Debate contribution: Election of Speaker and Deputy Speakers

Debate contribution by Ms Claire Sugden on 27 October 2022.

MLA

Ms Claire Sugden

Party at the time

Independent

Date

27 October 2022

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Assembly Business

Heading

Election of Speaker and Deputy Speakers

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4178296

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I support the election of a Speaker. I have no difficulty in supporting Patsy McGlone or Mike Nesbitt; both would do a great job. If anything, I would probably lean more towards Patsy McGlone: his service and sense of community is exactly what the Assembly needs. I understand the issue, but I really do not understand the approach. From the outset of the protocol, I was prepared to see the opportunities that came with it, but, as it stands, I cannot support it because, within days and weeks of it coming into effect, I was contacted by farms, businesses and people who were affected by it. The protocol benefits some businesses, but they tend to be large businesses. We have to remember that, in Northern Ireland, we have a small- and medium-enterprise economy. The businesses most affected by the protocol are those businesses. If we pull the rug from beneath them, we pull the rug from beneath our entire economy. I spoke to the Ulster Farmers' Union last week, and it outlined the issues that the protocol continues to cause. It disappoints me that this has become a unionist-and-nationalist issue. I assure you that my issues with the protocol are not constitutional; they are trade issues and issues that affect my constituents. It saddens me that people no longer come forward because they see it as a green-and-orange issue. We cannot truly have a debate unless we outline the issues. I appeal to all in the House to stop talking and listen. The protocol needs to be fixed. It can be fixed, and I truly believe that it will be fixed. Indeed, in recent weeks, the Northern Ireland Office, the Secretary of State and the Minister of State have talked about the momentum that is building around talks. I look forward to that, which is why it is disappointing that the Secretary of State saw fit to implement the law. He will have to change the law next week, because we are coming to a cliff edge at one minute past midnight tomorrow, when Ministers will vacate their offices. Normally, during a period of purdah, we have caretaker Ministers in place to enact the decisions that enable Departments to work on a day-to-day basis. We will not have that from tomorrow, so the Secretary of State will have to legislate. There is hypocrisy in that regard: a precedent was set previously. Fixing the protocol, however, does not need to happen in the absence of an Assembly. I genuinely appeal to the Democratic Unionist Party to demonstrate that you care about the issues. I know that you do, because your constituents submit questions as much as mine do. Do what you did in January 2022, when you withdrew your First Minister but allowed the Assembly to function. Demonstrate that you are willing to work towards fixing the issues that we are capable of and responsible for fixing. Maybe that could be an olive branch to the Secretary of State so that he could take some action and recognise that you will work if you are given the chance. There are those who say that the Assembly and Executive are not capable of anything: we are. This day a week ago, I spoke at a cost-of-living crisis event. Every week in my office, a constituent cries to me because they cannot get a house, they cannot put food on their table or they cannot heat their home. That will only get worse. What can we do? It is more than money. We could insulate homes. We could give free school meals to every family in Northern Ireland to take the pressure off. We could defer rates. There is so much that the Assembly could do, so, please, in the next number of weeks, do not tell people on the doorsteps that we can do nothing. If you are going to say that, what is this place about? It is certainly not about the issues that you say. This morning, I attended a community transport meeting. Community transport takes elderly people out of their homes when our public services fail. I appeal to the Minister for Infrastructure, in the next few hours, to look at trying to fund that. Community transport picks up the pieces of the Ambulance Service. The Ambulance Service cannot even take people to hospital; patients wait for hours outside. Those are the issues that matter to people, and those are the issues that, I hope, the electorate will ask you about on the doorsteps. Please, do what you can. There is not much time left, but I appeal to everyone to take responsibility for the power that they hold. If those are my last words as an MLA, they will echo the words that I spoke in my maiden speech.

801 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 09:33 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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