:00:27. > :00:31.Welcome to Stormont Today. Coming up on the programme: After an
:00:32. > :00:37.international comparison shows our education standards are being
:00:38. > :00:41.overtaken, strong words from John O'Dowd The previous results blew the
:00:42. > :00:46.myth we were world class education system. Everyone was telling us we
:00:47. > :00:50.were. We were standing up saying, no we are not but we can achieve that.
:00:51. > :00:54.And how does the Executive plan to get thousands back to work? To
:00:55. > :00:59.develop policy initiatives to help those who are long-term sick and or
:01:00. > :01:03.persons with disabilities and those with family commitments to reengage
:01:04. > :01:12.with the labour market And I'm joined by the political columnist,
:01:13. > :01:15.Brian Feeney. We start tonight with the findings of the Smithwick
:01:16. > :01:21.tribunal into the murders of RUC officers Harry Breen and Bob
:01:22. > :01:24.Buchanan. The report has found there was collusion between Gardai and the
:01:25. > :01:28.IRA, which has been described as a damning indictment by the DUP MLA
:01:29. > :01:32.Gregory Campbell. He called on the Taoiseach to issue an apology for
:01:33. > :01:37.all wrongdoings by previous Dublin governments. The report has been
:01:38. > :01:41.long-anticipated and this afternoon in the chamber, the DUP's Paul Givan
:01:42. > :01:43.raised the issue even before the findings were published. Members of
:01:44. > :01:46.the House will know that the Smithwick tribunal has been carrying
:01:47. > :01:51.out an investigation into the potential collusion between the
:01:52. > :01:55.Gardai and the IRA in respect of the murder of RUC officers. That report
:01:56. > :01:58.and its publication is imminent. I would want to establish the remit of
:01:59. > :02:02.this Assembly in being able to consider it and debate it, is that
:02:03. > :02:07.something this party would want to do?
:02:08. > :02:10.What we will do, is consult with the business office and we will be
:02:11. > :02:14.advised by them on the procedural options.
:02:15. > :02:18.Joining me to reflect on the pubcation of the Smithwick report is
:02:19. > :02:22.the political commentator Brian Feeney. Should we be surprised,
:02:23. > :02:26.first of all by the findings? I don't think so. People were
:02:27. > :02:32.surprised at the time when the then Chief Constable Sir jok Herman and
:02:33. > :02:35.the Gardai Commissioner both poo-pooed the idea that there was a
:02:36. > :02:39.mole and it was difficult to believe because this was not an operation
:02:40. > :02:42.set up by the IRA on speck. There were a lot of men involved and cars
:02:43. > :02:45.involved and they knew which road the two police officers were
:02:46. > :02:50.travelling on. It wasn't something done within half an hour. We have
:02:51. > :02:56.seen unionists welcoming the report, a statement from Tom Elliot of the
:02:57. > :02:59.Ulster Unionist Party. And we had comments from Gregory Campbell no.
:03:00. > :03:03.Surprises there, I suppose of the No. I think unionist also try to use
:03:04. > :03:07.this to widen the whole area and look at other occasions when there
:03:08. > :03:10.were suspicious activity on both sides of the bored other which may
:03:11. > :03:13.have been because of Gardai telling the IRA that something was happening
:03:14. > :03:17.and they will ask for more inquiries, I should imagine. And
:03:18. > :03:22.some of the unionists will be trying to widen it out to the role of the
:03:23. > :03:25.Irish government as far back as 1969. What sort of reaction do you
:03:26. > :03:30.expect from the nationalist community? I think there will be a
:03:31. > :03:33.more guarded response from the nationalist community. I don't
:03:34. > :03:36.expect much from Sinn Fein at all. Their relationship with the Gardai
:03:37. > :03:41.was very fraught indeed. Afterall they did kill some Gardai and a lot
:03:42. > :03:46.of IRA men ended up in jail and the IRA always sought to intimidate gar
:03:47. > :03:53.vaghy Road die who lived among the community and didn't have the sword
:03:54. > :03:57.of protection that RUC officers had - to intimidate the Gardai who lived
:03:58. > :04:01.among the community. Do you think it'll be difficult for
:04:02. > :04:05.Sinn Fein to deal with politically. It is a party that made so much of
:04:06. > :04:08.alleged collusion between loyalist paramilitaries and authorities in
:04:09. > :04:12.the north. It will be difficult and an added difficulty is that the
:04:13. > :04:15.judge rejected the testimony of former IRA men who went to the
:04:16. > :04:18.tribunal and gave their version of what happened. Not only did he
:04:19. > :04:23.reject their testimony but he accepted the testimony of assistant
:04:24. > :04:28.Chief Constable Drew Harris who was strongly criticised by counsel for
:04:29. > :04:32.the Gardai Commissioner and Smithwick accepted Drew Harris'
:04:33. > :04:37.opinions. It is interesting. It was a fairly lengthy tribunal. That is
:04:38. > :04:40.he at first thing to say and judge Smithwick scathing about some of the
:04:41. > :04:49.evidence that witnesses gave to the tribunal, not least from the former
:04:50. > :04:54.gar guy detective Owen Carrigar. -- Gardai. He said it was he lusive,
:04:55. > :05:00.vague and inconsistent. It is damning. Union Unionists politicians
:05:01. > :05:06.have always pointed the finger at Corrigan and a couple of other
:05:07. > :05:09.figures have been named. Another Gardai Colton who was said to have
:05:10. > :05:13.inappropriate relations with the IRA but the judge did not name anyone as
:05:14. > :05:17.guilty of collusion. He simply said, on the balance of probabitity there
:05:18. > :05:20.was collusion and that these two Gardai had inappropriate relations
:05:21. > :05:23.with the IRA. Finally and briefly, what are the implications, do you
:05:24. > :05:29.think, of the tribunal for the wider, current political debate?
:05:30. > :05:33.Haas goes into the final stage next week? Interesting, judge Smithwick
:05:34. > :05:38.actually suggested that in future if there was to be any inquiry, there
:05:39. > :05:42.should be documents that could be compelled from both jurisdictions
:05:43. > :05:46.which is a dig at the fact that the British Government didn't pass stuff
:05:47. > :05:51.over on the Dublin Monaghan bombings. Lots more to come on that
:05:52. > :05:57.in the next few days. For the moment, thank you very much.
:05:58. > :06:01.Education standards here are not world class - but they could be,
:06:02. > :06:03.says the Education Minister, John O'Dowd. His comments come after an
:06:04. > :06:05.international comparison of 15-year-old pupils showed Northern
:06:06. > :06:08.Ireland's school performance slipping down the league tables.
:06:09. > :06:11.It's not that we are necessarily getting worse, though, it's that
:06:12. > :06:14.other countries have improved their performance. So, should we have
:06:15. > :06:17.expected to do better? Martina Purdy has been talking to the Minister.
:06:18. > :06:19.Well, we are involved here in a programme of change. That programme
:06:20. > :06:23.has to continue. The previous results blew the myth we are a world
:06:24. > :06:26.class education system. Everyone was telling us we were. We were standing
:06:27. > :06:29.up on our own saying no we are not but we can achieve that. The
:06:30. > :06:33.programmes have -- the programmes of change we have been bringing in need
:06:34. > :06:37.to continue and it'll show results in years to come. But maths is a
:06:38. > :06:41.major problem. The Chief Inspector has said so. What can be done to
:06:42. > :06:44.change things? We've identified through our own Chief Inspectors
:06:45. > :06:49.report that maths continues to prove a challenge for us. It is also the
:06:50. > :06:53.calibre of new students into maths in terms of the teaching profession
:06:54. > :06:56.we want. Those who are highly-motivated when the maths
:06:57. > :06:59.subjects are being snapped up in the private sector and industries, etc,
:07:00. > :07:03.we want to motivate those and be able to afford to bring those
:07:04. > :07:07.students into our system. I'm looking at options around how we
:07:08. > :07:13.promote students coming into maths teaching. How we keep them there.
:07:14. > :07:17.How we, in terms of around stimulus of pay, etc. But the report shows
:07:18. > :07:21.too many 15-year-olds are formering at the lowest level in these key
:07:22. > :07:25.areas. That's your quote much it is not good enough. What are you going
:07:26. > :07:28.to do? Average is not good enough for our education or our young
:07:29. > :07:33.people and we have to learn from world leaders. Whether it is an
:07:34. > :07:38.uncomfortable conversation to have or not. What many of the world lead
:07:39. > :07:42.remembers showing us, is that academic assessment is unnecessary,
:07:43. > :07:46.social division at 11 is unnecessary and those who do not carry out those
:07:47. > :07:51.functions are moving ahead. The other reforms will take a number of
:07:52. > :07:56.reforms to imbed but I think will pay dividends. If, not next report,
:07:57. > :07:59.there isn't an improvement. Will you take responsibility? Of course I
:08:00. > :08:02.will, I'm the Education Minister. As with many social policies, whether
:08:03. > :08:05.it is through education or health t takes a number of years for those
:08:06. > :08:09.policies to bed in and pay dividends. I believe the policies we
:08:10. > :08:18.have are the right policies. We have to continue to imbed them in our
:08:19. > :08:22.system. Martina Purdy quizzing the Education Minister there. By
:08:23. > :08:25.coincidence, a Sinn Fein debate was scheduled for today, questioning
:08:26. > :08:28.whether or not school terms, opening hours, holidays and teacher training
:08:29. > :08:31.days were delivering for pupils. It also called on the Minister to
:08:32. > :08:34.ensure they were in line with international best practice. With me
:08:35. > :08:38.now is one of the proposers of that motion, Sinn Fein's Chris Hazzard.
:08:39. > :08:40.Thank you for coming in to join us on the programme. What is wrong with
:08:41. > :08:43.the current system, first of all? We have a situation where we need to
:08:44. > :08:46.look at educational culture of our society. Too often we find different
:08:47. > :08:51.parts of the education system not in harmony. They need to be synced. Be
:08:52. > :08:54.that the straight-forward issue of school holidays, school starting
:08:55. > :08:58.times. Even the subject we touched on today, the school starting age,
:08:59. > :09:02.but the wider issues of the effects perhaps of an over-ly long summer
:09:03. > :09:07.holiday. International research would show us we need to have a
:09:08. > :09:11.conversation - we should talk to all aspects of community and society to
:09:12. > :09:13.see what is it we wanted from our education system. A lot of people
:09:14. > :09:18.might think about the issues you have talked about, of irritations of
:09:19. > :09:21.minor setbacks but mieted not see them as more significant than that.
:09:22. > :09:26.You are saying they are. I think they are very significant. When we
:09:27. > :09:29.look at, for example, the OEC d. Report that comes out today. We see
:09:30. > :09:36.various countries improving by a long way. Poland, for example, in
:09:37. > :09:44.the mid-1990s, Poland sat back and zoomed out. They got away from
:09:45. > :09:48.tinkering the systems. They said what can they do differently? They
:09:49. > :09:52.looked at the school day and looked at how instruction was delivered
:09:53. > :09:57.most effectively to the schools. We have seen over the last ten years it
:09:58. > :10:02.has made a big difference. You have also talked about the difference of
:10:03. > :10:06.socio economic issues as far as a child's performance is concerned.
:10:07. > :10:09.What evidence would you point to there? International evidence, there
:10:10. > :10:14.is various American reports that have been done that suggest children
:10:15. > :10:20.from a more wealthy background have the opportunity to attend summer
:10:21. > :10:23.camp and museums, go on holiday, pick up books, whereas kids from
:10:24. > :10:26.socially disadvantaged areas don't have the same chances. So when they
:10:27. > :10:34.looked at end of June reports compared to end of September, it was
:10:35. > :10:37.clear to see that kids from the sociodeprived backgrounds had
:10:38. > :10:40.continued to gross. It is hard to do something about that. It is hard to
:10:41. > :10:44.put your finger on to what needs to be done to turn that around. It is a
:10:45. > :10:48.perennial problem. It is a change to the culture. Not tinkering and
:10:49. > :10:52.tweaking of the system or the finer detime of it is the sitting back and
:10:53. > :10:56.zooming out progress. We said today - lets a very a conversation,
:10:57. > :10:59.parents, families, teachersers trade unions, everybody involved and say -
:11:00. > :11:03.what st we sfwhant are the strategic aims of our education system? Let's
:11:04. > :11:13.tie them to the economic situation of the country as a whole. -- what
:11:14. > :11:16.are the aims? Ulster Bank's latest IT problems
:11:17. > :11:18.have caused damage to the organisation's reputation, the
:11:19. > :11:21.Finance Minister told the Assembly today. Simon Hamilton was responding
:11:22. > :11:25.to a question and told the Assembly he has spoken to bank officials. But
:11:26. > :11:26.first the Finance Minister revealed more details about
:11:27. > :11:33.It is expected onstruction of the new community training college will
:11:34. > :11:37.commence in the new year. This delivery of this new Police Fire and
:11:38. > :11:40.Prison training college is a key programme for Government commitment
:11:41. > :11:45.and it'll deliver a world class training facility for essential
:11:46. > :11:48.public services which have suffered from underinvestment by direct rule
:11:49. > :11:51.ministers. Can I thank the minister for that announce am. Obviously this
:11:52. > :11:55.has been a project we have been pursuing for a long period of time
:11:56. > :12:00.and it has been bedevilled by delays but finally the minister has been
:12:01. > :12:05.able to announce that progress has been made. In terms of Her Majesty
:12:06. > :12:09.Treasury funding, how much is tied up in this project and when does it
:12:10. > :12:12.need to be paid for? I thank the member for his follow-up. I'm very
:12:13. > :12:18.glad we are able to announce that we have been able it make gross on this
:12:19. > :12:22.scheme. It is - what is proposed and the member will know through his
:12:23. > :12:25.chairmanship on the Justice Committee it is a world class
:12:26. > :12:28.facility and a facility I'm certain that police forces and Fire Services
:12:29. > :12:32.from around the world will want to come and visit and use as a facility
:12:33. > :12:36.to train their own staff in. He is right to raise the issue about Her
:12:37. > :12:40.Majesty's Treasury funding. Under the devolution of policing and
:12:41. > :12:46.justice settlement, Her Majesty Treasury provided some ?70.3 million
:12:47. > :12:50.which is in a ring-fenced fund for the Northern Ireland Community
:12:51. > :12:53.Safety College. It enjoys end-year fliblingts for these funds and will
:12:54. > :12:57.continue to do so until the end of this budget period in 2015. It is my
:12:58. > :13:02.understanding of it, if these funds are not utilised by April 2015, then
:13:03. > :13:05.there is a possibility that some of this ring-fenced element may be lost
:13:06. > :13:08.to the Treasury. I have agreed with the Chief Secretary to the Treasury
:13:09. > :13:12.we will continue to closely monitor the delivery of this project but the
:13:13. > :13:16.message I want to send to the Department of Justice is they need
:13:17. > :13:19.to proceed posthaste. I appreciate there have been delays not all of
:13:20. > :13:23.their making by any means whatsoever but they need to ensure that in
:13:24. > :13:27.order to access that ?07.3 million of funding that is ring-fenced and
:13:28. > :13:33.set aside for this project, that they need to proceed post-Hayes with
:13:34. > :13:37.this project. -- ?7 o 0.3. Can I ask the minister if he has had any
:13:38. > :13:41.discussions with the Ulster Bank in light of the recent glitches in
:13:42. > :13:45.their IT machines and what was the outcome of those discussions and did
:13:46. > :13:50.he receive any reassurances? I thank the member for the question, a very
:13:51. > :13:53.topical question. Probably the first topical question I have had in
:13:54. > :13:57.topical questions, even though this is my fourth go at it. I have had
:13:58. > :14:02.discussions, as soon as I became aware there were problems developing
:14:03. > :14:04.last night and that customers were expressing concern they couldn't
:14:05. > :14:09.make payments and couldn't access their own money out of cash machines
:14:10. > :14:11.and the embarrassment it was causing some in stores when they couldn't
:14:12. > :14:17.pay or whenever they needed emergency access from to their own
:14:18. > :14:19.cash from a hole in the wall they couldn't get it. I made
:14:20. > :14:25.communication overnight and early this morning with Ulster bang. I
:14:26. > :14:28.have this afternoon spoken to the head of retail banking in the Ulster
:14:29. > :14:32.Bank. I think, you know, they accept and understand this that this has
:14:33. > :14:37.been bad news for their cows o tomorrow Merse. It is the third time
:14:38. > :14:42.-- for their customers. It is the tired time this has happened
:14:43. > :14:47.although not as bad nas June of 2012. We can see some solace in the
:14:48. > :14:51.fact that I'm told it is not the same IT issue - I'm not sure whether
:14:52. > :14:55.that is something to seek solace from, but it is not the same
:14:56. > :14:58.problem, so one wouldn't expect the reoccurrence and longevity of the
:14:59. > :15:07.last problem. I'm informed all problems have been overcome and that
:15:08. > :15:10.the problem, that arose last evening, now seems to be fixed
:15:11. > :15:14.although there are some indications in RBS across the water that some
:15:15. > :15:20.problems do still exist. Other banks have had similar issues, I know but
:15:21. > :15:24.this is the third third ti for Ulster Bank. I don't think they need
:15:25. > :15:35.me to tell them it causes damage to their reputation and causes concern
:15:36. > :15:38.for their customers. The Tobacco Retailers Bill has been
:15:39. > :15:42.making its way through the various stages on its way to eventually
:15:43. > :15:45.being signed into law, and today it was back in the chamber for its
:15:46. > :15:48.consideration stage. The bill is intended to crack down on
:15:49. > :15:51.shopkeepers selling tobacco to young people with a "three strikes and
:15:52. > :15:54.you're out of business" policy. Much of today's debate was procedural
:15:55. > :15:57.with a series of amendments, mostly based around setting up a central
:15:58. > :16:00.registration system and there wasn't a dissenting voice to be heard.
:16:01. > :16:01.Here's are some of the contributions. Amendment 1 basically
:16:02. > :16:04.creates a registration authority which must maintain a register of
:16:05. > :16:07.persons who are carrying on a tobacco business. The original
:16:08. > :16:12.clause 1 proposed that there would be 26 separate registers, one for
:16:13. > :16:16.each council area. The committee was concerned that a lack of a
:16:17. > :16:20.centralised system could result in information not being shared between
:16:21. > :16:26.councils as efishtedly as it could be. In particular, members were
:16:27. > :16:31.concerned that details of people convicted of or given fixed penalty
:16:32. > :16:35.notices for tobacco offences and people convicted of illicit tobacco
:16:36. > :16:38.offences would not be routinely shared between the councils. The
:16:39. > :16:44.committee, therefore, ask the department to explore having a
:16:45. > :16:49.central register. Either as or in place of the 26 council registers.
:16:50. > :16:52.We were pleased, therefore, that the department accepted the committee's
:16:53. > :16:58.point of view and a registration authority is now to be established.
:16:59. > :17:03.The fundamental ten at of the legislation is a "three strikes and
:17:04. > :17:07.you're out principle" that's as a result of a mystery shopper, a young
:17:08. > :17:10.person being sent by the environmental health department of
:17:11. > :17:13.the local council. If in three occasions the person within five
:17:14. > :17:18.years is discovered to be selling tobacco products to young people, he
:17:19. > :17:22.or she loses their licence to sell tobacco. I think that's a very, very
:17:23. > :17:27.powerful deterrent. Tobacco retail in Northern Ireland is not so much
:17:28. > :17:31.the profit made in the cigarettes or tobacco sold but tobacco attracts
:17:32. > :17:34.people in to buy other products, more profitable products within the
:17:35. > :17:38.retail situation, be it newspapers or grossries or sweets or whatever.
:17:39. > :17:43.So, therefore, the right to say tobacco is absolutely crucial to the
:17:44. > :17:48.small retailer. They could never survive alone on simply selling
:17:49. > :17:53.tobacco products. 2,300 people die each year in Northern Ireland as a
:17:54. > :17:57.result of smoking. It is too many. And of course many more suffer very
:17:58. > :18:03.long-term illnesses as a result. The bill is timely and welcome and with
:18:04. > :18:07.amendment, will help regulate smoking and curb the growing trend
:18:08. > :18:10.in young people and that's the particular direction of this, that
:18:11. > :18:15.it attempts to prevent younger people gaining access to
:18:16. > :18:20.cigarette-smoking. It does strike me that if someone was convicted of
:18:21. > :18:25.serious offence of smuggling, they obviously would have no regard for
:18:26. > :18:31.the law. They were willing to profit by smuggling in illegal cigarettes.
:18:32. > :18:35.Many of those cigarettes may even be counterfeit cigarettes, so they
:18:36. > :18:39.would have no regard f individual's health and as such, I would say
:18:40. > :18:46.there would be a high risk of those individuals having no regard to
:18:47. > :18:50.whether they sold cigarettes to young people. Every Dee attempt to
:18:51. > :18:54.deter our young people from starting such a filthy habit in the first
:18:55. > :18:58.place and warn them of the deadly dangers must be strongly supported
:18:59. > :19:02.and this Assembly is, as our deputy Chair of the committee has said, is
:19:03. > :19:09.leading on this very important issue.
:19:10. > :19:16.Kieran mar Karthi making his feelings clear. That has moved
:19:17. > :19:19.another step closer to becoming law. The Stormont Executive has unveiled
:19:20. > :19:28.a strategy to get 30,000 more people into work over the next ten years.
:19:29. > :19:32.The plans are targeted at what's known as "the economically inactive"
:19:33. > :19:35.- that is people who are not in work or claiming benefit. The rate of
:19:36. > :19:38.economic inactivity is higher here than in other parts of the UK.
:19:39. > :19:41.Here's the Employment and Learning Minister outlining the aims of the
:19:42. > :19:43.scheme. To develop policy initiatives to spe specificically
:19:44. > :19:45.help those who are long-term sick and/or persons with disabilities and
:19:46. > :19:47.those with family commitments to reedge gauge with the labour market
:19:48. > :19:48.to. Help older workers back into work through dabbingling
:19:49. > :19:52.discrimination barriers, increasing opportunities and addressing issues
:19:53. > :19:56.of self-confidence and skill levels. To utilise the outcomes of in-depth
:19:57. > :19:59.analysis in order to pinpoint specific policy areas for
:20:00. > :20:03.intervention. To develop initiatives with key stakeholders, including
:20:04. > :20:06.health professionals, that will motivate the economically enactive
:20:07. > :20:12.to adopt a positive approach to work and to help women and lone parents
:20:13. > :20:15.to move into employment. The over-arching goal is to
:20:16. > :20:21.contribute towards a stable and competitive employment rate of over
:20:22. > :20:25.7 0% by 2023 through a reduction in the proportion of the working-aged
:20:26. > :20:28.population classified as "economically enactive." This
:20:29. > :20:32.reflects our assessment of what constitutes a more balanced labour
:20:33. > :20:34.market in terms of more fully engaging people and utilised their
:20:35. > :20:48.skills and talents. That all sounds good in theory from
:20:49. > :20:52.Stephen Farry, but how will it translate into real life? With me is
:20:53. > :20:54.Susan Russam from GEMS NI, an organisation which helps get people
:20:55. > :20:57.back into work. Welcome to the programme. Thank you for ginning us.
:20:58. > :20:59.Let's be clear. Who precisely are "economically enactive" people? They
:21:00. > :21:01.can be students, they can be people who have caring responsibilities.
:21:02. > :21:06.They can be people who are sick, unwell, who are not actively seeking
:21:07. > :21:14.work. They are mot mandated by the current benefit they have, be that
:21:15. > :21:20.Incapacity Benefit another range of benefits, so they are not mandated
:21:21. > :21:23.as if they would be on Jobseeker's Allowance which means they must
:21:24. > :21:27.report to the jobs and benefits office and explain they are actively
:21:28. > :21:31.seeking work. Is the point is that this is an untapped well of talent,
:21:32. > :21:35.potentially? Absolutely. It is very welcome and very heart-warming to
:21:36. > :21:39.hear the minister announce this. I think, as you intimated there that
:21:40. > :21:43.the devil will very much be in the detail. It's interesting to note
:21:44. > :21:48.that the minister places employers at the central tenant of this and
:21:49. > :21:50.looks at things such as inSeptemberives for employers. We
:21:51. > :21:54.need to have a balanced incentive for people who are currently
:21:55. > :21:58.economically enactive. If you are going to hit that target of 30,000
:21:59. > :22:01.more people into work in the next ten years, you need to be doing
:22:02. > :22:05.something and you need to be doing it quite quickly. Quite an ambitious
:22:06. > :22:10.target, do you think? It is. It makes we wonder whether or not
:22:11. > :22:14.that's 30,000, less the 25,000 targeted for new new jobs that the
:22:15. > :22:19.Assembly has already set. So are we really talking about 5,000 or is it
:22:20. > :22:22.going to be a 55,000? What is your hunch? Those two figures are pretty
:22:23. > :22:26.different, aren't they? Well, I think that all of us have spooblt,
:22:27. > :22:30.Mark, to do all we can to help people to get into work. We know the
:22:31. > :22:34.damage that being economically enactive and long-term unemployed
:22:35. > :22:40.can do to a person's health and well-being and to their lf-esteem
:22:41. > :22:43.and to their ability to access work and to their ability to think that
:22:44. > :22:47.work can actually be for them. What is your answer? What is your
:22:48. > :22:51.organisation's approach to it? We start where the person is at. We use
:22:52. > :22:57.our skills and our knowledge and our networks and community grassroots'
:22:58. > :23:01.work to ensure that we can help that person to, first of all feel that
:23:02. > :23:05.they can become employable. To lack at the barriers that are actually
:23:06. > :23:08.preventing them to become employable. To look at the skills.
:23:09. > :23:13.To look at opportunities and one thing that I would say is that one
:23:14. > :23:16.of the opportunities that this Government, this administration must
:23:17. > :23:20.look at is what opportunities are there in the public sector for
:23:21. > :23:24.people who are economically enactive? Particularly our young
:23:25. > :23:28.people but not exclusively as well. Well a very interesting question.
:23:29. > :23:30.Perhaps we will return to that in the future. For now, thank you very
:23:31. > :23:34.much. The Health Minister says he hopes to
:23:35. > :23:37.reveal the future of Northern Ireland children's heart surgery
:23:38. > :23:41.later this week. He told question time he is still in
:23:42. > :23:44.talks with health officials on both sides of the border as he seeks a
:23:45. > :23:49.resolution to the issue. He was expected to announce his decision in
:23:50. > :23:53.the July but it has been postponed sefshl occasions. I'm continuing my
:23:54. > :23:58.discussions with the Republic of Ireland's minister for both Dr James
:23:59. > :24:03.Riley TD to establish whether it'll be possible to establish a
:24:04. > :24:08.two-centre model within the island of Ireland to be located in Belfast
:24:09. > :24:10.and Dublin. My overriding concern is the safety of the children and
:24:11. > :24:16.obtaining the best-possible care for them. I am iming to make my final
:24:17. > :24:22.decisions on this as soon as possible.
:24:23. > :24:26.I thank the minister for that. Can I ask the minister, given the real
:24:27. > :24:31.public concern around the timeline on this issue, can he confirm that
:24:32. > :24:35.there will be a decision that will involve surgery being maintained in
:24:36. > :24:42.Belfast, and can he confirm the timeline on that decision? I would
:24:43. > :24:45.hope to be in a position to do it this week and to make my
:24:46. > :24:49.announcement. But discussions are industrial ongoing. I think that
:24:50. > :24:55.people should nted underestimate how difficult this process has been. The
:24:56. > :25:01.challenges that have been involved in it. And we need everybody singing
:25:02. > :25:05.off the same hymn sheet, working very hard on achieving that,
:25:06. > :25:10.hopefully quite close to getting that. And, as soon as I can, I will
:25:11. > :25:15.bring the information to the House and to the public. And I trust that
:25:16. > :25:19.that will be very, very soon, as I indicated, I had hoped to do it this
:25:20. > :25:25.week but I don't believe that of it should be necessarily much longer
:25:26. > :25:28.and we will need to be getting that message out to the people who have
:25:29. > :25:33.real and genuine concerns and obviously real needs.
:25:34. > :25:41.I would also remind the member that there is not and never has been a
:25:42. > :25:45.been on donations from gay pain, and the restriction relates to
:25:46. > :25:49.behaviour, as opposed orientation. A number of other categories of
:25:50. > :25:56.individuals are excluded from do donating. The judge included any
:25:57. > :26:03.change in Northern Ireland to the donation of men having sex with
:26:04. > :26:08.other men, was not my responsibility. Unfortunately I did
:26:09. > :26:11.not have the confidence, of having to make findings against the highest
:26:12. > :26:17.judicial figures in the land. I did not feel confident I would succeed,
:26:18. > :26:25.nor did my skilled QCs, David Schofield QC and Mick Hannah QC.
:26:26. > :26:29.Those aren't the words of Edwin Putts, they are the words of his
:26:30. > :26:34.honour. Does the minister think an
:26:35. > :26:40.investigation by the IQIA is independent or objective? Well, I
:26:41. > :26:47.could comment further on that happening in other places, but I'll
:26:48. > :26:51.refrain. In terms of independence regulation of health care, it
:26:52. > :26:56.certainly is a big issue. I'm very happy for independent regulation of
:26:57. > :27:03.health care. I think it is important that there is independent regulation
:27:04. > :27:06.and we fund RQIA. But RQIA are responsible for their own actions
:27:07. > :27:11.and activities, so we don't give them direction as to what to do. I
:27:12. > :27:14.have to admit, it is a challenge to get aed abouty which is wholly
:27:15. > :27:19.independent of Government because the truth is - who is going to pay
:27:20. > :27:23.for it? You know, people will always be of the opinion, he who pays the
:27:24. > :27:28.Piper calls the tune. I genuinely want independent regulation because
:27:29. > :27:32.I think that it is good to keep everybody aware that that can be
:27:33. > :27:35.carried out and to keep people on top of their game. The Health
:27:36. > :27:39.Minister. Now, flooding, frozen pipes and
:27:40. > :27:43.faulty heating. All potential problems in the winter. But would
:27:44. > :27:46.you know what to do? Well our MLAs should, after being shown today how
:27:47. > :27:51.to winter had of proof their homes by NI Water. Our Political
:27:52. > :27:56.Correspondent Gareth Jordan spoke to Jimmy Spratt about being prepared
:27:57. > :28:03.for winter. Since three years ago #2340r8d Water have been very good
:28:04. > :28:05.in terms of actually promoting an educational spoeous -- Northern
:28:06. > :28:09.Ireland Water have been very good in terms of promoting an educational
:28:10. > :28:14.influence to their warnings. And indeed the bus is here today so that
:28:15. > :28:18.MLAs from all the various areas around the province can come on and
:28:19. > :28:24.get some literature so that they and their staff and assembly staff are
:28:25. > :28:28.aware of the preparings being made. I feel they were slightly unfairly
:28:29. > :28:31.vilified for what happened three years ago, do you think they have a
:28:32. > :28:36.point? I think there were serious issues three years ago. I think
:28:37. > :28:41.those issues have now been addressed and since three years ago, Northern
:28:42. > :28:44.Ireland Water, the staff of Northern Ireland Water and the senior
:28:45. > :28:48.management team of Northern Ireland Water have made major advances in
:28:49. > :28:51.terms of making sure the same mistake didn't happen twice and I
:28:52. > :28:54.think they need to be applauded. What has prompted that change? I
:28:55. > :28:58.think that change was prompted through the work of the Department,
:28:59. > :29:01.through the work of the Minister and, indeed, through the work of the
:29:02. > :29:06.committee, because the committee took the issues very seriously, as
:29:07. > :29:11.did the Executive at that particular period of time and it shows you,
:29:12. > :29:15.that local people, local democracy actually pays in situations such as
:29:16. > :29:20.this. Jimmy Spratt talking to Gareth
:29:21. > :29:25.Gordon. That's it for Stormont Today this week. Join me on Thursday
:29:26. > :29:27.evening for the View on BBC One at 10.35pm. Until then, from all of us,
:29:28. > :29:31.goodbye.