Debate contribution: Public-sector Pay

Debate contribution by Mr Paul Frew on 4 March 2024.

MLA

Mr Paul Frew

Party at the time

Democratic Unionist Party

Date

4 March 2024

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Opposition Business

Heading

Public-sector Pay

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4254712

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I am really enjoying this Opposition day for a number of reasons. One is that I like the idea of an Opposition. I believe that this place has been lacking because we did not have one, so I like the idea of having an Opposition and Opposition days. For the process of democracy, it is only right that the Executive be held to account. Another reason that I like the fact that the SDLP is in opposition is that, frankly, it was woeful in government. Let us hope that it can do better in opposition. Earlier, in my room, I was watching the proceedings shown on this camera, here. It is brilliant because, when you are all sitting in your place, one camera can get you all in shot at the one time. That is really effective-looking, although you have a Member away at the minute. I wish the SDLP all the best in opposition, and I am glad that the second motion brought by the SDLP —.

Of course, interventions are meant to be short, but, yes, I can do that. Again, it is disappointing to know that the SDLP has only been in opposition for a matter of weeks and there are already more cracks showing in the party than in the car lifts in our MOT centres, which you failed to address at the last run-in. The hypocrisy is astounding from the party that was prepared to sack nurses. The party that is in opposition was prepared to sack nurses if they did not adhere to a vaccine mandate. That is the sort of party that is now in opposition, and I am glad that it is not now in government. I welcome the fact that the second motion brought by the SDLP is about public-sector pay, because it is fundamentally about people. Given the enormous size of our public sector, there is an enormous burden on this place to fund it, but we must also recognise that, within that massive monster of a public sector, there are people. They are the people who help our population every day, so it is important that we recognise that. It is also important that those people — the people who work on our behalf in our Departments and in our front-line services — are paid respectably and paid what they deserve. That has not been the case, and I am glad that most of the Executive Ministers who are now in post see this as the number-one priority, because it is about people, and our public sector will not function without paying those people the correct remuneration. However, the truth is that the money that has been allocated as a one-off — the £584 million — will not cut it, because it really is looking backwards to the 2023-24 year. What about next year? What about the recurring costs? What about the year after that and the year after that? It is important that we make sure that we get the funding that we require. It is true to say that Barnett just does not cut it any more, that there now has to a better measurement of need and that we should look towards Wales to see how it is getting on and make sure that we get sufficient pay and funding for our need in Northern Ireland. Of course, our public sector is bigger than those in Wales and Scotland, so it is inevitable that we will probably require more, especially in the short term, to counter the size of our public sector. I have also heard today about fiscal powers, and that scares me, because I do not believe that the Assembly — the Executive, more to the point — has the maturity to have more fiscal powers. At this stage, you are basically saying that we want to give public-sector workers pay with one hand but then we want to take it off them with the other hand.

I will in a wee minute, once I make progress. Not only that, you are also saying that you want to burden the private sector. I grew up in construction, and you are basically going to burden the private sector with further taxes, rate rises and everything else that goes with having more fiscal powers. I will give way.

The party in opposition has used that as a mantra since the Assembly has been back. I get why the SDLP is doing that, but it is not really constructive, as the party claims to be, to keep raising this issue when every single one of the parties in the Executive is looking forward. You are creating a ghoul that is not actually there.

I will end on this, Mr Deputy Speaker: I value the work of an Opposition. I wish you all the best. I really hope that you are effective.

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

Assessment

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 09:43 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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