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Official Report (Hansard) Tuesday 9 March 2021 Volume 136, No 7 Session 2020-2021 Contents Assembly Business Ministerial Resignations and Appointments ...................................................................................... 1 Public Petition: Call for a Review of the Burial Grounds Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1992 ........ 1 Ministerial Statement British-Irish Council: Digital Inclusion ................................................................................................ 2 Executive Committee Business Budget Bill: Further Consideration Stage .......................................................................................... 7 Damages (Return on Investment) Bill: Second Stage ....................................................................... 7 Oral Answers to Questions Economy ............................................................................................................................................ 27 Executive Committee Business Damages (Return on Investment) Bill: Second Stage (Continued) ................................................... 35 Budget Bill: Final Stage ..................................................................................................................... 42 Assembly Members Aiken, Steve (South Antrim) Irwin, William (Newry and Armagh) Allen, Andy (East Belfast) Kearney, Declan (South Antrim) Allister, Jim (North Antrim) Kelly, Mrs Dolores (Upper Bann) Anderson, Ms Martina (Foyle) Kelly, Gerry (North Belfast) Archibald, Dr Caoimhe (East Londonderry) Kimmins, Ms Liz (Newry and Armagh) Armstrong, Ms Kellie (Strangford) Long, Mrs Naomi (East Belfast) Bailey, Ms Clare (South Belfast) Lunn, Trevor (Lagan Valley) Barton, Mrs Rosemary (Fermanagh and South Tyrone) Lynch, Seán (Fermanagh and South Tyrone) Beattie, Doug (Upper Bann) Lyons, Gordon (East Antrim) Beggs, Roy (East Antrim) Lyttle, Chris (East Belfast) Blair, John (South Antrim) McAleer, Declan (West Tyrone) Boylan, Cathal (Newry and Armagh) McCann, Fra (West Belfast) Bradley, Maurice (East Londonderry) McCrossan, Daniel (West Tyrone) Bradley, Ms Paula (North Belfast) McGlone, Patsy (Mid Ulster) Bradley, Ms Sinéad (South Down) McGrath, Colin (South Down) Bradshaw, Ms Paula (South Belfast) McGuigan, Philip (North Antrim) Brogan, Ms Nicola (West Tyrone) McHugh, Maolíosa (West Tyrone) Buchanan, Keith (Mid Ulster) McIlveen, Miss Michelle (Strangford) Buchanan, Thomas (West Tyrone) McLaughlin, Ms Sinead (Foyle) Buckley, Jonathan (Upper Bann) McNulty, Justin (Newry and Armagh) Bunting, Ms Joanne (East Belfast) Mallon, Ms Nichola (North Belfast) Butler, Robbie (Lagan Valley) Maskey, Alex (Speaker) Cameron, Mrs Pam (South Antrim) Middleton, Gary (Foyle) Carroll, Gerry (West Belfast) Muir, Andrew (North Down) Catney, Pat (Lagan Valley) Mullan, Ms Karen (Foyle) Chambers, Alan (North Down) Murphy, Conor (Newry and Armagh) Clarke, Trevor (South Antrim) Nesbitt, Mike (Strangford) Dickson, Stewart (East Antrim) Newton, Robin (East Belfast) Dillon, Ms Linda (Mid Ulster) Ní Chuilín, Ms Carál (North Belfast) Dodds, Mrs Diane (Upper Bann) O'Dowd, John (Upper Bann) Dolan, Ms Jemma (Fermanagh and South Tyrone) O'Neill, Mrs Michelle (Mid Ulster) Dunne, Gordon (North Down) O'Toole, Matthew (South Belfast) Durkan, Mark (Foyle) Poots, Edwin (Lagan Valley) Easton, Alex (North Down) Robinson, George (East Londonderry) Ennis, Ms Sinéad (South Down) Rogan, Ms Emma (South Down) Flynn, Ms Órlaithí (West Belfast) Sheehan, Pat (West Belfast) Foster, Mrs Arlene (Fermanagh and South Tyrone) Sheerin, Ms Emma (Mid Ulster) Frew, Paul (North Antrim) Stalford, Christopher (South Belfast) Gildernew, Colm (Fermanagh and South Tyrone) Stewart, John (East Antrim) Givan, Paul (Lagan Valley) Storey, Mervyn (North Antrim) Hargey, Ms Deirdre (South Belfast) Sugden, Ms Claire (East Londonderry) Harvey, Harry (Strangford) Swann, Robin (North Antrim) Hilditch, David (East Antrim) Weir, Peter (Strangford) Humphrey, William (North Belfast) Wells, Jim (South Down) Hunter, Ms Cara (East Londonderry) Woods, Miss Rachel (North Down) Northern Ireland Assembly Tuesday 9 March 2021 The Assembly met at 10.30 am (Mr Speaker in the Chair). Members observed two minutes' silence. my presence and that of the Clerk/Chief Assembly Business Executive on 8 March. Mr Nesbitt: On a point of order, Mr Speaker. I believe that, during an otherwise very welcome Public Petition: Call for a Review of and harmonious debate yesterday evening to the Burial Grounds Regulations mark International Women's Day, Assembly (Northern Ireland) 1992 Member Wells may have misled the House. In an intervention during a speech by Kellie Mr Speaker: Mr Alex Easton has sought leave Armstrong, he claimed that, some 20 years to present a public petition in accordance with ago, Patricia Lewsley successfully introduced a Standing Order 22. The Member will have up to private Member's Bill to the House. It is my three minutes to speak. understanding that it was her intention to introduce a private Member's Bill, but she was Mr Easton: Mr Speaker, thank you for the thwarted by the fact that the House was opportunity to present this petition to the suspended in 2002. I would be grateful if you Northern Ireland Assembly today. It follows an would examine the case to determine which incident in my constituency that should never narrative is accurate. have occurred and which I would like to prevent happening again. The petition has over 5,750 Mr Speaker: OK. The Member has raised the signatures. point. I will look at the Hansard report. I was here in the Chair, as far as I remember, for the A constituent recently contacted me following exchange. I will look into that, as the Member the death of their uncle Mr Mulholland. Mr has requested. Thank you. Mulholland had purchased a burial plot years ago, well before 1992, for three people in Ministerial Resignations and Clandeboye Cemetery. His wife and child were Appointments already buried in the plot, and, before he passed away, he had expressed his wish to be Mr Speaker: I have received notification from buried with them. However, the family was told the First Minister and deputy First Minister that only the day before the funeral that the grave Mr Gordon Lyons has resigned the office of could not be dug deeply enough and that their Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural uncle would have to be buried somewhere else. Affairs and that Mr Gary Middleton has resigned It is truly horrific for a grieving family to have to the office of junior Minister. be put through that. On further investigation, it I have also been informed by the nominating turns out that the Burial Grounds Regulations officer for the Democratic Unionist Party that Mr (Northern Ireland) 1992 changed the required Edwin Poots has been nominated as Minister of depth of burial plots, meaning that some graves Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs. Mr will no longer be able to legally hold the number Poots accepted the nomination and affirmed the of occupants for whom they were purchased. Pledge of Office in my presence and that of the Clerk/Chief Executive on 8 March. The key problem here is that those who bought their burial plots prior to 1992 have not been I have also received correspondence from the informed by their councils of those changes. First Minister and deputy First Minister that Mr The council offers a depth-testing service for Gordon Lyons has been appointed to the office graves, charging £110 for the service. That of junior Minister. Mr Lyons accepted the charge is scandalous. It is disgraceful that nomination and affirmed the Pledge of Office in bereaved families have to pay such an amount, when plots were purchased decades ago for a certain number of people. I find it deeply unfair 1 Tuesday 9 March 2021 that those affected should have to pay those costs. The service should be available to those Ministerial Statement families free of charge. This moneymaking scheme needs to end. British-Irish Council: Digital Inclusion The council has not attempted to contact those who may be impacted by this problem. Indeed, Mr Speaker: I have received notice from the there has not been even a general publicity Minister of Finance that he wishes to make a campaign. Hopefully, this petition and the statement. Before I call the Minister, I remind publicity surrounding the passing of my Members in the Chamber that, in light of social constituent will go some way to raise distancing being observed by parties, the awareness. However, more is needed, and Speaker's ruling that Members must be in the perhaps the Minister could look into that aspect Chamber to hear a statement if they wish to ask of this problem and the merits of an awareness a question has been relaxed. Members campaign. I also believe that an apology is participating remotely must make sure that their owed to the impacted families for that oversight name is on the speaking list if they wish to be by the council. called. Members in the Chamber must also do that but may do so by rising in their place as Thankfully, I can report that urgent action was well as notifying the Business Office or the taken, and Mr Mulholland was able to be buried Speaker's Table directly. in the plot with his family. The council was able to change the soil to a lighter type, and a I remind Members to be concise in their shallower coffin was used to facilitate the burial. questions; this is not intended to be a debate as However, those solutions will not work for every such. In accordance with long-established burial. Therefore,