Paula Bradley
North Belfast · Democratic Unionist Party · Northern Ireland
“I am especially grateful to all the women who, especially in my first mandate here, were a constant support and encouragement to me as a new MLA. Nothing ever prepares you for this role, but many inside and outside this Building are the glue that holds it all together.”
“I thank them for their support, especially over the last week, with the phone calls, emails, cards and flowers, but, most of all, for allowing me to be part of their lives, sometimes at the most difficult times. Secondly, I want to thank my party, of which I have been a member for 20 years.”
“Thank you, Mr Speaker. I will try my very best to get through these three minutes without tears in my eyes, though I doubt that that is going to happen. <BR /> <BR />I will begin by thanking you, Mr Speaker.”
“After much discussion with officials concerning the objectives of the Bill, the detail of an SMI loan, the process of registering and removing the statutory charge and how and when an SMI loan is repaid, the Committee was content with the Bill as drafted. <BR /> <BR />I welcome the Final Stage of the Bill.”
“I welcome the Final Stage of the Bill. It is probably the shortest Bill that the Committee considered, but it is no less important, as it aims to protect owner-occupiers in receipt of an income-related benefit from the threat of repossession.”
“I know that I have caused a few headaches over the past two years, but you have always delivered week in, week out and put the needs of the Committee first and foremost. You have made my role as Committee Chair so much easier. For all that you have done, I am truly thankful.”
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“I, too, welcome the opportunity to speak on the group 1 amendments at Consideration Stage. I join the Chair in thanking the Committee staff, departmental officials and all those who gave written responses and oral evidence. <BR /> <BR />Throughout the many hours of the Committee scrutiny of the Welfare Reform Bill, there was, as the Chair said, a consensus across all parties that the Bill required certain changes to meet the needs of our constituents in Northern Ireland. I also recall the many events and panel debates I attended, some of which I would like to forget, usually alongside those sitting opposite. At those debates we heard genuine concerns, not only from voluntary and community groups, but from individuals and the public across Northern Ireland.”
“I thank the Member for tabling the question for urgent oral answer, which is a very important question to the Minister. As we know, Musgrave Park Hospital services all of Northern Ireland. Will the Minister assure the House that all those postponements will be dealt with in a timely manner?”
“I thank the Minister for his answer so far. Since the introduction of advanced land purchase, how many have been unsuccessful and required settlement?”
“This will allow us to move from reactionary to proactive policymaking. I understand that there are concerns regarding financial issues and logistical queries. I believe that these can be overcome and should not hinder the Bill in passing its Second Stage. This Bill takes politics from the top-down approach to a bottom-up approach, which was the spirit of the review of public administration in the beginning. I support the Bill's Second Stage.”
“<BR /> <BR />I believe that this Bill will allow the new councils to divert funds to tackle deprivation and poor environment in small pockets of deprivation. In my view, this is a positive move. It will allow decision-makers to be more accountable to those who work in local communities and in tackling such issues. It makes decision-makers more accessible to those who undertake the work in these communities, often in a voluntary capacity, and will allow for faster interventions to address potential problems quickly. <BR /> <BR />It is my hope that this Bill will improve civic engagement in disadvantaged communities. Local councils have development officers working on the ground in a way that the Department cannot. These workers often identify issues before they become problems.”
“I know that many of us began our political careers serving on local councils. Many of us experienced the frustration of not being able to be more responsive to the local needs of our constituents when needs arose. I also know that, often, many local council officers are also frustrated by pockets of deprivation in affluent areas being overlooked in decisions that are made by the Department because they are hidden in the deprivation scores that are often used to target areas for funding. <BR />In one example from neighbourhood renewal in my own area of Newtownabbey, we had two estates that were directly facing each other. Both had the same problems and issues, but because one estate was deemed to be in a more affluent area, it did not receive the same amount of funding.”
“Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. As the Minister stated earlier, the Regeneration Bill will mean that a number of regeneration and community development powers will be given to the new local district councils. By doing this, local councils will be more proactive, I believe, in tackling poverty, social exclusion, isolation and deprivation in their own areas. Obviously, the Department will have a role in setting regional strategic direction, but responsibility for grassroots delivery and the solution of a number of social ills will be given to local government.”
“As a member of the Committee for Social Development —”
“I thank the Minister for his statement. It may have been brief but it was certainly packed with lots of positive information. <BR /> <BR />I wish to turn the Minister's attention back to the minimum unit pricing of alcohol. The Committee for Social Development has discussed the issue. As someone who worked in the health service and saw at first hand the effects that alcohol has on our hospital services, I ask how realistic it is that we work towards the introduction of minimum unit pricing at the same time as the Republic of Ireland.”
“I thank the Minister for his answers thus far. Following the Minister's previous answer, can I ask him what successes were achieved by the financial support service pilot?”
“What proportion of the Fire Service's costs are staff related?”
“I thank the Minister for his answer and understand that it has been only a short period since the Bill was passed. However, is he aware yet of any estimated saving that it will produce?”
“The changes proposed in the Bill will create a simpler, fairer and fit-for-purpose system. Through these changes, we will have a robust pension system that will stand us well into our future. Our current system is simply not maintainable when we look at the changes in our lifestyle and at our projected life expectancy coupled with a lower birth rate. <BR /> <BR />I look forward to debating and scrutinising the Bill further in Committee and support its passing Second Stage.”
“<BR /> <BR />The state pension should not be seen as a retirement scheme, and we have already seen the implementation of the requirement of employers to provide pension schemes for their employees. I am happy to note a number of changes to private pension schemes in the Bill that should help individuals to make more positive choices about their financial future. However, we have to ensure that those most vulnerable to the changes are protected while the transition occurs. I am pleased to note that a number of transitional arrangements are in place that will protect that group.”
“We are already aware that a high number of older people in our community miss out on payments that they may well be entitled to either because they do not know about their entitlement or because they are put off accessing the money because of the complex system of application and the effect on other forms of income. The new scheme will, hopefully, empower people to make positive choices for their own future, and I believe that this is a positive move for our society and will encourage the need for more financial responsibility, albeit that I concur with the Deputy Chair that there are issues around that. There are issues especially for people who are slightly older and are facing a later pension age where they do not have the necessary time in place to build that pension pot up to a viable level.”
“These assumptions are no longer experienced by our society and, therefore, to make our system fit for purpose, it is important that we make the necessary changes. In England, this change has already occurred, as the Minister said, with the Pensions Act 2014 receiving Royal Assent in May this year. Northern Ireland needs to bring this Bill into being to be, amongst other reasons, in line with the rest of the United Kingdom. <BR /> <BR />From April 2016, the proposed new state pension will replace our existing pensions scheme as we know, and I am pleased to say that the new pension rate will be set above the basic level of means-tested support, which is known as the pension credit standard. The aim of the changes is to simplify the pensions system and make it more user-friendly.”
“I welcome the opportunity to speak on the Second Stage of the Pensions Bill. The Deputy Chair is absolutely right when he talks about declarations of interest. I think that we all have a declaration of interest here. Sadly, I am now looking at putting my pension age up to 68, so I dread to think what it will be by the time that date arrives. If only we all had the Deputy Chair's genetics, we might all live to that older age, as he knows from his own family. <BR /> <BR />We know that we have to make changes to our pensions scheme in line with the changing demographic make-up of our society. When the pensions scheme was first introduced, there was an underlying assumption about life expectancy, and, of course, gender-specific roles in our society. That resulted in many women receiving a much lower pension than others.”
“I thank the Minister for his answers thus far. We all, as community representatives, are aware of the need not only for social housing in our areas but for affordable housing. Could the Minister go into a bit more detail on what role coownership and affordable housing have in addressing our high housing demands?”
“I look forward to hearing other parties' solutions for dealing with these hard financial times.”
“We have been lambasted for it, including on the radio this morning, when we were asked why we are even bothering to go to see our Minister, but we have every right to do so. All parties in this Assembly can go to any Minister and put their point across. We have every right to do that. <BR /> <BR />The health service should not be used for political point-scoring, as it is at this time. As I said earlier, that may be for various reasons, one of them being to deflect from failings of other parties. Rather, we, as an Assembly, should be putting our country's health and well-being at the top of our list of priorities and taking the decisions that will enable us to maximise our Budget and not hand money back to the Treasury because we are unable to make tough decisions on welfare reform.”
“Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker, and I thank the Member for his intervention, and I do believe that trusts have made mistakes in their budgeting. That is absolutely true, and we have found ourselves in a position in which we have to face some very tough decisions. They are not palatable decisions, but for those in Whiteabbey, it may be slightly easier because the Mater, the Royal and Antrim Area hospitals are on the doorstep. However, that does not help those 40 people who go in and out of Whiteabbey minor injuries unit every day. <BR /> <BR />We have, as a party, gone to the Minister and asked whether that can be looked at again. That has happened, and I see nothing wrong with it.”
“I worked in Whiteabbey Hospital during the previous mandate and remember very well the closure of two general medical wards and the coronary care unit, the downgrading of the surgical ward and, of course, the closure of our emergency department in favour of a minor injuries unit. It is right that we as local representatives make representations to the Minister of Health on behalf of our constituents to find a more palatable solution. <BR /> <BR />Transforming Your Care will, I believe, continue to follow what was a five-year plan, albeit at a bit of a slower pace due to the financial pressures being felt by the Health Department. In my role on the Health Committee, I will continue to advocate that this important work continues in order that we can deliver the right care at the right time in the right place for every service user.”
“As all of us in the Assembly are aware, it is the Westminster Government, not this Government, that legislate for what we can spend that money on, and it cannot be brought back for resource spending. I find it remarkable that, while the Department of Health, which is so vital to our society, is struggling to achieve everything that it needs to deliver, other Departments are content to sit with spare money and refuse to release it. <BR /> <BR />We have those who come to the Assembly lambasting the Minister when trusts have to make cuts to front-line services. Members of this party are absolutely right: the proposed cuts to Dalriada, Bangor and in my area of Whiteabbey are hard to stomach.”
“Therefore, I am sad to note that, throughout the debate, the previous Health Minister has been lambasted for his use of private-care providers, as opposed to the situation now faced by many who will endure lengthy waits to alleviate their pain and suffering. <BR /> <BR />It should be noted that, although some Departments reported underspend in their budgets, that money was not available to other Departments that had overspend. No Department in our Executive can work in isolation. Any underspend in a Department in any financial year should be returned to DFP to be reallocated to other Departments that have more pressures on their budget. <BR /> <BR />I want to address what was said earlier about the Health Department handing back money. As we know, the money handed back was for capital spend.”
“However, I cannot agree that those difficulties are as a result of any mismanagement by the previous Health Minister, who was not sacked, as Mrs Dobson suggested in a poor attempt earlier at headline-grabbing. Why let the truth get in the way of a good headline? <BR /> <BR />I, however, much prefer to look at the facts. We can note that the Health Department and its arm's-length bodies delivered significant savings from 2011-12 to 2013-14, amounting to £490 million. The Minister has confirmed that, in 2014-15, there will be additional savings of £170 million across every aspect of its activity. While those savings are there to see, the previous Minister was correct in continuing to spend on vital areas such as elective care to provide timely treatment for those living daily in immense pain.”
“As a member of the Health Committee, I am against the motion and the amendment. I believe that, for some, the debate is somewhat timely, to deflect from failings in their own institutions. <BR /> <BR />Talk to anyone in our society and you will find that we are all impacted on when health cuts have to occur, that we all want waiting times reduced and that we all want the very best health outcomes. To achieve those desires and needs requires hard financial decisions to be taken, especially in periods of financial hardship, such as that which we have experienced over the past number of years. The financial difficulties faced by the Health Department and its arm's-length bodies in the past years are well documented.”
“I think that everyone in the Chamber will agree with the principles of Transforming Your Care and with the fact that people are better served in their own home than in an acute setting. Can the Minister detail the domiciliary care provision across all of Northern Ireland?”
“Customers should be made fully aware of the level of food hygiene and, in doing so, as the Chair already stated, we are then provided with an informed choice of where we want to eat. As an Assembly, we need to do everything in our power to ensure that the onus is put on service providers to provide and maintain the very highest food hygiene standards. I support the Bill at Second Stage and look forward to its swift passage through the House.”
“<BR /> <BR />In the briefings provided to Committee from the Food Standards Agency, it states that the rating system is designed to improve public health and provide an important driver for businesses to achieve and maintain compliance with food hygiene laws. As the Minister and the Chair of the Committee stated, associated costs to the Northern Ireland economy in relation to food-borne illnesses are £83 million annually; therefore, as an Assembly, we need to take decisive action and endeavour to reduce that figure substantially. <BR /> <BR />The other issue that I want to touch on is consumer choice and the bearing that it will have on businesses to improve food hygiene. We, as consumers, expect a certain standard when we pay for goods and services, and that should not be any different when it comes to the purchase of food.”
“Online, I can find the ratings for my local supermarkets, butchers, filling stations, bakeries, newsagents, schools, care homes, churches, playgroups, social clubs, garden centres, fruit and veg shops, hotels, restaurants and the many takeaway food outlets in the area that I represent and I live in, as you can tell. I realise that not everyone is quite as obsessive as me when it comes to checking food hygiene ratings. Some people have a life and do not think that looking up the Internet is the best use of their time, but I believe that it is essential that the food hygiene rating scheme is made mandatory in all places where we eat out or shop for food.”
“As a member of the Committee for Health, Social Services and Public Safety, I support the Second Stage of the Food Hygiene Rating Bill. I was not a member of the Committee when the Bill was being discussed in Committee, but I have read Hansard and the supporting documents, and I commend the Committee for its scrutiny and the Food Standards Agency for its invaluable input. <BR /> <BR />Since the inception of the food hygiene rating scheme in Northern Ireland, I, like many other consumers, have actively used the Internet to check hygiene ratings of the many businesses that I use in my local community.”
“I thank the Minister for her answer. She has kind of answered my supplementary question as well. I was going to ask her to expand on how that would be reflected in electricity costs.”
“We must ensure that all victims know who they can approach to get help, and ensure that those whom they do approach actually do help. Jennifer McCann's involvement must be investigated to see whether any breaches of code were committed. She must, I believe, stand down as junior Minister as a result of her failure in Maíria's case. To maintain her position is a conflict of interest and sends the wrong message regarding rape in our society. Rape should never happen, rape should never be tolerated, and rape should never, under any circumstances, be covered up in our community. I support the motion and the amendment.”
“We must talk to our daughters and our sons in the same way as we discuss other issues. We must send out a strong message that rape and child abuse are wrong — they are unacceptable — and that we as an Assembly will not be seen to tolerate the cover-up of child rape.”
“However, this victim did come forward, and she broke her silence, only to have the Irish Republican Army and members of Sinn Féin silence her and, in turn, feed the deviant desires of Maíria's sexual predator. <BR /> <BR />When child abuse or rape is reported and nothing is done, the person who received the report is, by default, aiding and abetting any further incidents of abuse carried out by the predator. <BR /> <BR />Rape is one of the most disempowering things that can happen to any individual. It violates a person's very being, and the ramifications are felt not just by the survivor but by our society as a whole. The victim is left to carry a burden that impacts on all aspects of their life and, in many cases, for all of their life. Rape must no longer be a taboo subject in our society.”
“<BR /> <BR />How can any survivors of such abuse have any confidence in this junior Minister, when, by her own admission, she was informed of alleged abuse and did nothing? Maíria trusted Jennifer McCann, and that trust was abused by Ms McCann's failure to act. <BR /> <BR />It is only right that survivors of abuse should have policy designed by someone who does not have such a smear on their background when it comes to dealing with alleged incidents of child abuse and rape. <BR /> <BR />Sexual predators rely on their victims' silence in order to continue to satisfy their deviant desires. They rely on the shame that they place on victims to keep them silent, and they rely on the doubts of society to question whether the incidents really happened.”
“Ms McCann, and anyone else with prior knowledge of the case, let a sexual predator walk amongst their community, free to carry out further crimes, and, let us not forget that this crime — child rape — is deemed by most right-thinking people to be the most depraved. <BR /> <BR />I believe, given what I have said, that Jennifer McCann's position is now untenable. Ms McCann has a responsibility, through her position in the Assembly, for policy on historical institutional abuse and young people. In relation to child abuse, historically, she has been shown to have failed to follow protocol to protect a vulnerable young adult. We know that she had no role in the initial incident, but, by her failure to act, she has shown contempt for the impact on survivors of past alleged abuse. She should have no further role in historical abuse policy.”
“<BR /> <BR />Maíria Cahill has alleged that she informed the Irish Republican Army and members of Sinn Féin of her ordeal. Jennifer McCann, by her own admission, was informed of Maíria's case back in 2005. This was not in the midst of the Troubles; this was when child protection policies and protocols were as sophisticated as they are now. This was less than 10 years ago. <BR /> <BR />Ms McCann, I am sad to say, failed Maíria. She failed to support her, failed to tell the relevant people of the allegations of abuse and failed to report the allegations to ensure that they could be investigated.”
“Over the past number of years, we in the Chamber have been talking about religious and state institutions, amongst others, and the cover-up of a culture of child abuse and rape. Following this, it will not surprise me if, over the next weeks or months, we discover more of these stories from all sections of our community. Maíria, through her disclosure, has opened the door for other victims on all sides to come forward and, for that, she must be commended. <BR /> <BR />Sadly, Sinn Féin, in an effort to protect its cause, failed to act appropriately. It failed a vulnerable young girl and reinforced the message that child abuse and rape are to be tolerated in its community, and, as we are all aware, this is not the first time.”
“Although time and again Maíria was failed by those in her community who had been in the position to protect and help her, she is a remarkable young woman who is prepared to tell her story, not only to uncover the failures she endured but to empower others to come forward who have also been failed by those who they thought would protect them.”
“<BR /> <BR />As responsible adults, we need to ensure that when someone does disclose such abuse they are believed, that they are referred to the appropriate professionals, and that at all times the victim should feel safe, secure and supported. Failure to take those simple steps can lead the individual to believe that they are somehow to blame and that they are not believed. That is exactly what happened in this case. <BR /> <BR />Furthermore, when we look at child sexual abuse and rape, it should prompt us to act responsibly and immediately to protect not only the victim but any further victims who are in the sights of the predator.”
“Part of that justice is also about holding those, including Jennifer McCann, to account for their role in prolonging Maíria's painful journey. <BR /> <BR />When any person is the victim of this disgusting personal violation, the decision to share their experience and report what has happened to them is one that takes a great deal of courage. There are often fears that they will not be believed by those they trust to tell, and this is magnified when the alleged perpetrator has a degree of standing in the community. Often, the survivor of such an attack will have to relive the event, and to a number of people, in order to see that justice is delivered. This has been described by many victims as reliving the attack over and over again.”
“I say at the outset that the motion before the Chamber this evening brings me no pleasure, because it delves into the most heinous of crimes and the systemic cover-up of the Irish Republican Army and Sinn Féin. Rape is committed by the most vile scum of our society. It is a crime that should never be excused, it is a crime that should never be covered up, and it is a crime that should never allow the perpetrators to feel that they can commit it with impunity. <BR /> <BR />I applaud Maíria Cahill for having the courage to come forward and speak about her experience and bring to light the systemic failure of those in her community who were there to protect and support her. It is right and just that the case is now being reviewed by the PPS, and it is my wish that Ms Cahill will finally see the justice that she so rightly deserves.”
“Mrs Cochrane said earlier that, when we talk about Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month, we are not just talking about diagnostics and treatment but thinking about all those people who have lost their life because of the disease. <BR /> <BR />I want to make it clear that I believe that we can reduce the number through good work, through work in the Department, through work with GPs and through work with the public. Let us make this Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month worthwhile, and let us get a grip on this cancer in the Northern Ireland Assembly.”
“We all believe that it is something that is worth fighting for. Therefore, we want to see follow-through. As members of the Health Committee, which most of us here are, we will be intent on saying that. <BR /> <BR />I spoke to Mr Buchanan during the debate and asked him exactly how many people in Northern Ireland die from this dreadful disease. He said that, in 2012, there were 244 and 243 the following year. That led me to think about the fact that we have passed Halloween and are heading towards Christmas, and we are doing the countdown — at least I am. I thought about all those empty chairs around the table at Christmas, if we are looking at in and around 240 people dying every year in our wee country. All those families this year will be grieving for their loved ones.”
“We have seen a real increase in the uptake of that by our young women of school age, and I would like to see young men get that also. We have had debates here on ovarian cancer, and the Minister brought up Una: what a difference she has made and what a difference those debates made to the lives of people who were suffering from the various cancers. We have also seen great work in the Public Health Agency when it comes to breast cancer and prostate cancer and how that has made such a difference in people's lives. That goes to prove that, when we work together in the Assembly, we can work together for the better to make differences in people's lives. Mrs Dobson brought up the point that it is all well and good us being here and debating an issue but there has to be follow-through on it.”
“Some of the statistics that have been voiced here today are very stark. As Mr McGimpsey said, the debate is very sobering when we look at how many people die in our Province from this deadly disease. The interesting fact that the Chair brought up was that 48% of diagnoses were made through emergency admissions. Surely that is not how we should diagnose anyone with cancer. What was even more stark was what Mrs Cameron said, which was that there was only a 9% survival rate from that. There needs to be much more public awareness, much more awareness from our GPs, and those toolkits need to be in place to assist our GPs in making diagnoses. <BR /> <BR />I remember the many debates that we have had in the Chamber. We have had debates on cervical cancer and the HPV vaccine.”
“We must work hard together to ensure that we reduce these reasons and that people become more educated about the symptoms of this form of cancer. <BR /> <BR />A late diagnosis means that often potential treatment protocols are no longer a viable option for many sufferers. Only 10% of patients receive curative surgery. That means that 90% of patients do not. Statistics are often very easy to glance over, so let be a little bit more explicit: if all 108 Members of the Assembly were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer today, only 10 would be diagnosed in time for curative surgery to be an option. That shows the hard reality and the stark facts of this deadly disease and how it affects so many people in Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom. <BR /> <BR />I do not intend to go over all that everyone has said, but I want to make a few points.”
“The sad fact is that pancreatic cancer has not had any improvement in long-term health outcomes over five years, and, as has been said here, it still only receives 1% of research funding. <BR /> <BR />Doctors also tell us that, in regard to any cancer, early detection is key to beating the disease. We have seen how early detection has improved survival rates for breast and prostate cancer. Unfortunately, the way that pancreatic symptoms present means that it is often missed, while other avenues and causes of the symptoms are investigated. Doctors tell us that the location of the pancreas in the body, the general nature of the symptoms and the lack of diagnostic tools for them to use all play an important part in late diagnosis.”
“I thank my colleague Tom Buchanan for bringing the motion forward today. I also thank him for asking me to countersign the motion. I welcome the opportunity to speak on this important issue. I commend Mr McMullan for what he had to say today. He, like some others in the Chamber, knows what it is like to receive a cancer diagnosis and knows how that affects not only the patient but the family of those who receive a diagnosis. We all know that it is a very traumatic time for the individual and the family. <BR /> <BR />To get a late diagnosis, especially of pancreatic cancer, is extremely bad. It has been evidenced that often patients who receive a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer are already very far advanced in the disease, and, often, palliative care is their only option. That is devastating for the patient and their family.”