Patsy McGlone
Mid Ulster · Social Democratic and Labour Party · Northern Ireland
“Limiting the power to dismiss charges involving the death of or serious physical harm to a vulnerable person will enhance the fairness and integrity of those criminal proceedings.”
“The SDLP welcomes the provisions for the long-overdue establishment of a statutory Commissioner for Victims and Witnesses of Crime. That is a significant step forward in the development of our justice system.”
“Putting the office on a statutory footing will ensure that the commissioner's role is legally recognised and accountable to the public and the justice system. The Minister outlined a number of the measures in the process of accountability.”
“OK. I thank my colleague — indeed, the Minister — for responding. It is, as the Minister said and my colleague highlighted, a sensitive area. People who are approached to give a reference should think long and hard about the implications of the references that they give: where they might wind up; the circumstances in which they give them;…”
“The SDLP welcomes the Victims and Witnesses of Crime Bill and the opportunity to debate it, alongside the Chairperson — or should I say, "Mr Amendment" — at its Second Stage.”
“I accept that the Minister's Department, as she has stated repeatedly, does not have the capacity or resources to develop those legislative provisions during this mandate.”
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“<BR /> <BR />We in the SDLP believe that it is possible to improve productivity and job creation through more environmentally sustainable practices, which become a major selling point on the world stage. Having that product with those credentials is a bonus for any market into which we try to sell. That is what the public want to see an Executive deliver. <BR /> <BR />Go raibh míle maith agat.”
“It is, however, time for the Executive to step up on the issue and press the British Government for a solution. <BR /> <BR />We can certainly agree that there is a need for clarity on ammonia controls in planning. The Department and the Executive cannot continue to delay a resolution to that issue. They must resolve it to address the threat of legal action from the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) over the failure to adhere to the law on protecting the environment. That is also looming. It is the job of Governments and the Executive to consider, within the demands of the law, the demands of lobbyists, including us, when we are in the Chamber debating the issues.”
“— in my previous role as the SDLP's AERA spokesperson, I highlighted the ongoing threat to the supply of veterinary medicines to the North: another unadvertised consequence of Brexit. That Brexit was promoted by the DUP and rejected by the majority of the people of the North. The risks to animal and human health will primarily affect the North and the island of Ireland, but the problems are not the result of a divergence in regulations between Britain and the EU on veterinary medicines; they are the result of a failure of negotiations. Who supported the people who were at that negotiating table? Who voted the procedures through Westminster? Join the dots. <BR /> <BR />The solutions to the problems that we discussed in 2024 are still on the table. Those solutions will require compromise from either the EU or the British Government or both.”
“However, the DUP wants to return to the failed policies of the past, whether they involve Brexit, agriculture or so many other issues. <BR /> <BR />We are living with the implications of the intensification of farming without any environmental remediation. In my area, each year, Lough Neagh faces issues with blue-green algae. That has to be addressed by new farming practices. A strategy has caused damage to the environment and may cost us millions in remediation. The DUP motion also complains again about the current climate change targets set in legislation by the Assembly. Previously, the DUP kicked the can down the road in the hope that a technological solution would appear, and it still has its fingers crossed on that one. <BR /> <BR />Mr Speaker — a Phríomh-Leas-Cheann Comhairle; gabh mo leithscéal, a Carál”
“<BR /> <BR />The motion reads like a wish list of reactionary policies that the DUP cannot get through the Executive. The SDLP does not support the motion, but we will support the amendment. We agree that food security is important in the North and across these islands, and I emphasised earlier the importance of the agri-food sector in the entire 32-county context. That is how that economy works. That is how it has developed and evolved naturally on this island, and that is why it is so successful. <BR /> <BR />We also celebrate and congratulate the food and drink sector on generating £4·9 billion of gross value added to Northern Ireland. Of course, we want to see more investment in agriculture to support improved productivity, job creation and more environmentally sustainable practices.”
“A recent study by the UK bodies the Constitution Society and the Federal Trust indicated that the widely held opinion before the referendum that Brexit's economic impact would be negative and large has been borne out. The UK's GDP has reduced by about 4% compared with a Remain scenario, trade has reduced by about 15% and there has been a sizeable impact on investment. I will break that down. That is £92 billion per year in lost output. To break that down further, that is £1,350 per person per year. The 4% of GDP lost means that government collects £30 billion to £40 billion less in tax each year. The reality is this: the DUP campaigned for that Brexit and got what it asked for, and now everyone else has to pick up the pieces.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. Does he agree that, but for that all-island economic approach to agri-food, the North would be a less successful place in terms of its productivity?”
“Thank you, Minister, for the swift action by your Department and officials. You said that all animal movements to GB are suspended while immediate discussions are held between officials to agree the requirement for movements. If animals outside the control zone have already been vaccinated, does that make any difference to the restriction on their movement to GB?”
“Thank you very much, Minister. I heard a number of caveats there. Can you guarantee that the uplift, as you referred to it, will be to the satisfaction of the PSNI officers who are waiting for it?”
“I thank the Minister for her answer. I presume that it is not purely a resourcing issue. Does the Minister have any concerns, as the SDLP does, over elements of the proposal such as the retention of national security vetoes, disclosure to families, protection of hard-won inquests, human rights compliance, the strength of statutory oversight and the independence of the Legacy Commission and the legacy unit in an Garda Síochána?”
“The ombudsman found that under-resourcing resulted in the delayed police enquiries and the ineffective management of the offender's bail conditions. The investigators found that there were significant pressures on the PSNI team responsible for investigating online offending involving children and indecent images. They found that sufficient investment was not allocated to reduce those investigative delays.”
“By April 2019, he had been arrested for a third time, after Police Scotland alerted the PSNI to his consistent and continued offending. Reports on four devices seized in March 2018 had still not been completed when he was arrested for a fourth time, on 30 July 2019. Just five days before a police interview in May 2018, a 12-year-old girl whom he had targeted — Cimarron Thomas, from West Virginia in the United States — took her own life after he had contacted her. In January 2020, Cimarron's father, Benjamin Jay Thomas, also took his own life. Finally, in October 2024, the person responsible for those crimes was convicted and sentenced to a minimum of 20 years in prison. <BR /> <BR />It is important to note that the ombudsman's investigation identified no misconduct whatsoever by any individual police officer.”
“<BR /> <BR />In the case that was the subject of the ombudsman's report, the offender was first arrested in February 2016. He was interviewed by police and released on bail. It was more than two years later before he was interviewed again, in May 2018, about 1,100 indecent images of children being found on his phone and other devices, which had been seized in 2016. That delay was due to the time taken for the PSNI to produce evidential reports on the images. In those two years, he continued to engage in abusive online communications involving at least seven other children. He was on police bail throughout that time. He was arrested in March 2018, after the PSNI received information from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.”
“We still await the legislative consent motion for the new legacy arrangement because of the additional cost to the Justice Minister's Department. While the Justice Minister has, unlike the Health Minister, ruled out overspending her budget, the Finance Minister predicted this week that the Executive will overspend their budget this year by £400 million. That is the background to the motion. <BR /> <BR />Our motion also refers to the recent report from the Police Ombudsman on the handling of a high-profile child sex offender case. It is a disturbing report on a very disturbing case. The ombudsman's report found that the PSNI teams tasked with detecting and investigating online child sexual abuse were under-resourced and under pressure, which significantly compromised their ability to detect and prosecute offenders and keep children safe.”
“The Assembly re-endorsed the recommendation in the Patten report that the number of full-time police officers should be 7,500, with the ambition of increasing that number. In January, the PSNI said that it needed £200 million over five years to increase its workforce to 7,000 officers from its current all-time low. That would still be 500 fewer than the Patten figure from 1999. To date, the Executive have given no firm commitments or guarantees that the required funding will be delivered or that the funding will be sustained over that five-year period. Indeed, funding has yet to be secured for the police pay award this year. The Treasury has repeatedly refused to pay the compensation bill for the PSNI officers who were affected by the major data breach in August 2023.”
“However, sufficient additional funding was not provided to enable the target to be achieved, and, when numbers rose to a high of 7,100 officers, the additional funding that had been provided fell away and the additional police numbers fell away with it. It is not that efforts have not been made in the past; those efforts just have not been sustained. Overall, there has been long-term underfunding of the criminal justice system. That is the result of decisions made by successive DUP/Sinn Féin-led Executives over successive years, and, as a result of those decisions, the PSNI is under-resourced and the officers and staff are consistently under extraordinary pressure. <BR /> <BR />Just over a year ago, the Assembly declared its support for the Chief Constable in his campaign to secure additional resources for the PSNI.”
“The SDLP has tabled the motion on policing resources because of our concerns about the impact of the consistent under-resourcing of policing. At the start of the debate, I wish to put on record my and my party's support for the police, and I thank those officers who work in often very difficult circumstances without the resources that they need and deserve to have available to them. <BR /> <BR />In 1999, the Patten report stated that we needed a police service with 7,500 officers. At the start of October this year, almost 25 years since the establishment of the PSNI, there were only 6,223 full-time officers. In 2020, the parties in the Executive gave a commitment to increase the number of police officers to finally match the figure in that Patten report.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Phríomh-Leas-Cheann Comhairle.”
“Given that delirium is often found in patients aged 65-plus, has the Minister considered extending the mental health liaison service to that age group in trust areas in which the service is available only to those aged 18 to 64?”
“A Chéad-Aire, an dtig leat insint dúinn cad chuige nach raibh cumas sa teanga Ghaeilge ar na critéir do na ceapacháin don bhord?”
“A review would ensure that the legislation provides appropriate safeguards, promotes responsible celebration and better protects the welfare of people, animals and communities. That is what we believe the public wants to see, and it is why we support the motion.”
“We have seen how those celebratory events attract young people and families, such as the one at the marina in Ballyronan, which is not that far from my home. Such celebrations better protect the welfare of people, animals and communities and demonstrate a better understanding of the responsibility of living in a shared environment. However, generally, it is not the responsible, organised events that cause the problems, as we well know. A reduction in the number of licences being granted could just as easily mean that, overall, fewer people are applying for those licences, not that more people are moving away from the use of fireworks. <BR /> <BR />The SDLP is certainly not calling for a complete ban on the sale of fireworks here, and neither is the motion.”
“The Minister should look at strengthening penalties and enforcement for breaches of the firework legislation, if the evidence supports it. The best way to get that evidence would be to review the effectiveness of the legislation. However, that was, at least, a tacit acknowledgement by the Minister that the current regulations are not as effective or as robust as they should be. <BR /> <BR />The Minister has also claimed that the reduction in the number of firework licences being granted by the Department indicates that people are moving to other kinds of celebratory displays. The reality is that responsible, organised events, which might, in previous years, have involved traditional fireworks displays, are, increasingly, moving to safer methods of celebration, which is good.”
“Thank you very much indeed. I thank the Minister for that clarification. It would be useful to know, however, how many cases were actively pursued by the police and in how many such cases the location was identified and the perpetrators, if they were perpetrators, were cautioned or the police took other measures. <BR /> <BR />In the Assembly last week, the Minister said that she was "not entirely sure" that a review of the legislation would be appropriate, given the limited resources available to the Department. At the same time, the Minister suggested that she might do something around penalties and enforcement, and we see that in the amendment today. That would, of course, require the PSNI to identify those in breach of the legislation, which is the very point that the Minister made.”
“Over 1,000 fireworks incidents were reported to the PSNI in each of the past four years, and almost 2,000 such incidents were reported in 2020, yet the PSNI does not appear to know whether the fireworks in those incidents were possessed legally. How can the legislation be enforced if that is not known?”
“— that is the important bit that needs to be done — and:”
“Dogs and cats may suffer heightened anxiety, disorientation and, in some of the more vicious cases, injuries. Wildlife is similarly affected. People with conditions such as PTSD, young people with autism and other neurodiverse people can experience heightened anxiety and panic during fireworks displays. <BR /> <BR />The Minister has said in response to questions for written answer that she is not considering a review of the legal framework for the buying and selling of fireworks here. She said that she has:”
“The SDLP welcomes and, indeed, supports the motion. The legislation that regulates the use of fireworks is almost a quarter of a century old and needs to be modernised. Every year, the same warnings are issued. The public are reminded that they need a licence to use fireworks and that it is an offence to buy, possess and use certain types of fireworks without a licence. Every year, however, a significant number of people ignore those warnings, and, every year, unnecessary injuries, stress and anxiety are caused by people using fireworks incorrectly. Fireworks are not toys, as we are repeatedly reminded: they are explosive devices. <BR /> <BR />We know that sudden, loud explosions from traditional fireworks can cause significant stress and anxiety for people, pets and wildlife. Animals will often experience intense panic.”
“<BR /> <BR />The regulations respond to the pressures that farmers face and help address the environmental crisis that is before us. They help set agriculture in Northern Ireland on a path towards a more productive, sustainable and resilient future. The SDLP is pleased to support them.”
“If we want agriculture to deliver improved soil health, lower emissions, better water quality, restored habitats and a resilient food system, it must be funded at a sufficient scale to meet those ambitions. The regulations set the right direction, but they must be backed up by the right resources to support transition and change on farms. That is why having a multi-year agriculture budget is so crucial. Farmers cannot plan on one-year cycles. Environmental improvements cannot be delivered on one-year cycles. Long-term investment in genetics, technology, slurry storage and nutrient management requires long-term certainty for financial planning and business planning. A multi-year budget would give the sector the stability and confidence that it needs to plan, invest and innovate.”
“Better nutrient management, improved soil testing and more efficient use of slurry and fertiliser are exactly the kinds of measures that can reduce nutrient run-off while keeping farms productive and profitable. They demonstrate that environmental restoration and agriculture viability can and must go hand in hand. Yes, some people say that the stick is needed — there are circumstances in which that is the case — but let us not forget that the most successful instances are when people cooperate and are incentivised to do so. <BR /> <BR />Throughout, farmers will continue to have an economic safety net. The scheme maintains the principle that public investment in agriculture is essential for food production, for rural communities and for the other services that farmers uniquely deliver. We must acknowledge the challenge ahead, however.”
“<BR /> <BR />Crucially, none of this is being rushed, nor would any of us wish it to be. The lead-in times for participation are reasonable and deliberately paced to give businesses time to prepare and adapt. Many farmers are already in the soil nutrient health scheme, which has already mapped the soil on a large proportion of many of our farms. Farmers' willingness to engage in that initiative shows that the sector understands the need for change and adaptability and is prepared to work with government to deliver it. Those steps will make a real difference to addressing some of the most serious environmental challenges, including the one at my back door: Lough Neagh.”
“It is a long-term reform programme that recognises the need to link public funding to resilience, sustainability and productivity. <BR /> <BR />It is important to highlight a particularly positive element of the regulations, which is the removal of the old in-field eligibility requirements. For years, those rules had the unintended effect of discouraging farmers from retaining or enhancing features such as hedgerows, scrub and other semi-natural habitats, despite their being some of the most valuable areas on farms for encouraging and supporting biodiversity, carbon storage and, indeed, water management. Their removal is a welcome correction, as it ensures that farmers are no longer penalised for protecting the very features that we now recognise as essential to a healthy landscape.”
“<BR /> <BR />When it comes to reducing emissions, agriculture must play its part along with the rest of us. The regulations support farmers to make those changes in a planned and supported way that works with the sector rather than against it. <BR /> <BR />It is important to recognise that the regulations are not a sudden departure, nor are they an invention of the current Minister. They implement the policy intent set out by a previous AERA Minister, a DUP Minister, who, if I recall correctly, consulted on future agriculture policy proposals in 2022. What we see today is the continuation of a direction of travel that has already been endorsed across multiple Administrations and political leaderships. It is not a particularly partisan project, nor should it be.”
“<BR /> <BR />By supporting improvements to soil health, the scheme encourages the practices that can build genuine sustainability. Healthy soils mean improved grass growth and reduced reliance on costly inputs. Those are practical, proven steps that strengthen farm businesses while enhancing the natural capital on which agriculture ultimately depends. <BR /> <BR />The same is true of the incentives on livestock genetics. I have spoken to a number of people involved in that sector. Better genetics mean more productive and healthier animals, improved animal welfare and reduced emissions per unit of output. It is about future-proofing our livestock sector to ensure that Northern Ireland remains competitive while lowering its environmental footprint.”
“I welcome the opportunity to speak in support of the Farm Sustainability Payment Scheme Regulations. The proposals represent a significant and necessary step towards a more resilient, productive and environmentally sustainable agriculture sector that can do well economically while meeting our environmental obligations and some of the other challenges that can no longer be ignored. <BR /> <BR />What sets the regulations apart is the clear and constructive link between public investment and meaningful environmental action, which is important. The conditionality built into the scheme should be viewed not as a burden but as an opportunity. It ensures that the substantial public funding that goes into agriculture will help farmers to build long-term resilience financially and environmentally.”
“Minister, Stranmillis University College's centre for research in educational underachievement found that teachers in the Irish-medium sector are working far in excess of agreed limits, largely driven by the constant need to create and adapt resources in the absence of sufficient and suitable Irish language materials, so what new actions can you take, and will you take, to ensure manageable workloads?”
“On a point of order, Mr Speaker. I apologise for not being in my place for my question.”
“— when a patient is medically fit to be discharged from hospital, the appropriate care package and support are available for that person.”
“For as long as I have been an MLA, I have encountered the same problem, year in, year out, except that it appears to have started earlier this year. A key element of alleviating those winter pressures on the health service is ensuring that —”
“They are people with real, human conditions: our very real neighbours, friends and relations. Let us have no more public arguments between the First Minister and the Health Minister. People just want this to be resolved. <BR /> <BR />A common theme has run throughout the debate. At the end of July this year, around 3,000 people in the North were waiting for all or part of their home care package. Almost 1,000 of those people were in the Northern Trust area, which is mostly my responsibility in my constituency. That was during the height of the summer, before the start of the build-up of pressures. The Minister has referred to flu vaccines and a peak in the earlier set-in of the flu in the community. The figures were from before the start of that.”
“I do not know what that is supposed to mean. I am sure that the Minister has been grappling with that too. Nevertheless, if the Executive could find that money now, they should have found it months ago without causing the unnecessary anxiety for healthcare staff. <BR /> <BR />We need long-term planning for funding and genuine Executive coordination, which the public and healthcare staff want to see. We cannot have the Executive scrambling at the last minute to fix problems that have been there for a long time. Everybody knows what the problems are. It is just about getting a plan to fix them. Whether it is the child waiting for an operation, the adult waiting for treatment and care in hospital for a medical condition or the older, or maybe not-so-old, person waiting for joint surgery, those are our constituents.”
“As the joint First Minister helpfully told the media last week:”
“As my party colleague said, we accept the Sinn Féin amendment, noting the allocation of £100 million from the Executive Budget towards the overdue pay settlement for healthcare workers. However, as the Minister outlined, the belated allocation will not cover the full cost. I trust that he will not, but it looks as if he may have to overspend his budget for this year by an additional £100 million to fulfil that pay settlement, and, as he pointed out, it is a pay settlement, not a pay increase. It is yet another example of the Executive's annual cycle of crisis management. If health and social care staff have finally secured long-overdue pay parity with colleagues across these islands, it has come about after months of confusion, mixed messages and public infighting between Ministers.”
“It was the hospital's duty and responsibility to inform the central comms centre so that a discharge package, whether that was occupational therapy, physio or rehab, be put in place for him. The scheme needs a wee bit of tweaking around the edges, but it is a good scheme, and many a person visits their local credit union to help out with it.”
“The stability is certainly there in regard to the waiting lists, in that they are at record lengths. I will say one thing, Minister: the waiting list reimbursement scheme is having a material effect, and a good effect. There is one aspect of it that is not necessarily within your Department or even within the trusts, and that is the communication from the hospitals in Dublin, particularly the UPMC Sports Surgery Clinic, to the relevant staff here. I had a case recently where a gentleman had a double hip replacement. He was due for discharge last Friday or Saturday, and the trust here did not even know that he was due for discharge, because it had no communication from the hospital in Dublin.”
“Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I thank all the Members who have contributed to the debate. There are common threads running through all the contributions — from my colleague Colin McGrath, Órlaithí Flynn, Diane Dodds, Danny Donnelly, Alan Chambers, Alan Robinson, Nuala McAllister and, indeed, Colm Gildernew — in the references to the very real issues that affect people on the ground in our constituencies: our neighbours and friends and the problems that they are faced with. <BR /> <BR />We are one year into the Minister's three-year strategic plan, which is apparently based around the three pillars of stabilisation, reform and delivery. Unfortunately, there is no stability. If you visit any of the emergency departments, it is often just madness, and doctors and medical staff are having to try to deal with that.”
“Thank you, Minister. I am sure that everyone in the Chamber shares concern about 40,000 bullets going missing. Does you support an independent inquiry into how it happened?”
“Minister, you mentioned that it would be difficult to introduce an opt-out scheme. Will you please advise why that is the case? We think of so many victims who are potentially at risk or are fearful of the individual being in circulation within their immediate community where that could be the case. I can think of numerous cases of assault or sexual assault where that is happening. That is the first part. The second part is to ask this: when an individual has escaped from custody, what exactly is the procedure from the Prison Service to the police to make sure that anyone who has been a victim and is potentially at risk again from that individual is notified?”
“Minister, thank you for your statement. I note that the expert panel consulted widely and that you now intend to seek the support of your Executive colleagues to agree, in principle, the agency's establishment. I also note that that agreement in principle will lead to a further consultation exercise. Minister, can you give us assurances that we will not experience an environmental Groundhog Day with the EPA, which many of us support?”