18/11/2015 BBC Newsline

That is all from the BBC News at six. Goodbye from me and on BBC One

MLAs debate allowing Westminster to bring in the changes.

How dare anybody reduce this chamber to a post box after the years of

democratic struggle? Troubles victims groups express

despair and disappointment over ?40 million to ease health

waiting lists Two years ago, prison inspectors

said this place was an urgent need of reform. Join me at the newly

named Hydebank Wood College, were a new programme of rehabilitation has

been introduced. U2 play Belfast tonight, their first

gig since having to cancel in Paris. And a wind warning remains

in place this evening, with Not as windy by tomorrow,

but still breezy. Hello and welcome to the

programme this Wednesday evening. There's been a special sitting

of the Assembly today to push ahead It was called

after yesterday's agreement between the DUP, Sinn Fein and

the British and Irish governments. Our political correspondent

Chris Page watched some pointed The architects of the agreement have

called the deal A Fresh Start. The two biggest parties say it is an

awakening. But others claim it is a false Dawn. Today, MLAs have been

debating a motion to give Westminster the power to legislate

on it. I am therefore asking the Assembly to pass this legislative

consent motion to enable us to reform the welfare system, thus

helping the most vulnerable. The DUP's Minister proposal was

supported by Sinn Fein. This implication plan gives us

protections, measures that are better than any which currently

exist on these islands. Both parties are behind the deal, which their

Assembly leaders announced yesterday day. But Stormont will put in place

arrangements to help people worst affected by cuts to benefits and tax

credits. The executive is setting aside ?585 million Phyllis over four

years. But the SDLP, DUP and Cammack Alliance are less impressed. How

dare anybody reduce this chamber to a post box after the years of

democratic struggle and pain and grief suffered by our people? To

pass this over to Westminster is a demonstration of a lack of political

maturity. This comprehensive agreement plus the welfare reform

proposals are described as A Fresh Start. They are as fresh as a

student's bag of rugby gear after a game. The talks ended with a

breakthrough. An atmosphere of co-operation between the two

parties. But after the deal, the scrutiny has started.

Sinn Fein's Alex Maskey and the SDLP's Fearghal McKinney

Mac you're going to have to implement Conservative cuts after

promising you would not. They are imposing cuts, not only to welfare,

but also to the ground against public services. Yes, but you said

consistently you would not implement them. Please let me respond. The

British Government have been elected unfettered. They continue to attack

those on welfare and will continue to reduce the budget on public

services. That means we suffer here. What we have done with this

agreement, which was difficult to secure, is secure ?500 million which

we can now give to people in the support. Therefore, this deal that

we have reached actually helps to protect the most vulnerable. That is

what we have always tried to do. We will stand by them. To be clear, it

is the Conservative Government in London imposing these cuts. Not one

person who spoke in the Assembly this afternoon was able to tell us

if one single penny would go from that budget. The deputy leader of

the SDLP this afternoon... What about benefits claimants, though?

You cannot guarantee everybody will have the same amount of money in the

next couple of years, can you? Know, we certainly cannot and that

is because the British Government was elected unfettered. They have an

absolute majority in the British Parliament. They will continue to

attack people on benefits and public services. They have changed the

ballpark entirely since the election. That is what we have got

to deal with. It will not go away. We have got a pool of money within

which people will be able to get support. And we have also appointed

an eminent panel of experts who will determine how best that money will

be spent and not be subject to party political dispute. Fearghal

McKinney, Sinn Fein said it was this deal or direct real. Is that what

you would have preferred? Know, we would not have preferred that. Sinn

Fein has opened the door to British Conservative austerity. They have

opened the door to benefits caps and benefits trees. They said only

months ago they would never entertain any of this and now it has

happened. There were a number of major omissions from this deal which

Sinn Fein snuck off into the corner and tried to do secretly. The legacy

of the past is now missing and that is dreadful for victims. The economy

was also missing. The SDLP did not want to deal with that from day one.

At the end, they handed over to the British Government to do that. In

that sense, we want to see university places, we wanted to see

a printer apprenticeships. If it is so bad, why are you still in the

Executive? We are here to monitor exactly what the other parties are

doing. There are some proposals around the opposition but they do

not amount to any opposition whatsoever in this document. We will

look at opposition to those issues. We are perfectly open to those

debates. But in reality, what we are perfectly open to those debates. But

in reality, what we're to voters in me asking them to vote for the

opposition. We want to go into Government and change... Just very

briefly. What it is important to say is that after this debate, one

measure of the overall agreement, this today was simply politically

immature. We put over ?5 million at our disposal. The rest of the deal

deals with the economy and the rest. The deputy leader of the SDLP has

yet to produce an austerity plan, which I was told by their former

leader, was completing. They have not produced their plans. They have

not proposed a single extra penny. We owe nearly out of time. Just very

briefly. We want prosperity for Northern Ireland. We exclude major

parts of the economy from this particular plan, as Sinn Fein and

the DUP did. They are not on the economy trail. OK, it is a debate

that will continue. Thanks for joining us on the programme.

The new political deal promises a fresh start, but not

There have been various attempts to reach agreement

on how we deal with the past, but again, the issue has been parked.

Both the British and Irish governments say whilst significant

progress has been made, a final agreement

on setting up new bodies to deal with the past couldn't be reached.

Dozens of peace walls, just like this, mostly in Belfast. This new

deal will attempt to address the issue of interfaces by bringing what

it calls a confidence building measures. The UK Government says it

will provide an extra ?60 million over five years in an attempt to

bring down the walls and create a shared future. The past and how we

deal with it could not get any agreement, despite what the

Government says is some significant process was not the issue has been

parked. I am starting to despair that there will never be an

agreement around these issues. Whilst talks are ongoing and that is

to be welcomed, we have to give out hope to victims and survivors, but

my frustration is that we will be unable to agree. It will be an

opportunity wasted. I do not know if we get the energy or even the

willpower back again. This is the woman it is to give victims a voice.

It is run the critical that the two governments and the departments

involved, and, and ourselves and the groups, really push to get this

across the line. Because these issues will come round again and if

they do get parked... This is people who need to have some truth. For

some, no deal is better than a bad deal. The issue of national security

as a stumbling block to an agreement. The disappointment now is

that the British Government has stepped in and said that the

independent acceptor has to check everything. The secretary of state

to raise earlier as has agreed to meet with relatives to discuss these

concerns. She wants a level playing field and comes to dealing with the

past. We would wish to see everything being brought out in the

open and these matters dealt with in an ethical and right way. The

difficulty is that whilst there may be pressures on the Government,

there are limited pressures that can be put on terrorist organisations.

None of us are getting any younger. That is a concern. I suspect they

might suggest that it might suit the state to let people die off and deal

with legacy issues in that way. Clearly, there is a lot to consider

when it comes to victims, survivors and how to deal with our past. It

may be some time before they get the answers which will help them move on

with their lives. Political movement eases financial

pressures at Stormont and allows the Finance Minister to

reallocate some spending. The biggest slice

of extra money is going to Health. There will be ?48 million extra

to spend, with most of that That will mean doctors will carry

out around 40,000 additional The money will pay

for up to 15,000 more operations. And some of it will also go to

relieving Here's what

the Health Minister had to say. We have been planning for this for

some time in anticipation of getting the resources. I am glad we got

those. We are well down the line of planning this. Lots of people will

now get appointments for those procedures they will be having done

to them in the next couple of days. We are trying to use the maximum

capacity for our hospitals. The Ulster Hospital will support those

in the independent sector. Get the most assessments, get the most

surgeries we possibly can. Our economics and business

editor John Campbell is here. What other re-allocations has

the Finance Minister been able to We need is to be clear that this is

not new money which has come out of yesterday's deal. This was already

in the pot. It is just being shared out differently. It is a total of

?90 million available. There is to go to roads maintenance. That is an

area of controversy lately. There is also ?15 million to ?15 million to

go to schools. Big numbers, but actually, small in the grand scheme

of the Stormont budget. These are reallocation is, not you money.

Other economic news today, and it looks like a lot

Some good news at last. There is an annual survey of hours and earnings.

It is done across the whole of the UK. The official survey gives us the

best insight into wages. In the past few years, it has been absolutely

horrendous in Northern Ireland, with wages falling across the board. If

we look at the figures, we can see that the typical private sector

worker last year got a pay rise of almost 7%. In the public sector, not

as good at 1.6%, but still a pay rise. And that gives a typical

full-time wage in Northern Ireland of ?25,800. That means we are no

longer the worst performing region when it comes to wages. And house

prices rising as well. Yes, that is good news. Lots of surveys out

today. One shows house prices are up 7% and that gives an average price

of a. But again, for context, that is still miles below the peak in

2007. So those who enjoyed the boom are still deep in equity. Thank you.

The police have started a murder inquiry following the death of

a 73-year-old man who was attacked during a robbery in Bessbrook

Eugene Carr was stabbed with a hook as he lay in bed

at his home in Clogharevan Park. He died in hospital last night.

A man and woman who were arrested in connection with the attack were

later released on bail pending further police inquiries.