01/07/2014 Stormont Today

As the Assembly once again discusses parades, the focus narrows in

Returning home on the Twelfth night along the main Crumlin Road to their

starting point at Ligoniel. Is it too much to ask?

Edwin Poots criticises the Belfast Health Trust over the

Management of the flow of patients, in the Royal Victoria Hospital and

across the Trust as a whole, could have been handled better. I am very

disappointed by the Trust's apparent inability to identify and

plan for those anticipated pressures.

And I'm joined by Steven McCaffery, editor of the news website

It was the last scheduled sitting of the Assembly today and,

perhaps fittingly, proceedings were dominated by a continuing point

of contention - parades, protests and how to police them.

The Ulster Unionist motion called for everyone involved to show

"respect, restraint and tolerance", but in

And once again the ongoing stand-off at Twaddell Avenue was

It is unfortunate that during the multiparty talks that we could not

find agreement on the issue of parades and related protests. I

suppose we came reasonably close to an overarching agreement. But even

if we did it was not going to deal with a number of those contentious

parades. That is a major difficulty that we will have even if we do find

that resolution we are looking for. I do hope that these words will see

positive actions to follow. We have seen on a number of occasions

statements put forward by the executive and this assembly and that

actions following that have not met the high standards of the statement

put forward. We have seen members of the opposing party, the Ulster

Unionist party, put up tension by telling international mediators to

go home. When their party leader was in negotiation with that

international mediator around these difficult issues. I was part of a

joint delegation to the Parades Commission. When the chair said in

relation to Ardoyne, I quote, there is absolute rejection from what we

have heard from all nationalist parties to an evening parade. So

accommodation, shared space, shared future, tolerance and respect, there

is not any. There is absolute rejection from all sides. This is

not an issue that only cropped up in the past number of years, it is not

something conjured up by Gerry Adams or Jerry Kelly. It has been going on

for hundreds of years. It is part of our history. Going back to the

1800s, the early 20th century, there have always been issues around

parades and they have not been resolved. In the times we are living

in, in the debate that we are having, does it not come down to

this. Clever people in every party are prepared to say today that

whatever happens in the next two weeks, that they themselves as

parties and that they will advise people wherever it might be in

Northern Ireland to accept the decision of the Parades Commission.

Three small lodges and one band returning home on the Twelfth Night

along the main Crumlin Road to their starting point at Ligoniel. Is it

too much to ask? Is there sufficient respect, restraint and tolerance on

that side of the chamber to allow them to do that? They may vote for a

motion that speaks about these things, but the reality is there is

no respect and there is no tolerance.

I think it is late in the day, this is already the 1st of July. The

Richard Haass talks are over six months. We have had a period of

party leader discussions on and off for the last several weeks. So

tomorrow dolls commence a set of negotiations, none of us know where

they will go. Certainly from our party 's point of view are committed

to making sure they're successful and we do conclude on the business

laid out by the Richard Haass and Meghan O'Sullivan final paper.

Sinn Fein as the party are those who demand shared government. But not

repaired to share the public road. -- prepared. The audacity to say, we

demand as of right to share in government, but we will not

tolerate, permit, allow, the sharing of public space.

Steven McCaffery joins me in the studio.

Steven, it did seem an odd time to be debating the parading issue,

It was one day that created the impression that Stormont is

sometimes in a bubble. But more positively at least the motion was

aimed at sending out a positive message. And the debate itself was

calm except that the DUP representatives from North Belfast

came maybe more agitated than the others. But there and sit in the art

in the eye of the storm. Dashed their constituencies. We have had a

debate about parades involving politicians that did not deal in any

detail with the data that exists showing there are more parades than

ever before. We have reported on this for three years. Over 95% go

ahead with no restriction whatsoever. And further research

from Queens extended that vision even further to show that wider

loyalist culture is enjoying something of a golden age. That does

not seem to impact on the temperature of the politics around

this issue. Not necessarily help people from that community would

interpret things. That is the disconnect. Parades being discussed

by the five parties tomorrow in this pick-up from the Richard Haass

talks. You any optimism of a kind of resolution? Given that since the

talks themselves collapsed at the start of the year, we have had

nothing but critical recrimination and infighting on all kinds of

issues. The climate could not be worse. I do not know anyone who has

expectations. And parades is the example of where the reality does

not match the perception. And the realities of these issues does not

impact on the political dynamic. The first and deputy first ministers

will not even be at the first day of the talks. Important meetings are

taking place in London on that day but it will give the impression that

the talks will begin with a whimper instead of a bang. The Sinn Fein

delegation meeting the Prime Minister in Downing Street tomorrow.

The first time they have met David Cameron in that way since he took

office. Yes, it is incredible and the funny element is that that

conversation is likely to be dominated by the fact that the Prime

Minister has a close relationship with the DUP. It will be one of the

more interesting ones perhaps, what made come out of the talks that day.

And there is another meeting to discuss the Northern Ireland

economic pact. Well you might save this is important mood music to help

the talks. If you were more suspicious you might say it is

choreography to give the impression of action when there is not any.

It was a busy day for the Health Minister.

In his first appearance before the house, Edwin Poots criticised

the Belfast Health Trust for its management of patients, particularly

prior to the declaration of a major incident in January.

His comments followed the publication of a review by the

Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority into unscheduled care

The RQIA has identified planning and systems failures by the Belfast

trust in the period leading up to be inserted in January. Management of

the flow of patients in the Royal Victoria Hospital and across the

trust could have been handled better. I'm disappointed at the

apparent inability of the trust to identify and plan for these

anticipated pressures. I am contacting the chairs and acting

chief executives of the Belfast trust and health and social chair

board to ask them to account for these systems failures. I required

their assurance that they have learnt lessons from the findings of

RQIA and are taking steps to prevent this happening in the future. RQIA

has made a number of recommendations for concerted actions across the

region to improve the delivery of unscheduled care. I believe the

floor to secure improvements in the delivery of unscheduled care, then a

reasonable approach is essential. -- regional. I am announcing my

decision to establish a regional task group to take forward the

recommendations under the leadership of my department?s Chief medical

Officer Doctor Michael McBride and the chief nursing officer who will

co-chair the task group. I want to see results and have set the clear

aim for the task group of eliminating all avoidable 12 are

waiting time breaches from this winter onwards. And over the next 18

months make significant process towards achieving the four hours

waiting time standard. The findings are back in the five years covered,

83 serious adverse incidents were recorded. Of those 48 involved death

of a patient. 13 of those identified some element of delay in aspect of

their care. Delays arose from a range of reasons. Including issues

around the triage process, a misdiagnosis, the accurate and

timely communication of information and the speed with which medications

or treatments were delivered. It is impossible to definitively say to

what extent any delay has contributed to any death. It is

clear that RQIA have identified that there were planning and systems

failures by the Belfast trust. But what is quite stark in the

Minister?s statement is his comment that I am very disappointed by the

trust?s apparent inability to identify and plan for these

anticipated pressures. Can the Minister therefore give this

house and insight as to first of all what were the systems failings and

indeed what recommendations will be progressed and also, if he would go

as far as to comment on the response from the ombudsman this morning

around high levels of dissatisfaction with the complaints

processes within the health trusts. I think it is important that we

ensured that when we are dealing with complaints coming in from the

public, but they are dealt with in a very clear and consistent way. Some

trusts perform better in terms of managing complaints than others and

I have experienced that myself. Therefore I would like a greater

level of consistency applied throughout the trusts in terms of

their response to complaints. There was no let up for the

Health Minister. During Question Time,

he was asked about the impact that failing to reach an agreement

on cuts to the welfare system was Mr Poots began

by outlining the savings he planned to make in order to accommodate

his department's share of the Some ?160 -- million pounds of

additional resources are estimated to be required to balance the

books. The deficit remains in spite of my commitment to deliver some

?170 million of savings. I have requested further resources in the

June monitoring round and is not forthcoming the executive will

effectively agreed to a number of serious implications such as pay

constraints on hard-working staff, reducing the standard of services

offered and the addition of dashed the introduction of additional

charges. Longer waiting times for scheduled care. I have not and will

not take actions by myself that will have an impact on front line care

for patients and clients. And I will not plan for cuts in vital health

and social care services to pay for the current refusal of some members

of this house to take the necessary decisions in relation to welfare

reform. To do nothing is not an option. The failure to agree welfare

reform is unforgivable and as financial penalties are imposed by

the Treasury there are surely better directed at meeting the real and

pressing health and social care needs of some of the most vulnerable

people in our society. Hit in the present financial year. If the

welfare reform issue is not settled soon, what are the indications for

future budgets of this department if we have to pay penalties to

Westminster because of our inability to deal with this issue? Every

departure and will feel the pinch. Dyas the

departure and will feel the pinch. Dyas the minister if we would be

better served not following his campaigns Aleem Maqbool ideological

campaigns on welfare reform... The rough finds which have not even been

implemented by the executive yet. Irony despair at the lack of

knowledge demonstrated by the member who has just spoken. Order, order.

The fact that members will close their eyes. You take your decision,

stand by it. Come to this house and say, we believe that we are better

spending this money on welfare than on health. Stand up and say it. Do

not be a coward. People need to be very clear that money is being taken

from the Northern Ireland budget. The consequence of that money being

taken is impacting health and education and justice. And the

members opposite are the people who are doing it. Would this argument is

not have greater weight and credibility in the wider public mind

if he was able to demonstrate some measure of ability in transforming

his care plan against the 1999 targets so that people would

understand not just that he needs the money but where the money is

going? The SDLP's Fearghal McKinney.

Steven McCaffery from the Detail is still with me.

Steven, thank you. Welfare reform seems to be the goal

to defence for any DUP Minister? It seems like the argument really

involved the DUP and Sinn Fein but I'd think that today's debate, it

was obvious that the STL P was launching in on this idea that the

DUP are using it as a blanket defence in health at least. I

thought eye detected a little bit of annoyance on the part of the

minister when that was put to him. Do you have any sense that this is

an issue which is nearing some kind of resolution or is it as

intractable now as it was six months or a year ago. The same reasons that

lead to it being blocked are still in place so it is hard to imagine

that it will be blocked. Given that Sinn Fein are talking about some

kind of movement if and when the government is replaced next year in

London, that would suggest that we are in for a long haul and not a

short solution. There has to be some sort of resolution. It cannot drift

for ever with the current state of play. There has to be ultimately

some kind of compromise. We have been in this position on other

issues at Stormont, issues that have gone on for quite some time and have

involved important issues. Irony think that the parties reluctance to

accept the reform are digging in their heels. It will be interesting

to follow. The damning report into A here in Belfast that we reported

on a few minutes ago, the Health Minister is clearly not happy with

the performance of the Belfast trust. Yes. His defence was to go on

the attack. That was something that did not wash with the Ulster

Unionists. They accused him of spinning the figures away from the

wider problems. But that is a row that is also not going away any time

soon. Thank you indeed. Steven, thank you.

Yet another health related story, and MLAs today called for the

setting up of a biomedical research centre in Northern Ireland.

Members also asked the Health Minister

for more cancer research and greater access to experimental drugs for

those suffering with the disease. The SDLP's Fearghal McKinney

brought the motion to the house. We can approach this issue from a

number of different angles but we will not achieve the full ambition

and -- unless we see this as a journey which will affect them all

equally. Cancer patients benefiting from diagnostic treatments, drugs

developed here and trials here through well-paid jobs which are

based here, bringing income which they see. A global centre of

excellence. We need to do more to see the development of a world-class

centre of excellence in cancer research and the development of

drugs here in Northern Ireland. In relation to cancer drugs, there is a

real need for access to the 38 drugs are available in the rest of the UK.

There is a strong lobby out there for such treatments and I know the

Minister has a lot of sympathy for the provision of such drugs. Whilst

there are significant of elements that I have alluded to, in terms of

research and treatment, as the proposers of the motion, we rightly

state that we have equality issues when it comes to access to the type

of drugs that are required. And it is very clear to us all that access

to drugs and treatment should not be by dint of postcode. How do we

develop a dedicated cancer drug fund for liberally funding those of very

high cost drugs, sometimes experimental drugs that are very

expensive. I think that is something I've wanted to see people across

Northern Ireland having access to. And I think that is vital that they

have access to them. I want to see that. We are lagging behind the rest

of the country in that and that is something that this assembly should

be aiming to put right. One of the members said he wanted equality with

England. England charge ?8 a head for prescriptions. I am not

proposing we do that. I want to do something less. The member said, and

that will take an intervention. But does he want an ?8 prescription

charge? I want to do something considerably less. Ten years ago, I

was diagnosed with cancer and given the treatment. I was given the right

drugs. Are you really saying no to people like me today?

The Justice Minister, David Ford, also faced questions today

and he was asked to introduce legislation aimed at compelling

former RUC officers to give evidence in Troubles-related cases.

The SDLP MLA Dominic Bradley raised the matter, referring to the recent

Police Ombudsman's investigation into the murder of RUC Constable

Can ask the minister a question regarding the police ombudsman's

report into the matter of Sergeant Joe Campbell of the RUC? Is the

minister concerned that attempts to frustrate the ombudsman's

investigation through the symptomatic destruction of evidence?

I need to be very careful, especially as Sergeant Campbell was

murdered long before I came to office and under very different

circumstances. That is exactly the first thing high would wish to

save. I will record my sympathy for Sergeant Campbell's family because

of this publicity. It would be a matter of concern that if evidence

was destroyed as part of any investigation. There are other

factors about witnesses. I wonder if there is division in this house

about these issues. On that point, with the Minister agree that there

is a need for legislation to ensure that retired members of the RUC

cooperate with the ombudsman's investigations? Well, I have a paper

before the executive looking at the issue of a number of matters

relating to the ombudsman's work, including the compatibility of

retired police officers. It is clear that there is no political consensus

and it is unlikely that legislation would pass the house, but I can see

why members of families like the Campbell family would mesh the lack

-- would wish to see compelling ability. We have the knowledge that

if we go back that far there might be no valid evidence forthcoming in

such circumstances but it is understandable why people would wish

to explore that. Can ask the minister if he agrees that the only

way to avoid the criminal justice issues that have come out of these

controversial parades are the only way to deal with that is for people

to get around the table in the same way that happened in Derry, and top

out the issue, to ensure that we can have respect and tolerance across? I

am happy to agree, between an MLA from foil in the speakers chair and

one asking the question, there are definitely was the examples of

instances where people from Derry and Londonderry have got together to

deal with the issues. To get that kind of mood into certain areas of

Belfast is lacking at I hope that the leadership in this house would

provide some of that joining up. How do you respond to criticism,

Minister, levelled against your department by sinister is for

solicitors for the most senior coroner that the access to legacy

issues is an enormous embarrassment to the state? As I said to other

members of this house, it is absolutely clear that there are

fundamental issues of resources. Issues like obtaining all the

necessary information for inquests are enormously complex and demanding

of time. Skilled personnel, of whom there are a limited number, are also

in demand. There have been difficulties encountered in doing

that. That has never been denied. What is at issue is to ensure that

we provide the system in as joined up a way as possible. That would

best be done if we can agree on some of these outstanding issues and find

ways that we could collectively deal with them without using the existing

inquest system to deal with legacy matters which are more complex.

The Enterprise Minister announced that an updated tourism strategy is

to be developed following a review of the Northern Ireland Tourist

Board which is to have its name changed.

Arlene Foster explained that the executive summary of the report

highlights ten key recommendations including a review of the skills

needs of the tourism sector, and greater collaboration between the

The chairman of the Enterprise Committee questioned the updated

Note that in the tourism strategy, the consultation document referred

to the executive, which should publish an up updated strategy for

tourism. Given that this came before the assembly in 2010 and then

disappeared into the black hole of the executive, does the Minister

rate any higher the chances for success of a fresh strategy for

tourism? I thank the member for those points. In relation to the

tourism strategy, he is right to say that the last strategy, which was

actually brought about after an industry lead panel brought forward

recommendations, we brought that aura to the executive.

Unfortunately, that was just before the assembly elections and it never

came back out again. Therefore, the reviewer has indicated that we need

an updated tourism strategy. I have to say that the fact that we have

not had an officially endorsed tourism strategy has not prevented

the tourism industry from growing and I'd pay tribute to the way the

tourism industry has continued to grow during that important year of

2012. It will be an updated tragedy taking into account the fact that

business tourism has grown, particularly in and around Belfast.

Mr Hunter points to the success of visit Belfast in that regard. It

will also take into account the whole experience, and the five

pillars he talks about. Those need to be reflected in the updated

strategy. Finally, the review of public administration will have to

be factored into any tourism strategy because rules and

responsibilities have changed in that regard.

The Enterprise Minister, Arlene Foster.

Do join me for The View on Thursday at 10.35 on BBC1.