Mike Nesbitt
Strangford · Ulster Unionist Party · Northern Ireland
“Think public service, wisdom, generosity and courtesy. Think integrity, insight and curiosity, the lack of which is a key criticism of the two public inquiry reports of recent days.”
“I spoke during Members' statements earlier about the untimely passing of the Western Trust's chair, Dr Tom Frawley CBE. I repeat my condolences to his family, his friends and his many admirers.”
“I absolutely share the Member's ambition to see people living in the community. The trusts provide a range of evidence-informed programmes for individuals who are awaiting assessment. For children and young people, early intervention teams deliver proactive needs-led programmes that are neurodiversity-affirming and trauma-informed.”
“Thank you, Mr Speaker. The Western Trust has assured me that it has undertaken a comprehensive early engagement exercise with stakeholders, involving all political parties, local businesses, service users, community groups, the Patient and Client Council (PCC), local media, community planning partners and Departments, including mine and D…”
“The role played by social workers in delivering safeguarding and family support interventions is complex and challenging. The work frequently pivots on multidisciplinary collaboration, with parents and carers positioned as partners in the formulation and delivery of safeguarding and support plans.”
“I fully recognise the impact of the current delays on individuals and families. The situation has arisen due to a combination of factors, including funding that falls short of objectively assessed need and previously missed opportunities to reform health and social care delivery.”
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“Members will be aware that I accelerated our work on respite, residential care and family support with additional recurrent funding of up to £13 million that was announced in October last year. It will take time to ensure that that funding is fully utilised, but I expect there to be measurable improvements to the lives of autistic children and their families. <BR /> <BR />While considerable progress has already been made to advance those key actions in the mental health strategy, alongside the delivery of a range of other actions, they are being progressed with minimal budget. I have repeatedly highlighted that to Executive colleagues since taking up post.”
“A comprehensive review of the scope, scale and capacity of the community and voluntary sector, as part of action 17, was commissioned last month, the findings from which will inform how best our community and voluntary sector can be true partners in the planning, development and delivery of mental health services, which should ensure improved outcomes for our population. <BR /> <BR />Lastly, a regional specialist CAMHS ID model is being developed to address the mental health needs of children with complex needs, who are typically those with a co-occurring diagnosis of learning disability and autism. On the subject of children, it is also important to recognise that mental health pressures can be reflective of gaps in social care.”
“A new regional mental health service as part of action 31 will, once fully established, help ensure access to high-quality regionally consistent and locally based mental health services in local communities. To date, significant work has been progressed, such as the appointment of a number of key roles and the establishment of the collaborative board, which has its inaugural meeting scheduled for later this month. A review of the mental health workforce and response to action 32 was published in July 2023, and that set out 18 recommendations to ensure that we have a workforce that is fit for the future. An implementation plan for the delivery of the workforce review is being finalised. It will set out priority actions that are to be progressed, subject to budget availability.”
“While work is being progressed to make mental health services more accessible to those with co-occurring diagnoses such as autism, it is worth noting that the delivery of many of the actions in the mental health strategy will, once fully implemented, help improve access to mental health services for all service users. <BR /> <BR />I will highlight a number of those actions. Actions 1 and 2 of the strategy focus on promotion and prevention and are being progressed through a Public Health Agency-led early intervention and prevention action plan, with year-on-year actions covering a lifespan approach from infancy to older age. Importantly, the action plan will:”
“<BR /> <BR />As many of you will be aware, the autism strategy was developed and is being taken forward in a period of exceptionally constrained financial circumstances for all Departments, public bodies and Health and Social Care services. Whilst there is continued commitment to the implementation of the actions, that has necessitated a creative and innovative approach. The autism strategy sets out to deliver actions across health, education, housing and public services generally, including the Civil Service. The first monitoring report on year 1 progress is due with me imminently, and it will then be presented to the Assembly.”
“The autism strategy recognises that the challenges faced by autistic people are cross-cutting and require action through a collaborative, cross-departmental and multi-agency lens. <BR /> <BR />The strategy aims to meet the requirements of our unique autism legislation, setting Northern Ireland apart and, indeed, ahead of many countries, to ensure that public services understand the needs of autistic people and provide the right level and type of services. At this stage, I pay tribute to colleagues on the all-party group on autism for their work in progressing both pieces of autism legislation in the past 15 years.”
“I am aware that specialist learning disability and mental health inpatient services are significantly stretched and that there is an urgent need to develop a more robust community mental health system to prevent hospital admissions. In collaboration with the HSC Leadership Centre, my officials are in the process of finalising a review of the autistic population with a co-occurring learning disability who are known to services. That work will inform the implementation of the learning disability service model and the development of a delivery plan for the final three years of the autism strategy from 2023-28. It is important to recognise that wider factors can impact on a person's mental health and well-being.”
“<BR /> <BR />Training is key to ensuring that appropriate adjustments are made for each autistic person and that our mental health service is person-centred, adapting treatment and care at every point throughout a person's journey. Health and Social Care staff have access to a range of autism training modules. Work is under way with the Middletown Centre for Autism to develop new modules to be launched in the spring. It is my expectation that that training will be mandatory for mental health professionals and that it will form the foundation of additional training to be developed in the future. <BR /> <BR />For autistic people with a co-occurring learning disability, specialist services are provided and continue to reflect a strong evidential and professional basis. That is not to say that it is a perfect system.”
“It is fair to say that autistic people could be better served by our mental health system. However, that does not sufficiently make the case, in my view, for a specialist mental health service. The evidential, professional and policy position, as indicated in the mental health strategy, remains that most autistic people are best supported in a mainstream service that is autism-aware and with reasonable adjustments. At times, they will need to access specialist services such as those for eating disorders, substance abuse and forensic learning disability. Again, the evidence and the professional position remain that those services should be reasonably adjusted to provide access and treatments and should be adapted for autistic people.”
“<BR /> <BR />While it is vital that such individuals have good and equitable access to mental health services and that those services are able to deliver on their specific needs, the Department does not consider it appropriate to develop dedicated mental health services designated to treat those individuals. Doing so would mean that people are treated primarily according to their underlying disability or circumstance rather than receiving the most appropriate intervention that they need for their mental ill health, which is different for everyone. Instead, the strategy aims to put in place a person-centred service that is focused on the presenting mental health needs of the individual with consideration of how best to meet those needs, given their underlying disabilities and/or circumstances.”
“<BR /> <BR />We must also be cognisant that three in 10 people with learning disabilities will have a co-occurring diagnosis of autism, and that was mentioned earlier. Those people can present with an exceptional level of need, and they are typically over-represented in our mental health inpatient services. As referenced, seven out of 10 people with autism have co-occurring conditions such as anxiety, depression, ADHD or obsessive compulsive disorder. The mental health strategy recognises the need for services that can cater for those with disabilities, including physical and sensory disabilities, ASD and learning disabilities. That must also include help and support for parents and families.”
“That comes back to my theme of how we should find where the best practice exists and roll it out so that it is common practice across the five geographic trusts. <BR /> <BR />I want to make it clear that an autism assessment should not be required to access mental health services. At this stage, I commend Autism NI for raising awareness of the mental health inequalities that are experienced by autistic people. I am aware that over 25,000 people signed the petition that was mentioned and that there were over 400 comments from people and families on the mental health challenges that they have faced and the need for better provision. Whilst autism is not a mental health issue, it is common for autistic people to experience poorer mental health outcomes, and that can be partly attributed to a lack of access to mental health services.”
“<BR /> <BR />Autism, as has been made clear, is a lifelong condition, but better education for and understanding from all of us can help people to lead fuller and healthier lives and enjoy the same benefits and freedoms as the rest of us. <BR /> <BR />I am aware of significant delays in accessing autism assessments. That is partly what drives people to seek a private diagnosis. Today, I can say that, in the past financial year, trusts have carried out more assessments than in previous years. There remains a demand/capacity gap, and, consequently, the waiting lists still exist, but work is under way to standardise the diagnostic pathway across trusts while better meeting the needs at an early pre-diagnosis stage.”
“That covers a range of person-centred service improvements, such as, for example, improvements in child and adolescent mental health services; community mental health services, which are absolutely key; and inpatient and specialist services. The third theme is "New ways of working". That sets out the changes that will support improvements across the system, including a single mental health service, workforce planning and research. <BR /> <BR />Overarching that, we have, as many Members mentioned, the appointment of the autism reviewer, Ema Cubitt. She will be and is an independent voice. Any Member who heard her first public comments will have been reassured that she will indeed be an independent reviewer and a strong voice for the community that all the Members who have spoken today wish to serve.”
“That is key to addressing the ongoing issue of the stigma that gets attached to people with mental health problems, which we will debate tomorrow. The second theme is:”
“Indeed, one day, one MLA scoffed at me because I was campaigning on mental health. That was how disassociated they were from it. Awareness in 2025 is very high, but I hear the call from Members that it is not about awareness any more; it is about action. <BR /> <BR />When Robin Swann became Health Minister, I was delighted, because I knew that he would focus on mental health. He appointed the mental health champion and commissioned the 10-year strategy, which has 35 action points in it. I want to dwell on and put on the official record the three themes that underline those action points. The first is:”
“One of the main reasons for that is that I came here from the Commission for Victims and Survivors, where you could not but be deeply moved by the level of poor mental health as a really toxic legacy of the 30 years of our violence. When I came here, however, I did not see anything like the same level of recognition. Some people seemed to be reluctant even to consider it a thing or certainly not a thing that was worthy of attention.”
“Thank you very much, Mr Deputy Speaker, and thanks to all Members who have contributed to this important debate. First, I recognise the passion and commitment of every Member who has spoken. Autism is not a stranger to my family, so I believe that I have some grasp of the challenges, concerns and needs. I absolutely agree that we need to ensure that all those seeking mental health support, including those with autism, have access to the right services at the right time. It is an issue, not least in waiting lists. <BR /> <BR />As Robbie Butler said, I have campaigned on mental health issues since I was elected here in 2011.”
“Principal Deputy Speaker, thank you very much. I thank the Chair of the Committee and Diane Dodds. I assure Mrs Dodds that, once the figures have been firmed up, they will, of course, be made available to the Committee. I also thank the Business Committee for scheduling the debate. I see no reason to delay the House any longer, so I will finish simply by commending the motion to approve the regulations to the House.”
“However, as the level of usage remains unknown, especially in high-footfall premises, that is an estimate. The cost of implementing the regulations should be considered against the backdrop of a hugely stretched Health budget, which is being pushed further still by the legal requirement to implement the regulations. That is not to take away from the significance of the regulations, which I am pleased to present to the Assembly. This is a significant step forward in the fight against period poverty. <BR /> <BR />I thank the Health Committee for its scrutiny of the SL1 for the regulations. I will leave it there, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker.”
“Significant consultation has taken place with the trusts to ensure that the regulations can be operationally effective across the vast number of health trust premises while staying true to the intention of the legislation, which is to provide free period products for those who need them. The trusts have undertaken their own consultation exercises with product users, and I thank them for their continued cooperation and support. There are other arm's-length bodies that have not been specified in the legislation, such as the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS). However, those bodies operate voluntary schemes, even though they are not bound by the regulations. <BR /> <BR />The cost of implementing the regulations in the specified bodies is estimated to be approximately £1·5 million per year across the five trusts.”
“The Department of Health has specified the following public bodies, and liaised extensively with them on how the regulations will be implemented at their various premises: the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust; the Northern Health and Social Care Trust; the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust; the Southern Health and Social Care Trust; and the Western Health and Social Care Trust. <BR /> <BR />The Act allows for the Department of Health to provide descriptions of persons and premises in order to allow its implementation to be operationally effective but stay true to the spirit of the Act.”
“For anybody who is unable to obtain those items as and when they need them, there is damage not only to their physical well-being but to their mental well-being, so we need to do everything that we can to remove what is, in fact, a gender inequality. I am proud to be able to bring the regulations to the Assembly and, in a small but hopefully significant way, break down barriers and remove some of the gender inequality in our society. <BR /> <BR />I will now speak to the draft regulations. Members will be aware that all Departments must specify the public service bodies that will have duties under the 2022 Act.”
“<BR /> <BR />Period poverty is a massive issue in our society. Women often struggle to afford sanitary products and find themselves using unsuitable products as a result. Patients and staff of health trusts and visitors to their sites are there to receive care, provide care or visit individuals who are availing themselves of that care. In those instances, people should have access to the period products that they need. I am glad to be able to address that issue through the regulations. As I said, period products are not luxuries; they are essentials for all those who menstruate. They often cost a significant amount of money, and, as a result, some individuals are forced to go without them, which should never be the case. Such products should be available to all those who need them, and there should be no stigma around their provision.”
“I am seeking the Assembly's approval of the draft Period Products (Department of Health Specified Public Service Bodies) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2024. I am pleased to be able to introduce the regulations as part of a journey that began with the introduction of a private Member's Bill by former SDLP MLA Pat Catney in October 2021. That Bill was subsequently enacted as the Period Products (Free Provision) Act (Northern Ireland) 2022, which created a legal right of free access to period products in hospital premises in Northern Ireland for all those who need them. The Act places importance on respect for dignity and aims to remove financial barriers to accessing period products, when they are required. Period products are not a luxury item and should be available to everybody who needs them.”
“I repeat: patients expect to retain dignity and privacy when they attend hospital and are being denied that, sometimes not just for hours but for days. That is not right. I get it.”
“On behalf of our 70,000-plus workers, I say this to Members: do not suggest that the Bengoa report has been gathering dust on a shelf for nine years; it is happening, but the pace and the impact is dictated by our ability to fund change. If you are told that the budget is entirely inadequate to meet the needs of the HSC service, and yet vote for it, despite the warning, and then complain about the consequences of your decision, are you comfortable taking that position? When I say comfortable, I do not mean politically; I mean morally. <BR /> <BR />I thank Members for their contributions. I do not have time to go into them too much, but Members accept that it is about the flow and that highly-skilled individuals are not delivering the service that they want to deliver and are suffering moral damage because of that.”
“<BR /> <BR />I accept that we need to be more productive and efficient; I get that. However, I stress — I stressed it to the leadership of the HSC — that I also acknowledge that no amount of efficiency or productivity will close the gap between demand and capacity. The independent Fiscal Council said that to deliver the same service here as NHS England manages, we need £104 to £107 for every £100 that NHS England spends. The same Fiscal Council said that we used to get £109, but today, it is £101·50. Members, do the maths. <BR /> <BR />I want to express my deepest gratitude for the remarkable commitment and dedication shown by the staff in the Ambulance Service and across the HSC. They work tirelessly to provide essential services during some of the most challenging of times.”
“I accept that there is an urgent need for reform, including the development of community-based services enabling patients to stay well, remain in their homes and avoid the need for NIAS to convey them to hospital for admission. However, that requires financial support. Let me reiterate this point. In negotiating a return to Stormont, we made a collective argument to London that our block grant should be based on assessed need rather than a crude headcount. That argument was successful and resulted in the current 124% Barnett calculation. Yet, when it comes to the Health budget, assessed need has been overlooked and replaced by another crude statement that Health gets more than half of the block grant. That statistic is quoted like an incantation as if it proves, by itself, that Health does not need additional resources.”
“I have only two years left, but I aspire to take a big bite out of that problem. For those who are disappointed in that, I simply direct you to the fact that the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care in London has a 10-year plan. That is beyond my term of office. Importantly, however, there is also a palpable decision, from across the Cabinet, to prioritise the health of patients, whereas, despite some rhetoric here, actions are not matching words. <BR /> <BR />I believe that I can only make some difficult decisions, some unpopular decisions and, hopefully, set a direction of travel that the next Minister feels compelled to follow.”
“If your GP says that you need to go to the hospital, do you need a second assessment in an ED or can the GP refer you directly elsewhere: for example, to an urgent care department at the hospital, an ambulatory unit, a dedicated respiratory or cardiac unit? These things are happening. We are reforming the HSC system. <BR /> <BR />Last month, I visited a new service, the regional coordination centre (RCC). This is a trust-owned initiative to provide a coordinated response on a daily basis to regional pressures. All five geographic trusts discuss their ED pressures and how they can help each other. It is new; it needs time, and they need to build trust in the system, but I believe that it will work, and it is part of that reform. <BR /> <BR />I accept the need and requirement for further and more urgent reform.”
“Investments associated with the urgent and emergency care review have resulted in Phone First and urgent care services being established across all geographic trusts, and this is an alternative to patients calling 999. Over 160,000 people accessed these services in the financial year 2023-24. Of those, almost 85% finished their care without attending a type-1 ED. More, of course, remains to be done. <BR /> <BR />My Department also has a programme of work to provide access to same-day emergency care for patients without the need for an overnight admission to hospital. I want trusts to afford the Ambulance Service with direct access to these pathways. We are also working with trusts to create pathways that avoid ED.”
“Mental health practitioners play an important role in providing support to those in mental health crisis, and early indications are that that has reduced conveyances to emergency departments by around 40% for those in crisis. I repeat: 40%. That, of course, is leading to better outcomes. The integrated care hub has enabled NIAS to enhance its See and Treat and Hear and Treat capabilities in line with best practice as part of its reform agenda to reduce the number of patients needing conveyance to EDs. <BR /> <BR />The integrated care hub has been invaluable to NIAS this winter, ensuring that emergency ambulances are prioritised for people who need them and that patients are directed to appropriate alternatives, which may include Hospital at Home, fall services and community teams.”
“That will allow the Ambulance Service to better meet the needs of our communities by developing the enhanced paramedic role, new care pathways and even better coordination across the health system. NIAS has a targeted programme for 2024-25 that has addressed long-term staff absence and increased available workforce. <BR /> <BR />In addition to workforce, we have funded a number of initiatives in the Ambulance Service, including the development of an integrated care hub. The hub places clinicians, paramedics, nurses and mental health professionals in NIAS's control centre to triage patients and direct them to the most appropriate care pathway or service.”
“That means that people from Northern Ireland who wish to graduate with a BSc honours in paramedic science no longer need to travel outside of the Province to complete their studies. As a direct result of that funding, 41 paramedics graduated from Ulster University in 2024. They have already taken up paramedic roles with the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service. I am glad to say that I was in Derry to see them graduate, and I was delighted to hear that there were local jobs for each and every one of them. <BR /> <BR />In addition to paramedic training, my Department is actively engaged in developing a 10-year workforce plan with NIAS to further develop capacity, capability and utilisation of skills mix.”
“<BR /> <BR />Although there are difficult and unacceptable challenges, my Department has taken action to increase Ambulance Service capacity and address workforce challenges. There is a broader trend in healthcare whereby paramedics play an increasingly versatile role not only in emergency response but in primary, secondary and community care. I remember being with my dear mother on a Monday morning when a paramedic came out to examine her and said that he was not prepared to risk not admitting her to the Ulster Hospital emergency department, and he was right. <BR /> <BR />Are we fiddling while Rome burns? No, we are not. My Department has provided funding to train 50 paramedics every year since 2021.”
“I thank the Member for his intervention. I will come on to that in a moment, and I will also touch on something that Mr Dickson talked about when he mentioned double diagnosis. That is when one goes to a GP and then to an ED. Is that second diagnosis really necessary? <BR /> <BR />To repeat, the moral injury that staff are feeling is not what they signed up for, it is not what they trained for and it is not what they turn up for, shift after shift. Some Members of the House want to add to the pressures on those individuals by placing on them a statutory duty of candour as individuals, with criminal sanctions attached. I respectfully say this to Members: please, please, please think about the consequences of what you are proposing and about how staff may react.”
“For the first time and for the remainder of my term in office, I want to ensure that we take real steps to break the association of social care work with the minimum wage. It is an incredibly rewarding career, and this new plan will see more money put into the pockets of workers. <BR /> <BR />Our ambulance staff are facing the daily challenge of not having sufficient available resource to respond appropriately for timely dispatch, timely response and timely delivery into EDs. Like all staff involved in emergency health service delivery, they are asked again and again, day after day, to make judgement calls not about what is the best option but about what is the least worst option. With that comes a constant worry about whether they have made the right least worst decision, and that is a worry that they often take home with them at night.”
“Currently, as Members have acknowledged, the problem is not at the front door, where the ambulance crews and their patients seek access; it is at the back door, where trusts seek to discharge patients who no longer need an acute hospital bed. Therefore, the debate could easily, and rightly, have been about community capacity instead of Ambulance Service capacity. On that topic, let me put it in Hansard, the Official Report, that I am committing some £500 million in the next financial year to introducing the real living wage for social care workers. I do so in the hope and expectation that that will help to address the huge gap between demand and capacity in providing social care in the community.”
“<BR /> <BR />My goal is to develop a better, more equitable, more effective and better integrated urgent and emergency care service. I have already set out my long-term vision to improve services and deliver better outcomes. Part of that involves making it easier to access the most appropriate services as quickly as possible in an appropriate setting. The issues with EDs are not about our EDs; EDs are where the problems manifest themselves and become quite horribly obvious. The problem is about the flow. I do not believe that the answer is about bigger EDs, but I acknowledge that it is essential that we have sufficient capacity, which is why, in the coming months, I will be commissioning an evidence-based emergency care capacity review. It is about identifying the pinch points where the flow gets blocked.”
“In the current circumstances, far too many patients have to surrender their dignity and privacy to spend hours — sometimes days — either lying on trolleys or sitting on chairs, with limited facilities. I have listened to ambulance crews outside EDs, often in the freezing cold of recent weeks. Like ED staff, they are suffering moral injury; they signed up to deliver better than this, as did so many health workers across the UK. We have to recognise that, as is the case elsewhere in the UK, our health and social care system as a whole is under sustained and significant pressure. That is not to minimise the challenges that are faced here, but Members will be aware of reports of a significant number of trusts in other parts of the UK having declared critical incidents, including the East Midlands and Welsh ambulance services.”
“I question how well understood it is that those delays are about hospital flow — the flow from front door to back door and beyond — but I am encouraged that Mr Dickson and various other Members recognised that it is about the flow. You could double the number of ambulances or double the workforce, but those measures alone would not solve the problem. <BR /> <BR />I pay tribute to all health and social care staff and recognise their work over the Christmas and new year period in incredibly challenging circumstances. I also thank the front-line clinical and support staff who work for the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service. Since Christmas, I have visited six emergency departments, and what I have seen and heard is universal to all six and fundamental to the problem that needs to be fixed.”
“The same could be said about the entire HSC service across Northern Ireland, and, indeed, the entire National Health Service across the United Kingdom. As each day passes, we become more aware of the fact that pressures are being felt UK-wide. <BR /> <BR />The motion references the need to address:”
“Deputy Speaker, thank you very much. I thank the motion's sponsors. It is always important to test our mutual understanding of the issues and our passion for finding fixes. I am sure that there is not a single Member who does not recognise that the health of our people is the single most important issue that we face, although at Budget time some may make an exception. <BR /> <BR />I am loath to pick any specific area or service of the health and social care system for special attention because healthcare is a continuum and there are so many moving parts that are all interdependent. Changing one part may improve that aspect of health and social care, but it may also have unintended and negative consequences for others. The motion states:”
“Instead of placing additional burdens on the health service, some patients will be able to be treated with novel medicines manufactured in their home, aligning with the concept of moving care from hospitals to communities — the shift left that you often hear me discuss. We could see a greater number of hospitals being able to use new medicines, safe in the knowledge that they comply with a regulatory framework that is appropriate to innovative manufacturing methods, and which maintains patient safety. In short, the regulations support wider access to life-saving, innovative medicines. They make an enabling change that caters for new ways of manufacture and supply and has the flexibility for future technological developments. They are a vital step forward in making sure that regulation not only supports but actively encourages innovation.”
“While the Windsor framework resolves concerns around the long-term risk to Northern Ireland medicine supply expressed by the pharmaceutical industry through the disapplication of the EU falsified medicines directive and a move to UK-wide licensing of medicines, it is true that other aspects of EU law relating to the manufacture of medicines continue to apply here in Northern Ireland. That includes directive 2001/83/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the Community code relating to medicinal products for human use. Therefore, we will, of course, keep a close eye on developments from within the EU. <BR /> <BR />I firmly believe that the introduction of these legislative changes to enable the introduction of a new tailored regulatory framework to support point-of-care and modular manufacturing is a very, very positive step.”
“<BR /> <BR />Mrs Dodds talked about alignment with the European Union. It is my understanding that this legislation achieves the same aim for decentralised manufacture as that of the European Union's proposal in its future pharmaceutical reforms, which is to ensure that current standards of safety, quality and efficacy are maintained while, at the same time, delivering the framework that enables innovative manufacturing across multiple decentralised sites. <BR /> <BR />I emphasise, again, that it is UK-wide legislation.”
“Madam Principal Deputy Speaker, thank you. I will be finished before 2.00 pm. I thank the Chair of the Committee and the others who have spoken for their broader support for what we are achieving. <BR /> <BR />I want to address two specifics. I will take them in reverse order. Mr Carroll mentioned a constituent of his. I have not seen his communication yet, but, as a more general point, as there are no medicines currently being manufactured under modular manufacturing or point of care, I do not see how there is any impact on the patient whom he has referenced and their care. His point goes beyond what we are discussing today. I am more than happy to look at the potential removal of a medicine, which, if I heard him correctly, is being carried out on the grounds of expense.”
“On both occasions, the Committee indicated that it was content for the SI to be laid in draft form at the Assembly Business Office to allow for the debate today following the Christmas recess. It is, therefore, with the Committee's support that I bring the statutory instrument before the wider Assembly today. <BR /> <BR />I commend the motion to the Assembly.”
“<BR />There was a UK-wide joint public consultation on the proposal, and it received significant support. In the consultation responses, 91% agreed that a new framework was required, and 94% agreed with the proposed framework. My officials attended the Health Committee at its meeting on 21 November, where they outlined the full policy intent of the draft SI, and again on 12 December to provide some further necessary clarification on the new framework to be introduced by the statutory instrument prior to it possibly being debated in the Assembly. I am pleased to confirm that the Committee raised no issues on the policy intent at its meeting on 21 November and was content with the further clarification given by officials on 12 December.”