Roy Beggs
East Antrim · Ulster Unionist Party · Northern Ireland
“I declare an interest as owner of 25 acres of agricultural land; also, my parents run a small agricultural business. <BR /> <BR />There is a shortage of fertiliser, and the Minister has referred to the present difficulties in Ukraine that are contributing to that. That shortage exists even at the exorbitant cost of £1,000 per ton.”
“of public bodies in Northern Ireland. That is vital in order to reassure the public that money is being spent appropriately. That is to be done independently.”
“There has been a very close working relationship and a close partnership. Where issues needed highlighted and where the Assembly, through its scrutiny mechanisms, needed to dig deeper to get better value and better accountability, that occurred.”
“<BR /> <BR />I also want to reflect on the close working relationship that there has been between the Comptroller and Auditor General and the Northern Ireland Audit Office, which the C&AG oversees and manages, and the Assembly, particularly the Public Accounts Committee.”
“As we consider this motion to nominate a new Comptroller and Auditor General for Northern Ireland, it is important that we reflect on the importance that the role has in any democracy. The C&AG in Northern Ireland is the head of the Northern Ireland Audit Office.”
“P&O has brutally cast its workforce aside in a Dickensian fashion. There was no consultation or notice, and the company delivered a live message by video link. Will the Minister clarify whether the P&O redundancy announcement is covered by maritime law, Northern Ireland employment law or GB employment law?”
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“Unfortunately, the scale of welfare administration has become increasingly unsustainable in recent times, and reform was inevitable. The dated system was preventing individuals and families from improving their life chances. The trap of welfare dependency was beginning to catch entire families. <BR /> <BR />This is the most difficult and controversial Bill that the Assembly has faced in recent times. My party does not like everything in it. We proposed several amendments. We were successful with some and unsuccessful with others. The Bill at least delivers some reform to a system that clearly is no longer fit for purpose. Amendments were made to the GB legislation to reflect local concerns, and extra funding was set aside by our Executive through the Stormont House Agreement discussions to moderate the effects of the changes.”
“The Department for Work and Pensions has claimed the success of transferring the welfare claims of single people to the new benefits system. However, we are still some way from gaining success. Earlier this month, only approximately 52,000 of the 7 million prospective claimants were in receipt of the new benefits, but more and more are being added. Until it starts to handle more and more complex cases, there is little on which to really judge the success or failure of the new system. <BR /> <BR />When the Westminster Welfare Reform Bill received Royal Assent on 8 March 2012, no one could have expected that it would take more than three years before the Assembly reached the Final Stage of the Bill covering similar rules in Northern Ireland.”
“The UK welfare system today is still that broadly envisaged in the Beveridge report in the 1940s: a safety net of support for those who genuinely need it. We want to see the sick, the disabled, the working poor, families, children and our older people all being supported whilst adults who are fit to work but currently are unemployed are supported back into the work space. Ulster Unionists very much agree with the belief that people who are fit to work should be better off in work than on benefits. We want more people entering the world of work, individuals and their families prospering and being better off, and we want Northern Ireland to prosper. <BR /> <BR />Universal credit was an ambitious project. Despite its shambolic roll-out in GB, it still might just work.”
“I declare an interest in this subject, as I provided court evidence that resulted in an ASBO being awarded against an individual linked to 90 cars being abandoned in the Taylors Avenue area. Does that antisocial behaviour order still apply and what action has the Northern Ireland Housing Executive taken to invoke the tenancy agreements of occupants of Taylors Avenue who may be continuing to contribute to the abandonment of vehicles in the area?”
“Will the Minister acknowledge that the Worktrack programme run by NIACRO had very successful outcomes? However, as a result of loss of funding, some 36 experienced workers in the sector will have lost their job. What gives him confidence that that good work can be replicated by the further education colleges?”
“Does the Minister recognise the vital role that such homes play in providing local respite care and an additional facility in supporting our hospitals during the winter pressures when even more elective surgery would otherwise have had to be cancelled? Will he widen his guarantee to include supported living accommodation, such as the one attached to Lisgarel statutory residential home, whose residents were delivered letters a number of years ago saying that they would have to find a new home? Will he ensure that those residents will be able to live in the supported housing that is attached to the residential home for as long as they wish?”
“I suspect that civil servants do not currently recognise the true value and the cross-cutting nature of much of the work that the sector does in the budgetary process and therefore one Department can easily cut funding to the community and voluntary sector at the expense of many others.”
“<BR /> <BR />I suggest that our Budget process results in very late decision-making with no real discussion about the knock-on effects of a draft Budget and how it will pan out on the ground, and it leaves little room to readjust, manoeuvre and change. Making decisions very late gives organisations no notice of change. We have no transition funds. I certainly welcome the suggestion that there should be a transition fund of some sort to try to stop that happening in the future. That would be welcome. It is important that we look at our process to ensure that the community and voluntary sector's contribution is recognised.”
“Like the Member, I have been encouraging welfare reform to be moved along. That would remove some of the difficulties of huge and mounting fines, which will increase. I also recognise that huge administrative burdens will ultimately arrive when the old computer system eventually crashes. That is one very easy way of dealing with it. <BR /> <BR />It is important that we try to improve the choices that we have. I welcome the Minister's suggestion that it is important to work in partnership with the community and voluntary sector and the fact that he quoted the concordat. However, Minister, I again highlight that that is not what the community and voluntary sector feels at this time.”
“Yes. It was also said during the debate that we could not magic money. That is very true. We have our Budget, and we have to live with it or raise additional moneys in whatever manner we wish to agree on.”
“Again, there are choices to be made there, but I wonder whether, in the long term, some of them could end up adversely affecting more people, because, if we do not ensure that we have more people working and contributing, there are huge risks of there being even more vulnerable people in our community.”
“That is a viable comparison. We have to accept that choices are being made. <BR /> <BR />I am astounded at the approach taken by Bronwyn McGahan, who is not in the Chamber. In her speech, she said that this was all the Tories' fault. We are a devolved Assembly. We have to take decisions based on the hand that is given to us, and we must take decisions to try to better our community. Frankly, why are you involved in politics if you are going to blame somebody else for everything? We have to be responsible for ourselves, and we have to operate within our Budget. <BR /> <BR />Steven Agnew said that he wished to raise taxes to raise additional money to fill some of the voids. At least that is a mechanism that would work.”
“Of course, they do not have the financial backing to work at risk, and that potentially excludes much of the good work that has happened in the past. They do not have a pool of funding to set aside should they not be able to achieve all the objectives that may be set for them by Departments. That may, of course, be tackled by the private sector, but, again, will the private sector be able to attract the necessary people to courses to achieve their objectives? I suggest that the community sector is best placed to reach many of the vulnerable members of our community. <BR /> <BR />Sammy Wilson blamed everything on welfare reform. I think he said that the cut to the arts budget was equivalent to a day and a half of welfare reform fines and the cut to early years funding was equivalent to two days of welfare reform fines.”
“Where was the recognition of the valuable work that was being carried out to help resettle offenders, to lessen the likelihood of reoffending and to lessen the likelihood of them coming back into the justice system and bringing about pain in our community, which will potentially suffer criminal activity should those people not be reincorporated into society? There are also the additional costs to the justice system, the courts and the prisons. Therefore, it is vital that such gaps do not happen. We need to look carefully at our processes to ensure that that does not happen again. <BR /> <BR />It has also been highlighted by the community and voluntary sector that some of the processes that have been put in will work against it, with it having to work at risk.”
“I have no difficulty with that. All Ministers need to look at how funding has been allocated and value the important work that the community and voluntary sector carries out. <BR /> <BR />One thing jumped out at me when I learned more about what happened with NIACRO and European social funding. We have DEL bringing an abrupt end to the service that was provided. Meanwhile, the justice system — like DEL, it has an Alliance Minister — did not know how to react and suddenly pick up the pieces. Where was the transition? Where was the planning?”
“Frequently, the burden will fall on statutory agencies that are already overstretched. <BR /> <BR />My colleague Robin Swann highlighted the apparent lack of appreciation by the Executive of the community and voluntary sector. At the moment, the community and voluntary sector certainly feels that the outcomes of the budgetary process mean that its work is not being valued. Although I welcome the Minister saying that the Department will take a fresh look at this, the current status is that the work of the community and voluntary sector has not been valued to the extent that it should be.”
“<BR /> <BR />When I look at my constituency in recent times, I am very encouraged by the work of Ledcom in its community development activity in the Craigy Hill area and in its educational outreach in a number of areas in Larne and Carrickfergus that was successfully reaching individuals whom, previously, the statutory organisations, including the further education colleges, failed to reach. Without the involvement of the community and voluntary sector, government objectives were not achievable. I think, too, of how the women's forum in Carrick has played a very constructive role working with Women's Aid to give confidence back to individuals who may have suffered so that they can start to attend education courses. Again, however, funding has been cut. What for the future? I do not know.”
“I think that virtually all Members have recognised the important role that the community and voluntary sector plays, but financial outcomes in the process have not been delivered. <BR /> <BR />It is important that we recognise that, for volunteers to work, there needs to be a degree of support. It may be simply by ensuring that they have the necessary training so that they can carry out their contribution in a safe and protected manner. It may be simply by ensuring that there is appropriate insurance cover, because, sometimes, without it, volunteers cannot work, because they put themselves and their group at risk. It is important that that little bit of seed money is looked at very carefully to ensure that it is provided.”
“I declare my involvement and interest in a number of groups: I am chair of the Carrickfergus children and young people's locality group; I am a committee member of Horizon Sure Start; I am a Boys' Brigade officer; I am treasurer of Carrickfergus community drugs and alcohol advisory group; and I am on the Carrickfergus road safety committee. Those of us who are aware of things on the ground learn lessons and get to see things from different sides, so let me very clearly put it on record that I value greatly the role of the voluntary and community sector. Frequently, it reaches vulnerable individuals and gets solutions that the statutory sector cannot. We all have to recognise that. It also often carries out preventative work that, all too often, is not valued to the degree and extent that it should be.”
“Would the Minister accept that the late decision-making process that has pertained in Northern Ireland for a number of years particularly, and adversely, affects the community and voluntary sector and that that sector is there for last-minute savings and that its value is not being regarded appropriately?”
“I declare an interest as a committee member of Horizon Sure Start. <BR /> <BR />James Heckman, a Nobel prize-winning economist, has written extensively on the value for money of early years investment. My question to the Minister is this: why has he chosen to cut early years investment, which brings benefits to the entire community, yet he is able to find money for a new post-primary Irish language school for 14 pupils?”
“The Minister outlined that a range of other funds were dependent on the Stormont House Agreement being delivered. Can she advise us of the options for presenting a balanced Budget, which, I understand, has to occur before the summer recess, if that agreement is not made? What options exist for the Northern Ireland Executive?”
“I, too, congratulate the Minister on her appointment.”
“Does the Member agree with me that, at that time, the main asset that the company owned was the tender and that, if the tender was allowed to be extended, it could be won or even transferred to some other company involving the previous directors, who had been discredited for their payments and invoicing to the Housing Executive?”
“To be clear, would the Member accept that it was not a meeting with Red Sky? At that stage Red Sky was in administration and the administrators were not present, so I am not sure whom he actually met with, but they were using the label of "Red Sky".”
“I agree with the Member. <BR /> <BR />Councillor Palmer was the whistle-blower, and anyone who examines her evidence will see that she was very credible, clear and consistent in what she said. She felt that Mr Wilson's actions were tantamount to bullying her in the Committee. DUP Assembly Members bullied the whistle-blower. I understand that Mr Wilson interrogated her for some 35 minutes. Where is the justice in that? Where is the support for whistle-blowers? The DUP was clearly trying to protect its members against the public interest. It is important that public representatives protect the public interest and not narrow party interests. It is important that we change our regulations in the Assembly so that this cannot be repeated in the future.”
“It is unfortunate that that has been hidden from the electorate, which recently voted. <BR /> <BR />I support the Assembly's recommendation that more powers should exist, but let us look at what Sammy Wilson, one of the DUP Committee members, did. First, there was his "thug" remark in the middle of a Committee hearing, which, of course, disrupted the Committee at a time when Mr Allister was getting Mr Brimstone into an awkward situation. Secondly, when the whistle-blower —”
“The redacted report is fascinating. Of the three and a half pages of conclusions and recommendations, only one and a half paragraphs were disclosed. What was disclosed was that the investigation of the actions of Stephen Brimstone recommended that a formal disciplinary action should commence. However, such a formal disciplinary action is in the gift of the Minister, and the Minister decided not to commence that action. I have no doubt that, if this situation arose at Westminster or in the other devolved Assemblies, the Ministers and the special advisers would be sent away forthwith and given short shrift. Public opinion would not allow for it. That needs to be addressed in this Assembly so that we have appropriate mechanisms whereby, if inappropriate action occurs, those responsible can be held to account.”
“That exercise began in August 2013, and the Committee was advised that the report was complete on 25 September 2013. However, it took numerous requests, legal advice and, ultimately, the threat of the use of section 44(7) of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 before a redacted version was provided to the Committee in February 2015, some 18 months later. Undoubtedly, that delayed the report. I suspect that many in the DUP are pleased that the report is being aired only now and that the issues were not raised before the general election”
“I will concentrate on what I see as rearguard action — the circling of the wagons by the DUP, the Minister, his special adviser and, indeed, some DUP Committee members. We have heard about the minority report, but what has not been said is that there was a DUP MLA report on an investigation of the DUP Minister and the DUP special adviser. You might just think that it was a little partial and might not unearth what needed to be unearthed. <BR /> <BR />It is disappointing that the progress of the report has been delayed repeatedly because of the difficulty in obtaining evidence from the Social Development Minister. Take the issue of the Committee seeking information on the fact-finding exercise on the action of the special adviser, referred to on page 7.”
“It is interesting that the Minister, when provided with an early draft of the Committee report, did not come back with any substantive issues, and neither did Mr Brimstone. I will give a couple of quotes from the report. The permanent secretary of the Department for Social Development, Mr Haire, said of that meeting:”
“For the advantage of those in the room who were obviously seeking to reinvent themselves, yet they were the directors who, through all the investigations by the Housing Executive, were deemed to be carrying out inappropriate actions and spending public money inappropriately.”
“The report, which scrutinises the actions of the DUP Minister for Social Development, his adviser, Mr Brimstone, and, indeed, officials, is a fascinating read. If it were a political thriller, I have no doubt that it would be a bestseller, but it is not. Sadly, it is about public probity in Northern Ireland and inappropriate action by government officials and their advisers. We had ministerial meetings against the advice of civil servants and in the absence of the administrators with former Red Sky directors. Who was at that meeting? Was it appropriate? It certainly appears not to me. They were discussing extending contracts. For whose advantage?”
“The deputy First Minister mentioned the importance of additional educational support for teachers, and that has to be welcomed. Does he share my concern and will he advise about what has been done to make sure that our young people's level of attendance is improved? In too many areas, there are high levels of absenteeism and referral to educational welfare officers. Too many of our young people are not reaching their potential. What is the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister doing to work with local communities to try to improve attendance at school?”
“Just as the absence of agreement on the Pensions Bill could cause turmoil to the finances of the Northern Ireland Assembly, so too will the absence of agreement on welfare reform. I support the Bill.”
“There would be another administrative cost and, potentially, even a barrier, because it would be very costly to administer any deviation, and it may not be simply technical in any modern system. It would be very costly. <BR /> <BR />One amendment to the Bill approved at Consideration Stage was to amend the Welfare Reform Bill 2015, which has yet to come into effect, and, in fact, has yet to be agreed by the Assembly. That amendment includes pension as being excluded from a benefits cap. That has to be welcomed, but this question must be asked: if we cannot afford adjustment to the Pensions Bill to be more generous, how can we afford further adjustment to the Welfare Bill?”
“During the progression of this Bill, there has been much discussion, but the amendments have been minor and technical in nature. A simplified pension and support system for pensioners must be welcomed because it will give greater clarity and enable better planning for the future, provided that the basic needs of pensioners continue to be met. <BR /> <BR />During the passage of the Bill, it was highlighted that the state pension is related to National Insurance contributions, but that, of course, is a non-devolved matter. The final Bill will continue to provide parity with the rest of the United Kingdom. There appears to be recognition from all sides that any change to this proposal could be hugely expensive. If we were not to go for parity on pensions, it would result in additional financing being required from our limited block grant.”
“I, too, welcome the Final Stage of the Pensions Bill and indicate my support and that of the Ulster Unionist Party for it. The Bill will result in many of us having to work longer before we reach the age of 67 and qualify for a state pension. The schedule for extending the qualifying age for state pension has been brought forward, and it would appear that reasonable steps have been taken to reduce anomalies in it. Few will wish to work longer before qualifying for their state pension. However, as others have said, with growing life expectancy, extending the pension age has become inevitable if we wish to have affordable pensions that meet the basic needs of our pensioners. <BR /> <BR />The Bill brings Northern Ireland into line with the Pensions Act 2014, which was agreed at Westminster.”
“With the A2 at Greenisland road-widening scheme nearing completion and the cycle lane at Prince Andrew Way proceeding, that will be a considerable enhancement to cycling in my constituency, in particular because it links it to the greater cycling network in Belfast. Will the Minister provide more details of the scheme at Prince Andrew Way and how it might be extended throughout the rest of the town?”
“The Minister did not mention the importance of justice being seen to be done. Does he recognise that, in not having a court in each of the new council areas, there is a huge danger that court decisions and sentences will not be reported in local papers, and confidence in the law could be reduced?”
“Is she interested or concerned about the taxes that can be raised by Westminster, which can significantly affect her constituents, or, indeed, about the levels of benefits that are set at Westminster that, ultimately, we largely have to follow? By her absence, is she not accepting that she is leaving that to others? Furthermore, is she aware that a variety of oaths are available at Westminster if she happens to have a particular difficulty with the oath that most of us are content with?”
“Has the Member any interest in the taxes that are raised from her constituents? Is she aware that there are different oaths that can be sworn?”
“As the Minister said, borrowing to enable the voluntary redundancy scheme to go ahead was based on welfare reform and the mitigation that was put together with that in the agreement around Christmas time. If welfare reform does not proceed, will the Minister advise what will happen to those 7,200-odd individuals who have thought carefully about their future and applied for life-changing early retirement and to the finances of the Northern Ireland Budget?”
“On a point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker. The Member is referring the issue to the Minister for Regional Development when, in fact, the Minister of Agriculture is actually responsible for rivers and waterways, and that water that is flowing into the reservoir that is being contested is his own Minister —”
“— and that sentences reflect the dangers being inflicted on our community.”
“How can 30,000-gallon tankers move freely about the border areas largely undetected? It is important that the issue is addressed. I ask also that the courts treat the matter with the seriousness that it deserves —”
“Words and deeds are required to help bring this to an end to protect the environment and the community. <BR /> <BR />It is completely unacceptable that criminal gangs should be able to operate with relative impunity. Whatever the cause of the lack of activity to date, it is not acceptable that it should continue. No one in Northern Ireland has been jailed for fuel laundering since 2002, despite millions of pounds being made each year, considerable damage to our environment and, now, public health being put at risk. What is going on with law enforcement? Ordinary law-abiding folk are asking what the authorities on both sides of the border are waiting for before they will take concerted action to close down this lucrative illegal industry for good and put those responsible behind bars.”
“I agree with what the Member said; indeed, some of those compounds are carcinogenic. People could end up getting cancer because of dangerous compounds being dumped in the environment. I accept that the whole of Dundalk has been put at risk as a result of this. <BR /> <BR />We now have conclusive proof that shocking damage has been done to the environment and to the health of local residents as a by-product of criminal activity. Just two months ago, the 'Sunday Independent' laid the blame squarely at the door of the Provisional IRA. I ask all Members to condemn such activity and supply information to the law that will allow this practice to come to an end. It is not enough for people to say that they will support the police: people must take practical action.”
“Once they get the funds, much of which has been raised by fuel laundering, that allows them to branch out into many other aspects of criminality and undermine our economy. <BR /> <BR />It is quite frightening that, over the past two years, 2,500 tons of associated waste — toxic waste — have been dumped in the Northern Ireland countryside. The huge sums raised, the amount of toxic waste and the damage done to the environment are unbelievable. As others have said —”
“We want to cut off the supply, end the damage to the environment and save millions of pounds in public funds. <BR /> <BR />We do not want criminal gangs siphoning off the money, some of which is directed towards republican terrorism. Literally millions of pounds are being made by republican gangsters, who continue to provide funds to allow IRA elements to terrorise parts of our community. <BR /> <BR />As others said, this is also frequently associated with illegal tobacco activity and the smuggling of other goods. Once someone is involved in criminality, they are happy to make money from doing anything. Therefore, those criminal gangs will be funded through a range of activities.”