Maolíosa McHugh: I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the Final Stage debate on the Defamation Bill. From the outset, Sinn Féin has been clear that we wanted to see reform in the area of defamation, and a number of factors made that all the more pressing. First, we have all witnessed how online defamation has become a serious problem over the past number of years. Social media platforms are awash with...
Maolíosa McHugh: Ar dtús, ba mhaith liom buíochas a thabhairt don Aire as a ráiteas. As the Minister has outlined, the statutory rule will reinstate the Back in Business scheme, which was designed to encourage new businesses to open up in previously unoccupied premises. The scheme provides for a 50% reduction in business rates for two years for any new business that moves into premises that have been...
Maolíosa McHugh: Will the Member give way?
Maolíosa McHugh: I thank the Member for tabling the amendments. As there are only five amendments, which are purely technical, I will keep my comments brief. It is fair to say that the Defamation Bill that is before us today is very different from that originally introduced by the Bill sponsor. Following an interesting debate at Consideration Stage, the majority of Members voted to remove a number of...
Maolíosa McHugh: It does not suit. [Laughter.]
Maolíosa McHugh: Ba mhaith liom buíochas a thabhairt don Aire fosta as a ráiteas. I, too, thank the Minister for his statement. Energy performance certificates provide prospective buyers or renters of property with information on the energy performance of a relevant building. The certificate rates each building from A to G, with A being very efficient and G not so efficient. That is important information,...
Maolíosa McHugh: T3. Mr McHugh asked the Minister for Communities to detail how welfare mitigations will be reviewed going forward. (AQT 2123/17-22)
Maolíosa McHugh: Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire as ucht a freagra. Thank you, Minister, for your answer. Given the limited capacity of all Ministers because there is no Executive, I commend the Minister on the great work that she has already done to address some of those issues. Minister, given the scale of the Tory welfare cuts and the cost-of-living increase that we are all experiencing, is it likely that...
Maolíosa McHugh: Will the Member give way?
Maolíosa McHugh: The Member commented on Mr Tweed. Does the Member accept that, as I commented, the fact that many of the people who use the internet, including social media, are unknown is what makes clause 5 unworkable? Does Mr Tweed's advice to the Member not confirm exactly what I was saying? It is unworkable because many of them are unknown.
Maolíosa McHugh: Paul Tweed gave evidence to the Committee, and I was very impressed by his evidence. In fact, if anything, he reinforced the point, unlike a journalist who gave evidence to the Committee and who seemed to think that, if you were telling only a wee lie, that was acceptable. You can make up your own mind about how you judge Paul Tweed against the journalist who gave evidence at that time. There...
Maolíosa McHugh: I thank the Bill sponsor for tabling the amendments. Defamation law exists to protect people's rights. What we often see in defamation cases, however, is a conflict between different rights: the right to protect one's reputation from false statements and the right to freedom of expression. In legislating on defamation, the challenge is to strike the right balance between those competing...
Maolíosa McHugh: Yes. She has provided the £200 fuel grant that they will now receive as part of their benefit support. Unfortunately, without a functioning Executive or an agreed Budget, it will be challenging to deliver any further schemes to support those in need. The regional rate is the only substantial tax over which the Executive have control.
Maolíosa McHugh: Yes.
Maolíosa McHugh: All moneys are to be welcomed, but the British Government have not responded to initiatives that have been recommended to them around assisting us to ensure that we maintain the regional rate at the level suggested by our Minister. As I pointed out, the regional rate is the only substantial tax over which the Executive have control. It has been at a reduced rate for the previous two years to...
Maolíosa McHugh: Ba mhaith liom buíochas a ghabháil leis an Aire as a ráiteas. Ba mhaith liom fosta cúpla focal a rá; ní bheidh mé ró-fhada. A freeze in the regional rate for the upcoming financial year is to be welcomed. Businesses and families have suffered two long years of financial hardship because of the pandemic, and they now face the extra challenge of a cost-of-living crisis. Inflation is at...
Maolíosa McHugh: I will focus my remarks on the 'Major Capital Projects' PAC report. The Audit Office report on 'Major Capital Projects', released in December 2019, was illuminating and shocking. It identified 11 major capital projects, including seven flagship projects, that experienced huge delays, for various reasons, despite the vast resources provided to ensure their delivery. Among the projects...
Maolíosa McHugh: T8. Mr McHugh asked the Minister of Finance, after apologising for referring to the health board in a previous question, when he meant other Departments, to state whether he has considered alternative ways to fund health services, particularly because, like many other MLAs, he has been contacted by many constituents who are worried about the reports about health service waiting lists and how...
Maolíosa McHugh: Go raibh maith agat as do fhreagra. Thank you for your answer. I am sure that the Minister will agree that it is an absolute disgrace that, in the time of a pandemic, because of the reckless decision by the DUP to bring down the Executive, funding will not now be available, particularly for cancer services, the mental health strategy and other needs in the whole health service.
Maolíosa McHugh: Minister, you recently wrote to ministerial colleagues about your intention, in the absence of the Executive, to allocate £45 million this year to the health board. Will you confirm whether other Ministers were supportive of that initiative and whether that allocation has gone ahead?
