Ford resignation offer should trigger discussion on Executive reform
∙Reject Alliance brinkmanship
∙Reduce number of Ministries ∙Negotiate adequate safeguards for Justice
The Alliance Party’s offer to stand down from Ministry of Justice appears to be based more on self interest than in any necessity to rescue the devolution of policing and justice. In an act of brinkmanship the Alliance suggest that only they can satisfy a cross community nominee. This need not be the case.
“It is clear that we have too many Ministries, many of which are small with overlapping responsibilities. We should take the opportunity presented by the sunset clause surrounding the Ministry for Justice to reduce the number of Ministries. There is scope to combine DEL, DETI and DCAL. DSD and DRD might also be combined.”
“Such a reduction would streamline government and provide for a tighter group of Ministers, able to work together. This arrangement would more adequately reflect the spirit of the Belfast Agreement.”
“Of course there will be huge concerns regarding the Minister for Justice, but we must address these concerns for the long term by devising adequate safeguards which command public confidence and support. We have more than enough time to do this now.”
“In such an event the Alliance Party, like everybody else, would have to compete for a Ministerial position on the basis of electoral support.”
Generous prison officer package must deliver change
In an effort to reform the Prison Service, the DoJ has offered a generous voluntary redundancy package for serving prison officers. UUP Justice Spokesperson Basil McCrea warns that people must remember this package has been offered as part of a program for much-needed prison reform.
Mr McCrea said: “Nobody can doubt the commitment of prison officers and the challenges they faced in the past. The type of prison that is now required is not the same as what was needed in the past. It is right and proper that those prison officers who wish to leave are able to do so with dignity. I believe this package allows that.”
“We must convince the wider public that a more modern prison system is required to reduce costs to the public purse and to reduce the number of prisoners re-offending. Victims of crime in particular will want to be re-assured that any changes are for the better.”
Presidential elections demonstrate Sinn Fein still have much to do
The rejection of Sinn Fein by the southern electorate demonstrates that they have much to do if they are to convince anybody that the past is genuinely behind them.
Basil McCrea said: “The presidential elections will have been a disappointment for Sinn Fein. Martin McGuinness was undoubtedly a high profile candidate, who has challenged dissident republicans and forged close working relationships with Unionist leaders, but he failed to convince an electorate, who demonstrably were prepared to vote outside party affiliations.”
“This is a significant strategic failure for Sinn Fein, for if Martin McGuinness cannot make in-roads in the south, who can?”
“Many in Northern Ireland will have welcomed the hard questioning and confrontation by victims that Martin McGuinness was subjected to during the election. Many will have wished they had the opportunity to do the same. Many will want to move forward, but until we find an agreed way of dealing with the past, progress will be painfully slow.”
“Sinn Fein must find a way of addressing the past. While Gerry Adams denies membership of the IRA and Martin McGuinness holds to his claim that he left in 1974, many people will doubt their commitment to truth and reconciliation.”
“Dealing with the past is a difficult task for many people in our society, and not just republicans, but it is in everybody’s interests that we do so.”
QUB and UU must do more to encourage students from GB.
The QUB Senate today (28/10/2011) announced an initiative to encourage students coming from GB. The university will offer grants to those with high grades in specific subjects.
Basil McCrea said: “Although this is a step in the right direction, I am disappointed that more could not be done to encourage students from the rest of the United Kingdom to study in Northern Ireland.”
“Leading academics agree that a diverse student population enhance the learning experience, and gives Northern Ireland the opportunity to create long term relationships with people who will be influential in the future.”
“Significant differences in tuition fees throughout the United Kingdom will create unpredictable student flows, putting huge pressures on the higher education sector. I fear we will have to revisit the issue next year, but in the meantime I hope that our universities will actively sell Northern Ireland as a destination to students living in Great Britain.”
McCrea warns against knee jerk reaction on age of criminality
Lagan Valley MLA Basil McCrea has warned against knee jerk reactions to any change in the age of criminality in Northern Ireland.
Mr McCrea spoke out following the Justice Committee Chairman Paul Givan’s reaction to the Ministerial Statement on the Review of Youth Justice which was given to the Assembly today by the Justice Minister.
Mr McCrea, who is also the Ulster Unionist Party’s Justice Spokesman said;
“In the Assembly today the Chairman of the Justice Committee – the DUP’s Paul Givan – once again showed his inexperience and failed to properly consider the issues which were raised, resulting in a predictable knee-jerk reaction.
It is far too early to reach conclusions regarding the raising of the age of criminal responsibility to 12 without first studying the report and subjecting it to proper analysis.
What is undeniable is that we as an Assembly and as a society must take real steps to reduce child criminality. All the evidence suggests that it is important to try to keep young people away from the criminal justice system for as long as possible. Criminalisation and stigmatisation of children does little to address offending behaviour and bring about desistence from crime.
It is also important to speed up decision making so that children and young people understand that any sentence imposed is a direct consequence of their actions.
This is not about going soft on youth crime but it is about trying to intervene early to ensure that young people who are in danger of going down a wrong path early in their lives, can be turned back. This will have the twin benefits of saving that individual from a life of crime and punishment, and also saving society in terms of the cost of crime and the cost of imprisonment. This is considerable given that the Northern Ireland Prison Service states that it currently costs £78,000 a year to house a prisoner.
It is not for the criminal justice system to make up for a failure of parenting. These young people have not suddenly appeared as if from no-where. They come from homes in which their parents have all too often failed to instill in them a basic respect for their neighbours and the society.
This is too complex a problem to be reduced to knee-jerk reactions.“
McCrea comments on Access to Justice Review
Lagan Valley MLA, Basil McCrea, has commented on the Access to Justice Review which was released today following a statement from the Justice Minister.
The Ulster Unionist Justice Spokesperson said;
‘This Access to Justice Review is extremely important for Northern Ireland as it is imperative that we ensure that an equitable criminal justice system is in place which is accessible to all. One of the issues raised in the Review is the use of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) to settle cases without going to court. This is an area which I am keen for the Minister to drive forward due to the fact that it has the potential to facilitate fair outcomes, keep the costs imposed on individuals at a minimum and reduce the heavy burden of cases currently going through the Courts.
The issue of the right to elect for trial by jury was also raised in the statement by the Minister, with the review setting out that although this should remain the same as now, ways of keeping the incidence and costs of these cases within bounds are suggested. It must be remembered that trial by jury is a fundamental tenet of democracy and that we should be careful in tampering with it, however, I look forward to contributing to the debate in the Justice Committee on this issue.
Lastly, the report looks at the arrangements in place to facilitate and incentivise lawyers to advise on the merits of early pleas. Whilst this is an important area in ensuring that cases are not prolonged more than is necessary, I firmly believe that we need to look beyond the issue of simply finding efficiencies and also make sure that justice is being seen to be done by the public.”
Adult Apprenticeships announcement woefully inadequate
Responding to the statement by the Minister for Employment and Learning regarding Adult Apprenticeships, Mr McCrea (Chair for the Committee for Employment and Learning) said:
“The measures announced are disappointingly limited. Whilst better than nothing they fail to address the relentless rise in unemployment. In my constituency alone, there were 527 new Jobseekers’ Allowance claimants last month. Such people need help, hope and the opportunity to retrain.”
“We need a determined effort by the Minister and the Executive to give those who have lost their jobs with the opportunity to reenter the job market. Of course budgets are tight but creative, well managed initiatives scaled to meet the demand must be found.”
Unemployment has been rising month on month with the current level of unemployment currently at 60,400. The Executive has yet to produce a coherent strategy for dealing with this matter. DEL budgets are strained as a direct impact of the political decision to retain tuition fees at the current level.
“The Executive must address the situation collectively, and the Minister should not have to make a decision between maintaining tuition fees, reducing Adult Apprenticeships and underfunding Employment Services.”
Basil McCrea sells Lisburn at Milwaukee Irish Fest
Basil McCrea at his Milwaukee Irish Fest Banner featuring the Linen Museum and Alexander Turney Stewart
Speaking at Milwaukee Irish Fest, Basil McCrea championed Lisburn to the people of the USA: “Lisburn is a beautiful, historical city with much to offer the American market. Not only do we have a strong cultural history, but we are modern with an excellent retail industry.”
Milwaukee Irish Fest has been running for 31 years and it is estimated 120,000 people will have visited the festival this year. In the past the Linen Museum has been represented also.
“There is an excellent market for tourism for us to tap into at this festival. There is a huge opportunity for investment, and this investment will benefit our local businesses, hotels and ultimately the people of Lisburn.”
He also spoke of the cultural ties Lisburn shares with America, which included the linen industry and historical figure Alexander Turney Stewart, both of which were key parts of Mr McCrea’s display and banner.
“Lisburn has numerous cultural ties with the United States that many don’t know about. We were a key area for worldwide linen production and Lisburn is also the birthplace of Alexander Turney Stewart, once the third richest man in America and inventor of the department store.”
Basil McCrea hits out at Minister’s decision to reduce hours of Lagan Valley Hospital.
Basil McCrea challenges decision of Health Minister Edwin Poots
Basil McCrea has challenged the Health Minister Edwin Poots to give a commitment that partial closure of the A&E at Lagan Valley Hospital is only temporary: “The Minister must give us assurances that this is only a temporary measure. He must also, as a matter of urgency, investigate the recruitment of junior doctors and ensure there is a way to solve this problem. Above all else, he must give the public his full commitment that the A&E at Lagan Valley Hospital will be returned to full cover or explain the reasons why not.”
“It is absolutely unacceptable for the Minister to hide behind the decisions of officials. He makes the final decisions, not the Trust. The people of Lagan valley suspect that this announcement is a sleight of hand which will eventually result in the closure of the A&E unit. If this is the mind of the Minister, he should explain to the people of Lagan Valley that this is the case, and what measures he will put in place to provide alternatives.”
“Given the huge amount of public concern in reducing the A&E’s opening hours, the Minister must give his commitment to proper public consultation.”
“In 2009/2010, we had 1845 students studying medicine or dentistry at NI Higher Education Institutions. Around 252 enroll in the NI Medical and Dental Training Agency each year. This is the agency responsible for training postgraduate medical students in Northern Ireland and is accountable to the DHSSPS. It is staggering to think that four junior doctors cannot be found given the amount of training available here in Northern Ireland.”
“It appears that junior doctors prefer general practice, which is oversubscribed, rather than emergency service which is undersubscribed. This is a policy issue which the Minister must deal with.”
McCrea nominated for political award
Nominee for Constructive Opposition Award, Basil McCrea
Basil McCrea has recently been nominated for a Slugger O’Toole Political Award. The Lagan Valley MLA has become one of the nominees in the ‘Constructive Opposition’ category of the annual awards for “constructive opposition within his own party”.
Three nominees have been selected for each of the nine categories at an event attended by over 100 people on the 13th of January. Readers and contributors to the popular Slugger O’Toole blog have made the selections of nominees this year, based on what kind of behaviour in politics, the media and society should be rewarded. Read more
