Public meeting – attacks on the elderly

Representatives from the PSNI, Age Concern Help the Aged NI and Belfast City Council have been invited to attend the public meeting which will take place on Thursday 11th March at 7pm in St Brides Parish Hall, Derryvolgie Avenue, Belfast.

I am organising this meeting to give concerned residents the opportunity to speak to local representatives and statutory agencies to voice their concerns about the latest burglaries. I would urge as many people as possible to come along and be apart of the community response to these attacks.

It is important that we pull together as a community and work alongside the statutory agencies to ensure that these attacks on the elderly members of our community are put to an end.

If you care about education, watch this….

This is the story of homework clubs with a difference and about really tapping into what we now call the social capital of a town. If you are interested in education, in children or in language watch it. By the way Roddy Doyle has recently opened one in Dublin called Fighting Words.

Platform for Change is launched

I have had the pleasure of being a member of the Platform for Change Management Committee for the past year or so. The Platform was launched today in Belfast.

It’s been an exciting time and great to see so many people, members of political parties, business types, community activists and ordinary citizens get involved in a political debate about the issues that matter to them.

The consultation meetings which took place with hundreds of people over the past six months were a real breath of fresh air. They proved to me that there is a huge appetite for real politics here in Northern Ireland and that people want their politicians focussed on the issues that matter.

I am in the Assembly to make the North work. Our ambition must be to build a strong region on Irish soil while respecting its inhabitants diverging national aspirations. The SDLP wants to make the North work because a strong North means a stronger Ireland. This is surely an ambition which we can share with the vast majority of people in this region. Platform for Change can play a big part in making Northern Ireland work.

Fairtrade Fortnight starts today – Executive need to do a lot more

The Executive is not doing enough to promote Fairtrade products within the public sector and its International Development strategy which is now two years overdue.

I’ll be at the launch of Fairtrade Fortnight today in Parliament Buildings. They are calling it the “The Big Swap” this year and consumers are being invited to switch a regular item for a Fairtrade substitute.

The Executive should be leading by example by encouraging the procurement of Fairtrade products in all of its departments to demonstrate the North’s commitment to ethical trading.

Yes there is some commitment to using Fairtrade tea and coffee, but no steps have been taken to ensure that there is the option to purchase Fairtrade cotton uniforms or bed linen in the Health service.

 The Minister for Education has also confirmed that she is not aware of a single school which includes a Fairtrade option in its school meals contracts.

Sales of Fairtrade products now top €2.3billion annually. This puts money directly in the pockets of some 1.5million farmers in the world’s poorest countries, benefiting an estimated 8 million people.

Here in these islands consumers have embraced Fairtrade. Sales are doubling every year. It is time the Executive caught up and showed a real commitment to the developing world by creating sustainable trade opportunities for small nations.

The Executive is totally out of step with thinking in the North, given that Belfast is the only city in the UK and Ireland to be awarded dual accreditation as a fairtrade city, acknowledging the commitment demonstrated by people in the city to Fairtrade products.

Today, I am calling on the First and Deputy First Ministers to publish their strategy on International Development and to review their procurement policies to ensure that Fairtrade is promoted within the Departments and that consumers are given the opportunity to choose Fairtrade and help promote better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability, and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing world.

Platform for Change to launch next week – new politics for a new North

On Thursday, February 25, Platform for Change, a new citizen-based policy platform is being launched in Belfast . It has been the product of several months of deliberation involving hundreds of people from across Northern Ireland .

It is a response to the widespread frustration about the continuing polarisation of our society and the policy inertia at Stormont, in the face of severe problems confronting ordinary people in their everyday lives.

The launch will take place at 12.30, in the Black Box on Hill Street . It will involve a range of personalities from various walks of life who are endorsing the platform.

Time for Minister to accept his duty to survivors of clerical and institutional child abuse

I have called on the Minister for Health to confirm that it is the duty of the Executive to uphold the rights of survivors of clerical and institutional sex abuse in Northern Ireland .

The Minister for Health has still not replied to a motion which was brought before the Assembly on November 2nd and which called for the Executive to commission an assessment of the extent of abuse and neglect in Northern Ireland, and to work with the authorities in the South to enhance child protection, as well as to provide funding to support helpline and counselling services. This is an ominous sign and sends all the wrong signals to the hundreds of survivors in this region who are now stepping out of the shadows in search of justice.

We now need a step change from the Minister. He must acknowledge publicly that it is the duty of the Executive to uphold the rights of survivors of abuse and to seek redress and justice for them. 

The department also has a duty to pursue those who perpetuated these crimes against innocent children and to seek redress from those institutions, orders and dioceses which were employing the abusers during this dark period of our history.

The survivors need action from the Minister and the Executive. I have asked him to meet with a delegation of survivors to hear first hand their experiences and to acknowledge that these historic wrongs must now be righted.

Radical economic plan launched

 A group of economists have launched a radical set of economic proposlas for the North today. I dont agree with every word but definitely think they are worthy of consideration.  I have reproduced their statement below.

Today the Northern Ireland Economic Reform Group of senior economists, accountants and business interests launches a major report on reduced corporation tax for Northern Ireland. The report argues that a low rate of corporation tax is the only change which will quickly turn the Northern Ireland economy around and that without this reform the Northern Ireland economy faces a difficult future with continued dependence on a huge subvention from GB, low levels of employment and low wages.

Twelve years after the Good Friday Agreement Northern Ireland remains the UK’s poorest region. It has the lowest average wages and among the lowest productivity. Despite having proportionately the smallest private sector, it has suffered the largest percentage loss of jobs of any region during the current recession. Its unemployment rate has risen to the third highest of any region, and a higher percentage of is working age population are inactive than in any other region. Around half of all government expenditure in NI is financed by tax-payers in GB, and in reality tax-payers in South East England. The subsidy to NI is worth in the order of £9 billion every year. This
means £5,000 for every person living in NI, or £20,000 a year for a couple with two children.

The authors point out that all of this has happened despite the highest levels of government support for business in any UK region. Most large businesses in manufacturing and agriculture, and many service businesses with export potential, receive generous grants or subsidies. It is clear that this regime of economic development policy will not turn around the Northern Ireland economy, alter the balance between the public and private sectors or significantly narrow the prosperity gap with the rest of the UK. As if this were not bad enough, the situation may well get worse. The EU plans to begin reducing from next year the ceilings for the maximum amount of grant that Invest NI is allowed to give private firms. If these plans are realised, it is possible that no, investment grants may be permitted at all after 2013 The evidence presented in this report shows that the fast track solution to increasing economic prosperity and rapid job growth it to attract high value added Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and that one of the key ways of doing this is to offer a low rate of corporation tax.

The experience of the Irish Republic shows the ability of a highly competitive corporation tax regime to attract Foreign Direct Investment. It would greatly enhance Northern Ireland’s promotional message at any future Investment Conference if it were able to look forward to having one of the lowest corporation tax rates in the world. A low tax regime would also of course act as a spur to investment by indigenous companiesThe Report argues that reduced corporation tax is the only change which will quickly turn the Northern Ireland economy around. Other changes are also needed, such as those described in the recent Independent Review of Economic Policy, but this is the only reform that can induce the major structural change which is needed if Northern Ireland is to get out of the present economic rut. A reduction in corporation tax to a level comparable to that in the Republic of Ireland would raise overall tax revenues in NI.

The benefits would be widely spread:

• NI would benefit from a much larger private sector, including at least 90,000 extra jobs over 20 years. Many of these jobs would have salary levels well above the average for NI. Unemployment should fall back much further than would otherwise be the case.

• The UK Treasury would gain from additional tax revenues from income taxes, national insurance, VAT etc. The subvention from London needed to support public expenditure levels in N.I. would be reduced accordingly, by over £1 billion within 20 years.

EU rules insist that any region gaining control over its own tax must bear the costs of any reduction in tax rates. In this report we have calculated that the reduction in revenue from reduced corporation tax is around 2% of Executive spending, but this could be smaller if the tax base expands as fast as it has in some other countries following a tax reduction.

The Report is a comprehensive response to the Treasury’s Varney Review in December 2007 whic rejected the request from all of the main Assembly Parties for reduced corporation tax in Northern Ireland. The Report builds on the Varney Report’s admission that reduced tax would be legal under the Azore’s and Gibraltar Judgements of the European Court. Northern Ireland would, of course, in line with that judgement, have to shoulder the cost to the Treasury of any reduction in the yield from corporation tax resulting from the cut in the tax rate. This would be a small price to pay in exchange for the ability to deploy such a powerful new policy weapon Other issues previously raised concerning a reduced rate of corporation tax include the concern that brass plating will occur in that shell companies will set up in Northern Ireland without any real activity or will shift excessive profits into Northern Ireland operations, with the sole purpose of claiming the benefit of the low corporation tax rate. This report addresses these concerns and indicates that HMRC
already have most of the tools necessary to police inappropriate behaviour. The report does however suggest that a ‘headcount’ test could be introduced as a means of ensuring that companies availing of the low tax rate are genuinely located in Northern Ireland.

The Northern Ireland Economic Reform Group consists of senior economist and accountants together with Sir George Quigley, Chairman of Bombardier-Shorts. The group shares a common view that Northern Ireland has a pressing need for economic reform and that reduced corporation tax is the only effective means of meeting that need quickly. All members of the group have long experience in arguing for this reform including advising the Assembly in their previous attempt to persuade the Chancellor of the Exchequer to make this change.

Corruption is government – the TED perspective

Some of the world’s most baffling social problems, says Peter Eigen, can be traced to systematic, pervasive government corruption, hand-in-glove with global companies. At TEDxBerlin, Eigen describes the thrilling counter-attack led by his organization Transparency International. I would commend it to all my colleagues in public life.

Sparklebox statement due from Minister this morning

The Minister for Education Caitriona Ruane’s decision to make a emergency statement to the Assembly today on blocking schools access to an educational resource website run by a convicted sex offenders is welcome. You can follow it live here at about noon today http://www.niassembly.gov.uk/stream.htm

Ten days ago I warned the Minister that many schools were downloading workpages from the ‘Sparklebox’ teaching resources website.

I informed the Minister by means of a priority question that the person who owns this site, Samuel/Daniel/David King/Kinge (he has changed his name by deed-poll) was found guilty and imprisoned last week for making and possessing indecent images of children and babies. Last week I was informed that the Minister instructed that access through the C2K education portal has been blocked. I look forward to hearing her confirm that tomorrow in the Assembly.

This matter was brought to my intention by concerned parents in my constituency eleven days ago. It is essential that this site be blocked on the C2K system which all schools us. I also call on the authorities to monitor the site and want to warn parents about it.

Everyone should be aware of what has happened in this case and what lessons might be learned about internet safety.

Here is the question I tabled on Thursday 28^th January for priority two day answer. It was due for answer on Tuesday last but the Minister will instead come to the Assembly to make a statement on the matter.

QUESTIONS FOR WRITTEN ANSWER
ON TUESDAY 2 FEBRUARY 2010

Questions To The Minister of Education

4. Mr C McDevitt ( South Belfast )

To ask the Minister of Education if she is aware that the owner and operator of the educational resource website ‘Sparklebox’ was found guilty of downloading abusive images of children; and if so, what steps she is taking to ensure that material from the ‘Sparklebox’ website is not used by schools.

(AQW 4381/10)

Margaret Ritchie – Mna na hEireann

Mna na h Eireann (Women of Ireland)

It was Mary Robinson who brought the poet’s phrase into Irish politics. She lit a torch that has since been carried by Mary Harney, President McAleese, Dawn Purvis and today Margaret Ritchie. Women of Ireland and leaders of people.  They embody our modern island.

Margaret Ritchie has excelled around the Executive table. She may be out numbered and often outvoted by Sinn Fein and the DUP but never out maneuvered.  The SDLP membership recognised this today and voted for a new ’shared future’ politics.  They endorsed a programme for renewal in policy and personality terms. 

Here is Sinead O’Connor’s version of the Sean O’Riada classic.