04/10/2011 Stormont Today

Hello and welcome to Stormont Today where we hear the best from our

finest public representatives up here at the Assembly. On the

programme tonight: campaigners for Magee College say they need more

students, but before the debate gets going the Minister sets the

record straight. I have never said that there were 1,000 places based

on the resources allocated. I need to put it in contests -- context

before people work on the assumption that there are 1,000

places. Our guest of the day might see things very differently. He's

Magee campaigner Padraig Canavan. And is it a rootless debate or

exactly the level of discussion the Assembly should be aiming for? The

humble weed comes to the fore at Stormont.

A university city - that's what some campaigners want for

Londonderry. Today's debate centred on extra student places for Magee

to create more graduate,s which in turn would attract firms to invest.

One of the main champions of that cause is entreprenuer Padraig

Canavan. Her Thank you for joining us. You put your money where your

mouth is. What do you think the future holds for Derry? It is quite

promising. It will be the City of Culture and we are hoping for a

successful year. There is a draft copy for the programme for

government and there is not enough in that the sea sustainable

businesses. We are keen to see how the city of culture can be

maximised. How important are those extra student places at Magee?

is pivotal. The debate was focusing on the first step on that which is

something we have called for, the City Council has called for, the

University has called for, which is 1,000 extra students initially. The

plan for the regeneration of the city is building up overall. This

is the first step of many steps that will take the city into a new

era. Let us have a look at how the debate when in the chamber today.

If this is secretary -- Executive is serious about putting the

economy at the top of their agenda then they need to tackle the issue

with Magee. Mr Speaker, the time for lip-service is over. The people

demand action from this Executive. Posters went up all over Derry

telling us that Magee's expansion was going to happen. I just want to

put it on record before people get carried away that I have never said

on the record at any stage that there were 1,000 places available.

Not have I said there would be 600. -- nor have I said. A whatever the

number is, in the current context he has to make a decision on what

would be their impact in the north. If the minister is going to make a

decision where he is going to give the maximum delivery, at maximum

outcomes in terms of tackling a regional disparity then that is

what he should do. It is not an absolute declaration that we keep

pushing it more and more people into university when we cannot get

them jobs. We should be looking at the real skills and needs of our

people. We will not be supporting this motion. They have been calls

for me to allocate all the extra places to the University of Ulster

and directly to Magee. I do need to consider all the providers. The

rationale for university places is to manage demand across the system.

This will not be achieved by concentrating additional places in

one location. As sympathetic I am - - as I am to the Magee case and the

regeneration of Derry, I cannot commit if I do not have the

resources. Should the Executive make the resources available to my

department then the issue of increased student numbers can be

re-examined Magee. I will have no hesitation if the evidence is there

of going back and making their case. There is no-one in the House that

is opposed to this, but the problem the Minister has is there is not

enough money to make that demand and therefore the proposal as it is

it is currently worded offers no advantage to other campuses.

you disappointed the motion did not go through? Yes. It was a real

opportunity to address some of the key economic circumstances in

Northern Ireland. The commendable decision to keep the fees are low

or -- Low will create pandemonium next year. I read today that by

keeping them low, the accessibility of student places in Northern

Ireland will increase. It does not change it. There will be many more

students that we export to the rest of the UK and not many of them come

back again. They will now be faced with no option because of the

numbers being restricted to where they are. Yet the thrust of the

debate was why give it to Magee when some of the other institutions

in Northern Ireland will suffer? They have a point. If you want to

take that argument to its logical conclusion, there will be an

equivalent number of students in the north-west as there will be in

Derry. A tent of the population in Coleraine are in higher education

and it is nowhere near that in Derry. By the same logic, there

should be about 14,000 students in Derry. He run a business and you

know you need to balance the books. Surely you can understand and

appreciate the Executive has to do the same thing? Yes, and they

should do it. They need to know what their priorities are. To pay

for an economy you have to generate wealth, Business, us. The way to do

that is to have a strong universities with graduates coming

into the job market. They stop businesses of their own and support

indigenous businesses. It is a what priority to make a success for

economy. We will talk later in the programme. For now, Thank you.

Business kicked off this morning with the health minister reporting

back to colleagues about a recent north-south meeting. As he took

questions he was asked by the SDLP's Conall McDevitt about

inquiries into child abuse, something the minister has strong

feelings on. I would be opposed to going down the week that has

happened in the Republic of Ireland. I would be opposed to the judiciary

and legal people getting heavily involved in a process in Northern

Ireland to find the truth. I think that in too many cases us a far, in

terms of other public inquiries, for example, they had been taken

over, they have been dominated by the barristers and the solicitors,

who had made excessive sums of money out of other people's misery.

We do not need and inquiry that draws might officials and my staff

away from important work they are doing. To go after the truth of the

past at the price looking after children today it is not a price I

want this Assembly on my department to be paying. It is important we do

not get dragged into a long judicial inquiry where staff

involved in child protection have to spend inordinate amount of time

dealing with that as opposed to protecting children there currently

need protecting. On to Question Time and first up was interim

deputy minister wearing his education minister's hat. I keep

hearing words that we are making progress and a decision will be

announced shortly. Can the Minister tell us when he expects the

announcement to beat made and what will the total cost be to set up

that body? -- to be made. The costs are rising and that is keeping me

focused. ESA is important and that is why the spend was made.

Legislation was at an advanced age but it was stalled and stop. I have

never said we will make a decision shortly. I have said we are

required to make a decision. I am acutely aware off what is happening

with the ESA project. Could I thank the Minister for his answer, but in

order to progress ESA and establish it, it is necessary to encourage

and bring about political consensus. One is the Minister going to

convene a meeting of all the political parties to thrash out

this issue and to establish you say? Mr Speaker, I did not realise

I was dealing with such a Shaikh group of individuals in this

Assembly. My door is open to any party or any individual MLA to

discuss any matter. I have not refused talks with regards this

issue. Previous to be establishment of the current Executive it was

agreed then that parties should come forward with parties regarding

ESA. I am aware of some public responses and some parties have

indicated their views around ESA, but I am still awaiting documents

We seem to be in areas of more scientific interest as one member

made cliff. When they were first introduced, there was an enormous

opposition from land owners and farmers. I cannot recall a time

when there was a notice put up to keep officials a way from their

land. But given that these concerns, has been minister convinced that he

has done everything to preserve the best and the environment? Everybody

will be treated equally and they will not be a disadvantage for

anyone in relationship to developments. I do can care that

looking beyond this particular matter, part of the character of

the society has been resistance to change. But there has been many

other aspects of experience. It is often had too high a price and too

high a cost. I think there is a more settled abuse in relation to

the importance of -- more settled matter in relation to the

importance of these matters. race for deputy is simpler with the

withdrawal. Dolores Kelly will take the No. 2 spot and she told me how

she felt about that area today. think it is a great honour to be

nominated in the first instance. I feel very privileged to get that

endorsement across the many branches. Now that I have got a

clear run, I want to pay tribute to my contender who has stepped aside.

I feel very privileged and very committed to ensuring that the

party and the fortunes of the party are restored in the dock. Brian

Feeney said last night that the SDLP is finished if they do not get

his leadership race right, if they did not pick the right person.

has made comments before. But the fortunes of the party have had

predictions in the past that have been proven wrong. But a a sense

among the membership at we do need to make the right decision and get

it right. It is time to work as A- team and to get the priorities

right and get everybody in the same direction. It is an important

decision in November. What is your assessment of what has gone wrong

in terms of the party's fortunes at the ballot box? I think they are

historic. We have had concerns about how the British and Irish

governments treated at the party and we got the compromise with the

Good Friday Agreement and these institutions have stabilised. But I

think we have also got an emphasis on us as a party connecting with

the concerns of the electorate. We understand the numbers turning out

have been falling. That is a feature across western democracy.

It is a challenge for all political parties but particularly the SDLP.

I think it is about confidence. We must stop looking over our

shoulders and set our stall and what our vision is for be people in

the community we represent. We hope that will reflect the concerns of

these people. Will you have a ministerial portfolio soon? I do

not think that is anything of any immediate concern. Alex Attwood has

done a very fine job and he has a very quickly grasped a portfolio of

the Environment. I did not see any necessity for any change any time

since. Is the party in danger of tearing itself apart given be

people running are all reasonably high profile in their positions?

The candidates and myself and the wider membership understand that we

have to have 18 approach. We have to unite behind the leadership. I

did not see the party tearing itself apart. I think it is healthy

to have these democratic debate and principles. That is unlike other

parties which are running on the basis of dictatorships. We have

seldom if ever had elections of their leadership. Last year it was

high hedges but today it was about weeds. The green-fingered in the

chamber would try to get to the good of the problem of overgrown

paths and roads. It might sound trivial but millions of pounds had

been paid out for trips and slips. It was just a plant growing in the

wrong place, maybe. There does seem to be an opinion that this question

has been put in the wrong place. To be honest, I can understand some of

the reasoning behind that. But I have got the benefit of being

present when the matter was raised initially. I feel bound to say

without any hint of criticism but of a dejectedly stating the tax,

but had it been more effectively dealt with on that occasion, we

might not have been here today. It might be an inconvenience. But

people actually do worry about weeds on the side of the road.

appreciate his efforts to justify this debate. We are back for six

weeks and we have not had any legislation brought before this

house. We have got a draft programme that does not make one

commitment to one piece of legislation. With the greatest

respect, is is not more about covering up the inadequacies rather

than addressing the problems? able to advise the House that

procedures are already well in hand to ensure the issues that have

resulted in a late start to the control element of the contract

this year will not be repeated next season. We will increase the

manpower and provide additional training for opera tickets.

Additional machinery will also be available. -- operatives. I have

mentioned the controlling of weed growth and the priorities in terms

of financial allegations given to this operation. Can I acknowledge

that the service delivery was not satisfactory this year? I apologise

for that. Jimmy Spratt proposed the motion and he joins us now. Was it

a waste of time? It was not a waste of time. The Minister apologise, as

we have just heard. The issues that I wanted to raise in relation to

that procurement process which appears to has failed, the minister

gave some details about that. I think we have got other issues that

he will respond to the in due course. The whole fiasco has cost

the Department additional money in terms of overtime and all the rest.

It has been an unsightly problem. What about the �4 million figure?

We are talking back foot paths with weeds growing. That is a

considerable figure considering the Times. It is a very considerable

vigour. -- figure. It is a substantial amount and it is

connected with it slip roads. I hope that this can be sorted out.

Some people have said it demonstrates the enacted with his -

- inadequacies of the Assembly... We are looking at massive public

sector cutbacks. People are worried about more than weeds growing on

the roads. We have also got an issue that people have raised. I

have raised it on a bay leaf -- daily basis as I walk the streets

of Belfast. It is an issue that does actually get into the minds of

people and they do have pride in their areas. Some of the local

councils have put a lot of work into this problem. When people come

out, they find the area is unsightly with weeds. Councils are

going down the tubes, if you like. Should the Assembly spent time

discussing problems like this? think this is the business of the

hygiene factor but it should never get to this level. When it is not

right, it should be dealt more quickly -- dealt with more quickly.

It was interesting looking at the breakdown of the people in the

chamber. Were we trying to appeal to the garden centres? I was

looking for answers and I think we got some answers today. The

minister has told us it will not happen again and I take his word on

that. The test will come next year and I hope that has been resolved.

If you have got tickets for the London Olympics and are thinking of

selling them, you might want to think again. The Assembly has

agreed to increase the fines or ticket touting of the Olympic and

Paralympic Games to �20,000. It is to keep Northern Ireland in line

with the rest of the UK, as David Ford explained. The current maximum

penalty is �5,000. The Department of Culture Media and Sport wish to

increase the maximum fine to �20,000 across the UK. We are

concerned about the lower potential oxide �1,000, given the likelihood

of -- of �5,000, giving the likelihood of the problems. This

makes the likelihood of touting materially higher than other events.

This offers a lucrative revenue to criminals. It is important to

frustrate the money-making activities of criminals and prevent

them seeking to use in Northern Ireland as a backdoor opportunity.

I would not wish the penalty in Northern Ireland to be any lower

than that in England, Wales or Scotland. The Scottish government

is proposing to have the Bill to increase the penalty likewise in

Scotland. We have been warned. The long awaited reduction in local

councils has not been straightforward set up. It looks

like nothing has changed. Alex Attwood said he was not consulted

on a day that he believes the DUP and Sinn Fein have struck on a deal

on reducing councils from 26-11-. Mark Devonport gave me the

background to be issued. At an executive meeting we had an

announcement about a number of initiatives, including an agreement

that they reached about local councils. It was essentially going

back to a compromise before in relation to previous councils. But

in an interview on The Politics Show, the First Minister made it

clear that this was a Sinn Fein and DUP initiative and not from the

Environment Department. We have got over the line. We have informed the

Environment Minister of our position. He can bring the paper

forward. Ultimately, if he does not, we can bring the paper forward

ourselves. And it came up today in question time? Yes. When we look at

possible shake-up, Alex Attwood made it clear that he had not heard

any formal understanding and that he was looking forward to seeing it

between Sinn Fein and the DUP. I caught up with him and asked him if

he had been consulted at all before this deal was announced. I have not

but they did say that they were afforded me a paper. The best part

of two weeks later, I have not seem that paper. I look forward Tim

interrogating them and making the judgment about what they say and

what others say is the best way forward. This is a once in a

lifetime opportunity to get this right. We need to get this right

and make certain that the lego government is moving forward.

you surprised, given that this is part of your ministerial brief and

they did not consult you before? Sometimes the character of this

government is that a couple of parties decide what is best for

everybody else. I did not think that is healthy. But I look forward

to seeing the level of understanding between the First

Minister and the Deputy First Minister. I will make a judgement

about the right way to go forward. This has been about numbers from

the very beginning and it still appears to be about numbers.

have got a discrepancy between what the DUP and Sinn Fein are saying.

They had previously hatched an agreement. The Environment Minister

is saying that he still thinks it is possibly the best outcome to

have a 15 councils. He says everybody has got to take a step

back and look at the progress with sharing services and the recent

proposals at Westminster constituency boundaries which he

things could affect the shake up of. Disappointments today in terms of

the motion but what should the government be doing to regenerate

the economy? We have got a number of things. I think we should have

increased participation and increased graduate. We should keep

existing graduates in Northern Ireland. We should look at

graduates from elsewhere. It is a critical part of a growing economy.

I am a great supporter of the corporation tax. I think that will

attract inward investment. The -- this can only work together if we