Queen Elizabeth II: Diamond Jubilee

Northern Ireland Assembly – in the Northern Ireland Assembly at 2:30 pm on 20 February 2012.

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Photo of David McClarty David McClarty Independent 2:30, 20 February 2012

1. asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure what events her Department is planning to celebrate Her Majesty’s diamond jubilee.          (AQO 1329/11-15)

Photo of Stephen Moutray Stephen Moutray DUP

2. asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure what plans her Department has to commemorate the Queen’s diamond jubilee. (AQO 1330/11-15)

Photo of Carál Ní Chuilín Carál Ní Chuilín Sinn Féin

Go raibh maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle. With your permission, Mr Deputy Speaker, I will group questions 1 and 2 together. Centenaries and significant anniversaries during the decade ahead will provide all of us on this island with an opportunity to gain greater understanding of our shared past and how it shapes Irish and British identities and, indeed, relationships today.

The key issue is not whether these events are remembered but how we remember them. I am supportive of an inclusive, non-triumphalist and strategic approach to commemorations, and I have fully endorsed the principles that the Community Relations Council and the Heritage Lottery Fund developed to remember the past in the context of an inclusive and accepting society. I believe that that is the way forward.

The arts and cultural sectors can provide innovative ways to remember the past. Arm’s-length bodies supported by my Department can help to tell stories behind the decade of centenaries and other significant anniversaries. Local councils can also now use the community festival fund to support an inclusive approach to remembering the past. Indeed, a recent event at St Mary’s University College on the Falls Road marked the centenary of a speech by Winston Churchill in the grounds of Belfast Celtic football club. It was a drama production that brought the speech back to life and demonstrated the role that arts can play in telling stories, as well as the different perspectives of that period.

Photo of David McClarty David McClarty Independent

I thank the Minister for her answer. She spoke for one minute and 25 seconds and gave me no answer whatsoever. As the Department that is dedicated to events such as this, does the Minister not accept that it is the responsibility of her Department to plan such significant events to mark what is an extremely historic event, that is, the diamond jubilee of Her Majesty, and that it is of great significance —

Photo of Roy Beggs Roy Beggs UUP

I think the Member has asked the question.

Photo of David McClarty David McClarty Independent

— to the greater number of people? I have asked the question, Mr Deputy Speaker.

Photo of Carál Ní Chuilín Carál Ní Chuilín Sinn Féin

My predecessor left a very narrow brief for looking at commemorations and significant events. The brief was to look at the plantation, the Titanic and the period between 1912 and 1922. I am on the record as saying that I am trying to broaden that out to make it more inclusive. That process is still ongoing, and I am in discussion with other Executive colleagues about how we do that. However, I have said that a fund is available for councils that want to commemorate events.

Photo of Stephen Moutray Stephen Moutray DUP

I declare an interest as a member of Craigavon Borough Council. Given that a number of local authorities are planning to mark and fund this significant milestone, does the Minister agree that her Department should put in place appropriate funding arrangements to celebrate this momentous occasion?

Photo of Carál Ní Chuilín Carál Ní Chuilín Sinn Féin

I thank the Member for his question. The budget for looking at commemorations and significant events has not yet been set. Members of different local authorities asked whether they could use the local festivals fund for commemorations. I would like to clarify now that we are not instructing local councils to use that, because we feel that local festivals have been very productive and successful. However, we are looking at ways in which we can support this. In the meantime, we are looking for groups such as the Community Relations Council and the Heritage Lottery Fund to see whether they can come forward with a funding package that will provide better cohesion.

Photo of Danny Kinahan Danny Kinahan UUP

I thank the Minister for her answers. I am a little confused. Is there funding that is outside council funding that is specifically for artistic and cultural events for the whole of Northern Ireland that we can look at proudly at the end of the year?

Photo of Carál Ní Chuilín Carál Ní Chuilín Sinn Féin

The funding that we give to councils for local festivals is still there. The question that keeps coming up is: are local councils to use those funds for festivals for commemorative events? They can do so if they wish. Some councils are reluctant to do that because they feel that the funds that they have are limited enough as it is and are for the community festivals that they have already planned for throughout the year. As I said in my answer to Stephen Moutray’s question, the only involvement that the Community Relations Council and the Heritage Lottery Fund have in the project is in setting the guidelines. Perhaps we need to expand on funding opportunities. Through the course of this, we will try to find out how we can complement that, if at all possible. At this stage, we are not instructing local government to use their festival funds for commemorations or to mark events.

Photo of Chris Lyttle Chris Lyttle Alliance

I thank the Minister for her answer, in which she mentions a shared past. What specific steps is the Minister taking to ensure that we commemorate a decade of centenaries in a way that builds a shared future?

Photo of Carál Ní Chuilín Carál Ní Chuilín Sinn Féin

The work of all Departments, local government and the Community Relations Council and, in particular, the guidelines of the Heritage Lottery Fund are very mindful of building shared and better relations. Regardless of our political differences, we need to ensure that the approach that we take is based on respect and on the principle that our attitude to commemorations needs to be non-triumphalist. I think that that is probably the best legacy for building and developing better, shared and good relations for us all.

Photo of Jim Allister Jim Allister Traditional Unionist Voice

May I remind the Minister that the Pledge of Office she took included the words: “promote the interests of the whole community.”

She has managed to answer questions on the diamond jubilee thus far without mentioning it. She is previously on record as saying, in a written reply, that there will be no extra funding for communities wanting to celebrate the jubilee. She has no plans to co-operate with the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure.

Photo of Roy Beggs Roy Beggs UUP

Can the Member come to his question?

Photo of Jim Allister Jim Allister Traditional Unionist Voice

Furthermore, she will not meet the Queen. Has she changed her bigoted stance on any of those issues?

Photo of Carál Ní Chuilín Carál Ní Chuilín Sinn Féin

I do not feel that there is an answer that I could give to Mr Allister’s question without feeding some of the nonsense, so I am not going to play with him.