Pam Lewis
South Antrim · Democratic Unionist Party · Northern Ireland
“I thank the Minister for her answer. Indeed, I thank her for the assistance that she, as Minister of Justice, gave my constituents Kathryn and Aaron McCollum following the tragic death of their much-loved husband and father. Her assistance was deeply appreciated.”
“I thank the Minister for her answer. I very much welcome the amendment to the Justice Bill on this subject, and I thank my colleagues across the Chamber for the good work that they have done on it. What cost is the PSNI carrying for the seizure, storage and disposal of those vehicles? Is that cost creating a barrier to enforcement?”
“It progresses 18 recommendations from the independent review of charity regulation, with a focus on a more risk-based approach that promotes trust and accountability without placing undue burdens on charities.”
“I welcome the opportunity to speak as a member of the Communities Committee at Second Stage of the Charities (Amendment) Bill. I thank the Minister and the Chair of the Committee for outlining the details of the Bill.”
“The public must have confidence that charitable funds are being used properly, that trustees understand their responsibilities and that there is effective oversight when misconduct or mismanagement occurs.”
“<BR /> <BR />I welcome the streamlining of accounting and reporting requirements. For small charities, administration can be a real challenge and burden.”
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“I thank the Member for giving way. I am glad that he raised the issue of the JCVI advice. There is an official list and scientific backing of the order in which people will be offered or will receive the vaccine. It is worth mentioning that one solution would be, as far as possible, to speed up the vaccination process. Does he agree that the House should be supporting the Minister of Health and giving him every resource that he needs to roll out the vaccine much more quickly? The process is already quick, which is very welcome, but, with a bit more resource and a bit more thought behind it, it could be quicker so that everybody who wants the vaccine could receive it even sooner than planned.”
“Is the Minister concerned that nurses will be forced to strike again in future, given that, to date, there has been no movement on the safe staffing legislation?”
“I want to put on record my thanks to the British Government for, first of all, bringing forward this incredible vaccine at this time, being the first in the world to do so, and ensuring that Northern Ireland is part of that supply, as is the rest of the UK. <BR /> <BR />When the vaccination programme has been completed in an individual care home, will restrictions on visiting be relaxed? How soon will we see that happen, given that many care home residents are, often, in the last years or months of their lives?”
“<BR /> <BR />In recent days, we have seen how damaging it is to the public acceptance of the regulations when some, including some of those sitting across the Chamber, continue to escape questioning and being held to account for breaching regulations and causing so much damage to our public health messaging and its effectiveness. No one is above these laws. We need that message to be loud and clear. <BR /> <BR />In summing up, I put on record my party's appreciation of all of our incredible healthcare workers and the wonderful way in which they have played their part throughout the pandemic in what has been a challenging year for everyone. We support the regulations.”
“We need to look at how we can work with churches to allow worship to continue in the coming weeks and months. The regulation makes a necessary adjustment for congregations that host online services, which is welcome, but we want to see our churches open. <BR /> <BR />We need partnerships as we tackle COVID-19. It is right to thank councils for working collaboratively with the Executive. The additional regulation grants enforcement powers to councils in a range of areas, and their support in that is welcome. However, enforcement needs to be done fairly and in an even-handed way across Northern Ireland, and I trust that councils are working through the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives (SOLACE), for example, to ensure that that is the case.”
“Our health advisers have admitted that the measures did not have the effect that was sought to drive down R. That poses questions for those advising the Executive, and it highlights the need to study the reaction to each of the restrictions. We need evidence that the price being paid by those whom the restrictions target is worth it. That needs to be considered as we look to find a balanced and proportionate way through what might come in January, and we need to reflect that the businesses and activities so hugely impacted by the restrictions did not contribute to the case numbers that we see today. Understandably, our hospitality sector and our churches ask, "Why us?". While acknowledging that some congregations have had clusters, it is right that we recognise that the closure of churches is a significant ask of our faith community.”
“We must keep the basic measures of protection to the forefront of our minds and actions: wash our hands regularly; avoid touching our face; use a face covering; and keep social distance from others, including family members and friends who do not live with us or share our home. <BR /> <BR />It is while considering the case numbers from last week that we reflect on the regulations before us, particularly amendment No. 17, which gives effect to the circuit breaker agreed by the Executive on 19 and 24 November. The regulations ask a lot of people. They ask a lot of our business community, our churches and those involved in sport and the many social activities that we long to see back up and running in our communities. However, the measures set out in the regulations are necessary. The R number has shown an upward trend.”
“Let us give them the time that they need to get the vaccine and to gain the much-needed protection that only the vaccine can give. <BR /> <BR />It is only natural that we are very focused on the next couple of weeks and the opportunity to live in a less restricted way over the Christmas period. While the freedom being offered to people is welcome after the restrictions of the past nine months, the message must be one of caution, particularly as we consider the case numbers in the past week. The rules and guidelines continue to be an unwelcome intrusion on our freedom, but they are necessary.”
“<BR /> <BR />I want to put on record my sympathies to the families who have lost a precious family member in the week since we last discussed the health protection regulations. We all need to bear it in mind that our individual actions over the next few weeks can and will have an impact on how many of our elderly population will be here to receive the much-anticipated COVID-19 vaccine. Hearing the news of vaccine deliveries into Northern Ireland over the weekend was fantastic. It is right to feel a certain amount of relief and to look forward with some optimism to 2021. However, we need to act with much caution in the coming weeks, and, in particular, we need to ensure that we continue to protect those who are most at risk.”
“I thank the Minister for his commentary on the new information from the UK Government that we have had this afternoon on the new variant of COVID-19. It is important that our systems and our test, trace and protect processes are adequate and can cope with the new variant going forward. It is vital that those are working well and that we will be able to track the variant. If it has reached UK shores, it is most probably in Northern Ireland. It is critical that the Assembly is kept informed, so I thank the Minister for the commitment to do that in relation to the new variant. It is also critical that the vaccine is rolled out as quickly as possible in order to protect our most vulnerable.”
“I thank the Minister for his statement to the House. It has never been more important that we have good communication with our neighbours in the Republic of Ireland than it is during this pandemic. Will he outline what discussions and communications he and his Department have had about managing any future strains of coronavirus? I use Denmark's scenario as an example of that. Perhaps the Minister can also clarify whether private care workers from the Republic of Ireland who work in Northern Ireland will be able to access the UK COVID vaccine.”
“It is important that we keep it real around this. Not everybody can wear a mask, but all those who can should do so.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. I am a little bit concerned about some of his remarks about face masks and when he said that the majority of people can wear them. I chair a newly formed all-party group on lung health, and there are very many serious conditions that certainly would not be compatible with the wearing of masks. Whilst I wear my mask on every occasion that I need to and where it is appropriate, it is good that we recognise that there are people who absolutely should not be wearing them because it is detrimental to their health. We also cannot dismiss some mental health aspects of face coverings for people with, for instance, claustrophobia or for those who suffer from severe asthma. There are certainly cases where the wearing of a mask is not appropriate and certainly not good for health.”
“We all understand that there is a long way to go in order to protect the most vulnerable from becoming seriously ill or dying from this coronavirus, and we see that reflected even in the numbers reported today — 14 deaths since yesterday. It is vital that we continue to do our personal best to keep the transmission of COVID-19 under control until the threat is much, much lower. We need to support our health service and our economy by following those basic steps and minding our hands, face and space. <BR /> <BR />I finish by wishing Mrs Keenan a very happy ninety-first birthday for next week. Indeed, I thank her for being a wonderful example to us all in using her common sense and for her willingness to be the first individual in the UK to have the COVID-19 vaccine. I will finish there. I support the motion.”
“I thank the Member for his intervention. I agree entirely. We know where we are and we know that we agreed this emergency legislation process back at the beginning of the pandemic. This is the outworking of it, but it is certainly not where any of us in the Chamber wants to be in terms of legislating. <BR /> <BR />It would be wrong of me not to mention this historic day that we are in. This morning, 90-year-old Margaret Keenan, who is originally from Fermanagh but is living in Coventry, became the first person to have the COVID vaccine. This is truly a day to celebrate. We are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel today, so it is very welcome news.”
“We cannot legislate for every area of life, as we are trying to do, and we cannot enforce every area of these rules and regulations. It really is up to individuals to follow the rules, make themselves aware of what the rules and guidelines are and follow them to protect each other. <BR /> <BR />It is regrettable that these debates are effectively meaningless as they come to the House long after the horse has bolted, and this frustration has been well aired on many occasions. No doubt, that same frustration will make an appearance in today's debate once again. It would be wrong —.”
“Surely it would make sense to require a postal address along with a name, contact telephone number or email address, for example, to encourage people to abide by the rules, and even to actually make people aware of the rules. We know how often they have changed, and it is quite hard even for us to keep up with them, never mind everybody else. I would like to see some clarity around the detail that is required in legislation. <BR /> <BR />I understand that these rules are here for a reason. They have been put into law for the protection of health. It would be appropriate for this useful information to be provided, especially when we expect that enforcement to happen. Enforcement is critical, and we want to see more enforcement where necessary, but it is right, too, that we need to concentrate.”
“The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (No. 2) (Amendment No. 16) Regulations is the final regulation for this debate and makes minor corrections to the drafting of the regulations, ensuring that, on licensed premises serving food and drink for consumption on premises, which reopened on 20 November, we are governed by a rule to restrict numbers of customers to six per table from no more than two households. I have raised this in the past, and I ask the Minister if she can give some clarity around what specific contact details the premises are required, in legislation, to retain. I asked this question at the Health Committee before and was told that the legislation does not specify what detail is to be taken and held.”
“As my Health Committee colleague Paula Bradshaw already mentioned, contact tracing will be vital going forward. If information is being collected that is intended to be used, it is really important that the contact-tracing system have the resources and staffing behind it to make it powerful and effective.”
“Many council workers have been on the front line day and daily, and we thank them for that. The relationship between the Executive and councils can be further developed, and the provision in the amendment (No. 14) regulations to issue premises improvement notices where premises are in breach of the (No. 2) regulations is but one method of enforcement. <BR /> <BR />The amendment (No. 15) regulations are to be welcomed for the flexibility that they afford certain industries, such as close-contact services and driving instruction. Those services must be provided by appointment only, and client information must be retained for 21 days. The regulations also include the opening hours allowed for unlicensed premises, the opportunity for bars to provide off-sales business, and clarity about packaging.”
“4) Regulations deal with penalties and enforcement. It is regrettable that we need such provisions. The vast majority of people have taken on board the regulations and adhered to them. As in life, however, the minority do not. It is right therefore that we have in place a penalty framework as a last resort. I welcome the comments from my colleague Paul Givan about the necessity of taking personal responsibility and adhering to all the regulations. That will mean enforcement for some who do not. <BR /> <BR />I want to touch on the relationship with the local councils as referenced in the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (No. 2) (Amendment No. 14) Regulations. It is worth the House recognising the huge role that local councils have played in the course of the pandemic.”
“You will be glad to hear that I intend to be brief, Mr Principal Deputy Speaker. <BR /> <BR />On the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (No. 2) (Amendment No. 13) Regulations, it is once again worth noting the huge sacrifice that we have asked of our hospitality trade, both those who own and manage premises and their employees. Uncertainty and disruption like never before have placed a huge strain on that trade. I sincerely hope that the reopening in the very near future is one that heralds their new start. I am conscious that the social-distancing element in hospitality can make a business sustainable or unsustainable. I ask for clarity on the 2-metre versus 1-metre allowance in hospitality settings. <BR /> <BR />The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Wearing of Face Coverings) (Amendment No.”
“I thank the Minister for her answer. I am sure that she will agree that longer-term financial support may be needed well into 2021 to assist the hospitality industry in getting back on its feet and to protect jobs, following so many months of lost income this year. How can we help the sector to recover next year, once the roll-out of the vaccine is at a more advanced stage?”
“I do not think that any of us has ever looked forward to a new year as much as we are this year. I look forward to Members' contributions and to the Minister's response in due course.”
“That begs the question of whether priority for vaccination will be given to those on the at-risk list: those who were previously shielding. I ask the Minister to outline what we have learnt over the past period and whether that learning has impacted on the potential roll-out of the vaccine. Is there a new, nuanced list of at-risk individuals? If so, how will those individuals be made aware? I implore the Minister to communicate and to be as transparent as possible about the roll-out of this life-saving vaccine. We know that some will not take the vaccine. That is their choice, and it should always be their choice. If we want maximum buy-in to the programme, however, communication and openness will be vital. <BR /> <BR />This is the first day of the last month of 2020.”
“What about the 100,000 people who were named as being clinically vulnerable because of diabetes at the start of the pandemic? Where will they be on that priority list? What about those from an ethnic minority background, who may well be more susceptible to the virus? There are many people who have many questions about how the vaccine will be administered to them, and many will question the safety of it. <BR /> <BR />We understand that it may not be possible to use certain vaccines in care homes owing to logistical issues. Why is that? Will that lead to a delay in residents being able to avail themselves of the necessary protection that they require? We have also learnt much about the impact of the varying types of underlying health conditions.”
“The deployment of MoD personnel to explore the logistics of rolling out a vaccine in Northern Ireland is therefore a welcome and constructive move. <BR /> <BR />The third element is equality of access to the vaccine. We have a diverse population: young and old; urban and rural; those who have underlying health conditions and those who do not; and those who work on the front line and those who do not. To meet that reality, the vaccination programme must be dynamic and flexible, owing to the fact that it will be administered in a range of settings to patients whose circumstances will differ. Serious consideration must be given to mitigating any risk, such as that to the 80-year-old with underlying health conditions who is living at home. What about cancer patients?”
“<BR /> <BR />Let us not forget that many of our front-line healthcare staff, especially our nurses, are simply exhausted, having been at the coalface of the battle for months. At a time when we should be ramping up all aspects of our healthcare system, we cannot draw more people away from that task. The Minister has often said that the health service is short-staffed. The vaccination programme will only exacerbate that. <BR /> <BR />In that context, I urge the Minister to utilise our nation's military resource to deliver the vaccination programme alongside our medical professionals. With the understanding that the vaccine will require two doses, 28 days apart, it is vital that there are enough hands on deck to deliver and administer it. That is critical to the success of any programme.”
“Put simply, do we have the people to deliver the vaccination programme? We are told that our GPs, many of whom have not conducted face-to-face appointments for many months now, have never been busier. We understand that a knock-on impact on workload has emanated from the worst waiting times that NI has ever seen for elective surgery and from the impact of long COVID. <BR /> <BR />With GPs under pressure, how can they do more? If they are to, can the Minister tell us how much GPs will be remunerated for administering each vaccination? With GPs under so much pressure, surely we cannot reduce public access to their day-to-day appointments in order to enable them to deliver the COVID vaccine as well. Will others be skilled up to fight the war against coronavirus? If so, will they need to have a background in healthcare?”
“That plan should include detail on appointing external professional logistical expertise and support where needed; meeting workforce requirements by ensuring that staffing levels can be scaled up or down and are mobile where necessary; maximising available premises where the vaccine can be administered; procuring appropriate levels of cold storage and transport; having a strong communications strategy that addresses misinformation about the vaccine; addressing barriers to access or proximity for marginalised groups; and preparing digital systems to capture data on who has received the vaccine and how it has affected different groups. I urge the Minister to address those issues in his response to the debate. <BR /> <BR />The second area that I will highlight is the logistics of the plan.”
“Whilst I understand the need for the public's help in continuing to adhere to the regulations and guidelines until it is safe to do otherwise, it is also vital that we have hope for the very near future. What would be better this Christmas, during a pandemic, than saying that next Christmas could be truly normal? <BR /> <BR />What shape must the plan take? First, it is vital that front-line health workers and the most vulnerable across our Province — those living in care settings, those reliant on domiciliary care, those with underlying medical conditions and those most at risk — are able to avail themselves of the vaccine at the same stage as those in the rest of the UK, and that means accelerating this work. <BR /> <BR />Furthermore, it requires a strong, ambitious action plan for getting ready.”
“We come at the issue of planning with the comfort of knowing that the UK has one of the world's largest vaccine order books per head of population. The Government have secured early access to over 355 million vaccine doses through agreements with separate vaccine developers at various stages of trials. The NI share of the BioNtech/Pfizer vaccine will be around 1·14 million doses between December 2020 and September 2021. The NI share of the AstraZeneca vaccine will be around 2·85 million doses. For that, we say thank you to our Government at Westminster. <BR /> <BR />Given the confidence about what is coming, we could have planned to a greater degree, but we have not done so. Our constituents remain largely in the dark about how the vaccine will be delivered.”
“If and when that approval arrives, we must be ready to hit the ground running in Northern Ireland in order to protect our people. That is the purpose of the motion: to focus minds and to collectively identify issues and offer solutions. <BR /> <BR />It is a matter of concern and regret that we are, to some degree, playing catch-up in planning for the roll-out of a vaccine. When you look at Wales, for example, you see that its Health Department and Chief Medical Officer were, months ago, doing some of the work that we are doing now. We need to act with haste because, ultimately, the speed at which we can deliver a vaccine will be a matter of life or death for some. <BR /> <BR />I will focus my comments on three key areas: getting a plan; the logistics of delivering the plan; and equality of access in the plan.”
“We know of others for whom the mental anguish of lockdown, the fear of catching coronavirus or the belief that they have contracted COVID-19 and may pass it on to a more vulnerable loved one has been just too much to bear. The number of such lives lost will likely not be captured under the banner of COVID. As we move ahead with plans for a vaccination programme, we do so with the memory of those whom we have lost at the front and centre of our hearts and minds. <BR /> <BR />Of course, we are very much taking for granted that the regulator will approve the vaccines in the coming days and weeks. However, that process must be thorough and independent. The vaccines must be safe, and they must — absolutely must — have the confidence of the public.”
“I very much welcome the opportunity to propose the motion on behalf of the Democratic Unionist Party, because, today, we have light at the end of the tunnel. I am sure that all our hearts have been lifted in recent weeks with the announcements heralding the groundbreaking development of vaccines to combat the horrendous virus that has lived amongst us for the last 10 months. It is a remarkable feat of science and an answer to the prayers of millions across the world that we now stand but weeks away from administering a vaccine to those on the front line and the most vulnerable. <BR /> <BR />Sadly, for many families, the vaccine has come too late. We now know that, according to the NI dashboard, over 1,000 lives have been lost to COVID-19. Many homes across Northern Ireland struggle to bear the pain of loss to that awful disease.”
“I thank the Minister for coming to the Chamber today to discuss this devastating blow to many workers. I declare an interest, as I have a daughter who is employed by Arcadia and is incredibly worried about her future. Does the Minister agree that the best thing that we can do as an Assembly is to support retail to open as safely and as quickly as possible and for as much time as possible through the remainder of the pandemic?”
“I thank the Minister for that answer. I would appreciate that clarity because I have had several officers contacting me and looking for that pay award to be made available to them. <BR /> <BR />Does the Minister agree that issues such as delays in pay awards and the potential impact of the spending review announcements made by the Chancellor will have a negative impact on the numbers in our front-line workforce?”
“We want Northern Ireland to play a leading role in advances in those areas, and we want patients and bodies to have access to exciting clinical trials that are being led on a UK-wide basis. <BR /> <BR />It is crucial that mitigations are put in place via agreements with the EU so that Northern Ireland can continue to play a full and vibrant part in UK initiatives in those areas. Northern Ireland deserves its fair share.”
“<BR /> <BR />The recent 12-month derogation that was agreed by the Joint Committee provided immediate relief but is not a permanent panacea. The key priorities for us are patient safety, continuity of supply and supporting businesses to innovate. The attractiveness test must benefit Northern Ireland; we cannot have a situation where Northern Ireland cannot benefit from United Kingdom clinical trials or advances in technology because we are tied to the European Union. I am sure that no Member of the House would want such a situation to come to pass. <BR /> <BR />The Bill will ensure that, in making regulations, Ministers have to examine the potential impact of decisions on the attractiveness of different parts of the UK.”
“That is a worthy goal, and we hope that it is realised. We support the legislative consent motion. It is a sensible piece of legislation that is intended to delegate powers to make changes to medicines and medical devices regulation in a way that provides a consistent UK-wide approach. The amendments will allow the free flow of data on patients with medical devices across the United Kingdom. <BR /> <BR />However, the true test of the Bill and, indeed, any common UK framework on medicines is how it interacts with the terms of the NI protocol and the potential for divergence between Northern Ireland and Great Britain's statute books in future. We accept that, in the main, the Bill deals with the safety of medicines and devices rather than trade in those goods. Nevertheless, we cannot ignore the fact that the two are interlinked.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, you will be glad to know that I will be brief. <BR /> <BR />I support the motion. The Government have stated that the aim of the Bill is as follows:”
“I thank the Minister for his answers thus far. I declare an interest, in that a family member is working in the current test, trace and protect scheme. <BR /> <BR />I certainly would not describe the programme as "inadequate", but we could do better at times. Has the Minister looked at the Welsh model of contact tracing with a view to upscaling ours? Has he looked at how we can have more meaningful communication, with checks and updates, with people who have tested positive, or people who have come into close contact with those who have done so, in Northern Ireland?”
“3, which refers to the wearing of face coverings, extends the requirement to wear a face covering to post-primary school children on school transport and on other public transport. <BR /> <BR />I finish, yet again, with an appeal to all to wash your hands, wear a mask, keep your distance from others, including family who do not live in your house, and cut down on your contacts to protect your friends, your family and your colleagues. That is what we ask of everyone. If we all do that, we can indeed break the cycle.”
“The restrictions, albeit that they are flawed in many ways, are rightly aimed at driving down the number of cases, saving lives and protecting our health service from being overwhelmed. I very much welcome it that our clinicians are doing their utmost to keep as much of our health service as possible going throughout the second wave of coronavirus. We all must look on the restrictions as an opportunity to do the little bit that we can to support our NHS staff in keeping as much of the health service open and operational as possible. We can all help by restricting our movements. This is another chance for us to do the right thing now. Otherwise, we will be back in that cycle once more. <BR /> <BR />Amendment No.”
“Thank you, Mr Speaker. I thank the Member for his intervention. I see his point completely. Certainly, from my view, even while out walking the dogs yesterday, I was very aware that the fairly small path that I took through a forest and down to the lough was very crowded. That is the knock-on impact that the closure of the likes of gyms has created, with cyclists, runners and entire families out doing their best to do something healthy, to get out there and to look after their physical and mental well-being. The closures are certainly having a knock-on impact as well. <BR /> <BR />We have had these debates on many, many occasions. To be honest, much of this is repetition. Maybe that is because we as a society are in a cyclical crisis. We make progress, and then we regress, but we want to break this cycle and the current lockdown.”
“12) Regulations provide for physical education to take place in schools and other educational settings. We know how important that is as part of a child's school day, given that exercise brings physical and mental benefits.”
“I thank the Member for the intervention. Certainly, I welcome the cross-Executive work that is going on, and we ask all Ministers who have responsibility in areas of support to put their shoulder to the wheel. <BR /> <BR />Once again, there is a great deal of confusion, which has not been helped by the ambiguity in the regulations and their late publication. Businesses that have multiple facets are unsure whether they can open at this time and whether they can sell non-essential goods. On the other hand, businesses that sell entirely so-called non-essential goods are watching their high-street competition selling the same products as they are forbidden to sell. <BR /> <BR />I welcome the fact that the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (No. 2) (Amendment No.”
“In recent weeks, many businessespeople across South Antrim have contacted me in utter despair at not being able to pay the bills and feed their families. That is a reality, not an exaggeration. While we can produce restrictions, it appears that we cannot produce money in a timely manner to support those people, of whom we ask so much at this time. It is right that we put on record the sacrifice that they are making. In my book, it certainly is not good enough, and I appeal to the Finance Minister to do more and do it faster.”
“I intend to be fairly brief. At the outset of yet another coronavirus health restrictions debate, I put it on record that my thoughts are with those families who have been bereaved — the number is nearing the 1,000 mark — and very much affected by the pandemic. <BR /> <BR />Obviously, the restrictions and regulations put barriers in the way of normal everyday life, of the right to work, the right to family life and, indeed, even the right to public worship. The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (No. 2) (Amendment No. 11) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2020 set out the changes to the places where restrictions will apply and gives additional clarity, including some exemptions, to the restrictions, with the biggest restriction, obviously, to business. It is worth remembering that businesses have bills to pay and food to provide.”
“I thank the Minister for his answer. Will he outline what steps his Department is taking or could take to further alleviate pressure on pupils facing important assessments under these very challenging circumstances?”