:00:24. > :00:27.Hello, and welcome to Stormont Today. It's been described as a
:00:27. > :00:36.British version of the FBI, but will its powers be extended to
:00:36. > :00:41.Northern Ireland? MLAs clash over the new National Crime Agency.
:00:42. > :00:46.is happening is a winding back of the clock and the Home Secretary
:00:46. > :00:53.should be acting to ensure that the people of Northern Ireland to not
:00:53. > :00:57.get the second rate policing surface. What we do not want to
:00:57. > :01:04.have is a falls outside a force. And breaking the rules - MLAs get a
:01:04. > :01:09.telling off from the Speaker. members feel they have to have
:01:09. > :01:13.electronic devices in the chamber, they should do it in respectful
:01:13. > :01:17.manner and some members are not doing that. And I'm joined by the
:01:17. > :01:21.News Letter's political correspondent, Sam McBride.
:01:21. > :01:23.It's been described as a British FBI, but a proposal to give the new
:01:23. > :01:28.National Crime Agency jurisdiction in Northern Ireland has prompted a
:01:28. > :01:30.row at the heart of the Executive. Both main unionist parties and
:01:31. > :01:34.Alliance support its introduction, but the SDLP and Sinn Fein have
:01:34. > :01:44.serious concerns. The debate reached the floor of the chamber
:01:44. > :01:48.
:01:48. > :01:51.this afternoon. We note that they have been a tense
:01:51. > :01:58.to have aged legislative consent nation through the Executive which
:01:58. > :02:01.has failed. But to me is very costly to Northern Ireland, very
:02:01. > :02:06.costly to the fight against that crime and there are serious
:02:06. > :02:11.international crime. Quite clearly in Northern Ireland there has been
:02:11. > :02:18.a history of terrorism and criminals often being linked. But
:02:18. > :02:24.this is not just about terrorism in Northern Ireland. This is much
:02:24. > :02:31.wider. This is about international crime and criminals. This is about
:02:31. > :02:34.the drug trafficking, the people trafficking, the smuggling, the
:02:34. > :02:39.serious organised crime and the paedophiles. That is the time of
:02:39. > :02:43.crime there we are talking about. This is not a debate about whether
:02:44. > :02:49.or not they should be a National Crime Agency. The debate is about
:02:49. > :02:54.whether or not it should be as accountable as the PSNI is today.
:02:54. > :02:57.In other words, when we have PSNI officers that we hold fully to
:02:57. > :03:01.account through the policing board and we have potential National
:03:01. > :03:07.Crime Agency officers, that there should be held to the same standard
:03:07. > :03:10.of accountability. What is happening is a winding back of the
:03:10. > :03:13.clock and the Home Secretary should be acting to insure that the people
:03:13. > :03:23.of Northern Ireland do not get a second-rate policing service
:03:23. > :03:28.because that is what will happen if this is allowed to stand. Why they
:03:28. > :03:31.want to position themselves on the side of those who exploit children,
:03:31. > :03:39.he trafficking in beings in Northern Ireland, it is beyond me
:03:39. > :03:44.why they would want to put themselves in that position. When
:03:44. > :03:48.it comes to children, when it comes to a human trafficking, we want to
:03:48. > :03:54.make sure we have the most competent resources at our disposal
:03:54. > :04:00.to be able to tackle that particular hideous types of crime.
:04:00. > :04:03.What we're against is a second police force, there would not be
:04:03. > :04:08.accountable through the Chief Constable, through the police pawn
:04:08. > :04:18.or any of the other accountability mechanisms. They will have more
:04:18. > :04:19.
:04:19. > :04:23.power than the PSNI. They will have the power of secrecy. We have
:04:23. > :04:27.already had that, we have had the force within the force, what we do
:04:27. > :04:31.not want is a force outside are forced and the way this is going,
:04:31. > :04:38.and the fact that the British Home Secretary says that she will expand
:04:38. > :04:47.that power, poised to that expansive s the I E in the future.
:04:47. > :04:51.We are not against the NCA, Bob what we are for his pattern. What
:04:51. > :04:56.will happen under the present legislation is that those
:04:56. > :05:06.protections and that accountability under the Patten Report will be
:05:06. > :05:06.
:05:06. > :05:12.under serious threat. He says we're anti- British. There is nothing
:05:13. > :05:19.anti-British in saying that there is a lack of accountability. It to
:05:19. > :05:24.meet picture Hitchens, who is a well-known columnist in the Daily
:05:24. > :05:32.Mail, he says that this legislation, put forward in the House of Commons
:05:32. > :05:38.and the House of Lords, is in fact anti-British. Why does he say that,
:05:38. > :05:43.because the concept of the National, single, unitary police service in
:05:43. > :05:48.Britain is anathema to the British tradition. How can members of Sinn
:05:48. > :05:54.Fein and the SDLP justify to their constituents writing off the line
:05:55. > :06:00.and more tolerable to the activities of human traffickers, of
:06:00. > :06:06.child abusers and tax a Vegas? That is the society that you want for
:06:06. > :06:10.Northern Ireland. Tomorrow, up we will hear pious words about
:06:10. > :06:15.internet safety from the same people who want to tie our hands
:06:15. > :06:23.behind our backs when it comes to fighting those crimes. Many of us
:06:23. > :06:27.will have watched the ball there -- the movies of the posse chasing
:06:27. > :06:32.abundance through the American Wild West, and they come to the line in
:06:32. > :06:42.this and other have to stop, and the going gets away scot-free,
:06:42. > :06:46.because they have no jurisdiction across the border. The NCA
:06:46. > :06:55.themselves, and make no apology for saying this, that they will not
:06:56. > :06:59.subject themselves, that they will not be accountable. If it is not
:06:59. > :07:02.legislated that they are fully accountable like any other police
:07:02. > :07:08.constable operating in this jurisdiction, then it is not worth
:07:08. > :07:12.the paper assets has written on in terms of a protocol. The NCA will
:07:12. > :07:17.be in a position to assist our crime fighting was fitting within
:07:17. > :07:21.the police architecture that applies. The director-general not
:07:21. > :07:26.have the powers of a constable in Northern Ireland and we have local
:07:26. > :07:32.accountability arrangements, for example the statutory obligation to
:07:32. > :07:41.attend a policing board once a year. He has agreed to meet the justice
:07:41. > :07:45.committee, if requested. The day and member of the S T L P
:07:45. > :07:55.recommends the Daily Mail to me for some to Le Bas, renew will stop
:07:55. > :08:03.
:08:03. > :08:07.laughing -- the SDLP. All of the points were visible to the
:08:07. > :08:12.Executive and would have been discussed by the Justice committee.
:08:12. > :08:14.I do think we need to cut the reality of what has been achieved.
:08:14. > :08:17.The Justice Minister, David Ford. The motion supporting the
:08:17. > :08:20.introduction of the NCA in Northern Ireland was subject to a cross-
:08:20. > :08:27.community vote and fell because of nationalist opposition. With me now
:08:27. > :08:31.is the political correspondent of the News Letter, Sam McBride. Are a
:08:31. > :08:37.fascinating debate on the floor of the chamber. Also interesting Sue
:08:37. > :08:42.who was watching the public gallery. It was common we had Keith Bristow,
:08:42. > :08:47.the Chief Executive from the National Crime Agency in England.
:08:47. > :08:51.He was here for a briefing and stayed to watch. It is very unusual
:08:51. > :08:55.to have senior police officers sitting in the public gallery
:08:55. > :09:01.watching Stormont debates on a security issue. It shows how
:09:01. > :09:05.significant this issue is and what implications of. There are concerns
:09:05. > :09:11.in some quarters that people in Northern Ireland could be exposed
:09:11. > :09:18.in the NCA does not operate here. How real teasing this concerns are?
:09:18. > :09:22.The fact is that the NCA is basically set up to tackle ordinary
:09:23. > :09:28.crime, at the things that every country has, things like drugs,
:09:28. > :09:31.people trafficking, smuggling of weapons. It is not targeted at
:09:31. > :09:41.things like the distant republican threat or anything terrorist
:09:41. > :09:42.
:09:42. > :09:45.related. - Patrick dissident republican. It does seem that if
:09:45. > :09:51.Northern Ireland is not covered by this, we will have to find some
:09:52. > :09:54.other way to cover that. It was suggested that perhaps more than on
:09:54. > :09:59.should go after its own agency there would cut the intelligence
:09:59. > :10:05.and try to work with international partners. Some of the union is were
:10:05. > :10:14.very dismissive of that. What about the politics of this? There must
:10:14. > :10:19.have a say that we made it very clear by him we were signing up.
:10:19. > :10:25.Others so there must lists and in his to time at this when they
:10:25. > :10:28.agreed to the devolution of paid for it. One side things they have
:10:28. > :10:33.got one thing, the other side things they have got something
:10:33. > :10:38.slightly different and it suits the Government for that remain as a
:10:38. > :10:45.grey area until something like this blows up. Certainly the
:10:45. > :10:51.nationalists de facto supported SOCA. But this issue has given them
:10:51. > :10:57.a platform, I suppose, to oppose its successor. What happens now?
:10:57. > :11:01.Nobody really knows but there is the possibility that Westminster
:11:01. > :11:05.should effectively ignored the devolution process and impose it
:11:05. > :11:08.over the heads of the Executive. New air routes to Canada and
:11:08. > :11:10.Germany are badly needed to boost tourism and investment, the
:11:10. > :11:13.Enterprise Minister told the chamber today. First though, Arlene
:11:13. > :11:21.Foster was asked about how Northern Ireland might tap into a major
:11:21. > :11:30.tourism initiative in the Republic. What preparation has the minister
:11:30. > :11:35.undertaken to ensure that Northern Ireland can maximise the potential
:11:35. > :11:39.tourist gains from The Gathering? have said many times in this House
:11:39. > :11:44.that The Gathering is something that has been brought to fruition
:11:44. > :11:48.by the government of the Republic of Ireland. It is not just about
:11:48. > :11:53.tourism, it is about attracting inward come first but, it is a
:11:53. > :11:56.whole idea about bringing people back to the Republic for the sheer.
:11:56. > :12:00.It tourists come to the Republic of Ireland to run this year we are
:12:00. > :12:04.more than happy to accommodate and in Northern Ireland when they come
:12:04. > :12:14.to visitors. We will then to come and experience for themselves what
:12:14. > :12:18.Northern Ireland has to offer. this event, The Gathering,. Any
:12:18. > :12:23.other series of events in neighbouring countries, would be
:12:23. > :12:27.intent of the Northern Ireland Tourist Board to act a bit of kit
:12:27. > :12:33.people to see if it is possible when they come to Dublin that they
:12:33. > :12:37.might visit Northern Ireland? is what we have been asking tourist
:12:37. > :12:43.island to concentrate on. We you are saying that if there are
:12:43. > :12:47.Katharine's across the Republic of Ireland that they were will kicks
:12:47. > :12:57.boots the Northern Herman. If it is a golf Katherine, that they
:12:57. > :12:57.
:12:57. > :13:05.experience all leak opportunities and so there we market our cells to
:13:05. > :13:09.gain business from those visitors. The minister said Blatter people
:13:09. > :13:14.come and one to come of them we would accommodate them. Could I ask
:13:14. > :13:20.the Minister whether she would encourage local event organisers to
:13:20. > :13:24.use The Gathering website to promote their events. A course
:13:24. > :13:28.there are at liberty to promote their own events and on on been to
:13:28. > :13:32.stop anybody from promoting their events by him mechanism. Can I ask
:13:32. > :13:36.the minister to detail the work that she is doing to put pressure
:13:37. > :13:42.on tourism Ireland to promote and chief more flights into Northern
:13:42. > :13:47.Ireland's airports? This is a matter dear to my heart, the whole
:13:47. > :13:53.subject of access because at present we any have in power and be
:13:53. > :14:00.the flight to New up and we do need to have more international flights
:14:01. > :14:05.and, indeed, more European flights coming into both of the airport. It
:14:05. > :14:08.is something I have told tourism Ireland I will be asked them about
:14:08. > :14:14.every month for an update because I think it is something we need to
:14:14. > :14:20.deliver on. Given that we had by competitive advantage with pair
:14:20. > :14:24.passengers duty set at zero for those countries. Looking to Europe,
:14:24. > :14:28.I have a key objective in opening a direct service between Northern
:14:28. > :14:34.Ireland and a major city in Germany, which you think we need to adjust
:14:34. > :14:37.in terms of tourism but also for investment purposes, as well. I
:14:37. > :14:46.have made no secret of the fact that the very much bleeper we need
:14:46. > :14:50.to have a Canadian connection brought back again, for tourism
:14:50. > :15:00.reasons, but also from an investment and does this point of
:15:00. > :15:08.
:15:08. > :15:13.$:/STARTFEED. Questions to the Environment Minister next. Alex
:15:13. > :15:18.Attwood dealt with several issues, but first he was asked for his Plan
:15:18. > :15:20.B if electoral boundaries aren't published before the next Local
:15:20. > :15:23.Government lesss. I don't have a contingency because I've been
:15:23. > :15:26.advised by the London Government that they'll complete their
:15:26. > :15:31.processs in good time in order to have an election in June of next
:15:31. > :15:34.year in the event that the processs are not completed, an issue will
:15:34. > :15:39.arise, but I'm not working on that basis, the Government's not working
:15:39. > :15:43.on that basis and I hope nobody else is.
:15:43. > :15:48.Can the minister give us an assurance that any proposed
:15:48. > :15:51.assurances that ministers may have to the boundaries -- changes that
:15:51. > :15:57.the ministers may have to the boundaries, it will be a decision
:15:57. > :16:02.for the London Government and therefore we can be assured that no
:16:02. > :16:07.unilateral gerrymandering, such as what's happened with retail, will
:16:07. > :16:13.happen? I'm tempted Mr Deputy speaker to remind the member that
:16:13. > :16:18.the reason why there was political uncertainty, doubt and delay in
:16:18. > :16:28.respect of Local Government ostensibly in the last mandate was
:16:28. > :16:31.
:16:31. > :16:36.why - because members had issues around what boundaries were. THE
:16:36. > :16:41.SPEAKER: Can I ask members, please, no dialogue across the chamber. We
:16:41. > :16:47.have a system here that seems to work well for most people and it
:16:47. > :16:52.should work for most people. wouldn't necessarily use the word
:16:52. > :16:58.gerrymandering, but certainly there was a lot of political interest in
:16:58. > :17:03.the previous mandate and no, the process being taken forward by Mr
:17:03. > :17:06.McKenzie and the London Government is a process reserved to them under
:17:06. > :17:11.the devolution settlement. Therefore, there'll be no political
:17:11. > :17:15.interference, I trust, but obviously the public and political
:17:15. > :17:19.parties and others can input into that process a consultation. There
:17:20. > :17:24.is no unilateral action to be taken by me in respect of any matter. I
:17:24. > :17:29.act loyal to Government policy, planning policy, regional
:17:29. > :17:33.developing separate jifplt it's others acting out with those issues.
:17:33. > :17:36.Given the current difficulties around the flags issue, would the
:17:36. > :17:45.minister anticipate to bring forward legislation within the
:17:45. > :17:52.Local Government that the flag be flown at every civic centre in
:17:52. > :17:59.Northern Ireland? The member raises a serious matter. Let's be clear
:17:59. > :18:06.about it, the issue of flags, emblems and symbols will only be
:18:06. > :18:12.settled when all parties and political leaders uphold the
:18:12. > :18:16.principle of parity of consent and esteem. What does that mean? It
:18:16. > :18:20.means in this part of the world, because of the political order we
:18:20. > :18:24.are all meant to have embraced, things will look and feel different
:18:24. > :18:29.than they were before. That is the outworking of respect for
:18:29. > :18:34.difference. That does not mean, Mr Deputy Speaker, that any one person
:18:34. > :18:41.or community has lost or won. It's the outworking of the principle
:18:41. > :18:45.parity of es seem. As Mr Elliott knows, before Christmas, I raised
:18:45. > :18:49.with a group, that is part of the structures going forward, that that
:18:49. > :18:53.issue, flags, emblems and symbols, might be something that we'd have
:18:54. > :18:58.to capture in the work of our PA. If that is necessary, I don't think
:18:58. > :19:01.we should shirk from it. At this moment, it's not ground that I
:19:01. > :19:04.think we need to go on to. But if it is ground that we have to go on
:19:04. > :19:09.to, I think we should. Can I take this opportunity to welcome the
:19:09. > :19:14.announcement made this morning, minister, on the dereliction,
:19:14. > :19:20.monies which will be going around the South Down area in particular.
:19:20. > :19:24.I wondered what your views were to the location in question that it's
:19:24. > :19:34.not a particular tourist area or they are not down for or due to
:19:34. > :19:37.
:19:37. > :19:42.host a major event. What would be your views on that? All the bids
:19:42. > :19:45.assessed came in. One of those bids included events in a particular
:19:45. > :19:49.area during the course of the year that might have led to the
:19:49. > :19:56.conclusion that money should be spent. That's why money went to
:19:56. > :20:00.Derry and Portrush and Portstuart that.'s why money is going to
:20:00. > :20:06.Fermanagh and Lisburn because it's the European City of sport. It's a
:20:06. > :20:11.factor but not the only factor. My view, this intervention, whether
:20:11. > :20:15.there is or is not events in an area, major events as opposed to
:20:15. > :20:19.the annual run of events, whether or not there is major profile
:20:19. > :20:21.events, I think this scheme works in terms of stabilising local
:20:22. > :20:27.trading conditions, maybe encouraging small business
:20:27. > :20:32.opportunities. As a fund for that purpose, never mind the events, it
:20:32. > :20:35.seems to be worthwhile. How often do you see your doctor?
:20:35. > :20:41.Stormont's Health Committee wants it to be mandatory for patients to
:20:41. > :20:46.have a check up every year even if they are not sick. The chair was
:20:46. > :20:49.influenced by a visit to reform the health care system in Cuba. She
:20:49. > :20:53.said Northern Ireland has a lot to learn from the Cuban system.
:20:53. > :20:58.heart of the Cuban system is the family doctor who is an important
:20:58. > :21:01.part of the community that they're serving. At any point in time, the
:21:01. > :21:06.family doctor can provide an overview of the general health of
:21:06. > :21:11.all of his or her patients and one of the reasons for this level of
:21:11. > :21:16.knowledge is because they carry out annual health checks. This allows
:21:16. > :21:19.them to get to know their patients, get to know the history of the
:21:19. > :21:24.patient and allows them to identify health problems at an early stage.
:21:24. > :21:29.The committee fully accepts that some parts of the Cuban health
:21:29. > :21:34.system cannot be directly transferred to ours. However, the
:21:34. > :21:37.focus on Cuba on prevention, education, intervention and primary
:21:37. > :21:42.care with a vision which the minister in the department has set
:21:42. > :21:45.out in transforming your care. The BMA also say that annual health
:21:45. > :21:50.checks would be a waste of resources needed for sick people.
:21:50. > :21:54.Again, I believe they're missing the point. We want people to come
:21:54. > :22:00.into contact with medical professionals before they're sick
:22:00. > :22:05.so that illness can be prevented and interventions can be made early.
:22:05. > :22:11.GP annual health checks, as proposed in this motion, certainly
:22:11. > :22:14.look very good in theory. We all want to promote good health,
:22:14. > :22:18.prevent hill-health and detect disease at an early stage. However,
:22:18. > :22:23.I'm not convinced yet that providing annual health checks, as
:22:23. > :22:28.proposed here today, is the most effective way of achieving the
:22:29. > :22:34.desired outcomes. Having spoken to a number of gps on this matter,
:22:34. > :22:38.issues which have continuously been flagged up as potential barriers to
:22:38. > :22:44.being able to provide satisfactory annual health checks have been the
:22:44. > :22:48.time involved, funding, space and a workforce levels -- the workforce
:22:48. > :22:52.levels. It's important we listen to the professionals, including the
:22:52. > :22:56.British Medical Association, who're dealing with these matters daily.
:22:56. > :23:05.What the BMA conveniently forgot to mention was that that was based on
:23:05. > :23:11.studies carried out in 1963, 1965, 1967 and 1969. The most up-to-date
:23:11. > :23:16.study which was reported on in the report was in 1992 which is 21
:23:16. > :23:20.years ago. Clearly, diagnostics have moved on by leaps and bounds
:23:20. > :23:23.in the intervening two decades. Therefore it's mischievous of the
:23:23. > :23:29.BMA to quote information which is clearly out-of-date and not
:23:29. > :23:35.relevant to today's arguments. appreciate that this is a committee
:23:35. > :23:38.motion. I am somewhat sceptical as to what is recommended. What in
:23:38. > :23:43.theory will be good in practice. The chair mentioned correspondence
:23:43. > :23:49.we have received from the BMA recently to the committee and while
:23:49. > :23:52.we may not all agree with what was contained in it, we must listen to
:23:53. > :23:58.the experts in the field. members sat on the committee when
:23:58. > :24:05.this was discussed. I'm sympathetic to members who have the best
:24:05. > :24:10.interests of patients central to their thinking. After all, we have
:24:10. > :24:18.dental check-ups every six months. However, in weighing up the pros
:24:18. > :24:27.and cons of the annual GP check-ups and common-sense and intuitive
:24:27. > :24:33.initiatives, we have to look at evidence to inform policy decisions.
:24:33. > :24:38.The most recent research on general checks indicates they may not be as
:24:38. > :24:45.beneficial as some members might believe. The evidence doesn't
:24:45. > :24:54.indicate the reduction in mobility, the risk of illness or mortality.
:24:54. > :25:01.The Health Minister Edwin Poots. Mrs Ramsay is with us now. You are
:25:01. > :25:06.a fan of the Cuban system and the DUP member went with you on that
:25:06. > :25:13.visit. Would that work in Northern Ireland? I think the vision that
:25:13. > :25:17.Cuba has is fine for anyone. I know there are some concerns around
:25:17. > :25:20.people when they talk about wages and things like that and that's
:25:20. > :25:23.something we need to look at. What I was interested in seeing and we
:25:23. > :25:28.got the invitation to go to the international health conference,
:25:28. > :25:30.was that the family doctor, the family are the local medics,
:25:30. > :25:34.they're at the heart of communities so they are part of the community,
:25:34. > :25:39.they are not just there to service, they are part of the community.
:25:39. > :25:42.Have you costed what it would take to have the mandatory annual check-
:25:42. > :25:47.up with your GP in Northern Ireland? Have you got any ballpark
:25:48. > :25:54.figures? No, but what I do know is that doctors and GPs in general get
:25:54. > :26:01.paid per patient that's on their list. So if we are talking about
:26:01. > :26:08.early prevention, Cuba spend around $400 per patient, we spend around
:26:08. > :26:14.$4,000 per patient and Cubas system is better than ours. The committee
:26:14. > :26:18.is saying, get in at an early age and look at it. It fits in exactly
:26:18. > :26:23.with what transforming your care wants to do. Take everything away
:26:23. > :26:26.from the care sector and get into local outcomes and earlier for
:26:26. > :26:29.patients. Are you saying you think it could be done without
:26:29. > :26:33.necessarily a significant increase in costs?
:26:33. > :26:38.As I say, my information is that doctors get paid per patient anyway
:26:38. > :26:41.so, as part of the patient journey, we should be bringing people in for
:26:41. > :26:46.annual health checks. Some people are sceptical. The Health Minister
:26:46. > :26:51.didn't look like he was going to be persuaded today and quoted research
:26:51. > :26:55.that suggests that you are not really comparing like with like and
:26:55. > :26:58.it wouldn't necessarily work for Northern Ireland. It's an
:26:58. > :27:01.interesting idea, it's a novel idea, you have had an interesting
:27:01. > :27:06.experience in Cuba, but in practical terms will anything come
:27:07. > :27:15.of this? Sfpblgts we have asked the minister to give us a copy of the
:27:15. > :27:18.research. The research came from the 60s and 70s, pwhu we are saying
:27:18. > :27:23.transforming care today will have a radical approach to deliver our
:27:23. > :27:28.service to fit in with the new fit and well strategy, let's get in
:27:28. > :27:32.there early, let's get in there with prevention and allow
:27:32. > :27:36.interventions to take place at GP level. Some people might say on a
:27:36. > :27:41.simple level, if you are sick, you go to the doctor at the moment, if
:27:41. > :27:48.you don't, you don't waste their time. The key thing is, we don't
:27:48. > :27:52.want people to be waiting until they are sick. There is evidence to
:27:52. > :27:58.show a patient might get sick, we are in there at an earlier time
:27:58. > :28:00.before we go down the route of giving people medication if they go
:28:00. > :28:05.there before they're sick. Thank you very much.
:28:05. > :28:10.If you are a regular viewer of Stormont Today you may have spotted
:28:11. > :28:15.several MLAs using electronic devices while listening to debates.
:28:15. > :28:22.The speaker put his foot down on this new trend today. I want to
:28:22. > :28:27.return to a subject that I ruled on some time ago. It's about the use
:28:27. > :28:31.of electronic devices in this chamber. There is an increase of
:28:31. > :28:37.use of these within the chamber and my ruling then was very, very clear
:28:37. > :28:41.that electronic devices should be used responsibly and without
:28:41. > :28:46.distracting other members or interfering with the business of
:28:46. > :28:50.the House. I have to say, I've watched around the chamber and
:28:50. > :28:55.there are more and more members who continue to come into the chamber
:28:55. > :29:01.and who continually do nothing else but use their electronic devices. I
:29:01. > :29:05.would ask members just to revisit my ruling at that time where I was
:29:05. > :29:09.absolutely clear that if members feel they have to use electronic
:29:09. > :29:14.devices in the chamber, they should do it very much in a respectable
:29:14. > :29:18.manner. I have to say, some members, some members are not doing that at
:29:19. > :29:22.this minute in time. The speaker pulling no punches.