Browse content similar to 23/04/2013. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!
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Good evening and welcome to Stormont Today. | :00:24. | :00:26. | |
Coming up on the programme: The First and Deputy First | :00:26. | :00:29. | |
Ministers appear in public for the first time since their falling out | :00:29. | :00:33. | |
last week. Look, we have the ability to have a good row every | :00:33. | :00:37. | |
now and again. Not like others in the past who huffed and puffed and | :00:37. | :00:41. | |
refused to speak to to one another. Are Peter Robinson and Martin | :00:41. | :00:44. | |
McGuinness now back on the right track? We'll have analysis from | :00:44. | :00:46. | |
politics professor, Rick Wilford. Also tonight, a debate on tobacco | :00:47. | :00:53. | |
retailing prompts some soul- searching on the back benches. | :00:53. | :00:57. | |
an early age my life has been ruled by cigarettes. I plan my day around | :00:57. | :01:01. | |
cigarettes. I plan what time I get up in the morning around cigarettes, | :01:01. | :01:10. | |
I plan meetings around cigarettes. It is a week since Peter Robinson | :01:10. | :01:12. | |
and Martin McGuinness had to schedule so-called clear-the-air | :01:12. | :01:15. | |
talks in an attempt to mend their reportedly faltering relationship. | :01:15. | :01:19. | |
Today, as if to prove that a week is a long time in politics, the | :01:19. | :01:21. | |
pair made their first public appearance together since the row. | :01:21. | :01:24. | |
They spoke to our Political Editor, Mark Devenport, who asked them | :01:24. | :01:30. | |
first how they're now getting on. The only thing that surprises me | :01:30. | :01:34. | |
about some of the press commentary on these matters is they are | :01:34. | :01:37. | |
surprised that occasionally we might might have a different | :01:38. | :01:42. | |
opinion on issues. The fact is we come from very different political | :01:42. | :01:46. | |
parties with different ideologies and different backgrounds. The | :01:46. | :01:50. | |
remarkable thing that we reach agreement on so many issues and the | :01:50. | :01:55. | |
issue isn't so much that we find something we disagree on, the issue | :01:55. | :01:58. | |
is that we are able to resolve it and that's what is important and | :01:58. | :02:01. | |
that's what is important for Northern Ireland. We have made | :02:01. | :02:04. | |
spectacular progress in Northern Ireland. We don't get credit from | :02:04. | :02:09. | |
the media for it, but nonetheless, this is a completely new era, | :02:09. | :02:11. | |
people are living in a very different Northern Ireland than the | :02:11. | :02:15. | |
one that Martin and I grew up in. I think we have a massive potential | :02:15. | :02:19. | |
for the future and we are resolved and determined that we're going to | :02:19. | :02:22. | |
lead this country through peace and stability. | :02:22. | :02:27. | |
Look, we have the ability to have a good row every now and again. Not | :02:27. | :02:32. | |
like others in the past who huffed and puffed and refused to speak to | :02:32. | :02:35. | |
each other. We have been in Government together for the last | :02:35. | :02:39. | |
six years and there has never been a threat to the institutions. So, | :02:39. | :02:44. | |
we are well rounded individuals. We have the ability to sit down and | :02:44. | :02:47. | |
have reasoned dig log and discussions about what we need to | :02:47. | :02:51. | |
do and we know there are things we need to do. We're not trying to | :02:51. | :02:55. | |
bluff people. There are decisions that have to be made and we have | :02:55. | :02:59. | |
been involved in trying to get agreements on a range of decisions | :02:59. | :03:03. | |
which will bring, I think, enormous benefits to our people. There is | :03:03. | :03:06. | |
not a coalition Government anywhere in the world that doesn't have to | :03:06. | :03:08. | |
deal with that sort of stress and difficulty. | :03:08. | :03:12. | |
REPORTER: So you think having the rows is healthy? I think every now | :03:12. | :03:17. | |
and again it does no harm at all. Well, I think that over coming | :03:17. | :03:21. | |
differences is the process that we are engaged in is about. We are | :03:21. | :03:26. | |
involved and have been for a long period of time in resolving a raft | :03:26. | :03:30. | |
of issues and making real progress. I think over the next number of | :03:30. | :03:34. | |
weeks you will see the product of that. But from the point of view of | :03:34. | :03:37. | |
the people of Northern Ireland, I think it is important that we don't | :03:37. | :03:42. | |
have a daily diet from our media indicating that the Executive isn't | :03:42. | :03:45. | |
delivering. The Executive is delivering. Maybe our failure is | :03:45. | :03:50. | |
not being able to transmit the message of how successful this | :03:50. | :03:54. | |
Executive has been to the wider public and we are having to sift it | :03:54. | :03:59. | |
through newspapers who glory in the fact... Hang on, he made a speech | :03:59. | :04:04. | |
having a go at you, it wasn't the media? When you have you have | :04:04. | :04:08. | |
newspapers who glory in the fact that they are the official | :04:08. | :04:11. | |
opposition. We have to have our information transmitted to the | :04:11. | :04:17. | |
public. That doesn't seem fair to You are convinced the DUP are in | :04:17. | :04:21. | |
power because they want to be, not because they have to be which is | :04:21. | :04:28. | |
what you said at the ARDESH? From my prospective, there will be times | :04:28. | :04:33. | |
at party conferences, whether it be a DUP party conference or a Sinn | :04:33. | :04:39. | |
Fein party conference where people will make speeches. My speech was a | :04:39. | :04:44. | |
genuinely held view. There is a difference of opinion about my | :04:44. | :04:47. | |
speech. We have had our own discussions about that. It is now | :04:47. | :04:51. | |
time to move on. The First and Deputy First | :04:51. | :04:53. | |
Ministers speaking to Mark Devenport. Well, I'm joined now by | :04:53. | :04:56. | |
Professor Rick Wilford from the School of Politics at Queen's | :04:56. | :05:00. | |
University. First of all, do you get a sense that they have | :05:00. | :05:03. | |
metaphorically kissed and made up? Well, I think for the time being | :05:03. | :05:06. | |
they have put together a working relationship because there did seem | :05:06. | :05:12. | |
to be some distance between them. I don't know whether they they hugged. | :05:12. | :05:16. | |
There has been agreement for the future. But there are still | :05:16. | :05:20. | |
potholes ahead on the road, aren't there? There are. It was | :05:21. | :05:24. | |
interesting that Robinson talked about making some announcements in | :05:24. | :05:30. | |
the next short period really. I suppose one of of moz may relate to | :05:30. | :05:40. | |
:05:40. | :05:43. | ||
-- those may relate to issues. The other one which will cause real | :05:43. | :05:47. | |
difficulty and I can't see a way they will agree is on the scope of | :05:47. | :05:51. | |
Welfare Reform in Northern Ireland and that's going to prove difficult | :05:51. | :05:55. | |
because they are far apart on some of the aspects of the proposals | :05:55. | :05:57. | |
that the coalition Government in London put forward. Not least of | :05:57. | :06:02. | |
which is the so-called bedroom tax or spare room subsidy and that's | :06:02. | :06:08. | |
going to be an issue. But for the time being, given that the | :06:08. | :06:12. | |
atmosphere has cooled, we can only welcome that, but that's not to say | :06:12. | :06:17. | |
there aren't further, as you put it Mark, potholes or bump in the road. | :06:17. | :06:22. | |
What about the idea that elements of the press are a self appointed | :06:22. | :06:26. | |
opposition. Is that a threat or a safeguard? Well, it is a safeguard. | :06:26. | :06:29. | |
The press are there to be a thorn in the flesh of all politicians, | :06:29. | :06:33. | |
whatever party they come from and wherever they practise their | :06:33. | :06:38. | |
politics. The fact, I suppose, the choice of phrase of Peter Robinson | :06:38. | :06:42. | |
used about being in opposition, it maybe points up the fact there is | :06:42. | :06:48. | |
no formal opposition in the assembly itself and the local press | :06:48. | :06:52. | |
found themselves in the position where they felt in a sense they | :06:52. | :06:57. | |
have some warrant to act in that capacity, but it is a bit rich, you | :06:57. | :07:04. | |
know, that politicians spend a lot of their time mingling with and | :07:04. | :07:10. | |
briefing politicians, some people liken it to dogs and lamp posts and | :07:10. | :07:15. | |
I don't think we should be surprised when some elements of the | :07:15. | :07:22. | |
press criticise politicians, justifiably or not, that's part of | :07:22. | :07:28. | |
their remit. Let's move move to this petition | :07:28. | :07:38. | |
:07:38. | :07:38. | ||
launched against the conflict cons formation -- conflict | :07:38. | :07:44. | |
transformation site the Maze Prison. They had an agreed candidate in the | :07:44. | :07:48. | |
mid-Ulster constituency a month ago. I suppose what it does is it | :07:48. | :07:54. | |
highlights the fact that McGuinness and Robinson and the DUP and Sinn | :07:54. | :07:57. | |
Fein have been able to cobble a working relationship. It looks as | :07:58. | :08:06. | |
if the Unionist family, is resembling more. And it is | :08:06. | :08:14. | |
dysfunctional and this is going to place strain on this grand project. | :08:14. | :08:21. | |
Thank you very much for joining us. Today's proceedings in the chamber | :08:21. | :08:24. | |
began with the latest stage of the Tobacco Retailers Bill introduced | :08:24. | :08:26. | |
by the Health Minister. Its provisions include strengthening | :08:26. | :08:29. | |
the penalties for those who sell tobacco to children as well as | :08:29. | :08:31. | |
scrutinising the legislation, the debate featured several personal | :08:31. | :08:36. | |
interventions over the dangers of smoking. While we have made | :08:36. | :08:42. | |
substantial progress since the 1960s when over half the population | :08:42. | :08:47. | |
smoked, our smoking rates remain too high. Rates are particularly | :08:47. | :08:51. | |
high in areas of social and economic deprivation. Because there | :08:52. | :08:56. | |
is around one in three people smoking in those areas compared to | :08:56. | :09:00. | |
the average of one in four for the general population. The reasons why | :09:00. | :09:05. | |
young people take up smoking, despite the evidence of harm it | :09:05. | :09:11. | |
causes, are complex and varied. Of the 8% of children who smoke on a | :09:11. | :09:17. | |
regular basis, over half frequently purchase tobacco products from a | :09:18. | :09:23. | |
newsagent, Tabakonist or sweebg shop. My ob-- sweet shop. My | :09:23. | :09:28. | |
objective is to ensure the minimum age of sale policy is more | :09:28. | :09:34. | |
rigorously applied by retailers as the proposed legislation will | :09:34. | :09:38. | |
introduce tougher measures for non- compliance. The evidence is that a | :09:38. | :09:41. | |
significant number will continue to sell tobacco products to those | :09:41. | :09:49. | |
under the legal age unless we apply stricter sanctions. | :09:49. | :09:52. | |
The Tobacco Retailers Bill would aim to achieve this. Making it | :09:52. | :09:57. | |
compulsory for all tobacco retailers in Northern Ireland to | :09:57. | :10:05. | |
register with their local District Council. Granting courts the power | :10:05. | :10:10. | |
to ban the sale of tobacco either on a named premises or by a named | :10:10. | :10:13. | |
person for up to 12 months following an application by a | :10:13. | :10:19. | |
District Council. An application can only be made if three tobacco | :10:19. | :10:23. | |
offences have been committed within three years. Creating new offences | :10:23. | :10:28. | |
in relation to the register including failure to register and | :10:28. | :10:32. | |
failure to notify of changes. Creating the offence of breaching a | :10:32. | :10:38. | |
banning order and allowing for Fixed Penalty Notices to apply for | :10:38. | :10:43. | |
a number of offences including that of selling tobacco to under 18s. | :10:43. | :10:49. | |
One issue has arisen which is of course, which is of concern to the | :10:49. | :10:54. | |
committee. The Bill will introduce a three strikes in three years and | :10:54. | :10:59. | |
you are out rule. If a retailer commits three offences, of the sort | :10:59. | :11:03. | |
specified in the legislation within a three year period, they can be | :11:03. | :11:07. | |
banned from selling tobacco. The committee welcomes this sanction. | :11:07. | :11:12. | |
However, we are concerned that the offences leading to a banning order | :11:12. | :11:16. | |
are too narrow. Currently, the Bill states that the type of offences | :11:16. | :11:21. | |
which can be counted towards a banning order are not registering | :11:21. | :11:26. | |
the premises to sell tobacco, failing to notify changes to the | :11:26. | :11:29. | |
register and selling to under-age persons. The committee has | :11:29. | :11:33. | |
suggested that the Bill should contain a provision to allow the | :11:33. | :11:39. | |
courts to include a conviction for selling tobacco as as one of the | :11:39. | :11:42. | |
three strikes which would lead to a banning order. When the committee | :11:42. | :11:46. | |
made this suggestion to the department, it initially advised | :11:46. | :11:55. | |
that the tobacco sales were dealt with by HMRC under the Duty Act and | :11:55. | :12:00. | |
someone could be banned from selling tobacco if convicted. When | :12:00. | :12:06. | |
the committee inquired further into this matter and we contact the | :12:06. | :12:14. | |
Department of Justice we learned that the tobacco duties Act had | :12:14. | :12:18. | |
never been applied here. There is a worrying situation at | :12:18. | :12:23. | |
the moment where 20% of tests fail where people who are under-age go | :12:23. | :12:28. | |
in and are able to buy cigarettes and the majority of those who | :12:28. | :12:31. | |
consume tobacco products start when they are young. I have only | :12:31. | :12:36. | |
consumed two cigarettes in my life. Back 40 years ago and I have to say, | :12:36. | :12:42. | |
I have to say, I found them disgusting. I through them tht bin | :12:42. | :12:46. | |
and I -- in the bin and I never touched them since. | :12:47. | :12:51. | |
The minister might take the opportunity to talk a little bit | :12:51. | :12:54. | |
about the need for other departments and the Executive as a | :12:54. | :12:59. | |
whole to seize this issue. I lost both my parents to tobacco. And I | :12:59. | :13:06. | |
make no apology for having little tolerance for it. I am quite happy | :13:06. | :13:12. | |
to describe myself when it comes to tobacco and the regulation of | :13:12. | :13:15. | |
cigarettes and tobacco to be a bit of a fascist. I think that's the | :13:15. | :13:19. | |
sort of stage stage we need to get to in this society. | :13:19. | :13:24. | |
We have a duty to ensure that we do everything in our power to prevent | :13:24. | :13:29. | |
people becoming addicted to this vile drug. Mr Speaker, I can call | :13:29. | :13:33. | |
this a vile drug and a filthy and disgusting habit because I'm one of | :13:33. | :13:39. | |
the 24% of adults in Northern Ireland addicted to tobacco. I | :13:39. | :13:44. | |
started smoking almost 30 years ago as a teenager and I can remember | :13:44. | :13:49. | |
that within a very, very short time, I had become an addict to the | :13:49. | :13:53. | |
properties of this drug. And from an early age, my life has been | :13:53. | :13:58. | |
ruled by cigarettes. I plan my day around cigarettes. I plan what time | :13:58. | :14:01. | |
I get up in the morning around cigarettes. I plan meetings around | :14:01. | :14:06. | |
cigarettes. I even plan the time I spend in this chamber around | :14:06. | :14:12. | |
cigarettes and it is correct what will Wells stated early, smoking is | :14:12. | :14:19. | |
one of the biggest regrets of my life. I welcome the minister's | :14:20. | :14:25. | |
presentation of this Bill, I do so as a smoker. I do not recommend | :14:25. | :14:31. | |
smoking to anyone. I was not an under-age smoker or even a teenage | :14:32. | :14:38. | |
smoker. In fact, I got hooked on it when I stopped playing football and | :14:38. | :14:46. | |
sport at the time. In welcoming the Bill, I would like to say to the | :14:46. | :14:51. | |
minister and he is fair and he is straight and he is consistent on it | :14:51. | :14:56. | |
which I respect, but I would like to say to him now, and I don't | :14:56. | :15:05. | |
normally speak on these issues. Just ease back on the voluntary | :15:05. | :15:09. | |
smoker. None of this this nonsense that we were picking up yesterday | :15:09. | :15:18. | |
on banning a person from smoking in their own car. I just find that | :15:18. | :15:24. | |
intolerable. A number of members raised the 1979 Act. Why has there | :15:24. | :15:29. | |
been no prosecutions under the 1979 Act? That's a good question. All of | :15:29. | :15:35. | |
us need to know the answer. Why are we not doing more to go after those | :15:35. | :15:45. | |
:15:45. | :15:49. | ||
who engage in the is in the ill lis it tobacco industry. Mr Wells | :15:49. | :15:56. | |
confessed to having two cigarettes. I don't know why he had two | :15:56. | :16:02. | |
cigarettes. One did me! The Health Minister, Edwin Poots, | :16:02. | :16:05. | |
like some of his fellow MLAs, in confessional form about cigarettes. | :16:05. | :16:08. | |
The Enterprise Minister has called the G8 summit in County Fermanagh | :16:08. | :16:11. | |
the biggest opportunity Northern Ireland has ever had on the world | :16:11. | :16:13. | |
stage. Speaking during Question Time, Arlene Foster also reiterated | :16:13. | :16:15. | |
the importance of devolving corporation tax and continued | :16:15. | :16:18. | |
growth in the tourism sector to reinvigorate the local economy. | :16:18. | :16:20. | |
am disappointed that the Prime Minister delayed his decision on | :16:20. | :16:23. | |
devolving corporation tax powers until the autumn of 2014. The | :16:23. | :16:27. | |
Executive remain committed to securing this additional policy | :16:27. | :16:31. | |
leaver. We will continue to work together to deliver the actions | :16:31. | :16:34. | |
contained within the economic strategy and the more recent | :16:34. | :16:38. | |
economy and jobs initiative. However, it must be recognised that | :16:38. | :16:44. | |
the economic strategy's key objective of rebalancing the local | :16:44. | :16:49. | |
economy would be delivered more quickly if we had the power to vary | :16:49. | :16:53. | |
the rate of corporation. The delay isn't an indefinite one. We have | :16:53. | :16:56. | |
been told once the Scottish referendum is out of the way, that | :16:56. | :17:00. | |
a decision will be taken. I want to say that I think that it is a | :17:00. | :17:03. | |
fundamental mistake that we have not, from the Prime Minister, that | :17:03. | :17:08. | |
he has not made the decision now. Frankly, if I was Alex Salmond, I | :17:08. | :17:13. | |
would use it as a way to argue for independence because I would say | :17:13. | :17:18. | |
the Northern Ireland Executive put forward a compelling case in in | :17:18. | :17:21. | |
respect of corporation tax, however the Westminster Government decided | :17:21. | :17:24. | |
not to devolve that and if I was Alex Salmond I would say what you | :17:24. | :17:32. | |
need is independence. In actual fact, I think it goes contrary - | :17:32. | :17:38. | |
well, I am not arguing for independence. I can actually join | :17:38. | :17:41. | |
the dots unlike some people across the way. My department is working | :17:41. | :17:45. | |
closely with the Prime Minister's office, the Foreign and | :17:45. | :17:47. | |
Commonwealth Office and local stakeholders to maximise | :17:47. | :17:51. | |
opportunities to show case Northern Ireland's business development and | :17:51. | :17:54. | |
tourism offering to visiting delegations as a positive place to | :17:54. | :17:59. | |
live, work, visit, study and invest and do business with to a global | :17:59. | :18:06. | |
audience. Could she add to her previous answer, what excess she is | :18:06. | :18:10. | |
-- access she will have to these potential important investors? | :18:11. | :18:16. | |
we are meeting with some of the forward delegations already that | :18:16. | :18:20. | |
have visited Northern Ireland and Fermanagh and they are engaging | :18:21. | :18:24. | |
very much with Invest Northern Ireland and all of the other | :18:24. | :18:27. | |
partners. This is the biggest opportunity we have ever had on the | :18:27. | :18:31. | |
world stage and therefore, we must take those opportunities and that's | :18:31. | :18:37. | |
what we intend to do. There have been many meetings as the member | :18:38. | :18:41. | |
might appreciate over the past period since the G8 was announced | :18:41. | :18:45. | |
as come to go Northern Ireland and I very much welcome the officials | :18:45. | :18:47. | |
from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Prime Minister's | :18:47. | :18:53. | |
office to Fermanagh on a regular basis. We are increasing their air | :18:53. | :18:58. | |
miles to Northern Ireland. Despite the challenging and economic | :18:58. | :19:04. | |
conditions, I remain positive about our prospects. Full year figures | :19:04. | :19:08. | |
for 2012 on visitor numbers are not available, there are many | :19:08. | :19:13. | |
indicators of the success of the NI 2012 campaign. I am encouraged by a | :19:13. | :19:18. | |
10% increase in hotel occupancy rates during 2012 and by the | :19:18. | :19:28. | |
:19:28. | :19:28. | ||
excellent first year visitor number figures for Titanic Belfast and the | :19:28. | :19:36. | |
giants Causeway Visitor Centre. We have the UK City of Culture and the | :19:36. | :19:43. | |
G8 Summit in Fermanagh. I know that the first and Deputy First Minister | :19:43. | :19:50. | |
have been along to Titanic Belfast this morning to celebrate the the | :19:50. | :19:55. | |
that 807,000 visitors have come to Titanic Belfast since it opened in | :19:55. | :20:01. | |
April last year. Noi, Noi now, that's a tremendous success. From | :20:01. | :20:04. | |
128 countries as well. They have come from across the world and I | :20:04. | :20:09. | |
think that shows the benefit of having a centre like the Titanic | :20:09. | :20:13. | |
Belfast. The Enterprise Minister, Arlene | :20:13. | :20:16. | |
Foster. Northern Ireland's first Sexual Assault Referral Centre is | :20:16. | :20:20. | |
to open at Antrim Area Hospital next month. It has previously been | :20:20. | :20:23. | |
billed as a national model of good practice, but in an Assembly debate | :20:23. | :20:26. | |
today, some Members expressed concerns that it might not live up | :20:26. | :20:32. | |
to victims needs. My first concern is about the opening hours of the | :20:32. | :20:36. | |
centre. Currently it is proposed that the core core business hours | :20:36. | :20:41. | |
of the centre will be from Monday to fid from 9am to -- Friday from | :20:41. | :20:47. | |
9am to 5pm. Perpetrators do not carry out their attacks to ensure | :20:47. | :20:57. | |
:20:57. | :21:01. | ||
they fit in with office opening hours. They should know they are | :21:01. | :21:07. | |
not alone in their battle. We are here to help. There is the issue of | :21:07. | :21:15. | |
access to counselling. The Rowan will refer people to other | :21:15. | :21:19. | |
organisations. The committee has written to one of the main | :21:19. | :21:23. | |
providers of counselling and they have confirmed that their waiting | :21:23. | :21:28. | |
list are long and some areas up to four months. We should recognise | :21:29. | :21:34. | |
the fact that we will have a specialist facility which will dot | :21:34. | :21:37. | |
important job of providing the care services alongside the justice | :21:37. | :21:40. | |
services which the victims of domestic and sexual violence | :21:40. | :21:46. | |
require and I think that is a key way which will ensure the people | :21:46. | :21:51. | |
were to give best evidence and that cases will stand up in court and at | :21:51. | :21:53. | |
the same time ensuring that people's needs are met in the | :21:53. | :21:57. | |
aftermath of the troubles. There is a culture issue in our society | :21:57. | :22:04. | |
about men, in particular, finding it impossible to appreciate the | :22:04. | :22:10. | |
right of women, children, other men to their own bodies. The right and | :22:10. | :22:15. | |
the sanctity and the integrity of someone's body and there is a | :22:15. | :22:19. | |
cultural under under currant that does lead people to think that it | :22:19. | :22:29. | |
:22:29. | :22:30. | ||
is OK to abuse. The Rowan will be open to deal with a victim at any | :22:30. | :22:36. | |
time, 365 days a year. All victims will receive the same level of | :22:36. | :22:40. | |
specialist support whether they attend out-of-hours or during core | :22:40. | :22:45. | |
hours. This is a significant step forward in supporting the victims | :22:45. | :22:50. | |
of rape and sexual assaults within a safe, a secure and confidential | :22:50. | :22:53. | |
environment and working in partnership with the voluntary | :22:53. | :22:56. | |
sector, we will provide better support to the victims and | :22:56. | :23:00. | |
survivors of sexual crime and seek to bring those responsible to | :23:00. | :23:05. | |
justice. The Health Minister, Edwin Poots | :23:05. | :23:09. | |
and the DUP's, Pam Brown joins me now. Thank you very much indeed for | :23:09. | :23:16. | |
joining us. You raised the point there that the Rowan will only be | :23:16. | :23:20. | |
open during office hours. The minister tried to reassure people | :23:20. | :23:25. | |
it would be 365 days a year in terms of phone access. Did that | :23:25. | :23:29. | |
allay your fear as soon as. Somewhat it did, Mark. The service | :23:29. | :23:34. | |
is to be there, the core hours are to be Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm | :23:34. | :23:40. | |
and that strikes you as well, it struck me as unusual because when | :23:40. | :23:45. | |
you think of rapes and sexual attacks, you don't think of them | :23:45. | :23:50. | |
happening between am and 5pm and -- 9am and 5pm and from Monday to | :23:50. | :23:56. | |
Friday, it is something you expect to happen at the weekend or | :23:56. | :23:59. | |
evenings. But somebody can speak to another | :23:59. | :24:05. | |
human being quickly? Yes, there is an on call service 24/7 and that's | :24:05. | :24:08. | |
very reassuring. As far as I know you will be in touch with a | :24:08. | :24:13. | |
specialist nurse initially and they will make the arrangements for you | :24:13. | :24:16. | |
to attend the clinic. How much is a service like this | :24:16. | :24:20. | |
needed in Northern Ireland, do you think? It is greatly needed. I mean | :24:20. | :24:24. | |
at the moment there is the service, but it wouldn't be the one stop | :24:24. | :24:31. | |
shop that the Rowan is intended to be. Hopefully all the services that | :24:31. | :24:36. | |
a victim would require after such an assault, hopefully all those | :24:36. | :24:42. | |
needs would be met in the one place which would be in the Rowan. So it | :24:42. | :24:50. | |
is good news? It is very good news. 86% of Department of Agriculture | :24:50. | :24:52. | |
staff are unhappy with its planned move to Ballykelly in County | :24:52. | :24:55. | |
Londonderry. The Finance and Personnel Minister told the chamber | :24:55. | :24:57. | |
this afternoon. Speaking during question time, Sammy Wilson said | :24:57. | :25:00. | |
help will be given to staff who want to be reallocated in another | :25:00. | :25:10. | |
:25:10. | :25:11. | ||
department. There has been some work done with DARD staff to assess | :25:11. | :25:21. | |
:25:21. | :25:21. | ||
their response to the relocation. 86% of sap of DARD staff indicate | :25:21. | :25:27. | |
ter not prepared to work -- they are not prepared to work in | :25:27. | :25:31. | |
Ballykelly. There are procedures which can be used where staff are | :25:31. | :25:37. | |
unwilling or unable in some cases to move to a new location which | :25:37. | :25:40. | |
will assist staff to either locate to other departments or help them | :25:40. | :25:48. | |
with the move to the new location. The Secretary of State has recently | :25:48. | :25:53. | |
suggested and somewhat scatheingly that Northern Ireland departments | :25:53. | :25:57. | |
currently under spend and somehow or other she regarded that as an | :25:57. | :26:02. | |
example of economic under performance. I have got to say, as | :26:02. | :26:06. | |
in so many other cases, the Secretary of State displays either | :26:06. | :26:12. | |
a lack of understanding or a lack of briefing about affairs in | :26:12. | :26:15. | |
Northern Ireland. Because, of course, and I am not too sure what | :26:15. | :26:19. | |
she was actually referring to. If she was referring to the fact that | :26:19. | :26:23. | |
we have budget flexibility arrangements which were negotiated | :26:23. | :26:29. | |
by the Executive, with the Treasury, which allow us to carry money over | :26:29. | :26:33. | |
on our capital Budget and on our current spend budget every year, | :26:33. | :26:38. | |
then, of course, that is something which we are entitled to do and | :26:38. | :26:43. | |
represents and was sought indeed, so that we could have good, prudent | :26:43. | :26:47. | |
financial management and not have a frenzy of unnecessary spend at the | :26:47. | :26:51. | |
end of the financial year. So I'm not really too sure what she is | :26:51. | :26:55. | |
referring to. All I can say is that our record on under spends has been | :26:55. | :27:00. | |
far better than previous direct rule ministers ever showed when | :27:00. | :27:04. | |
they were this charge. Can I thank the Minister for His | :27:04. | :27:11. | |
answer which I note consisted of excuses at a time of record high | :27:11. | :27:14. | |
levels of youth unemployment and a lack of political decision making | :27:14. | :27:19. | |
at the Executive. But it might be helpful if the minister could | :27:19. | :27:24. | |
outline whether or not he posed some of those questions to the | :27:24. | :27:28. | |
Secretary of State and if so, what were her answers? I think the lady | :27:28. | :27:35. | |
fails to listen to answers. Maybe somebody in the SDLP writes a | :27:35. | :27:41. | |
question for her which she feels she has got to read out | :27:41. | :27:46. | |
irregardless of what has gone on before. I would like her, I mean, | :27:46. | :27:51. | |
where were the excuses? There weren't any excuses. | :27:51. | :27:56. | |
Can I ask him if he has received any assurances from the Ulster Bank | :27:56. | :28:00. | |
in relation to the relation IT glitches at the bank? Does he | :28:00. | :28:03. | |
believe that they have got this problem under control? | :28:03. | :28:08. | |
Well, all I can do, I am not an IT expert and I suspect the people I | :28:08. | :28:14. | |
speak to in the Ulster Bank have not, are not IT experts either. | :28:14. | :28:19. | |
They take the assurances from the anoraks and the people with the | :28:19. | :28:25. | |
technical knowledge and the geeks who deal with these particular | :28:25. | :28:30. | |
issues. All I can say is that in the conversations I have had with | :28:30. | :28:33. | |
them, Ulster Bank assured me that they believe that they are on top | :28:33. | :28:39. | |
of the technical problems now. Point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker. | :28:39. | :28:43. | |
I ask that you read the record of the minister's response to my | :28:43. | :28:48. | |
question where he suggested that I read a pre-prepared supplementary | :28:48. | :28:52. | |
question and he replied in a sexist manner and furthermore, the | :28:52. | :28:57. | |
particular minister has a record of sexist abuse and could I ask to | :28:57. | :29:06. |