:00:25. > :00:28.There were sharp divisions, as expected, in the chamber today
:00:29. > :00:30.as Members debated the whys and wherefores of the
:00:31. > :00:36.And, in the final day of scheduled business before Christmas,
:00:37. > :00:38.the House also discussed teachers' pay, food hygiene standards
:00:39. > :00:46.Strong opinions and fierce debate as the Social Investment Fund
:00:47. > :00:57.The Social Investment Fund is marred in controversy. The public don't
:00:58. > :01:02.don't have trust or confidence in its operation. SIF has been doing
:01:03. > :01:04.wonderful work out there and it's been targeted.
:01:05. > :01:05.The Economy Minister, Simon Hamilton, gets
:01:06. > :01:08.a jab in against one of the DUP's foremost tormenters.
:01:09. > :01:14.I didn't see him referring to it as squander whenever he wrote to me a
:01:15. > :01:16.few weeks ago pleading for a constituent of his to be included in
:01:17. > :01:19.the scheme. Joining me with his thoughts
:01:20. > :01:21.on today's developments is the News Letter's political
:01:22. > :01:31.editor, Sam McBride. The Executive's troubled
:01:32. > :01:37.Social Investment Fund has been making headlines for several months
:01:38. > :01:40.now - not because of its community work, but because of the UDA leader,
:01:41. > :01:43.Dee Stitt, who's the Chief Executive of Charter NI, which has received
:01:44. > :01:46.almost ?2 million from the fund. Today, the Assembly rejected a call
:01:47. > :01:48.from the Alliance Party for an independent review
:01:49. > :01:51.of the fund during a debate Here's Stewart Dickson
:01:52. > :02:01.outlining his concerns. The overarching question is whether
:02:02. > :02:08.the stated objectives of the Social Investment Fund worthy as they
:02:09. > :02:11.maybe, could be more efficientively and effectively achieved through
:02:12. > :02:17.other ease means and whether the Social Investment Fund is a
:02:18. > :02:21.worthwhile use of public money. It's been characterised by secrecy and
:02:22. > :02:27.cronyism. Indeed, in at least one respect the ongoing association of
:02:28. > :02:36.DUP representatives, including the First Minister, with a current
:02:37. > :02:40.paramilitary has undermined the executive committee. I have been on
:02:41. > :02:43.record time and time again recognising and acknowledging there
:02:44. > :02:47.are good organisations with good individuals doing great work. We are
:02:48. > :02:53.supportive of these projects. Our issue is not with them, it is with
:02:54. > :02:57.the process. We are on record, as far as back as 2011, raising
:02:58. > :03:01.concerns about this process and the continual failure by the First
:03:02. > :03:05.Minister and the Deputy First Minister to address these concerns
:03:06. > :03:12.left our members in all but one of the steering groups forced with no
:03:13. > :03:15.option but to resign. The Social Investment Fund is marred in
:03:16. > :03:19.controversy. The public don't have confidence or trust in its
:03:20. > :03:23.operation. I'm rising to oppose the motion for a up in of reasons. The
:03:24. > :03:26.first of these reasons is that, you know, unlike my colleague to the
:03:27. > :03:30.left, I can't agree with the assumption about deep public concern
:03:31. > :03:36.out there. I do get the opposition have a role to fulfil and they need
:03:37. > :03:39.to raise issues to make themselves relevant and they tried tried to use
:03:40. > :03:47.this issue to do. So I've listened to them and asked the questions,
:03:48. > :03:52.make their points and table their debates like a a boxing trying to
:03:53. > :03:55.land his knockout punch. I have listened to answers from ministers
:03:56. > :04:02.who responded to this with cold, hard facts. We are not criticising
:04:03. > :04:13.the efforts of those at local community level. Sorry, what we are
:04:14. > :04:24.saying is that we have legitimate concerns around the control
:04:25. > :04:29.exercised by the funding. As someone who sat on the Southern Zone. Would
:04:30. > :04:34.the member agree that his colleague sat on that very Board, screw
:04:35. > :04:39.niedsed everything and was very, very content with the projects that
:04:40. > :04:45.went forward from the Southern Zone? The member has an extra minute.
:04:46. > :04:49.Clearly the member is in winter wonderful line if she thinks that
:04:50. > :04:53.any representative from the Ulster unionist party would do otherwise.
:04:54. > :04:59.At community level that is what supporting communities is about. I
:05:00. > :05:08.don't stand here to defend the Social Investment Fund I stand here
:05:09. > :05:12.today to commend. It I hope that the Executive Office has the will
:05:13. > :05:14.because I think SIF has been doing wonderful work there. It has been
:05:15. > :05:19.targeted by a small number of people who have went after one individual
:05:20. > :05:23.who made a stupid and flip pant remark which means that everybody
:05:24. > :05:28.who has benefitted from SIF are now the targets of individuals in this
:05:29. > :05:32.chamber who acting out of political interests, not in the public
:05:33. > :05:36.interest in this instance. What we heard from the are are, who didn't
:05:37. > :05:43.want to take interventions, he never addressed the key issue - why was
:05:44. > :05:47.this scheme designed to exclude competition in respect of the lead
:05:48. > :05:52.partners? Isn't the answer clear, because it was always intended to be
:05:53. > :05:54.a vehicle for cronyism and it couldn't be that if you dared to
:05:55. > :06:04.have open competition. The rancour between the parties on
:06:05. > :06:08.this issue shows no sign of disdisappearing? No. There was a
:06:09. > :06:11.clear opposition Executive split on this, as with many issues over the
:06:12. > :06:15.last few months. Effectively, you could have summed up today's debate
:06:16. > :06:19.as one half of the chamber saying what with a is the issue here. Why
:06:20. > :06:26.are you coming to the chamber with this issue in erms it of Dee Stitt?
:06:27. > :06:31.The other half of the chamber saying, how can this be happening in
:06:32. > :06:35.Northern Ireland in 2016. On the issue of Dee Stitt, the opposition
:06:36. > :06:40.were keen to focus on that issue, unsurprisingly. The Executive rarely
:06:41. > :06:45.addressed that issue, John O'Dowd addressed it, saying he has not been
:06:46. > :06:49.convicted. He has a past conviction, not a current conviction, for UDA
:06:50. > :06:52.membership what do you want us to do about it? Most of the DUP
:06:53. > :06:56.representatives steered away saying lots of these groups are doing good
:06:57. > :07:00.work. It's accepted that they are. Some of the politician want to
:07:01. > :07:04.characterise the controversy as a media construct. Could they have a
:07:05. > :07:09.point? I think there are points where the media is justly criticised
:07:10. > :07:17.for things, I think on this issue we are probably a convenient punch bag.
:07:18. > :07:25.The BBC was particular punch bag today for Mrs Cameron, she talked
:07:26. > :07:30.about the Noalisation. The DUP appointed the editor of the Nolan
:07:31. > :07:43.Show. It ease convenient to deflect from the actual issue by saying the
:07:44. > :07:46.messager is the problem. The First and Deputy Firsters ministers
:07:47. > :07:51.announced the appointment of a six person panel as part of the Fresh
:07:52. > :07:57.Start Agreememt to replace the old sieve Vick forum? It is. It's a
:07:58. > :08:00.shrunken form. The Civic Forum died a lonely death a long time ago. Few
:08:01. > :08:04.people were clamouring to get it back. It's unclear whether this
:08:05. > :08:10.group will have any clout. The people are being paid ?300 a day for
:08:11. > :08:14.work which is unclear. People will expect to see something significant
:08:15. > :08:17.from them. They were appointed by the First and Deputy First
:08:18. > :08:23.Ministers. There was no open procurement, if that is the correct
:08:24. > :08:26.phrase, for their portions. They are appointed by the DUP and Sinn Fein.
:08:27. > :08:31.They will not massively rock the boat in terms of a situation where
:08:32. > :08:34.the opposition is criticising the Executive for something. They will
:08:35. > :08:38.contribute advice to the Executive on issues where they are seeking
:08:39. > :08:41.some sort of input from outside themselves. Interesting to see what
:08:42. > :08:45.their remit and range of issues they want to look at would be. Do you
:08:46. > :08:49.think it will have its discussion, deliberations will have an impact on
:08:50. > :08:54.public discourse? It's unclear. Not clear whether they will meet in
:08:55. > :08:58.public, private, will they publish minutes of their discussions, hold
:08:59. > :09:02.public meetings. The press release seems to show they
:09:03. > :09:05.will have a wide remit, right down to deciding who will chair each
:09:06. > :09:08.meeting. That will be for them to decide. It sounds like they have
:09:09. > :09:11.been given a pretty rough idea of what they are supposed to do. They
:09:12. > :09:16.have been told, you can go on and get on with it. It's not entirely
:09:17. > :09:19.clear what is expected of them or how they are expected to operate. We
:09:20. > :09:27.will talk to you later in the programme.
:09:28. > :09:32.Who would have thought "hot air" would turn out to be such
:09:33. > :09:36.But as a result of mistakes in the Renewable Heat Incentive
:09:37. > :09:39.scheme, Ministers could be handing out tens of millions of pounds
:09:40. > :09:42.Today, the Economy Minister revealed that he's drawing up
:09:43. > :09:44.plans which could see, in his words, "a significant
:09:45. > :09:47.Here's Simon Hamilton responding to a question
:09:48. > :09:52.These are serious issues which I'm very sized of the importance of and
:09:53. > :09:56.I'm dealing with on an ongoing basy to try to find a resolution to many
:09:57. > :10:00.of the issues that have froed from the allegations and concerns there
:10:01. > :10:05.have been with the Renewable Heat Incentive. My department is
:10:06. > :10:08.developing a proposal for changes to the Renewable Heat Incentive which
:10:09. > :10:12.would lead to a significant reduction in future costs to the
:10:13. > :10:15.Northern Ireland Executivive. It requires detail discussions include
:10:16. > :10:19.legal advice and further engagement with the European Commission, it
:10:20. > :10:24.received approval within the state aid regime. I will bring a proposal
:10:25. > :10:30.to the Assembly and issue a document as early as I can early in the new
:10:31. > :10:33.year. We are pursuing stronger enforcement of the existing
:10:34. > :10:37.regulations through Ofgem so that abuses of the scheme are addressed
:10:38. > :10:44.as effectively as possible and that any possible fraud cases are dealt
:10:45. > :10:50.with rigorously. Thank you Mr Speaker. Will the investigation
:10:51. > :10:52.initiated by the minister be able to distinguish between
:10:53. > :10:55.maladministration and illegitimate installations. In other words,
:10:56. > :11:04.fraud, and are the police currently investigating? Mr Speaker, as I
:11:05. > :11:07.pointed out to the member in my answer, these are serious
:11:08. > :11:11.allegations of fraud and abuse which were received, which have been given
:11:12. > :11:16.the due seriousness that such allegations would require. That's
:11:17. > :11:21.why we have carried begun, commenced carried out the investigations that
:11:22. > :11:24.we have. I'm absolutely adamant that where there is proof and evidence.
:11:25. > :11:31.That is the important bit of this. There has to be proof and evidence
:11:32. > :11:37.of abuse of the scheme, that appropriate action, all appropriate
:11:38. > :11:42.angsts including if required criminal proceedings should be taken
:11:43. > :11:48.for defrauding the It might cost scheme. Him his job, would the
:11:49. > :11:53.minister agree that at least one of his redcressors, particularly Mrs
:11:54. > :11:57.Foster, was asleep at the wheel in terms of failing to exercise
:11:58. > :12:04.ministerial supervision and ensuring that there was adequate cost
:12:05. > :12:09.controls in place. Can he give us an update on how much this squander
:12:10. > :12:17.made in Stormont is going to cost us into the future? The minister, the
:12:18. > :12:22.member, describes it as "squander" I didn't see him referring to it as
:12:23. > :12:27.squander when he wrote to me a few weeks ago pleading for a constituent
:12:28. > :12:35.of his to be included in the scheme. LAUGHTER. It seems... It seems it's
:12:36. > :12:38.squander when it suits the member. Well, Jim Allister wasn't
:12:39. > :12:40.going to let that go unchallenged and he raised a point of order
:12:41. > :12:47.at the end of question time. In September and in October of this
:12:48. > :12:51.year I wrote on behalf of two separate constituents who had
:12:52. > :12:54.applied to the scheme back in February and had heard nothing. I
:12:55. > :13:01.did what any other constituent member would have done. I wrote and
:13:02. > :13:04.asked - why have these people not heard about their applications. You
:13:05. > :13:06.placed your concern on-the-record. No doubt that the minister will be
:13:07. > :13:11.aware of your concerns, Mr Allister. Meanwhile, Simon Hamilton's DUP
:13:12. > :13:14.colleague, Peter Weir, was also on his feet
:13:15. > :13:16.at the despatch box today. The Education Minister fielded
:13:17. > :13:18.questions yet again about industrial action being taken by some teaching
:13:19. > :13:21.unions over pay. Mr Weir was also asked what steps
:13:22. > :13:23.were being taken in schools to highlight the risks
:13:24. > :13:33.of social media. In 2015 the executive commissioned
:13:34. > :13:38.the developmentment of a new safety strategy an action plan for Northern
:13:39. > :13:42.Ireland. This was a recognition of the rising concern of parents,
:13:43. > :13:47.carers, professionals and broader society for the safety of children
:13:48. > :13:51.and young people when using the internet and encouraging with social
:13:52. > :13:56.media. There are aims within the strategy which are applicable to
:13:57. > :14:00.schools, which include developing a consistent approach to E safety in
:14:01. > :14:03.schools through technical provision. Education of our young people and
:14:04. > :14:11.children and those who work with them. Developing a consistent
:14:12. > :14:15.approach to E safety messages for children, young people, parents,
:14:16. > :14:19.embedding a culture of E safety within schools, colleges, youth
:14:20. > :14:23.services and organisations and practicer ins who work with young
:14:24. > :14:29.children and families. Would he ensure such a strategy is live.
:14:30. > :14:33.Technology changes consistently and be sure the strategy keeps up to
:14:34. > :14:37.day? An implementation plan is critical. We have something which is
:14:38. > :14:41.live and has a level of flexibility within it that can ensure that
:14:42. > :14:48.whatever changes there are in technology or changes in terms of a
:14:49. > :14:52.cultural change. Sometimes it's less direct technology the way it essay
:14:53. > :14:53.dapted and use. We can have the flexibility so things can respond
:14:54. > :15:05.fairly quickly. Did I ask the Minister to provide an
:15:06. > :15:10.update on the teacher's dispute? There has been a call that has gone
:15:11. > :15:16.out to try to sit down and see if we can provide a long-term solution for
:15:17. > :15:24.this. The reality is that within the 20000 and 16-20,017 -- 2016-2017
:15:25. > :15:29.budget, there have been some issues raised in relation to this in terms
:15:30. > :15:33.of parity but an offer has been made which was greater than parity and
:15:34. > :15:40.they said no to it. There is a situation in which within the
:15:41. > :15:43.current constraints, what was put in place for the next year was
:15:44. > :15:52.ultimately within the current constraints a fair offer in that
:15:53. > :15:55.regard. The Minister won't be aware of the recent strike and he has
:15:56. > :15:59.taken a rather obdurate mission in relation to it. Given that and given
:16:00. > :16:02.the fact that the other three teacher's unions are presently
:16:03. > :16:05.balloting for strike action, would he agree with me that the best
:16:06. > :16:13.veggie teachers might adopt in order to shift the Minister from his
:16:14. > :16:20.present obstinate position would be for them to strike together? No. I
:16:21. > :16:26.suspect he has not changed his position in the last half-century in
:16:27. > :16:34.regards to being obdurate. To be fair, whatever other criticism I
:16:35. > :16:38.would make... A bit like Castro, you have been consistent in your
:16:39. > :16:47.position for the last half-century. But I think my main concern is the
:16:48. > :16:52.children. And think it is highly responsible of the member to
:16:53. > :16:54.centrally encourage people to go out on strike, particularly in
:16:55. > :16:58.circumstances where there is not additional money that is there. It
:16:59. > :17:01.is not a question of obduracy. It is a question of there is not money
:17:02. > :17:03.within the budget to be able to provide for this.
:17:04. > :17:05.Peter Weir, refusing to give any ground
:17:06. > :17:08.Food hygiene stickers on display in cafes and restaurants have become
:17:09. > :17:14.Today the Health Minister outlined the fines for non-display -
:17:15. > :17:18.and how much it will cost for businesses to get re-rated.
:17:19. > :17:21.Michelle O'Neill said the aim is to help consumers
:17:22. > :17:23.make an informed choice about where to eat and, ultimately,
:17:24. > :17:35.In summary, the key provisions of the act require all food businesses
:17:36. > :17:41.to display a valid food hygiene rating sticker. Relevant employees
:17:42. > :17:46.within a food business must on request in farmed the person making
:17:47. > :17:50.the request of the food hygiene rating. It requires all online
:17:51. > :17:54.businesses selling food to display a rating on their platform and
:17:55. > :17:59.introduces offences in relation to non-display of valid rating
:18:00. > :18:03.information. And allow for a fixed penalty notices to be applied for
:18:04. > :18:08.not showing their rating. Allow the charging of a fee in relation to
:18:09. > :18:15.conducting a request for a re-rating visit. Specifies time schools in
:18:16. > :18:18.which it must be completed by. The order specifies the amount of the
:18:19. > :18:23.fixed penalty and the fee in relation to conducting a requested
:18:24. > :18:28.rating visit. The advantages of introducing the rating penalty
:18:29. > :18:31.notices are twofold. They provide officers with an additional
:18:32. > :18:35.enforcement tool and they reduce the burden on the North of Ireland Court
:18:36. > :18:38.service by reducing the number of prosecutions taken. It therefore
:18:39. > :18:41.follows that the amount of the expelled the notice applied must be
:18:42. > :18:43.at a sufficient level to deter people from committing the offence,
:18:44. > :18:49.but not so they would encourage offenders to aim for a better
:18:50. > :18:53.outcome from a court hearing. Our officers to that a strong penalty is
:18:54. > :18:58.more suitable. They were still retain the opportunity of
:18:59. > :19:03.prosecuting the offender. Considering the food hygiene rating
:19:04. > :19:08.Bill, the previous health committee supported the overarching aim of the
:19:09. > :19:10.bill to reduce the incidence of foodborne illness through the
:19:11. > :19:14.introduction of the mandatory food hygiene rating scheme. It was
:19:15. > :19:17.accepted that this would not only help businesses to achieve and
:19:18. > :19:21.maintain compliance with food hygiene law. It would also allow
:19:22. > :19:25.consumers to make informed choices about where they wished to eat or
:19:26. > :19:29.shop for food. When considering the statutory role before the Assembly
:19:30. > :19:32.today, the committee noted the importance if guards for businesses
:19:33. > :19:36.within the act to allow businesses to request a rating of their
:19:37. > :19:42.premises again and accepted that the fee of ?150 setup in these reflected
:19:43. > :19:47.the cost that would be incurred by district councils. In conducting
:19:48. > :19:51.this inspection. The committee also noted and had no objection to the
:19:52. > :19:55.fixed penalty amount of ?200, which would be payable by businesses were
:19:56. > :19:59.a fixed penalty notice was served. The committee further noted that the
:20:00. > :20:04.examiner of statutory rules confirmed in the report issues on
:20:05. > :20:09.the 21st of October 2016 that she has no issues to raise with regard
:20:10. > :20:12.to the technical aspect. A recent survey demonstrated how 90% of
:20:13. > :20:16.consumers look at the meeting of the premise compared to the 22% who look
:20:17. > :20:20.online. I also welcome the fact that this will allow for an authorised
:20:21. > :20:25.officer of the distant Council to issue a fixed penalty notice for
:20:26. > :20:28.offences related to non-display of valid food hygiene rating. As this
:20:29. > :20:33.will undoubtedly succeed in reducing the number of offences having to be
:20:34. > :20:36.dealt with through the courts. I also want to note the largely
:20:37. > :20:46.positive consultation responses. With regards to the fee, I will
:20:47. > :20:50.leave the positives for it with the opportunity for an upgraded rating
:20:51. > :20:55.will encourage -- encourage businesses to make the necessary
:20:56. > :20:57.improvements. I encourage the public to make the most of the new
:20:58. > :20:57.measures. Sound advice from the Minister
:20:58. > :21:00.if you're planning to head The Ulster Unionists have called
:21:01. > :21:03.on the Executive to nominate a Northern Ireland representative
:21:04. > :21:05.to the UK-wide Armed Forces Covenant reference group -
:21:06. > :21:09.the covenant states that veterans "should face no disadvantage
:21:10. > :21:12.compared to other citizens in Opening the debate, Doug Beattie
:21:13. > :21:16.said he recognised that reaching agreement across the chamber
:21:17. > :21:27.may be difficult. I fully understand that you feel
:21:28. > :21:32.that those who you represent and many of the communities that you
:21:33. > :21:36.represent had been brutalised by the British military, certainly in the
:21:37. > :21:41.70s and in the early 80s. I can fully understand that. The covenant
:21:42. > :21:49.fund is ?10 million per year that we are able to bid for. We do get our
:21:50. > :21:53.fair share and in the last 12 months, we have had ?450,000 that
:21:54. > :21:58.has gone to combat stress and we have had ?600,000 which is gone to
:21:59. > :22:03.nursing homes and mental health. There is a defence community mental
:22:04. > :22:08.health facility which is underused. It has had four people go to it
:22:09. > :22:12.because nobody knows about it. I visit my constituents in prison. I
:22:13. > :22:15.visit them in hospital, where they have attempted suicide. I go with
:22:16. > :22:18.them to reviews with a try to keep hold of the children and I attend
:22:19. > :22:23.police stations with them when they have issues with domestic violence
:22:24. > :22:26.through issues of PTSD. I do not question the fact that more needs to
:22:27. > :22:30.be done in Northern Ireland to make veterans await the services,
:22:31. > :22:37.charities and apartment that they can access. Even whilst I would
:22:38. > :22:40.dispute what political and military leadership do, there are many people
:22:41. > :22:48.in the British Army who fought in good faith and in sincere belief.
:22:49. > :22:56.Wherever they went around the world over the years, I do not dispute the
:22:57. > :23:00.contribution of individual members of the Army for the is as they
:23:01. > :23:05.believe in. And I say that because I have said it before because my great
:23:06. > :23:10.uncle I am named after lies in an unmarked grave on the Belgian coast
:23:11. > :23:16.at a place called Newport, having been killed in July 1917 in the
:23:17. > :23:21.First World War, and I have visited and visited with pride the memorial.
:23:22. > :23:25.I want to assure the members that I did as Doug Beattie asked and I
:23:26. > :23:28.listened to to the contributions and I want to assure everybody that my
:23:29. > :23:31.opposition to this motion isn't based on my own very negative
:23:32. > :23:37.experiences of the British Army. Nor is it based on my antipathy to the
:23:38. > :23:42.actions of engaged in by the British army across the globe in recent
:23:43. > :23:46.years. My opposition is political, though. It is very political. It is
:23:47. > :23:49.political in a sense that my opposition to supporting this is
:23:50. > :23:52.based on the protection of rights and entitlements, fair access to
:23:53. > :23:59.servers for every citizen who lives here in Northern Ireland. Due to do
:24:00. > :24:02.nations being scarce, they have been forced into a decision to withdraw
:24:03. > :24:07.their welfare support for the front line and I think it has been
:24:08. > :24:09.revealed that nearly 3000 individuals who rely upon that
:24:10. > :24:15.service will be impacted. And these are issues that can be raised within
:24:16. > :24:19.the common reference group. In terms of the issue of equality and equal
:24:20. > :24:22.treatment, let's be clear. They are not the same thing. If we want a
:24:23. > :24:25.more equal society then treating everybody the same way will not get
:24:26. > :24:29.us there. Because those with an advantaged will continue to be
:24:30. > :24:32.advantaged and those with a disadvantage will continue to be
:24:33. > :24:35.disadvantaged. The only way we can bring about a more equal society is
:24:36. > :24:40.a special consideration, targeting objective need, not just assessing
:24:41. > :24:43.it but targeting it. What I am arguing for is that the same
:24:44. > :24:51.treatment is given to other people and in particular those who have
:24:52. > :24:55.gone through similar experiences. I understand absolutely that people
:24:56. > :25:04.have suffered. What I am arguing is that it can't be specific... It can
:25:05. > :25:14.be giving the British Armed Forces and advantage above others. That is
:25:15. > :25:20.the argued. -- and timid. -- argument. I would have to say that
:25:21. > :25:23.it doesn't say that. It actually says that the disadvantage that
:25:24. > :25:27.people have suffered is to be addressed, not that they are
:25:28. > :25:30.advantaged. Special consideration is not advantage. It is to consider the
:25:31. > :25:31.special conditions in which they have lived.
:25:32. > :25:34.Naomi Long - and that motion was carried by 58 votes to 20.
:25:35. > :25:36.It's one of the most contentious issues for our MLAs,
:25:37. > :25:39.and attempts to change the law surrounding abortion in cases
:25:40. > :25:42.of fatal foetal abnormality failed in the last mandate.
:25:43. > :25:45.We're currently waiting for the Health Minister to bring
:25:46. > :25:47.forward proposals resulting from a working group set up
:25:48. > :25:49.to look into the issue, but today the former
:25:50. > :25:50.Justice Minister, David Ford, brought forward
:25:51. > :26:04.I begged to introduce the abortion fatal little abnormality built. I
:26:05. > :26:11.would ask the clerk to please read the long title. A Bill to make
:26:12. > :26:14.provision to decriminalise medical termination of a pregnancy in those
:26:15. > :26:21.circumstances where the foetus is diagnosed with fatal abnormality.
:26:22. > :26:23.That constitutes the first stage of the bill and it churn out be
:26:24. > :26:23.printed. And obviously that bill will be
:26:24. > :26:25.debated during its second And that is likely to
:26:26. > :26:32.be a lively debate - because opinion is deeply divided
:26:33. > :26:42.on this issue amongst the parties. Yes, and I think this will be one of
:26:43. > :26:45.the defining issues of this mandate in terms of the Assembly, that there
:26:46. > :26:49.is of course as you mentioned the option of this coming from the
:26:50. > :26:53.executive, of them winning forward a bill based on their working group. I
:26:54. > :26:57.think that is probably unlikely in the sense that the DUP have seemed
:26:58. > :27:03.pretty and reluctant to move on that issue. This is going to get a lot of
:27:04. > :27:07.scrutiny. I think there was a letter that came out today from the medics
:27:08. > :27:10.raising the question of whether the term fatal fatal abnormality which
:27:11. > :27:13.is in the long title of the bill is even the right term to use here. And
:27:14. > :27:17.these can be very difficult issues to go through to decide what exactly
:27:18. > :27:22.are the conditions which are covered by this. At what point after birth
:27:23. > :27:28.when somebody is believed by doctors to not have a chance of life should
:27:29. > :27:34.they be allowed to have an abortion. That is going to be very difficult.
:27:35. > :27:40.And I think central to this will be the DUP. Other parties will also
:27:41. > :27:44.have a lot of debate about this. Just a quick word about the debate
:27:45. > :27:47.on the military covenant. It divided the chamber along well-established
:27:48. > :27:52.lines. Yes, and that is not a surprise. It was a measured debate
:27:53. > :27:57.both from Doug Beattie and from Sinn Fein. It basically comes down to
:27:58. > :28:00.where one possible definition of equality is different from others.
:28:01. > :28:05.Sinn Fein said it would be in equitable to give preferential
:28:06. > :28:14.treatment for the point of view of the military. This is about soldiers
:28:15. > :28:19.who will be leaving the military and there has to be consideration taken
:28:20. > :28:26.of his circumstances, but there was a scathing review from Lord Ashcroft
:28:27. > :28:29.and the DUP is under a bit of pressure. Today was meant to be the
:28:30. > :28:35.last sitting before Christmas. There are strong rumours we could be back
:28:36. > :28:39.for the first budget on the 19th of December. That seems very likely. It
:28:40. > :28:43.seems to be that it will be a one-year budget in terms of the
:28:44. > :28:47.current resource account. We will also be looking to see whether there
:28:48. > :28:49.are any hints about corporation tax, whether that will definitely be cut
:28:50. > :28:51.from next's budget. That's it for tonight
:28:52. > :28:54.and perhaps for 2016, depending on whether or not that
:28:55. > :28:57.budget happens on Monday week - In the meantime, do join me
:28:58. > :29:01.for The View on Thursday night, Until then, from everyone
:29:02. > :29:13.in the team, bye-bye. 'Sometimes all that's needed
:29:14. > :29:18.is a helping hand...' It wouldn't be Christmas
:29:19. > :29:26.without her. Ah. '..recognising someone's value
:29:27. > :29:32.and seeing when they need help. 'A few minutes of our time
:29:33. > :29:34.or one small gesture 'may be all that it takes -
:29:35. > :29:38.playing our part.' We're doing something to support
:29:39. > :29:47.older people this Christmas.