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Budget (Northern Ireland) Order 2007

I want to raise, as briefly as I can, one or two general issues. I do not know why my Liberal Democrat friends are so sceptical about that. First, where are we going with the reform of local government, and what in practical terms will happen? We have a great plan for what I call a super-substratum of local government. We are going to reduce the number of councils from 26—and I think that there is much sense in that—to seven, but to seven super-sub-councils. If we are to have devolved local government, then, in a community with about 1.7 million people, it is nonsense to talk about having seven super-councils for which, according to the Budget, there will not be any extra money for new building or new premises. I think that they will be an exceedingly expensive luxury. In tandem with devolved government, we should have a form of local government that delivers local services at the local level. We must get rid of the idea of seven super-councils and look at reducing the 26 to 14 or 15, so that a relationship can be established between the devolved arrangement at Stormont and what is necessary locally. I hope that there is still enough latitude and imagination in whatever is going to happen to enable us to achieve that. There has been a massive disposal of local assets in recent years. I am interested on two fronts. Military assets have been disposed of, and I am told that that come back to the Ministry of Defence or to the Exchequer. If so, so be it. However, in the late 1990s, we were told that if we achieved peace in Northern Ireland, the assets from that achievement would be reinvested in Northern Ireland. If multimillions of pounds from the disposal of capital assets are coming back to the Exchequer and not being invested in Northern Ireland, I think I would like to know the justification. The disposal of police capital assets is another issue. I have asked questions about where the money from the sale of parts of the police estate—police stations and the like—is being invested but have not received a clear answer. I should like to think that it is being invested exclusively in Northern Ireland and can be put towards the new police college, where there is a dispute regarding the figure of £90 million or thereabouts and a requirement of £135 million. Are we to have a cutback in this fine police college which we were promised would be a college of international standing because the Government are not going to find that £45 million? £45 million is a huge amount but it could be looked at in terms of the income achieved by the sale of police estate. I know that I am straying outside the scope of the debate and apologise. I do not pretend that I am unaware of that. But the issue goes side by side with what we are discussing. We cannot divorce from this debate the effect of this issue on daily affairs in Northern Ireland. I conclude on an issue that very much falls within the context of the Northern Ireland Budget. I have asked a number of Questions—some of which have inconveniently not yet be answered—about money invested in dealing with the major problem of autism. I declare an interest as vice-president of Autism Northern Ireland and I have a personal interest in this issue. Although I am told it is a fine scheme, I cannot understand why the Middletown initiative is going ahead with ring-fenced funding when we cannot achieve ring-fenced funding for the assessment of children who badly need it for their future; that is, children who are suspected of having autism. I do not see any money dedicated specifically to that. I have had great difficulty trying to find out from the Northern Ireland Office where money for these specific assessments will come from and why 560 children are currently waiting—sometimes for almost three years—to be assessed. And yet we can have ring-fenced funding for a redundant nunnery in Middletown which is to be used as a centre of excellence although nobody quite knows what it can do. It is isolated from teacher training colleges, universities and the main centres of population. It is a mad notion which was introduced by the Minister in the last Assembly, Martin McGuinness. I think it was done for dubious reasons and I leave it at that. But it is not a proper or good disposal of scarce moneys which should be better husbanded. Those specific points are important for the people of Northern Ireland when they look at how scarce money is being expended.