:00:24. > :00:29.Hello and welcome to Stormont Today. Coming up in the programme: Sinn
:00:30. > :00:34.Fein and its president come under attack once again, this time from
:00:35. > :00:39.the Health Minister. Clearly, the party opposite me, the party that
:00:40. > :00:44.brought this forward, are more interested in covering up for their
:00:45. > :00:49.paedophile protecting president than they are in serving the needs of the
:00:50. > :00:52.community. But Edwin Poots was also under
:00:53. > :00:55.pressure as MLAs passed a motion criticising his ban on some gay men
:00:56. > :00:59.giving blood. And you can dress it up and you can
:01:00. > :01:08.dance around it, at the end of the day this is discrimination against
:01:09. > :01:11.our communities. And to look over today's stormy
:01:12. > :01:15.session, I'm joined by the journalist Steven McCaffery.
:01:16. > :01:20.It was a bit like Groundhog Day in the chamber this morning. Like
:01:21. > :01:23.yesterday, the alleged past of the Sinn Fein President, Gerry Adams,
:01:24. > :01:26.was under scrutiny during a statement from the Health Minister
:01:27. > :01:32.on the Inquiry into Child Sexual Exploitation. The Health Minister
:01:33. > :01:36.and indeed the Justice Minister made it clear that any form of child
:01:37. > :01:39.abuse should be reported to the appropriate authorities immediately.
:01:40. > :01:43.In that respect, how concerned is the minister that yesterday the
:01:44. > :01:48.Deputy First Minister compromised that message by defending Gerry
:01:49. > :01:52.Adams in that who clearly failed to report the abuse of his niece to the
:01:53. > :01:56.appropriate authorities and in educating not just politicians, what
:01:57. > :02:01.steps can be taken to educate the parents and the public about the
:02:02. > :02:07.risks associated with child sexual exploitation?
:02:08. > :02:12.Well, Mr Speaker, I am somewhat struck yesterday by the views
:02:13. > :02:19.expressed by the recently retired chief public prosecutor in GB who
:02:20. > :02:25.indicated that those who failed to report child abuse should be
:02:26. > :02:30.prosecuted for such activity if the law should allow that. I think we
:02:31. > :02:35.should all reflect on that and I think that it is wrong for people
:02:36. > :02:40.not to report child abuse. I think it is one of the most obscene things
:02:41. > :02:44.that anybody can do and I think those people who have failed to do
:02:45. > :02:50.it have to live with their conscience. I also think the PSNI
:02:51. > :02:56.and the Public Prosecution Service need to ensure that nobody is above
:02:57. > :03:02.the law otherwise the law is diminished in the eyes of the
:03:03. > :03:07.people. Could I ask the minister whether he thinks the term of
:03:08. > :03:10.reference which says, "Make recommendations on the future
:03:11. > :03:16.actions required to prevent and tackle child sexual exploitation."
:03:17. > :03:24.Whether he thinks that term of reference is adequate to permit a
:03:25. > :03:29.recommendation that as Mr Starmer suggested, failure to report child
:03:30. > :03:35.sex abuse should be made a criminal offence. Is that term of reference
:03:36. > :03:40.adequate and if it is not, will the minister look further at that
:03:41. > :03:47.particular term of reference? Well, in terms of withholding information
:03:48. > :03:51.or wrongdoing, I believe and the member will know this because he
:03:52. > :03:57.practised for many years, I believe that people were prosecuted under
:03:58. > :04:01.that legislation so I don't accept perhaps what some in the PSNI seem
:04:02. > :04:05.to think that withholding information and child abuse is
:04:06. > :04:11.something that's untested because in actual fact withholding information
:04:12. > :04:16.on criminal activity has been tested and that people have been found
:04:17. > :04:27.guilty of doing that. So I think it is essential that the police and the
:04:28. > :04:32.prosecution service don't give any sucker to people who withhold
:04:33. > :04:36.information. The minister returned to his attack on Gerry Adams during
:04:37. > :04:41.his response to a Sinn Fein motion debating a ban on sexually active
:04:42. > :04:45.gay men donating blood. Isn't it remarkable when the public
:04:46. > :04:51.are talking about issues other than gay blood such as the disappeared,
:04:52. > :04:55.such as the court case involving the cover-up of sex abuse and involving
:04:56. > :05:02.the leader of the party that brought this motion forward, we are
:05:03. > :05:07.discussing what? An issue about MSM blood, about blood where we have
:05:08. > :05:11.53,000 units used per year and where we have imported 73 units over this
:05:12. > :05:20.past three years. Is this the big issue of today that this House
:05:21. > :05:23.should be talking about? I don't think so. The party that brought
:05:24. > :05:28.this forward are more interested in covering up for their paedophile
:05:29. > :05:34.protecting president than they are in serving the needs of the
:05:35. > :05:44.community. Mr Speaker... THE SPEAKER: Order. Order. I ask
:05:45. > :05:47.that the minister withdraw that comment, please.
:05:48. > :05:50.THE SPEAKER: Order. Order. I would remind all members and especially
:05:51. > :05:56.the minister to be careful of his language in the House. Certainly,
:05:57. > :06:01.there is a standard of debate that everybody expects in this House,
:06:02. > :06:04.even from ministers. I accept the ruling of the Speaker and there is a
:06:05. > :06:07.standard in life that people expect and when people are aware of
:06:08. > :06:12.paedophile activities taking a place they should report tr and the leader
:06:13. > :06:16.of Sinn Fein, the president was aware and he believed it and he
:06:17. > :06:20.didn't report it. So don't come with me seeking withdrawals, you will not
:06:21. > :06:25.be getting any withdrawal from me on this issue.
:06:26. > :06:27.A robust response to Caitriona Ruane from the Health Minister, Edwin
:06:28. > :06:31.Poots. The journalist, Steven McCaffery, is with me now. Two
:06:32. > :06:37.really big issues dominating the agenda up here today. It divided
:06:38. > :06:42.along dwo lines didn't it, it was Sinn Fein versus the DUP? The
:06:43. > :06:47.exchange that we just saw in the last clip showed that Edwin Poots
:06:48. > :06:59.was genuinely angry and I thought he appeared upset during part of his
:07:00. > :07:04.delivery on the debate around blood. Attack was the best form of defence.
:07:05. > :07:07.Later in the exchanges when he somewhat retreated into criticisms
:07:08. > :07:15.of the courts and of the way in which politics and modern sout
:07:16. > :07:20.generally -- Societe Generally treats people with Christian views.
:07:21. > :07:25.Did you get a sense just watching proceedings as you did today, that
:07:26. > :07:31.Edwin Poots was in a sense trying to direct the spotlight away from his
:07:32. > :07:37.particular problems? Yes, I think the party had decided they weren't
:07:38. > :07:41.going to vote on the issue of blood donation and they anticipated a
:07:42. > :07:45.fierce attack from the parties and they were very much on the defensive
:07:46. > :07:52.and while part of the debate centred on the science of this, when it
:07:53. > :07:56.drifted into matters of religion and criticism of the courts, it took the
:07:57. > :07:59.debate into territory that made it more difficult for the minister.
:08:00. > :08:03.That did seem to be the tactic, but it seemed to come off the rails
:08:04. > :08:07.somewhat as time went on. Sinn Fein had that opportunity for
:08:08. > :08:13.some revenge when the motion calling on the minister to lift his ban on
:08:14. > :08:21.some gay men donating blood was debated? Yes. I thought the
:08:22. > :08:26.contribution that struck hardest from that side of the House was John
:08:27. > :08:31.McAllister. When he asked people when they talk about issues of gay
:08:32. > :08:36.rights, this can have a negative impact on young, gay men who feel
:08:37. > :08:39.difficult about their own identity. His contribution was very powerful
:08:40. > :08:44.as well. Do you remember an occasion where
:08:45. > :08:49.there was as much high emotion as we saw today in the chamber? No. I
:08:50. > :08:53.think it is not noticeable, not in recent times except when the parties
:08:54. > :08:57.were debating issues around the past and the legacy of the troubles. I
:08:58. > :09:01.think it clashes with what is happening outside Stormont where the
:09:02. > :09:07.two large parties are trying, it seems, to build as positive as
:09:08. > :09:08.possible an atmosphere around the Haass talks. It was very pointed,
:09:09. > :09:12.yes. We will talk to you later. For now,
:09:13. > :09:17.Stephen, thank you very much. The Health Minister was quick to
:09:18. > :09:21.attack Gerry Adams today, but he was also on the receiving end of
:09:22. > :09:32.criticism himself, a motion urging Edwin Poots to lift a ban on gay men
:09:33. > :09:38.who have been sexually inactive for a year. A decision in the High
:09:39. > :09:45.Court, not only found that the minister had acted irrationally, but
:09:46. > :09:49.also found that he had acted without lawful authority. And was therefore
:09:50. > :09:57.in breach of the Ministerial Code. In respect of a sensitive and very
:09:58. > :10:03.highly important issue. Those actions Mr Speaker, have caused much
:10:04. > :10:10.controversy and continue to cause much concern and have attracted a
:10:11. > :10:14.great deal of public concern and legitimate public interest. The
:10:15. > :10:20.assembly, Mr Speaker, in my view must now hold the minister to
:10:21. > :10:26.account. We have to reflect the fact that Northern Ireland cannot survive
:10:27. > :10:29.as a standard alone unit for the provision of blood. There are so
:10:30. > :10:33.many different blood types. There are also many different blood
:10:34. > :10:37.products which could cause difficulties and shortages
:10:38. > :10:41.particularly if there was an emergency as happened from time to
:10:42. > :10:45.time when blood supplies do have to be received in Northern Ireland from
:10:46. > :10:54.other parts of the United Kingdom and as reflected in the court
:10:55. > :10:57.judgement, it has been deemed to be irrational to have different
:10:58. > :11:02.standards applying to this part of the United Kingdom than other parts
:11:03. > :11:06.of the United Kingdom. The minister's case becomes preposterous
:11:07. > :11:12.when we take Northern Ireland's position in the UK into account in
:11:13. > :11:19.this unilateral ban in Northern Ireland when we receive blood from
:11:20. > :11:26.the rest of GB has no rational basis and indeed, just as Tracey described
:11:27. > :11:34.the minister's position as irrational. The decision in the UK
:11:35. > :11:39.has been taken based on the best sound available scientific evidence,
:11:40. > :11:45.but I would contend the minister's decision has been based on neither
:11:46. > :11:50.evidence nor reason. Right-wing religious fervour takes precedence
:11:51. > :11:54.over the needs of our community and it strikes me there is a crusade
:11:55. > :11:58.around some of this stuff. It doesn't really matter if you are a
:11:59. > :12:03.straight person, how promiscuous you want to be, you can sleep with 100
:12:04. > :12:07.people, but it is all right if your blood, it is all right for us to
:12:08. > :12:10.take your blood, but if you are a gay person and you are in a loving
:12:11. > :12:15.relationship for 20 years with one other partner, then we don't want
:12:16. > :12:22.your blood. It is quite clear to me that the minister was right to
:12:23. > :12:27.contest this case. He didn't bring this case. Mr Agnew talks about
:12:28. > :12:32.wasting funds. The minister didn't bring this case. This case was
:12:33. > :12:39.brought as a challenge which the minister quite properly and
:12:40. > :12:43.defended, it would be a dereliction of his duty not to defend it and
:12:44. > :12:48.would be entitled to challenge it further. I was asked the question by
:12:49. > :12:51.a BBC journalist when I was in the department for environment, was I
:12:52. > :12:56.fit to be a minister and be a Christian? What a shameful
:12:57. > :13:01.despicable question particularly when there is people in this
:13:02. > :13:04.Government who have been engaged in terrorism, who have been convicted
:13:05. > :13:08.of terrorist activities and it is all right for them to be in
:13:09. > :13:11.Government, but if you embrace Christian values, you shouldn't be
:13:12. > :13:16.there was the substance of the question and there is a continual
:13:17. > :13:24.battering of Christian principles and I would have to say shame on the
:13:25. > :13:28.courts for going down the route of constantly attacking it Christian
:13:29. > :13:32.principles, Christian ethics, Christian morals, what this society
:13:33. > :13:37.was based on and give us a good foundation. This isn't just about a
:13:38. > :13:43.ban on blood donations from gay men. What this this is about, the
:13:44. > :13:47.pattern, the pattern of discrimination. And discrim nattry
:13:48. > :13:53.actions and you can dress it up and you can dance around it at the end
:13:54. > :13:58.of the day, this is discrimination against our LGB and T communities
:13:59. > :14:01.and that's what it is. Whether we are talking about equal marriage,
:14:02. > :14:14.whether we are talking about the ban on blood donations, or whether we
:14:15. > :14:19.are talking about adoption. Caitriona Ruane. I'm joined now by
:14:20. > :14:26.the chair of the Health Committee, Maeve McLaughlin. Are you demanding
:14:27. > :14:29.the resignation of the Health Minister, Edwin Poots? It has been a
:14:30. > :14:34.good day in terms of the unification of a number of parties across the
:14:35. > :14:37.assembly. Clearly, against discrimination against one section
:14:38. > :14:41.of our community namely the gay community. So in that sense I think
:14:42. > :14:46.it has been a powerful statement. What the motion called for was
:14:47. > :14:51.clearly the minister to call for the ban to be lifted and if he can't do
:14:52. > :14:57.so then he should step aside. Well, he clearly isn't going to
:14:58. > :15:01.change his policy on this and it doesn't sound like he is going to
:15:02. > :15:05.step aside which is why I'm asking you, are you calling for him to go?
:15:06. > :15:08.Is this just a meaningless motion debated today? No, it is not
:15:09. > :15:12.meaningless at all. I think that what we found over the last numb of
:15:13. > :15:15.months -- number of months has been a process and pattern whereby the
:15:16. > :15:19.minister ended up through processes like this, which resulted in legal
:15:20. > :15:23.action which in this case he has been deemed to be both irrational
:15:24. > :15:28.and in breach of his Ministerial Code. So obviously this was not a
:15:29. > :15:31.waste of time. It was not ill thought out. It was an important
:15:32. > :15:36.motion and in my view clearly, the minister has a piece of work to do
:15:37. > :15:41.in relation to this issue and it is about installing public confidence
:15:42. > :15:46.around particularly that section of our community. Clearly, it is
:15:47. > :15:51.obvious for everybody to see that Edwin Poots believes he was neither
:15:52. > :15:54.irrational nor in breach of the Ministerial Code. You may like him
:15:55. > :15:57.to go, that maybe the substance of the motion passed today in the
:15:58. > :16:03.chamber. There is not much you can do about it, is there? I am aware
:16:04. > :16:06.and wouldn't be naive to say that decisions around ministerial
:16:07. > :16:10.appointments are decisions for parties, but the party has a
:16:11. > :16:13.responsibility in relation to ensuring and assuring that the
:16:14. > :16:18.minister does not breach the Ministerial Code and does not act
:16:19. > :16:22.irrationally and does not, I suppose, discriminate or bring his
:16:23. > :16:27.own personal prejudice which is an opinion and wide opinion that is out
:16:28. > :16:33.there into play. We had plenty of sound and fury, but no substantive
:16:34. > :16:38.debate about this significant and emotive issue, do you accept that? I
:16:39. > :16:41.think there was a lot of debate, Mark, around this issue. There was a
:16:42. > :16:45.lot of science brought to the debate today, but this is an issue about
:16:46. > :16:50.equality and this is an issue also about, I suppose, the use of public
:16:51. > :16:54.funding. Increasingly, we see this issue of, you know, we see the
:16:55. > :16:58.Health Service for example in turmoil in a lot of sectors within
:16:59. > :17:02.it. We see the issue around residential care and domicillary
:17:03. > :17:06.care waiting lists and we have a pattern where issues are taken
:17:07. > :17:11.through high courts which is a waste of public funding.
:17:12. > :17:16.In the meantime after all that, the Health Minister was critical of our
:17:17. > :17:20.party leader. He talked about Sinn Fein also more interested in
:17:21. > :17:23.covering up for your president protecting president to quote him,
:17:24. > :17:26.rather than serving the needs of the community. Did he have a point?
:17:27. > :17:31.Well, I think anybody looking at that with a reasonable head on their
:17:32. > :17:42.shoulders wouldn't have been surprised at the just as Tracey. I
:17:43. > :17:47.think what he has to do and I suppose on our behalf certainly Sinn
:17:48. > :17:51.Fein will be looking very closely at the ut transcript in relation to
:17:52. > :17:54.coming to a decision around the next steps. His behaviour today was not
:17:55. > :17:58.ministerial and was not professional.
:17:59. > :18:01.Briefly, Mr Adams continues to feel the heat as well after last night's
:18:02. > :18:09.programme in which it was alleged that he ordered the diace perns of
:18:10. > :18:16.Jean -- disappearance of Jean McConville. Well, our party made
:18:17. > :18:20.this clear and clearly, have made a very vocal public call that anybody
:18:21. > :18:25.with information, any shred of information should bring that
:18:26. > :18:30.forward to the relevant authorities. Maeve McLaughlin, thank you.
:18:31. > :18:33.The consultation may be over, but it hasn't gone away, you know. The
:18:34. > :18:36.Common Funding Formula, that is, and it was firmly on the agenda during
:18:37. > :18:46.today's questions to the Education Minister. The fact that -- th
:18:47. > :18:49.require more resources to tackle the challenges. I have been accused by
:18:50. > :18:54.some of taking a money off schools to give to other schools. However,
:18:55. > :18:59.no schools annual budget is confirmed and until it is done so by
:19:00. > :19:06.my department and therefore, the moneys I plan to use are not from
:19:07. > :19:10.any particular school's. I have found that throughout this
:19:11. > :19:14.consultation that speaking to educationalists and speaking to
:19:15. > :19:18.pupils, speaking to principals and speaking to parents, speaking to
:19:19. > :19:26.people interested in social justice that they approach me in a rational
:19:27. > :19:31.manner and they put across their point of view in a rational
:19:32. > :19:38.considered manner. Some agree with my proposals, some do not. On behalf
:19:39. > :19:45.of the SDLP, they are going to challenge. Social deprivation is the
:19:46. > :20:02.biggest indicator of a child's out John Majors. A school with high
:20:03. > :20:06.levels needs more funding. It needs to relate to information that is
:20:07. > :20:09.personal to the pupil's family circumstances. That information
:20:10. > :20:14.needs to be capable of independent validation. It needs to be
:20:15. > :20:18.up-to-date. It needs to be capable of being updated on an annual basis
:20:19. > :20:24.and needs to be easily gathered at school level. Free school meal
:20:25. > :20:29.entitlement is the only reliable method. The view of the independent
:20:30. > :20:32.review panel was that free school meal entitlement provides an
:20:33. > :20:36.indication of the concentration of disadvantaged pupils in a given
:20:37. > :20:42.school in a way that no other indicator does. Additionally,
:20:43. > :20:51.analysis shows a strong correlation between the entitlement to free
:20:52. > :21:00.school meals and the deprivation measures. I have received no
:21:01. > :21:03.suggestions that suggest alternative methods. After all the shouting that
:21:04. > :21:06.takes place, can the minister confirm if any other political party
:21:07. > :21:26.in this House have presented him with any other option other than
:21:27. > :21:33.free school meals? None have yet presented me with an option in
:21:34. > :21:38.relation to this. THE SPEAKER: Order, pleads. None of
:21:39. > :22:01.political parties presented me with an alternative to free school meals.
:22:02. > :22:03.The Education Minister, John O'Dowd. The Health Minister has appointed
:22:04. > :22:08.Professor Kathleen Marshall to lead the Inquiry into Child Sexual
:22:09. > :22:11.Exploitation. Edwin Poots revealed his decision to hold an inquiry in
:22:12. > :22:14.September following the arrests of more than 30 people in a major
:22:15. > :22:17.investigation into the sexual exploitation of children and young
:22:18. > :22:20.people. The professor has a long distinguished career as a practising
:22:21. > :22:25.and academic lawyer, she is a former commissioner for children and young
:22:26. > :22:29.people in Scotland. She is part of a team which undertook the youth
:22:30. > :22:34.justice review in Northern Ireland. She chaired a statutory inquiry into
:22:35. > :22:39.child abuse into children's homes in Edinburgh which resulted in a
:22:40. > :22:47.published report. The professor will lead an inquiry board which will
:22:48. > :22:52.include the chief executives and the criminal justice inspectorate. I am
:22:53. > :22:55.confident that we will secure the involvement of the education and
:22:56. > :22:58.training inspectorate with the a Igreement of -- agreement of the
:22:59. > :23:03.minister. I have emphasised the need to ensure the views of children and
:23:04. > :23:12.young people are considered and given due weight. I met with
:23:13. > :23:28.Professor Marshal yesterday. As agreed with Professor Marshal the
:23:29. > :23:34.committee will agree to establish arrangements af measures to tackle
:23:35. > :23:39.child sexual exploitation. The inquiry will not focus on the
:23:40. > :23:42.responses to the 22 children who are part of the ongoing police
:23:43. > :23:51.investigation known as Operation Owl. This will be the focus of a
:23:52. > :23:55.separate review being untaken. Available learning generated from
:23:56. > :24:01.this review will be taken into account by the inquiry. The temples
:24:02. > :24:05.of reference reflected this is a wider issue affecting children in a
:24:06. > :24:10.variety of circumstances. Not just those in the care system and I
:24:11. > :24:15.expect the inquiry to conclude before the end of 2014. Where
:24:16. > :24:20.learning is identified, it is essential it is shared and acted
:24:21. > :24:23.upon quickly. I want to ensure we prevent further sexual exploitation
:24:24. > :24:28.of children and young people in Northern Ireland. The Minister for
:24:29. > :24:31.Employment and Learning also faced questions today and he was asked
:24:32. > :24:36.about students from Northern Ireland getting into universities in the
:24:37. > :24:39.Republic. But first Stephen Farry spoke about the difference between
:24:40. > :24:43.the mimimum wage and the working wage. The minister will be aware of
:24:44. > :24:47.the topical debate around the minimum wage versus the living wage
:24:48. > :24:53.as is today. Could the minister confirm how many companies in
:24:54. > :25:00.Northern Ireland being aided by his department are paying the living
:25:01. > :25:04.wage? Well, I can't give him a comprehensive answer on that
:25:05. > :25:10.particular point today. I imagine there maybe difficulties in getting
:25:11. > :25:15.that information. We do pay the minimum wage in relation to
:25:16. > :25:20.apprenticeships support and that's a reflection of the situation that
:25:21. > :25:24.pertains in the wider market. Overall, I think it is important
:25:25. > :25:30.that we are realistic around all of this. The minimum wage is set at a
:25:31. > :25:34.UK wide level. It has been increased. There is a case for
:25:35. > :25:40.making further adjustments upwards in terms of the minimum wage. In
:25:41. > :25:46.terms of the living wage, if we were to come in and to argue for art fish
:25:47. > :25:51.ally setting a wage level in excess of where the appropriate level would
:25:52. > :25:54.be for the national minimum wage, there could be unforeseen
:25:55. > :26:01.circumstances where we are denying opportunities for employment or
:26:02. > :26:04.indeed, for creating opportunities for skills or apprenticeship
:26:05. > :26:08.opportunities. It is something we need to take a balanced approach to.
:26:09. > :26:13.But it is not something that's a matter for this assembly, it is a
:26:14. > :26:18.matter to be addressed at a UK level too. Can the minister update us with
:26:19. > :26:23.discussions he had with the admissions offices with regard to
:26:24. > :26:27.the portability of A-levels for entry into courses at southern
:26:28. > :26:32.universities? I am very much aware of those particular issues, but the
:26:33. > :26:37.member's colleague, the Minister for Education is leading in terms of
:26:38. > :26:42.those discussions. The particular difficulty that seems to exist is
:26:43. > :26:47.that the central admissions office is rather autonomous from the Irish
:26:48. > :26:54.Government. The arguments have been won in terms of Rory Quinn and his
:26:55. > :27:01.colleagues, but it is getting the system to be more responsive, but
:27:02. > :27:07.the representations continue from John O'Dowd and I am more than happy
:27:08. > :27:15.to support him in that regard. Steven McCaffery joins me again. A
:27:16. > :27:20.busy and bad tempered day at Stormont, but as we saw, there was a
:27:21. > :27:24.significant appointment made. Professor Kathleen Marshall has a
:27:25. > :27:28.lot in her in tray? It is a huge issue and a major announcement by
:27:29. > :27:32.Edwin Poots on what was a busy day for him. I thought one unfortunate
:27:33. > :27:38.fly in the ointment was that the Education Minister as we saw when he
:27:39. > :27:43.took questions today, he was unaware of the announcement and said he
:27:44. > :27:47.learnt of it in the media. It is a pity there wasn't that element of
:27:48. > :27:50.joined up Government. It is a major issue and there will be a lot of
:27:51. > :27:53.support for her and her work, but she faces a huge task.
:27:54. > :27:57.It will be interesting to see how that unfolds in the weeks a months
:27:58. > :28:01.ahead and it will be interesting to hear from her when she speaks about
:28:02. > :28:05.that appointment for the first time. One other issue today, we can't not
:28:06. > :28:17.mention this evening, we had a motion passed calling for the
:28:18. > :28:22.assembly to fund the rescue of the Exploris Aquarium in Portaferry. Is
:28:23. > :28:26.that realistic? It seems an innocuous issue. One that might
:28:27. > :28:30.attract political backing and one that is important to the local
:28:31. > :28:34.economy there, but you know, it just seems that people are scared off by
:28:35. > :28:39.the financial impact of keeping the project on. I visited it. I brought
:28:40. > :28:44.my four-year-old daughter and she enjoyed it, but it sounds like
:28:45. > :28:48.others might not get that chance. Thank you very much indeed.
:28:49. > :28:52.That's it for tonight. Do make a point of joining me for The View on
:28:53. > :28:54.Thursday night at 10.35pm on BBC One. Until then, from everyone in
:28:55. > :28:59.the team, bye-bye.