Sam McBride: Five things we learned at the Stormont Assembly this week (but you probably missed)

Law which can’t be debated

You might assume that legislation putting in place four weeks of restrictions from last weekend would have been the first item of business for the Assembly on Monday.

Far from it. In fact, it was not debated at all this week. And with Stormont not sitting next week, the law will not be debated until the restrictions have already been in place for more than two weeks.

For unfathomable reasons, this week the Assembly carried on as though it had no urgent role in debating restrictions of such profound significance. The absurdity of this was demonstrated by the fact that it was the foremost issue in the minds of many MLAs who repeatedly attempted to raise the restrictions in other debates, only to be pulled back to discuss what was before them.

During a debate on budgetary legislation on Tuesday, DUP MLA Paul Givan expressed concern at the legislature’s inability to debate “draconian” legislation which is “now not subject to democratic scrutiny by this place”.

Despite being a member of the Executive’s largest party, Mr Givan demonstrated healthy scepticism at the failure of the Executive to bring the matter to the Assembly, saying: “The legislation was brought in and took effect last week. We will come to the chamber [to debate it] in maybe three weeks’ time, when it should, hopefully, conclude...we now need to ask ourselves whether the level of democratic oversight is proportionate.”

Opening up, closing down

The continued delay between pandemic restrictions becoming law and MLAs debating and approving that law this week again led to surreal scenes in the chamber.

Junior Minister Declan Kearney led MLAs through a pointless debate about legislation from weeks ago restricting dancing, music and walking towards a smoking area in a hospitality venue – at a time when hospitality has now been shut entirely.

As SDLP MLA Colin McGrath said, “what we are dealing with today is ludicrous”

Mr Kearney accepted that “the situation has moved on”. But Stormont’s delays which are leading to this absurdity have not moved on – and so it will be repeated in weeks to come

Don’t show me the money

For years, there has been widespread political support for the Department of Health to get more money.

Suddenly, because of the pandemic the department has been given vast sums – but now it may not be able to spend it all.

Alarmingly, the Health Minister this week set out how getting money is not in itself sufficient to address some of the problems facing the health service – because time and strategic planning are also required.

The UUP minister’s comments came in response to a very personal question from SDLP MLA Justin McNulty. In asking Mr Swann to prioritise cancer treatments this winter, Mr McNulty revealed that his aunt “has had her life-changing operation postponed twice, just a matter of days before her operation” – and made clear that other patients have been in a similar position.

Mr Swann pledged that “one of my primary aims in the difficult weeks ahead will be to ensure the continued delivery of high-quality diagnosis and cancer services, provided, of course, that it is safe to do so”.

But he went on to say: “However, it is not simply, at this moment, about throwing money at my department. I need the nurses, staff and trained clinicians. One of the largest impacts that we have is that the more people we have going into ICU, the more need we have of anaesthetists, who are moving from theatres to support people who are being put onto ventilators.

“Highly skilled theatre nurses are then transformed and transposed to support additional ICU beds as well. Every ICU bed that we have to open and support through staff has that knock-on effect.”

Pay per pothole

Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon has set out figures which suggest that if you claim your car was damaged or you suffered an injury because of a road defect you have a very high chance of securing compensation.

Responding to a question from UUP MLA Andy Allen, the SDLP minister said that during the six financial years from 2014-15 to 2019-2020, £13·1 million in roads-related public liability compensation was paid in claims for vehicle damage, personal injury and property damage.

During the same period, 18,452 public liability compensation claims were made, 10,453 of which received compensation – meaning that more than 56% of claimants received compensation (at a crude average of £1,253 each).

Just say the word

Remarkably, years after the RHI scandal revealed the disastrous implications of Stormont’s culture of oral government, it has emerged that millions of pounds have been spent without written authority to do so.

TUV leader Jim Allister highlighted that £34 million had been spent without legislative authority other than the Budget Bill and that when he asked to see the letters which authorised the expenditure he received what he described as the “astounding” response that in many cases there was no written authority – just “verbal approval”, contrary to the guidance on public expenditure.

Finance Minister Conor Murphy accepted there was “an issue” and that he had raised it with officials and he wanted to see “consistency through the provision of a written letter of authority”.

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