24 minute read
Cover story: Ulster-Scots Agency’s Ian Crozier on delivering a new approach
be addressed in a long-term budget to enable public transport to reach its full potential. As a cross cutting service, public transport is a key enabler to the successful delivery of any Programme for Government. By supporting public transport, the new Assembly can better connect communities and create opportunities vital for the recovery and future development of all our people.
Rail enhancement
We are starting to witness substantial investment in our rail infrastructure, future-proofing our network, but there remains much to do. We have a fiveyear plan to deliver a programme of railway investment and works, protecting and enhancing our £3 billion railway asset and helping to address decades of under-investment, providing a safe and reliable network for future generations.
Rail review
The All-Island Strategic Rail Review will examine options to transform the railway network and enable additional passenger capacity. This has the potential to expand the network and improve connections to ports and airports, subject to funding. Enhancements to the flagship Enterprise service between Belfast and Dublin are also a priority, and we are working with colleagues in Irish Rail and the SEUPB Peace Plus project to invest in new rolling stock, introduce an hourly frequency, and deliver infrastructural improvements to reduce journey times.
Facility enhancement
We will continue to transform public transport through a programme of upgrades and enhancements. Our stations, halts and bus shelters must be attractive and high quality, with Belfast Grand Central Station our keynote project. Replacing existing facilities at Europa/Great Victoria Street and entering service in 2025, Belfast Grand Central is a hugely important transportled regeneration project and Executive Flagship, which will represent a new beginning for public transport, as well as acting as a key generator of economic growth and prosperity. It will be the main transport gateway to Belfast, with bus, coach and rail connections to all parts of Northern Ireland and beyond. The associated Weavers Cross development, with Belfast Grand Central at its heart, will be a new city neighbourhood, boasting a range of major commercial opportunities to support local investment and the economy, and act as a catalyst for regeneration in this part of the city centre.
We are also planning new station facilities at Ballymena, Lurgan and York Street in north Belfast, as well as enhancements to Botanic Train Station in south Belfast and a new station to serve growing commuter need at Lisburn West, along with a programme of improvements to our bus stations across the Ulsterbus network. We will also deliver park and ride upgrades, which are vital for our integrated transport network, across main routes, including at Ballymena, Moira, Newtownards and Trooperslane, near Carrickfergus.
Contactless ticketing
One of the customer-facing projects Translink customers can expect to see more of is contactless and accountbased ticketing, with a focus on ease of use, integration, convenience, and value. We want to use ticketing to encourage integration and boost public transport usage. Ultimately, customers will benefit from the introduction of a Tap On, Tap Off account-based system on every service in Northern Ireland. We will also introduce online facilities such as the ability to top-up pre-pay smartcards and checking journey history, payment history and any discounts applied to customers’ accounts.
The future
We will work with stakeholders to deliver enhanced bus connections across Northern Ireland, reducing congestion and improving air quality. This will include the delivery of Glider phase 2, building on the success of the existing service, connecting the north and south of the city, as well as neighbouring suburban areas, and delivering high quality urban rapid transport across Belfast.
In Northern Ireland, where over 20 per cent of households do not have access to a car (rising to almost 36 per cent in Derry~Londonderry and 40 per cent+ in Belfast), dependence on effective public transport is vital. Translink will work with the new Assembly to deliver sustainability at the heart of decision making; we share the aim of all parties to improve wellbeing for all, with public transport interlinked with draft Programme for Government outcomes.
We are ambitious for the years ahead, capitalising on technological advances to enhance services, our people, the environment, and the communities we serve, and we are confident that, with the right support, we can unlock a better, greener future and make Northern Ireland healthier, more economically competitive, socially inclusive, and renowned as one of the top locations in Europe for sustainable transport.
More information is available online at www.translink.co.uk
First and foremost, explains Crozier, the term Ulster-Scots refers to a community of people, the Ulster-Scots. From the early 1600s onwards, Scottish people flooded into Ulster, first as part of community organised settlements in Antrim and Down and then the government-backed Plantation of Ulster: and then as refugees fleeing famine and religious persecution. Within a relatively short time, about 30 years, they were being referred to not as Scots, but as Ulster-Scots and have been known by that name ever since.
The term Ulster-Scots is also used to refer to the culture and heritage of the Ulster-Scots community, in other words its cultural identity. The Ulster-Scots community has its own language, also brought from Scotland, which for centuries was simply known as ‘braid Scotch’ or ‘broad Scots’, but for the last one hundred years or so it has also been referred to as Ulster-Scots.
Crozier is incredibly passionate about all aspects of Ulster-Scots but expresses some frustration that the imposition of a narrow linguistic focus has at times tended to stifle the development of a broader understanding of the UlsterScots community and their identity.
“In 1998, Ulster-Scots was given recognition in the Good Friday Agreement with the creation of the North/South Language Body. While this was a welcome step, I think being framed within a language setting has tended to reinforce a linguistic focus in the minds of policy makers and many in the media and body politic that has been detrimental to the broader cultural identity,” he says.
“The Ulster-Scots community, our beliefs and traditions have shaped the place that we live in today. Many aspects of UlsterScots identity, whether in terms of music, sport, our speech, or our characteristic ‘thran’ nature, have become mainstream in Northern Ireland, not narrow cultural markers, but broad themes in our society. Adopting an artificially narrow focus on Ulster-Scots misses out on a treasure trove of cultural wealth and risks making everyone here, whether they identify as Ulster-Scots or not, culturally poorer.”
The Presbyterian ethos of the UlsterScots was fundamental, according to Crozier, as with it came a focus on education and a love of liberty which had been central to the Scottish Reformation and laid the foundations for the age of enlightenment. Ideas with their roots in Scotland took hold in Ulster and were later carried around the world with the Ulster-Scots diaspora.
“The idea that an unjust king or government could be defied, which started with the Covenanters, was taken to the next level at the Siege of Derry. A generation or two later, when civil and religious liberty was again denied, the Ulster-Scots in America, or Scotch-Irish “Linguistically, Ulster-Scots as it is now known, is a daughter of the Scots language, which has a pedigree stretching back over one thousand years [the earliest known Ulster-Scots poem is 300 years old this year]. Scots is a sister language of English and we are all members of the Germanic language family, which includes German, Dutch, Flemish, Swedish, Norwegian and Danish. We are often compared linguistically with Irish, but that is like comparing apples and oranges,” he explains.
as they became known, inspired by stories of the Covenanters and Londonderry, overthrew the king and secured American independence,” he explains.
The value placed by Ulster-Scots on learning led to a vibrant education scene and the foundation of many of Northern Ireland’s best-known schools, like Belfast Royal Academy, RBAI, Campbell College and Victoria College, as well as Queen’s College, later QUB.
People from the Ulster-Scots community and its diaspora have been to the fore in almost every field of human endeavour, whether science, engineering, medicine, diplomacy, politics, the military, sport, arts, music and many more besides. That is one reason why Crozier thinks it is ironic that among a range of slurs often thrown at Ulster-Scots is that it is the preserve of stupid people. He points out that the Ulster-Scots language, so often a lightning rod for detractors, was the medium for generations of literary genius, up to and including 20th century giants like CS Lewis and Seamus Heaney. “One thing that both languages share, however, is that they live in the shadow of English, a global language. Speakers of both Irish and Ulster-Scots have faced strong pressures, sometimes internal from their own families and sometimes external from the education system and the media, to moderate their speech in the name of getting on.”
Despite these pressures, at the time of the 2011 census, 140,000 people in Northern Ireland indicated some ability in Ulster-Scots. Crozier believes that this figure is just the tip of the iceberg.
“Folk with ability in Ulster-Scots often aren’t aware of it, thinking they only speak English because that is what they were taught in school. They don’t realise that they learned a different language at home, their true mother tongue and really, they have been bilingual all along.”
The mission of the Ulster-Scots Agency is to inspire and empower people and communities in Ulster to embrace their Ulster-Scots identity, build kinship with those outside Ulster who share that identity and friendship inside Ulster with those who do not. 4
During the pandemic, the Agency provided Covid recovery funding to well over 600 organisations including bands, halls and community groups across Northern Ireland and the border counties of Ireland that are involved with UlsterScots, demonstrating a much larger community sector than many would have previously anticipated. A new language initiative, Wheen o Wurds, launched just prior to Covid-19, has also seen a very high response. The online quiz, which helps people to appreciate the Ulster-Scots words they use every day and leads to the award of a Wheen o Wurds badge, has so far been successfully taken by more than 150,000 people. Crozier believes these unprecedented results show clear evidence of the importance of Ulster-Scots, not just to the Ulster-Scots community, but to everyone in Northern Ireland. “Whether in terms of language, heritage or culture, Ulster-Scots occupies a much more central place in our society than many people realise, the challenge for us now is to help everyone understand that and embrace it for the good of us all.” The CEO observes that Ulster-Scots identity has weathered a real storm in the last 50 years. “The Troubles forced people into a binary world, where British and Irish national identities were the focus and Ulster-Scots was squeezed into the background. After 1998, Ulster-
Scots returned to the fore, but faced an onslaught from those still trapped in a two tribes mentality. Whether attacking our language or identity more generally, Ulster-Scots have too often been spoken of and treated in a way that would not be tolerated in respect of any other group in our society. Generations of Ulster-Scots have grown up not knowing about their identity or embarrassed to embrace it, listening to people who said we had no culture.
“Outdated attitudes that deny or diminish Ulster-Scots must be challenged and overcome. Everyone needs to understand that identity in Northern Ireland is multilayered and the picture is usually more complicated than it appears. The best thing we can do is be curious and find out for ourselves.”
The CEO is optimistic that a broader understanding and package of supports for Ulster-Scots in the New Decade, New Approach agreement of January 2020 can serve as a springboard for ambitions to enable Ulster-Scots to go from surviving to thriving. The agreement acknowledged the need for greater support for Ulster-Scots in schools, placing a duty on the Department of Education to encourage and facilitate the use of Ulster-Scots in the education system; provided for a commissioner to enhance and develop the language, arts, and literature associated with the UlsterScots tradition in Northern Ireland; and paved the way for a long-term strategy for Ulster-Scots language, heritage, and culture.
Crozier was part of an expert advisory panel which has recently delivered a recommendations report for the strategy, with a call for views closed at the end of April 2022. “We have expressed some qualms about some of the terminology that has been used, as we feared that it could have drifted towards some of the narrow interpretations of the past, but the terms of reference for the strategy and crucially the decision of the UK Government to recognise the UlsterScots community as a national minority within the UK under the Framework Convention for National Minorities place the new protections firmly within a context that should see support for UlsterScots identity in its broadest sense.”
Quizzed on what he would identify as progress in the coming years, Crozier says: “We need to see Ulster-Scots in all its forms appreciated across government for the value that it can bring to everyone in Northern Ireland and supported accordingly.
“Ulster-Scots has shaped our society and through our diaspora can shape our place in the world. 2026 will see the 250th anniversary of the American Declaration of Independence, which was brought about by the Ulster-Scots. What other country wouldn’t love to have that link? At a time when there is great concern about the balance of relationships within our islands, Ulster-Scots can be a social and cultural bridge.
“As we continue to come out of the pandemic, Ulster-Scots can help bring communities together again. Whether we want to promote diversity, improve creativity, inspire our young people, improve our neighbourhoods, attract tourism or inward investment, Ulster-Scots has a great contribution to make in the future, just as it has in the past.”
PROFILE:
Ian Crozier
Ian has been Chief Executive of the Ulster-Scots Agency since July 2011, having previously worked as a Chief Executive in the third sector and before that as a Special Adviser to successive ministers for Social Development in the Northern Ireland Executive.
He served for 10 years as an elected member of Belfast City Council and has held a range of non-executive directorships including Belfast Harbour, the Laganside Corporation and North Belfast Partnership, where he chaired both the board and Programme Management Executive for the £10 million URBAN II European funding programme. In recent years, Ian has held ministerial appointments on the Commission on Flags, Identity, Culture and Traditions; the Covid Recovery Taskforce for Culture, Arts and Heritage; and the Expert Advisory Panel for the Strategy for Ulster-Scots Language, Heritage and Culture which flows from the NDNA Agreement. Ian graduated in law from Queen’s University Belfast and has since completed postgraduate certificates in urban regeneration (BURA) and corporate governance (CIPFA).
That one-fifth of the most important planning applications aren’t being processed within three years is not only impacting on applicants, developers and communities but also risks investment in the region, according to the PAC, who believe a significant programme of reform is needed.
Highlighting that some elements of underperformance relate back to the transfer of powers in 2015, the PAC report describes a situation of an inadequate budget, an inappropriate staffing model and the need for change to the future funding model before acknowledging “widespread recognition” that the system is not working.
“The Committee is clear that change is now needed and ‘a sticking plaster’ will not suffice. Given such obvious criticism, it is hard to understand why action hasn’t been taken until now.”
While recommending a fundamental review to ascertain long-term, strategic change, the PAC committee said it was “struck” by the number of immediate changes that could be made. “There has been an inertia throughout the system and many of those involved appear reluctant to make much needed changes…The Committee has heard that there are a number of opportunities to make
Transparency
On transparency, the Committee expressed “alarm” by the volume of concerns and said that it was seeking urgent remedial action to ensure better transparency for applications called in and those overturned by a planning committee contrary to recommendation of the planning offices. Additionally, the Committee says it is seeking more transparency as to how councils exercise enforcement powers given the considerable variation across councils. On the perceived “misunderstanding” of accountability by the Department, the Committee has placed an expectation on the Department to provide a radical action plan to address accountability issues.
Recommending that the Department and the Head of the Civil Service consider how leadership could be strengthened to provide an effective oversight role, the Committee says it is “very concerned” that the Department does not grasp the severity of issues facing the planning system, does not recognise the urgent need for change and has a
poor understanding of its role in implementing change.
“The operation of the planning system is one of the worst examples of silo working within the public sector that this Committee has encountered,” the PAC states, describing a need for a radical culture change in the way in which central and local government interact. If the planning service is to improve, the Department and councils must start to collaborate as equal partners. This will require a concerted effort from all those involved to work in a more productive way.”
Concluding, the PAC report says: “The planning system in Northern Ireland is clearly not working. Given the widespread, severe, and entrenched nature of the issues outlined, the Committee is calling for a fundamental review, led by someone independent from the Department, to identify the long-term, strategic changes needed to make the planning system fit for purpose.”
immediate improvements to the planning system. We recommend that a commission is established to identify tangible improvements that can be achieved in the short term.”
Local development plans (LDPs)
On LDPs, the majority of which have yet to be published seven years into the process, the PAC described a process “stymied by a complete underestimation of the complexity and volume of work required” and pointed to a lack of key skills and resources within councils, which it believes is compounded by a series of “unnecessary checks and balances” implemented by the Department for Infrastructure (DfI).
Describing performance in planning LDPs as “incredibly slow”, the report highlights that most recent projections puts 2028 as the year now expected to see an LDP in place in each council area, 13 years into a 15-year cycle. Coupled with concerns heard around effectiveness and equality of enforcement, the committee says that it was left with the impression “of a system that can’t plan for the future, isn’t doing well on deciding today’s applications; and doesn’t appear to be properly enforcing the decisions it made in the past”.
Openreach continues to pave the way to a digital revolution in Northern Ireland
Garret Kavanagh, Director of Openreach.
With demand for online services continuing to increase, the role that Openreach Northern Ireland plays in keeping people connected has never been more important.
Openreach, Northern Ireland’s largest digital infrastructure provider continues to invest in the future of Northern Ireland having recently announced that 80 per cent of homes and businesses can now get its next generation Ultrafast Full Fibre broadband, that’s 4 out of 5 properties.
Full Fibre broadband is up to 10 times faster than the average home broadband connection. For example, you can download a two-hour HD film in less time than it takes to make a cup of tea. And video gamers could download a 5gigabyte virtual reality (VR) game in 1.7 minutes, instead of waiting half an hour with a traditional copper based broadband line. The service is delivered over fibre optic cables running right to the property, which also means Ultrafast Full Fibre broadband is five times more reliable than traditional copper based broadband connections. Greater capacity means more devices can be connected, so more people can get online at once without experiencing any slowdown, buffering or dropouts. And demand continues to grow, with more and more Northern Ireland homes and businesses ordering a Full Fibre service.
Chief Executive of NI Chamber Ann McGregor says: “I was delighted to hear news of this significant milestone in Northern Ireland. Openreach are leading the way in terms of their transformative broadband technology, and to hit 80 per cent coverage of the region is a fantastic achievement.”
McGregor adds: “The digital future of Northern Ireland is extremely positive. The Openreach investment, alongside other commercial programmes and publicly funded interventions puts Northern Ireland in an enviable position well ahead of our near neighbours, as the most connected region in the UK and in Ireland. In fact, access to 1,000 Mbps Full Fibre broadband in Northern Ireland is on a similar footing with global leading countries such as the Nordics and the Asia Pacific region. This is a fantastic opportunity for local businesses and government to take advantage of, while we are ahead of other regions.”1
The pandemic highlighted our reliance on fast and robust broadband. In fact, demand for broadband over the Openreach network doubled during 2020 and increased a further 20 per cent during 2021.2
Director of Openreach NI, Garret Kavanagh comments: “What we are doing at Openreach has an important impact on the lives of everyone in Northern Ireland. Reliable broadband is often considered as the fourth utility, alongside gas, water, and electricity, something that most of us would struggle to live without. We have gone from the internet being a source of information to it being our primary channel
“The past couple of years have really accelerated already established trends where we have seen the use of online solutions becoming a greater part of our lives as we have been unable and perhaps reluctant to leave home. For example, many transactional services have moved online, and people feel much more comfortable and confident about things like submitting a planning application, booking appointments, or having a meeting using Teams or Zoom rather than face to face.”
The ambition which has been set out in the Department for Economy’s ‘Vision for the Economy’ embraces innovation to
deliver 10 times better economic growth, and with the current availability of gigabit capable broadband to residents and businesses, the opportunities for digitisation are enormous.3
International benchmarks show that Full Fibre broadband coverage not only has a positive impact on households by revolutionising the way we live, but it can also accelerate economic growth. In Sweden, where there is similar coverage, studies have shown that those connected to Full Fibre broadband are 11 per cent more active online, have more devices connected to the internet and have higher customer satisfaction levels. The same report shows 4.8 per cent more start-ups in French municipalities with high levels of Full Fibre access.4
The next Programme for Government technology will open up endless opportunities, enabling and encouraging the set-up of new businesses, social initiatives and online products, services that we can’t even imagine yet. It will support economic and social regional rebalancing as high-speed connectivity means people do not have to live in large urban centres for high paid jobs or to access the best goods and services.
“As more people continue to work flexibly, it will also support a more sustainable future, leading to less journeys and reduced CO2 emissions. A recent report by the Centre for Economics and Business Research, predicted a saving of 700,000 tonnes of carbon from reduced commuting, as a result of upgrading the UK to Full Fibre.
Keen to live out sustainable values in its technologies, actively looking to phase-out diesel vehicles by replacing them with electric vehicles. It’s important that we pay back to the communities we live in,” Kavanagh says.
The UK Government has set a target for the digital infrastructure industry to achieve 85 per cent Full Fibre coverage by 2025. In Northern Ireland Openreach has already achieved 80 per cent coverage and build work is continuing to extend the network further. The challenge now is for individuals, communities, business owners and public services to take advantage of all the possibilities this digital capability offers.
offers an opportunity to maximise the benefits of this world leading platform, at a time when there are significant pressures across public sector services including health and social care. Accelerating the digitisation of public services to improve service levels to citizens, whilst reducing back-office costs has been underway for some time. The next challenge is to create smart platforms to seamlessly introduce citizens to the services they need but may not know about. This coupled with the adequate provision of digital skills training to ensure no one is left behind could lead to an unprecedented shift in how citizens engage with public services.
Kavanagh continues: “This Full Fibre own business, Openreach NI has also pledged to endeavour to convert its diesel fleet to electric and other renewable fuels by 2030, aiming to achieve their ambition of net zero carbon emissions. Installing and maintaining the digital network is a huge operation, and with one of the largest van fleets on the road in Northern Ireland necessary for essential work every day, reducing their carbon footprint is a big focus for Openreach NI.
“We understand the need to act on climate change and we are committed to reducing our operational impact. We’ve created a dedicated Openreach project team, focussing on cutting fleet emissions and helping to identify alternative, cleaner
“Openreach are leading the way in terms of their transformative broadband technology, and to hit 80 per cent coverage of the region is a fantastic achievement. The digital future of Northern Ireland is extremely positive. The Openreach investment, alongside other
Ann Mc Gregor, Chief Executive of NI Chamber commercial programmes and publicly funded interventions puts Northern Ireland in an enviable position well ahead of our near neighbours, as the most connected region in the UK and in Ireland.”
For more information contact nihelp@openreach.co.uk
Partnership for an innovative and sustainable future
Following its first live Annual Tourism Conference in two years, Tourism NI Chief Executive John McGrillen outlines progress to date and challenges ahead.
Over the last two years resilience and collaboration has been the bedrock on which the recovery of our tourism industry has been built. Working together, the councils, the Northern Ireland Hotel Federation, Hospitality Ulster, Visit Derry, Visit Belfast, NI Tourism Alliance, Tourism Ireland and Tourism NI have all played their part in helping to deliver much needed support to our beleaguered industry and to make sure the voice of tourism has been heard.
Innovation has also helped to drive us as we recover from the effects of the pandemic. We have adapted to new ways of working, embedded an exciting new brand for Northern Ireland: “Embrace a Giant Spirit’ and created a very successful new call to action ‘A Small Step to a Giant Adventure’. The recently launched, world class Game of Thrones Studio Tour in Banbridge, the revamped W5 at the Odyssey and new experiences and activities right across the country supported through our Experience Development Programme have also helped us achieve real cut through in the market place, particularly in the Republic of Ireland. We know that last summer was a very positive one with visitor spend in hotels, bars, eating places and attractions up by a quarter compared to the same period in 2019. Spend by people resident in the Republic more than doubled during the same time period, while domestic spend grew by almost one third and Great Britain spend rose by 10 per cent. The online reviews left by visitors for the second half of 2021 showed that our visitors had a very positive visitor experience.
Our consumer research indicates that approximately half of Republic of Ireland visitors to Northern Ireland during 2021 were first time leisure visitors, with two out of every three saying they intend to return to Northern Ireland again.
Industry data also tells us that hotel forward bookings for 2022 paint a positive outlook, particularly for weekends, and tour operators also indicate strong order books going forward. Our consumer surveys suggest around one-fifth of people on the island of
