20/02/2012 Stormont Today

Hello, and welcome to Stormont Today. In Brussels, they have been

haggling over-rate �130 billion bail-out for Greece. But here, our

MLAs have been talking tough as well.

I am afraid there is not an answer I can give. I am not going to play

with him. And the Social Development Minister

was not in the mood for playing either.

As I had said in the past, it people would just eremite, God gave

us two ears and one mouth, and I am sure he will benefit from that

advice. For back to where it all began.

What brought the former First Minister, now David Trimble, back

to parliament buildings this evening?

To add a gentle prose to the events of the seething, my guest is Martin

Lynch. We are all watching the pennies and

the pounds these days, and the arts are no exception. My guest tonight,

playwright Martin Lynch, obviously we have had the recent controversy

over funding. You must be feeling pleased you have got your money?

I feel a relief it has been reinstated.

Funding for the answers right across the board is a tiny

proportion of government funding. That straddles right down to

funding for the cathedral quarter. �300,000. This is nothing. Add

water generates, I get a small grant, I did a play last year, and

we get about 2000 �5,000. Extra money is spent in bars and

restaurants, and so we know that actually art and culture is a money

generator, so it is stupid to cut that.

D C D art as an easy target? Do we do not live by bread alone.

People will tilt all kind of things to survive in this world, in the

arts and culture generally, there are a huge part of what we do. It

is right across the social spectrum. It is everyone who participate in

the art. We have just done a number of plays,

right across the spectrum, loads and loads of people come and enjoy

Caused a bit of a stir at Question Time earlier which some members not

happy about how the culture minister, Caral Ni Chuilin and to

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 51 seconds

I am in discussion with other colleagues about how we do that.

What I have said is that in relation to the council's going to

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 51 seconds

Could I reminded the Minister include the words, promoting of a

Has she changed her bigoted stance on any of those issues? The I don't

feel there is an answer. It was then return of John O'Dowd,

education minister. The Good Friday Experience of what is going on here.

This is about to young people, children learning in Irish go

through the medium of Irish. They come from all walks of life. And

all different opinions on many He was extremely critical of the

Minister and especially around the issue and especially in relation to

the reduction or the increase in pupil and teacher ratio and clearly

Sinn Fein cannot have it both ways and it is critical go of what is

happening bus-stop can remember finish his question, please? When

it will the Minister act in the best interest of the children in

Northern Ireland and stop chasing moonbeams, especially the one that

is in Middletown. Cannot we welcome them member's interest and

particularly in Sinn Fein contributions. It is always good

for people to broaden their horizons. Or whatever language they

were in, is a welcome the fact. In regards to the funding issue on how

the Dublin government fund education, I don't think it is

appropriate for me to get involved in that debate but I can tell a

member of that we have actually ring-fenced funding for specialist

educational needs in this jurisdiction, we have not been

involved in cuts in special education needs provision. The

money is there and as the member well knows as well, but regards to

the overall budget, working alongside the First Minister, we

have invested formally in this jurisdiction and so we are not

involved in a penny pinching programme around those most

honourable in our society. We do face a difficult issues but those

are matters that the Executive continues to study. I have said

that Middletown, there is an ongoing report being prepared and

it will be before the next a 0 South ministerial meeting in May

and we will make a decision on the way forward on that occasion.

Looking at the wider issue of the Cathedral Quarter, do you see that

now as the hub of theatre and arts in Belfast? It is one that cluster

of groups and activities that is important. It is not the most

important, we have fabulous menus in Belfast, a lyric, the Crescent

Arts Centre, the opera house at the Cathedral Quarter as an interactive

area draws in not only local people but tourists and will be a focus

will stop if you look back at the Cathedral Quarter 10 years ago, it

was a derelict community. Donegal Street have been devastated by

bombs in the Seventies. I wrote the first paper saying it could become

a cultural area and it was picked up and from that, what was a

derelict community has die had somebody estimated �2.100000000

invested into it. In terms of the arts, there was some debate last

week and it brought a lot of different views out and people did

say, why not go to some of the bars and restaurants and get them to

subsidise and give you some grants to what it? Private income is

something we stride to bring into it. We work hard trying to raise

private finance every year for our projects, all the arts groups do.

There is in the culture in United States for doing so but here there

isn't that culture so it is an uphill battle all the time but we

do try very hard to breed of private income into the arts.

A bid by the SDLP to get the Executive to make opposition to

welfare reform its highest priority has failed to get support in the

chamber. Sinn Fein supported a motion but the DUP and Ulster

Unionists would it against. These reforms are not about

simplifying the system, they are surely at tool to cut costs. The

Tories also have great expectations for most of the personal

independence penance which are to replace the L A go stub their

expenditure will be 20% less than that on the D L F. That is money

coming from the pockets of people in need. This restructuring will be,

reduction, is already under way with people being assessed as being

able to walk 100 metres after really demonstrating the ability to

walk 10. Northern Ireland has a higher percentage of people on

benefits than the rest of UK, largely attributable to the likes

of the Troubles. We need a unique solution for what is a unique

situation. Here in Northern Ireland, I am sure that all of us who have

ever worked in trying to guide a citizen through the benefits system

will agree that the system does need to change. It is too complex

and Unwin tinkle stop there are too many benefits were there too many

different criteria reading too much confusion. Once alliance is

supportive of reforming welfare system, in getting people to work

were possible, to gain skills and contribute positively to society.

We have serious concerns. Bluntly put, you have to be able to get a

job or be able to increase you're working hours for the current

proposals to mean something other than a poor return. One of the

shortcomings I detect and the SDLP and from some of their more local

exponents is simply that they are big on rhetoric and strong also on

denial, that they live in a state of denial about the realities that

we face and perhaps if they were as a more constructive as to what

might be done, then perhaps we as an Assembly might benefit from

their support and from their advice, rather than... No, I will not be

giving way. As I have said to others in this House, as I have

said in the past, if people were doing just their mind that God gave

us two years and one might, Alastair McDonald will benefit from

that his advice. We must recognise that we need to break into

generational work and break the cycle of dependency. This will be

difficult and it will require all of us in this Assembly to show

leadership in supporting the measures necessary to achieve these

important cultural and societal changes. After the vote, the SDLP

leader head out of the Unionist and Alliance parties for not supporting

the motion which was lost by just six votes. Nelson McCausland is

telling us he is merely a bailiff for the Tory government in

Westminster, let him tell us that outright. There's always room, we

have devolution here and there is room for an Executive to be

creative and to think ahead and they are not doing that, they are

just sleepwalking. With me now it is Mickey Brady from Sinn Fein. We

are disappointed with the outcome of this afternoon's did it? Yes,

disappointed that there was a division on the amendments and

indeed on this it stands up motive because certainly in relation to

the Sinn Fein amendment. Obviously you are on the committee that is

looking at this as you have had a lot of discussion, the one thing

that seems to be coming across is that we don't actually know what

impact this is going to have on people, how do you think you can

push the Minister or push the government at Westminster to give

We're told that parity cannot be broken because of the financial

link. We are looking for the minister to do that, and the

Assembly. We want them to look at how we can best mitigate the

effects and the impact of welfare reform, because it is about cuts,

it is ideologically driven. 4th what we are going to try and do is

do the best we can to mitigate the effects of welfare reform, because

the votes to vulnerable in our society, particularly the disabled,

and if you read the British pressure, the disabled have been

vilified. This is legislation which has been ideologically driven up,

it is more relevant to the south- east of England than it is to

Northern Ireland. We have different circumstances.

For his change not overdue? Whether or not we have different

circumstances, people were on benefits has become something to be

ashamed on. I would not agree with that,

because my previous benefits -- previous background was working in

a JobCentre with people on all kinds of benefits. Prior to that, I

worked in a security service office in Belfast. Welfare reform is like

the age of though all over again, because we have seen all these

changes, they do not really work. They do not help the people who

most needed. There is this myth that people like being on benefits.

I have never met anyone who has coming to me and said that they

love being on benefits. It does not work like that. I deal with people

who have been employed for 30 years, and because of the recession they

have lost their employment. Those are the people who are also going

to be the victims of these cuts, and let's have no doubt about it,

these are cuts. The chief constable, Matt Baggott,

paid a visit to the Justice Committee on Thursday, his first

grilling from MLAs. We will see some of that in a moment, but let

us start how we did look at the committee's with the doomed

Department of Employment and learning.

Option one of creates a number of advantages. It underpins the

strength of the economy and would not only included job creation, it

also include skills policy and increased productivity and

competitiveness. Until this strategy is entirely implemented,

you may not have read is in full, and you may misinterpret things. In

recent times, there have been very major changes. There is try to --

quite a strong connection I have with of Ireland. The the whole

thing is around a shared skills, which have come about in recent

times. The department will prepare people for new investment. We have

150 graduates, for example, who are being employed by companies here,

and we are working with universities and colleges to get

them on other courses. Option two, skills and Employment Service. This

is all-rounder employment law and further education, higher education,

the back to pre- devolution. I do think that you have a strong case

for linking with the economy, because you are so skilled around

The argument may come from others, whether it gets aborted or not. It

was certainly articulated earlier that higher education is churning

out professionals. They have a case to make about why they are put up

to it, as I am just saying to you, that is an issue we are looking at,

and it will be a developing discussion, I have no doubt. I am

only putting arguments about, I am not expressing an opinion.

We have an eight -- we have an impression People will comply with

our ethics. We have expectations of people's conduct. If they do not

fulfil the expectations, I would be very anxious to correct that. The

issue about whether the ombudsman can investigate somebody is a

matter for the law changed. What I would say is that if somebody

breaks the law, whoever they are, they will be investigated with the

full rule of law. There is no it special dispensation, there is that

Amnesty, people will be subject to a criminal investigation whether

they are removed in terms of the contract on up -- or not.

I am not saying all suggesting that. But there is a history of retired

police personnel are not co- operating with the ombudsman. They

are now being required into the police force, and they find

themselves in exactly the same position, as they do not have to

drawbridge. You have a serious -- senior member of your staff who was

asked a question. I would have left that meeting feeling that staff

were not accountable. If there is a lack of clarity, I

was not aware that. The word yes cannot be any clearer.

There is no room for misinterpretation.

There has been much debate about this. I have clarified my own views

on this. What you have done is take a simple line.

No, I have not. But let me declare. I have spoken to my colleagues on

the policing Board and come away with that.

If cannot clarify my position? -- can I clarify my position? If there

is ambiguity, then and there should be an apology. But I think there is

an expectation that people would co-operate with ombudsman's

investigations. That is my expectation.

The former First Minister, Lord Trimble, was back at Stormont to

write for the unveiling of his portraits that will hang in the

corridors of power. He paid tribute to the artist, David Nolan, for

making him look a vaguely human. I asked him what it was like to be

back. The fact that the institutions are

here and operating, and operating by people who a dozen years ago

vigorously criticised at the very agreement that we made, it's just

underlines how right we were to make that agreement. What a shame

that the implementation did not go according to plan. We lost a number

of years, but it is here and it is working. It is important that it be

here and it is important that it works better. It still has a lot of

problems to tackle here, which is there to be done.

During the Lords now and sitting on the Tory benches. How does that

figure he now in future? Do you see yourself actively campaigning for

Conservative candidates hearing Northern Ireland rather than the

Ulster Unionist colleagues? At the last election that is

exactly what I did. I was delighted to support the Conservative

candidates. But the next camp -- campaign I am going to have is to

get Boris Johnson a re-elected as a Mayor for London.

In the meantime, should the Ulster Unionists go into opposition here?

That is a decision for them to take. I remember thinking about it and

discussing it. We did not have to decide whether or not to do that,

but it is obviously a nice decision, and his is a nice decision as to

the timing of it as well. So I think I'll leave it entirely to the

current party, they are the best people to make the decision there.

What about the DUP? How do you feel about them and their move towards a

more integrated society? Words are cheap. Actions count. I

suspend judgment. The record of the DUP would not encourage me.

From the former first minister to the current one, Peter Robinson and

Martin McGuinness were in London today. They have trips planned much

further afield this year. They will be doing a lot of globe-

trotting in the next few months. They met the Chinese vice-president

at a state banquet in Ireland. Earth they have been on a trip to

London and they intend to go to China in the coming months. That

will be after they have already visited the USA and Canada which

they will do next month for some Patrick's Day, and India as to buy.

-- St Patrick's Day. Some criticism. Amnesty International saying that

when they are in China they will have to raise the human rights

concerns about Chinese authorities, but business will be enthusiastic

about it. Also, academics have already established relationships

with China. No doubt they will want an input pulse of academics from

the world of science were at Stormont here today.

Yes, it was the first meeting of an all-party group. It is considered

important in terms of economic growth, but the politicians are not

as well-informed about side of it manners as maybe they should be. --

scientific matters. They discussed are many different matters. Eight.

That was made by a number of scientists, including one from the

Royal Society of Chemistry, was that Stormont should really match

other devolved administrations in having its own chief scientific

adviser. Their results of evidence to

suggest in Scotland and Wales that this has helped to drive through

technology and science within assemblies. It is a no-brainer.

On to a different thing, there was an interesting question today.

It was a slightly unusual example of MLAs tried to get to grips with

scientific reality. He had a question to the agricultural

minister asking whether her department had researched the

cancer risks of putting microchips into cats and dogs. This is not

something they have been campaigning on, but he was asked by

an animal welfare agency to try and get to the bottom of the research.

He thinks it is a good thing, but there was a long list of scientific

papers from the Department of Agriculture that showed that there

might be some risk to laboratory rats and mice, but there was not a

risk to the average domestic pet. What is next on your agenda?

For I am very busy. We are doing eight re-run of one of my plays,

which has been incredibly successful. Then we are doing a big,

big show at the Opera House in August. It is based on a group of

shipyard workers who was selected to sail on the Titanic after they

had built it. Everyone died, so it is a very unique story. They are

all aged between 18 and 21. Were they the best of the bunch at

were given it as a reward? Yes, two weeks before the Titanic

sailed the boss walked in and asked who the best people were. He then

told the -- he then said they were sailing on the Titanic. They