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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“Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I thank my colleague, the proposer of the motion, for her intervention. She is absolutely right. The reviewer role is part time. It has a salary in the region of £36,000 per year. It is not a huge amount of money. I am sure that it is not even a calculable percentage of the Health budget. We understand the pressures that Health Minister is under with his budget — that is for sure — but this is simply too important. These are preventative measures that we can take. Seeing the implementation of this legislation, its outworkings and the good work that could come from it, and the support mechanisms that should be in place, should, in turn, save us money down the line. I welcome the fact that a recruitment process is under way for a lead for adult autism services.”
“I understand that the recruitment process for the reviewer role has taken place in the past, before being paused. I also understand fully that financial pressures mean that we cannot do everything that we want to do as legislators in this place. However, I argue that implementing this autism legislation is not a choice to be made. There is a reason why we collectively chose the reviewer role as opposed to a commissioner-style role to oversee this piece of work; because we did not wish to see huge financial barriers in the way of the Minister or his Department when following through with and implementing that legislation.”
“The role of the reviewer was included deliberately in the Autism (Amendment) Act to ensure accountability, implementation and ongoing evaluation of an autism strategy for Northern Ireland. Of course, that reviewer would also be able to commission independent research, which is vital, given the prevalence of autism in Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />In my constituency of South Antrim and across Northern Ireland, families reach out to each and every one of us, as elected representatives, who are fearful, worried and anxious about the lack of available autism services. We need an autism strategy that is fit for purpose. We need that independent body to oversee the implementation of the 2022 autism legislation, and we need the autism reviewer in place.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Autism (Amendment) Act is, as has been mentioned, the most comprehensive piece of autism legislation globally. I am very proud of the work that has been done in the all-party group, in particular, which has led on the introduction of not just one but two pieces of comprehensive legislation in support of our autistic friends, families and constituents. It is incredibly disheartening to see that the Autism (Amendment) Act has not been implemented. The autism reviewer is a vital part of that legislation. It is a crucial role in ensuring full implementation of the autism strategy, which was released in December 2023. To be clear: the reviewer role is not to be an advocate for autistic individuals.”
“I am extremely disappointed, to put it mildly, that, two years on, the Department of Health has failed to fill the position of autism reviewer. <BR /> <BR />This evening, much has been made of the countless hours that have been put into this work. I know that there is great passion from all Members across the Chamber on this particular subject. Certainly, the support that I had when moving the Bill through the process was phenomenal, including from the Health Committee. I did give praise where it was due, and mentioned Dominic Bradley in my initial remarks when moving the Bill, such has been the passion that this place has had for the autistic community. I want to put that on record. An incredible amount of work has gone in from everybody across the Chamber, in the Building and abroad. That passion is clear to be seen.”
“As the sponsor of the private Member's Bill that is now the Autism (Amendment) Act (Northern Ireland) 2022, and as a previous chairperson of the all-party group on autism — a position I had the privilege of holding from 2016 until very recently — I will briefly remind the House of the key elements of the legislation, which were to see the development of a regional early intervention service; regional support and information services; an autism training strategy; data collection, to include the prevalence of autism in adults and children; the production of an annual budget report; and, vitally, an independent scrutiny mechanism in the form of an autism reviewer, who would ensure an autism strategy — with measurable targets and outcomes, I add — developed in consultation with the autism community.”
“I will speak as a DUP Member for South Antrim. I thank my party colleagues Deborah Erskine and Cheryl Brownlee for tabling the motion.”
“I thank the Member for the question. If he does not mind, I will come back to him in writing on that.”
“If the Member has any more specific queries, perhaps she would not mind writing to the Executive Office so that the matter can be explored further.”
“Following consultations in 2022, Mourneview in the south Lurgan area was brought into CIT's remit as an area of influence, and work began on delivering interventions to local residents who were deemed to be at risk of paramilitary influence, including a physical activity programme and training in first aid and child protection. In 2023-24, a further £10,000 was invested in Mourneview on a restorative approach programme, which included community safety workshops, youth engagement and the promotion of community pride and inclusion. A nine-month extension period for April to December 2024 has been agreed with CIT delivery partners, which will see £109,000 being invested in further delivery. We want to ensure that we are working across all areas.”
“I thank the Member for her question. To give an update on the Upper Bann area, north Lurgan and Drumgask are Communities In Transition core areas. During 2023-24, CIT provided support to those communities through two programmes: health and well-being; and community safety and policing. Funding totalling £114,500 was provided to Communities in Transition in Lurgan during that delivery year. This year, a wide range of projects was delivered, including a group for young men in north Lurgan who are at risk of substance misuse and are known to cause antisocial behaviour, and the Mind Your Mate and Yourself programme, which involves multiple agencies coming together with groups of young people to educate them on how to communicate with emergency services. <BR /> <BR />I could give the Member other examples of interventions that have happened.”
“We recognise that integration is a two-way process and acknowledge the ways in which communities benefit from the experience, skills and diversity of those who are arriving. The Executive Office also provides support to victims and survivors through the Victims and Survivors Service (VSS). Those programmes provide a variety of supports, including health and well-being support, social support, advocacy and welfare support.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Executive Office supports the good relations elements of the new PEACE PLUS programme, which represents €145 million in investment across the programme area. PEACE PLUS will soon see the roll-out of the co-designed local authority PEACE PLUS action plans and the regional building positive relations programme, which will promote positive relations that are characterised by respect; celebrate cultural diversity; and encourage people to live, learn and socialise together. The PEACE PLUS programme places particular emphasis on providing support to those who are most marginalised. <BR /> <BR />Through the draft refugee integration strategy, the Executive Office collaborates with Departments, councils, key stakeholders and those with lived experience.”
“The Executive Office is committed to supporting isolated minority communities throughout the region and along the border. The Department aims to improve social, environmental and economic well-being by creating a place where people thrive through strategic policies, programmes and services. The Together: Building a United Community (T:BUC) strategy reflects the Executive's commitment to improve community relations and continue the journey towards a more united and shared society. The strategy is delivered through the T:BUC-funded programmes, which the Executive Office and other Departments manage. They include initiatives such as T:BUC camps, Urban Villages, the planned interventions programme and the councils' good relations programme.”
“<BR /> <BR />In closing, I want to give a shout out to my mother for setting an example to me of what a hard-working, strong, fierce and caring mother should be; to my three sisters for the unwavering support that we all give to one other; and to my daughters, including my daughters-in-law, all of whom make me proud each and every day. To all of them, happy International Women's Day and week.”
“Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. <BR /> <BR />I thank the Member for her valuable contribution. Of course, this is a global movement: International Women's Day, week and, possibly, month. Maybe we will just take the whole year in future. It is vital that the Member's points are taken on board. Absolutely, it is a global movement. We can complain about issues here in Northern Ireland, but they seem quite pathetic when you hear of the sufferings that happen across the world. We absolutely have to support all those women across the world in their plight.”
“Even on International Women's Day posts, we will all have seen too many examples of how some still simply cannot cope with the very idea that women are out of the kitchen and in the workplace, let alone in Government. <BR /> <BR />We need to support one other, push ourselves forward and ensure that our voices are heard loud and clear. I am glad that the Assembly has committed to urgent priorities, such as dealing with pay parity and pay gaps in our public services, affordable childcare, the need for a women's healthcare strategy and the all-important issue of violence against women and girls.”
“I wholeheartedly support the motion. I speak as a DUP woman, a unionist woman and an MLA for South Antrim since 2011, as you will be aware, Mr Deputy Speaker. I am still the only female to be elected to the House for the constituency of South Antrim. At 39 years old, I became the youngest and only ever female to serve as mayor of Antrim in 2010-11. Those facts clearly tell us that there is much more work to be done to ensure that women are properly represented in political life in Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />It is vital that we take part in the global celebration of the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. Sadly, there is still much misogyny around.”
“We also have to recognise that the Northern Trust has a very high percentage of elderly people in its population, which puts a greater burden of care on to that trust. <BR /> <BR />I am aware that I have used all my time, and I thank you, Deputy Speaker, for allowing me to squeeze in at the end. I wish the Minister well in addressing the problem.”
“<BR /> <BR />While we all agree that everybody wants to remain at home for as long as possible in their lifetime with the appropriate care, it is not always the best thing for them or for family members. We have to look at the bigger scenario and look at who may become the carers of the elderly people whom we love, and, quite often, we are taking healthcare professionals out of the workplace to care for our loved ones. It is a real conundrum, and a lot of effort will be needed across the board to solve the problems. <BR /> <BR />We all have regular meetings with Jennifer Welsh from the Northern Trust, and we know how hard the trusts work to try to deal with the problem, but it is a huge problem, and they need proper resource to deal with it.”
“We want to see them going to the right place, and we really do need that to happen. <BR /> <BR />I agree with all the comments that were echoed in the Chamber this afternoon. The lack of affordable childcare is a massive issue, particularly for women. Women tend to be the carers, whether it is for their babies and children after giving birth and while trying to manage work and juggle family life or whether it is for elderly parents and relatives. It tends to be a female workforce that does that, and it tends to be a female workforce that goes to do the domiciliary care work on the whole. Obviously, there will be males who are employed there as well, but it is vital that we support women to stay in the workplace.”
“I am thinking of GP services, investment in community pharmacy and all those things that might seem small but that are vital to keep people away from the hospital door. That is what we want. <BR /> <BR />Of course, we need to get people out the back door of the hospital to allow the people who are acutely sick to enter the hospital. That is vital. We need to assist with that and to ensure that those who do not require acute care in hospital are able to leave and go home or to an appropriate setting that enables them to recover without taking up a space in the hospital that is not actually needed. We know that hospitals are not the best places for people who simply need to convalesce and should be at home, at a step-down facility, in a home or with relatives. We know that hospital is not an appropriate place for them.”
“I am not quite ready to welcome Robin in that capacity to South Antrim. I am sure that you will forgive me for refraining from doing so. <BR /> <BR />I also thank Ms Sheerin for securing a really important debate. We all agree that there is an incredible need to sort the issue out. Domiciliary carers are so valued, yet they are not, because it is not reflected in their wages and their terms and conditions of work. That has to be addressed, and I trust that the Minister will seriously look at that. <BR /> <BR />There are obviously lots of other contributing factors to the whole issue. I do not want us to forget that we need to look at the entirety of the issues. That, I suggest, includes preventative measures to stop people getting to the front door of the hospital.”
“No, not as my South Antrim colleague. Not yet.”
“Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I am delighted to get four minutes. I did not think that I would get much time at all, so thank you for allowing me to squeeze in. I am glad that the debate has been filled so well that you are running out of time. That is very welcome. <BR /> <BR />First, I congratulate you on your new role and my other South Antrim colleague Dr Aiken on his new role. I welcome back our Minister of Health, with whom I have worked —”
“I confirm that I am willing to take up the office of junior Minister, and I affirm the terms of the Pledge of Office as set out in schedule 4 to the Northern Ireland Act 1998.”
“<BR /> <BR />An incredible amount of legislation has been processed in the House over the past two years, and it is good that this is the last Bill to be passed in the mandate. I am pleased to have spoken my final words in the mandate on the Bill, which is important to the many individuals and their families who were so badly treated in the past. <BR /> <BR />Finally, Mr Speaker, I wish you all the best for the future, whatever it may hold for you.”
“I am grateful for the opportunity to speak on the Final Stage of the Preservation of Documents (Historical Institutions) Bill on behalf of the Democratic Unionist Party. I thank my Health Committee colleague Mr Alan Chambers for bringing his private Member's Bill forward. It plugs an important gap in legislation, and we all would have supported its provisions in the Adoption and Children Bill had they been within the scope of that Bill. This is a good use of the private Member's Bill process. <BR /> <BR />I fully support the Bill as amended at Further Consideration Stage earlier this afternoon. Again, I thank Ms Paula Bradshaw for her work with the officials to ensure that those amendments did not bring about any unintended consequences.”
“I note Ms Bailey's comparison with the electoral law and polling stations. I point out that, as members of political parties, we stand outside those polling stations at every election, where we absolutely seek to influence voters. Perhaps the comparison is not so good when it comes to this particular part of the Bill, which we oppose, on the creation of an offence of influence. <BR /> <BR />The DUP will be opposing the Bill. It believes that there are better ways to strengthen harassment legislation and to give the police the proper resources to prevent incidents, wherever they may occur.”
“The Bill is not good legislation. It is vague and leaves many grey areas, particularly around the definition of "influence" as an offence. The right to protest is incredibly important to all of us, and surely the whole point of protest is to attempt to effect change or, indeed, to influence. How this offence of influence will or can be implemented remains to be seen, and the operational concerns of the PSNI have certainly not been addressed. Potentially criminalising someone on the basis of perceived influence is a very dangerous road for our Government to take. I am in no doubt that it will lead to a direct conflict with several articles of the European Convention on Human Rights.”
“I do not intend to speak for long in this Final Stage debate. As I have said during debates at previous stages, the position of my party is clear, and our concerns about the legal implications of the Bill remain. <BR /> <BR />Everyone will agree that harassment and abuse in their many forms are not acceptable. No one should be intimidated or harassed entering his or her workplace. No one should be intimidated or harassed as a patient entering a health facility. No individual should ever be intimidated or harassed under any circumstance or at any place. The proper home for this issue is within a review of our harassment laws. <BR /> <BR />As I have stated before, I sincerely believe that this Bill will not have the impact that its supporters believe it will have, and it will almost certainly result in protracted legal action.”
“<BR /> <BR />I thank my Committee colleague Paula Bradshaw for outlining the detail of her thoughtful amendments on what is an incredibly difficult and emotional area. I agree with her that it is very appropriate that documents relating to the remains of those babies — the bodies of the 27 children donated to Queen's University for medical research is a very stark example — are preserved. I am glad that we have been able to debate that today. <BR /> <BR />I also put on record my thanks, once more, to the sponsor, Mr Alan Chambers, for bringing forward this private Member's Bill. I look forward to the Final Stage this evening.”
“I speak as my party's health spokesperson on the Further Consideration Stage of the Preservation of Documents (Historical Institutions) Bill. I will keep my comments brief and specifically on the amendments before the House. My party and I will be supporting amendment Nos 1 and 3 proposed by Ms Bradshaw. These amendments bring information on the use and disposal of human tissue relating to a deceased resident of an institution into the scope of relevant information and relevant institutions set out in clauses 3 and 4. Presumably, it will extend to hospitals, research and teaching organisations, coroners and pathologists, particularly where their work touches on residents or babies born in these institutions who have later died.”
“Amendment No 3 removes that minimum period requirement. We recognise that the current proposal has already been reduced from six months in the Adoption and Children Bill, so we want to ensure that we strike the right balance between ensuring that individuals can find out where they were and what care they received and ensuring that well-intentioned care arrangements are not wrongly targeted. <BR /> <BR />I will finish my contribution to Consideration Stage of this important legislation. After all that the individuals who were involved have suffered, it is vital that we do all that we can to ensure that these documents, which are important not just for legal reasons but for their historical and emotional value, are preserved. My party and I support the Bill and the amendments.”
“Under clause 3, information is deemed relevant and therefore protected under the Bill if it relates to any period that is subsequent to the mother's stay in an institution where the mother and child were separated. Clause 3(5) defines separation as situations in which:”
“Clause 3(6) states that information is not relevant if care or accommodation was provided to the child by a natural parent or relative of the child. Amendment Nos 2 and 4 remove that exemption. We support the change. The current wording may not reflect that some babies were wrongly registered to adoptive parents as their natural child. It is also not certain that, just because somebody has been living with a birth parent or relative, they have knowledge of their time in an institution or recourse to deal with abuse or treatment in that institution. <BR /> <BR />Finally, amendment No 3, which is from the UUP and Sinn Féin, seeks to amend clause 3, page 9, line 17:”
“and amendment No 4 to clause 3, page 3, line 19, is:”
“Amendment No 2 to clause 3, page 2, line 24, is:”
“That change relates to the two conditions that a document must satisfy in order to gain protection under the Bill. Clause 2(3)(c) currently stipulates that a document that is created by or on behalf of someone who has been in contact with a resident of a relevant institution is covered. The amendment extends the scope of clause 2(3)(c) to ensure that anyone who has been in contact with the relevant institution is also covered. That seems appropriate. It provides greater certainty. There may be situations where third parties or other public bodies outside of health or welfare have been in contact with mother-and-baby institutions, and those interactions should be within the Bill's scope. <BR /> <BR />Amendment Nos 2 and 4 are from the same Members with the support of Ms Dillon. Both relate to clause 3.”
“It is entirely appropriate that we recognise that the passage of time is a risk to the preservation of these records and that there is an urgency to act now to preserve them in order to ensure that they are not damaged, lost or destroyed. We all witnessed the public apology that was made through our Ministers in the Chamber to people who were hurt and harmed by those institutions. Let us now add a little more to that by processing the Bill at pace. <BR /> <BR />Amendment No 1, in the name of Mr Chambers and Mr Butler, is to clause 2, page 2, line 9:”
“Had the Minister's amendments been within the scope of that Bill, we would not have needed this additional legislation, so it is good that we are looking at these important clauses this evening. <BR /> <BR />We understand that, if the Bill is passed, it will introduce a legal requirement for all relevant record holders to preserve and not destroy any information relating to mother-and-baby institutions and Magdalene laundries. The Bill seeks to deliver a critical recommendation of the independent investigation. The legislation will bring about one of the five main recommendations from the truth recovery design panel's report: to legally secure and preserve all relevant information. That is based on recommendation 4 of the truth recovery design panel, which states:”
“Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. Hopefully, this works. I am having a technology malfunction tonight. <BR /> <BR />Thank you for the opportunity to speak at Consideration Stage of the Preservation of Documents (Historical Institutions) Bill, introduced by my Committee colleague Mr Alan Chambers. I thank Mr Chambers for proposing his private Member's Bill on this important issue. Although we, as an Assembly, plan to race this legislation through in the final hours of the mandate, this is a good example of the appropriate use of a private Member's Bill to plug a legislative gap that arose as we completed the long-awaited Adoption and Children Bill, for which the amendments in relation to the retention of records were ruled out of scope in recent days.”
“<BR /> <BR />In conclusion, I thank the Minister and his officials, who have worked hard in what have been incredibly difficult times, and the entire Executive, who made very difficult decisions that were, very often, very unpopular. I will be abstaining on the motion for the reasons that I have outlined.”
“That should see some easement in the capacity in our hospitals in particular. <BR /> <BR />I cannot mention hospitals without paying tribute to our incredible healthcare workers: every doctor, nurse, porter, cleaner, cook, dentist; pharmacist; and every individual who played a part, and continues to play a part, in the incredible vaccine roll-out or our PHA contact-tracing services. We owe each and every one of those amazing individuals a debt of gratitude for their selfless work ethic and for putting others above themselves. I put on record my thanks to every person in that sector who has played a part in what has been the most extraordinary and challenging time in Northern Ireland and, in fact, the most challenging time that the world has seen.”
“Every one of us has been highly frustrated at scrutinising and debating what has already passed, but we understood the nature of the emergency legislation and why it was appropriate at that time. It is fair to say that every Member would choose democracy, the timely processing of legislation and the vital scrutiny of legislation before changes become law, as is normal fashion with any other type of legislation in the House. In short, I would not choose to legislate in this fashion under anything other than the most serious of public health emergencies, such as that which we have just been through. <BR /> <BR />I trust that this legislation will not have to be used again, given where we are in the pandemic and the fact that we are heading to more favourable weather and, hopefully, leaving behind the additional winter pressures.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Minister outlined the practical difficulties that may exist around the absence of an Executive. It is unclear as to whether he alone can use these powers. I would appreciate the Minister addressing those points in his winding-up speech. <BR /> <BR />I, for one, completely understood and supported the introduction of the powers at the beginning of the pandemic. I remember well the fear that I felt for those around me whom I knew would be more vulnerable to the highly infectious COVID-19. I am glad that, as a nation, we acted responsibly, heeded the public health advice and acted in a way that protected each other. <BR /> <BR />Health Committee members have spoken dozens of times in the Chamber on the health regulations, often weeks after those regulations had already come into effect.”
“<BR /> <BR />We also understand that Scotland intends to make these emergency powers permanent through the Coronavirus (Recovery and Reform) Bill. England and Wales have permanent powers in place, and the Irish Republic has extended its remit of comparable powers until September. <BR /> <BR />It might have been more appropriate or, perhaps, desirable had a selective approach been taken in relation to which powers were to be extended, especially given that not all of the powers had been used. I ask the Minister whether it is appropriate to extend powers that have not had to be used. I also ask whether pre-existing legislative provisions covering public health emergencies might be sufficient in governing Northern Ireland through the COVID recovery phase.”
“Some of the notable powers in schedule 18 are paragraph 25B, "Health protection regulations: international travel etc"; paragraph 25C, "Health protection regulations: domestic"; paragraph 25F, "Health protection regulations: supplementary", which is used to create offences; paragraphs 25G, 25H, 25I, 25J, 25K, 25L and 25M, which relate to Magistrates' Court order powers, and which have not been used; paragraph 25N, "Power to make further provision by regulations", which also have not been used; paragraph 25Q, "Emergency procedure", which allows certain regulations, which, otherwise, would have been subject to the draft affirmative procedure, to be made without a draft of the regulations first having been laid before and approved by the Assembly; paragraph 25R, "Powers of entry"; and paragraph 25T, "Offence of obstruction".”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to speak on this important motion on the draft Coronavirus Act 2020 (Extension of Powers to Act for the Protection of Public Health) Order (Northern Ireland) 2022. DUP Members are unwhipped on this motion, so I speak as an individual MLA. <BR /> <BR />We understand that this legislation is to extend article 48 of, and schedule 18 to, the Coronavirus Act 2020 in order to retain powers to make emergency legislation, and that those current powers are to expire this Thursday, 24 March. The legislation would extend those powers for six months, until 24 September 2022. <BR /> <BR />We are painfully aware of the outworkings of those powers in managing the coronavirus pandemic since 2020.”
“I thank the Minister for his answers to the questions so far on what is a very concerning subject. What engagement has the Department or the RQIA had with the parents or next of kin of the children who have been placed at risk in that centre to reassure them and provide clarity on the situation?”