NI Assembly – Page 8 – Slugger O'Toole

NI Water: Draft PAC report says IRT conclusion “too general” and “deficient”

Pete Baker on January 18, 2011, 7:04 pm

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UTV has seen a leaked copy of the draft PAC report into the NI Water saga. From UTV [added emphasis throughout] The draft document, which was prepared by Audit Office staff over the past six months, has criticised the composition of the team formed last January to examine procurement problems at the water company. It says the Department should not have appointed individuals to the Independent Review Team who “could be perceived as having a conflict of interest.” The draft report …

SF MLA Paul Butler to stand down

Pete Baker on January 13, 2011, 2:35 pm

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Sinn Féin MLA for Lagan Valley, Paul Butler, has announced that he will not contest the May Assembly elections after only one term as an MLA. He resigned from Lisburn Council last month, as the Antrim Times reported. “I am standing down,” confirmed Mr Butler. “The Party’s position on this is that anyone who is a councillor and an MLA should only have one job.” The BBC reports that Paul Butler has “denied he was retiring from party politics because of disappointment …

Executive spending plans delay “treating the public with contempt”

Pete Baker on January 12, 2011, 1:14 pm

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According to the BBC report the following Northern Ireland Executive Departments have yet to publish their spending plans. Office of the First and Deputy First Minister Agriculture Education Health Regional Development That’s despite the departmental allocations being agreed on 15th December and an ongoing public consultation on those plans. The report quotes Alliance Party MLA, Stephen Farry Stephen Farry of the Alliance Party said the ongoing delay was “treating the public with contempt”. And from a separate report A member of the …

“Budget Allocations are not the end, but the start of the process”

Pete Baker on January 10, 2011, 9:21 pm

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When the departmental allocations of Northern Ireland’s draft budget were finally revealed on 15th December the public consultation was also set in motion – even though the detail of each minister’s spending plan was not yet known. That consultation is due to end on 9th February. But, as the NI Finance Minister, the DUP’s Sammy Wilson, has pointed out to UTV, the majority of NI Executive Ministers have not yet published their spending plans. “So far despite the fact the information was supposed …

“Clearly something has got to give…”

Pete Baker on December 23, 2010, 3:03 pm

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Unsurprising economic illiteracy aside, the political posturing in the draft Northern Ireland budget re-allocation comes at a cost. As Liam Clarke points out in the News Letter In October 2007 it was hoped, not unreasonably, that the shortfall could be met by selling government land and buildings into the booming property market. Stormont was like a family funding an extension by remortgaging its house, but unfortunately the bottom fell out of the property market almost as soon as the plan …

NI Auditor General: “a larger number of accounts than usual received qualifications on the grounds of truth and fairness and/or regularity grounds”

Pete Baker on December 22, 2010, 3:08 pm

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The BBC reports the Northern Ireland Comptroller and Auditor General’s report to the NI Assembly on the results of the financial audit on the accounts for 2009-10 of Executive departments and other public sector bodies. Full report here [pdf file] From the BBC report The report said several departments were guilty of making irregular payments without proper approval. [added emphasis] The largest amount identified was £64m pounds incurred by the Department of Agriculture for incorrectly administering EU farm subsidies. The Northern Ireland …

“making tough choices for the good of the country…”

Pete Baker on December 15, 2010, 12:32 pm

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And so it came to pass… After weeks of political posturing the Northern Ireland Executive stayed up late last night to discuss DUP/Sinn Féin proposals for the draft NI Budget. And with those two parties having enough votes in the Executive – the UUP and SDLP abstained with the Alliance Party’s minister agreeing the proposals – today the Assembly is being immediately bumped into passing agreeing the draft ahead of a public consultation… The title quote is Jim Fitzpatrick’s prediction of the spin from …

“No party should be playing politics [with the NI budget].”

Pete Baker on December 7, 2010, 1:36 pm

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With anonymous “republican sources” briefing anyone who will listen about tensions between the DUP and Sinn Féin over the still-to-be-agreed draft Northern Ireland budget, and while noting the DUP’s response reported here “The DUP has one approach to the budget,” [a DUP spokesman] said. “We are confident a budget will be put in place. “We are not playing politics with the budget. This is too important. “Families are struggling to pay mortgages. People are wondering if they are going to …

NI Assembly Speaker: “They are treating the House with contempt…”

Pete Baker on November 29, 2010, 9:43 pm

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Despite changes to the Standing Orders in June 2009, the Northern Ireland Assembly Speaker was forced to crack some heads together in the chamber today over MLAs’ attitudes to Question Time – as UTV reports here. Hansard records what the Speaker, Willie Hay, had to say [permanent link] Mr Willie Clarke is not in his place for question 1; that is another issue that I intend to deal with. Departments and Ministers spend a great deal of time and resources on Question Time …

“It is believed overall goals include producing better informed elected Stormont representatives…”

Pete Baker on November 27, 2010, 10:25 pm

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The NIO vetoed the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission’s further access to US-based charity Atlantic Philanthropies’ largesse – which may have contributed to the Chief Commissioner’s announced early departure. Meanwhile, according to a Belfast Telegraph report, the NI Assembly is in advanced talks with Atlantic Philanthropies to fund a “political leadership” skills programme for NI Assembly members. From the Belfast Telegraph report According to Stormont sources, in the region of £1m could be provided for the MLA programme, which would run over …

Owen Paterson: “It is difficult for the Government to make further progress on a Bill of Rights in the absence of this consensus”

Pete Baker on November 23, 2010, 11:53 am

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I linked in passing last night to the speech by the Northern Ireland Secretary of State at the British Irish Parliamentary Association meeting in the Isle of Man. And as Mark Hennessy notes in the Irish Times, he had some important points to make on the troubled NI Bill of Rights. From Owen Paterson’s speech The Government remains committed to maintaining human rights protections in Northern Ireland The previous Government’s consultation on Next Steps on a Bill of Rights revealed deep divisions …

“The contract is continually under review to provide the best value for money.”

Pete Baker on November 9, 2010, 3:49 pm

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According to the BBC report Subsidised food at Stormont’s canteen costs taxpayers about £500,000 a year, according to a member of the body which manages the assembly. The report quotes Assembly Commission member, the SDLP’s Pat Ramsay, on yesterday’s Assembly debate Mr Ramsey told the BBC the Assembly Commission “would be cutting our cloth no different to any other department” and he did not believe the debate was necessary. “If Peter Robinson or any other minister of the executive was concerned about …

“cutting their own pay and numbers is more for the optics than the effect”

Pete Baker on November 8, 2010, 5:36 pm

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The BBC reports that the Northern Ireland Assembly has passed a motion, proposed by the NI First Minister, DUP leader Peter Robinson, wearing his East Belfast MLA hat, calling on the independent Assembly Commission “to reduce its running costs in line with the level of reduction faced by Executive Departments.” The Belfast Telegraph report notes, On Monday [Peter Robinson] outlined a range of further cost-cutting steps including the voluntary freezing or reducing of ministerial or Assembly member costs and ending the subsidy of Assembly …

“a large proportion of the general public in Northern Ireland do not feel engaged with the current system of governance.”

Pete Baker on October 20, 2010, 12:40 pm

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BBC NI political editor, Mark Devenport, had wondered just how bad the news from the Assembly’s Public Attitude Survey [pdf file] was that they chose to bury it ahead of the coverage of the Chancellor’s Spending Review. Well now we know… From the report’s “Key findings and implications” [pdf file] (Added emphasis throughout) It is clear from the survey findings that a large proportion of the general public in Northern Ireland do not feel engaged with the current system of governance. Only a …

Spending cuts prompt Peter’s move on political reform. Will it work?

Brian Walker on October 8, 2010, 12:13 pm

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So Peter is moving on this at last. What’s not clear is his next move other than into thin air. Cutting the sizes of the overblown Assembly and Executive is an appropriate aim with additional political motives. It follows on the proposed reduction of Westminster seats and Stormont constituencies to 15 and the reduction by one of the MLAs in each constituency. Peter’s timing suggests he has given up on getting agreement with SF and the other parties behind the scenes. Or …

Priestly drafted Dixon letter of complaint to PAC

Pete Baker on August 20, 2010, 5:56 pm

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The BBC are reporting, ahead of this evening’s UTV Live [added link], that they have seen an email sent by suspended NI Regional Development Permanent Secretary Paul Priestly to Independent Review Team member Peter Dixon following the 1st July PAC meeting. From the BBC report The email sent by Mr Priestly on 2 July followed a meeting of the Public Accounts Committee. At the meeting questions were asked about the independence of a review into NIW, which led to the sackings. It confirms …

NI Attorney General: ‘gap in the system introduced by the devolution of justice’

Pete Baker on July 1, 2010, 10:21 pm

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Northern Ireland’s new Attorney General, John Larkin, was giving evidence to the Assembly’s Justice Committee today. And, as the BBC notes, he repeated his concerns about his lack of oversight powers over the Public Prosecution Service. Last month, Mr Larkin said he might not have all the powers he needed. Unlike his direct rule predecessor, he will not have any powers of supervision over the Public Prosecution Service. Mr Larkin told the committee that in contrast to the position before 11 April, …

More on NI’s £60million farming subsidy mal-administration fines

Pete Baker on June 9, 2010, 2:37 pm

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The Northern Ireland Assembly’s agriculture committee is in Brussels today where they are reportedly seeking a reduction in the £60million fines imposed due to the NI Agriculture Department’s mal-administration of EU farming subsidies. But a spokesman for the EU Agriculture Commissioner has told the BBC that any reduction is unlikely. Roger Waite said he could not see the commission changing its mind on the size of the fine. “There is an appeal and a conciliation process going on which will only be …

Has the SDLP kissed and made up?

Oul Micky Hoot on May 17, 2010, 10:12 pm

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Conall McDevitt is reporting on his facebook: “I have just been given responsibility for developing SDLP policy on a shared, safe society. Do get in touch if you would like to contribute.” Having been granted dominion over one of his leaders core theme’s does this mean earlier reports of her preference for him as the influential Enterprise Committee Chair will not come to pass? Has Alban Maginness been granted a stay of execution or is anyone else lined up? I expect we’ll …

“Is abstention from Westminster now an end in itself?”

Pete Baker on May 11, 2010, 12:28 pm

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With an abstentionist Sinn Féin irrelevant to the number crunching at Westminster it’s interesting to see Gearóid Ó Cairealláin, in the North Belfast News, musing aloud about the “elephant in the room”. At his Irish Central website, Niall O’Dowd argues that “The time is now to take that step” [end Sinn Féin’s abstentionism] – although he mistakenly believes that “the Sinn Fein party is abstaining because of the oath of loyalty to the Queen”. As Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams stated …