Browse content similar to 18/02/2014. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!
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Hello and welcome to Stormont Today. Coming up on the programme. | :00:24. | :00:29. | |
The Health Minister hopes new legislation on tobacco retailers | :00:30. | :00:36. | |
will stop young people smoking. Northern Ireland has the highest | :00:37. | :00:40. | |
smoking prevalence in the UK and every year around 2300 people in | :00:41. | :00:44. | |
Northern Ireland die from smoking-related illnesses. | :00:45. | :00:47. | |
The Justice Minister's still under fire for changing the criteria for | :00:48. | :00:51. | |
the Chief Constable's job. What the Minister now accept that he | :00:52. | :00:56. | |
made an error of judgement in the way he handled the whole issue of | :00:57. | :01:00. | |
changing the criteria for the appointment of the chieftains to? | :01:01. | :01:02. | |
And the political commentator Alex Kane joins me in the studio. | :01:03. | :01:09. | |
A bill to create a register of tobacco retailers | :01:10. | :01:16. | |
A bill to create a register of selling cigarettes to under 16s has | :01:17. | :01:21. | |
A bill to create a register of are 357,000 smokers in Northern | :01:22. | :01:23. | |
Ireland and about 2,300 people die from smoking-related illnesses every | :01:24. | :01:33. | |
year. The main purpose of this bill is to | :01:34. | :01:37. | |
make sure that the minimum age of Sail policy for tobacco products is | :01:38. | :01:40. | |
more rigourously applied by retailers. This will be achieved by | :01:41. | :01:45. | |
introducing tougher measures for noncompliance. It is a well-known | :01:46. | :01:48. | |
fact that the majority of smokers take up smoking before they reach | :01:49. | :01:52. | |
adult hood. Most smokers will have tried their first cigarette and many | :01:53. | :01:56. | |
will have become addicted before they are legally allowed to purchase | :01:57. | :02:01. | |
tobacco products. In Northern Ireland, more than 357,000 adults | :02:02. | :02:08. | |
are smokers. This represents 25 per cent of the population. Northern | :02:09. | :02:12. | |
Ireland has the highest smoking prevalence in the UK and every year | :02:13. | :02:17. | |
around 2300 people in Northern Ireland die from smoking-related | :02:18. | :02:21. | |
illnesses. Members will be aware that on the 3rd of February, the | :02:22. | :02:29. | |
assembly approved a legislative motion. The amendment concerns the | :02:30. | :02:34. | |
retail packaging of tobacco products, more commonly referred to | :02:35. | :02:39. | |
as standardised packaging. The effect is to provide the Secretary | :02:40. | :02:43. | |
of State with the powers on a UK wide basis. These revelations may | :02:44. | :02:48. | |
impose requirements in relation to the appearance of and markings on | :02:49. | :02:53. | |
tobacco products as well as the internal packaging in any wrappers. | :02:54. | :02:59. | |
Another important amendment was in relation to who can still -- apply | :03:00. | :03:04. | |
as a tobacco retailer. This was a significant issue and was discussed | :03:05. | :03:08. | |
at length by the committee. We took the view that given the | :03:09. | :03:12. | |
responsibility involved in selling tobacco, somebody who has a serious | :03:13. | :03:17. | |
conviction should be prevented from registering as a tobacco retailer. | :03:18. | :03:22. | |
After consideration, the department proposed an amendment which is | :03:23. | :03:23. | |
contained in clause four. A allowed to register as a tobacco | :03:24. | :03:39. | |
retailer for a period of five years from the date of the conviction. To | :03:40. | :03:44. | |
those who are not here today, and I wonder why they are not, for those | :03:45. | :03:48. | |
who say this is the nanny state or this is unacceptable, it is very | :03:49. | :03:54. | |
clear that society has had a sea change in its view on smoking. Thank | :03:55. | :04:03. | |
you, Mr Speaker. Can I just point out to the member, and I support his | :04:04. | :04:10. | |
views on smoking, I am supportive of all the measures against tobacco, | :04:11. | :04:15. | |
but most of the people saying it is the nanny state have been his party | :04:16. | :04:21. | |
colleagues. By their absence, I think they are realising the tide is | :04:22. | :04:27. | |
inexorable. They have always made it very clear that they pose not on | :04:28. | :04:33. | |
health issues but on employment issues. They are defending their | :04:34. | :04:48. | |
constituents jobs. Where riders agree was that perhaps | :04:49. | :04:55. | |
by a fine of ?1000 per the retailer could profit, even by losing his | :04:56. | :05:03. | |
licence. It is important that there was an increased fine for stopping | :05:04. | :05:06. | |
an officer from gaining access to evidence that would perhaps allow | :05:07. | :05:12. | |
conviction. I am pleased, following lobbying by the committee, the | :05:13. | :05:15. | |
Minister has agreed to increase that to ?5,000. Listening to the debate | :05:16. | :05:23. | |
this morning, it is one of the best reasons why this assembly should | :05:24. | :05:27. | |
only ever grant accelerated passage in exceptional circumstances because | :05:28. | :05:32. | |
when you look at the work the committee, the engagement they had | :05:33. | :05:36. | |
with the department, and to be fair to the Department, they were | :05:37. | :05:43. | |
receptive on how to improve a piece of legislation, he talked about the | :05:44. | :05:47. | |
amendment he was particularly strong on, and this is a better | :05:48. | :06:00. | |
amendment he was particularly strong today? Which is almost a novelty in | :06:01. | :06:04. | |
Northern Ireland. It is a good sign. It is one of the few occasions | :06:05. | :06:08. | |
when they have taken a bill quite literally from start to finish | :06:09. | :06:12. | |
without great acrimonious. Actually, for most of the time, they had a | :06:13. | :06:17. | |
very serious debate about it. There was not any of the dissension in the | :06:18. | :06:22. | |
DUP ranks which we have seen about cigarette packaging but it was | :06:23. | :06:27. | |
referred to very clearly. There was nice little interplay between Jim | :06:28. | :06:33. | |
Wells and John McCallister. East Antrim and North Antrim are both DUP | :06:34. | :06:39. | |
held constituencies and fewer people smoking fewer cigarettes so fewer | :06:40. | :06:46. | |
production means unemployment. The cycle is going to last for the next | :06:47. | :06:49. | |
two years. No Assembly Member wanting to defend their seat wants | :06:50. | :06:57. | |
to go to that electorate and say the consequence of what we have done may | :06:58. | :07:01. | |
result in thousands of people being let off. You don't oversimplify it | :07:02. | :07:06. | |
but it is not wrong to say that fundamentally, in a sense, the | :07:07. | :07:11. | |
debate can be distilled down to jobs versus health. That is exactly what | :07:12. | :07:16. | |
it is and that is not unique to Northern Ireland. We should not | :07:17. | :07:22. | |
forget that. It is 25% of adults smoking in Northern Ireland but when | :07:23. | :07:27. | |
I was born in the 1950s, it would have been 70% so it has gone down. | :07:28. | :07:32. | |
Ynyr Llwyd and has gone down. It is going to continue to go down because | :07:33. | :07:36. | |
you can't bombard people with the reality of smoking and expect them | :07:37. | :07:43. | |
to compete -- continue to smoke. You had Edwin Poots playing the health | :07:44. | :07:46. | |
card very clearly in the chamber today but you have got Sammy Paulo | :07:47. | :07:51. | |
in Westminster and here and Ian Paisley Junior in Westminster saying | :07:52. | :07:58. | |
this is about jobs and what is best for constituents. They don't want to | :07:59. | :08:03. | |
encourage people to smoke but if they do, they want to make sure they | :08:04. | :08:08. | |
come from their constituency. Every sitting member will have to make | :08:09. | :08:12. | |
that argument in defence of their own constituency. I am surprised | :08:13. | :08:16. | |
that Edwin Poots has not made a stronger case | :08:17. | :08:16. | |
that Edwin Poots has not made a Health Service. It is also a cost in | :08:17. | :08:31. | |
terms of long-term health. I am surprised he is not offering that. A | :08:32. | :08:36. | |
quick point on John McCallister that accelerated passage should only be | :08:37. | :08:42. | |
used in exceptional circumstances. He thinks it is better legislation. | :08:43. | :08:49. | |
It is always better legislation. It usually comes with terrorism or | :08:50. | :08:52. | |
economic stuff when you push them through very quickly but some of the | :08:53. | :08:56. | |
nuances are lost and it is only three or four years later you | :08:57. | :08:59. | |
realise you should have taken your time. | :09:00. | :09:02. | |
Alex Kane, thank you for now. The Justice Minister, David Ford, told | :09:03. | :09:05. | |
the Assembly he did nothing wrong in his handling of the appointment | :09:06. | :09:08. | |
criteria for the post of PSNI Chief Constable. Mr Ford was asked if he | :09:09. | :09:12. | |
had made an error of judgement during Question Time today. The | :09:13. | :09:14. | |
Justice Minister was also asked about changes to legal aid and the | :09:15. | :09:17. | |
financial implications of the Richard Haass proposals. | :09:18. | :09:22. | |
Leaving aside the proposals that came out of the Richard Haass | :09:23. | :09:27. | |
process, does the Minister accept the status quo is not tenable and if | :09:28. | :09:32. | |
so what pressures and what ideas does he have to deal with the | :09:33. | :09:39. | |
pressures? I am thinking of coroners courts, Article two compliance under | :09:40. | :09:43. | |
the European Convention of human rights. What additional resources | :09:44. | :09:47. | |
does he envisaged for putting this right? I appreciate the question. I | :09:48. | :09:56. | |
am not sure I agree with the premise that the Richard Haass process | :09:57. | :09:59. | |
failed given that some of us has been spending several hours a week | :10:00. | :10:03. | |
this year trying to make the process tie together. What is absolutely | :10:04. | :10:08. | |
clear is that if we do not have the historical investigations unit they | :10:09. | :10:10. | |
will need to be significant work done by the Department of Justice | :10:11. | :10:14. | |
which is already underway in preparatory form to deal with issues | :10:15. | :10:23. | |
around the fact that some have been found to be not Article two | :10:24. | :10:27. | |
compliant. There are funny mental issues that will have to be | :10:28. | :10:30. | |
addressed to deal with some of those points. It is clear that anything we | :10:31. | :10:35. | |
do in that area will require some very considerable investment, | :10:36. | :10:39. | |
whether it is done under the Richard Haass process or something separate. | :10:40. | :10:42. | |
On the basis of the information currently available, there | :10:43. | :10:44. | |
On the basis of the information invited stakeholders to submit their | :10:45. | :10:56. | |
views on the proposals and work on sorties might be aware of any | :10:57. | :11:00. | |
additional data on the subject to submit any additional evidence | :11:01. | :11:03. | |
regarding the impact. I acknowledge these reforms may require | :11:04. | :11:06. | |
practitioners to consider more efficient models and adapt for the | :11:07. | :11:10. | |
future. However, the nature of legal aid reform is such that there is | :11:11. | :11:14. | |
such a long lead-in time allowing firms to adjust their practices. How | :11:15. | :11:19. | |
can the Minister seriously suggest, and I agree with him that there | :11:20. | :11:23. | |
needs to be reductions in legal aid, but how can he seriously suggest | :11:24. | :11:28. | |
that there will be no impact upon the profession? This certainly are a | :11:29. | :11:35. | |
small number of solicitors firms which gained significant income from | :11:36. | :11:38. | |
criminal defence work but they are the people who have the most | :11:39. | :11:42. | |
opportunity to adjust their business models to make sure they take into | :11:43. | :11:45. | |
account the changes. The simple reality is, even if you exclude the | :11:46. | :11:50. | |
very high cost cases, we are still looking at the average cost of a | :11:51. | :11:53. | |
Crown Court case in Northern Ireland being double the cost of a Crown | :11:54. | :11:57. | |
Court case in England and Wales. That is unsustainable. Will the | :11:58. | :12:02. | |
Minister accept that he made an error of judgement in the way he | :12:03. | :12:05. | |
handled the whole issue in the change of criteria for the | :12:06. | :12:12. | |
appointment of Chief const? No. I carried out my functions entirely in | :12:13. | :12:16. | |
accordance with the legislation to leave the Policing Board to carry | :12:17. | :12:20. | |
out its functions. I have nothing that I did wrong, I did it precisely | :12:21. | :12:22. | |
as I should have done it. Thank you. We'll minister not accept | :12:23. | :12:39. | |
it was a mistake that he didn't consult or talk to policing bird | :12:40. | :12:46. | |
dashboard and isn't a matter for them to make this decision? I really | :12:47. | :12:51. | |
would love to know how I didn't consult with the policing board when | :12:52. | :12:55. | |
this matter has been discussed since May of last year. A clearly | :12:56. | :12:58. | |
irritated David Ford. The Enterprise Minister has rejected a call from | :12:59. | :13:01. | |
the Alliance Party that murals should be removed from the route of | :13:02. | :13:07. | |
the Giro Italia. Arlene Foster said that provided they are not of a | :13:08. | :13:09. | |
paramilitary nature, the murals should remain to celebrate our | :13:10. | :13:12. | |
cultural heritage. The Minister also answered questions on | :13:13. | :13:13. | |
firstly, the number of flights in and out of our airports. I do hope | :13:14. | :13:24. | |
that we will be able to make some announcement in the near future in | :13:25. | :13:29. | |
relation to new routes. Obviously, it is critical and I am on record | :13:30. | :13:34. | |
many times as saying if we want to see more tourists coming to Northern | :13:35. | :13:39. | |
Ireland, we need to have more direct access. Canada remains very much, | :13:40. | :13:42. | |
for me, a key area where I would like to see direct access coming in | :13:43. | :13:47. | |
and we continue to make progress in that market. But, of course, we want | :13:48. | :13:51. | |
to see more connectivity through Belfast, through the international | :13:52. | :13:56. | |
or the city in terms of European destinations, as well, so we will | :13:57. | :14:00. | |
continue to work within airports. We believe that, if we are successful | :14:01. | :14:07. | |
in being able to bring the Rugby World Cup to both jurisdictions in | :14:08. | :14:10. | |
2023, it will make a huge difference in terms of how people view the | :14:11. | :14:17. | |
island and also, in terms of our tourism potential. Frankly, as a | :14:18. | :14:19. | |
rugby fan, I'm very excited by the prospect as well. In terms of flags | :14:20. | :14:26. | |
and emblems, obviously, this has been an issue which has caused some | :14:27. | :14:29. | |
people in Northern Ireland a concern in terms of the IRS you. We would | :14:30. | :14:35. | |
hope that when they are playing in Northern Ireland, Northern | :14:36. | :14:40. | |
Ireland's position in the UK will be respected and, of course, when we | :14:41. | :14:44. | |
are playing in the Republic of Ireland, their position will be | :14:45. | :14:48. | |
respected because, bid for the Rugby World Cup is absolutely nothing to | :14:49. | :14:52. | |
do with flags and emblems, it is do with sport. What would the Minister | :14:53. | :14:58. | |
think about the current proposal that perhaps we should refrain from | :14:59. | :15:01. | |
displaying election posters, flags and emblems, murals along the route | :15:02. | :15:07. | |
for the duration of the Giro d'Italia in order to sell Northern | :15:08. | :15:11. | |
Ireland even more effectively? I have no to the ongoing discussion | :15:12. | :15:14. | |
around this issue. Let me be clear on it. As regards election posters, | :15:15. | :15:20. | |
the dap to leader has already indicated that we will be more than | :15:21. | :15:25. | |
happy for them to be taken down right across Northern Ireland | :15:26. | :15:29. | |
because we don't need election posters to get the vote out, | :15:30. | :15:36. | |
frankly. So that much is very clear, but I have noted the comments of the | :15:37. | :15:39. | |
Alliance Party in relation to flags and murals. Let me | :15:40. | :15:52. | |
issues in and around murals and flags in working-class areas right | :15:53. | :15:57. | |
across Northern Ireland? Does he think it would be better to | :15:58. | :16:00. | |
encourage communities to deal with the issues, and I do commend the | :16:01. | :16:05. | |
work that has been going on in various communities, and indeed, | :16:06. | :16:07. | |
speaking to my colleague for East Belfast, he informs me a very | :16:08. | :16:14. | |
effective programme has been happening in east Belfast, for | :16:15. | :16:17. | |
example, where they have managed to take away some of the paramilitary | :16:18. | :16:24. | |
murals and put up murals to CS Lewis and others in East Belfast, and I | :16:25. | :16:27. | |
welcome that because I hope he's not suggesting we get rid of me was | :16:28. | :16:32. | |
completely. Murals are actually come if he listens to what he said, he | :16:33. | :16:36. | |
said get would have murals, they are part of a cultural expression, right | :16:37. | :16:41. | |
across Belfast. And Northern Ireland, and I think it would be sad | :16:42. | :16:47. | |
if the visitors Northern Ireland couldn't engage in appreciating the | :16:48. | :16:49. | |
rich cultural heritage that we have here in Northern Ireland. | :16:50. | :16:53. | |
Paramilitary murals, of course they should never have gone up. But I | :16:54. | :16:57. | |
have to say, pronouncements from here won't solve that. Working with | :16:58. | :17:02. | |
communities will, and I commend those in this House who do work with | :17:03. | :17:04. | |
that. Working with communities will, and I commend those in this House | :17:05. | :17:07. | |
who do work with the committees and tried to solve those problems. | :17:08. | :17:11. | |
Arlene Foster. And cycling was also on the agenda for the Regional | :17:12. | :17:13. | |
Development Minister today. Danny Kennedy was asked about election | :17:14. | :17:16. | |
posters on the Giro d'Italia route and if bikes could be allowed on | :17:17. | :17:20. | |
buses. But first, the Minister was asked about damage to the road | :17:21. | :17:23. | |
network caused by the recent bad weather. A number of roads in | :17:24. | :17:25. | |
Northern Ireland has suffered damage as a result of recent tidal events | :17:26. | :17:29. | |
and storms. I have today placed in the assembly library a comprehensive | :17:30. | :17:33. | |
list of those locations where roads have been subject to sea wall | :17:34. | :17:38. | |
damage, or undermining as a result of storm damage since the turn of | :17:39. | :17:44. | |
the year. During last week's severe weather, short section of road | :17:45. | :17:50. | |
between... Collapsed. We are assessing the situation to repair | :17:51. | :17:57. | |
them as soon as possible. We have carried out remedial works as a | :17:58. | :18:00. | |
number of locations. And preparatory work is underway in the advancement | :18:01. | :18:04. | |
of works at other locations, however, it could be sometime before | :18:05. | :18:09. | |
the impact is known. And necessary repairs are fermented and the full | :18:10. | :18:15. | |
cost is realised the estimate cost is currently 1.2 million. However, | :18:16. | :18:20. | |
this figure could increase significantly once detailed | :18:21. | :18:22. | |
inspections of sea defences are completed. Given your | :18:23. | :18:27. | |
responsibilities for lamp posts and road signs, what is your view on | :18:28. | :18:31. | |
restricting election posters from the various routes of the Giro | :18:32. | :18:37. | |
d'Italia? My party colleague Robin Swan, was the first person to | :18:38. | :18:43. | |
advocate that the political parties in the run-up to the European | :18:44. | :18:50. | |
elections should available opportunity to promote the area | :18:51. | :18:53. | |
positively and therefore, not show the election posters until after the | :18:54. | :18:59. | |
event. I agree with those sentiments, and I have other parties | :19:00. | :19:03. | |
in that spirit will agree with that suggestion. Would he agree with me | :19:04. | :19:08. | |
at important that we extend the removal of election posters to flags | :19:09. | :19:13. | |
that are turned to rags and other paramilitary paraphernalia? Which | :19:14. | :19:19. | |
are along the route of the Giro d'Italia? We don't like to see the | :19:20. | :19:26. | |
flag of the UK run to a rag, on any lamp post. And again, against that, | :19:27. | :19:38. | |
I appeal that if there are such incidences, and they can be dealt | :19:39. | :19:42. | |
with, appropriately, then it's a case. But there is a significant | :19:43. | :19:50. | |
difference between cultural and other murals, that many visitors and | :19:51. | :19:56. | |
tourists will like and expect to see. And illegal memorials and | :19:57. | :20:01. | |
monuments to paramilitary organisations. Recently, we haven't | :20:02. | :20:14. | |
had a proper cycle visibility on buses. I've spoken to the local | :20:15. | :20:21. | |
company and they have have rear vehicle and internal solutions for | :20:22. | :20:25. | |
bicycle transport on buses, and these can be attached to existing | :20:26. | :20:31. | |
stops, so I see no reason why this issue cannot be progress. Can I ask | :20:32. | :20:34. | |
him would he be willing issue cannot be progress. Can I ask | :20:35. | :20:46. | |
it will work? One of the successes that we are constrained by in terms | :20:47. | :20:50. | |
of room, available room for bicycles, to be placed on trains, I | :20:51. | :20:58. | |
know the train company has a political policy at the moment on | :20:59. | :21:04. | |
that. I'm happy to explore opportunities either to the private | :21:05. | :21:09. | |
sector or indeed via the train company as to how it can be improved | :21:10. | :21:12. | |
upon. The Roads Minister, Danny Kennedy. Business wasn't just | :21:13. | :21:15. | |
confined to the chamber today. A group from county Fermanagh met with | :21:16. | :21:18. | |
the Enterprise, Trade and Investment Committee at Stormont to discuss | :21:19. | :21:21. | |
wind energy. Renewable energy is a growing industry in Northern Ireland | :21:22. | :21:24. | |
and the Fermanagh Trust wants to see more engagement with the local | :21:25. | :21:28. | |
community on the subject. And joining me now is the trust's | :21:29. | :21:33. | |
director, Lauri McCusker. What was the purpose of today's meeting? The | :21:34. | :21:39. | |
purpose was to talk to the politicians and the stakeholders | :21:40. | :21:41. | |
about what communities can have in terms of renewable energy. And not | :21:42. | :21:47. | |
campaigning against it nor campaigning for it? What is your | :21:48. | :21:51. | |
position on it. In terms of wind energy, renewable energy, it is the | :21:52. | :21:57. | |
community's involvement. If they want to be involved, then we are | :21:58. | :22:00. | |
supportive but of communities have an issue, then it needs to be taken | :22:01. | :22:04. | |
on board by the politicians and planners. Very often Trinity 's do | :22:05. | :22:09. | |
have an issue with it for that they feel quite nervous about it and they | :22:10. | :22:12. | |
feel they are not heard by the big companies. Big companies, they say, | :22:13. | :22:19. | |
coming over their heads, to profit from the local environment. That is | :22:20. | :22:22. | |
how some group to see it. Absolutely. One of the key issues is | :22:23. | :22:27. | |
how the communities engage with this process of energy? In Northern | :22:28. | :22:31. | |
Ireland, we have a successful track record of credit union movements, | :22:32. | :22:35. | |
development of enterprise centres, and committed playgroups, and other | :22:36. | :22:38. | |
things, but in terms of energy, communities have a limited role but | :22:39. | :22:44. | |
it's been put upon them. Today's event was to explore how community | :22:45. | :22:50. | |
's can engage in energy discussions and builds on something which | :22:51. | :22:52. | |
happened to Mexico in London with the Department of climate change, a | :22:53. | :22:56. | |
document saying committed to route it should have ownership of this | :22:57. | :23:00. | |
process. How can they benefit from some of these developments? Well, | :23:01. | :23:02. | |
process. How can they benefit from generated by communities. In | :23:03. | :23:16. | |
Northern Ireland, we don't have target, so their committees are | :23:17. | :23:21. | |
playing an active role rather than a passive role. We need to turn the | :23:22. | :23:27. | |
discussions on its head, where to develop a lead discussion to get a | :23:28. | :23:31. | |
communities into the heart of it. Would you like to see, for example, | :23:32. | :23:36. | |
big companies who set up wind farms and other renewable energies, where | :23:37. | :23:40. | |
some of their profits are ploughed back into the local community? For | :23:41. | :23:46. | |
there to be a tangible benefit? There are committed benefit from | :23:47. | :23:49. | |
summer wind farms for the many would argue it's not enough but some | :23:50. | :23:52. | |
companies are stepping up to the plate now. If you look at what's | :23:53. | :23:58. | |
coming out of London, the Government there is insisting, following their | :23:59. | :24:02. | |
strategy, committees might be offered a shared in the ownership of | :24:03. | :24:06. | |
these developments that community is. -- communities. What about the | :24:07. | :24:15. | |
damage to the beauty of the local natural environment which can have a | :24:16. | :24:22. | |
big impact in terms of jobs? Communities need to being gauged and | :24:23. | :24:28. | |
have their say in this process -- engaged. 80%. Communities, to many | :24:29. | :24:42. | |
of them, they are hosting this development but don't have a say in | :24:43. | :24:45. | |
it. Interesting to hear your thoughts. Lauri McCusker, thank you. | :24:46. | :24:52. | |
Breakfast, we often hear, is the most important meal of the day and, | :24:53. | :24:55. | |
it seems, that's something all our MLAs can agree on. Today they passed | :24:56. | :24:59. | |
a motion calling for more to be done to make sure all schoolchildren are | :25:00. | :25:02. | |
fed properly before school. But first, the chair of the Health | :25:03. | :25:05. | |
Committee began by passing on her condolences to the families of two | :25:06. | :25:09. | |
young people who died as a result of eating disorders. The awful | :25:10. | :25:12. | |
tragedies particularly in relation to particular eating disorders that | :25:13. | :25:17. | |
have resulted in the untimely deaths of a number of young people, and I | :25:18. | :25:22. | |
do want to take this opportunity to send our | :25:23. | :25:35. | |
a result of this particular illness. Many children prepared the school | :25:36. | :25:41. | |
day both, coming to school adequately prepared. A proper | :25:42. | :25:46. | |
nutritional breakfast is an essential part of this preparation. | :25:47. | :25:50. | |
The primary purpose of the school is to educate. Not to provide catering | :25:51. | :25:57. | |
childminding service. The primary responsibility for ensuring children | :25:58. | :26:00. | |
arrive at school with a good breakfast in their stomachs and | :26:01. | :26:03. | |
ready to learn lies with the parents. It's about food. It's about | :26:04. | :26:08. | |
the quality of food. And it's about getting pupils to enjoy eating good | :26:09. | :26:17. | |
food. And it's about a preference of growing, cooking and eating good | :26:18. | :26:22. | |
food. And, essentially, underpinning all of that, it's about health. We | :26:23. | :26:32. | |
note that Paul diet is detrimental to children's learning. And | :26:33. | :26:36. | |
concentration and behaviour and it can affect participation in school | :26:37. | :26:40. | |
-- poor diet. We know children from low-income households and those | :26:41. | :26:44. | |
living in poverty are at greater risk of poor nutrition and are more | :26:45. | :26:47. | |
likely to have unhealthy food and have insufficient amounts food. John | :26:48. | :26:50. | |
O'Dowd. And Alex Kane is with me again. A rare enough event then, | :26:51. | :26:58. | |
cross-party agreement on something in the chamber. The importance of | :26:59. | :27:00. | |
children coming to school properly fed. It's one of those odd things, I | :27:01. | :27:05. | |
agree with them but John O'Dowd or any other MLAs was to feed my | :27:06. | :27:11. | |
children at 7am, they are more than welcome. You can't force them to | :27:12. | :27:15. | |
eat. The bigger issue is not food. A lot of teachers will tell you it's | :27:16. | :27:18. | |
children who are coming in tired. Because they been watching | :27:19. | :27:23. | |
television, playing games on their phones and computers, tired because | :27:24. | :27:26. | |
they are struggling into bed after a short nights sleep for the buck the | :27:27. | :27:29. | |
real problem for the children will eat when they choose to eat. It ties | :27:30. | :27:33. | |
in with his other issue at the moment, the common funding formula, | :27:34. | :27:45. | |
in with his other issue at the there a fair argument for saying | :27:46. | :27:49. | |
that but, again, comes down to the actual difficulty of making children | :27:50. | :27:52. | |
need. Yes, you can provide free school meals, have a breakfast club | :27:53. | :27:56. | |
for them, but the reality is, with most children, five or six years | :27:57. | :28:01. | |
old, 13 or 14, setting them down and saying, you must eat, that's the | :28:02. | :28:05. | |
real problem and it's not going to be addressed by free school meals | :28:06. | :28:09. | |
all saying, they should eat breakfast together. It's not | :28:10. | :28:14. | |
possible to solve that with kids. The Alliance Party has announced its | :28:15. | :28:16. | |
Belfast candidates for the council elections. Someone is throwing his | :28:17. | :28:22. | |
hat into the prodigal wringer. Duncan Morrow, very high-profile. He | :28:23. | :28:31. | |
established a high profile for himself. -- political wringer. -- | :28:32. | :28:44. | |
ring. He is allowing himself to have something bigger down the line in | :28:45. | :28:50. | |
the assembly. That's an interesting point. We will see if you are right. | :28:51. | :28:53. | |
Thanks, Alex. That's it for now. There's no edition of The View this | :28:54. | :28:57. | |
week because of the half-term break. But I'll be back here next Monday | :28:58. | :29:00. | |
night at the usual time of 11.20pm. Until then, from everyone in the | :29:01. | :29:02. | |
team, bye bye. Should Britain have entered | :29:03. | :29:06. | |
the Great War? Britain's decision | :29:07. | :29:08. | |
for war was a disaster not just for this country, | :29:09. | :29:11. | |
but also for the entire world. | :29:12. | :29:15. |