Pat Sheehan
West Belfast · Sinn Féin · Northern Ireland
“I thank the Member for giving way. Does she agree that the Minister's School Uniforms (Guidelines and Allowances) Bill was poor legislation and a missed opportunity?”
“The last point that you made reminded me of one of the witnesses — a young girl — who came to the Committee. During the winter, she wore her own overcoat, but she had to take it off 100 yards from the school gate because she was not allowed to wear it into the school.”
“Agus iad ag ullmhú le haghaidh scrúduithe GCSE agus ard-leibhéil, féadann an imní agus an éiginnteacht sin drochthionchar a imirt ar a n-oideachas agus ar a bhfolláine.”
“Is scannalach go deo an foréigean ciníoch a chonaic muid le seachtain anuas. Tá ionsaithe ar theaghlaigh, ar thithe agus ar ghnólachtaí doleithscéil, agus tá siad dochosanta. Níor cheart eagla a mbáis a bheith ar dhaoine neamhurchóideacha mar gheall ar a gcine, a gcúlra ná a gcreideamh.”
“One of the reasons, Daniel, is that, if we were to have blocked the Bill at the Executive, the SDLP would be saying tomorrow morning "This place is dysfunctional. You're blocking legislation. Sinn Féin is blocking legislation, and the DUP is blocking legislation". No, we are not blocking legislation.”
“I have not once today argued against inspections. Not once. The Bill is about one thing and one thing only: intimidating and punishing teachers.”
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“I do not doubt that everyone in the Chamber today —.”
“The First Minister could take account of previous payouts and use them as comparators. For example, the PSNI hearing loss claim is running somewhere between £160 million and £180 million, and the estimates for the historical institutional abuse compensation scheme are upwards of £600 million. Does the First Minister agree with me that the payout for the victims' payment scheme is likely to be much more than that?”
“The Minister will be aware that, at the start of last year, the Department announced a plan to have all patients in Muckamore resettled by the end of last year. I have spoken to many people in the learning disability sector who tell me that that was a totally unrealistic proposition. The Department was told that and ignored it. I hope that the Minister has the requisite funding to ensure that as many patients as possible can be resettled in the community. For many patients who have been institutionalised for a long time, that will require bespoke support services in the community and, in many instances, bespoke accommodation. Has funding been secured for a plan like that?”
“Is the Minister aware of how many people in the North have been affected by this scandal?”
“Will the Minister give a clearer indication of the timescale for when he expects to produce the revised Civil Service code?”
“Comhghairdeas leis an Aire as a cheapachán mar Aire Sláinte. Guím gach dea-mhéin leis san am atá le teacht. Congratulations to the Minister on his appointment. I wish him every success in the time ahead. <BR /> <BR />The Minister will be aware that the nursing and midwifery task force, which was established by Michelle O'Neill when she was Minister, has recently concluded its report on the workforce. Will the Minister give a commitment to publish that report as a matter of urgency?”
“Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire as ucht a freagra. I thank the Member for her answers thus far. It is clear in this case that there has been a breakdown in the relationship between the parents and the trust. Will the Minister tell us what is being done to rectify that problem?”
“I thank the Member for giving way. Does he agree with me that residents in Divis flats have had problems from the day and hour that that tower block was built?”
“Your fortitude, tenacity and courage are an inspiration to us all.”
“I spoke to a number of victims and their families afterwards, and the overwhelming mood was one of vindication. They had told their story, and, in the beginning, no one listened, but they were relentless and persistent. They did not give up. They have now been vindicated.”
“I thank the Member for his intervention. Of course, I agree with everything that he said. No amount could compensate for the loss of one's childhood or innocence, but it is only right that any incoming Executive should make funds available for compensation as an acknowledgement of the wrong that has been done and the suffering caused. Equally, the institutions and organisations that were responsible for the children under their care and let them down should make funds available. <BR /> <BR />For around two and a half hours, I sat listening to Judge Hart, and I can only imagine the rollercoaster ride that it must have been for the victims and survivors sitting in the packed hall. Anyone who was there will attest to the palpable emotion in the room.”
“It is important that, as Judge Hart recommended, victims and survivors receive compensation for the abuse that they suffered. Of course, no amount —”
“Sinn Féin wants the recommendations of the historical institutional abuse report to be implemented as soon as possible in order to address the needs of victims and survivors. The state and the institutions in question failed in their duty to protect vulnerable children in their care.”
“I commend them for their courage in coming forward. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind — I agree with Edwin Poots on this point — that we will probably never be able to eradicate abuse in the system completely, but future generations of children will be safer as a result of the actions that the victims and survivors have taken and their determination to ensure that the truth was told. All of us with any leadership role in society or the community owe you a debt of gratitude, and I thank you for your relentless pursuit of justice for all those who suffered in institutions. Your actions have exposed what Judge Hart described as "systemic failures". <BR /> <BR />We also know that there are many victims who did not or, more likely, could not come forward to give their testimony, and our thoughts should also be with them today.”
“I also welcome the opportunity to speak in the debate, and we welcome the findings of the Hart report. What is important in a general sense is that it acknowledges the hurt and suffering of so many and the wrong done over many years. I suppose that I, like most of us, grew up in a happy family where our parents cared for us. When we had needs, they looked after us and helped us. They ensured that we got a good education. We were kept clean and tidy, and they did all the things that parents do. I pay tribute to all the victims and survivors who came forward and shone a light on the abuse of children in care. <BR /> <BR />Like others, I was in the Crowne Plaza hotel listening to Anthony Hart read out his report, and it is the stuff of nightmares. For the victims in all those homes, it was not just a nightmare but a reality.”
“Will the Minister give us an update on funding for the community and voluntary sectors?”
“— with that particular type of medication are successful, its use should certainly be looked at by the Minister.”
“My understanding is that it is not, however we support in principle the view that, if the pilots that are being carried out —”
“We need to be promoting safer sex and care around sharing needles and syringes. Anyone who feels that they have put themselves at risk should go as quickly as possible and get an HIV test. Of course, we should advise young people in particular to think about the fact that, when they have taken drugs or alcohol, their decision-making processes will not be what they should be. I want to commend groups such as Positive Life and Rainbow, which are working to prevent the spread of HIV and to provide support to those who have been diagnosed. <BR /> <BR />We support the motion and the amendment, although I do think that the amendment is slightly inaccurate where it says that pre-exposure prophylaxis medication is available in Britain.”
“I am sure that everyone has heard the myths such as that you can catch AIDS from drinking from the same cup as someone who has HIV or AIDS or that the infection is airborne. This led to the marginalisation of and discrimination against people who had been diagnosed with HIV. Last week was the anniversary of the death of Freddie Mercury, and I noted from one of the documentaries on Radio Ulster that, although there was much speculation about his ill health and the illness that he was suffering from, it was only on the day before he died that he made it public that he was suffering from AIDS. I have no doubt that that was because of the stigma that was attached to having that disease. <BR /> <BR />We have a lot of education and awareness building to do around HIV. Education is at the core of all of it.”
“The belief in those days was that it was a death sentence if you were diagnosed initially with HIV, and then when it developed to full-blown AIDS, your life was, effectively, at an end. The narrative that this was a disease that affected gay men exclusively quickly gained traction, even though it was not true. That is one of the myths about HIV. Even today, 41% of the new diagnoses of HIV are the result of heterosexual transmission. So, HIV is by no means a disease exclusive to gay men. It can affect everyone in society, and not just through sexual transmission but through contaminated needles and syringes and so on. <BR /> <BR />Of course, we all know that this condition has attracted a stigma.”
“The context for the debate has been the increase in diagnoses of people with HIV. The figures in 2004 were 64, and by 2014, they had risen to 94. While that is a 47% increase, in the overall scheme of things, the numbers are still quite small in comparison with those in other countries, but that is no reason to be complacent. It is important that we keep on top of this, and it is, of course, true that many advances have been made in the treatment of HIV. <BR /> <BR />I am sure that many of us remember back to the 1980s when the world was just starting to become aware of HIV and AIDS and that we remember the panic and fear it created in many communities around the world.”
“Mo bhuíochas leis an Chomhalta as a fhreagra ansin. I thank the Member for his answer. Has the Assembly Commission engaged with any external experts, including disability rights groups?”
“Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire as a cuid freagraí. I thank the Minister for her answers thus far. Will she give a commitment to bring forward proposals for achievable outcomes and much-needed support for reoffenders before, during and after they leave prison?”
“Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire as an fhreagra sin. I ask the Minister briefly whether he has any plans to meet his Southern counterparts on this issue in the near future.”
“Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire as ucht an fhreagra. I thank the Minister for that answer. I take the opportunity to commend the Minister on the work that is being done with refugees. Will she provide an update on the 2016-17 crisis fund?”
“Mo bhuíochas leis an Aire as ucht a fhreagra. I thank the Minister for his answer. Will he give a reassurance that the social clauses for the redevelopment of Casement Park will be an integral part of the redevelopment of a new stadium?”
“Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire as an fhreagra sin. I thank the Minister for her answer. Is she content that comprehensive mental health assessments and reviews are being carried out with all new inmates right across the prison system?”
“As I said in the debate last week, ill health does not discriminate along party political lines. <BR /> <BR />I make this appeal every time I talk about a health issue in the Chamber: let us all work together. This is an issue that affects all of us. It is absolutely right that the Minister should be held to account, as every Minister should. There is absolutely no doubt about that, but health is unique in that it affects us all, and, if we all work together, we can make more progress, not for ourselves but for the people out there whom we represent. I will leave you with that thought. Working together is the best way to resolve all these problems.”
“I represent a constituency that has some of the worst health inequalities across these islands, and, unless there is transformation, those health inequalities will continue to grow, waiting lists will get longer and the percentage of the block grant going towards health and social care will increase. There is only one solution, and that solution is transformation. <BR /> <BR />Let us all draw a line here today. I have listened to a number of speakers so far, and I did not detect any opposition to the need for radical transformation of our health and social care system. In fact, health, in a sense, is a unique issue. Every one of us sitting here today and every person listening to the debate will be affected by ill health at some time, whether it is them, members of their families, their friends and so on.”
“The Member was on the Executive as a Minister, so maybe he is more informed on those issues than I am. <BR /> <BR />Professor Bengoa said in Committee a couple of weeks ago that many other regions and countries were trying to bring about change in their health system. Some are doing that by throwing resources and funding at it, while others are doing it by trying to transform the system while not providing resources. Professor Bengoa said that this region was unique, in that we are intent on having transformation and providing additional funding. If that is not a measure of the commitment of the Minister and the Executive, I am not sure what is.”
“I thank the Minister for his intervention. I am not so sure that that is the case. However, I do not want to hark back to the past. The Minister —”
“<BR /> <BR />In a sense, there is nothing really new in 'Systems, Not Structures' from Bengoa. There have been other reports — we have heard mention of the Donaldson report and Transforming Your Care — but none has been implemented, whether because the will, the resource or whatever else was not there, but what those reports do, along with the new report, is create a framework or route map through which the health service can be transformed. On this occasion, it is clear that there is a commitment to implement change and follow the direction of travel prescribed by Professor Bengoa. That commitment is evident from what we have heard from the Minister and the Executive.”
“I could spend the whole of my five minutes talking about all the negative aspects of the health service, but there is no point in doing that. I prefer to accentuate the positive. Everyone in the House knows a good news story about the health service and of someone who has been helped. Sometimes we hear of almost miraculous recoveries of people who have had to be dealt with by the health and social care system. I can think of nothing more important than the health of our citizens, and that includes the delivery of health and social care to them. I pay tribute to all those who work in the health and social care system: the clinicians, the nurses and all the ancillary staff. The staff and the great work that they do is one of the most positive things that we could talk about.”
“What condition management programmes are offered to ME patients?”
“<BR /> <BR />I am disappointed that the amendment detracts from rather than adds to the motion. Any amendment should add to the motion not detract from it. It does not give a nod to workforce planning, which is absolutely essential to ensuring that we have enough nurses in the system and that they are not overburdened in their work. For that reason, we will be opposing the amendment and supporting the motion.”
“Nurses make up 36% of the health service workforce, and anyone who has ever been in hospital, who has had close family members in hospital or who has even visited hospital will attest to the professionalism, dedication and commitment of our nurses. It is no exaggeration to say that, without nurses, there would not be a health service. Nurses are, indeed, the glue that holds our health system together. We could not do without them. I had the pleasure of visiting the midwife-led unit in the Mater Hospital last week with the Health Minister, and I previously had some experience of there because my four-year-old daughter was born there. Although at that time it was not midwife-led, it is mainly the same midwives who are operating the unit now. It is an absolutely excellent unit, and I hope that the Minister gives full support to it.”
“I am quite sure also that the Minister will take account of the recommendations of her Department's 10-year workforce plan for nursing and midwifery.”
“<BR /> <BR />It is not the case that young people are not attracted to nursing. On the contrary, as has been pointed out, there are more than 10 applications to study nursing for every place that is available. So, what can be done about shortages in the system? The Department has already increased by 15% the number of preregistration nurse training places in our universities. The Minister has also made clear that the nursing bursary will continue here. That is something that, I know, nurses are very pleased about. I am confident that the Minister will take further steps and introduce other measures to promote nursing and midwifery as a career choice and, moreover, create the conditions that will make qualified nurses want to stay and pursue their careers here.”
“That, more importantly, is what they deserve. <BR /> <BR />Moving on to the motion, of course, there is a problem of nursing shortages in the system. Everyone knows that, and all the Members who have spoken so far have acknowledged and recognised that. Those shortages exist for a variety of reasons. First, there is a global shortage of nurses and midwives, which is impacting on health services across these islands. Patient needs are also becoming more complex in an ageing population. Added to that, there have been decisions in the past to reduce investment in preregistration nurse education. Those decisions lacked foresight and exposed a lack of vision around workforce planning. We are not going to resolve the issue of the shortage of nurses without proper investment and a clear workforce planning strategy.”
“I also welcome the opportunity to speak in this debate. Any debate on the health service will be listened to very carefully by those who work in the service but also by those who depend on the health service for their treatment and care. For that reason, all of us should be measured in what we say so that no one is made to feel more insecure or vulnerable, whether they be employees or patients. <BR /> <BR />I will say again what I said last week: the best way to improve the health service is by everyone working collaboratively to bring about change. That includes political representatives in this Assembly, healthcare professionals, nurses, trade unions, patients and any other individuals or organisations that have a stake in the health service. That is what the people out there want. They want people working together.”
“Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire as ucht a freagra. I thank the Minister for her answers thus far. Will she tell us what provision exists to support prisoners with autism or ADHD?”
“If people really care, they should work together, be judicious in their language and be accurate with their emotions. The best way to improve the health system we have is for everybody to put their shoulder to the wheel and not make petty political points, because cancer does not discriminate along party political lines. Sin a bhfuil agam.”
“So do not stand here and tell me that I do not care, and do not presume that nobody else in this House cares. We have listened to enough Members today to hear all of them say how they have been affected by cancer. All of us care.”
“I thank the Member for her intervention, and I agree wholeheartedly with what she says. Waiting for a diagnosis is a difficult time. Why then did the Opposition, when it was forming its motion, not try to be accurate, instead of introducing this exaggeration and hyperbole? If that is the Opposition that we are going to face over the next few years, God help us all. <BR /> <BR />I was very disappointed with Jo-Anne Dobson earlier this morning. She said, "there is not enough emotion" here, and, "There is not enough care" among our representatives. Let me say this. I first visited the Bridgewater suite in 2002, when my wife was diagnosed with breast cancer, and I made many visits there, and to the cancer centre, between 2002 and 2006, when my wife died.”
“These were not breast cancer patients. They were people who had gone to their doctor and been referred to a breast clinic. They may have had a cyst or some other issue. The vast majority of patients who are referred to breast clinics are not diagnosed with breast cancer.”
“No, I will not. <BR /> <BR />That in itself is unfair, as statistics should be used to discern patterns over longer periods of time. Let me offer the Opposition a statistic which Edwin Poots mentioned earlier: clinical outcomes for breast cancer patients are better here than in any other jurisdiction in these islands. <BR /> <BR />I return to the motion. It says that:”
“The motion that they have brought to the Floor of the Assembly today is, quite frankly, a dog's dinner. It contains inaccuracies and misinformation. It is loaded with hyperbole and is an exercise in scaremongering. Breast cancer is the hook that the Opposition have used to hang this motion on and, to do so, it focuses on one small geographical area at one short period of time. In short, it is just a snapshot.”
“I welcome the opportunity to speak. It is important that any debate of this nature should be balanced and fair. It is right that political representatives should highlight deficiencies in the healthcare system, but it is also very important that we accentuate the positive aspects of healthcare and that we are judicious in our language. We should be judicious because there are patients out there who are fearful, and we should not do or say anything that would make people who are already vulnerable or apprehensive feel even more insecure. Likewise, we need to be careful that our words, even indirectly, do not demoralise healthcare professionals and workers. <BR /> <BR />However, it is clear that the Opposition do not concur with those sentiments.”
“Is it wrong or is it not? Is the motion wrong —”