Alex Easton
North Down · Independent · Northern Ireland
“I, too, want to raise the issue of Bright Sparks Preschool, which is a feeder preschool for Crawfordsburn Primary School. Last Wednesday, the Education Minister visited Bright Sparks to hear about its excellent work and see all the pupils in the preschool.”
“<BR /> <BR />My annoyance is that I have met the Education Authority with Bright Sparks many times over the past several years, and there has been a lack of effort by the Education Authority to find a solution for a building that it owns.”
“The map shown in the consultation included the entire Newry, Mourne and Down District Council area, which has nothing to do with the South Eastern Trust area. <BR /> <BR />We therefore know that the consultation and the equality impact assessment were a farce and a foregone conclusion.”
“<BR /> <BR />The South Eastern Trust proceeded to say what its plans were. Closure, with the announcement of a new minor injury unit at the Ulster Hospital site, was the only option.”
“How accurate my prediction was: the Bangor minor injury unit never reopened its doors. It was stripped of its equipment even before the consultation was finished.”
“I quote two Alliance councillors, who said that the units had not been "of any use". If they were of no use, why did 22,000 people use the two minor injury units at their height? <BR /> <BR />Over 20,000 people signed a public petition opposed to the closure of the units.”
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“There are around 1,500 deaf children in Northern Ireland, and 90% are born to hearing parents, many of whom struggle to communicate with their child and will not be able to educate them adequately at home without support. Speech therapy, which is sometimes available through school, has also been missed. Staff members and classroom assistants who help children on a day-to-day basis at school have not been able to do so. COVID-19 has already seriously impacted on the learning of these children, who are often left behind. The least we can do is ensure that they have access to the healthcare that they need. <BR /> <BR />For deaf and hearing-impaired children, the pandemic causes ongoing problems. Face masks cause issues for those who rely on lip-reading and facial expression to communicate in their schools.”
“Only half of deaf children make the expected progress in maths and English at Key Stage 2, compared with over 90% of their hearing peers. Just over one third of deaf children obtain five GCSEs, compared with nearly 70% of their hearing peers. While, just over 1·5% of 16 to 30-year-olds have a form of hearing loss, fewer than 0·4% of those in higher education declare having such a condition. The evidence shows that the gap has widened in recent years and has not improved. <BR /> <BR />While all children have lost out on vital schooling due to the pandemic, it will have an even greater impact on deaf and hearing-impaired children. My worry is that the gap will continue to grow.”
“Naturally, that can have a significant impact on a child's first experience of school, their learning outcomes and the development of their social skills. It is, therefore, vital that those procedures go ahead as soon as it is safe, and I encourage the Minister to look at the issue with urgency. <BR /> <BR />Most parents of deaf children have no experience of deafness. Early diagnosis allows parents to make informed choices about treatment plans. It allows parents to educate themselves on how they can best learn to communicate with their child, support their child to learn the social skills that they will need when they enter school and how they can expand their child's vocabulary. <BR /> <BR />The disadvantage that deaf and hearing-impaired children face in education already is obvious. One only needs to look at the statistics.”
“Recent figures show that the situation is likely to get worse rather than better. ENT has shown one of the largest waiting-list increases of any speciality between August 2019 and this year. With shops, cafes and restaurants yet to open for business properly, it is time that the health service started to follow suit, particularly in this case, where early detection and intervention are crucial to ensure the best care plan and outcomes for these children. <BR /> <BR />With cochlear implants, early detection and intervention is especially important. Research has shown that children with implants inserted before they are six months old possess a vocabulary on a par with or better than that of hearing peers by the age of five. Conversely, when an implant is inserted later than this, that equivalence with their hearing peers is lost.”
“The backlog of postponed and cancelled appointments due to COVID-19 has the potential to have a knock-on effect in the short and long term for children with hearing difficulties. That is why the issue must be urgently addressed, and I welcome the opportunity to discuss the matter. <BR /> <BR />Before the pandemic, the health service was already experiencing issues with paediatric audiology services. An assessment was carried out last year from which it became clear that some health trusts struggled to meet the standards of access to the services, including the waiting times they had been set. The South Eastern Trust, for example, which covers the constituency I represent, scored just 58% towards the service accessibility target. The report highlighted the need to improve waiting times at this point.”
“I support the motion. Communication is fundamental to the development of every child. Learning good communication skills early in life is key to positive relationships with family and friends, good mental health and happiness and educational and employment opportunities in the future. It is particularly key for children who are deaf or have hearing impairments. Early detection, intervention and support for children with hearing difficulties has been shown to improve their mental health and avoid the behavioural problems known to develop in children who do not receive adequate help. Lack of support in communicating can also result in poorer cognitive development and negatively impact on the relationship between the child and their parents.”
“I thank the Minister for her answer so far. Minister, in North Down, I have over 1,229 applicants who are under housing stress and over 1,700 on the housing list. Has the Minister's Department started to look outside of the box and for the Housing Executive to start building again because that might be a quicker process than the housing associations?”
“Is there a timescale in place to assess whether the new measures will work and whether any further measures will be needed?”
“I thank the Minister for his answers so far. What biodiversity success has been achieved in Glenwherry hill farm?”
“Will the Minister outline what the Department is doing to help control giant hogweed?”
“We need to assess whether it is still relevant and ensure that the evidence base is up to date and, most of all, patient-centred. We want to see the traditional focus on tackling dementia expanded from a simple care provision basis to a dementia-friendly approach throughout all our homes and communities. There are real barriers to people with dementia accessing important community services and activities. We need to change public perceptions of the disease in order to make tangible differences to the quality of life of those affected. It is vital that we take steps now to put in place approaches, ambitions and sustainable funding arrangements to meet the rising demand in coming years. I support the motion.”
“It recognised the need to improve dementia care, particularly in the area of waiting times for memory assessments and follow-on reviews. A Health and Social Care Board review of dementia services in Northern Ireland recognised the need to develop a standardised dementia care pathway to ensure high-quality care in the right place and by the right people. A dementia innovation lab was also established in the summer of 2015 to review the long-term implications of dementia for Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />The current dementia strategy for Northern Ireland is almost a decade old. It is time to rethink and redouble our approach. Much of the good and valuable work being undertaken across health and social care trusts has stemmed from the 2011 strategy and recommendations.”
“The London School of Economics and Political Science care policy and evaluation centre calculated that, in 2019, care costs, as were mentioned, were £120 million for healthcare, £340 million for social care and £350 million for unpaid care. Overall costs will increase by 192% by 2040, with a total annual cost of £2·3 billion. The regional dementia care pathway was established by the Health and Social Care Board to set out a vision for improving the services and support arrangements available for people with dementia, their families and their carers. It aims to deliver on the recommendations of the 2011 Northern Ireland dementia strategy entitled 'Improving Dementia Services in Northern Ireland'. The dementia improvement collaborative was established by the Health and Social Care Board in spring 2015.”
“Around 15,000 people in Northern Ireland have a dementia diagnosis, although, as other Members have said, separate research has indicated that that could be 22,000. From 2006-07 to 2015-16, the number of people on the dementia register rose from 9,500 to over 13,000, which is an increase of 43%. One in three people born in 2015 will develop dementia in their lifetime. If that were reflected in the Chamber, 30 Members out of 90, if born in 2015, would develop dementia. That is frightening if you think about it. In 2014, one in 14 people aged over 65 and one in 79 of the whole population across the United Kingdom had dementia. In Northern Ireland, there is a 73% local diagnosis rate, which is significantly higher than any other part of the UK. <BR /> <BR />There is also a huge financial cost associated with care.”
“Over half of the UK public know somebody who has dementia. Many of us in the Chamber know someone or probably have a family member who has dementia. Dementia is a life-limiting disease with no curative treatment. The most common cause of dementia is Alzheimer's disease, which accounts for over 50% of cases. Vascular dementia accounts for 20%, and the remainder include frontal lobe dementia and alcohol-related dementia. When a person has dementia, the brain nerve cells are damaged and die faster than normal without replacement. It is a worldwide health issue, with 35 million cases reported in 2010. That number is expected to double by 2030. There are some stark statistics from Alzheimer's Research UK: over 500,000 people in the UK have a dementia diagnosis.”
“It is important that we do not neglect the need for a holistic approach as we continue to exist with this virus, and we look to the Minister as he leads on the mental health strategy, as continued MATT services will be critical. The crucial role of voluntary and community services must also be recognised. <BR /> <BR />In conclusion, we must recognise the impact of COVID-19 on our population's mental health. We recognise the importance of MATT and call on the Minister to commit urgently to the expansion and funding of that project to all health and social care trusts.”
“The Minister previously stated that he urgently wanted to examine the potential for a significant expansion of the multi-agency triage team partnership between the health and social care sector, the PSNI and the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service. However, MATT's future remains unclear. We would like to see more regular reporting. <BR /> <BR />As recently as10 September, the Minister referenced the project as part of the Department's initiatives to prevent suicide. We would like to see that continuing, Minister. MATT provides a vital and essential intervention at a most critical point, and it should be maintained. However, building resilience and taking a preventative approach to the roots of mental illness is as important, if not more important, than treating mental illness.”
“<BR /> <BR />MATT has been operational in the Belfast and South Eastern Trust areas since the start of July 2018 and has been supported by the Public Health Agency (PHA). More than 55 skilled staff across the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service, the PSNI and the South Eastern Trust volunteered to take part in the project initially. After COVID-19-related disruption, it resumed operating on 12 June. A team of two police officers, one paramedic and one mental health practitioner is on duty over a 12-hour night shift on Friday and Saturday. The team was initially funded, until March 2020, by the Department of Health transformation fund.”
“It is important that the strategy is well coordinated, well resourced, that it addresses those in need in hard-to-reach groups, and that it ensures that the mental health workforce is well supported. <BR /> <BR />The multi-agency triage team (MATT) partnership operates between the health and social care sector, the PSNI and the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service to provide on-the-spot mental health support to people in emotional crisis. Mental health practitioners and paramedics work alongside police officers to assess and respond to calls made either to the police or ambulance control using 999 or 101. That has had the associated benefit of reducing reliance on hospital, ambulance and PSNI resources.”
“Funding should be considered for a mental health workforce to support the potential influx of individuals needing mental health support, including psychological well-being practitioners. That may free up waiting lists for higher-intensity mental health services. The Department of Health launched its mental health action plan in response to COVID-19 on 19 May. The strategy outlined key points, which are supported by the survey, including the use of innovative approaches to service delivery, the importance of helping and supporting those who have been negatively impacted by COVID-19, and the importance of multidisciplinary and multisectoral collaboration.”
“The study reports that service provision:”
“of COVID-19 information in the media and how to manage their consumption of COVID-19 news. On that point, at the Health Committee, I recently mentioned to the Health Minister the issue of how we can promote the COVID-19 vaccine when it arrives, because there is a clear mistrust among some in the wider community due to misinformation, lies and other factors. <BR /> <BR />Concerns about the financial implications of the pandemic, including job security, must be "carefully considered by the Government". The study states:”
“Given the impact of COVID-19 media exposure on mental ill-health, "clear media guidelines" on the reporting of COVID-19 information "should be drafted and implemented". The study states that there should be:”
“<BR /> <BR />Overall, the findings showed that those with prior mental health conditions, those who had high exposure to COVID-related information via the media, the young, those highly concerned about being infected and key workers suffered the most with mental health issues. I found it very interesting that the media have been identified as affecting the well-being of our population, and that is something to think about. <BR /> <BR />The following recommendations were made in the study. I believe that the Health Minister and his Department should look at these, and they have probably already done so. There are groups of individuals who may be more vulnerable to experiencing mental health issues during this time. The study states that government bodies and other relevant:”
“On becoming infected with COVID-19, 41% were extremely worried and 64% were extremely worried about infecting others. Concerns were expressed about the health service, with 72% of individuals being highly concerned about the ability of the health service to care for COVID-19 patients if the situation became worse. On job security, 28% were highly concerned about their job security because of COVID-19, and 50% were highly concerned about the financial implications of COVID-19. There were concerns about school closures, with 41% being highly concerned about the impact of school closures on children during the COVID-19 pandemic. There were also concerns about the Government, with 49% being extremely worried about the Government's ability to manage the COVID-19 situation.”
“As everybody knows, we as an Assembly have been very much united recently on the urgent need to tackle mental health issues in our society. We are all aware of the significant increase in mental health issues due to COVID-19 and the results of lockdown. In order to try to tackle that, a study by the stress, trauma and related conditions (STARC) laboratory at Queen's University has been recently undertaken, and the results on the state of the population's mental health are extremely worrying. <BR /> <BR />Some of the statistics and findings are as follows: of the 470 people surveyed, three out of 10, which is 30%, met the criteria for anxiety, and one out of every three met the criteria for depression. For COVID-19-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), 20% met the criteria.”
“I thank the Minister for her answer. What are your hopes for the new Veterans Commissioner?”
“I thank the Minister for his answer. Will the Minister consider broadening out the scheme to include forests that have been culled due to the ash dieback disease?”
“Nothing else will do or suffice. <BR /> <BR />There must be a public inquiry. Nothing more or nothing less will do. I support the motion and the amendment.”
“The RQIA inspection found that there had been significant improvements, but it still has concerns about financial governance and safeguarding arrangements. Muckamore patients' families met the Health Minister, Robin Swann, following the restoration of the Northern Ireland Assembly. Also at that meeting was Glynn Brown, a representative of the campaign group Action for Muckamore, who said that he was disappointed that Mr Swann could not give them assurances that a full public inquiry would take place. Minister, in light of the seriousness and the extent of what has been going on at Muckamore, on this occasion, that is not acceptable, and I know that you have talked in the past about supporting a public inquiry. It is my view that there should be no more reviews and no more inquiries. There has to be a full independent public inquiry.”
“Dr Flynn said that Muckamore residents had been manhandled and slapped on some occasions and that she was disappointed that the facility was still open. <BR /> <BR />It was revealed that Belfast Trust had spent £4 million on agency staff in order to cover vacancies at Muckamore because so many members of staff have been suspended during the abuse probe. The Belfast Trust has confirmed that 40 employees have been placed on precautionary suspension while investigations continue. In addition, so far, five people have been arrested and questioned about the ill treatment of patients. That is how serious this is. <BR /> <BR />Northern Ireland's health regulator announced the results of a three-day unannounced inspection of Muckamore, including an overnight visit.”
“The Northern Ireland health regulator took action against the Belfast Trust over standards of care at Muckamore. Three enforcement notices were issued by the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority over staffing and nurse provision, adult safeguarding and patient finances. The then Northern Ireland Secretary of State, Julian Smith, apologised for the pain caused to families by the situation at Muckamore Abbey Hospital. Mr Smith then agreed to look into the matter further and to take advice about ordering a public inquiry. <BR /> <BR />Dr Flynn, the co-author of a damning review of Muckamore, said on 23 January this year that the hospital "needs to close". In her damning 2018 report she identified a series of catastrophic failings and found that patients' lives had been compromised.”
“The then chief executive of the Belfast Trust, Martin Dillon, said:”
“Professor Roy McClelland, who led the 2007 Bamford review, also said:”
“It is clear from some of the evidence that vulnerable patients were assaulted by staff at Muckamore Abbey Hospital between 2014 and 2017. CCTV footage revealed 1,500 crimes on one ward alone, which is extremely serious. CCTV footage from the psychiatric intensive care unit showed a patient being punched in the stomach by a nurse. That is truly shocking. Footage taken over a three-month period also showed patients being pulled, hit, punched, flicked and verbally abused by nursing staff. The Belfast Trust confirmed that, at Muckamore, between 2014 and 2017 there were more than 50 reported assaults on patients by staff. The chair of Northern Ireland's biggest review of mental health services, Professor Roy McClelland, said that the allegations emerging from Muckamore:”
“I support the motion and the amendment and thank the Members for tabling them. <BR /> <BR />The PSNI and the health authorities are still investigating allegations that vulnerable patients were physically and mentally abused by staff at Muckamore Abbey Hospital. The hospital, on the outskirts of Antrim, is run by the Belfast Trust and provides facilities for adults with severe learning disabilities and mental health needs. As allegations of abuse began to emerge, a number of people were arrested, and staff have been suspended from their jobs. The PSNI said that it was working with the trust on an investigation of the allegations, and Detective Chief Inspector Duffy said that police were examining a series of traumatic events seen in more than 300,000 hours of CCTV footage.”
“I thank the Minister for his comprehensive statement. What measures are being put in place for those who have to quarantine for 14 days after travelling and have to face the consequences of their employer maybe not being too happy? The app for contact tracing is great, so can the Minister tell us how many people are involved in contact tracing? Is there scope to have more people involved in it? Also, for those who have to isolate from —.”
“What is the process when somebody comes back from Spain and lands at the airport? What happens at that stage? You have to go and isolate for two weeks, but is there some sort of process at the airports to make sure that holidaymakers and residents who are coming back know exactly what they have to do?”
“Sorry. I ask the deputy First Minister to consider her position and resign until all investigations are concluded.”
“Why were families denied access and the right to have their loved ones cremated? I want to make it clear that no family or person should be treated differently. <BR /> <BR />In conclusion —.”
“I do not have time to go into it, but it is clear that Belfast City Council and the PSNI have questions to answer about what they knew in advance of the funeral taking place and why it was allowed to go ahead in the fashion that it did.”
“I thank the Member for his comments. I agree totally. Many people have suffered due to the actions of the deputy First Minister and her party. <BR /> <BR />This week has shown that ordinary members of the public have been treated by a different standard from Sinn Féin, and that anger stretches far beyond those who disagree with Sinn Féin's politics. The funeral points to the remarkable hold that old IRA veterans have on Sinn Féin, even forcing its current leadership, who have no IRA background, into actions that, they must have known, would not only be politically indefensible but a danger to public life. <BR /> <BR />Then, we have the debacle of what happened at Roselawn.”
“I put it to you, deputy First Minister, that, by attending that funeral, you and your colleagues did exactly the same thing; spreading the virus, and "actually that's killing people", by facilitating and encouraging crowds. <BR /> <BR />Does the deputy First Minister realise how she has made a mockery of the Assembly? Why would anyone outside the Assembly even begin to take us seriously after her and her party's actions? Does she realise or even care that 826 people have died so far because of the coronavirus pandemic? The families and friends of those 826 people have not been able to go to the funerals of their loved ones. They have made that sacrifice for the health and well-being of the people of Northern Ireland. They are all hurting.”
“Just you, deputy First Minister, and your party, Sinn Féin. <BR /> <BR />During a Black Lives Matter protest, protesters were given fines by the PSNI. Mrs O'Neill admonished the protesters, saying that they were:”
“I thank the Member for his comments. We all must abide by the law. We all must stick to the law. There can be no differences, whether you are member of Sinn Féin or anybody else. <BR /> <BR />The rule of law has been broken, and the PSNI must investigate. The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2020 have been broken, as has the code of conduct for Members. In addition, the deputy First Minister has broken the ministerial code and her Pledge of Office. That must be investigated by the incoming Assembly Commissioner for Standards. However, despite the clear evidence, the deputy First Minister has not accepted that she or her party have broken any rules, disregarding her own message. I quote her:”
“The guidance says that there should be no gatherings after funerals, yet there are images of several such gatherings, some of them involving prominent Sinn Féin politicians, such as Seán Lynch MLA having a selfie with 40 individuals at the Felons Club. <BR /> <BR />The guidance states that it is also recommended that coffin lifts should not take place unless pall-bearers all reside in the same house, yet the coffin was carried by several individuals. Even at the service, over 100 people attended the mass when only 30 are allowed to attend.”
“Thank you. I totally believe that the Assembly has been brought into disrepute. <BR /> <BR />Video footage and photographic evidence shows mass breaching of social distancing amongst crowds. At least 1,800 uniformed republicans stood along the side of the road in expectation of a crowd and set up a public address system in the cemetery, something demonstrably unnecessary when 30 people are meant to attend a funeral. <BR /> <BR />Mrs O'Neill specifically breached social distancing by standing to get a selfie. However, that was the fault of a blink of an eye. How many blinks of eyes did she have that day?”
“Even before the funeral, there was a significant breach of the guidelines, which state that wakes should not be held. The guidelines state that no remains should be taken home to rest. However, Sinn Féin MLAs Martina Anderson and Gerry Kelly were involved in large-scale gatherings days before the funeral. There was a breach of the advice that, in order to curtail numbers, funeral arrangements should not be advertised. Sinn Féin's official Belfast Facebook page quoted MP Paul Maskey, Assembly Speaker, Alex Maskey MLA, and multiple other party figures amongst those giving funeral timings and routes.”
“I am ashamed to be part of the Assembly today, having to debate what is the biggest scandal involving multiple Members of the Assembly. We are not here today because it is an orange or green issue — and it is not. It is to do with breaking the law and the rules of the Assembly. We are here today because we need to get to the bottom of why the deputy First Minister, the Finance Minister and at least five other MLAs that we know of, although that seems to be going up by the minute, felt the need to abandon the public health measures that they insisted every other citizen must adopt to help save lives in our collective partnership to beat the COVID-19 pandemic. <BR /> <BR />Let us look at the facts and the evidence. I will mention some comments that have been made.”
“They must be escalated, and we must ramp up service delivery, especially for children and adults with a disability, and fully recognise and support the exceptional contribution of family carers into the future. We owe them a debt of gratitude that must be paid by supporting them now.”