:00:00. > 3:59:59That is all from the BBC News at six. Goodbye from me and on BBC One
:00:00. > :00:27.MLAs debate allowing Westminster to bring in the changes.
:00:28. > :00:34.How dare anybody reduce this chamber to a post box after the years of
:00:35. > :00:36.democratic struggle? Troubles victims groups express
:00:37. > :00:38.despair and disappointment over ?40 million to ease health
:00:39. > :00:55.waiting lists Two years ago, prison inspectors
:00:56. > :01:01.said this place was an urgent need of reform. Join me at the newly
:01:02. > :01:03.named Hydebank Wood College, were a new programme of rehabilitation has
:01:04. > :01:04.been introduced. U2 play Belfast tonight, their first
:01:05. > :01:07.gig since having to cancel in Paris. And a wind warning remains
:01:08. > :01:09.in place this evening, with Not as windy by tomorrow,
:01:10. > :01:18.but still breezy. Hello and welcome to the
:01:19. > :01:20.programme this Wednesday evening. There's been a special sitting
:01:21. > :01:23.of the Assembly today to push ahead It was called
:01:24. > :01:27.after yesterday's agreement between the DUP, Sinn Fein and
:01:28. > :01:33.the British and Irish governments. Our political correspondent
:01:34. > :01:47.Chris Page watched some pointed The architects of the agreement have
:01:48. > :01:55.called the deal A Fresh Start. The two biggest parties say it is an
:01:56. > :02:00.awakening. But others claim it is a false Dawn. Today, MLAs have been
:02:01. > :02:05.debating a motion to give Westminster the power to legislate
:02:06. > :02:11.on it. I am therefore asking the Assembly to pass this legislative
:02:12. > :02:18.consent motion to enable us to reform the welfare system, thus
:02:19. > :02:23.helping the most vulnerable. The DUP's Minister proposal was
:02:24. > :02:27.supported by Sinn Fein. This implication plan gives us
:02:28. > :02:31.protections, measures that are better than any which currently
:02:32. > :02:34.exist on these islands. Both parties are behind the deal, which their
:02:35. > :02:42.Assembly leaders announced yesterday day. But Stormont will put in place
:02:43. > :02:48.arrangements to help people worst affected by cuts to benefits and tax
:02:49. > :02:58.credits. The executive is setting aside ?585 million Phyllis over four
:02:59. > :03:01.years. But the SDLP, DUP and Cammack Alliance are less impressed. How
:03:02. > :03:08.dare anybody reduce this chamber to a post box after the years of
:03:09. > :03:16.democratic struggle and pain and grief suffered by our people? To
:03:17. > :03:21.pass this over to Westminster is a demonstration of a lack of political
:03:22. > :03:25.maturity. This comprehensive agreement plus the welfare reform
:03:26. > :03:31.proposals are described as A Fresh Start. They are as fresh as a
:03:32. > :03:37.student's bag of rugby gear after a game. The talks ended with a
:03:38. > :03:40.breakthrough. An atmosphere of co-operation between the two
:03:41. > :03:43.parties. But after the deal, the scrutiny has started.
:03:44. > :03:45.Sinn Fein's Alex Maskey and the SDLP's Fearghal McKinney
:03:46. > :03:57.Mac you're going to have to implement Conservative cuts after
:03:58. > :04:02.promising you would not. They are imposing cuts, not only to welfare,
:04:03. > :04:08.but also to the ground against public services. Yes, but you said
:04:09. > :04:14.consistently you would not implement them. Please let me respond. The
:04:15. > :04:18.British Government have been elected unfettered. They continue to attack
:04:19. > :04:23.those on welfare and will continue to reduce the budget on public
:04:24. > :04:28.services. That means we suffer here. What we have done with this
:04:29. > :04:37.agreement, which was difficult to secure, is secure ?500 million which
:04:38. > :04:42.we can now give to people in the support. Therefore, this deal that
:04:43. > :04:46.we have reached actually helps to protect the most vulnerable. That is
:04:47. > :04:51.what we have always tried to do. We will stand by them. To be clear, it
:04:52. > :04:56.is the Conservative Government in London imposing these cuts. Not one
:04:57. > :04:59.person who spoke in the Assembly this afternoon was able to tell us
:05:00. > :05:07.if one single penny would go from that budget. The deputy leader of
:05:08. > :05:11.the SDLP this afternoon... What about benefits claimants, though?
:05:12. > :05:14.You cannot guarantee everybody will have the same amount of money in the
:05:15. > :05:19.next couple of years, can you? Know, we certainly cannot and that
:05:20. > :05:22.is because the British Government was elected unfettered. They have an
:05:23. > :05:27.absolute majority in the British Parliament. They will continue to
:05:28. > :05:33.attack people on benefits and public services. They have changed the
:05:34. > :05:40.ballpark entirely since the election. That is what we have got
:05:41. > :05:44.to deal with. It will not go away. We have got a pool of money within
:05:45. > :05:52.which people will be able to get support. And we have also appointed
:05:53. > :05:58.an eminent panel of experts who will determine how best that money will
:05:59. > :06:01.be spent and not be subject to party political dispute. Fearghal
:06:02. > :06:06.McKinney, Sinn Fein said it was this deal or direct real. Is that what
:06:07. > :06:12.you would have preferred? Know, we would not have preferred that. Sinn
:06:13. > :06:16.Fein has opened the door to British Conservative austerity. They have
:06:17. > :06:19.opened the door to benefits caps and benefits trees. They said only
:06:20. > :06:23.months ago they would never entertain any of this and now it has
:06:24. > :06:28.happened. There were a number of major omissions from this deal which
:06:29. > :06:34.Sinn Fein snuck off into the corner and tried to do secretly. The legacy
:06:35. > :06:42.of the past is now missing and that is dreadful for victims. The economy
:06:43. > :06:46.was also missing. The SDLP did not want to deal with that from day one.
:06:47. > :06:52.At the end, they handed over to the British Government to do that. In
:06:53. > :07:02.that sense, we want to see university places, we wanted to see
:07:03. > :07:07.a printer apprenticeships. If it is so bad, why are you still in the
:07:08. > :07:12.Executive? We are here to monitor exactly what the other parties are
:07:13. > :07:16.doing. There are some proposals around the opposition but they do
:07:17. > :07:20.not amount to any opposition whatsoever in this document. We will
:07:21. > :07:24.look at opposition to those issues. We are perfectly open to those
:07:25. > :07:30.debates. But in reality, what we are perfectly open to those debates. But
:07:31. > :07:36.in reality, what we're to voters in me asking them to vote for the
:07:37. > :07:41.opposition. We want to go into Government and change... Just very
:07:42. > :07:46.briefly. What it is important to say is that after this debate, one
:07:47. > :07:51.measure of the overall agreement, this today was simply politically
:07:52. > :07:58.immature. We put over ?5 million at our disposal. The rest of the deal
:07:59. > :08:02.deals with the economy and the rest. The deputy leader of the SDLP has
:08:03. > :08:08.yet to produce an austerity plan, which I was told by their former
:08:09. > :08:13.leader, was completing. They have not produced their plans. They have
:08:14. > :08:19.not proposed a single extra penny. We owe nearly out of time. Just very
:08:20. > :08:23.briefly. We want prosperity for Northern Ireland. We exclude major
:08:24. > :08:27.parts of the economy from this particular plan, as Sinn Fein and
:08:28. > :08:33.the DUP did. They are not on the economy trail. OK, it is a debate
:08:34. > :08:35.that will continue. Thanks for joining us on the programme.
:08:36. > :08:37.The new political deal promises a fresh start, but not
:08:38. > :08:40.There have been various attempts to reach agreement
:08:41. > :08:44.on how we deal with the past, but again, the issue has been parked.
:08:45. > :08:46.Both the British and Irish governments say whilst significant
:08:47. > :08:48.progress has been made, a final agreement
:08:49. > :08:52.on setting up new bodies to deal with the past couldn't be reached.
:08:53. > :09:07.Dozens of peace walls, just like this, mostly in Belfast. This new
:09:08. > :09:11.deal will attempt to address the issue of interfaces by bringing what
:09:12. > :09:16.it calls a confidence building measures. The UK Government says it
:09:17. > :09:19.will provide an extra ?60 million over five years in an attempt to
:09:20. > :09:26.bring down the walls and create a shared future. The past and how we
:09:27. > :09:29.deal with it could not get any agreement, despite what the
:09:30. > :09:34.Government says is some significant process was not the issue has been
:09:35. > :09:37.parked. I am starting to despair that there will never be an
:09:38. > :09:42.agreement around these issues. Whilst talks are ongoing and that is
:09:43. > :09:46.to be welcomed, we have to give out hope to victims and survivors, but
:09:47. > :09:51.my frustration is that we will be unable to agree. It will be an
:09:52. > :09:56.opportunity wasted. I do not know if we get the energy or even the
:09:57. > :10:01.willpower back again. This is the woman it is to give victims a voice.
:10:02. > :10:04.It is run the critical that the two governments and the departments
:10:05. > :10:08.involved, and, and ourselves and the groups, really push to get this
:10:09. > :10:15.across the line. Because these issues will come round again and if
:10:16. > :10:21.they do get parked... This is people who need to have some truth. For
:10:22. > :10:25.some, no deal is better than a bad deal. The issue of national security
:10:26. > :10:29.as a stumbling block to an agreement. The disappointment now is
:10:30. > :10:34.that the British Government has stepped in and said that the
:10:35. > :10:37.independent acceptor has to check everything. The secretary of state
:10:38. > :10:42.to raise earlier as has agreed to meet with relatives to discuss these
:10:43. > :10:49.concerns. She wants a level playing field and comes to dealing with the
:10:50. > :10:53.past. We would wish to see everything being brought out in the
:10:54. > :10:59.open and these matters dealt with in an ethical and right way. The
:11:00. > :11:04.difficulty is that whilst there may be pressures on the Government,
:11:05. > :11:07.there are limited pressures that can be put on terrorist organisations.
:11:08. > :11:15.None of us are getting any younger. That is a concern. I suspect they
:11:16. > :11:20.might suggest that it might suit the state to let people die off and deal
:11:21. > :11:25.with legacy issues in that way. Clearly, there is a lot to consider
:11:26. > :11:29.when it comes to victims, survivors and how to deal with our past. It
:11:30. > :11:31.may be some time before they get the answers which will help them move on
:11:32. > :11:33.with their lives. Political movement eases financial
:11:34. > :11:35.pressures at Stormont and allows the Finance Minister to
:11:36. > :11:37.reallocate some spending. The biggest slice
:11:38. > :11:39.of extra money is going to Health. There will be ?48 million extra
:11:40. > :11:42.to spend, with most of that That will mean doctors will carry
:11:43. > :11:48.out around 40,000 additional The money will pay
:11:49. > :11:54.for up to 15,000 more operations. And some of it will also go to
:11:55. > :11:57.relieving Here's what
:11:58. > :12:10.the Health Minister had to say. We have been planning for this for
:12:11. > :12:14.some time in anticipation of getting the resources. I am glad we got
:12:15. > :12:19.those. We are well down the line of planning this. Lots of people will
:12:20. > :12:22.now get appointments for those procedures they will be having done
:12:23. > :12:28.to them in the next couple of days. We are trying to use the maximum
:12:29. > :12:35.capacity for our hospitals. The Ulster Hospital will support those
:12:36. > :12:36.in the independent sector. Get the most assessments, get the most
:12:37. > :12:38.surgeries we possibly can. Our economics and business
:12:39. > :12:40.editor John Campbell is here. What other re-allocations has
:12:41. > :12:49.the Finance Minister been able to We need is to be clear that this is
:12:50. > :12:53.not new money which has come out of yesterday's deal. This was already
:12:54. > :13:04.in the pot. It is just being shared out differently. It is a total of
:13:05. > :13:07.?90 million available. There is to go to roads maintenance. That is an
:13:08. > :13:10.area of controversy lately. There is also ?15 million to ?15 million to
:13:11. > :13:15.go to schools. Big numbers, but actually, small in the grand scheme
:13:16. > :13:17.of the Stormont budget. These are reallocation is, not you money.
:13:18. > :13:20.Other economic news today, and it looks like a lot
:13:21. > :13:31.Some good news at last. There is an annual survey of hours and earnings.
:13:32. > :13:35.It is done across the whole of the UK. The official survey gives us the
:13:36. > :13:40.best insight into wages. In the past few years, it has been absolutely
:13:41. > :13:45.horrendous in Northern Ireland, with wages falling across the board. If
:13:46. > :13:48.we look at the figures, we can see that the typical private sector
:13:49. > :13:55.worker last year got a pay rise of almost 7%. In the public sector, not
:13:56. > :14:01.as good at 1.6%, but still a pay rise. And that gives a typical
:14:02. > :14:05.full-time wage in Northern Ireland of ?25,800. That means we are no
:14:06. > :14:10.longer the worst performing region when it comes to wages. And house
:14:11. > :14:16.prices rising as well. Yes, that is good news. Lots of surveys out
:14:17. > :14:22.today. One shows house prices are up 7% and that gives an average price
:14:23. > :14:28.of a. But again, for context, that is still miles below the peak in
:14:29. > :14:32.2007. So those who enjoyed the boom are still deep in equity. Thank you.
:14:33. > :14:34.The police have started a murder inquiry following the death of
:14:35. > :14:37.a 73-year-old man who was attacked during a robbery in Bessbrook
:14:38. > :14:41.Eugene Carr was stabbed with a hook as he lay in bed
:14:42. > :14:44.at his home in Clogharevan Park. He died in hospital last night.
:14:45. > :14:47.A man and woman who were arrested in connection with the attack were
:14:48. > :14:53.later released on bail pending further police inquiries.