:00:26. > :00:31.Hello, and welcome to Stormont Today. The clown prince of European
:00:31. > :00:35.politics, Silvio Berlusconi, may be teetering on the brink, but it is
:00:35. > :00:45.serious work at the Assembly as members pack the benches. And who
:00:45. > :00:47.
:00:48. > :00:57.says politics is boring? It was a And with it throughout, the
:00:58. > :00:58.
:00:58. > :01:03.children's Commissioner, Patricia Is the Government's delivering on
:01:03. > :01:06.children's right? A new report by Queen's University doesn't think so.
:01:06. > :01:12.Patricia stand up for all young people. Thank you for joining us.
:01:12. > :01:17.Why did you commissioner's report? It was a threat from -- it was a
:01:17. > :01:21.reflection of my first four years in the post I am in. There was a
:01:21. > :01:26.lot of questions, people were continuously asking all of the time,
:01:26. > :01:31.and this report tomorrow is about the evidence to support some of
:01:31. > :01:34.those concerns. One of the big concerns I have is over the first
:01:34. > :01:37.term of this Assembly rolling back on its commitments to children and
:01:37. > :01:43.young people with regard to priorities and government, so we
:01:43. > :01:47.have seen the end of the children and young people package which is
:01:47. > :01:54.ring-fenced for children. We have seen the loss of the children and
:01:54. > :01:58.young people's unit. Even when organisations did meet, we did not
:01:58. > :02:03.see ministers there. And making that commitment as well.
:02:04. > :02:08.So you have had a lot of flak. It was said that the commission had
:02:08. > :02:11.little meaningful purpose. Is your attempt -- is this your attempts to
:02:11. > :02:15.fight back? We are trying to look at how to do
:02:15. > :02:18.things differently. The opportunity for this executive to actually
:02:19. > :02:22.change the lives of children in Northern Ireland by making them a
:02:22. > :02:26.priority in the programme of government is there. And yesterday
:02:26. > :02:30.we had a meeting with the ministers, and while we welcome their
:02:30. > :02:34.commitment to driving that change forward, and we want to work with
:02:34. > :02:38.them in order for that to happen, we would like to wait and see, does
:02:38. > :02:43.it actually happened? All we have heard before his talk, and we want
:02:43. > :02:46.to see the walk. It gives food for thought for the
:02:46. > :02:50.government. But also for the commission, it says how you could
:02:50. > :02:54.do things differently. That is right. We are looking at
:02:54. > :02:58.how we can use our powers and duties better to help and support
:02:58. > :03:02.and influence government, and also to challenge them. We have to make
:03:02. > :03:07.sure they challenge on children's rights.
:03:07. > :03:11.Food and drink a feature prominently at question time today.
:03:11. > :03:15.The justice minister at the Health Minister attempted to provide
:03:15. > :03:20.answers to today's questions. We will hear some startling statistics
:03:20. > :03:25.from David Ford in a few moments. But we start with health.
:03:25. > :03:32.Can I express my concern to the Minister about the area of meals on
:03:32. > :03:38.wheels. Particularly since we are in a time of a growing older
:03:38. > :03:43.population, and yet all the figures indicate that those in the -- in
:03:43. > :03:48.receipt of meals on wheels, which must be nutritionally beneficial,
:03:48. > :03:53.that the numbers in receipt of them are actually falling. There is a
:03:53. > :04:02.variety of variation in the take up across Northern Ireland, and the
:04:02. > :04:05.charge. I recognise the concerns. I think
:04:05. > :04:10.meals-on-wheels do provide an excellent service, they help ensure
:04:10. > :04:14.that older people can stay in their own homes, and others dealing with
:04:14. > :04:18.an issue around dementia this morning, and that was one of our
:04:18. > :04:23.aims postop so it is something that perhaps we should take a closer
:04:23. > :04:29.look at in regard up to how we can ensure that that service is a
:04:30. > :04:34.sustainable model which can help us achieve our aims. And our aim is to
:04:34. > :04:37.provide more help for elderly people in their homes, and ensure
:04:37. > :04:46.that they have that choice of remaining in their own home for as
:04:46. > :04:50.long as possible. I would concur with Mr Newton's
:04:50. > :04:57.sentence on community meals, but I would like to ask the Minister if
:04:57. > :05:00.he is aware of the whole issue of osteoporosis. One of the things
:05:00. > :05:05.they talked about was to ensure that people as slippers to try and
:05:05. > :05:10.prevent falls. Given the high cost of hip operations, and worryingly,
:05:10. > :05:13.the high mortality rate for people over 75 to break their hips, is the
:05:13. > :05:19.minister conscious of the need to invest in preventative care to try
:05:19. > :05:24.and save people's lives? Osteoporosis is something which
:05:24. > :05:28.people can take steps to avoid by having the right diet for a
:05:28. > :05:34.considerable period of time, and there are a lot of foods which will
:05:34. > :05:38.help the bones and will help them avoid osteoporosis. The in terms of
:05:38. > :05:43.the issue of preventative care, yes, it is very important to go down
:05:43. > :05:46.this route, that is why a real spending �70 million on the Public
:05:46. > :05:51.Health Agency, and that is responsible for the distribution of
:05:51. > :05:55.that money. I would encourage you to engage with them on that
:05:55. > :05:59.particular issue, and see if we can get a better outcome than perhaps
:05:59. > :06:03.you suggest that the moment. People living in rural areas
:06:03. > :06:07.complain about having to get appointments at hospitals many
:06:07. > :06:11.miles away. The minister was not impressed.
:06:11. > :06:16.I would like to transform the system, but we are moving more away
:06:16. > :06:22.from hospital services to the primary care. I but I to get to be.
:06:22. > :06:26.Why we have no diagnostics carried out, a local guide mastics carried
:06:26. > :06:30.out, and a local primary care facility, rather than having to go
:06:30. > :06:38.to hospitals. So I think we can change the system in the longer
:06:38. > :06:41.term. I have some concerns at the moment that this department, is
:06:41. > :06:47.spending �80 million on transport, and it is not a Department of
:06:47. > :06:53.Transport. I understand that some people may need mobility benefits,
:06:53. > :07:01.but they are getting hospital as well despite having cars. -- they
:07:01. > :07:04.are having treatment -- they are having transport to hospitals.
:07:04. > :07:11.Justice Questions Next, and here is David Ford answering a question on
:07:11. > :07:16.one of his questioner's favourite topics.
:07:16. > :07:20.I didn't recognise that there are prevention up -- potential benefits
:07:20. > :07:27.to removing cheap alcoholic drinks. Police analysis of crimes during
:07:27. > :07:30.2010 it estimated that our goal was a factor in 44% of those arrested.
:07:30. > :07:34.The Scottish government has proposed a bill that what introduce
:07:34. > :07:37.a minimum price for a unit of alcohol in Scotland. I have
:07:37. > :07:41.listened with interest to any discussions. It is important to
:07:41. > :07:44.note that while the introduction of a minimum price should make a
:07:44. > :07:51.valuable contribution to reducing damage to health in individuals and
:07:51. > :07:55.communities, the proposal on its own will not solve the problem.
:07:55. > :07:59.Mr Deputy Speaker, that is an extraordinary revelation that the
:07:59. > :08:03.minister has just given to us. 44% of those who are arrested, alcohol
:08:03. > :08:07.was a factor. That is the first time that has been in the public
:08:07. > :08:11.domain, and I thank him for it. Could he give an estimate from his
:08:11. > :08:15.perspective as to how much alcohol abuse is costing his department? We
:08:15. > :08:20.know that in health and social services, we believe it could be as
:08:20. > :08:28.much as six-under million pounds or �700 million a year. What does he
:08:28. > :08:32.think it is costing his department? In a report last year, the estimate
:08:32. > :08:37.for the cost of alcohol-related crime to the Department of Justice,
:08:38. > :08:42.that is to policing, to prisons and to court services, was �382 million
:08:42. > :08:46.for the year. I am always suspicious of something which gives
:08:46. > :08:50.quite so precisely figure, but it is clear it is tasered star sure
:08:50. > :08:56.one. The Police Ombudsman will leave his
:08:56. > :09:00.post and in the new year, but is there time to replace him?
:09:00. > :09:04.I think that is simply not possible in terms of the timescale.
:09:04. > :09:09.Especially given the likely period of notice that any individual would
:09:09. > :09:13.require, and given the time it will take for vetting, and that will
:09:13. > :09:18.require arrangements to continue, and clearly we need to have a new
:09:18. > :09:22.appointment made as soon as possible.
:09:22. > :09:27.Following on to that point, it is the case that the ombudsman were to
:09:27. > :09:31.leave by the end of January at no replacement were to be in situ as
:09:31. > :09:40.you suggest is likely, what would be the impact of if that were the
:09:40. > :09:43.case? It is my understanding on the legal
:09:43. > :09:48.advice given to the Department that it is possible for the functions to
:09:48. > :09:52.be performed by any officer authorised by the ombudsman, and
:09:52. > :09:55.it's such a delegation was in place when the ombudsman were to vacate
:09:55. > :09:59.office for whatever reason, that those delegated powers would
:09:59. > :10:05.continue to be in place. So it is continue for the office to continue
:10:05. > :10:08.to function. -- it is possible. But there would be some issues the
:10:08. > :10:15.ombudsman would have to take responsibility for.
:10:15. > :10:18.There are some 19,000 people with dementia in Northern Ireland. Edwin
:10:18. > :10:23.Poots presented his strategy for dealing with dementia issues. But
:10:23. > :10:30.there was a familiar refrain, lack of funds.
:10:30. > :10:37.In an ideal world, I would allocate �68 million to this. However, I am
:10:37. > :10:42.also asking all concerned to make better use of existing resources.
:10:43. > :10:46.There is evidence that there is room for greater efficiency. It is
:10:47. > :10:53.simply not possible to have any money in the present budgetary
:10:53. > :10:55.fears it - good budgetary position. I would like to take this
:10:55. > :10:59.opportunity to thank the individuals and organisations who
:10:59. > :11:04.contributed to the development of this document. They deserve good
:11:04. > :11:08.credit for their efforts. It was a laugh a minute in the
:11:08. > :11:16.Senate chamber earlier as children to con MLAs to tell jokes and funny
:11:16. > :11:19.stories. This was part of an initiative organised by the 6-1.
:11:19. > :11:29.The Voice Box Awards was opened to primary and post primary children
:11:29. > :11:29.
:11:29. > :11:33.from across Northern Ireland. -- organised by the Royal College of
:11:33. > :11:43.Speech and Language Therapists. The money stakes said, why do you
:11:43. > :11:44.
:11:44. > :11:48.ask? The baby's sake said, because I just bid by Tung!
:11:48. > :11:56.When the baby stakes yesterday money stake, mummy, how do I do
:11:56. > :12:06.this? It is five multiplied by five, as the money stakes as a course we
:12:06. > :12:16.don't know that, we are at us. What you call a wizard with a runny
:12:16. > :12:16.
:12:16. > :12:20.nose? Harry's not a.
:12:20. > :12:25.One morning a little boy was walking past the farmer, and he had
:12:25. > :12:30.some money have. The lady asked him, what will he do with that? The
:12:30. > :12:34.Farmer said, I am taking it home. The little boy said, I don't know
:12:34. > :12:40.where you come from, but here we put the sugar and cream with our
:12:40. > :12:42.But there was a serious point behind all the laughter. I caught
:12:42. > :12:48.up with Alison McCullough from the Royal College of Speech Therapists
:12:48. > :12:52.and asked her what the underlying message was. He we have been
:12:52. > :12:56.running a year-long campaign called giving voice, and it's about
:12:56. > :13:00.raising awareness of communication difficulties and this was the
:13:00. > :13:04.finale to a year-long campaign. Will it make a difference when it
:13:05. > :13:09.comes to making decisions about funding for speech therapy? I think
:13:09. > :13:13.certainly because they see the importance of communication in at
:13:13. > :13:16.school achievement and employment prospects later on. They can
:13:16. > :13:21.understand much better when they see a child struggling to tell a
:13:21. > :13:25.joke, how difficult it might be for them, and they can see the
:13:25. > :13:29.difference for children who have no difficulty with communication, and
:13:29. > :13:32.how they can hold an audience without difficulty whatsoever, so
:13:32. > :13:36.hopefully they will understand speech therapy delivered up the
:13:36. > :13:44.right time, and early intervention for children, is crucial for
:13:45. > :13:47.children to make the most out of schooling. Have services improved?
:13:47. > :13:52.Certainly there have been improvements in some areas.
:13:52. > :13:55.Obviously, there is a need for intensive speech therapy provision
:13:55. > :14:02.for children in this early years, and we are struggling to make that
:14:02. > :14:09.case. But we have pockets of very good practice, more therapists
:14:09. > :14:12.working with practitioners, working alongside health visitors, helping
:14:12. > :14:17.diagnose speech difficulties, which is fantastic. We have a lot of
:14:17. > :14:22.support from health visitors doing that. But we are also facing gaps
:14:22. > :14:27.in services, for example, people with a communication aid don't have
:14:28. > :14:32.the access to assessment, sometimes for as long as up to 11 months, so
:14:32. > :14:37.we struggle for people where there is a very high need it but small
:14:37. > :14:42.demand. It is meeting those needs which is difficult. Patricia
:14:42. > :14:46.speaking to the college earlier on. They said this was one of the
:14:46. > :14:51.biggest issues when the children's Commission was first set up.
:14:52. > :14:56.certainly was, back in 2005, when my predecessor was there. We have
:14:57. > :15:00.done a second report and out of that came the task force. And the
:15:01. > :15:05.action plan which was launched last year. It took longer than we hoped
:15:05. > :15:11.but the important thing was, it's how we monitored that, to ensure
:15:11. > :15:17.that those services were being delivered, and also to Look Back at
:15:17. > :15:20.but gaps. The important thing is early intervention and prevention.
:15:20. > :15:25.You can imagine the pride of a parent when a child says its first
:15:25. > :15:30.word. Even for the first time as a conversation where, before, they
:15:30. > :15:35.had no verbal skills at all. I think it's important and the
:15:35. > :15:38.importance of that early prevention cannot be underestimated. Thank you.
:15:38. > :15:41.On the programme yesterday we heard members debate a motion proposed by
:15:41. > :15:49.the SDLP on the murder of Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane. But members
:15:49. > :15:53.didn't get the chance to vote on the motion until this morning.
:15:53. > :16:02.Abide Petition of concern was presented yesterday into the motion
:16:02. > :16:06.at on the murder of Pat Finucane. The vote could not take place until
:16:07. > :16:12.at least one they had passed. They will be the first item of business
:16:12. > :16:17.today. I would also like to remind members that the votes on the
:16:17. > :16:27.motion and the amendment will be on a cross community basis. Please
:16:27. > :16:29.
:16:29. > :16:39.read the result. 91 members voted, of which 45 voted yes, 49.5%. 36
:16:39. > :16:42.nationalists voted, 100%. 46 Unionists voted, 0%. Nine voted yes,
:16:42. > :16:45.100%. The motion is negative. There are some debates which have
:16:45. > :16:48.the flavour of a broken record here at Stormont. And the introduction
:16:48. > :16:52.of the Education Skills Authority is one of them. The body was
:16:52. > :16:56.intended to save money by bringing five education boards together. It
:16:56. > :16:59.was due to be up and running three years ago and has already cost
:16:59. > :17:01.around �12 million. The Alliance Party brought today's motion
:17:01. > :17:09.calling on the Education Minister John O'Dowd to spell out a
:17:09. > :17:13.timetable for the eventual introduction of the new body.
:17:13. > :17:20.We had a budget strategy at breaking point caused by massive
:17:20. > :17:25.inefficiently. Depending how you count the numbers, at least 15
:17:25. > :17:28.operating bodies, does anybody seriously think if they were
:17:28. > :17:33.designing a system now to fit the needs of a population of 1.6
:17:33. > :17:39.million, we would have it looking anything like what we have other
:17:39. > :17:42.present time? Does anybody believe we would not benefit in terms of
:17:42. > :17:47.cost efficiency and the educational needs of our children from the
:17:47. > :17:52.installation of a single body. Call it whatever you like. It could work
:17:52. > :17:59.with the best of what we have and we could discard the rest. The we
:17:59. > :18:05.are clearly in a position in the Guards to the principle of a single
:18:05. > :18:09.authority for Education. -- in regard to. The other issue in the
:18:09. > :18:13.second Bill, which you want to dispense with, was the
:18:13. > :18:20.establishment of an educational advisory forum for such with the
:18:20. > :18:26.greatest of respect, we don't need a Civic Forum for Education. The
:18:26. > :18:33.debates for education must be in this House, with the educational
:18:33. > :18:38.committee and not an expensive for an outside. If I were one of the
:18:38. > :18:44.many people who were given their education who have lived with a
:18:44. > :18:48.shadow of uncertainty, watching morale collapse around them, and I
:18:48. > :18:54.was plugged into the internet watching this debate today, I would
:18:54. > :18:59.say, what's the point? Is this what we vote for? Is this what it has
:18:59. > :19:05.come down to? It really is a shocking, shocking indictment upon
:19:05. > :19:10.us all, Mr Deputy Speaker. You will not deal with every concern brought
:19:10. > :19:15.forward, nor should I be expected to come as minister. I have to take
:19:15. > :19:18.a collective review in regards to these matters and I intend to do so.
:19:18. > :19:24.In regards to why no legislation today, why are we debating a
:19:24. > :19:30.motion? I feel it's only right we bring forward legislation it has
:19:30. > :19:35.the best chance of going through this chamber. We do not require
:19:35. > :19:39.another false bill. It would be totally unfair to the staff and
:19:39. > :19:43.senior management working in the education services to do that again.
:19:43. > :19:50.It has been frustrating, it has been slow, but I believe we are
:19:50. > :19:55.making progress in regards to this matter. And I am of the view we
:19:55. > :20:02.will bring forward legislation in the near future which will satisfy
:20:02. > :20:09.the needs of our education service, reforming education and will
:20:09. > :20:16.deliver more services. David McMurray is with us now, the ultra
:20:16. > :20:20.-- Ulster Unionist Party spokesman. Who was to blame for this?
:20:20. > :20:25.system. We have been at this for six years and not reached an
:20:25. > :20:30.agreement. Part of the problem is, the debate today is about a single
:20:30. > :20:38.education authority. It cost �12 million and we haven't got one yet.
:20:38. > :20:43.There isn't such a thing. It's a scandal we have spent �12 million.
:20:43. > :20:49.I do think that hopefully we are close to it. The minister came as
:20:49. > :20:53.close to saying what a minister would say in terms of timing in the
:20:53. > :20:57.near future. The motion that was before the House today, it cannot
:20:57. > :21:02.be done within the term of this Assembly. I think that's where we
:21:02. > :21:09.are. I still think we are a couple of years away from it. If I may say,
:21:09. > :21:13.now that we are in a sense, close to this, we're actually doing
:21:13. > :21:18.things back to front. There is so much now which needs to be done in
:21:18. > :21:22.education. In terms of how you would cut up and fit a new
:21:22. > :21:26.educational structure through reforms to watch E S A might
:21:26. > :21:32.deliver. Is one single board the answer because legislation is not
:21:32. > :21:40.required for that, to change the five boards into one? No, I don't
:21:40. > :21:43.think that's the answer. In principle, all the parties agreed
:21:43. > :21:52.to an education authority. There is a couple of things which need to be
:21:52. > :21:56.slotted in. There needs to be seen what's going to happen to be the
:21:56. > :22:02.influence that the transfers from the Protestant churches have, who
:22:02. > :22:05.have a historic link to education, and also why would the Catholic
:22:05. > :22:10.side of the work to be kept outside? I think most people want
:22:10. > :22:14.to see them brought together into a slimline outfit, so we can work
:22:14. > :22:18.together and put it all together for that if we are talking about
:22:18. > :22:23.deficiencies, that's an efficient way to go. It's been difficult, not
:22:23. > :22:27.only for teachers, who see cuts coming, but all the people who work
:22:27. > :22:30.for the current board. They are wondering what's going to happen
:22:30. > :22:37.next, when the redundancies will be offered, and if they will still
:22:37. > :22:40.have a job? Do that's the hard thing. This has taken place way
:22:40. > :22:45.before we were coming into the financial restraints we have, so
:22:45. > :22:50.many is not to blame for this. What is to blame, is basically, a
:22:50. > :22:55.political agreement, and we have divided upon that, and I think we
:22:55. > :23:00.are coming together. I do also want to say, we almost putting the cart
:23:00. > :23:05.before the horse now. In terms of what is happening in education, in
:23:05. > :23:12.light of what the First Minister said recently about indication --
:23:12. > :23:19.education. I am a fairly convinced of a tremendous change. I haven't
:23:19. > :23:25.said that before to any way -- anyone, a change with a Catholic
:23:25. > :23:29.church. It could be attracted to integrated education in the state
:23:29. > :23:34.system, and that would be the best thing to happen for the children in
:23:34. > :23:37.Northern Ireland and their future education. The thank you. Stay with
:23:37. > :23:40.We're still waiting for a programme for government. The Review of
:23:40. > :23:48.public administration remains in storage. There are years of cuts
:23:48. > :23:51.still to come down the line. And good to see the packed benches. Or
:23:51. > :23:57.maybe not in this wider shot taken this afternoon at 3:10pm, as the
:23:57. > :24:00.environment minister Alex Attwood responded to a planning motion.
:24:00. > :24:07.What do you think the public think when they see the empty benches?
:24:07. > :24:16.Not a lot, but let's try to explain it. This was coming to the end of a
:24:16. > :24:20.debate. We are going to get our act together on legislation. Members
:24:20. > :24:24.are doing other things and basically, the whips are not
:24:24. > :24:30.organising the parties. Those are damp squib that debates, nothing
:24:30. > :24:34.been generated whatsoever. The public had every right to be quite
:24:34. > :24:38.cross about it. We have heard so much of the past couple of weeks
:24:38. > :24:47.about the fact we have been back six months, no legislation.
:24:47. > :24:52.not? I have a reputation for being a bit of a scrapper in the debates.
:24:52. > :24:59.It's no fun for anybody. You have to go in there and behave yourself
:24:59. > :25:04.like good children and there's no For the members are going in there
:25:04. > :25:08.to sit like dummies on the benches, to satisfy a your critical remarks
:25:08. > :25:12.about us. We have got other things to do. You go in there to talk. You
:25:12. > :25:17.go in there to make your case and present your case. You don't go in
:25:17. > :25:21.there to look good and for the cameras to watch you. We will all
:25:21. > :25:26.go in there when there is a vote, as you probably saw earlier on in
:25:26. > :25:32.the day. The place was packed. We are in the building and working.
:25:32. > :25:37.We're not going to go in there on a damp squib issues, particularly
:25:37. > :25:41.when there is no legislation. With legislation, that place will be
:25:41. > :25:47.packed, because that is what our job is. We have to leave it there
:25:47. > :25:49.but thank you for joining us tonight. The clock is ticking on
:25:49. > :25:52.the justice department thanks to the Sunset Clause agreed at
:25:52. > :25:55.Hillsborough. There needs to be agreement on how to proceed by May.
:25:55. > :25:59.Our political correspondent Martina Purdy explained how there were some
:25:59. > :26:04.developments on this today. There's only six months to go before
:26:04. > :26:10.Cinderella's minister David Ford of the Justice Department could lose
:26:10. > :26:13.his post because of the sunset clause. If the parties agree the.
:26:13. > :26:18.But of the justice minister should revert to the other formula, he
:26:18. > :26:21.will go, and his party has made a submission to Stormont committee
:26:21. > :26:26.working on this issue, and he has said that he would like the current
:26:26. > :26:29.arrangements to remain, he is appointed by the two main parties,
:26:30. > :26:36.but if anybody think he's acting out of self-interest, he's willing
:26:36. > :26:41.to resign if the parties don't like that issue. Martin McGuinness his
:26:41. > :26:45.presidential campaign as taking his tell? Yes, he was supposed to
:26:45. > :26:50.address a Sinn Fein dinner on December 3rd, but any men have gone
:26:50. > :26:54.around in Canada saying do to his work moments -- and e-mail us, and
:26:54. > :26:59.in Canada same Martin McGuinness will not address that dinner and
:26:59. > :27:01.now Gerry Kelly is heading for Toronto. There was a meeting at
:27:01. > :27:07.Stormont today that showed we are very much part of the global
:27:07. > :27:12.village. We just down the hall in the Long Gallery, an event was held
:27:12. > :27:17.looking at global issues and how people at Stormont might not think
:27:17. > :27:21.it's important to worry about the fact that there is poverty or
:27:21. > :27:24.environmental issues and forests being eroded in Uganda, but if they
:27:24. > :27:28.don't deal with issues like that, it will have an impact because we
:27:28. > :27:33.are living in a global village, so if forests are disappearing in
:27:33. > :27:39.Uganda, it could contribute to environmental issues, so the
:27:39. > :27:44.chairman is making those points. He's talking about the work
:27:44. > :27:51.reassembly is doing in Uganda. The the project under way, study going
:27:51. > :27:55.on, so clearly we don't always live in a Stormont bubble. A British a,
:27:55. > :27:59.a final thought from you. In terms of your office, do you think you
:27:59. > :28:05.have enough power to make a difference to children's lives --
:28:05. > :28:11.Patricia? Yes, I think we do. We're looking at how we can use them
:28:11. > :28:13.better to help government make children a priority in this up and
:28:13. > :28:16.coming programme for government, but also to challenge them when
:28:16. > :28:21.they are not delivering on children's rights in Northern
:28:21. > :28:25.Ireland, so we can make children's lives much better. Patricia, thank
:28:25. > :28:28.you very much indeed for being our guest of this evening.