Browse content similar to 24/01/2012. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!
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Hello and welcome to Stormont Today. And while Oscar may have nodded in | 0:00:20 | 0:00:23 | |
the direction of Northern Ireland with a short film nomination and | 0:00:23 | 0:00:25 | |
yet another nod for Kenneth Branagh, which of our MLAs has been giving | 0:00:25 | 0:00:30 | |
the best performance? Here's Mike Nesbitt doing | 0:00:30 | 0:00:33 | |
bewilderment. Or would you prefer the angry young | 0:00:33 | 0:00:42 | |
man type? What is the response? Let as Ram it | 0:00:42 | 0:00:48 | |
through, not bother with due process. Get rid of the committee | 0:00:48 | 0:00:51 | |
stage because we know best. And my leading man tonight, | 0:00:51 | 0:00:58 | |
economist John Simpson. The economic reports remain pretty | 0:00:59 | 0:01:08 | |
bleak. John Simpson can give us his analysis of the picture. I | 0:01:08 | 0:01:11 | |
mentioned the Oscars and the creative industries and along with | 0:01:11 | 0:01:18 | |
tourism, those are the green shoots? Tourism gets good muddles | 0:01:18 | 0:01:24 | |
and Sammy Wilson does as well in terms of being in charge of finance. | 0:01:24 | 0:01:29 | |
Tourism is followed by the food industry doing quite well. The | 0:01:29 | 0:01:34 | |
construction industry is at the bottom and manufacturing. So the | 0:01:34 | 0:01:39 | |
economy is worrying but it is not all worrying. A so the Programme | 0:01:39 | 0:01:43 | |
for Government has been well digest it now, a week on the right track | 0:01:43 | 0:01:48 | |
to some kind of recovery? Programme for Government on the | 0:01:48 | 0:01:55 | |
economic side particularly is a big improvement. But it is still to | 0:01:55 | 0:02:00 | |
aspirational. I think we will see many arguments about what they mean | 0:02:00 | 0:02:04 | |
by the different state friends and what they are doing to make them | 0:02:04 | 0:02:08 | |
come to life. Where are the jobs and the skilled people going to | 0:02:08 | 0:02:17 | |
come from? All these things we are waiting for. But with the finance | 0:02:17 | 0:02:21 | |
minister's economic background, he should be the man best placed for | 0:02:21 | 0:02:27 | |
it? Sammy Wilson does have a background in economics and indeed | 0:02:27 | 0:02:32 | |
teaching that he needs to be careful that he does not let his | 0:02:32 | 0:02:38 | |
emotion carry him away from some logic. I think we might be thinking | 0:02:38 | 0:02:44 | |
in different directions about the rates changes. A Taps and sinks are | 0:02:44 | 0:02:46 | |
being replaced at the Royal's neo- natal unit after an inspection | 0:02:46 | 0:02:49 | |
uncovered the source of the fatal pseudomonas outbreak. The new taps | 0:02:49 | 0:02:52 | |
will have an ultra-violet light feature, which will kill bacteria. | 0:02:52 | 0:02:54 | |
Here's the minister Edwin Poots making his second statement to | 0:02:54 | 0:03:01 | |
members in as many days. Firstly there has been some | 0:03:01 | 0:03:07 | |
concerns about the impact of this a brake on the ability to maintain | 0:03:07 | 0:03:12 | |
neonatal provincial and in Northern Ireland. At present the neonatal | 0:03:12 | 0:03:17 | |
network is managing well. However the number of babies requiring | 0:03:17 | 0:03:22 | |
neonatal care can change from hour to hour. Well established | 0:03:22 | 0:03:28 | |
arrangements are in place to make sure that when babies require it | 0:03:28 | 0:03:33 | |
they can be translated to different units in Northern Ireland or | 0:03:33 | 0:03:38 | |
another part of the UK or Republic of Ireland. I want to reassure | 0:03:38 | 0:03:42 | |
women that delivery wards and all other services are operating as | 0:03:42 | 0:03:49 | |
normal. Expectant mothers should attend appointments as scheduled. I | 0:03:49 | 0:03:55 | |
wish to thank staff across the health sector for their continued | 0:03:55 | 0:03:59 | |
dedication and commitment in caring for babies at this difficult time. | 0:03:59 | 0:04:04 | |
I know all staff across the entire health sector work tirelessly to | 0:04:04 | 0:04:08 | |
provide a safe and caring environment for patients and I | 0:04:08 | 0:04:12 | |
would express my gratitude to the Mall. In addition I pay tribute to | 0:04:12 | 0:04:17 | |
the work of the Public Health Agency in providing expert advice | 0:04:17 | 0:04:22 | |
and to the Health and Social Care Board as they ensure that neonatal | 0:04:22 | 0:04:25 | |
services remain available for babies. | 0:04:25 | 0:04:27 | |
Now the source has been identified, questions are being asked about how | 0:04:27 | 0:04:30 | |
the contaminated water reached the babies. There's also the further | 0:04:30 | 0:04:33 | |
matter of the death of a baby in Altnagelvin before Christmas. The | 0:04:33 | 0:04:35 | |
Chief Medical Officer, Michael McBride, told me what the | 0:04:35 | 0:04:43 | |
Department of Health did after the death. When the identified the | 0:04:43 | 0:04:48 | |
incident at Altnagelvin and became aware that it was apparently | 0:04:48 | 0:04:54 | |
related to a tap within the unit, week issued the guidance again to | 0:04:54 | 0:04:57 | |
all the Trusts across Northern Ireland reminding them again of the | 0:04:57 | 0:05:01 | |
information that we have previously issued. But there was no sense at | 0:05:01 | 0:05:07 | |
that stage that the taps should have been checked? I think it was | 0:05:07 | 0:05:12 | |
fair to say we had high standards of infection control across all | 0:05:12 | 0:05:22 | |
0:05:22 | 0:05:22 | ||
intensive care units. So there is no suggestion that we had a problem | 0:05:22 | 0:05:30 | |
and indeed prior to these outbreaks, every indication was that all of | 0:05:30 | 0:05:34 | |
the arrangements currently in place were working well. Clearly once we | 0:05:34 | 0:05:39 | |
get the a brick under control there will be the opportunity to ask | 0:05:39 | 0:05:42 | |
questions around, are the things that we could or should have done | 0:05:42 | 0:05:48 | |
differently? Those are questions for another time. But it is | 0:05:48 | 0:05:52 | |
important that we look back on this experience and particularly the | 0:05:52 | 0:05:59 | |
tragic consequences, and ask those questions. What are the lesson that | 0:05:59 | 0:06:04 | |
we can learn? What are the steps we can take to ensure that this does | 0:06:04 | 0:06:08 | |
not happen again, to the best of our ability. Do you drink it could | 0:06:08 | 0:06:13 | |
have been prevented? I would be speculating, we need to investigate | 0:06:13 | 0:06:19 | |
in some detail the causes, the possible contributory factors. We | 0:06:19 | 0:06:23 | |
do need to provide those answers in due course because the last thing | 0:06:23 | 0:06:30 | |
we want is for this to occur again. Could more have been done between | 0:06:30 | 0:06:35 | |
the baby dying in Altnagelvin to the three babies dying in the | 0:06:35 | 0:06:40 | |
Royal? I suspect the answer to that question would be yes. Will the | 0:06:40 | 0:06:43 | |
committee now be asking for further details or will you wait for the | 0:06:43 | 0:06:48 | |
outcome of the inquiry? I think it would be prudent to wait for the | 0:06:48 | 0:06:53 | |
outcome of the inquiry but we will be keeping a close eye on this. One | 0:06:53 | 0:06:58 | |
of my committee colleague asked if taps would be replaced in other | 0:06:58 | 0:07:02 | |
neonatal unit snout as a result of finding the second source and I | 0:07:02 | 0:07:06 | |
think the answer to that question should be yes, it should be carried | 0:07:06 | 0:07:11 | |
out as quickly as possible. Is a hospital fit for purpose? Does this | 0:07:11 | 0:07:15 | |
raised questions about the new children's hospital that was | 0:07:15 | 0:07:20 | |
planned some time ago? Question time can often be a bad | 0:07:20 | 0:07:22 | |
tempered hour, but not today, with the regional development minister | 0:07:22 | 0:07:26 | |
in fine form. Also up this afternoon was the social | 0:07:26 | 0:07:27 | |
development minister, Nelson McCausland, who managed to upset | 0:07:27 | 0:07:32 | |
one member. But let's start with Danny Kennedy taking a question | 0:07:32 | 0:07:42 | |
0:07:42 | 0:07:43 | ||
from a party colleague. The minister will be aware in his | 0:07:44 | 0:07:48 | |
own network Transport report that average journey times through | 0:07:48 | 0:07:51 | |
Ballynahinch where as low as just under eight miles an hour. Would | 0:07:51 | 0:07:56 | |
the minister agreed that this has a serious adverse effect on | 0:07:56 | 0:08:02 | |
businesses, tourism, commuters across the South Down area? | 0:08:02 | 0:08:06 | |
grateful to the member for his supplementary question and his | 0:08:06 | 0:08:12 | |
interest in this particular scheme. I have had many occasions to travel | 0:08:12 | 0:08:19 | |
through Ballynahinch and also enjoy the facilities offered by | 0:08:19 | 0:08:26 | |
Ballynahinch in terms of shopping and other facilities. And I want to | 0:08:26 | 0:08:30 | |
stress that it would be my hope and intention that we could proceed | 0:08:30 | 0:08:36 | |
with a Ballynahinch bypass as quickly as possible. I'm interested | 0:08:36 | 0:08:40 | |
as roads minister in upgrading the network of roads throughout | 0:08:40 | 0:08:44 | |
Northern Ireland. Ian am listening closely and have taken the | 0:08:44 | 0:08:48 | |
opportunity to meet with local representatives from that area, | 0:08:48 | 0:08:53 | |
advocating that scheme. Also with business people. I am aware of the | 0:08:53 | 0:08:58 | |
arguments and it is a matter of moving this scheme forward as | 0:08:58 | 0:09:04 | |
quickly as we can. I thank the Minister for his response. I | 0:09:04 | 0:09:07 | |
noticed the minister was indeed in my constituency last Wednesday | 0:09:07 | 0:09:16 | |
morning. And he had a number of representatives around him. I was | 0:09:16 | 0:09:18 | |
in the office dealing with constituents but he never thought | 0:09:18 | 0:09:25 | |
of coming and saying, come out and talked to us. Things were just as | 0:09:25 | 0:09:30 | |
highly charged as the next topic came up - electric cars. I am | 0:09:30 | 0:09:34 | |
impressed by the minister's illuminating answer. But could I | 0:09:34 | 0:09:39 | |
ask him to throw some more light on how people could actually be | 0:09:39 | 0:09:45 | |
encouraged to take that first tentative step to requiring | 0:09:45 | 0:09:51 | |
electric powered vehicles? I thank the member and as usual he is not | 0:09:51 | 0:10:01 | |
0:10:01 | 0:10:01 | ||
plugged in, he is sometimes wired up! There are specific charge. | 0:10:01 | 0:10:05 | |
Locations which have been identified throughout Northern | 0:10:05 | 0:10:10 | |
Ireland. Each of these will have two dedicated car park spaces which | 0:10:10 | 0:10:20 | |
0:10:20 | 0:10:20 | ||
will be located in priority car park locations. And of course home | 0:10:20 | 0:10:26 | |
and workplace charging will be charged under existing home and | 0:10:26 | 0:10:30 | |
workplace pictures the bills. We are putting in place the mechanism | 0:10:30 | 0:10:36 | |
to allow people to take up this scheme and perhaps a bale of it. | 0:10:36 | 0:10:41 | |
Electric vehicles are now just coming onto the market and the plug | 0:10:41 | 0:10:47 | |
in car Grant allows buyers to receive a grant of 25% towards the | 0:10:47 | 0:10:56 | |
cost. Up to a maximum of �5,000. social development it was | 0:10:56 | 0:10:59 | |
homelessness and increased levels of repossession that had the | 0:10:59 | 0:11:03 | |
interest of members. Here is the minister responding to Paul Maskey. | 0:11:03 | 0:11:07 | |
We are not yet clear are the implications of welfare reform so | 0:11:07 | 0:11:13 | |
it is impossible to predict precisely where we will be. But I | 0:11:13 | 0:11:18 | |
think the proposals we're bringing forward will adopt a comprehensive | 0:11:18 | 0:11:28 | |
approach to deliver what we need in the next period. | 0:11:28 | 0:11:35 | |
I thank the Minister for his reply. In relation to giving his answer to | 0:11:35 | 0:11:40 | |
the members already, he made reference to a wider ranging | 0:11:40 | 0:11:44 | |
definition of homelessness. Especially those people who | 0:11:44 | 0:11:49 | |
unfortunately find themselves on the street. What is the Minister | 0:11:49 | 0:11:53 | |
and the Department looking at in the chick here in relation to that | 0:11:53 | 0:11:57 | |
issue and straw and the distinction between that type of definition and | 0:11:57 | 0:12:06 | |
people who have their property repossessed? The first question | 0:12:06 | 0:12:10 | |
their around how many are actually homeless and the meaning of | 0:12:10 | 0:12:15 | |
homelessness, under the Housing Law in 1988 a prisoners' home as if | 0:12:15 | 0:12:19 | |
they have no accommodation. Furthermore a person can be treated | 0:12:19 | 0:12:22 | |
as homeless even if they have accommodation that may not be fit | 0:12:22 | 0:12:27 | |
for their needs or have a double. Last year more than 10,000 people | 0:12:27 | 0:12:30 | |
on the waiting list were assessed in this manner but I stress this | 0:12:30 | 0:12:34 | |
does not mean they're actually homeless. People assessed as | 0:12:34 | 0:12:37 | |
homeless may be living in temporary accommodation, staying with friends | 0:12:37 | 0:12:42 | |
or even in many cases, living in their own home. The Housing | 0:12:42 | 0:12:46 | |
Executive estimate approximately 10 people sleep rough on streets of | 0:12:46 | 0:12:50 | |
Belfast on any given night but members must realise that this is | 0:12:50 | 0:12:54 | |
by their own choice if they can describe it like that. Often their | 0:12:54 | 0:12:58 | |
folk who are living with circumstances and situations. No | 0:12:58 | 0:13:02 | |
one needs to be sleeping on the streets and there is enough | 0:13:02 | 0:13:07 | |
accommodation across Northern Ireland for anyone who needs it. | 0:13:07 | 0:13:09 | |
pilot pay-as-you-go scheme for people using home heating oil has | 0:13:09 | 0:13:16 | |
started recently but Mike Nesbitt had a query. I thank the Minister. | 0:13:16 | 0:13:19 | |
Returning to the Pay As You Go pilot scheme, could the Minister of | 0:13:19 | 0:13:24 | |
for clarity on the ownership of the heating oil in domestic tanks using | 0:13:24 | 0:13:30 | |
this technology and in the event of theft, who would bear the risk, the | 0:13:30 | 0:13:40 | |
0:13:40 | 0:13:41 | ||
During the pilot scheme the tank will be fitted with an antique | 0:13:41 | 0:13:51 | |
0:13:51 | 0:13:56 | ||
Tampa device. -- Antique tampering device. Mike Nesbitt said he was | 0:13:56 | 0:14:03 | |
appalled at the number of times ministers ignored questions. He | 0:14:03 | 0:14:10 | |
said it was an abuse of democracy. Obviously welfare reform is going | 0:14:10 | 0:14:18 | |
to be a huge issue for all of us in the coming weeks and months. | 0:14:18 | 0:14:25 | |
have seen what happened in the House of Lords with regard to the | 0:14:25 | 0:14:30 | |
debate on maximum benefits. Northern Ireland was left out of | 0:14:30 | 0:14:39 | |
the discussion, but we all know what that means. Parity will have | 0:14:39 | 0:14:43 | |
to be kept with what is happening across the water otherwise the | 0:14:43 | 0:14:49 | |
Budget will be in difficulty. We will be hearing much more | 0:14:49 | 0:14:57 | |
discussion about the impact of the cut in off their benefits. It is | 0:14:57 | 0:15:06 | |
the situation where Hobson's Choice will have to do. Is Stormont the | 0:15:06 | 0:15:09 | |
visitor attraction it could be? Are nationalists put off coming to | 0:15:09 | 0:15:11 | |
parliament buildings because of Lord Carson's statue? Well, it | 0:15:11 | 0:15:14 | |
seems there is evidence that it's not as cross-community as it could | 0:15:14 | 0:15:24 | |
0:15:24 | 0:15:25 | ||
be. Here's Martina to explain. According to the latest minutes of | 0:15:25 | 0:15:32 | |
the Assembly committee, they have commissioned an audit to see | 0:15:32 | 0:15:39 | |
whether Stormont is welcoming enough. It has been suggested in | 0:15:39 | 0:15:46 | |
the minutes that people are not coming to Stormont because their | 0:15:46 | 0:15:54 | |
culture is not been reflected. Previous reports have indicated | 0:15:54 | 0:16:02 | |
that Unionists are more likely to visit Stormont. This audit has been | 0:16:02 | 0:16:11 | |
going on and efforts had been made to make sure of symbols and | 0:16:11 | 0:16:20 | |
language are more reflective of nationalists. | 0:16:20 | 0:16:30 | |
0:16:30 | 0:16:32 | ||
Money is tight. You have heard about some changes that could be | 0:16:32 | 0:16:42 | |
0:16:42 | 0:16:45 | ||
made. Yes. There are issues around the childcare scheme here. It is | 0:16:46 | 0:16:51 | |
thought it is to generous and people who use it should move to | 0:16:51 | 0:16:55 | |
the voucher scheme. With me now is Sinn Fein's Barry | 0:16:55 | 0:17:03 | |
McElduff. How do you know there are more Protestants than couplets that | 0:17:03 | 0:17:08 | |
visit Parliament Buildings? A survey was carried out in 2009 | 0:17:08 | 0:17:16 | |
and it demonstrated that in the West, 10 % of the people surveyed | 0:17:16 | 0:17:20 | |
said they had been to Stormont. In the greater Belfast area the figure | 0:17:20 | 0:17:30 | |
is 39 %. Unionists tend to identify greater with the building the brand | 0:17:30 | 0:17:35 | |
do nationalists of historical reasons. But things are changing. | 0:17:35 | 0:17:45 | |
This evening, Belfast Community Gospel Choir are in the long haul. | 0:17:45 | 0:17:49 | |
Progress is being made. As a commission member, I am duty-bound | 0:17:49 | 0:17:55 | |
to push this agenda a little bit more and tried to have more out | 0:17:55 | 0:18:00 | |
reach to places like Tyrone and Fermanagh, so people feel | 0:18:00 | 0:18:06 | |
comfortable about coming to Stormont. Is there not an issue of | 0:18:06 | 0:18:16 | |
distance? Yes, but Stormont is not Irish language friendly. If he were | 0:18:16 | 0:18:20 | |
to go to the Welsh Assembly, the Scottish parliament, you will see | 0:18:20 | 0:18:26 | |
institutional reflection of languages. You do not see that here | 0:18:26 | 0:18:30 | |
at Stormont parliament buildings, and you are talking about where | 0:18:30 | 0:18:37 | |
there is a burgeoning Ivey school movement. People coming here would | 0:18:37 | 0:18:43 | |
like tours in at the Irish medium. I am not saying I am facing a brick | 0:18:43 | 0:18:47 | |
wall, but this is typically the stuff of debate at the Commission. | 0:18:47 | 0:18:52 | |
Is it just about language, or would you prefer to see other symbols | 0:18:52 | 0:18:57 | |
around the building, something along the lines of the flak? | 0:18:57 | 0:19:07 | |
0:19:07 | 0:19:09 | ||
would like to see neutrality or equality. Perhaps along with the | 0:19:09 | 0:19:19 | |
0:19:19 | 0:19:22 | ||
Lord Carson statue they could be because of other prominent Irish | 0:19:22 | 0:19:29 | |
men or women. These are the things which I think the commission should | 0:19:29 | 0:19:35 | |
have a serious discussion around. Thank you for joining us. | 0:19:36 | 0:19:38 | |
The Rates Bill is passing though the House using accelerated passage. | 0:19:38 | 0:19:42 | |
This means a Bill can pass through all stages in as little as ten days | 0:19:42 | 0:19:45 | |
instead of the usual months as it skips the committee stage. Jim | 0:19:45 | 0:19:47 | |
Allister questioned the Finance's Ministers motives for using this | 0:19:47 | 0:19:54 | |
process, but Sammy Wilson was adamant it was the right way. | 0:19:54 | 0:19:59 | |
The key measures contained within the Bell Rock arm important on a | 0:19:59 | 0:20:04 | |
number of levels, not at least due to the fact that the funding will | 0:20:04 | 0:20:09 | |
allow a number of businesses receiving help to be roughly | 0:20:09 | 0:20:13 | |
doubled and the level of support increased by around 50 %. Given | 0:20:14 | 0:20:23 | |
0:20:24 | 0:20:25 | ||
that help is needed now, the funding raised through the levy, it | 0:20:25 | 0:20:30 | |
would be pure show if we did not implement the measures until 2013 | 0:20:30 | 0:20:34 | |
what we hope the recovery will be on the way. For that reason, it is | 0:20:34 | 0:20:42 | |
important the motion go through by accelerated passage rather than | 0:20:42 | 0:20:47 | |
take the normal route. The use of accelerated passage is not | 0:20:47 | 0:20:53 | |
something that I take lightly and having been on the other side of | 0:20:53 | 0:20:57 | |
the process as the chairman of a committee and as a backbench member, | 0:20:57 | 0:21:04 | |
I fully understand why people and members would wish to have the | 0:21:04 | 0:21:09 | |
opportunity to properly deal with legislation to the scrutiny, which | 0:21:09 | 0:21:15 | |
normally takes place line by line and the committee. And I also | 0:21:16 | 0:21:21 | |
recognise that it is a means of ensuring that legislation is fit | 0:21:21 | 0:21:31 | |
for purpose and when we finish, we have the best piece of legislation | 0:21:31 | 0:21:39 | |
possible. How were there, it is important we balance again that -- | 0:21:39 | 0:21:44 | |
against that these packages are focussing on taking the strain from | 0:21:44 | 0:21:48 | |
businesses during the economic downturn and insuring a further | 0:21:48 | 0:21:53 | |
decline in the high streets is halted. For that reason, I believe | 0:21:53 | 0:21:59 | |
it is important that we get the measure through the assembly | 0:21:59 | 0:22:06 | |
quickly so that it can be in place for the start of the rate year in | 0:22:06 | 0:22:14 | |
2012. If there had been the urgency, if there had been the anxiety, it | 0:22:14 | 0:22:19 | |
could have manifested itself a lot sooner than now. It is not that we | 0:22:19 | 0:22:27 | |
have had time because since this committee and assembly came into | 0:22:27 | 0:22:34 | |
existence, we have been wasting time. This is the first legislation | 0:22:34 | 0:22:38 | |
apart from the hang of the budget that has come before this House and | 0:22:38 | 0:22:44 | |
what is the response of the Special Operations Executive? Let us push | 0:22:44 | 0:22:54 | |
0:22:54 | 0:22:56 | ||
it through. Let us not bother with due process. There are other | 0:22:56 | 0:23:00 | |
private members' motions that we could bear to spend our time on. I | 0:23:00 | 0:23:05 | |
do pick it sends out a very wrong and disappointing, but to me not | 0:23:05 | 0:23:15 | |
0:23:15 | 0:23:16 | ||
surprising message, from this House. We can't wait to avoid it due | 0:23:16 | 0:23:25 | |
process, we can't avoid to rush it and accelerate its, whether it is | 0:23:25 | 0:23:29 | |
exceptional or not. Well, despite Mr Allister's | 0:23:29 | 0:23:32 | |
protests the Bill did move to it's second stage. The Finance Minister | 0:23:32 | 0:23:34 | |
explained to the House that the legislation will allow him to | 0:23:35 | 0:23:38 | |
introduce a 15% levy on the largest shops, which will help fund a small | 0:23:38 | 0:23:41 | |
business rate relief scheme. There was general agreement for the plan, | 0:23:41 | 0:23:44 | |
but members reminded the Minister they would hold him to his promise | 0:23:44 | 0:23:51 | |
of a full non domestic rate revaluation in 2015. It is | 0:23:51 | 0:23:56 | |
important to look at these changes in proportion. The levy, first of | 0:23:56 | 0:24:03 | |
all, is a temporary change and it will only last for three years. On | 0:24:03 | 0:24:12 | |
average, the levy will cost about �66,000 per year, Per store. That | 0:24:12 | 0:24:22 | |
0:24:22 | 0:24:25 | ||
represents again on average 0.19 % of the individual store's turnover. | 0:24:25 | 0:24:33 | |
That put it into context. Businesses who form part of a | 0:24:33 | 0:24:37 | |
larger chain should not benefit from the skins. Mortarboard | 0:24:37 | 0:24:47 | |
business premises will be excluded. It is necessary to have a fair and | 0:24:47 | 0:24:56 | |
transparent process for the long- term. The revaluation in 2015 | 0:24:56 | 0:25:00 | |
should rebalance the rating system. There should be no delay in | 0:25:00 | 0:25:08 | |
implementing this. The necessary preparatory work should be carried | 0:25:08 | 0:25:14 | |
out well in advance. There may be better ways of bringing believed to | 0:25:14 | 0:25:20 | |
small retailers in the longer term, but these would take some time to | 0:25:20 | 0:25:27 | |
bring forward under the existing rating system. A rating review is | 0:25:27 | 0:25:32 | |
planned and perhaps that will afford the opportunity to hone a | 0:25:32 | 0:25:35 | |
more accurate instrument in the future. I appreciate the | 0:25:35 | 0:25:38 | |
difficulties of the small businesses. I hear what the large | 0:25:38 | 0:25:43 | |
retailers are saying, but I must say there is not the same level of | 0:25:43 | 0:25:53 | |
0:25:53 | 0:25:54 | ||
large retailers going to the war as are small businesses. -- to the | 0:25:54 | 0:26:04 | |
0:26:04 | 0:26:06 | ||
wall. The big stores like Tesco are not happy about this. Is it a good | 0:26:06 | 0:26:11 | |
idea? I have said on record I thought it was a poor idea and it | 0:26:11 | 0:26:15 | |
is not one I would like to support. I think it has damaged. First of | 0:26:15 | 0:26:21 | |
all, it will not make a difference to the troubles of small businesses. | 0:26:21 | 0:26:25 | |
If you look around the streets, particularly Belfast, there are so | 0:26:25 | 0:26:32 | |
many empty shops. We need the economy took stop brewing again. I | 0:26:32 | 0:26:38 | |
did not like this because it has offended the large stores. They are | 0:26:38 | 0:26:47 | |
saying they are been giving -- being given an extra charge. If it | 0:26:47 | 0:26:57 | |
was a fair system, it would not need this adaptation. We need the | 0:26:57 | 0:27:05 | |
new revaluation and the minister is pain the pros -- paying the price | 0:27:05 | 0:27:10 | |
for delaying it. We do need to revitalise the economy, but the | 0:27:10 | 0:27:14 | |
short answer is the programme for government is tackling this slowly. | 0:27:14 | 0:27:19 | |
There is not a sense of urgency and when the Finance Minister is | 0:27:19 | 0:27:26 | |
shifting five or six or �8 million, getting at first publicity, it | 0:27:26 | 0:27:30 | |
seems to me it is the wrong price to pay for the problems we are | 0:27:30 | 0:27:35 | |
tackling. They say every picture tells a | 0:27:35 | 0:27:38 | |
story and that was certainly true in Stormont today. People | 0:27:38 | 0:27:40 | |
recovering from addiction to drugs and alcohol displayed artwork they | 0:27:40 | 0:27:43 | |
had produced as part of a programme at the Dunlewy Substance Abuse | 0:27:43 | 0:27:46 | |
Centre based in north Belfast. They help former addicts, including 14- | 0:27:46 | 0:27:56 | |
0:27:56 | 0:27:56 | ||
year-old Demi Kelly. I was on drugs and I got into | 0:27:56 | 0:28:06 | |
0:28:06 | 0:28:06 | ||
Dunlewy. They asked me to do a photo shoot and I agreed. What sort | 0:28:06 | 0:28:13 | |
of hell did you get? That I could do better and I had made mistakes. | 0:28:13 | 0:28:17 | |
Tell me about a picture. What were you thinking of when you put it | 0:28:17 | 0:28:22 | |
together? I was thinking I could have fun without being in bother | 0:28:23 | 0:28:28 | |
and that I just thought I would do a picture of being happy. I took a | 0:28:28 | 0:28:32 | |
picture of me being happy and edited it. They said it would be up | 0:28:32 | 0:28:37 | |
at Stormont so I came today and I was relieved it was up. | 0:28:37 | 0:28:41 |