Browse content similar to 02/10/2012. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!
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Hello and welcome to Stormont Today. Coming up: Do the Alliance Party | :00:30. | :00:33. | |
and the Ulster Unionists make a mistake when deciding to leave the | :00:33. | :00:37. | |
Cohesion, Sharing and Integration working group? The Deputy First | :00:37. | :00:42. | |
Minister certainly thinks so. important that the Alliance Party | :00:43. | :00:51. | |
step out of those important discussions. It is better... They | :00:51. | :00:56. | |
might admit they made a mistake. And a bit of advice for a troubled | :00:56. | :01:02. | |
Ulster Unionist Party as well. Ulster Unionist Party themselves | :01:02. | :01:07. | |
need to be involved in a process of Cohesion, Sharing and Integration, | :01:07. | :01:11. | |
considering what we have heard in the last couple of days. Plus | :01:11. | :01:20. | |
accusations of a big following an urgent oral question. There appears | :01:20. | :01:28. | |
to be a bleak in regards confidential... Order, please. | :01:28. | :01:38. | |
:01:38. | :01:39. | ||
regards confidential material from We kick off today with questions to | :01:40. | :01:43. | |
the Deputy First Minister, Martin McGuinness. He was asked about | :01:43. | :01:48. | |
perfect -- public confidence a relating to appointments to the | :01:48. | :01:51. | |
Maze/Long Kesh Development Corporation board. But first he | :01:51. | :01:54. | |
updated the Assembly on the Cohesion, Sharing and Integration | :01:54. | :01:57. | |
strategy and confirmed he expects a report from the working group | :01:57. | :02:03. | |
within the next few weeks. First Minister and I are committed to | :02:03. | :02:09. | |
improving community relations. Breaking forward a robust community | :02:09. | :02:16. | |
relations strategy with a clear framework for action. We very much | :02:16. | :02:21. | |
recognise the importance of translating the Executive's | :02:21. | :02:24. | |
commitment to clear, meaningful action, and we have asked the | :02:24. | :02:27. | |
cross-party working group to conclude its work as a matter of | :02:27. | :02:36. | |
Would he not accept that the actions of himself as Deputy First | :02:36. | :02:46. | |
:02:46. | :02:46. | ||
Minister and, indeed, another minister from his party, are not | :02:46. | :02:50. | |
doing anything to help build community relationships and this | :02:50. | :03:00. | |
:03:00. | :03:01. | ||
needs to be addressed to --? Are I am an Irish republican. All of the | :03:01. | :03:06. | |
commemorations that I attend receive clearance from both the | :03:06. | :03:12. | |
police and the Police Commission. I am only interested in attending | :03:12. | :03:16. | |
commemorations which are within the law. It is absolutely vital on all | :03:16. | :03:21. | |
of us within this House to recognise that we have to abide by | :03:21. | :03:29. | |
the rule of law and I also state people need to abide by the | :03:29. | :03:33. | |
determinations of the Parades Commission. Can I ask the first | :03:33. | :03:35. | |
minister where there any new framework for dealing with parades | :03:35. | :03:43. | |
and protests will be included in the forthcoming strategy? It was | :03:43. | :03:48. | |
very unfortunate that the Alliance Party, which mostly in its | :03:48. | :03:51. | |
contributions to this Assembly, and the workings of the Assembly, has | :03:51. | :03:58. | |
shown itself to be very reflective. It was very important that the | :03:58. | :04:02. | |
Alliance Party stepped out of those important discussions. I think with | :04:02. | :04:07. | |
the benefit of hindsight they might admit they made a mistake. I want | :04:07. | :04:11. | |
to pay tribute to those representatives from my own party, | :04:11. | :04:13. | |
from the Democratic Unionist Party and from the SDLP who have stayed | :04:13. | :04:21. | |
with it. Up until the point where the Alliance Party stepped out, and | :04:21. | :04:26. | |
incomprehensibly to me, the Ulster Unionists stepped out also, and | :04:26. | :04:31. | |
importing significant progress had been made. Even since the | :04:31. | :04:34. | |
Department of the Ulster Unionists and the Alliance Party, more | :04:34. | :04:39. | |
progress has been made and all of these issues that have proved | :04:39. | :04:43. | |
themselves to be difficult in the past have shown themselves during | :04:43. | :04:48. | |
the course of these discussions to be capable of resolution. I said it | :04:48. | :04:54. | |
was incomprehensible of the Ulster Unionist Party to step out. They | :04:54. | :05:02. | |
themselves need to be involved in a crisis of cohesion, sharing and | :05:02. | :05:08. | |
integration, up from what we have heard. Would he have made it that | :05:08. | :05:13. | |
process surrounding the board has been damaged somewhat? -- would he | :05:13. | :05:16. | |
admit. I wonder what steps he would have in mind to try to address this | :05:16. | :05:23. | |
issue. I wonder how people are making an assessment of where | :05:23. | :05:29. | |
public confidence actually lies. I think people are hugely heartened | :05:29. | :05:34. | |
by the fact that the First Minister and myself had the ability to put | :05:34. | :05:41. | |
in place Development Corporation which is truly reflective of our | :05:41. | :05:47. | |
entire mint -- our entire community. People to have the ability to take | :05:47. | :05:51. | |
forward what is probably the prime development site on this island and | :05:52. | :05:57. | |
we have had huge important development with the announcement | :05:57. | :06:03. | |
from Europe of �20 million for the first building complete | :06:03. | :06:09. | |
transformation centre. And also the decision by the Ulster Royal | :06:09. | :06:13. | |
Agricultural Society to construct a building so that it can be up and | :06:13. | :06:16. | |
running for 2013. All of that represents tremendous progress. I | :06:17. | :06:21. | |
also think that there has been some debate in the cause of recent times | :06:21. | :06:24. | |
about the people who were appointed to the board. The people who were | :06:25. | :06:29. | |
appointed to the board of people who have the confidence of the vows | :06:29. | :06:34. | |
and myself. They are people who have been appointed because of | :06:34. | :06:39. | |
their expertise and people who we believe will take forward our | :06:39. | :06:44. | |
objectives of ensuring that the economic and historic and | :06:44. | :06:47. | |
reconciliation potential of that site can be used for the benefit of | :06:47. | :06:54. | |
all our people. After the news that more than 150 | :06:54. | :06:59. | |
people will lose their jobs at the troubled sports retailer JJB Sports, | :06:59. | :07:02. | |
and urgent or will question was put to the employment minister, Stephen | :07:02. | :07:06. | |
Farry, asking him what protection is in place for employees here | :07:06. | :07:11. | |
whose jobs are going. My officials have made contact with | :07:11. | :07:17. | |
the administrator, KPMG, primarily due offered to support the | :07:17. | :07:22. | |
employees made redundant. KPMG has advised three stores in Antrim and | :07:22. | :07:31. | |
other places have been sold to sports direct, retaining 65 jobs. | :07:31. | :07:39. | |
Of the employees from the ten stores elsewhere, 154 employees | :07:39. | :07:44. | |
have been made redundant immediately. Ten employees are | :07:44. | :07:46. | |
currently existing the administrator with the closure of | :07:46. | :07:53. | |
the stores. KPMG is writing to each redundant employee tomorrow and has | :07:53. | :08:00. | |
agreed to include details of the redundancy advice service. My | :08:00. | :08:03. | |
officials will subsequently gauge the interests from the employees | :08:03. | :08:07. | |
and will organise redundancy clinics on a reasonable basis if | :08:07. | :08:12. | |
necessary. Employees will have a tenant package of professional | :08:12. | :08:16. | |
advice about the options and support available. Can ask whether | :08:16. | :08:21. | |
he is satisfied that the redundancy advice service he has mentioned is | :08:21. | :08:25. | |
fit for purpose and whether I he feels it may need tailored to suit | :08:25. | :08:30. | |
the needs of people who have found themselves recently out of work. | :08:30. | :08:34. | |
do think my service is certainly fit for purpose, although it is | :08:34. | :08:37. | |
coming under considerable pressure at the moment as we have had a | :08:37. | :08:42. | |
number of redundancies and there is pressure on the staff. Our staff | :08:42. | :08:45. | |
are rising to that challenge and recognise the importance of what | :08:45. | :08:53. | |
they're doing. I think the real importance of moving this forward | :08:53. | :08:56. | |
is trying to work with the employees who find themselves in | :08:56. | :09:06. | |
this situation, to have the skills properly recognise and putting them | :09:06. | :09:10. | |
in contact with all the job opportunities that may be there in | :09:10. | :09:15. | |
the retail sector. Another minister who knows all | :09:15. | :09:18. | |
about the impact of the recession is the finance minister. In | :09:18. | :09:23. | |
Question Time, Sammy Wilson was quizzed about corporation tax and | :09:23. | :09:28. | |
the Treasury negotiations. But here he is first answering a question | :09:28. | :09:33. | |
about unpaid rates. At the end of the financial year 2011 to 2012, | :09:33. | :09:43. | |
the debt was �160.8 million. These figure includes rating of empty | :09:43. | :09:47. | |
homes, which is subject to audit. Those figures he has supplied a | :09:47. | :09:52. | |
quite startling. Does he have any new initiative to ensure that rates | :09:52. | :09:58. | |
are paid, bearing in mind that many ratepayers, in particular in the | :09:58. | :10:03. | |
retail sector, are struggling at this particular time and they do | :10:03. | :10:07. | |
feel very discouraged when they discover that others are not | :10:07. | :10:13. | |
paying? Where people I did not pay, refused to pay or have shown over a | :10:13. | :10:17. | |
period of time they are not going to abide by those arrangements, we | :10:17. | :10:21. | |
will go for court action and lastly, if we have to, we will take people | :10:22. | :10:27. | |
to the point of bankruptcy. When the minister engaged at the start | :10:27. | :10:32. | |
of July, we were assured that the redress system would be put in | :10:32. | :10:36. | |
place within a few days. Can he applied to the house why it took so | :10:36. | :10:40. | |
long for the Ulster Bank compensation scheme to be put in | :10:40. | :10:47. | |
place and whether a measly �20 was a little too late? These have to be | :10:48. | :10:52. | |
worked out with the fact will services authority. I do not know | :10:52. | :10:59. | |
whether they have queries or whether Ulster Bank was slow in | :10:59. | :11:06. | |
bringing the proposals forward. Ultimately, I know some customers | :11:06. | :11:11. | |
are disappointed. Ulster Bank make this point -- I make his point to | :11:11. | :11:18. | |
them, that the longer they delayed, the longer the saw was going to | :11:18. | :11:22. | |
agitate and the more the sort agitated, the angry at the | :11:22. | :11:27. | |
customers were going to get and they would alter money pay the | :11:27. | :11:31. | |
place for that. Considering the devolution of responsibility for | :11:31. | :11:36. | |
corporation tax, it is now in my opinion entering a critical stage | :11:36. | :11:46. | |
of investigations. I remain concerned about the cost currently | :11:46. | :11:50. | |
proposed by Treasury officials which I believe his expensive. The | :11:50. | :11:55. | |
working group is due to meet again on 18th October with a due to | :11:55. | :12:00. | |
resolving outstanding issues and after that, I believe it will be | :12:00. | :12:03. | |
down to a political decision involving the Prime Minister, | :12:03. | :12:08. | |
Deputy Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer. | :12:08. | :12:12. | |
Next to an Alliance mission looking at the problem small and medium- | :12:12. | :12:15. | |
sized businesses have been accessing bank lending. The party | :12:15. | :12:18. | |
wants the Executive to make sure companies are aware of other | :12:18. | :12:22. | |
sources of finance available be on the banks. | :12:23. | :12:28. | |
We have a range of established SMA is a big potential, yet this | :12:28. | :12:31. | |
potential and enthusiasm is not always matched by its financial | :12:31. | :12:35. | |
backing. Yes, we have a small population but it should not | :12:35. | :12:39. | |
confine our growth or long-term objectives. Key to any progress | :12:39. | :12:43. | |
will be measurable finance available to nurture and grow our | :12:43. | :12:47. | |
private sector from the bottom up. Therefore, I am seeking to | :12:47. | :12:50. | |
highlight where exactly are Executive can use its influence to | :12:50. | :12:53. | |
ensure that our businesses are connected officially to finance | :12:53. | :13:02. | |
sources. I think it is quite clear. In terms of opinions of how the | :13:02. | :13:08. | |
banks in particular have behaved, regardless of what your | :13:08. | :13:12. | |
interpretation of their behaviour is, but they are certainly stifling, | :13:12. | :13:21. | |
if not suffocating, many businesses, in terms of their actions. We need | :13:21. | :13:27. | |
a satisfactory resolution for corporation tax. It could create 50 | :13:27. | :13:31. | |
to 60,000 jobs for Northern Ireland. It will assist small and medium- | :13:32. | :13:36. | |
sized businesses to access the export market. We need to ensure | :13:36. | :13:40. | |
young people have the skills and education to compete. We need to | :13:41. | :13:47. | |
encourage people to save. We need more funds, more of our own fans in | :13:47. | :13:52. | |
global markets. That is the long and short of it. Export and export- | :13:52. | :13:58. | |
led growth is the one instrument that could well lead us out of | :13:58. | :14:08. | |
I have returned from a visit to San Francisco to boost trade and | :14:08. | :14:13. | |
investment links. If I was incurred a stand to open a new Office. Are | :14:13. | :14:17. | |
there in April, the Deputy First Minister and myself were in the | :14:17. | :14:20. | |
Middle East and India where we met again and number of companies as | :14:21. | :14:25. | |
well as political leaders, trying, again, to push it into those new | :14:26. | :14:29. | |
areas where we believe there are opportunities. We have appointed | :14:29. | :14:35. | |
somebody to take for words important work and someone in a | :14:35. | :14:38. | |
Brussels office to invest in Northern Ireland. I do believe that | :14:38. | :14:42. | |
MLAs do need to be very much doing their part to let companies in | :14:42. | :14:46. | |
their own region know what is available to them and I am happen | :14:46. | :14:49. | |
these -- and I am happy to work with MLAs and getting the | :14:49. | :14:53. | |
information they need. information they need. | :14:53. | :14:56. | |
The deputy minister Arlene Foster. Joining me now is Stewart Dixon | :14:56. | :14:59. | |
from the Alliance Party. When he reassured by what the minister had | :14:59. | :15:03. | |
to say? I was, and there was an interesting debate today on the | :15:04. | :15:07. | |
whole issue of how the finance her small and medium-sized enterprise | :15:07. | :15:12. | |
and businesses in Northern Ireland. And a great deal of unanimity in | :15:12. | :15:15. | |
Northern Ireland. The executive has Northern Ireland. The executive has | :15:15. | :15:18. | |
clearly set out a strategy, we have had extreme difficulties with the | :15:18. | :15:27. | |
banking sector, as you know. And yet, be set today shows that over | :15:27. | :15:30. | |
61% of small business enterprises in Northern Ireland are actually | :15:30. | :15:35. | |
satisfied with the services and the loans they are getting from banks. | :15:35. | :15:38. | |
Could the assembly and executive be doing more to help those smaller | :15:38. | :15:42. | |
businesses? Particularly start-up businesses, which really struggle, | :15:42. | :15:45. | |
perhaps more than other more established businesses to access | :15:45. | :15:50. | |
cash. Of course you can always do better, and it is complicated, | :15:50. | :15:53. | |
there are a whole plethora of mechanisms that small businesses | :15:53. | :15:58. | |
have to go through, whether it is looking for funding from local | :15:58. | :16:02. | |
enterprise agencies, looking for the funding from the bank or from | :16:02. | :16:07. | |
invest a Northern Ireland or one of the other bodies and I have just | :16:07. | :16:11. | |
made a few, and are simply too many of them. The path we through that | :16:11. | :16:15. | |
is very complicated, when at the same time, you are trying to get | :16:16. | :16:19. | |
your new business up and running. When you are trying to go have | :16:19. | :16:22. | |
recruit employees, when you are trying to deal with people who want | :16:22. | :16:26. | |
to help you or -- who want to help you if market your business. It is | :16:26. | :16:29. | |
very difficult to define for Redpath way through to source that | :16:29. | :16:35. | |
funding. But I am convinced that the second and the minister, praise | :16:35. | :16:40. | |
were it is due, the minister -- has worked very hard to attend to help | :16:40. | :16:44. | |
small businesses identify those resources. | :16:44. | :16:48. | |
Can I ask about another issue which has caused a few eyebrows to be | :16:48. | :16:52. | |
raised? That is the Alliance Party's position or positions, | :16:52. | :16:56. | |
perhaps more accurately, on yesterday's a vote on gay marriage. | :16:56. | :17:01. | |
Your party's policy is to support the change. One of your members | :17:01. | :17:07. | |
voted against and three abstained. What were they doing? The Alliance | :17:07. | :17:11. | |
Party has a very clear policy in relation to the quality in marriage, | :17:11. | :17:17. | |
we determined that when the party council, after a likely period of | :17:17. | :17:20. | |
consideration with -- consideration of the matter came to that | :17:20. | :17:23. | |
consideration at the post on the matter yesterday in a boat in the | :17:23. | :17:28. | |
assembly which was clearly a significant vote but one which in | :17:28. | :17:32. | |
reality will bring best forward in Northern Ireland. A half of your | :17:32. | :17:37. | |
assembly team did not vote in support of the party policy. | :17:37. | :17:42. | |
member voted against and other members were not present. They did | :17:42. | :17:47. | |
not vote. That set out a mixed message here electorate, we now | :17:47. | :17:51. | |
have people in east Belfast to have started a petition to protest the | :17:51. | :17:53. | |
fact that two of their representatives who they think | :17:53. | :17:58. | |
should be leading change, did not do so yesterday. Didn't demonstrate | :17:58. | :18:03. | |
that desire to change. Even though the party voted for it as its | :18:03. | :18:05. | |
policy, they are party members who struggle with that find it | :18:06. | :18:10. | |
difficult to support that had taken a policy and that the stage | :18:10. | :18:16. | |
individual MLAs. At you are off to Bosnia in the morning? I am, I am | :18:16. | :18:20. | |
going as an election monitor and representing Northern Ireland. | :18:20. | :18:23. | |
Have a safe track and thank you for turning us. | :18:23. | :18:28. | |
It has been a busy few days for the education minister. Despite facing | :18:28. | :18:32. | |
questions yesterday, Mr without appeared at the despatch box today | :18:32. | :18:37. | |
to answer an urgent oral question from the DUP on how much an | :18:37. | :18:42. | |
upcoming advertising campaign aimed average is costing his department. | :18:42. | :18:45. | |
There is no aspect of the medication works campaign that has | :18:45. | :18:51. | |
been taken forward in Irish only. Met all parts of the campaign have | :18:51. | :18:57. | |
also been taken forward in English. Any advertising undertaken by | :18:57. | :19:01. | |
department that -- by the department is taken bilingual. This | :19:01. | :19:06. | |
policy was run prior to the participation in the campaign, and | :19:06. | :19:10. | |
the decision to run the campaign in Irish is in keeping with | :19:10. | :19:13. | |
departmental policy. This is part of her policy to address | :19:14. | :19:18. | |
educational achievement among young people, and doing it for the medium | :19:18. | :19:27. | |
of Irish and English. The department has a duty to facilitate | :19:27. | :19:34. | |
Irish and English language. The Irish language adverts composers | :19:34. | :19:40. | |
approximately 10% of the air time of the English version. We have | :19:40. | :19:43. | |
stopped the assembly as that of the day to bring this important matter | :19:43. | :19:50. | |
of cost to the forefront, so members may watch to setback in | :19:50. | :19:54. | |
their seats and absorb the cost. The cost of the television slots | :19:54. | :20:02. | |
for the adverts to be aired in Irish during the first week of | :20:02. | :20:12. | |
:20:12. | :20:14. | ||
October is �4,360. Or order! This is what we have stopped assembly | :20:14. | :20:17. | |
business for. The additional the production cost for the Irish | :20:17. | :20:25. | |
version of the advert was 4283p. So for approximately �1,600, the | :20:25. | :20:29. | |
assembly has had to be stopped, all this the set-aside and the | :20:29. | :20:37. | |
Government put on hold, stop the presses. -- �8,600. The Irish | :20:37. | :20:42. | |
version of the advertisement was had -- was given to clear pass to | :20:42. | :20:46. | |
give broadcasters advice on the best quotes a practice. No legal | :20:46. | :20:51. | |
issues were raised. That is no legal issues were raised by either | :20:51. | :20:58. | |
the broadcasters or clear cast. Legal advice was not required or | :20:58. | :21:05. | |
sought. These are advertisements which are exclusively in Irish, can | :21:05. | :21:15. | |
:21:15. | :21:16. | ||
the Minister outlined the fact... Order! Car and the outline the fact | :21:16. | :21:21. | |
that he is bound by the ministerial code which indicates that any | :21:21. | :21:24. | |
matter which is significant or controversial should be considered | :21:24. | :21:30. | |
by the executors? Can also that it states that no expenditure can be | :21:30. | :21:34. | |
properly incurred without the approval of the Department of | :21:34. | :21:40. | |
Finance and Personnel? Won at -- are both those positions an | :21:40. | :21:44. | |
accurate depiction of the facts of the matter in the course of the | :21:44. | :21:54. | |
:21:54. | :21:55. | ||
past few weeks I have acted in full compliance of the Ministerial Code, | :21:55. | :22:02. | |
and all ministers have to comply with the ministerial code. | :22:02. | :22:05. | |
member has a pointed out to me, unless I missed it, as to whether | :22:05. | :22:10. | |
it reached the ministerial code. Had taken all necessary processes | :22:10. | :22:15. | |
and procedures in procuring the advertisement which is to be | :22:15. | :22:20. | |
broadcast in both Irish and English and while Mr Campbell may have | :22:20. | :22:27. | |
nothing else to do than worry about the expenditure of �8,000 I am sure | :22:27. | :22:31. | |
the members of the public are saying, I am sure the assembly has | :22:31. | :22:35. | |
more important things to be debating that the expenditure of | :22:35. | :22:40. | |
�8,000. But if the member wishes to be more specific, if the member | :22:40. | :22:46. | |
wishes to be more specific on the area of the ministerial code and a | :22:46. | :22:48. | |
breach in Irish or English I am more than happy to answer his | :22:48. | :22:54. | |
question, but to date he has not. I am concerned on the matter, and | :22:54. | :22:59. | |
concerned in one matter which I will be bringing to the head of the | :22:59. | :23:05. | |
Civil Service, it appears to have been awake from the department of | :23:05. | :23:11. | |
finance and personnel to the member with regards to the financial... | :23:11. | :23:16. | |
order! In regards to confidential material from one minister to | :23:16. | :23:19. | |
another minister. Perhaps Mr Campbell would like to take the | :23:20. | :23:23. | |
opportunity to tell the House now has to where she came upon the | :23:23. | :23:27. | |
confidential information which he refers to both in his statement and | :23:27. | :23:35. | |
this morning. Members! Members! Can I ask for good temper and | :23:35. | :23:41. | |
moderation in all that you do, please deputy speaker right decks | :23:41. | :23:47. | |
trying to calm things down. Education was very much in the for | :23:47. | :23:52. | |
today as MLAs debated a second Education issued on the floor. This | :23:52. | :23:58. | |
time it was levels of absenteeism in our schools. Many children are | :23:58. | :24:03. | |
missing more than one day in seven and falling significantly behind in | :24:03. | :24:10. | |
the classroom because of that. This in turn can lead to low self-esteem, | :24:10. | :24:14. | |
and increases the likelihood that students will drop out of school. | :24:14. | :24:17. | |
by the time children reach secondary school it becomes more | :24:17. | :24:21. | |
difficult for parents and schools to get the non attenders to school. | :24:21. | :24:26. | |
The majority of parents whose children are taken to court for bad | :24:26. | :24:30. | |
attendance have children in year 10 or 11. This point it is too late. | :24:30. | :24:34. | |
Those most likely to drop out of school will enter into it adults | :24:34. | :24:39. | |
that presenting other social issues, will stop they will engage in anti- | :24:39. | :24:44. | |
social behaviour, petty crime and vandalism. The good school policy | :24:44. | :24:51. | |
has already been referred to, one question was, where these | :24:51. | :24:54. | |
children's parents taking an active interest in education? I believe | :24:54. | :24:58. | |
there is a role for community leaders and politicians in this | :24:58. | :25:01. | |
area for raising high expectation. We as community leaders have a | :25:01. | :25:05. | |
responsibility. We must encourage her young people to do well in | :25:05. | :25:09. | |
Education. We must equip them to do well in education. I'm not sure we | :25:09. | :25:14. | |
always do that. John O'Dowd. Up panel investigating historical | :25:14. | :25:17. | |
institutional abuse appear before the war offend DSM committee last | :25:17. | :25:26. | |
week. The inquiry is examining abuse allegations in care homes and | :25:26. | :25:30. | |
borstals or very long period of time. Committee members expedience | :25:30. | :25:33. | |
concerns of at the start date and had the rights of victims of non | :25:33. | :25:41. | |
institutional abuse will be met. Are you intending to make no new | :25:41. | :25:47. | |
headquarters? We will make the headquarters known to those who | :25:47. | :25:51. | |
have reason to contact us. It is still in the centre of Belfast, | :25:51. | :25:59. | |
still easily accessible. We are anxious it should remain relatively | :25:59. | :26:05. | |
anonymous so those who want to come are not perhaps stigmatised in the | :26:05. | :26:15. | |
eyes of others by being picked it. We do not intend to pick a big sign | :26:15. | :26:18. | |
outside. The possibility of bringing up an interim report, I am | :26:18. | :26:23. | |
interested in Europe -- interested in your views in the context of a | :26:23. | :26:30. | |
situation where quick early in the inquiry, each year and Japan will, | :26:30. | :26:38. | |
this is so awful that there is such Meikleour need for intervention. | :26:38. | :26:42. | |
there is such a clear need for intervention. Do you see no need to | :26:42. | :26:48. | |
wait until the end to make a call came at what is your view? I am | :26:48. | :26:57. | |
still of the year that I expressed on Fourth of July, we are still in | :26:57. | :27:03. | |
the midst of producing interim reports. We will have to wait until | :27:03. | :27:06. | |
we have received all the information we can. We understand | :27:06. | :27:10. | |
the concerns of those who wish to see the scope of the inquiry | :27:10. | :27:17. | |
extended to include abuse outside institutions, but I have to say | :27:17. | :27:21. | |
that as far as the scope of our inquiry is concerned, and less | :27:21. | :27:28. | |
stress our inquiry, we do not support that. Let me explain why. | :27:28. | :27:32. | |
If, for example, we were tasks with considering issues involving abuse | :27:32. | :27:42. | |
:27:42. | :27:42. | ||
in foster care or in schools or in families this would have enormous | :27:42. | :27:47. | |
implications for the scope of her work, the scope of the inquiry. It | :27:47. | :27:51. | |
would require first of all a complete restructuring of the way | :27:52. | :27:59. | |
we're going to go about our work and that in turn would require much | :27:59. | :28:05. | |
greater resources in terms of money and of staff. All of this would | :28:05. | :28:09. | |
certainly mean that the inquiry would take a very much longer to | :28:09. | :28:15. | |
produce its report. What are the implications for potential | :28:15. | :28:21. | |
subsequent criminal proceedings? are prohibited from making any | :28:21. | :28:27. | |
findings regarding civil or criminal liability. As the law | :28:27. | :28:34. | |
presently stands, if it were to be litigation afterwards, the findings | :28:34. | :28:40. | |
of the inquiry would not be admissible as a matter of law. | :28:40. | :28:46. | |
Because it is not a court, it is an inquiry. It is perhaps appropriate | :28:46. | :28:53. | |
that I take this opportunity to say this, we are alleged to the | :28:53. | :28:57. | |
possibility that people may say things to us which indicate that | :28:57. | :29:04. | |
criminal offences have been committed. We will have no | :29:04. | :29:11. | |
hesitation in making known to the police were that his our legal duty. | :29:11. | :29:15. | |
And indeed we have already opened discussion with the PSNI as to how | :29:15. | :29:19. | |
we can do that if that should happen. Because there will be no | :29:19. | :29:25. | |
question of us first of all ignoring such matters. And secondly, | :29:25. | :29:32. | |
we would, I think, have to give way, because my view is that the public | :29:32. | :29:36. | |
interest is best served by those matters being investigated by the | :29:36. | :29:40. | |
police and not by us. So at the heart, the chair of the | :29:40. | :29:45. |