Stakeholder

THE WEEK THAT WAS….

This week the PSNI’s Organised Crime Unit announced that it too wanted a piece of the Robinson action; joining the long list of Committees, Councils, Ombudsmen and hacks who have been left to untangle the web.

Indeed, it’s looking more and more likely that the Robinson investigation will be the closest the plods get to Stormont for the forseeable future as discussions over the devolution of Policing & Justice finally get ‘banged up’.

Despite all the positive spin at the beginning of the week, it’s pretty clear that the impasse over P&J which existed pre-Christmas, hasn’t changed.  If anything, the climate is probably more poisoned than ever.

Sinn Fein pulled the plugs on negotiations on Wednesday evening and have scheduled a party meeting in Dublin on Sunday to discuss the way forward – or not.  Options could include the resignation of the DFM, which in all likelihood will presage the way for fresh Assembly elections – probably on the same day as the General Election which appears to have been penciled in for May 6^th. 

Quite fitting, therefore, that Alliance put forward a motion this week to discuss the ‘Crisis in the Executive’ – a fittingly chaotic debate which aptly reflected the very institution it was criticizing.  The motion was proposed by the normally placid Trevor Lunn (All., Lagan Valley) – who kicked off with a plea that “I do not intend to be too negative”  before proceeding to sink the boot with a predictably long list of the Executive’s failings.  The debate, however, ended in confusion as Alliance attempted and failed to withdraw its own motion.  This place is cursed.

The Assembly may, of course, survive, but the prospects for the short term are not encouraging.  Interestingly, Sam Gardiner (UUP, Upper Bann) was quizzing the Acting First / DETI Minister about the prospect of developing ‘Dark Sky’ tourism for the star gazing fraternity.  Hmm.  If the lights go out at Stormont next week, at least there’s some potential to do something useful with the place…

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Oral Questions

The Acting First Minister confirmed her commitment to the devolution of Policing & Justice, batted away a question that her officials are still drafting an implementation plan for children’s disability – despite the fact the plan was meant to start two years ago.  The decision, in principle, to appoint an Older Persons’ Commissioner in December 2007 is also moving along at zimmer frame speed.

DARD covered off dog control, the CAP and the recent cold weather.  Billy Leonard (Sinn Fein, East Londonderry) asked his first question by complaining to the DCAL Minister about the Northern Ireland manager’s wages, considering the team didn’t even cover all of Ulster.  The Minister was happier to note that the Ulster-Scots Agency had provided £815K to support music tuition for marching bands.

Written Answers

OFMDFM reported that 50.1% of working age Catholics are economically inactive compared to 41.9% of Protestants, 71 secondary-aged pupils were excluded from school in 07/08 due to alcohol abuse according to Education while DETI reported that males make up c.80% of the unemployed claimant count.

DoE revealed that there are 11 unauthorised car parks operating in the vicinity of Belfast International, DFP confirmed that Belfast’s Crumlin ward is the most deprived in the Province and DRD is working on the creation of an Public Transport Agency.

COMMITTEES

Not a terribly interesting week for the Committees. DARD was taking views on its Animal Welfare Bill and also squeezed in a trip to Castlewellan Forest Park to help focus minds on its Forestry Bill.  DFP was putting the final touches to its Procurement Inquiry, DEL is reviewing Higher Education strategy and DRD got the ear defenders on to think about airport noise.

DoE went for a paddle at the Lough Neagh Discovery Centre, DETI worked its way industriously through a host of minor issues and the PAC was considering how efficient the Health Service is.

AND FINALLY….

If reports are to be believed, on Thursday the DUP negotiating team spent the day twiddling their thumbs waiting for the Sinn Fein negotiating team to turn up.  The only thing that turned up though was the parties’ respective noses.  Having reached this stage, it looks difficult to avoid the conclusion that the current Assembly is doomed. 

There’s a theory that when the orders came to mobilize armies before the First World War, that was the point of no return; the juggernaut had started and couldn’t be stopped.  Could well be that the ending of talks on Wednesday could be the Assembly’s equivalent of the assassin’s bullet which killed Archduke Ferdinand in Sarajevo in 1914.  That sparked a chain of events that led inexorably to somewhere that no-one particularly wanted to go but didn’t know how to avoid.  Sound familiar?