0:00:22 > 0:00:26Hello and welcome to Stormont Today - all that's worth watching from
0:00:26 > 0:00:29the day's proceedings up here on the Hill. And with MLAs still
0:00:29 > 0:00:33reeling at Martin McGuinness's big news, we hear from the new Deputy
0:00:33 > 0:00:41First Minister as the hours tick down to him taking up his post. But
0:00:41 > 0:00:45what will be his style of management? I am going to employ
0:00:45 > 0:00:52the tactics of a fisherman - patience! And Jim Allister asks the
0:00:52 > 0:00:57big money question. Can you advise the House if while the Deputy First
0:00:57 > 0:01:00Minister pursues his project, he will be paid? Plus find out what
0:01:00 > 0:01:03surprised the Health Minister Edwin Poots and how the Finance Minister
0:01:03 > 0:01:08surprised everyone when he revealed there'll be no cut in corporation
0:01:08 > 0:01:18tax for at least four years. To discuss that and more I'm joined by
0:01:18 > 0:01:19
0:01:19 > 0:01:22Is the prospect of a cut in corporation tax here as far off as
0:01:22 > 0:01:25ever? While the Chancellor, George Osborne, is poised to announce
0:01:25 > 0:01:28whether the power to set the rate of corporation tax can be devolved
0:01:28 > 0:01:32to the Executive, it now looks like an actual tax cut won't happen
0:01:32 > 0:01:39during this Assembly term. This is what the Finance Minister, Sammy
0:01:39 > 0:01:41Wilson, told members this afternoon. One of the reasons why I believe
0:01:41 > 0:01:48there has to be very hard negotiations with the Treasury over
0:01:48 > 0:01:52the autumn to make sure that we are not getting a bill which is totally
0:01:52 > 0:01:57unsustainable for the devolution of corporation tax. The second thing
0:01:57 > 0:02:00is, there's been no provision made in the current four-year budget for
0:02:00 > 0:02:08the devolution of corporation tax so even if we got it down to a
0:02:08 > 0:02:11figure which was manageable, there would still be an impact unless it
0:02:11 > 0:02:16is deferred because many people argue that, look, it is the
0:02:16 > 0:02:19certainty that the tax rate will be down to a certain level by a
0:02:19 > 0:02:24certain time which will influence investment decisions. Since there
0:02:24 > 0:02:29is a long lead-in for investment decisions, I don't believe we will
0:02:29 > 0:02:32see a reduction within the lifetime of this Assembly. Business leaders
0:02:32 > 0:02:35and politicians have campaigned to see the tax lowered from the
0:02:35 > 0:02:38current UK rate of 26% to equal the Republic of Ireland's 12.5%, in
0:02:38 > 0:02:45hopes of boosting the economy and helping Northern Ireland companies
0:02:45 > 0:02:48compete with those in the South. So is this a sign of the times and the
0:02:48 > 0:02:54tough decisions that our MLAs will have to make? With me is Neil
0:02:54 > 0:02:57Gibson an economist with Oxford Economics. Thank you for joining us.
0:02:57 > 0:03:03Sammy Wilson made this announcement at tea time. What do you read into
0:03:03 > 0:03:07it? It is a bit disappointing. It sends a message of defeatism almost.
0:03:07 > 0:03:11We know there are a lot of political challenges, but to send
0:03:11 > 0:03:15out a message - he quoted a high figure for cost. He suggested it
0:03:15 > 0:03:22would take a long time to get things through. It does not send
0:03:22 > 0:03:26the right message to the business community that our local executive
0:03:26 > 0:03:31is ready to get stuck in quickly. That will have been another four
0:03:31 > 0:03:36years that have passed. Are we running scared? It does seem odd
0:03:36 > 0:03:41that what we are fixated with is what the cost might be. Let's see
0:03:41 > 0:03:44the cost and make our decision accordingly. We are almost putting
0:03:44 > 0:03:48up problems before they have arisen. We are warning people there might
0:03:48 > 0:03:51be a cost, which is a strange concept that anyone out there
0:03:51 > 0:03:55should think that any form of economic development will be free
0:03:55 > 0:04:00somehow. We are going to have to invest in a better economy. Let's
0:04:00 > 0:04:04find out what the cost is and then make our decision. There are no
0:04:04 > 0:04:09guarantees that all these companies which we think will come and invest
0:04:09 > 0:04:14here in Northern Ireland, it is a gamble for the Executive? Any form
0:04:14 > 0:04:18of policy change will carry some degree of risk. We have done some
0:04:18 > 0:04:21modelling work and tried to look at what the returns might be. We only
0:04:21 > 0:04:25have to look at the Republic of Ireland experience, very
0:04:25 > 0:04:31challenging times that they have now. Look at the firms that came
0:04:31 > 0:04:36there and didn't come to Northern Ireland. If we could only capture a
0:04:36 > 0:04:44small portion of those firms, we would be in a better place than we
0:04:44 > 0:04:48are now. The Executive have said we need to incentivise the private
0:04:48 > 0:04:53sector. What about how the Government is looking forward. What
0:04:53 > 0:04:56advice would you give them? It is difficult in that we are trying to
0:04:56 > 0:04:59think long-term. Northern Ireland is dependent on the British
0:04:59 > 0:05:04taxpayer continuing to subsidise our standard of living. They may
0:05:04 > 0:05:09choose that they have problems of their own, they may decide to
0:05:09 > 0:05:13reduce that. We need to think long- term. Can we prepare for a Northern
0:05:13 > 0:05:23Ireland economy that is all the things we have talked about -
0:05:23 > 0:05:24
0:05:24 > 0:05:29private sector led? So a bit of long-term planning is what we would
0:05:29 > 0:05:32like to see. Stay with us. Well, the other big news of course is
0:05:32 > 0:05:34that we're getting a new Deputy First Minister while Martin
0:05:34 > 0:05:39McGuinness goes to seek his fortune in the Republic's presidential
0:05:39 > 0:05:41election. While the six-week campaign is ongoing, he will be
0:05:41 > 0:05:47replaced by the current Education Minister, John O'Dowd, who will
0:05:47 > 0:05:50juggle both portfolios. We'll hear from Mr O'Dowd in a moment, but
0:05:50 > 0:05:58first here's how the chamber reacted to the news this morning -
0:05:58 > 0:06:03or rather, here's what Jim Allister wanted to know. Point of order.
0:06:03 > 0:06:12Further to your announcement under Section 16A, can you advise the
0:06:12 > 0:06:17House if while the Deputy First Minister pursues his project, he
0:06:17 > 0:06:23will be paid as the Deputy First Minister of this House? Order. It's
0:06:23 > 0:06:27not a matter for the Speaker. The Speaker has fulfilled his role this
0:06:27 > 0:06:33morning. I simply received a letter from the Deputy First Minister,
0:06:33 > 0:06:36that letter is very clear, it is correct and I am informing the
0:06:36 > 0:06:41House this morning, that is where my role ends. I am sure the
0:06:41 > 0:06:44educated member would also know that as well. It's now less than an
0:06:44 > 0:06:48hour until John O'Dowd steps up to his new role. I spoke to him
0:06:48 > 0:06:51earlier and asked him if he could shed any light on the issue of the
0:06:51 > 0:06:58Deputy First Minister's salary, but first was he up to doing two jobs
0:06:58 > 0:07:01instead of one. I will be stepping into take over Martin's role as DFM
0:07:01 > 0:07:04for the next six weeks. It will be business as usual. There is a
0:07:04 > 0:07:09programme of work which requires to be completed for the benefit of the
0:07:09 > 0:07:13people whom we represent. I along with my colleagues, both in the
0:07:13 > 0:07:18Sinn Fein and with all the other ministers, wish to see that
0:07:18 > 0:07:22programme of work concluded. Do you think you can do both jobs
0:07:22 > 0:07:26effectively? Six weeks is workable. I have spent the summer reading
0:07:26 > 0:07:31myself into the education brief. I am preparing a major speech for
0:07:31 > 0:07:36next Monday to the Assembly which will set out a range of initiatives.
0:07:36 > 0:07:40I am very fortunate that within the Department of Education, I have an
0:07:40 > 0:07:49experienced group of civil servants who know the thinking of the
0:07:49 > 0:07:59minister. So that is fortunate. We have a very experienced group of
0:07:59 > 0:08:00
0:08:00 > 0:08:03civil servants and advisors. You couldn't carry out both tasks over
0:08:03 > 0:08:09a prolonged period. Are you confident that the important
0:08:09 > 0:08:12decisions that need to be made over the next six weeks will still go
0:08:12 > 0:08:16ahead? I can assure parents that the Department of Education is in
0:08:16 > 0:08:20safe hands. I have spent my summer months reading myself into the
0:08:20 > 0:08:25brief, deciding on the next steps in education. I will be setting
0:08:25 > 0:08:33those out next week. A full programme of work will be rolling
0:08:33 > 0:08:37out. It will involve the Education Library Boards. I will be keeping a
0:08:37 > 0:08:44close eye on it. My department knows my thinking on the various
0:08:44 > 0:08:48matters. So I would say it is in safe hands over the period. It is
0:08:48 > 0:08:51interesting because the Deputy First Minister role is busy and
0:08:52 > 0:08:57there are important decisions to be made, not least the programme for
0:08:57 > 0:09:03Government? Yes, that is an executive collective decision.
0:09:03 > 0:09:08There has been good work done over these last number of weeks. I am
0:09:08 > 0:09:12confident that can move on. I am sure we will have a radical
0:09:12 > 0:09:17programme of Government in place to set the course of direction. Do you
0:09:17 > 0:09:21think Martin McGuinness will win? hope he will win. I believe the
0:09:21 > 0:09:25potential that is building up behind his campaign puts him in a
0:09:25 > 0:09:31good place. He will be a big loss to the party. If he does win, he is
0:09:31 > 0:09:34taking on the President of Ireland. I think in the overall wellbeing of
0:09:34 > 0:09:40the peace process, the nation, I think it is the right thing to do.
0:09:40 > 0:09:44What about the issue of pay, then? Do you think is it fair that he
0:09:44 > 0:09:48keeps the Deputy First Minister's salary and that you don't get any
0:09:48 > 0:09:53acting-up pay? My understanding is that Martin won't be collecting any
0:09:53 > 0:10:00salary over this period of time. That is my understanding. I'm
0:10:00 > 0:10:07notested in acting-up pay. -- I am not interested in acting-up pay.
0:10:07 > 0:10:11I'm fortunate that I do collect a wage. Certainly not an extravagant
0:10:11 > 0:10:15lifestyle. What about the issues of the past? How do you think he will
0:10:15 > 0:10:20handle those? How do you think that will impact on the Sinn Fein
0:10:20 > 0:10:25campaign? Martin McGuinness has been a public figure for almost 30
0:10:25 > 0:10:29years. His past has been closely examined by the media in varying
0:10:29 > 0:10:33degrees, from honesty to mistruths. I have no doubt Martin will be able
0:10:33 > 0:10:37to handle any question placed in front of him about his past. I
0:10:38 > 0:10:43think it's wrong - and I think the general public sees through this -
0:10:43 > 0:10:48it is wrong to pick out an individual or a group from our past.
0:10:48 > 0:10:52If you want to examine the conflict, let's examine the conflict in its
0:10:52 > 0:11:02entirety. We have set out a process where we believe that can be
0:11:02 > 0:11:08achieved. That is our proposal. I think the general public will judge
0:11:08 > 0:11:11Martin McGuinness on his merits. He has been a successful politician. I
0:11:11 > 0:11:14have no doubt the people of the South will judge him on his
0:11:15 > 0:11:20character and the work he has achieved for the peace process in
0:11:20 > 0:11:25Ireland. Why do you think the party has chosen you to step up?
0:11:25 > 0:11:28tempted to say because I'm the tallest! I'm incensed - I have
0:11:28 > 0:11:33taken a number of leadership positions in the party before. I
0:11:33 > 0:11:37have a broad understanding of the issues which are currently rotating
0:11:37 > 0:11:43around the Executive. It is for a six-week period. I will be relying
0:11:44 > 0:11:48heavily on my support team and on my Executive colleagues. That
0:11:48 > 0:11:56previous job in the kitchen, are you going to employ any of those
0:11:56 > 0:11:58tactics, keeping everybody in order? I will employ the tactics of
0:11:58 > 0:12:02a fisherman - patience. I will take one serious piece of advice - have
0:12:02 > 0:12:09a wee bit of patience. It is not out of the frying pan and into the
0:12:09 > 0:12:12fire? I don't think so. We heard from John O'Dowd. Can he do two
0:12:12 > 0:12:16jobs? Is it appropriate to have the Education Minister be the Deputy
0:12:16 > 0:12:18First Minister? I think there is certainly a challenge, not least
0:12:18 > 0:12:23because he's only into the education brief. It does happen in
0:12:23 > 0:12:28business all the time, people leave for sickness, or they are moving on
0:12:28 > 0:12:32to another post. So it wouldn't be unusual and as he draws attention
0:12:32 > 0:12:36to the fact, it is only for six weeks. It is a tough time. There
0:12:36 > 0:12:40are big decisions to be made. It is quite a difficult period in which
0:12:40 > 0:12:43he is taking over the role. Stay with us. Thank you. The Health
0:12:43 > 0:12:45Minister, Edwin Poots, was under scrutiny at Question Time today
0:12:45 > 0:12:50answering questions on fertility treatment and prisoner medication
0:12:50 > 0:12:59among other things. First up today, though, was Sammy Wilson and who
0:12:59 > 0:13:02was waiting to ambush him but that man again - Jim Allister. The TUV
0:13:02 > 0:13:05leader wanted to know why he had agreed a pay rise for special
0:13:05 > 0:13:12advisers when a pay freeze for civil servants is already in
0:13:12 > 0:13:16operation. Well, the member seems to be very interested in everybody
0:13:16 > 0:13:21else's pay but really doesn't - I could take that from some other
0:13:21 > 0:13:28members in this chamber. But I could take that from some other
0:13:28 > 0:13:36members... He doesn't like this. But this is the member, this is the
0:13:36 > 0:13:41member who goes to court to keep his own pay... Order! Order! Just...
0:13:41 > 0:13:47Order! The Minister has been asked the question and the Minister is
0:13:47 > 0:13:50giving his reply. Can we have order, please? Minister? I think you see
0:13:50 > 0:13:58the member doesn't like the truth being told. He loves the point the
0:13:58 > 0:14:01finger, he loves to posture. He loves to blame everybody else and
0:14:01 > 0:14:06identify what he believes are the faults of everybody else. I would
0:14:06 > 0:14:09think he would have a bit more credibility if he was prepared to
0:14:09 > 0:14:12have some transparency about the money that he gets from the public
0:14:12 > 0:14:21purse instead of looking at the money other people are getting or
0:14:21 > 0:14:27what he believes are getting. the member take his seat? No points
0:14:27 > 0:14:37of order are taken through Question Time. You may raise later if you
0:14:37 > 0:14:37
0:14:37 > 0:14:45wish. Thank you very much. I will be a bit more restrained than
0:14:45 > 0:14:49hereto. Question two. OK. I thank the member - we know his customary
0:14:49 > 0:14:54restraint. He will not be as restrained in his battle for the
0:14:54 > 0:14:59leadership of the party! LAUGHTER am sure he will be fairly robust
0:14:59 > 0:15:05when it comes to that. I was going to say I wish him all the best, but
0:15:05 > 0:15:09that might be the death knell for him, so I'll not. I will keep that.
0:15:09 > 0:15:16LAUGHTER The issue of issuing a bond is something which has come up
0:15:16 > 0:15:21time and time again. As part of schemes where we are trying to
0:15:21 > 0:15:30identify ways in which we can bring additional spending into the public
0:15:30 > 0:15:34sector for projects which we have not been financed through, through
0:15:34 > 0:15:38money we can raise by the sale of assets. The difficulty with this
0:15:38 > 0:15:44issue - and I have explained this on a number of occasions - the
0:15:44 > 0:15:49difficulty is that if we as an Executive borrow money, the
0:15:49 > 0:15:54Treasury then takes that as part of the borrowing for the whole of the
0:15:54 > 0:15:59United Kingdom and if borrowing targets are set, then they simply
0:15:59 > 0:16:05reduce the amount of money which is given to Northern Ireland according
0:16:05 > 0:16:11to the amount of money which will be borrowed. Questions to health
0:16:11 > 0:16:17next. I would have concerns about that,
0:16:17 > 0:16:26Mr Speaker. We do intend to look at that particular issue. We have the
0:16:26 > 0:16:31problem - we have people who are getting prescriptions for things
0:16:31 > 0:16:41like Ibuprofen, for things you can easily buy over the counter at low-
0:16:41 > 0:16:47
0:16:48 > 0:16:54cost. We have already given guidelines on these. I should make
0:16:54 > 0:16:59it clear that this Executive, this Assembly and this country spends
0:16:59 > 0:17:03around �460 million per year on pharmacy. That is almost as much
0:17:03 > 0:17:08money as the entire Department of Regional Development spends. We
0:17:08 > 0:17:12need to get better efficiencies into the system. We need to get
0:17:12 > 0:17:16value for money. We need to eradicate a lot of the waste of
0:17:16 > 0:17:19drugs that we are buying and we need to maximise the amount of
0:17:20 > 0:17:23generics we are using. There is a lot of work to be done on this
0:17:23 > 0:17:27particular issue. There is a lot of savings to be made on this
0:17:27 > 0:17:31particular issue. Community pharmacists offer a very important
0:17:31 > 0:17:35role into the delivery of Health Service in Northern Ireland. We
0:17:35 > 0:17:39don't want to make them the fall guy. We do need to make
0:17:39 > 0:17:46considerable savings. The Minister gets annoyed at people failing to
0:17:47 > 0:17:51attend hospital appointments. Introducing these measures, will
0:17:51 > 0:17:55you take into account particular circumstances and particular cases
0:17:55 > 0:17:59such as people with bad eyesight and in terms of appointments going
0:18:00 > 0:18:05out, would it be standard, or is it standard to have them in large
0:18:05 > 0:18:10print? Well, those are issues and I accept that sometimes when people
0:18:10 > 0:18:16don't turn up it is not necessarily their fault. However, 61% of people
0:18:16 > 0:18:20who didn't turn up had forgot, 16% of people who didn't turn up felt
0:18:20 > 0:18:25embarrassed about coming to the outpatients and another 13% didn't
0:18:25 > 0:18:29think it was important and another 10% tried to cancel but couldn't
0:18:29 > 0:18:34get through. So I think you can take from those figures that the
0:18:34 > 0:18:39main core of the problem is people who fall into the category of
0:18:39 > 0:18:43forgetting or who didn't think it was important. Drugs in prison are
0:18:43 > 0:18:48a long-standing problem but what about prescribed drugs? How many
0:18:48 > 0:18:56prisoners are on medication? levels of prescribing up to three
0:18:56 > 0:19:00Northern Ireland prison establishments, 80%, 58%, 38%,
0:19:00 > 0:19:09these levels of prescribing reflect the fact that prisoners tend to
0:19:09 > 0:19:18have poor physical and mental health in the population at large.
0:19:18 > 0:19:27Healthcare service is provided at the three prison sites. I am sure
0:19:27 > 0:19:33prisoners' needs are appropriately met. I think thank the Minister for
0:19:33 > 0:19:41his answer. There is obviously doctor-patient confidentiality.
0:19:41 > 0:19:47Does his department have any view or do they put in place any
0:19:47 > 0:19:55monitoring process to ensure the high level of drug use in prison is
0:19:55 > 0:19:58monitored? I will have to say that I am shocked by these figures. So I
0:19:58 > 0:20:05welcome the fact that it's been brought to our attention. I
0:20:05 > 0:20:09certainly will be asking questions as to whether this high level of
0:20:09 > 0:20:18prescribing drugs to people in prison is necessary, or whether
0:20:18 > 0:20:23it's suitable because prisoners are camera as a result of it. Prisons
0:20:23 > 0:20:27are reform institutes. If people are coming out having received
0:20:27 > 0:20:31large quantities of prescription drugs, as opposed to overcoming
0:20:31 > 0:20:34their problems, there is some degree of failing. Agreeing a
0:20:34 > 0:20:37programme for Government has been one of the trickier tasks up here
0:20:37 > 0:20:42on the Hill. Today the Ulster Unionist Party released its own
0:20:42 > 0:20:46plans for the economy and party leader Tom Elliott joins us now.
0:20:46 > 0:20:53Thank you for coming in. We have had an election this year, your
0:20:53 > 0:21:00party manifesto was there. What is the reason for publishing this
0:21:00 > 0:21:04Dockham document? It was indicated to the two main parties that we
0:21:04 > 0:21:09needed a programme for Government. We had set a bung et in March but
0:21:09 > 0:21:12we suggested that the programme for -- budget in March but we suggested
0:21:12 > 0:21:16that the programme for Government was done before the budget was set.
0:21:16 > 0:21:19We do need a programme for Government. Just last week, we
0:21:19 > 0:21:22witnessed the student fees project having to be changed and that's
0:21:22 > 0:21:27changed to the budget already, only a few months into this budget. What
0:21:27 > 0:21:32we are saying is, there are probably going to be many more
0:21:32 > 0:21:38changes throughout the four-year period. Let's have collective
0:21:38 > 0:21:41Government. We have come out with our own proposals. Before we get on
0:21:41 > 0:21:48to those, just looking at the reasons for having a programme for
0:21:48 > 0:21:52Government, was it not the case the SDLP and the Ulster Unionists sat
0:21:52 > 0:21:59on the outside of discussions, so again what is the point in doing
0:21:59 > 0:22:02this right now? I think you sit outside if you are kept outside.
0:22:02 > 0:22:09The Ulster Unionists and SDLP weren't involved in that process
0:22:09 > 0:22:13because we weren't invited to be. We have come forward with our own
0:22:13 > 0:22:18proposals, hopefully that we can set up a stage for the next four
0:22:19 > 0:22:22years so we can make decisions together and hopefully make a
0:22:22 > 0:22:27better decision-making process. is about joined-up Government
0:22:27 > 0:22:31rather than any idea of opposition now? What we are doing is putting
0:22:31 > 0:22:34forward our proposals. The proposals that we have put forward
0:22:34 > 0:22:38today are very reasonable. They are workable within a Government,
0:22:38 > 0:22:42within an executive of Northern Ireland. I am sure that all parties
0:22:42 > 0:22:47won't find too much wrong with them. I hope it will set a basis we can
0:22:47 > 0:22:53work to. We need to get that collective Government and hopefully
0:22:53 > 0:22:57that we can do that now. It's not an easy task. We do know the two
0:22:57 > 0:23:02major parties are dominant in the Executive. Quite a lot of the time
0:23:02 > 0:23:08they want to exclude the SDLP and ourselves. Just reading through the
0:23:08 > 0:23:16document today, it is a wish-list. But some of the proposals seem a
0:23:16 > 0:23:20bit woolly on some reading of it. Reduce poverty by 2015 and
0:23:20 > 0:23:26completely by 2018. Almost half the population is in fuel poverty, is
0:23:26 > 0:23:30that realistic? What we want to do is set this as a basis for
0:23:30 > 0:23:33discussion document. There may be some other proposal that will come
0:23:33 > 0:23:38forward from the other parties. We are inviting that. If they want to
0:23:39 > 0:23:45come forward with their proposals, we are happy to discuss those
0:23:45 > 0:23:49issues. But unless we get progress on corporation tax - and I noted
0:23:49 > 0:23:52Sammy Wilson's suggestion today in the Assembly that it appeared
0:23:53 > 0:23:56somewhat ambiguous as to whether we would move forward in this term or
0:23:56 > 0:24:00not with at least the powers to reduce corporation tax and then
0:24:00 > 0:24:07hopefully that we would do it. I also noted that he said that he
0:24:07 > 0:24:15didn't know what the meaning of "enterprise zones" were. Enterprise
0:24:15 > 0:24:25zones, you may be able to give tax breaks, business start-ups, for
0:24:25 > 0:24:29certain individual projects. The North West could be a tourist
0:24:29 > 0:24:32enterprise zone. Briefly, Martin McGuinness said that victims'
0:24:32 > 0:24:37feelings are being whipped up around this issue of him running
0:24:37 > 0:24:41for Irish President. What do you think about that? Well, it's up to
0:24:41 > 0:24:46the people of the Republic of Ireland who they elect as their new
0:24:46 > 0:24:52President. The point I would make is that I don't have to whip up the
0:24:53 > 0:25:02fears within the victims' sector. That tension is there. There is a
0:25:03 > 0:25:09
0:25:09 > 0:25:17frustration there. There is a traumaisation there. --
0:25:17 > 0:25:21traumatisation there. I think it is time that he came clean. I think he
0:25:21 > 0:25:26should stop trying to justify the 30-year campaign of terrorism in
0:25:26 > 0:25:30Northern Ireland. That is the one thing that continues to niggle the
0:25:30 > 0:25:32victims of Northern Ireland. Thank you very much. We've already been
0:25:32 > 0:25:39talking about the programme for Government. As our political editor,
0:25:39 > 0:25:44Mark Devenport, told me earlier it's also on the agenda tomorrow.
0:25:44 > 0:25:47The SDLP has a motion which will be debated tomorrow, calling for the
0:25:47 > 0:25:51Executive to get together a new programme for Government,
0:25:51 > 0:25:56criticising the delay that there has been since the election in
0:25:56 > 0:26:03having that. That has in turn been criticised by Sinn Fein who argue
0:26:03 > 0:26:10the SDL is disingenuous, that you can't brush aside the budget that
0:26:10 > 0:26:16had previously been pushed through. The challenge facing the Executive
0:26:16 > 0:26:21parties will be can they get through a programme for Government
0:26:21 > 0:26:28when John O'Dowd is acting up? Will all the parties buy into it? Or
0:26:28 > 0:26:32will we see a breakdown where the bigger parties may go one way and
0:26:32 > 0:26:39the smaller parties go another way? Martin McGuinness has already been
0:26:39 > 0:26:41facing questions about his past. Of course, Mark, the past is very much
0:26:41 > 0:26:46the backdrop for all of the political debate up here? Yes. It's
0:26:46 > 0:26:49going to be a question which will be coming back again and again in
0:26:49 > 0:26:55relation to the Irish presidential campaign. It is something he is
0:26:55 > 0:27:05used to. So many of the debates here - we had the debate on the
0:27:05 > 0:27:06
0:27:06 > 0:27:12Police Ombudsman earlier on today. Various speakers were harking back
0:27:12 > 0:27:20to that image of a young Martin McGuinness as a self-confessed IRA
0:27:20 > 0:27:26leader. I think this is something that which we will have to get used
0:27:26 > 0:27:31to. Martin McGuinness isn't the only politician who is on the move?
0:27:31 > 0:27:36No. He's going south. But certainly a number of politicians, four
0:27:36 > 0:27:40members of the regional development committee and the regional
0:27:40 > 0:27:45development ministers are off to France, for a shorter period of
0:27:45 > 0:27:50time, just for a couple of days. They are going to look at the bus
0:27:50 > 0:27:54way in Nantes in France to see whether that might form some
0:27:54 > 0:28:02example for the much talked about but so far little actually built
0:28:02 > 0:28:09bus way that's been talked about in relation to Belfast. So, four of
0:28:09 > 0:28:19them will get to make the trip. A number of them won't. But here is a
0:28:19 > 0:28:20
0:28:20 > 0:28:24sight of what they are missing. Thank you. Neil, Sammy Wilson
0:28:24 > 0:28:27laughed off that question about public sector pay. It could
0:28:27 > 0:28:31potentially save the Government a huge amount of money? Absolutely.
0:28:31 > 0:28:35Although it was a loaded question, the sentiment behind it, it
0:28:35 > 0:28:39shouldn't be laughed off. We talk about the need to implement cuts
0:28:39 > 0:28:45and how difficult the climate is. The public sector pay bill is the
0:28:45 > 0:28:51biggest element of our expenditure. So you can make quite a significant
0:28:51 > 0:28:57saving. That is really the world we are in now. We need to talk about
0:28:57 > 0:29:01things like welfare reform, public sector pay. These are very
0:29:01 > 0:29:03difficult subjects. Thank you very much. That's it from the programme