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Official Report (Hansard) Official Report (Hansard) Monday 30 April 2012 Volume 74A, No 5 Session 2011-2012 Contents Matter of the Day Newry Bomb ..............................................................................................................................207 Assembly Business Use of Electronic Devices ...........................................................................................................210 Committee Membership ..............................................................................................................211 Committee Business Standing Orders .........................................................................................................................212 Private Members’ Business Taxation: Charitable Donations ....................................................................................................214 Tourism: “The Gathering: An Irish Homecoming” ...........................................................................224 Oral Answers to Questions Agriculture and Rural Development ..............................................................................................236 Finance and Personnel ...............................................................................................................243 Private Members’ Business Tourism: “The Gathering: An Irish Homecoming” (continued) ..........................................................249 Suggested amendments or corrections will be considered by the Editor. They should be sent to: The Editor of Debates, Room 248, Parliament Buildings, Belfast BT4 3XX. Tel: 028 9052 1135 · e-mail: [email protected] to arrive not later than two weeks after publication of this report. Assembly Members Agnew, Steven (North Down) Lynch, Seán (Fermanagh and South Tyrone) Allister, Jim (North Antrim) Lyttle, Chris (East Belfast) Anderson, Ms Martina (Foyle) McCallister, John (South Down) Anderson, Sydney (Upper Bann) McCann, Fra (West Belfast) Attwood, Alex (West Belfast) McCann, Ms Jennifer (West Belfast) Beggs, Roy (East Antrim) McCarthy, Kieran (Strangford) Bell, Jonathan (Strangford) McCartney, Raymond (Foyle) Boylan, Cathal (Newry and Armagh) McCausland, Nelson (North Belfast) Boyle, Ms Michaela (West Tyrone) McClarty, David (East Londonderry) Bradley, Dominic (Newry and Armagh) McCrea, Basil (Lagan Valley) Bradley, Ms Paula (North Belfast) McCrea, Ian (Mid Ulster) Brady, Mickey (Newry and Armagh) McDevitt, Conall (South Belfast) Brown, Ms Pam (South Antrim) McDonnell, Dr Alasdair (South Belfast) Buchanan, Thomas (West Tyrone) McElduff, Barry (West Tyrone) Byrne, Joe (West Tyrone) McGimpsey, Michael (South Belfast) Campbell, Gregory (East Londonderry) McGlone, Patsy (Mid Ulster) Clarke, Trevor (South Antrim) McGuinness, Martin (Mid Ulster) Cochrane, Mrs Judith (East Belfast) McIlveen, David (North Antrim) Copeland, Michael (East Belfast) McIlveen, Miss Michelle (Strangford) Craig, Jonathan (Lagan Valley) McKay, Daithí (North Antrim) Cree, Leslie (North Down) McKevitt, Mrs Karen (South Down) Dallat, John (East Londonderry) McLaughlin, Mitchel (South Antrim) Dickson, Stewart (East Antrim) McMullan, Oliver (East Antrim) Dobson, Mrs Jo-Anne (Upper Bann) McNarry, David (Strangford) Doherty, Pat (West Tyrone) McQuillan, Adrian (East Londonderry) Douglas, Sammy (East Belfast) Maginness, Alban (North Belfast) Dunne, Gordon (North Down) Maskey, Alex (South Belfast) Durkan, Mark H (Foyle) Maskey, Paul (West Belfast) Easton, Alex (North Down) Molloy, Francie (Mid Ulster) Eastwood, Colum (Foyle) Morrow, The Lord (Fermanagh and South Tyrone) Elliott, Tom (Fermanagh and South Tyrone) Moutray, Stephen (Upper Bann) Farry, Dr Stephen (North Down) Murphy, Conor (Newry and Armagh) Flanagan, Phil (Fermanagh and South Tyrone) Nesbitt, Mike (Strangford) Ford, David (South Antrim) Newton, Robin (East Belfast) Foster, Mrs Arlene (Fermanagh and South Tyrone) Ní Chuilín, Ms Carál (North Belfast) Frew, Paul (North Antrim) Ó hOisín, Cathal (East Londonderry) Gardiner, Samuel (Upper Bann) O’Dowd, John (Upper Bann) Gildernew, Ms Michelle (Fermanagh and South Tyrone) O’Neill, Mrs Michelle (Mid Ulster) Girvan, Paul (South Antrim) Overend, Mrs Sandra (Mid Ulster) Givan, Paul (Lagan Valley) Poots, Edwin (Lagan Valley) Hale, Mrs Brenda (Lagan Valley) Ramsey, Pat (Foyle) Hamilton, Simon (Strangford) Ramsey, Ms Sue (West Belfast) Hay, William (Speaker) Robinson, George (East Londonderry) Hazzard, Christopher (South Down) Robinson, Peter (East Belfast) Hilditch, David (East Antrim) Rogers, Sean (South Down) Humphrey, William (North Belfast) Ross, Alastair (East Antrim) Hussey, Ross (West Tyrone) Ruane, Ms Caitríona (South Down) Irwin, William (Newry and Armagh) Sheehan, Pat (West Belfast) Kelly, Mrs Dolores (Upper Bann) Spratt, Jimmy (South Belfast) Kelly, Gerry (North Belfast) Storey, Mervyn (North Antrim) Kennedy, Danny (Newry and Armagh) Swann, Robin (North Antrim) Kinahan, Danny (South Antrim) Weir, Peter (North Down) Lo, Ms Anna (South Belfast) Wells, Jim (South Down) Lunn, Trevor (Lagan Valley) Wilson, Sammy (East Antrim) Northern Ireland Assembly Monday 30 April 2012 The Assembly met at 12.00 noon (Mr Speaker in the Chair). Members observed two minutes’ silence. Matter of the Day Dissent must be channelled through exclusively democratic and peaceful means. Murdering police officers, planting bombs and causing Newry Bomb destruction to property are not acts of dissent Mr Speaker: Mr Dominic Bradley has sought but acts of death and destruction. leave to make a statement on the Newry bomb, I thank the police for their work at the weekend, which fulfils the criteria set out in Standing and I will be meeting them shortly to discuss Order 24. I will call Mr Bradley to speak for the detail of it. I also thank the army technical up to three minutes on the subject. I will officer who put his life at risk to defuse the then call Members from the other parties, as bomb and make it safe. agreed with the Whips. Those Members will also have up to three minutes to speak on the The one vital element that will further address subject. As Members will know, there will be no the dissident threat is information. It appears opportunities for interventions, questions or a that there has been an escalation in dissident vote on the matter. I will not take any points of activity and threat. Therefore, it is especially order until the item of business is concluded. If important that anyone who has any information, that is clear, we shall proceed. however slight, brings it to the PSNI in the North and to an Garda Síochána in the South. Doing that Mr D Bradley: Go raibh míle maith agat, a Cheann is an important element in defeating the threat. Comhairle. Gabhaim buíochas leat as an deis We are grateful to all those who work to keep us cainte a fháil ar an ábhar thábhachtach seo. safe day and daily. Go raibh míle maith agat. Thank you very much, Mr Speaker, for the Mr Givan: I and my party associate ourselves opportunity to comment on this very serious with everything that the Member said regarding matter. I will begin by condemning outright and the incident. We, too, condemn the reckless forthrightly those who planted or abandoned act by the terrorists who planted the bomb and a 500-lb bomb on the Fathom Line, the road abandoned it in the way in which they did. It was between Newry and Omeath, last Friday. The bomb a clear attempt to take Northern Ireland back to the past, but nobody here wants to go back was destined to cause death and destruction to the way that things were. The peace that has somewhere in this land. The SDLP, as you know, been won has been hard fought, and nobody Mr Speaker, has always condemned political should be allowed to put that in jeopardy. violence. We said that it was wrong in the past, and we say that it is wrong now. I commend the member of the public for demonstrating vigilance and contacting the After enduring 30-plus years of violence, the police, and I commend the police for the way in public, including the people in my Newry and which they responded to the incident. My party Armagh constituency, are utterly repulsed at is concerned about the bomb’s sophistication the thought of violence being used here again. and about how it came about. We want to be Violence has been rejected by the people in assured that the police can effectively combat both jurisdictions on the island, and those who the threat that exists. The Executive have shown seek to further their aims in that way should their commitment by giving additional funding listen to the people and desist from what they to the police. Additional funding to deal with the are doing immediately. terrorist threat was fought for with the Treasury. 207 Monday 30 April 2012 Matter of the Day: Newry Bomb As I said, we want to be assured that the police I know there had been some concerns in the can combat the threat that exists, and we will area in relation to police responses to these provide whatever support is necessary to assist incidents, and we have articulated those. I know the police in that. that some of our Sinn Féin elected representatives have met the police over this incident, and It is a reminder to us that we must redouble we will continue to raise those concerns with our efforts to ensure that this place works for police. However, I think that the overwhelming the people of Northern Ireland and that those sense is that the people who have put the lives who want to take us back do not achieve their and property of the people of the Newry area aim. We can show that the fundamentals
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