconfigure and transform our health service, as envisaged by Bengoa, and taking steps to assess and reduce the costs of division in our education system and in our wider society.”
“It remains my view that an independent commission should be established at the earliest opportunity to provide evidence on our funding formula. <BR /> <BR />The devolution of additional fiscal powers should also be on the table, though we are still largely in the dark around the Department's priorities in that regard. A phased and pragmatic approach should be adopted, recognising the risks associated with devolution of additional powers and the capacity of the Executive to take on significant new powers. However, there are obvious contenders, such as landfill tax and stamp duty, that could be levied in a manner consistent with the Executive's priorities and agenda.”
“<BR /> <BR />We must also build on the progress of the interim fiscal framework, hopefully, in partnership with a new UK Government. That must include a fiscal floor that is appropriately baselined and set at the correct level, recognising our unique policing and justice need and incorporating issues such as taxable capacity and benefit rate sensitivity. Convincing Treasury of those arguments will require strong independent evidence, and time is of the essence ahead of the potential spending review later this year. Aside from the establishment of a Budget sustainability team in the Department of Finance, we are not clear on the timetable of when that evidence will be provided or how the independence of that evidence will be safeguarded.”
“<BR /> <BR />We also come to this debate off the back of a period of sustained underfunding by Westminster, loss of EU funds due to Brexit and a cycle of stop-start government at the Assembly that has left our public services creaking under enormous pressure. That damage will not be undone in a matter of weeks or months or even over the course of this year; rather, it will require sustained effort over many years, underpinned by stable, functioning and effective institutions. The Assembly is as stable today as it was the day before it last collapsed. I may sound like a broken record, but, if we are to create the political certainty and stability that is required to support transformation of our finances and public services, we must reform the institutions and ensure that no single party can ever again hold them to ransom.”
“Further to Assembly approval of the Supply resolutions yesterday, I rise on behalf of the Alliance Party to support the Budget Bill at Second Stage. I also support the Bill proceeding by accelerated passage in order to ensure that Departments have the statutory authority needed to draw down cash and avoid the risk of reaching the spending limits set in the previous Vote on Account. <BR /> <BR />The Executive's agreement on the final Budget for 2024-25 has enabled us to get to this point, and, as has been rehearsed on multiple occasions, it has occurred in turbulent and challenging circumstances. The restoration of the Executive on 3 February left an incredibly short time for the Budget to be developed and meant that we are now proceeding in the absence of proper consultation and in the absence of a Programme for Government.”
“Minister, you outlined that the Northern Ireland Investment Fund is a debt-based scheme. Do you see any scope for the creation of a new equity-based scheme that is specifically targeted at the transition to net zero and investment in those areas of the energy market where there is market failure?”
“I thank the Minister for his statement outlining the actions that his Department has taken, even in the absence of wider Executive agreement. Minister, you mentioned discussions that are happening with the Department of Finance and the UK Government on the future agriculture budget: will you provide an update on those discussions?”
“I will return to the substance of the debate, Mr Speaker, because I think that I have answered the Member's points adequately. <BR /> <BR />There is no doubt that the challenges facing our finances are huge. We have, however, made significant progress in obtaining concessions from Treasury that our funding formula was not fit for purpose. The interim fiscal framework is a gateway to obtaining a properly baselined fiscal floor that reflects our relative need and the fiscal levers that we require to deliver sustainable finances. If, however, we are to be taken seriously as a negotiating partner, we must continue to show leadership and engage in responsible, mature government, even when the choices are difficult. That is why the Alliance Party supports the resolutions, and we urge other Members to do so.”
“I will return to the debate, but, in fairness, the Member raised the point, and, with respect, Mr Speaker, he was not challenged on its substance.”
“— whatever was written on the side of it.”
“I will address those comments before returning to the substance of the debate. You can smell the burning rubber all over the Assembly from the U-turns that the DUP has conducted since 2016. Unlike the DUP, the Alliance Party has been consistent. We warned the DUP that there was no such thing as a good or sensible Brexit and that it would be hoist by its own petard. We warned the DUP not to trust Boris Johnson, because it would be thrown under the bus —”
“Indeed, if the DUP wishes to take a cursory glance at Hansard or at my media appearances, it will see that that has been our position. <BR /> <BR />I also remind Members that it was the DUP's boycott of the Assembly. The rest of us said consistently that there was no good reason for the Assembly and the Executive to be collapsed. The DUP made clear that it was boycotting the Assembly not over finances but over academic arguments about Brexit. It has much to answer for in regard to the position that it took and the damage that it caused to our public services. None of us on these Benches will take lectures from the DUP about the damage to our finances.”
“His approach would have carried the significant risks of prolonged uncertainty, starker and deeper cuts later in the financial year, overspend and Treasury recalling the £559 million in debt forgiveness. All the while, as we know from our experience today, the amounts in June monitoring could be allocated anyway and provided for in the Supplementary Estimates. I am grateful that the Ulster Unionist Party is not in charge of our purse strings at this juncture. <BR /> <BR />The DUP asserted during the debate that all other parties welcomed the financial package. Whilst all other parties welcomed the progress that was made on the financial package, we were all clear that it did not solve all the issues or provide sustainable finances for Northern Ireland in the long term.”
“I turn to points that were raised in the debate and in response to the Minister's statement. Mr Aiken claimed that the Ulster Unionist Party's position was vindicated, and I want to challenge that. It had been suggested that we delay the Budget and, as a consequence, the Main Estimates to ensure that June monitoring could be included at this stage. Not only was that approach prohibited by the Northern Ireland Act 1998 and, therefore, not possible, it would have carried significant risk for no practical benefit. That has been borne out today, because we have been able to allocate additional funding to the Department of Health without following the wisdom previously expressed by Mr Aiken.”
“At one stage, it looked as though the Education Minister was forced to kite-fly his June monitoring bids in order to force his colleagues' hands to convene a meeting. That is not good enough, but I am glad that the situation now appears to have been rectified. <BR /> <BR />The Main Estimates highlight that over £28 million in spending for vital projects, including welfare mitigation, the Fiscal Council and tackling violence against women and girls, continues to rest on the sole authority of the Budget Act. The use of the so-called black box has ballooned far beyond the intended £1·5 million limit in the absence of an Assembly in five of the last seven years. In the interests of good governance, it is imperative that more appropriate statutory powers are legislated for by the Executive over the coming months and years.”
“<BR /> <BR />Of course, the Estimates simply present an opening picture and will be updated as additional funding becomes available through future monitoring rounds. Indeed, I am pleased that the June monitoring was agreed this morning by the Executive, allocating essential additional funding for health, housing, Lough Neagh and our education workers. However, I am bemused that June monitoring has occurred only now, on 1 July, particularly when we know that the Finance Minister wrote to the First Minister and deputy First Minister on 30 May requesting a meeting. That such significant funding was held up by either inertia or dysfunction in the Executive Office raises questions about its effectiveness and scrutiny.”
“What is required is not just a change of Government at Westminster but an equally significant change of attitude in the Assembly, with a focus on reforming our institutions so that never again can they be held to ransom by a single party. <BR /> <BR />As I said when we debated the Budget, it is not about whether we believe that the sums of money before us are sufficient — we all know that they are not; it is about whether we believe that this represents a fair attempt at allocating what are so obviously insufficient resources. Irrespective of our views on the Budget, it is vital that the Estimates and the Budget Bill proceed at pace to ensure that Departments continue to have legal authority to draw down cash, otherwise they will be constrained by spending limits put in place by the previous Vote on Account.”
“I rise on behalf of the Alliance Party to support the Supply resolutions for the Main Estimates and Statement of Excesses. <BR /> <BR />The Estimates, based on the departmental spending plans set out in the Executive's Budget for 2024-25, lay bare the enormous challenges facing every Executive Department. By this stage, the context is well rehearsed: 14 years of Conservative chaos at Westminster has damaged our economy and starved public services of vital investment. However, the decade of stop-start government in this place has also robbed us of key opportunities to stabilise and transform our finances. Indeed, the timing of the return of the Executive has placed us in an invidious position where we have not been able to consult fully on the Budget before the Main Estimates.”
“Minister, we understand that you wrote to the First Minister and deputy First Minister on 30 May to request a meeting to agree June monitoring. Can you shed any light on why it took until 1 July for that meeting to happen?”
“I thank the Minister for that answer. He will be aware that there have been numerous reports into SEN provision in Northern Ireland over the past decade. What assurance can he give that the recommendations that arise from the end-to-end review will be implemented and will not simply sit on a shelf as others have done? When can we expect to see that implementation plan before the Assembly?”
“Every party in the Chamber has called for a plan to tackle the issues in Lough Neagh; indeed, that call appeared in the DUP's Westminster manifesto, which was launched yesterday. What is your assessment of who is responsible for blocking progress on the Lough Neagh action plan?”
“I thank the Minister for that answer. Will that legislation include provision to expand basic rights on day 1 of employment, such as the right to parental leave?”
“Further to the benefits that the junior Minister has just outlined, what work is being done in the Executive Office to protect and insulate good relations funding from cuts in this financial year and the next, given the difficult budgetary position?”
“I thank the Member for giving way. He talks about the democratic deficit, as he sees it, but surely he recognises that a majority of people in Northern Ireland voted for parties that want those special arrangements and that there is therefore democratic support for the current arrangement.”
“I do not share the Member's analysis that the UK returning to the EU is unlikely. If you look at opinion polling and the UK public's opinion on the impact of Brexit, given the fact that the decision to leave the EU came about as a result of a referendum that was tainted by lies and dark money and given that people are feeling the impact of Brexit on their pocket, you will see that a huge number of people in the UK are reconsidering the decision that was taken. I will continue to argue and try to persuade counterparts in Westminster that we should return to the EU. I would not be surprised if that were to happen sooner than the Member thinks.”
“There are two routes back into the European Union.”
“— restoring opportunities for our young people and reversing the huge economic damage that has been caused. <BR /> <BR />I will give way to the Member, and I can predict what he is going to ask me.”
“We need a focus from the next UK Government on resolving outstanding issues, such as those relating to dental amalgam and veterinary medicines, through comprehensive and bespoke agreements. Alliance would go further still. Our ambition is not only to return to the single market and the customs union but to be back in the European Union where we belong, cooperating and collaborating with our European neighbours on the big economic and environmental challenges —”
“However, in order to fully maximise that benefit, we owe those businesses political certainty and stability and a commitment to upholding that dual market access and to working across these islands, including with the Irish Government, to market and promote the opportunities on the international stage. <BR /> <BR />I welcome the practical proposals that are set out in the motion. My colleague David Honeyford will speak in more detail about our proposals for how we can better leverage that dual market access. <BR /> <BR />Dual market access, however, must not be the ceiling on our ambition. It is true that dual market access applies only to goods and not to services and that some friction exists in a number of areas.”
“<BR /> <BR />Whatever the deal, the fact remains that Northern Ireland requires special arrangements, and that is why Alliance's tests have remained: protecting the Good Friday Agreement, upholding our dual market access and ensuring that any agreement is legal and sustainable. There is no doubt that our dual market access creates huge economic opportunities for agriculture, manufacturing and pharmaceutical companies. Indeed, to see that, you have only to look to my constituency of Upper Bann, where Almac, a highly regulated pharmaceutical manufacturer, is reaping the huge benefits of access to both markets.”
“Alliance has consistently said that there was no such thing as a good or sensible Brexit, and, despite our opposition to both Brexit and the protocol, which we voted against at Europe and at Westminster, we have continued to focus on pragmatic solutions to make leaving the EU as painless and low-impact as possible for business and the people whom we represent. However, we can deliver on those solutions only if people are willing to acknowledge that Brexit is the original sin that has caused increased friction and costs, rather than entertaining the fantasy that we can leave the EU and retain all its benefits.”
“Nor is it lost on the public that the DUP held the balance of power at Westminster during a critical juncture in the Brexit negotiations and then misrepresented Northern Ireland, which overwhelmingly voted to remain in the EU, voted down every possible alternative to the protocol, overplayed its hand, squandered its influence and walked us to the position in which we now find ourselves. Nor is the irony lost on anyone that those who most avidly pursued the hardest possible Brexit now shed crocodile tears at the inevitable consequences of their actions. <BR /> <BR />Since 2016, we have been engaged in an exercise of damage limitation.”
“The UK's decision to leave the European Union in 2016 was an enormous act of economic self-harm. Its destabilising impacts have been most acutely felt here in Northern Ireland, with borders and barriers being placed back at the centre of our politics. It has left in its wake a litany of unkept promises and unfulfilled commitments. That is no surprise to those of us on these Benches, but what never fails to surprise me is the ability of DUP members to contort themselves and U-turn on the issue and their seemingly endless willingness to trust a Conservative Party that has thrown them under the bus at every cut and turn over the past eight years.”
“I thank the Member for his intervention. I am sure that the Minister will respond to it in due course. <BR /> <BR />The motion talks about the need for investment, and it is true that there is such a need, but it fails to recognise that not all investment is equal. As my colleague John Blair pointed out, the vast majority of outstanding planning applications in the system fail to include significant mitigation measures. We cannot, given our environmental obligations, ignore that fact. We must ensure that investment is consistent with environmental law. <BR /> <BR />For those reasons and so many others, while we recognise the challenges and are absolutely committed to the publication of a fair strategy that will deliver for our agriculture sector, we cannot support the motion in its current form.”
“In order to achieve that, fair funding arrangements for Northern Ireland are crucial. I welcome the ongoing work by the AERA Minister and the Finance Minister to seek to revise the future earmarked agriculture funding.”
“There is no doubt that a new ammonia strategy and revised operational protocol are required to give our agriculture sector the clarity and certainty that it desires and deserves. We need a science- and evidence- based protocol and strategy that are, importantly, compliant with environmental law and supportive of environmentally and financially sustainable farming. Of course, as others have said, that strategy could and should have been forthcoming much sooner, were it not for the endless merry-go-round of stop-start government in this place. Nonetheless, I welcome the progress that has been made and look forward to Minister Muir publishing the draft strategy later this year. <BR /> <BR />Of course, Alliance wants to see investment in a just transition for our farmers.”
“Fundamentally, it fails to engage seriously with the worrying trends in ammonia levels, with Northern Ireland now being responsible for a disproportionate share of the UK's ammonia emissions. <BR /> <BR />I am conscious of and recognise the frustrations that exist amongst the agriculture sector and the implications that the interim advice had for planning applications. I am equally clear, however, that we cannot simply wish away the huge challenges posed by ammonia emissions, which have a significant impact on our environment, on our biodiversity and, crucially, on water quality and human health. <BR /> <BR />The current position is that the Northern Ireland Environment Agency will provide planning authorities with case- and site-specific advice on a case-by-case basis.”
“I welcome the debate insofar as it raises an important issue and challenge for the agriculture sector, but the motion falls short from a number of perspectives. First, and perhaps most obviously, as referenced by Patsy McGlone, it is critical of a decision that was taken by officials in 2023 in the absence of a Minister, without any acknowledgement of or contrition for the fact that the absence of an accountable Minister or scrutiny body was due to the proposer of the motion's party boycotting the Assembly during that time. The motion also fails to attribute adequate weight to the scientific and legal evidence before us that the departure from the previous standing advice was necessary.”
“Does the deputy First Minister agree that tackling the cost of division in our society and our services should be a priority for all Ministers as part of a programme for public service transformation, not least to ensure more efficient and effective outcomes, and also as a means of integration and reconciliation in our community?”
“Thank you, Minister, for your answers and the statement. On the independent organisational review, are there any significant recommendations other than those relating to headcount and regrading of which the Assembly should be aware?”