26/06/2012 Stormont Today

Hello and welcome to Stormont Today. Day one of the Queen's Jubilee

visit and she's been praised for helping Anglo-Irish relations. Up

here, the stage is set for the Stormont party but inside the

Chamber things were a bit less jolly. Politicians were debating

cutting the number of MLAs - there was even a chance to lament those

they had loved and lost. Women's Coalition are no longer

here, the Progressive Unionist Party is no longer hear... If you

really want to have an inclusive place that would include the

Monster Raving Loony Party, you need to have a lot more than 100 or

was! And an end of term prize giving for

children campaigning against attacks on the emergency services.

And my guest tonight is Economist Last night the Department of

Justice got our end of session report. Tonight it's the turn of

Finance. How have they functioned? The Department of Finance has run

its budget as a pretty tight ship. What we have had today is the

different departments that wanted to claim an extra 180 million and

they were only able to allocate just over 90 million. It is early

in the financial year so you could say that if they have 90 million

left they are doing well considering there is only three

months on, but there is some of that left over from last year. The

his claims have been rejected. Their health service has been asked

for twice as much as it has been allocated. Transient has asked for

a significant sum of money and it has only been around half that.

They should be going home saying that they were talking about being

a bit short but they will probably settle for what they have got, even

though it is less than what the bed for. It is all pretty confusing for

most people. It does seem sometimes as though they get money from down

the back of the so far. We keep coming up with millions of pounds

from the we are. The Minister of finance is one of alter that

accusation. We are told that up expecting is getting tighter and

then as we go through a year there is always something that can be

released from somewhere. It is it that the nature of a very large

budget. If we start talking about 100 billion, that is only one %

that they are playing with. Nevertheless, I think the fire was

a finance their I would be willing to say that the department's one

way to improve is that you should plan to live on what you have got.

Live within your means. What about the bad news today on corporation

tax? That I think is the worst news today in terms of the political

process. We were built up to believe that yesterday's meeting

would be a very definitive moment and we would get something of a

proposal that might be adopted by the Treasury. Now we're being told

that is not ready. That there are significant differences between the

two party, mean that the Treasury and the ministers, and that there

is our best to avoid extra burden on business and extra burden on the

Revenue and Customs department. Code language for saying that it

Northern Ireland wants to play with his ovation on this, the customs

revenue department is going to charge in and that is going to put

the bill up. There is a major debate going on about the bill.

There is probably a major debate going on about the way in which we

do it. I would say to her ministers, for goodness sake tell us what the

proposals are that you have on the table, tell us what the

difficulties are in more detail, because at the moment we are left

wondering what you were arguing about.

The property maintenance company Red Sky found itself at the centre

of a storm last year when its contract with the Housing Executive

was terminated. There were allegations of substandard work and

financial mismanagement. But it seems now that Red Sky wasn't the

only company which wasn't up to scratch, as the Social development

minister revealed during questions. Last year, I became increasingly

concerned that the issues which led to the termination of the Red Sky

contract by the housing Executive in July 2011 may be present in

other contracts which had not been the subject of any full

investigation. I ask that a forensic investigation was carried

out of a sample of Housing Executive maintenance contracts,

including those of the contractors to whom that the Red Sky contract

was reassigned on its termination on 14th July 2011. This is to

provide me with insurance is in relation just -- in relation to

insuring the circumstances of the relation -- termination of the Red

Sky contract are not present in other contracts. The provision for

the best possible Mac -- value-for- money service and thirdly the

appropriate use of public funds. This has been carried out and

considered. Given the importance of these contracts, I am sure the

Minister will agree that there proper management is critical. He

has outlined some improvements required, which will need a

fundamental change on behalf of the prison Executive. Does he ever --

Housing Executive. Does he have confidence in the Executive to make

those changes? He raises a fundamental issue. I have to say I

have concerns. In relationship -- in relation to the effective and

timely employment could -- implementation of the Executive of

the recommendations made in this review. On my secretary has met

with both the chief Executive and the chairman of the housing

Executive to discuss his concerns in relationship to contact

management and what the Housing Executive is doing to ensure the

effect of a timely and not -- implantation of those

recommendations. I intend to raise VAT at a forthcoming performance

review meeting. I recall that almost 12 months ago, and met with

the chairman and the acting chief Executive of the Housing Executive.

This was in the context of red sky. I asked for assurances and I was

given assurances about other contractors. The evidence that is

now emerging raises serious questions about the assurances that

I was given by the chairman and by the acting chief Executive and I

take that pretty seriously because they both sat in my office with May

and even the issuance has personally. Her I wonder if the

Minister would agree with me, with regards to organisations like Red

Sky, it sometimes seems like the tail wagging the dog and they seem

to have something of a senior members of staff in the housing

Executive. We're trying to put a halt to some bad practice, they

would then move that on. I think the Member for his question. It

raises a fundamental issue that I touched on. It is becoming

increasingly clear, it was clear last year to some extent, but his

is now clear her, that the issues in regard to red sky were actually

present in quite a number of contractors and the point being

that not only are their shortcomings there, in terms of the

service provided to tenants, but also in terms of the monitoring and

management and the inspection of work. Somebody signs of some work

that has not even happened in a place that did not even exist, I do

not know how they managed that. to agriculture and the Minister was

asked to what she was doing on cross-border flood protection. He

had forgotten one thing. department is a competent a

authority for the implication of the -- implementation of the

directive. The risk assessment was completed in 2011. We are currently

producing eight flood hazard maps, which are on target for 2013.

Starting the drafting of the flood mismanagement palms, to be

completed by 2015. The role of Comberton a authority is undertaken

by the Office of Public Works. When carrying out the assessment, there

was full co-operation and sharing of information between officials

and Red Cross and Ireland. We have identified there are no significant

flood risk areas. There are three rare rubies and catchments witty to

For the other two did at -- -- we are drafting that flood risk

management plans. We have agreed a joint approach, which will insure

the flood risk is managed on the whole catchment basis and we will

work closely across the silent. -- this island. Remember do not

translate his question. Question seven.

Well, we heard earlier from John how the finance minister shuffled

his deck of financial cards and handed out millions of pounds as

part of the June monitoring round. The Department of Regional

development was the big winner getting almost 34 million for road

maintenance and new buses.Here's how Sammy Wilson dealt out the dosh.

The net impact including Maj reservation, the because of acacias,

is that the Executive had available �76.6 million and its -- in respect

to none ring first resource with further capital investments.

Against this significant level of resources available, the

department's beds for additional resources of �108.2 million, in

terms of non ring-fenced resource, and �88.2 million in respect of

capital investment. The individual bits by departments are detailed in

the tables which are attached to the statement. I found the Mercer

for its co-operation. -- minister. In relation to the statement, it is

obviously it more significant level of reduced requirements, almost

twice as much as last year in terms of resource. Last year the capital

was only not 0.3 million and this year it is almost �30 million of

capital. Does the Minister believe that what he has set out today

indicates that the departments have fully declared their requirements

at this time and how confident is he that they will not declared

reduced requirements end of the January round? I thank him for his

comments and wish him all the best as he leaves this place. I do not

know where he is going. He is going to have a life of leisure! He has

highlighted the issue of reduced requirements and of course be want

departments, if they can identify those, we wanted departments to

declare it reduced requirements as soon as possible because as has

been seen by the statement today, it actually means that we can plan

ahead, we can look at what schemes art of the greatest priority for

the Assembly, what are the most pressing needs, and spend money on

It's a difficult job because so many departments are looking for

their share of the cake. Many departments have been disappointed

and they cannot make a strong case that they need more money. They

were told at the beginning of the year how much money there was and

he is right, there has to be discipline now. There were one or

two points in the decision-making process today that do not relate to

the money. One that is that he has virtually changed the proposal of

the New Deal. A small amount of money was set up -- set aside to

put -- set the scheme up. He has scrapped that idea and he has now

shifted �4 million a year to providing replacement boilers. This

is a simpler but a much less extensive programme and I know the

advocates of the green New Deal will be extremely disappointed

because they thought they had a real winner here in terms of jobs

and people being motivated to improve their houses. The Minister

other department of social development has prism will walk

away from it. It's like turkeys voting for

Christmas asking MLAs to reduce their number here at Stormont. But

that's what one committee was tasked with doing. No surprise then

that they couldn't reach agreement. We remain to be convinced about

whatever size of the Assembly. Convincing as if we are ever going

to change the numbers, we have to be convinced that there are

safeguard mechanisms that for me was part of the underpinning of the

Good Friday Agreement. Too often in the past, constituencies have been

left not properly representative. People were represented in a

section away. I think the good examples we have provided,

particularly here in the Assembly, ensure that inclusiveness is one of

her guiding principles. McCartney made the point that

already the objective of the agreement to have as many voices

are represented in this place has been in some ways diluted because

the Progressive Unionist Party is no longer here, and quite clearly,

the larger parties have been able to make sure that the electoral

system works to her advantage and squeezes out those smaller voices.

If you really want to have an inclusive place, that would include

the Monster Raving Loony Party, you would have to have a lot more or

people here. LAUGHTER. Hopefully some of those other comments will

be picked up. I will not step into the gutter like that! We need to be

careful of what we mean by terms like inclusive pity which would

ultimately take you to how many people this place would have to

have full stop -- have to have. may be right that it should be the

same as the district councils. Maybe it should be a living and two

in Belfast which would make 72. Or five or four. That is the truth. We

don't need 180, or 96, or 80. Many people would tell you you don't

need any. The SDLP's Conall McDevitt is here now. When it comes

down to the figures and shrinking the size of Stormont, how many

seats would the SDLP news that she went down to 96? We don't intend to

lose any in the area and practice. We intend to grow our

representation irrespective of how many seats there. It is not

necessarily a particular number but how this place can work. How we can

better scrutinise the executive and how it can deliver more for the

people who liked it. We are not spending enough time having that

debate and maybe a little bit too much time about random numbers.

it not about the Good Friday Agreement? Guesses about the way

the Assembly works and the way the committee's work. We still bring

some narrow partisan politics and to this chamber rather than

thinking about the way the committee structure is meant to act

as an opposition. If we gave ourselves a bit more space to allow

the system to work a bit better we would deliver much better results,

much better government and much better scrutiny for everyone in

this region. Are we not ultimately tied to the cross-community vote?

The vast majority of issues we vote on day and be out do not break a

long commuter lines. It is a tiny majority of issues that trigger

that mechanism. We need a political culture that understands we do not

have a traditional government and opposition and it is the committees

which are meant to be the opposition. We need to allow those

sitting on committees to behave in a challenging function irrespective

of who holds the ministry. We saw an example of that this evening,

the committee's tried to overturn the decision. Not everyone dead and

that was my point. The parties were whipped into supporting their

respective ministers. Things are working half the way it should. We

need more freedom. If a committee makes a decision, we should be more

attentive to the fact the committee has done it in an informed way. We

should many think again about how we were per parties. That is as

much of a debate we need to have as about the number of representatives.

What about getting away from the man that on a collision? It is an

option but there will always be a Coalition government. We are

divided society and you could not envisage a government that is not

cross community. The question is not whether we have a slightly

unique form of government but whether we can make our system, the

government Park and the opposition Park, and whether that comes in the

form of a traditional opposition or that group of committeds. We have

at the moment about of a dichotomy. We have new institutions but old-

style politics. Business this morning started with the health

minister Edwin Poots delivering an updated suicide prevention strategy.

It's been six years since the original Protect Life report.

Here's the minister outlining the scale of the problem here.

The bottom line is that almost 300 people every year are buying by

suicide, almost six times the rate of death due to road traffic

accidents forced up tragically, some families have lost more than

one close relation to suicide and the burden of suicide impacts more

or among certain areas and certain groups. The rate is twice as high

in deprived areas and males are three times as likely as females.

Young people in deprived areas are particularly vulnerable as are

marginalised groups such as people with mental illness. Young people

often get bad press, especially after attacks on buses and the

emergency services. But a group of children from West Belfast came to

Stormont today with a very different message, as Kevin Sharkey

has been finding out. The message is simple. It is from

children from the Good Shepherd School Full Stop This is an area

where services have been attacked creating a negative view of the

area and its young people. These young people on packages to change

and are using art to communicate that. What these children are

involved in is important. We often hear of buses are being attacked by

young children and often these attacks are condemned by adults and

community groups. What is happening here is that people -- children are

trying to get people of their own age to stop the attacks. There has

been loads of stuff about stabbings and things like that on the news.

You have to try to get people to stop. Today, a recognition for

their efforts here at the Assembly. It is a positive story and these

young people here represent the bigger majority of young people in

this region than the small group who actually took part in those

attacks. Appreciation from one of the services that tends to bear the

brunt of the attacks. Children are our passengers. Children are our

core business and we need to be able to get her children to be safe

on buses at all times. Initiatives like this encourager young people

to be safe on our buses and reflect -- respect drivers and the buses

themselves. We heard the SDLP view on shrinking

MLA numbers here. What do the UUP think? John McCallister is here.

Thank you for coming in. It is surely not a bit numbers but about

Stormont working effectively which surveys suggest the general public

do not think it is full stop I agree with that. It is about how

you get effective government and we want to see that evolve. The debate

has been too simplistic about numbers. Numbers of Representatives

and government departments. You have to look at efficiency in

government departments and the overall headcount in the Civil

Service but all of that is whether we moved to a government -

opposition structure. Looking at the numbers of Emily is an

isolation would be a mistake. -- MLAs. Within the parameters, are

you with the DUP around 80 or are you thinking 96? To if for a 25%

reduction in one election would be difficult even just to acclimatise.

You may go one that direction or seven elections. The next point

would be new boundaries. You can then look at what government

departments with the number of ministers and junior ministers need

to be. If you moved to a government and opposition you could argue for

a slip a larger Assembly in that case to have a proper scrutiny

function. There does not seem to be an appetite for that. You

campaigned for that inure Ulster Unionist leadership campaign.

Survey after survey is telling us that people want to see this place

with much more robust scrutiny and deliberate. There does not seem to

be de well within the politicians? -- the will. There is not an

appetite for making changes and there is a nervousness. That is the

argument I was making during the leadership elections. As a party,

my party leader certainly made that point. We have made it consistently

and the Assembly Executive Review, that you need to look at all of

these issues. There is a willingness among all parties to

look at her range of issues. There is no consensus on this so what

happens now? The committee report is done but realistically, most of

the work will be done at party leader level. I am a member of that

committee now. People continue to report and have her own findings

and take evidence but realistically, it will be decided by the party

leaders as to what we changed. There seems to be a willingness

that there could be agreement by the end of the year that we could

see quite quick movements are on that. Tonight the Queen is at

Hillsborough castle ahead of tomorrow's meeting with Martin

McGuinness at an arts event in Belfast. She spent much of the day

in Enniskillen but is now at her official residence where she can

look at her portrait that Jim Allister wants to see back at

Stormont. Mark Devenport has joined the crowds.

The Queen is spending the night here at Hills brat at her official

residence at Hillsborough Castle. There are some Crecy are looking to

greet her but the fault is this evening will be on her private

business, recharging her batteries but a big political their head. The

focus tomorrow will be on the arts event where she will have this

handshake with the Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness. We are

yet to get the precise choreography but some figures from the arts will

be there including Barry Douglas and Adrian Dunbar. Politically, she

will have Martin McGuinness their and the First Minister Peter

Robinson. We later in the day, she and the Duke of Edinburgh will move

on to the Stormont estate where up to 20,000 people are expected for

this Jubilee party. That will be a big event for her by areas well.

She has a busy schedule and was delayed today so it must have been

a lot of hard work for her to catch up on her timetable. Tonight will

be rest and relaxation while she prepares.

A final word for you. Sammy Wilson was critical of the Public Accounts

Committee but members of the committee were saying they do not

go far enough? This was a beautiful illustration of why the multi-party

Coalition we have is not the same as a government with opposition.

Sammy Wilson was saying that by the rules of the Public Accounts

Committee at Westminster, the committee does not start asking

accounting officers for details. They have to come back and listen

to what the Minister says and take that answer. The Public Accounts

Committee has been trying to do a bit more detailed work by talking

to accounting officer so they can establish their position. It is not

a bad idea that they have that right. Sammy Wilson is going from

parliamentary tradition by saying, they should not. He is an economics

teacher by trade. Head as he shaped up as a Finance Minister? I work

together with Sammy Wilson and I used to think he was a superb

examiner in economics. As a minister, I will take him down a