Robin Swann
North Antrim · Ulster Unionist Party · Northern Ireland
“I thank the Minister for his detailed statement. I know how passionate he is about the subject and how many times he has brought it to the Executive.”
“It has been reported that today will potentially be the warmest day of the year. As we move into the summer and our summer holidays, I want to raise public awareness of wildfires across Northern Ireland, which have been detrimental to farmland and our environment over the past number of years.”
“Wildfires are still having a detrimental impact on our environment and, occasionally, on livestock, but that reduction shows the impact of the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service's proactive approach to educating the general public and engaging with rural communities and schools on its fire safety message, which is to stay alert, not…”
“There has been a lot of talk of sport in this place over the past few days, with everybody concentrating on UEFA. One sport that is going on across Northern Ireland at the minute is cross-community and goes across all age groups without fear, favour or distinction: pigeon racing.”
“I want to put on record that, since this place passed the amendment that recognised pigeon racing as a sport under the 2016 Act, over the past five years, pigeon racing clubs across Northern Ireland have been able to obtain £113,000 of rates rebates through the sports and recreation rate relief, allowing many of those clubs to continue ra…”
“There was much coverage on social media over the weekend of an incident in Staines in England, in which a police car rammed a young calf to bring it under control. It has restarted the conversation about animal cruelty. <BR /> <BR />I am dealing with a specific case in my constituency.”
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“I very much want to see the full restoration of respite services to give those carers a much-needed break. <BR /> <BR />The review has entered its final stage and is due to submit a final report in the coming days for departmental consideration.”
“A number of carers were invited to join the task force to ensure that their views were considered equally to those of practitioners and policymakers. A significant exercise has been undertaken to assess the current level of service provision, the implementation of infection and prevention control guidance, vaccination uptake, routine testing participation, and, ultimately, the risks associated with increased service provision. Additionally, the Patient and Client Council conducted a survey of approximately 100 families to understand their views about the restoration of services. Families are clear that they seek a full restoration of adult centres, short breaks and transport, but they want that to be underpinned by good infection control practice, high levels of vaccination and routine staff and client testing.”
“I thank the Member for her question. This issue has been raised in this Parliament and at the Pensioners' Parliament. In June 2021, I announced that the Public Health Agency had been tasked with reviewing adult centres, short breaks and transport. The aim of the review is to identify a safe pathway to restoring services to pre-pandemic levels. A multi-agency task force was established to convene key stakeholders from health trusts, the Health and Social Care Board, the PHA and the Department. Aligned to that, the Patient and Client Council established an engagement panel with families of people with learning disabilities to ensure that the voices of carers informed the guided pathway to restore services.”
“<BR /> <BR />As we know, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on all corners of life and on all ages and professions, but none more so than our health and social care workers. That is in the context of the major pressures, including significant workforce pressures, that remain across our HSC system. Adequately supporting those workers is more important than ever, which is why I utilised that £15 million, split evenly across all five trusts.”
“I thank the Member for his question. As he states, I provided £15 million of additional funding, split evenly between the five main trusts, to support our HSC staff. Our HSC retains a number of separate and distinct charitable funds across the health estate that cover a multitude of themes and locations. Those funds have an important role in providing services, training and support that cannot ordinarily be funded using public funding. They have made a very significant contribution to healthcare in Northern Ireland. They have contributed to the health sector for a number of years, relying on the general public's goodwill alone. To supplement the work of those funds and to further support staff as we move out of the pandemic, I distributed that funding evenly between the five main trusts to be used specifically to provide support to staff.”
“I thank the Member for her question. She may be aware that, last week, I announced, along with the Chief Nursing Officer, a specific task force to look at nursing retention in our nursing and midwifery task group, because theirs is a specific skill set. We need not just to recruit but to retain. Up until that point, recruitment and retention were looked at as being the one strategy, but I asked the Chief Nursing Officer, in conjunction with our trade unions, to look at what can be done to retain our nurses in the workforce, taking into consideration the pressures that they are under and the supports that they need, while also recognising the vital part that they play in our health and social care workforce.”
“That puts incredible pressure not just on beds but on staff, as they try to deal with and triage emergency cases. A number of psychological supports are available to all staff across the trusts and the region. I encourage staff to make best use of them.”
“The Member asks two questions there. We take the No More Silos approach to waiting times for patients going into our EDs. That action plan contains the Phone First triage service and other aspects that are working to try to alleviate the pain and the pressure that we see currently in our EDs. <BR /> <BR />I am sure that the Member is aware that I was joined by the First Minister and the deputy First Minister when I visited the ED in the Royal to see the pressures there. The strain and pressure on those staff is immense, because they are the front line for people. The main stress that they report, which is the same across a number of EDs, is the number of beds that they have to manage. They are almost having to manage a ward in the emergency department before they can move patients through.”
“Without sustained and long-term investment in workforce growth, however, safe staffing will not be attainable and the optimum workforce model, as envisaged in the workforce strategy, will not be achieved.”
“As I have done repeatedly in the past, I must acknowledge the selflessness, commitment and compassion that our staff have shown throughout the past year. I am aware, however, that such commitment and compassion during a challenging period in our history has not come without a cost. <BR /> <BR />HSC staff are, first and foremost, people. I fully appreciate the challenges associated with exposure to trauma in the day-to-day work of our health and social care professionals. I also acknowledge their skills, developed with peer support over long careers, and the mentoring of junior staff as being key factors in promoting and maintaining workforce well-being. I remain committed to developing and enhancing psychological and well-being supports for staff and to working alongside the Regional Workforce Wellbeing Network on that aim.”
“I thank the Member for her question. Provisional absence figures for the period from April to August 2021 suggest that the total absence rates across the HSC sector are greater this year compared with the same period in recent years. There is a wide range of reasons for that, but Members will not be surprised to learn that the available data points to mental health as being the primary reason for sickness absence in HSC. Just over one third of the hours that were lost to sick absence are recorded against the mental health category. <BR /> <BR />Although mental health is already a recognised issue in the general population, the situation has been exacerbated by the pandemic. That is not unexpected, given the nature of HSC work and the physical and emotional demands of the job.”
“Whilst we know that our health and social care workforce is committed, that was demonstrated to lengths that we would never have thought were imaginable. <BR /> <BR />As I speak, I hope that some of the issues highlighted in the Bill have been shown to be recognised and are being addressed. However, as I said earlier, I look forward to working with the Bill's sponsor in the time ahead as she progresses the Bill through its legislative stages. I encourage Members to support the Bill at its next stage when it gets there.”
“Whilst I recognise that we all wish to see progress being made in supporting autistic people and their families, I can assure the House that my Department, all Departments and the wider health and social care sector are committed to driving change. Reflecting on Mr Weir's point — it was about the strange place that we are going and an analogy with weddings and different things; I was not sure where it would end up — the changes have not been driven by legislation or the need for further legislation. They have been made because the need for change was recognised. We have services that have been stretched to their limits over the past year, and that continues. Our COVID-19 figures show that we still have some way to go until we recover.”
“It is simply the start of the journey, because individuals and families face confusion and concern as they embark on that road. Whilst they are at an early stage, discussions have commenced about how we can provide services across the region that will navigate individuals and families through the system and to sources of support at their greatest time of need and, perhaps more importantly, in a way that best suits their needs at that time.”
“<BR /> <BR />While I reinforce that we must work together to improve services for autistic people, their families and their carers, I am conscious that considerable progress has still to be made to improve the situation of ever-increasing waiting lists for assessment. Individuals, families and carers need support. To do that, we need to focus more on early intervention. That is also a focus of the autism strategy for our health and social care sector. In recent months, the Health and Social Care Board has liaised with trusts with extensive waiting lists and those where disparity has been evident in access of service across the region. Their findings will be provided to me once that work is completed. I must acknowledge, however, that a diagnosis is not a golden ticket for support and access to services.”
“We must enhance how we support autistic people in the workplace and in our communities, as well as how we develop and deliver services. <BR /> <BR />To underpin the preparations for a longer-term strategy and to ensure that a wide audience has the opportunity to express their views on the priorities that need to be addressed within the strategy, my Department launched a consultative questionnaire to provide an opportunity for views to be contributed to shape that longer-term strategy. The questionnaire will remain open until 8 October 2021. Following an analysis of the responses, my officials will submit recommendations to me, outlining priorities for the next strategy. Those recommendations will be based on what people say that we need to do. That will happen prior to work commencing on the longer-term strategy.”
“It has been welcomed by members of the forum, and all of us here today should welcome and embrace the progress. <BR /> <BR />In addition to that, in recent months, my Department commenced collaborative work on the development of an understanding autism e-learning package that will be accessible to all staff across Departments and will signpost to more specific and comprehensive training for those who work in areas that need it, such as those on the front line or in public-facing services. I have also been advised that some areas of our Departments are already working towards accredited training. The learning package will be co-produced by the autism forum and civil servants with lived experience of autism. As Departments, we recognise that we must increase our understanding of autism.”
“<BR /> <BR />The autism forum was established with the intent that it would be an independent group that could influence and scrutinise the work undertaken by Departments in relation to autism. It is in the best position to advise whether our actions are making a difference or whether we need to redirect priorities. It will advise whether there is a need for research or where the inclusion of recently published research must be focused. Collectively, that group and the Departments will co-produce and co-design actions along with the outcome-based measures in relation to autism. They will also influence how we can develop our services further. Progress can only be effectively assessed if there are measures in place that can be evaluated.”
“Unfortunately, some actions have been delayed. Once completed, the actions will be monitored and evaluated to ensure that they make a difference to the people that matter: autistic people, their families and their carers. <BR /> <BR />That leads me to the establishment of an autism forum by my Department in recent months. The forum is comprised of people with lived experience and community and voluntary sector representatives who represent them. The forum is co-chaired by my Department and two autistic advocates. The forum has held two workshops: the first was to establish the terms of reference for the forum and the second was to determine the priorities for a longer-term autism strategy. The next meeting will take place in a couple of weeks.”
“Since then, however, my officials have been working across Departments and the health and social care sector to finalise a series of outcome-based, measurable actions that will be aligned to the Programme for Government and will support the key priorities set out in the strategy. It has been acknowledged that this is not solely in the remit of the Department of Health, and I want to thank the different voices that we heard today from members of the Education and Communities Committees. <BR /> <BR />This work has been undertaken during a period when services are rebuilding due to the impact of the pandemic. Many of the actions that were previously prepared for implementation have been reshaped or amended due to learning throughout this period, which relates particularly to the impact of the pandemic on autistic people.”
“More importantly, however, we are acutely aware of the need for autistic people to be included in the development of policies, strategies and the services that affect them, in order to ensure that those are people-centred from the outset. <BR /> <BR />I last spoke on an Assembly motion in May about the work that is being undertaken by my Department, which is in collaboration with people with lived experience. I would like to take this opportunity to update the House on the work that we have been doing. As you will know, my Department published an interim autism strategy in March of this year for a two-year period in order to allow for the development of a longer-term strategy. That, unfortunately, has been severely constrained as a result of the pandemic.”
“<BR /> <BR />Nevertheless, there is always room for further progress, and I can assure you that I and my Department are fully aware of the work that needs to be undertaken to address that. My Department has been, I feel, open and honest in declaring that more could and should have been achieved. That has also been my assessment, since coming into the Department of Health last year. <BR /> <BR />From extensive engagement with people who have lived experience of autism and from the relationships that have been built in recent years with the community and voluntary sector organisations, we are informed about the areas in which progress needs to be made.”
“However, we must also acknowledge how far we have come in our awareness of autism — Peter Weir mentioned that in his contribution — and in recognising the changes that we must make in our society if we are to enable autistic people and their families to feel supported, included and accepted. <BR /> <BR />I have heard the criticisms of the previous autism strategy, but I am also aware of the many welcome steps that were in it. I thank those who acknowledged that changes are being made to embrace how we address autistic people's needs in the delivery of services, how we interact with our communities and how opportunities have been provided. That will continue to evolve through Mrs Cameron's Bill.”
“I want to add to that by acknowledging my predecessor in North Antrim, Reverend Robert Coulter, who was a champion for autism during his tenure here and as chairman of the board of governors of Castle Tower School in Ballymena. It is through Bob's work that, even before being elected here, I was aware of the prevalence of autism in our society. <BR /> <BR />As I have said many times before, I am also conscious of the challenges that the growing waiting lists for assessment and support pose to individuals and families, and I have stated in the House that that situation is unacceptable.”
“I welcome the opportunity to respond to the Second Stage of the Autism (Amendment) Bill today, and I thank Pam Cameron for getting the Bill to this point, along with many families in our communities who have worked tirelessly to strengthen and improve the awareness and delivery of autism services across Northern Ireland. There is much to be welcomed in the Bill, and I hope that I and my officials can work closely on it with the Member in the weeks and months ahead. <BR /> <BR />I acknowledge the comments from Mr Sheehan and Mr Boylan about the cross-departmental nature of the work that needs to be done to make sure that the Bill's objectives are delivered. There has been acknowledgement of the work of former Members and previous iterations of the Assembly to get autism services to this stage.”
“COVID-19 restrictions are being eased. We can meet more people and go to more places. We can cautiously start to return to a more normal way of life. By making safer choices, following public health advice and complying with the regulations, we can all do our part to help lower the spread of COVID-19. I commend the regulations to the Assembly.”
“Revised modelling was presented to the Executive towards the end of August. It should be published on my Department's website, just as we have produced the weekly R paper, along with outbreak and cluster reports. <BR /> <BR />I do not want to emphasise Mr Justin McNulty's comments about our waiting lists, but I will finish on them. Why are our waiting lists 100 times worse with a population 30 times smaller? The simple answer is this: 10 years of underinvestment. It is as a result of underinvestment by this House time and time again. We are now paying the price of those decisions. <BR /> <BR />I hope that I have answered as many of Members' queries and questions as possible. In closing the debate, I remind Members that the choices that we make now will be crucial in ensuring that the virus does not begin to spread again.”
“Mr Chambers's comments covered how the changes in regulations are brought about. I saw smiles appear across the Chamber when he said that there was simply an expectation that I went to the Executive Committee, and everybody fell in behind me. If only that were so. Especially for the implications for health from the Barnett consequential, I hope that it is so, because we need it. It will not address all the asks that we know are required, but it will go some way to meeting some of the shortfall that we see. <BR /> <BR />I thank Ms Bradshaw for her comments about the importance of team sports and the ability to engage in them that the easing of the regulations has brought about. I say that because of sport's holistic impact on society. <BR /> <BR />Our modelling was updated on vaccination rates.”
“We have always taken that pressure. <BR /> <BR />I thank her for acknowledging the pressures on our health service, again owing to unvaccinated individuals ending up in ICU, where 70% of COVID patients are unvaccinated. That is the pressure that we are now seeing. <BR /> <BR />The changes in regulations have also been about how the Executive have responded as a whole. I acknowledge and congratulate Pam's husband for the play that he put on. Friends and colleagues who were at it talked about how it was a positive COVID experience, because it was compliant. That is where Cara Hunter's comments about COVID-compliant events come in. The onus is on organisers of events to make sure that they are in keeping with the regulations so that we can see that they are safer than if the regulations were not in place.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Deputy Chair of the Health Committee, Ms Pam Cameron, referred to the changes that have been made. They are proportionate with how and where we see outdoors being safer than indoors.”
“However, it was not to be, because the Justice Minister said that she saw a conflict between chairing a working group that included the PSNI, local government, SOLACE and a number of other organisations. That group meets, does its work and reports to the Executive Committee. It does not sit under my remit or protocol, but it looks at compliance and enforcement. Some of the information that it has brought forward is that when other places have moved face coverings from regulations to guidance, compliance has fallen by 30%. I do not think that our compliance in Northern Ireland is high enough to afford it falling by another 30%. That is why that work still needs to be done and why the face covering regulations, as amended, go as far as they can and should at this point in time.”
“We have heard the examples that have come forward; so many heartbreaking stories of the individuals who, over the past number of days and weeks, have remained unvaccinated and ended up in hospital, ended up in the ICU and, unfortunately, lost their lives. By that stage, it is too late. I say to people: get vaccinated now, because the opportunity is there. <BR /> <BR />I will go back to the debate on the regulations. The Chair of the Health Committee talked about compliance and enforcement. There is a section in TEO that looks at that. Over a year ago, the Health Department asked that that working group be set up. My thought process was that, if it was chaired by the Justice Minister, it would have brought a more strategic look to it.”
“How can you hit them on the one hand and praise them on the other? It is not my experience that a disproportionate percentage of our healthcare workers are unvaccinated. Many of them have taken the responsible step — more so than the public in general in Northern Ireland. It may be something that the Member picked up or said wrong, but it is not my experience. It was not my experience last night, when I spent time in the ED, resuscitation ward and ICU wards of Antrim Area Hospital, or this morning in the Ulster Hospital. The staff whom I was talking to are feeling the strains and the stresses that we know are out there — we have all that bit to do — but their biggest frustration —.”
“<BR /> <BR />I thank the Chair and other Members for their contributions with regard to the thanks that our staff deserve, and also for reflecting the duty and responsibility that we have, and that the people of Northern Ireland still have, to observe the regulations that are still in place to help us try to maintain some level of control over the virus. That comes back to the points that Ms Bradshaw made about face coverings, social distancing, good hand hygiene and observing the pieces that are there, and those that were reflected by other commentators today about the vaccine and coming forward to take it. <BR /> <BR />Mr McNulty made a comment, which I hope he got wrong, about the disproportionate percentage of healthcare workers who remain unvaccinated, and then he went on to praise them. I cannot match that, Justin.”
“I will not shirk my duty as Health Minister in coming forward and bringing forward these regulations, because it must be done, but it is a multi-faced approach. An ask is made through the Executive COVID task force; advice is put in from Health, Economy and Communities; there is discussion at the Executive table; there is the decision at the Executive table; we draft the regs and the changes that are necessary; and then the debate is had here. On the past number of occasions, it has fallen to me to lead that debate. Members asked more widely, and rightly so, about greater clarity on discussions on how decisions were made and what the implications were. That is for a wider remit than solely mine as Minister of Health. I can speak to the changing of the regulations that have been brought forward.”
“The SRs are wide-ranging and cover the remit of a number of Departments. I was disappointed to receive a response, on 8 September, from the First Minister and the deputy First Minister to say that my request for the junior Ministers to lead today's debate, as they have done in the past, would not be accepted because they were:”
“The SRs that we are debating were made to cover recommendations that predominantly originated from within the Executive's COVID-19 task force, which is led by TEO.”
“I welcome today's debate on the seven amendments to the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) Regulations and the two amendments to the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Wearing of Face Coverings) Regulations. I thank Members for their contributions and comments. I will turn to some of the points that Members made. <BR /> <BR />I will cover a couple of issues that were raised by the Chair of the Health Committee, Ms Paula Bradshaw and Alan Chambers on these regulations. I have said this many times in the House. Mr Chambers spoke about the three-pronged approach, but I think that it is a bit wider than that. I remind the House that it is the Executive Office that holds lead responsibility on operational management of the process leading to these Executive decisions and amendments to the regulations.”
“While we have come a long way, the public health situation remains fragile, with the delta variant being dominant and remaining a cause for significant concern. It is important to monitor the progress of that and any other variants closely and to examine emerging data on the impacts of previous relaxations on the course of the epidemic. I commend the regulations to the Assembly.”
“Modelling indicates that, if we can achieve 90% first dose take-up, it could reduce hospital admissions by 50%. Vaccination coverage in Northern Ireland continues to be slightly lower than in other parts of the United Kingdom. Again, I ask everyone to please come forward and take up both doses of the vaccine, and, as always, we ask everyone to continue following the public health advice to keep yourself and everyone else safe. <BR /> <BR />I hope that Members agree with me that the nine sets of amendment regulations bring a welcome group of relaxations for our families and businesses. They provide an opportunity to enjoy the additional benefits of socialising with our friends and relatives while always remaining cautious about any signs of increased transmission of COVID-19.”
“They enabled vehicle examiners in a vehicle testing centre to remove their face coverings except when in a vehicle with a member of the public. <BR /> <BR />As Health Minister, I see at first hand how the COVID pandemic has compounded pressures on our hospital systems and how, sadly, that has resulted in even more people waiting longer for the care and treatment that they need. It is not an acceptable situation for me or for the Executive, and I am grateful to my Executive colleagues for their commitment and support in implementing a programme of investment and reform. <BR /> <BR />Vaccinations remain our primary line of defence. As we now reach the final phase, we are pushing hard to ensure that as high an uptake rate as possible is achieved.”
“The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Wearing of Face Coverings) (Amendment No.3) Regulations (Northern Ireland), which were commenced on 23 July, made a technical change to extend the expiry date of the regulations to 24 March 2022. At the Executive meeting on 26 July 2021, it was decided to relax the regulation on wearing face coverings in places of worship during acts of worship and to recommend that as guidance only. Face coverings will still be legally required when entering and exiting the building, and they are strongly advised while singing or moving around the premises. <BR /> <BR />The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Wearing of Face Coverings) (Amendment No. 4) Regulations were made and commenced on 27 July. They removed the requirement to wear a face covering in a place of worship or a place where beliefs are practised.”
“They included the collection of visitor information, the provision of allocated seating for visitors to the venue, unless attending an exhibition, and the restriction on visitors' movement within the premises, except to enter or exit the premises, access a seat, access an exhibition stand or exhibit, make a payment or access and use toilet, baby-changing or breastfeeding facilities or a smoking area. They also removed the limit on persons who may be seated at a table to consume food and drink, removed the restriction on outdoor house parties, raves or gatherings at a private dwelling. They also removed references to "bubbles" and made some technical changes. <BR /> <BR />I turn to the face coverings regulations.”
“12) regulations on 27 July, which made provisions to permit the opening of theatres and concert halls, subject to certain restrictions, and to increase the number permitted at a gathering indoors at a private dwelling to 10 persons from three households, not including children. <BR /> <BR />On 30 July, the amendment (No. 13) regulations introduced new relaxations to the regulations to permit music at indoor venues in addition to theatres and concert halls, subject to certain restrictions. They reduced the required social distancing to 1 metre in hospitality venues and made a number of technical corrections. <BR /> <BR />The amendment (No. 14) regulations were introduced on 16 August. They introduced new relaxations to the regulations to permit conferences and exhibitions with certain mitigations and restrictions.”
“Following advice from the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) and the Chief Scientific Adviser (CSA) and after careful consideration, ministerial colleagues agreed to confirm a number of modest relaxations in domestic settings and close contact services. On 23 July, the amendment (No. 11) regulations were made to permit, from 26 July, up to 15 persons from any number of households to meet outdoors at a private dwelling, not including children up to 12 years of age. They also removed the requirement for appointments to be made for close contact services. <BR /> <BR />The Executive met again on 26 July to consider whether further relaxations could be made. Given the data presented, ministerial colleagues agreed that some additional relaxations could be made. Those changes were introduced by the amendment (No.”
“They removed various restrictions on events for which an occasional licence is in place, and they removed unnecessary provisions in relation to gatherings. They increased from three to five the number of households permitted to meet outdoors at private dwellings, with the maximum number of people remaining at 15. <BR /> <BR />On 7 July, the amendment (No. 10) regulations introduced a provision that the organiser of an outdoor event for which there is an occasional liquor licence must require audience members to purchase a ticket in advance and must retain visitor information. <BR /> <BR />The Executive, at their meeting on 22 July, considered the ratification of further relaxations on the pathway out of restrictions.”
“<BR /> <BR />On 1 July, the Executive decided that some of the relaxations could go ahead. Those changes were introduced by the amendment (No. 8) regulations and amendment (No. 9) regulations. The amendment (No. 8) regulations came into operation on 2 July 2021. They removed the limit on persons who may participate in an outdoor gathering, including a sporting event, and made a technical change to correct a previous reference error in the regulation governing gatherings. The amendment (No. 9) regulations came into operation on 5 July. They removed references to sporting events so that all gatherings are treated the same, regardless of purpose. They removed the redundant references to review dates. They permitted live music at licensed and unlicensed premises.”
“Today, Members are considering nine statutory rules that are a result of Executive decisions taken between 1 July and 12 August. Mr Deputy Speaker, with your permission, I will focus my remarks on the key changes made by the amendments. <BR /> <BR />Members will be aware that, at an Executive meeting on 10 June, the Executive agreed a number of relaxations relating to indoor and outdoor gatherings and the playing of live music, which were subject to ratification on 17 June. On 17 June, owing to rising case numbers and concerns around the increased prevalence of the delta variant in Northern Ireland, the decision was taken to delay those relaxations for a further two weeks and to consider them again on 1 July. That would allow for further progress to be made on the vaccination roll-out before additional relaxations were introduced.”
“I beg to introduce the Adoption and Children Bill [NIA 37/17-22], which is a Bill to restate and amend the law relating to adoption; to make further amendments of the law relating to children; and for connected purposes.”
“<BR /> <BR />Once again, I am grateful to everyone who has contributed to the debate on what, I believe, is important legislation. I ask Members to support the Organ and Tissue Donation (Deemed Consent) Bill, and I welcome the opportunity to work with the Committee during its scrutiny of the Bill.”