02/05/2013 The View


02/05/2013

Similar Content

Browse content similar to 02/05/2013. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!

Transcript


LineFromTo

will not shy away from making decisions. They will sometimes be

:00:31.:00:33.

controversial but decisions I believe will ultimately deliver a

:00:33.:00:37.

better health service. That was the pledge from the Health Minister as

:00:37.:00:40.

he took up post two years ago. Today he apologised for the way

:00:40.:00:42.

controversial social care decisions have been handled and summoned the

:00:42.:00:45.

heads of the five trusts to an emergency meeting at Stormont. We

:00:45.:00:49.

ask is Edwin Poots still in control of the Department of Health? Also

:00:49.:00:52.

tonight. Belfast's Lord Mayor wants to party instead of parade to mark

:00:52.:01:00.

the end of his year in office. Is he right? I think anything that

:01:00.:01:04.

attracts young people into the city centre is a good thing. Not to knock

:01:04.:01:09.

the old, but I think it brings an influx in, not only a good thing.

:01:09.:01:12.

We'll hear the thoughts of our commentators on the big stories of

:01:12.:01:15.

the week. And you can, of course, follow the programme on Twitter.

:01:15.:01:25.
:01:25.:01:25.

That's @BBCtheview. Edwin Poots has spent the day on a crusade of damage

:01:25.:01:28.

limitation trying to quell the public outcry over proposals by

:01:28.:01:31.

healthl trusts to close residential care homes. He says he's sorry for

:01:31.:01:34.

any distress caused to elderly people, but blames the trusts for

:01:34.:01:36.

the disastrous handling of the proposed changes. Our Political

:01:36.:01:38.

Correspondent, Martina Purdy, reports on the politics of the

:01:38.:01:48.
:01:48.:01:49.

healthcare row. This is one of the residential care homes facing

:01:49.:01:54.

closure. It's not the first time it's made the headlines. Back in

:01:54.:02:00.

2009, the trust is marketed for closure, leaving the health minister

:02:01.:02:05.

facing fierce criticism. In fact, one of the Minister 's fiercest

:02:05.:02:11.

critics was the day you PM LA, Edwin Poots, here he is in the assembly

:02:11.:02:16.

insisting he had got it wrong. hear what the residents say, because

:02:16.:02:24.

they are the people who are most important. And here he is pro

:02:24.:02:28.

testing. But now he's in charge, perhaps the issue doesn't seem so

:02:28.:02:35.

black-and-white. As Minister, the measure he sent out is of a new

:02:35.:02:44.

approach, trans forum care is right. Proposal recommends proposing to

:02:44.:02:49.

close half the residential homes here. It's what one social policy

:02:49.:02:56.

expert calls apolitical awkward moment. I think the Minister was

:02:56.:03:04.

guided by political thinking that there would be votes in resisting

:03:04.:03:11.

the closures of these facilities. he's got logic on his side now?

:03:11.:03:17.

People emphasised the realities to him. Indeed, with the elder

:03:17.:03:22.

population set to rise sharply, cost is one of the factors driving the

:03:22.:03:26.

Minister 's policy. But it's not the only one says a former trust

:03:26.:03:29.

chairman, who last year was sacked by the minister over target

:03:29.:03:35.

failings. It's expensive to keep elderly folks in residential homes,

:03:35.:03:40.

and as one as Wallace, a lot of them are run down, so the alternative

:03:40.:03:46.

seems to be for them to keep people in their own homes as long as

:03:47.:03:51.

possible. For some people, it's a good idea. If you ask elderly people

:03:51.:03:55.

what they would like in the future, it's obvious they want to stay in

:03:55.:04:00.

their own home, but will it be safe for them to stay in their own home?

:04:01.:04:05.

We have to look at how we provide service, not a third World approach

:04:05.:04:10.

will you get 50 minutes four times a day under the minimum for people.

:04:10.:04:16.

Supported housing is key to plan. This elder resident has their own

:04:16.:04:21.

front door but also access to 24-hour help. The problem, claim

:04:21.:04:25.

critics, is there's a shortage of these developments. Critics say

:04:25.:04:31.

that's not the only problem. Now most of the are proposing to close

:04:31.:04:35.

all they care homes, there will be more pressure on the private sector

:04:35.:04:39.

to as sectors struggle to profit on the amount the NHS pays per

:04:39.:04:47.

resident. Transforming care is right, but I don't think that means

:04:47.:04:52.

every residential home should be closed. You can't put all your eggs

:04:52.:04:57.

into the private sector basket. It's a risk. This academic agrees there

:04:57.:05:06.

are risks. The government need to be sure that the spaces that are lost,

:05:06.:05:10.

as NHS facilities closed down, are actually filled by the private

:05:10.:05:18.

sector. At the moment, contractors are, at best, breaking even. They

:05:18.:05:23.

are under a huge set of pressures over the past few years. But in

:05:23.:05:28.

terms of the overall policy, he has this advice for the Minister.

:05:28.:05:34.

would say stick with it. It's a logical policy. Don't realise

:05:34.:05:43.

ambitions to provide quality care by maintaining the residential care

:05:43.:05:53.

facilities operated by the NHS. Easier said than done. In a highly

:05:53.:05:54.

charged environment, as elderly residents and their relatives

:05:54.:05:57.

expressed their distress. That suggests to me those people have not

:05:57.:06:01.

been engaged, happened been consulted properly, don't feel they

:06:01.:06:06.

are being listened to and are afraid and that's unacceptable. It's not

:06:06.:06:10.

acceptable to frighten older people. The amount of upset at being

:06:10.:06:14.

communicated to my office is significant. There has been

:06:14.:06:18.

speculation that the trust, frustrated by funding gaps, are

:06:18.:06:22.

putting the pressure is back on the Minister by maximising closures. But

:06:22.:06:30.

others say it's nonsense. I don't think the trusts are out to get the

:06:30.:06:35.

Minister. I believe the health board is doing this with the support of

:06:35.:06:38.

the Minister. Whatever the truth, others have their own theories on

:06:38.:06:45.

what the Minister will do next. We're looking at U-turn. Amid the

:06:45.:06:47.

turmoil, the chair of the health committee is demanding clarity from

:06:47.:06:52.

the Minister. He made a statement, number of weeks ago in the

:06:52.:06:57.

assembly, 50% will close within five years. He needs to challenge the

:06:57.:07:00.

trust because they don't seem to be taken on board his vision. It

:07:01.:07:03.

doesn't seem as the trusts are listening to what the Minister says

:07:03.:07:09.

all in charge. Martina Purdy reporting. The man in the eye of the

:07:09.:07:14.

storm, the Health Minister, Edwin Poots, is with me now. Thanks for

:07:14.:07:16.

joining us. Let's pick up on that point at the end. Edwin Poots, who's

:07:16.:07:21.

in charge of this situation, the trusts or you, the Minister?

:07:21.:07:25.

trusts are the people who implement things on the ground. We set policy

:07:25.:07:32.

and they carry it out. The policy that is in place here that deals

:07:32.:07:36.

with all this is transforming care. We went to public consultation on

:07:36.:07:42.

that and received over 90% support. What we wear proposing is to do care

:07:42.:07:47.

in a different way for elderly people. We want more independence,

:07:47.:07:52.

supported living, give them the support they need. And the

:07:52.:07:56.

implementation of it, I have to say the trusts have carried out a way in

:07:56.:08:00.

which it's been damaging to transforming care and that's why I

:08:00.:08:03.

will bring them in to see me tomorrow and a deal with these

:08:03.:08:07.

issues with them. But wasn't the trusts' decision to nominate these

:08:07.:08:10.

homes for closure a direct response to the policy being pushed by your

:08:10.:08:15.

department? It was too close residential homes. There was no

:08:15.:08:23.

policy like that. You said 50% in five years. Yes, and that what

:08:23.:08:28.

happened anyway. There's a turnover in our homes and that turnover takes

:08:28.:08:33.

place. Naturally. Those homes would have become rundown in terms of the

:08:33.:08:37.

numbers are people that were in them and we could have done this without

:08:37.:08:40.

causing the pain and distress which has been caused to elderly people.

:08:40.:08:46.

That is one of the things which most annoys me at this moment in time,

:08:46.:08:49.

the distress caused to elderly residents. We will talk about that

:08:49.:08:56.

in a moment or two. 50% you say you didn't know about the 100%, that

:08:56.:09:00.

three of the trusts have announced but we have three trusts taking the

:09:00.:09:06.

same decision at the same time. I'll leave you read that as coincidence?

:09:06.:09:14.

Well, I can tell you what I know. Last Wednesday night, we became

:09:14.:09:16.

aware the Northern Trust reporting their proposals forward the next

:09:16.:09:21.

day. I wasn't aware of the Severn Trent until it was happening, and

:09:21.:09:29.

the Western trust. Why not?I don't believe they are implement and

:09:29.:09:36.

policy. They didn't check with your office? They notified me the night

:09:36.:09:40.

before. Doesn't say much for the way they regard you that they didn't

:09:40.:09:44.

bother to discuss what your reaction might be to such a deviation from

:09:44.:09:48.

your policy in transforming care, not to discuss it with you. That's a

:09:48.:09:51.

matter for them to answer but when I became aware of what was being

:09:51.:09:59.

proposed, over the past few days, I have been horrified at how it is

:09:59.:10:06.

translated. Whenever I see elderly people on TV, it's so distressing, I

:10:06.:10:11.

can't be satisfied with that in fermentation. That's why I will call

:10:11.:10:15.

the trusts and bring them to me and see the way they have gone about

:10:15.:10:21.

this. They didn't consult to, they made the decision. What are you

:10:21.:10:26.

going to do about it now? Will you tell them they can't pursue these

:10:26.:10:29.

closures and you're not satisfied and you are the Minister and they

:10:29.:10:35.

can stop at 50% or will you just let them go ahead? I will back them

:10:35.:10:39.

close 100%. I will state that now. We will have a discussion tomorrow.

:10:39.:10:45.

I've given them instructions to meet the older persons Minister as to how

:10:45.:10:52.

they handle elderly people and take some advice from her about how

:10:52.:10:58.

things should be done. What exactly going to happen? You will call the

:10:58.:11:03.

trusts together, sit them down and say precisely what to them? It'll

:11:03.:11:07.

probably be the directors of elderly care and I will say to them

:11:07.:11:11.

transforming elderly care is something which received 90% of

:11:11.:11:17.

public support in the consultation, overwhelming support the assembly

:11:17.:11:21.

and transforming care identifies 50% plus of homes will go over three to

:11:21.:11:27.

five year period. And they have overstepped the mark in looking to

:11:27.:11:31.

close 100% of homes in a short period of time. That's the first

:11:31.:11:36.

time they said they'd overstepped the mark. You said that now gone

:11:36.:11:39.

further but you're now saying they've overstepped the mark and

:11:39.:11:43.

you're going to that clear? Yes, they have damaged the transforming

:11:43.:11:49.

your care in what they have done, because elderly is a key section of

:11:49.:11:55.

it. We are putting a �50 million into the elderly in the last three

:11:55.:11:58.

years, identified further funding increases over the next year,

:11:58.:12:05.

looking at 3 million additional pounds for rehousing, which will

:12:05.:12:07.

allow frail elderly people who have to go into hospital to be able to go

:12:08.:12:12.

back home with support. These are key things and important things in

:12:12.:12:17.

transforming care and doing what needs to be done, developing

:12:17.:12:20.

multidisciplinary teams. Closing houses people are living in is a big

:12:20.:12:24.

issue for them. What I find fascinating in all of this,

:12:24.:12:28.

Minister, you have been forced to react to the public outcry at the

:12:28.:12:33.

triple whammy of three trusts announcing 100% closures. You are

:12:33.:12:36.

reacting to that, not to the policy because when the Northern trust made

:12:36.:12:39.

its announcement, nearly ten days ago on Monday last week, there

:12:39.:12:49.
:12:49.:12:51.

they were over stepping the mark. Was the statement on Tuesday

:12:51.:12:55.

morning? They were going further than transforming your care. I was

:12:55.:12:59.

interviewed after the proposals were put forward and I said I thought

:12:59.:13:05.

they were going further than transform transforming care. It has

:13:05.:13:11.

taken you a while to realise the scale of the public outcry? In terms

:13:11.:13:19.

of how it was being handled I wasn't aware of how it was being

:13:19.:13:27.

implemented. It's a damning indictment of your position, you say

:13:27.:13:31.

as Minister I wasn't aware of what is happening. You are either in

:13:31.:13:34.

charge or you don't know what is happening and you are not in charge.

:13:34.:13:38.

You are telling our viewers tonight is that you didn't know what was

:13:38.:13:42.

happening. You are the Minister you didn't know what was happening?

:13:42.:13:46.

Absolutely wrong. I can't be in every residential home and every

:13:46.:13:51.

hospital and every ward of every hospital overseeing. Nobody is

:13:51.:13:56.

asking that. They are asking for a proper communication process with

:13:56.:14:03.

the Trusts? I could not be expected to be in every home. That is...

:14:03.:14:06.

not suggesting that for a second. I don't think anybody has suggested

:14:06.:14:10.

that. You didn't seem to know they were about to make the announcement.

:14:10.:14:15.

When they made the announcement you didn't have an idea of how it would

:14:15.:14:19.

be communicated to the people affected by it. There is an argument

:14:19.:14:23.

you should have known what was happening an Programme

:14:23.:14:26.

Implementation Board to clarify the chain of command on the trance

:14:26.:14:30.

forming your care policy was put in place. You were at the top of that

:14:30.:14:35.

chain of command. You were to be reported on a weekly basis by your

:14:35.:14:40.

permanent secretary. Why did that not happen? What we were told was

:14:40.:14:44.

that older residents would be told of the proposals that was going to

:14:44.:14:49.

the Board. How that was actually done is a different matter. That is

:14:50.:14:53.

a question I will ask tomorrow. One of the things I will be raising with

:14:53.:14:57.

them is how this has been handled. How people have communicated with

:14:57.:15:00.

elderly people. Why elderly people have been distressed as a

:15:00.:15:04.

consequence of that communication. Those things will be done, let us be

:15:04.:15:09.

absolutely clear. Is it embarrassing to you that two of your fellow party

:15:09.:15:14.

members in the town of Limavady, Gregory Campbell and gorge Robinson

:15:14.:15:19.

have set up a petition to save Thackeray Place, one of the

:15:19.:15:24.

residential homes nominated for closure by the Western Trust?

:15:24.:15:30.

would it be an embarrassment when I'm supporting 50% and there is

:15:30.:15:35.

proposal to close all the homes in a Trust area. Your party colleagues

:15:35.:15:40.

are taking a different tact to you? Why would they take a different tact

:15:40.:15:45.

to me. You going to sign the petition? I'm not suggesting that

:15:45.:15:50.

100% of homes should be closed. The Trust suggested that. Why would I

:15:50.:15:54.

have an issue with colleagues in any area supporting a residential home

:15:54.:15:59.

in their area. That is not an issue for me at all. Do you believe you

:15:59.:16:02.

have the full support of the First Minister and the Deputy First

:16:02.:16:09.

Minister in the way you handled the situation? I have the full support

:16:09.:16:12.

of the Assembly. We took the issue to the floor of the Assembly. We

:16:12.:16:16.

identified what we wanted to do. I haven't deviated from that. If

:16:16.:16:21.

others have that is a matter I have to deal with. The Trust pulled the

:16:21.:16:26.

rug from under Edwin Poots? The rug will soon get under my feet if it

:16:26.:16:30.

has been out fr a short time. taken you long enough? I don't

:16:30.:16:36.

think. You don't think you have been slow to act to this crisis? I have

:16:36.:16:40.

reacted quickly to tell people it's an unsatisfactory situation I will

:16:40.:16:43.

bring people to me to explain themselves and we will deal with

:16:43.:16:50.

this matter. You were quick to flex your muscle when you dismissed the

:16:50.:16:54.

former Chairman of the Northern Trust, Jim Stewart last December,

:16:54.:17:00.

today we have seen the Chief Executive officer of the same trust

:17:00.:17:07.

Sean Donaghy being moved aside. When Jim Stewart went you said, "he fell

:17:07.:17:13.

short of standards expected of one in miss -- his post", could the same

:17:13.:17:18.

be said of you? I don't think. We had private issues were being put

:17:18.:17:21.

into the public media. That wasn't the role of the Chairman of the

:17:21.:17:26.

Trust. We have taken decisions over the course of the last few days, in

:17:26.:17:30.

relation to the Northern Trust to turn that Trust around. It's

:17:30.:17:34.

important we make those decisions and we are strong on this. That

:17:34.:17:38.

Trust has been failing in a number of areas. You have been damaged by

:17:38.:17:42.

this? In terms of this process I think the Trusts have been damaged.

:17:42.:17:46.

They have damaged their own credibility. You have not been

:17:46.:17:51.

damaged? There has been a focus of attention on myself. I know what you

:17:51.:17:57.

think about the Trust. Has this been your worse week in politics?

:17:57.:18:01.

hasn't. You have had worse weeks?I can deal with this issue and get on

:18:01.:18:06.

top of this issue. We will provide better care for the elderly. Provide

:18:06.:18:11.

better options for the elderly. We should be identifying how do we

:18:11.:18:14.

provide the best possible care for elderly population. That is

:18:14.:18:20.

something I will not lose direction on what so ever. For how much longer

:18:20.:18:27.

will you be the Health Minister? as long as myth First Minister...

:18:27.:18:32.

Has it foreshortened your stay in the Executive? You will have to ask

:18:32.:18:41.

the First Minister. I haven't heard of it if it is the case. Thank you

:18:41.:18:44.

While it's clearly been a busy time for the Health Minister, it's also

:18:44.:18:47.

been pretty hectic for our health correspondent, Marie-Louise

:18:47.:18:50.

Connolly. What do you make of what the Minister has had to say? What

:18:50.:18:53.

impresses me the most is that the Minister consistently arguing that

:18:53.:19:00.

he did not know what the Trusts were going to do. As a journalist I find

:19:00.:19:04.

that hard to believe when we are communicating between the Department

:19:04.:19:08.

of Health and the health trusts and waiting on statements from the

:19:08.:19:11.

health Trusts we are told it is coming because it has to be signed

:19:11.:19:16.

off by someone in the Department. There is a very close line of

:19:17.:19:22.

communication between the two. It is very hard to believe that the Trusts

:19:22.:19:26.

made such a significant decision and a consistent decision. They were

:19:26.:19:30.

singing off the same hymn sheet without the Minister hoping. Trouble

:19:30.:19:34.

do you think Edwin Poots is in as Health Minister tonight? Is he in

:19:34.:19:40.

trouble? Yes, I think he is. He is in trouble because the health

:19:40.:19:44.

portfolio is the most significant of all the portfolios in the Executive.

:19:44.:19:50.

It shares the biggest slice of the budget cake and dealing with the

:19:50.:19:53.

most emotive issues that the health department or any of the departments

:19:53.:19:57.

come across you are dealing with life-and-death issues. Health

:19:58.:20:01.

impacts on every voter. It has become a political issue. We saw

:20:01.:20:08.

that today by both the Deputy and First Minister stepping it. It's no

:20:08.:20:11.

longer a health problem, it's a political problem. What can be

:20:11.:20:15.

learnt from the events of the past 24-hours? Everything else that is

:20:15.:20:19.

going to come from transforming your care, it will be a lot better

:20:19.:20:23.

managed, better choreographed. This has been a PR disaster for the

:20:24.:20:27.

Department of Health. In particular for the Health Minister. I think

:20:27.:20:31.

this has to be a big test for the Executive, let us face it, they

:20:31.:20:35.

don't like making unpopular decisions. Look what happened with

:20:35.:20:39.

water charges. Are they going to have the courage to see their

:20:39.:20:43.

convictions through? Will they follow this policy through? It's a

:20:43.:20:47.

policy that has been in the making for three to five years. Will they

:20:47.:20:52.

pull the plug because of bad publicity? I don't think so. It's

:20:52.:20:56.

not a surprise he didn't want to be drawn on his future as Health

:20:56.:21:00.

Minister tonight on this programme. Could this be a reason for him to be

:21:00.:21:04.

moved out of his position sooner rather than later? We know he will

:21:04.:21:08.

be moved, we know, it might it be next week instead of next month?

:21:08.:21:12.

think it could be. Talking on the public reaction today we have heard

:21:12.:21:18.

quite a lot of public furore saying this is not good enough. Let's face

:21:18.:21:23.

it, it impacts on all of us where we will spend the latter part of our

:21:23.:21:27.

lives. It is a vote loser. Is it a vote winner? The question we have to

:21:27.:21:31.

be asking tonight, can the Minister do enough to turn this situation

:21:31.:21:35.

around? Also, what it highlights, is the lack of opposition within

:21:36.:21:40.

Stormont. The lack of scrutiny, the lack of challenging going on. It was

:21:40.:21:50.

a lot different when his prescissor was in the seat. Thank you.

:21:50.:21:53.

Now, something completely different. Given a choice which would you

:21:54.:21:57.

prefer, a party or a parade? Well, this year the Lord Mayor of

:21:57.:21:59.

Belfast, Gavin Robinson, has gone for the party option headlined by

:22:00.:22:03.

Matt Cardle to mark the end of his term in office.

:22:03.:22:13.
:22:13.:22:16.

Good idea or will you be hankering done this before? They haven't done

:22:16.:22:23.

that before. There is a lot of people in the city, not just younger

:22:23.:22:28.

people who aren't interesting in that. Maybe for everyone. Can you do

:22:28.:22:33.

a parade and a concert? Like a parade that ferns with a concert?

:22:34.:22:38.

might attract more people to the venue and more people might learn

:22:38.:22:46.

about it than offering public official event. It might be better.

:22:46.:22:49.

Anything that attracts young people into the city centre is a good

:22:49.:22:54.

thing. Not to knock the old, if it brings an influx that is only a good

:22:54.:23:01.

thing for the city centre. Something for the young ones then.

:23:01.:23:03.

With me now our commentators, Professor Pete Shirlow from Queen's

:23:03.:23:12.

University and Sam McBride from the Newsletter. Let us talk about the

:23:12.:23:15.

issue of the week the health story and the handling of that. You looked

:23:15.:23:22.

at what the Minister said and here what marry Louise had to say. How a

:23:22.:23:28.

Big problem is this for the Minister and his Department? It's enormous

:23:28.:23:33.

problem with a Minister being as contrite as he was today. His

:23:33.:23:38.

performance on Talk Back he realised people were furious at this. He held

:23:38.:23:43.

his hands up as high as he could say, I'm with you on this. Whether

:23:43.:23:49.

this is enough to overturn the public anger, I'm not sure. I think

:23:49.:23:52.

the central problem that he has is that he campaigned against pretty

:23:52.:23:58.

much what he is doing now, as we saw on the clip earlier. It's very

:23:58.:24:03.

difficult, I think, to make a credible case for closing care homes

:24:03.:24:07.

when you have been photographed campaigning against it. Many of the

:24:07.:24:11.

things that Edwin Poots has done as Health Minister have been bold and

:24:11.:24:15.

gone against the populous line the Executive has tended to take. He has

:24:15.:24:21.

tried to listen to what the health profession penaltiesals have said in

:24:21.:24:24.

centralising bigger and better hospitals. It's difficult to see how

:24:24.:24:28.

he can push aheaded with this particular policy. It seems as if it

:24:28.:24:32.

has snuck up on them That was the point when you interviewed him

:24:32.:24:38.

there, the question you asked about how did you not know? There was an

:24:38.:24:41.

inadequate answer to that. The policy is not wrong. It's clearly

:24:41.:24:47.

this has been a Hiroshima, it hit all of a sudden. No real reason or

:24:47.:24:52.

explanation. What we know about the NHS is you have to have confidence

:24:52.:24:55.

in it, confidence as a patient and confidence in the people who

:24:55.:25:00.

administer it. Also with those in political power. That is the centre

:25:00.:25:04.

core system that is the NHS which is public confidence. Do you think he

:25:05.:25:08.

will stay or go? I think... There have been rumours that even before

:25:08.:25:13.

that perhaps he would stay because Peter Robinson was impressed with

:25:13.:25:19.

his performance and Jim Wells will be pushed back longer. If it's

:25:19.:25:22.

damaging Peter Robinson he will not be too long in moving him out of the

:25:22.:25:29.

way. We will talk about your moment of the week. Statistics leapt out

:25:29.:25:33.

from the page? Yesterday at the health committee the issue about

:25:33.:25:38.

27,000 appointments were missed over two years by consultants on leave.

:25:38.:25:42.

I, work out at 50 to 60 per day. There is a problem with people

:25:42.:25:48.

turning up for appointments etc, if we a situation where consultants,

:25:48.:25:51.

the question was asked yesterday in the Assembly, is this because they

:25:51.:25:55.

are doing private work? The other factor that came out of this, the

:25:55.:26:02.

private consultants are six times more productive when they work in

:26:02.:26:05.

the private consultancy than in the NHS. The people in the

:26:05.:26:09.

private-sector are working in the NHS. That was part of their

:26:09.:26:12.

contract. There are questions to be asked there about why this is

:26:12.:26:17.

happening. Sam, your moment of the week? Slip of the tongue by Martin

:26:17.:26:20.

McGuinness in the Assembly earlier this week where he was meaning to

:26:20.:26:24.

say IFA, as in the Irish Football Association he said the IRA. It made

:26:24.:26:29.

people smile. Another look at what he said. I think the work that is

:26:29.:26:39.
:26:39.:26:41.

happening within the IRA, sorry... Within the IFA... OH! Raised a few

:26:41.:26:50.

eyebrows? That laughster, genuine laughter from the unionist benches

:26:50.:26:55.

isn't something you would have seen years ago. There is a softening of

:26:55.:26:59.

their approach to Martin McGuinness and to some of those other

:26:59.:27:06.

controversial figures in the Sinn Fein benches. Your tweet of the

:27:06.:27:11.

Fein benches. Your tweet of the week? One about Boris Johnson. He is

:27:11.:27:21.
:27:21.:27:30.

a genius irrespective of what your We have the picture. He slip slipped

:27:30.:27:32.

a "B" into the front of the Times. He was trying to get in the back

:27:33.:27:42.
:27:43.:27:43.

door as it were. Looking ahead, Pete what do you look ahead to? On Sunday

:27:43.:27:47.

night I'm seeing The Specials. It reminds me that many of the issues

:27:47.:27:52.

we face today, collapsed property market, crisis in the welfare and

:27:53.:27:58.

health system are very rant 30 years later. Shall we have a quick

:27:58.:28:04.

reminder of the Special? We should do. You will take your son to this?

:28:04.:28:10.

This is interesting. The first time I saw them I was 15. My son is 15.

:28:10.:28:16.

When I saw them my arm was in a sling. My son's arm is in a sling.

:28:16.:28:21.

Both came from rugby injuries. There will be no contact socially

:28:21.:28:26.

throughout the night to destroy his teenage coolness. Absolutely.

:28:26.:28:30.

issue of the Maze Peace Centre will be crucial in the next weeks and

:28:30.:28:33.

months. Mounting anger among grassroots unionism. Difficult for

:28:33.:28:38.

Peter Robinson to keep it on track. Thank you very much.

:28:38.:28:41.

Download Subtitles

SRT

ASS