:00:25. > :00:28.Two Bs dominated this afternoon's proceedings on the hill -
:00:29. > :00:31.While the House of Commons debated the implications
:00:32. > :00:35.of a possible British exit from the EU,
:00:36. > :00:37.MLAs were keen to have their say on the issue too.
:00:38. > :00:40.And members debated the significance of last week's job losses
:00:41. > :00:43.at the Canadian aerospace company Bombardier.
:00:44. > :00:47.With the date of the EU referendum firmly in the diary,
:00:48. > :00:55.local parties begin to declare their positions.
:00:56. > :01:00.We believe that in terms of the united Kingdom and Northern Ireland,
:01:01. > :01:02.we are safer and better out, with more money and control.
:01:03. > :01:07.1,000 jobs are to go at Bombardier, the Enterprise Minister says
:01:08. > :01:12.the Executive must work together to move manufacturing forward.
:01:13. > :01:16.Confidence in the industry drives jobs. Confidence drives
:01:17. > :01:19.apprenticeships. Confidence is key. is our Political Correspondent,
:01:20. > :01:29.Stephen Walker. The starting pistol's been fired
:01:30. > :01:33.for the EU referendum debate and while it's an issue that'll
:01:34. > :01:36.affect the UK as a whole, the parties here do have their own
:01:37. > :01:38.very particular reasons for wanting
:01:39. > :01:40.to keep things as they are, MPs packed the Commons chamber
:01:41. > :01:44.to take part in today's debate there, and while there was
:01:45. > :01:46.no formal debate on the issue in the Assembly, that didn't stop
:01:47. > :01:48.local politicians wanting to give their various
:01:49. > :01:59.positions an airing. We waited to hear what David Cameron
:02:00. > :02:03.would deliver out of his negotiations. Everybody agrees it is
:02:04. > :02:08.rather thin gruel, as one of his colleagues said, it does not deliver
:02:09. > :02:13.the fundamental reform he promised, it does not give us control of our
:02:14. > :02:17.borders or money or our laws. So we believe that in terms of the United
:02:18. > :02:22.Kingdom and Northern Ireland, we are safer and better out with more money
:02:23. > :02:26.and control. We are recommending that a party that people thought
:02:27. > :02:31.leaves when it comes to the European round the end, but we understand it
:02:32. > :02:34.is not an election, it is a referendum, and people will have
:02:35. > :02:38.different views so are free to hold those views. -- when it comes to the
:02:39. > :02:44.European referendum. But our party are recommending very strongly that
:02:45. > :02:47.people bought Julie. Are DUP representatives allowed to take
:02:48. > :02:51.another position publicly? The position of the party and elected
:02:52. > :02:56.the presenter Des are preventative of the party and the party's
:02:57. > :03:00.position are that people should vote to leave. It is now very strong view
:03:01. > :03:05.that the overwhelming majority of people, plus the business community,
:03:06. > :03:11.and we await with interest what the farming community and food industry
:03:12. > :03:15.have to say about this in the time ahead, I certainly think our
:03:16. > :03:22.universities also believe in staying in the Europe. And it is ludicrous,
:03:23. > :03:30.a ludicrous situation that I will be travelling next month with Arlene to
:03:31. > :03:34.the United States, Theresa Villiers will also be there, as she has been
:03:35. > :03:43.for the last number of years, and it will be very interesting to see how
:03:44. > :03:50.Theresa Villiers speaks to the potential for investment people who
:03:51. > :03:54.are looking at our proposition. In the course of quite a number of
:03:55. > :04:00.engagements that Peter Robinson and I were involved in over a 56 period,
:04:01. > :04:03.where we had access to the State Department, economic investment
:04:04. > :04:09.conferences, from the most powerful business people in the world, all of
:04:10. > :04:14.them expressed concern about the prospect of the British government
:04:15. > :04:21.having a referendum which could result in an exit from Europe full.
:04:22. > :04:25.We have put in place what we need to do to make a decision, which is to
:04:26. > :04:28.call a meeting of the party Executive that should happen next
:04:29. > :04:32.week. In the meantime, we want to listen to people and I am a little
:04:33. > :04:37.surprised we are going to be the only one of the big five year at
:04:38. > :04:40.Stormont who are prepared to listen to the business community, the
:04:41. > :04:44.voluntary and community sector and everybody else who will be impacted
:04:45. > :04:46.by this decision. But that is what we are going to do over the next two
:04:47. > :04:47.days, listen and reflect. The Ulster Unionists
:04:48. > :04:51.are keeping their options open - but one former leader nailed his
:04:52. > :05:04.colours to the mast today. That is right. David Trimble, of
:05:05. > :05:06.course, former UDP leader, now with the Conservatives, he has come out
:05:07. > :05:11.to say that he wants the UK to leave the EU. He gave an interview at
:05:12. > :05:15.Westminster and is firmly in the league camp. The Ulster Unionist
:05:16. > :05:18.Party his former party, want a bit more time to think about this. They
:05:19. > :05:24.are going to consult with people and a third party Executive meeting and
:05:25. > :05:26.will finally come to a decision after they have spoken to
:05:27. > :05:27.organisations and businesses across Northern Ireland.
:05:28. > :05:39.We know about the DUP and Sinn Fein. SDLP are a pro-European party. We
:05:40. > :05:48.had the leader of that party thing that Northern Ireland Place's
:05:49. > :05:51.Northern Ireland's place should be in Europe. And we had other leaders
:05:52. > :05:52.advocating for that. Recently, the main parties have made their
:05:53. > :05:57.decisions. -- basically. And the Secretary of State,
:05:58. > :05:58.Theresa Villiers, found herself in
:05:59. > :06:06.the firing line today. She is taking a different position
:06:07. > :06:09.from David Cameron and that is what makes this very interesting post of
:06:10. > :06:14.a number of key personalities are taking very different positions.
:06:15. > :06:17.That is what makes the debate interesting for voters and
:06:18. > :06:21.journalists, because we have key personalities in the same parties
:06:22. > :06:25.taking very different positions. Theresa Villiers has made it clear
:06:26. > :06:29.that she would like to see the UK leave the European Union. She is a
:06:30. > :06:32.former MEP. She is learning about other people in the cabinet, for
:06:33. > :06:39.example Iain Duncan Smith and Chris Grayling. But there makes this whole
:06:40. > :06:42.debate very interesting. The Conservatives are certainly
:06:43. > :06:47.divided on this but there are different views within the Labour
:06:48. > :06:50.Party as well. Indeed. We have got the Ulster born MP who is taking the
:06:51. > :06:54.approach that she would like Northern Ireland and the rest of the
:06:55. > :06:59.UK to leave the European Union. Then you have Jeremy Corbyn, and the
:07:00. > :07:02.leader of the Labour Party, who thinks the UK should stay in the
:07:03. > :07:07.European Union. And then somebody like the former Home Secretary Alan
:07:08. > :07:11.Johnson, who believes that the UK should stay in the European Union. A
:07:12. > :07:13.lot of the parties do have this split down the middle.
:07:14. > :07:14.And the language used by Arlene Foster yesterday
:07:15. > :07:26.Yes, I think there is a line that is worth looking at. We heard Nigel
:07:27. > :07:32.Dodds a few minutes ago talking about the DUP position, and the
:07:33. > :07:35.DUP's official position is that they are a Eurosceptic party and want the
:07:36. > :07:37.United Kingdom and to leave the European Union. But if you look
:07:38. > :07:42.closely at this statement, and a desperate looking at it, and I will
:07:43. > :07:45.quote, "We fully expect DUP members and voters will hold a range of
:07:46. > :07:49.differing personal views as to what is in the best interest of the
:07:50. > :07:53.United Kingdom. Osgood she is basically saying that this is the
:07:54. > :07:57.DUP position but we understand if there are DUP members and falters
:07:58. > :08:01.and take a slightly different approach. -- falters.
:08:02. > :08:07.But would we expect leading members of the DUP speaking in an official
:08:08. > :08:09.capacity to campaign on the party line? There are certainly are not
:08:10. > :08:13.people coming forward and Nigel Dodds made it clear that that is the
:08:14. > :08:16.position of the DUP, but they will be putting forward this public
:08:17. > :08:20.position, but it is as in the best interests of Northern Ireland if the
:08:21. > :08:24.UK leaves the European Union. It is certainly shaping up to be a
:08:25. > :08:28.fascinating few months on that score. Stephen, thank you very much
:08:29. > :08:29.indeed, we will talk to you later in the programme.
:08:30. > :08:33.that Bombardier is to cut around 1,000 jobs in Belfast
:08:34. > :08:36.the Enterprise Minister briefed the Assembly
:08:37. > :08:38.on what the Executive can do to mitigate the impact.
:08:39. > :08:40.Jonathan Bell said his thoughts are with the workers
:08:41. > :08:43.and their families as they continue to absorb the news.
:08:44. > :08:50.Well, the news was deeply disappointing to stop Bombardier has
:08:51. > :08:56.made it clear that the decision has been taken to safeguard the
:08:57. > :08:59.company's long-term future, globally, and here in Northern
:09:00. > :09:04.Ireland. I want to take this opportunity also to assure this
:09:05. > :09:07.house that I am already working with my colleague, the Minister for
:09:08. > :09:10.implement and learning, to do all that is possible to limit the impact
:09:11. > :09:14.of the redundancies that will take place during the coming weeks and
:09:15. > :09:17.months. While Bombardier has said there is nothing they can do to
:09:18. > :09:23.reverse last week's decision, we will continue to work closely with
:09:24. > :09:28.the company and to support other ways to support its drive for
:09:29. > :09:36.greater efficiencies. I believe it is important also to recognise the
:09:37. > :09:39.cyclical nature of the aerospace sector. There are peaks and troughs
:09:40. > :09:46.experienced by all major companies that operate in this sector, so
:09:47. > :09:49.Bombardier is not unique. He, as in the department, will continue to
:09:50. > :09:54.work closely with the company and to explore other ways to support its
:09:55. > :09:58.drive for greater efficiencies. Perhaps the Minister would care to
:09:59. > :10:02.explain what he means by that, those greater efficiencies, because
:10:03. > :10:05.normally for the rest of us who have listened to this bad news emanating
:10:06. > :10:11.from it, efficiency usually equals further cutbacks and I would not
:10:12. > :10:16.like to think that was indeed the case. Michael Ryan and I spent a
:10:17. > :10:20.very positive and constructive meeting this morning with many of
:10:21. > :10:25.the trade unions. And what we are agreed on is the critical nature of
:10:26. > :10:28.manufacturing in Belfast and how we take that forward at cost
:10:29. > :10:33.competitiveness into the future world economy that will be key for
:10:34. > :10:36.Northern Ireland to ensure that we have the jobs in Belfast and I am
:10:37. > :10:41.determined to see those jobs in Belfast. Could I ask you also look
:10:42. > :10:45.at the apprentice schemes. I am particularly concerned about the
:10:46. > :10:50.plant that Newtownabbey and others, but could some of the other
:10:51. > :10:54.engineering companies to cut some of the flak from Bombardier because
:10:55. > :10:57.they are very highly prized and values apprentice schemes You can
:10:58. > :10:59.keep up to date with the latest news and weather throughout the day via
:11:00. > :11:01.our Twitter feed anybody that knows either Stephen and myself knows how
:11:02. > :11:06.deeply we value apprenticeships and how we see future. What I understand
:11:07. > :11:09.with the company if they are suspending the scheme, not ending
:11:10. > :11:13.it, and it is a suspension of new apprentices, all of him within the
:11:14. > :11:19.current scheme will have their fill mentorship programmes honoured and I
:11:20. > :11:24.look forward into the future, where we can see that suspension lifted. I
:11:25. > :11:31.am not minded to blame him for the global losses at Bombardier. But
:11:32. > :11:35.does he not accept that taking, for example, his hearty conference
:11:36. > :11:39.speech just three months ago when he said not to let anybody tell you
:11:40. > :11:45.that manufacturing in Northern Ireland is in a difficult position,
:11:46. > :11:51.that that spoke to complacency and a lack of alertness to what was coming
:11:52. > :12:01.down the tracks. But could I ask him, is there a contingency plan for
:12:02. > :12:07.Bombardier is the C series does not achieve its hoped-for level of
:12:08. > :12:13.sales? I would ask him to work with me. The manufacturing industry in
:12:14. > :12:16.Northern Ireland has asked me, who has the privileged position to be
:12:17. > :12:20.their enterprise minister, to project confidence in the sector.
:12:21. > :12:26.Again, with the unions this morning, I talked about the damage that will
:12:27. > :12:31.be done if we talk to now manufacturing industry, talk about
:12:32. > :12:34.disasters if we are stupid enough to talk about tsunamis and if we are
:12:35. > :12:38.silly enough to talk about manufacturing having no future. It
:12:39. > :12:44.is the industry that has asked me, because they say that confidence
:12:45. > :12:50.drives the order book, confidence in their industry drives jobs,
:12:51. > :12:53.confidence drives apprenticeships, confidence is key.
:12:54. > :12:55.Jonathan Bell talking up manufacturing here.
:12:56. > :12:58.The Justice Minister today urged the Ministry of Defence
:12:59. > :12:59.to provide information to the legacy inquests
:13:00. > :13:01.being conducted by the Coroners' Court.
:13:02. > :13:03.David Ford said 'much more work is required'
:13:04. > :13:05.in the tracing of military witnesses to these historic cases.
:13:06. > :13:07.But before that, the Justice Minister was asked
:13:08. > :13:09.if the closure of several local courthouses
:13:10. > :13:21.in Northern Ireland will affect how the media reports on crime.
:13:22. > :13:27.All laid eyes on you and leave them on and on. A system could either you
:13:28. > :13:56.are not affected by them. The site. It advises visitors and is on you.
:13:57. > :14:06.If, in addition to the zoo with has reduced the need for reporters to...
:14:07. > :14:09.Given these excess of the introduction of televising some
:14:10. > :14:13.court proceedings in the mainland, is this not something he could
:14:14. > :14:16.encourage the Lord Chief Justice to facilitate with the Court of Appeal
:14:17. > :14:19.in Northern Ireland so that the public were able to see exactly what
:14:20. > :14:24.is happening in the courts rather than having a filter of journalists
:14:25. > :14:27.having to do it from outside the buildings or print media, and this
:14:28. > :14:34.would be a good way to open up the courts for greater access? It is an
:14:35. > :14:37.interesting point when we talk about the Court of Appeal giving
:14:38. > :14:42.judgments, but I am not sure, giving the length of time a judge had taken
:14:43. > :14:45.the Court of Appeal we have the public seeing everything, we might
:14:46. > :14:49.have the public seeing something filtered through television editors
:14:50. > :14:53.rather than reporters selectively reporting from the street outside.
:14:54. > :14:57.It is an issue that merits consideration but it is not my first
:14:58. > :15:02.priority in terms of management of the course at this stage. I wrote to
:15:03. > :15:05.the Secretary of State asking you to raise the issue of placing retired
:15:06. > :15:16.military witnesses directly with the Secretary of State for defence.
:15:17. > :15:24.He will stop it with, that they would like you giving the full
:15:25. > :15:29.participation of the full participation of white range of uses
:15:30. > :15:35.that the MoD would do everything it can to facilitate bearing age. I've
:15:36. > :15:45.usually this response. However it is clear that much more work is
:15:46. > :15:51.required. I also note the involvement of the MoD in the
:15:52. > :15:55.preliminary hearing recently. Those 43 inquests with an MoD involvement
:15:56. > :15:58.represent a significant proportion of the legacy inquests which remain
:15:59. > :16:02.outstanding. I trust the MoD will respond fully in the course of those
:16:03. > :16:18.hearings. Truth about what happened to our
:16:19. > :16:37.loved ones in the past? I click, which are currently
:16:38. > :16:56.awaiting The state of our roads
:16:57. > :17:04.was to the fore in many MLAs' minds to the Regional
:17:05. > :17:08.Development Minister. The Independent Unionist
:17:09. > :17:11.John McCallister asked Michelle McIlveen
:17:12. > :17:13.for an update on her department's budget
:17:14. > :17:15.for road maintenance. The budget for the Depertment
:17:16. > :17:18.for Infrastructure, as agreed by the Executive in January,
:17:19. > :17:21.provided a capital allocation of ?46 million for road
:17:22. > :17:24.structural maintenance, This will allow for the increased
:17:25. > :17:28.expenditure on maintaining the condition of the existing
:17:29. > :17:31.network and reduce the cost However, capital structural
:17:32. > :17:36.maintenance is only one element There are a number of roads
:17:37. > :17:41.maintenance activities that are funded through
:17:42. > :17:43.the resource budget. These include street lighting
:17:44. > :17:46.inspection and maintenance, pothole repairs, grass cutting,
:17:47. > :17:50.gully emptying and weed spraying. These are important aspects
:17:51. > :17:52.of road maintenance A resource allocation of ?20 million
:17:53. > :17:58.was provided for roads maintenance However, a 5.7% reduction on DFIs
:17:59. > :18:07.over all budgets presents a challenging position in terms
:18:08. > :18:10.of delivering services To follow on on the theme
:18:11. > :18:16.of potholes, I came cross one yesterday that a car
:18:17. > :18:19.was completely wrecked in. However, I have been given
:18:20. > :18:22.an undertaking that will be But the QPA state that there
:18:23. > :18:27.is a ?15 million shortfall I don't think we need QPA to tell us
:18:28. > :18:38.there has been a shortfall. I think we are all acutely
:18:39. > :18:41.aware of the challenges I have had regular conversations
:18:42. > :18:48.with QPA and they are aware since coming into office I have bid
:18:49. > :18:51.for additional money and I have tried to do the best I can
:18:52. > :18:55.within the very short I know this adds additional
:18:56. > :19:00.pressure on to the industry. It adds pressure onto families
:19:01. > :19:04.where workers have got to go across the water to find work and,
:19:05. > :19:08.again, that impacts It is my job and the job of others
:19:09. > :19:14.in this Assembly to make sure we do prioritise money in the right
:19:15. > :19:18.direction and road maintenance Will she give a commitment to this
:19:19. > :19:25.House that the money for the '16-17 budget year is prioritised
:19:26. > :19:32.for the maintenance of rural roads? In a previous answer,
:19:33. > :19:35.the Minister talked about doing the roads that carry the most volume
:19:36. > :19:39.of traffic but rural roads have been Will she give a commitment
:19:40. > :19:45.to prioritiseing that money As someone who also represents
:19:46. > :19:53.a rural consituency, I am very aware of the needs
:19:54. > :19:57.for rural roads and that will certainly be reiterated by many
:19:58. > :20:01.in this chamber so while I can give a commitment that I will seek to get
:20:02. > :20:05.as much money as possible into the roads budget,
:20:06. > :20:09.it is very much dependent on local divisions as well as how
:20:10. > :20:12.they allocate their money. Obviously, those areas
:20:13. > :20:15.of highest priority. It is about making a case
:20:16. > :20:19.for those particular areas. The Further Consideration Stage
:20:20. > :20:23.of the Employment Bill and amid much debate over gender pay
:20:24. > :20:28.equality and the living wage, it was talk of abolishing
:20:29. > :20:31.zero hours contracts Sinn Fein tabled amendments calling
:20:32. > :20:36.for the end of the employment practice, but other parties believe
:20:37. > :20:39.it merits greater scrutiny. I want to acknowledge the role zero
:20:40. > :20:43.hours workers play in the workplace, especially for businesses that
:20:44. > :20:49.require that extra workforce for a length of time over
:20:50. > :20:53.busy periods they have. I know that over the past few
:20:54. > :20:57.months, there has been some concerns raised about abuse in connection
:20:58. > :21:01.with the use of zero hours contracts and noncontractual zero
:21:02. > :21:06.hour arrangements. As a result, we have a real raft
:21:07. > :21:10.of amendments that has been brought through in the bill today
:21:11. > :21:15.at the very late stage and I think it is far too late to bring a raft
:21:16. > :21:55.forward on such an important in the event that shift is still
:21:56. > :22:05.without notice, they would be entitled to compensation. Even goes
:22:06. > :22:08.some way... It was the address the problem facing a small number of
:22:09. > :22:14.workers who are having their rights and five at four years. I can't
:22:15. > :22:19.stress enough that this House the numbers of people in all. Rules and
:22:20. > :22:23.responsibilities that are being exploited and zero hours contracts
:22:24. > :22:28.stop I don't think we can afford to be as it was the that use influence
:22:29. > :22:36.of it. As I said at the consideration stage, these contracts
:22:37. > :22:41.are often used by lawyers. In many cases to avoid the Lloyds properly
:22:42. > :22:48.and to avoid giving the other is boy must rights that one can expect. And
:22:49. > :22:53.we think about this, is a that are limiting vehicle's lives. It is
:22:54. > :23:04.limiting their ability to be able to plan for the future.
:23:05. > :23:09.I do think this House has a responsibility to tackle zero hours
:23:10. > :23:18.because they are being abused out there. Mr Flanagan, at one stage,
:23:19. > :23:28.will point out that he refers to a small number of boys but others talk
:23:29. > :23:34.about a large number of boys -- in Floyd 's. How many people out there
:23:35. > :24:16.are Floyd on zero hours? Lenders may well have their views on
:24:17. > :24:23.that. The second aspect and this is probably more pertinent around
:24:24. > :24:29.Sydney and it flies in the issue of, will the amendments achieve the
:24:30. > :24:35.outcomes, the objectives? There is no guarantee of that because we have
:24:36. > :24:41.not stress tested the physical wording of amendments. They may well
:24:42. > :24:43.the means which employers can circumvent what is the town of
:24:44. > :24:50.favour. And finally tonight
:24:51. > :24:52.to health matters. Smoking in cars with young
:24:53. > :24:54.people took centre stage during the consideration
:24:55. > :25:05.stage of the Health Bill. Those exposed to second-hand vassals
:25:06. > :25:09.for long periods of time are more likely to develop died from heart
:25:10. > :25:15.disease, left the fifth of lung cancer. There was no safe level of
:25:16. > :25:16.exposure to second-hand vassals. In written and oral evidence to the
:25:17. > :25:53.committee, the VMA as well as the van, motion
:25:54. > :26:06.and penalty. A carrot and stick approach. But it was effective. It
:26:07. > :26:09.is my hope that criminalising smoking in cars with children would
:26:10. > :26:15.prevent people from doing it in the first place. I am extremely
:26:16. > :26:19.disappointed, like others, that there has not been Executive
:26:20. > :26:23.agreement to permit a formal amendments of them from the
:26:24. > :26:30.Department. Perhaps the Minister can give us a reason why it is on this
:26:31. > :26:36.occasion. It was my intention to table an amendment on this issue. It
:26:37. > :26:43.was shaved and supported by the health committee on this film. My
:26:44. > :26:44.amendment would have interviews a clause to provide my with
:26:45. > :27:09.regulation. The latest report published by
:27:10. > :27:12.Public Health England in August of last year would have been that the
:27:13. > :27:20.cigarettes believes negligible amounts of nicotine. However, the
:27:21. > :27:30.evolution of the power to ban these address in cars...
:27:31. > :27:33.And Stephen's joined me again for a final word.
:27:34. > :27:35.Bombardier dominated part of the proceedings today
:27:36. > :27:42.and the Enterprise Minster was once again in the spotlight.
:27:43. > :27:50.Is not the first time you want I have chatted for Jonathan fell his
:27:51. > :27:54.performance at school and, to be fair, it was a very difficult and
:27:55. > :27:58.defensive the dispatch box, physically after the news last week,
:27:59. > :28:04.and I think what people wanted to see from Jonathan Bell's is a was a
:28:05. > :28:08.plan of action. No one is holding him responsible for the economic
:28:09. > :28:14.downturn but he was facing the decision of being complacent. The
:28:15. > :28:29.other thing you want it to you was on use houses and because they see
:28:30. > :28:42.that... And we'll Northern Ireland be a part of the national you
:28:43. > :28:46.campaign? We might see David Cameron, maybe you like Nigel
:28:47. > :28:49.Farage, so I think it will see national figures over here in the
:28:50. > :28:52.coming weeks and Northern Ireland with the national campaign.
:28:53. > :28:57.Join me again at the same time tomorrow night -