Stewart Dickson
East Antrim · Alliance Party · Northern Ireland
“Thank you, Minister, for your answer. Minister, you will have noted that the Government recently announced a VAT cut for some family expenses for a range of activities over the summer. That is perhaps a change.”
“Many do not know how to apply; others do not even realise that the opportunities exist. If the process itself is a barrier to participation, it is really not open to all.”
“I was born in 1950 in Thorndale House, which was one of the homes that is named in the legislation. I was born to married parents, and Thorndale House was a maternity home. It was where you went to have your baby in 1950 on the Antrim Road. My mum and dad went there, I was born and, a few days later, I left with loving parents.”
“I agree with Mr Brett: amendment No 6 is important because it will deal with persons who refuse to provide information or evidence to the inquiry. Amendment No 8 to clause 20 is a tidying-up amendment that will allow the Committee to make interim reports, which will be of benefit to the inquiry process.”
“That is why I want the inquiry to succeed and why it is vital that it succeeds. That is why it is important for us to see that cruelty in the full glare of a public inquiry. That is why it is important that the scheme goes through without further delay. <BR /> <BR />Finally, I place on record my thanks to the Committee Chair.”
“The Assembly faces stark choices, and agreeing the draft Budget as it stands is not a silver bullet, nor is it sustainable for us to continue in the absence of a Budget. It is vital, therefore, that we break the cycle of crisis and collapse that has been destroying our public finances.”
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“Patients in Northern Ireland face the longest waits for cancer diagnosis and treatment of any nation in the United Kingdom. In 2025, only 31% of patients began treatment within 62 days of a red-flag referral, compared with 83% in 2013. Smoking continues to cause 1,500 cancer cases each year in Northern Ireland. Rolling out targeted lung screening could help us to diagnose an additional 210 patients at an early stage.”
“Today, I will chair the Assembly's all-party group on cancer. We will receive a presentation from the Northern Ireland Cancer Network and will examine the issues behind some of the most harrowing cancer statistics in Northern Ireland. I would like to share with the House some of those statistics and the work and concerns of some of the key charities working with cancer patients in Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />The evidence in Northern Ireland tells us that cancer cases have reached their highest level on record, with some 10,700 people diagnosed each year. That means that 29 people a day are diagnosed with cancer in Northern Ireland, which is a sobering thought. Incidence rates have risen 14% since the 1990s, partly driven by preventable risk factors such as smoking and obesity.”
“Minister, how realistic is it that you will be able to deliver your social housing targets and programme, given the failure of Northern Ireland Water to tackle waste water issues and the implications that that has for all new housing?”
“Minister, will you give the House an update on Northern Ireland Water's waste water policy, known as the statement of regulatory principles and intent (SORPI) and its ability to permit pollution? The House needs an update on that.”
“Thank you very much, Minister, for setting out the issues with cost, not only of appeals but of firearms licences. You are absolutely right that it is necessary that we have full cost recovery. Otherwise, we are simply taking the money away from other front-line services or out of the taxpayer's pocket. Do you therefore agree that it is important that the PSNI get full cost recovery from firearms licensing?”
“Many organisations that deliver work under the central good relations fund need to heat and light their offices to deliver services in the community. Will the fund recognise and reflect the constraint in budgets and the fact that many such charges are rising through the roof?”
“Minister, in general terms, how are vacancy rates in your Department affecting your ability to deliver?”
“On how the Department looks after our prison officers, what well-being support services are available for prison officers, who, obviously, undertake a challenging and stressful role?”
“Having listened to Mr Gaston, I am interested in getting his assessment, as a former member of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, of the value that he places on the £5·1 million that that local authority has in this year's budget to deliver PEACE PLUS projects across Mid and East Antrim, which covers part of the constituency that he represents?”
“That demonstrates clearly that, where Governments make decisions, something matters and progress follows. I would like the First Minister and deputy First Minister to hear the message from the Chamber this evening, and I would like them to make decisions about PEACE PLUS and make the case for a ring-fenced central allocation directly at the highest level and not to leave it to officials or correspondence, as is often their wont. PEACE PLUS exists because of the Good Friday Agreement. The Special EU Programmes Body that manages it is one of the cross-border bodies established under the agreement. This is not a standard EU regional development fund that is to be quietly absorbed into a national allocation; it is something unique to this place. It builds on a unique set of circumstances, and it deserves to be treated responsibly.”
“That work matters and is to be commended, but the multi-year financial framework negotiations will not conclude until the end of 2026 at the earliest, and there is considerable road to be travelled before anything is settled. The time for the Government to make their case is now, not after the budget has been decided and the opportunities for influence have passed. <BR /> <BR />It is disappointing that the Executive Office is not here to hear the debate. The reset of the relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union represents a genuine opportunity. We have already seen progress on ERASMUS, the emissions trading schemes and the sanitary and phytosanitary arrangements, and I welcome the fact that the Prime Minister has announced new rules to keep in step with the EU that will be introduced through secondary legislation.”
“That ring-fenced allocation is not in the European Commission's current proposal for the 2028-2034 multi-annual financial framework. The Commission's position as things stand is that Ireland should fund any successor from its wider EU allocation and the British Government's contribution should be as before. I am not totally confident about leaving it to either of those Governments, particularly when you consider the UK Government's betrayal regarding the 64% drop in the local growth fund. We will need a specific guarantee and EU commitment. That is the only way to give our community organisations the certainty that they need to plan for the future. <BR /> <BR />I welcome the work that done by MEPs on the European Parliament Committee on Regional Development to secure central allocations and any successor programme.”
“That is what we are being asked to support and protect. In my constituency of East Antrim, millions of pounds or euros have been spent and will continue to be spent on and invested in community regeneration, peaceful communities and respect for cultural buildings. <BR /> <BR />The motion notes that there is an agreement in principle for a successor programme beyond 2027. That is welcome; the Alliance Party welcomes it. However, an agreement in principle is not a guarantee of funding. I want to be clear about the specific concern that Members need to understand. In previous Peace programmes, the EU provided a dedicated central allocation — money was ring-fenced in the EU budgets specifically for the programme.”
“I am grateful for the opportunity to speak on the motion. The Alliance Party will support the motion. Having just listened to Mr Brett, I feel that it might be worthwhile to take a step back for a moment and look at what PEACE PLUS does, because sometimes in the Chamber we can get caught up in the debate and lose sight of what we are talking about. There have been 145 projects. We have shared spaces where communities that spent decades apart now share a building, a sports pitch and a park. There are community groups that would never otherwise have had the resources to do what they do. There are cross-border partnerships between people who have found out over the years that working together makes sense and young people in border communities getting opportunities that they would not otherwise have had.”
“They should be clear about exactly who will be cut in that eventuality. In the meantime, my colleagues and I would much rather use the personnel whom we have more effectively and efficiently, with the goal of delivering for the public and making their lives better. After all, that is why we are here. It is certainly why I am here: to deliver for my constituents and make their lives better. Frankly, that means an end to the politics of blockage and a shift to the politics of progress.”
“On the units in the Executive Office that purport to bring effective delivery across all Departments, it was, again, a DUP First Minister who presided over the separation between the head of the Civil Service and the permanent secretary of the Executive Office. That has added to costs but reduced accountability. Let us look at Maze/Long Kesh as a prime example. Prime development land is being held to ransom by the actions of successive DUP First Ministers and deputy First Ministers and their failure to deliver solutions. Problem-solving, not problem-making, should be the mantra of the Executive and of the First Minister and deputy First Minister. Problem-solving should be at the heart of efficient government. <BR /> <BR />The supporters of the motion want to engage in 20% cuts, but, inevitably, that will mean cutting jobs.”
“To be clear, I do not mean to be critical of the people carrying out their roles; I mean to point to the obvious systemic failure arising from fairly blatant mission creep. <BR /> <BR />The motion goes on to focus on the Civil Service. However, once again, it was a DUP First Minister who insisted that the Executive Office Ministers appoint the head of the Civil Service. The supporters of the motion should know that the Civil Service is structured to consist primarily of generalists and, therefore, necessarily has to engage outside expertise on specific issues. If they wish to change that, they need to take that up with the head of the Civil Service, whom their party had a role in appointing.”
“Let us look at the Strategic Investment Board (SIB), which was set up in the first Assembly mandate precisely to provide expert guidance on strategy and investment. Its very coming into existence as a small but expert organisation was designed to ensure that the catalogue of blunders that we had seen in capital projects, as outlined by the Audit Office, would not occur. Bizarrely, however, the SIB has morphed into something quite different, and it rarely has much to do with strategy or investment. Indeed, the SIB seems to have a role in transformation. That is certainly prominent on its website. If capital projects have failed and transformation has stalled, as the motion clearly implies, what does it say about SIB?”
“My colleague Eóin Tennyson and, indeed, others in the Chamber have outlined their view that, while much of the motion's text is common sense, fine words are one thing, but actions are another. <BR /> <BR />The motion would, perhaps, have been better directed at the Executive Office — of which Committee I am a member — in which, of course, the proposer's party has two Ministers and numerous special advisers. Unfortunately, the record of efficiency there is extremely weak: a full 23 years on from the first election in which the DUP qualified for a ministerial role in the Executive Office or, as it was then called, the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister (OFMDFM) there is no evidence of improvement. <BR /> <BR />An obvious issue emerges when we look at the motion.”
“There is a real opportunity here for the Minister to make significant strides before the next election. I urge him to take those asks seriously. People in Northern Ireland deserve a better end to their lives, and there is no second chance to get this right.”
“Yet too many face real barriers to accessing that support when they need it. The Health Committee of the Assembly published a 'Report on Access to Palliative Care Services' in December 2025. The direction of travel is clear: we need to invest in community-based services that allow people who are dying at home to be cared for at home or closer to home, rather than ending up in acute settings at the worst moment of their life. <BR /> <BR />Marie Curie has four asks of the Assembly and our Health Department: that palliative care is prioritised in government policy and planning; that crisis situations are avoided so that people can be cared for in the place of their choosing; that no one dies without support; and that, as a community, we are informed and empowered to know when and how to access those services before things reach crisis point.”
“I will use my Member's statement to mark Marie Curie's daffodil appeal for the month of March, an appeal that, this year, reaches its 40th anniversary. That is indeed a significant milestone, and it is right that the Assembly takes a moment to recognise that. <BR /> <BR />Marie Curie provides palliative care at the end of life to thousands of people across Northern Ireland in their homes and in the Belfast hospice. The nurses, volunteers and support staff who deliver that care do so with immense dedication. That support means so much not just to the patient, the person who is at the end of their life, but to the whole family around them. <BR /> <BR />The scale of the challenge is significant. Research shows that around 90% of people in Northern Ireland would benefit from a palliative care approach at the end of life.”
“The Member makes an important point. The moment that the world lifts its head away from the rules-based order that brought us to where we have been since the Second World War and proceeds without respect for human rights, democracy and the rule of law, we will enter into the anarchy of what the American regime, under its current president, has been doing to all of us. We must re-centre this world back into human rights, democracy and the rule of law.”
“Thank you for your answer, Minister. You stated previously that you had asked the hospitality industry to bring forward evidence to make the case for a change in methodology. When do you expect that evidence to come forward, and how long will it take you and your officials to review the evidence in order to ensure that changes can be made?”
“Thank you, Minister, for that very detailed answer. As you said, secondary legislation is due in the House tomorrow. What will be the consequences if we do not support that legislation on the extension of the emissions trading scheme to the maritime sector?”
“Thank you, Minister, for your answer. You are right: the quality of recycling material is important, and it is important that we boost that across all our local authorities. Can the Minister tell the House when we will receive guidance for our local authorities?”
“Thank you, Minister, for your answer. Since coming to the Assembly, I have taken a great deal of interest in the speeding up justice programme. Will you provide more detail on the out-of-court disposal work that you and your Department are doing?”
“We would be very foolish to assume that there will be no consequences from drawing often unregulated substances into our lungs. <BR /> <BR />Finally, I pay tribute to the clinicians, patients and charities doing their best in a very stretched system. As a cancer survivor, I am acutely aware of the difference that dedicated staff and timely care can make, but we cannot ask people to bridge structural gaps through goodwill alone. Our constituents deserve a service that matches where they live and how they age and that gives them a fair chance when they are faced with a lung cancer diagnosis.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Chief Medical Officer (CMO) for England has recently argued that health resources need to be shifted towards our rural and coastal areas to reflect changing demographics, as there are older populations and higher illness burdens there. That argument applies equally here. If the fastest growth is needed in our coastal areas and rural communities, including mine in East Antrim, strategic healthcare planning must catch up with that reality. <BR /> <BR />There is also a clear warning for the future. Although smoking remains the main cause of lung cancer, doctors and researchers are increasingly worried about the way in which highly addictive vapes are being targeted at young people. We are all aware of stories of schools in which pupils struggle to get through a lesson without vaping.”
“People who live in the most deprived areas are about twice as likely as people in other areas to develop lung cancer. The steepest rises in cases in Northern Ireland are in the Northern Health and Social Care Trust and the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust, where the populations are older and more spread out, yet five times more care-of-the-elderly doctors, physicians and other specialists are concentrated in Belfast than in those trust areas. That imbalance simply does not reflect where ageing people, and the people who are becoming unwell, live. <BR /> <BR />Too few patients are referred urgently for the beginning of their treatment within the 62-day target. For lung cancer, those weeks are critical. If people live in a rural or coastal area, that can mean longer journeys, more waiting and, all too often, worse outcomes.”
“As chair of the all-party group (APG) on cancer, I will talk about lung cancer. Over the past 20 years, the number of lung cancer diagnoses in rural and coastal areas has effectively doubled, largely driven by an ageing population. That is putting great pressure on services. Across Northern Ireland, some 1,300 people are diagnosed with lung cancer every year, and around 44% of cases are picked up at the most advanced stage, when the chances of curative treatment are very small. <BR /> <BR />Behind those statistics are families living in rural and coastal areas. They are waiting for appointments and scans and travelling long distances for them, and they often feel that the system is one step behind the disease. It is clear that where people live, and their circumstances, makes a huge difference.”
“That is why the people from across our community voted to Remain in 2016 and have voted in increasing numbers in eight elections since for parties that recognise the need for those special arrangements. As a proud and unapologetic European, I believe that only a full reversal of Brexit can undo the damage, tensions, contradictions and limitations that are posed across these islands. That is the message that the Assembly should be sending out in a unified voice. It is time to return.”
“That is why we are abstaining on both the motion and the amendment. We are not doing so out of disengagement or as a rejection of the motion's purpose. Let me make it clear: the Alliance Party believes that the Irish presidency matters, Executive engagement matters, North/South engagement matters, east-west engagement matters and stronger EU relations matter. <BR /> <BR />Before I conclude, I will address the focus of the Windsor framework and the UUP amendment. We know that the Windsor framework has been imperfect, just as all the other attempts to mitigate the impact of Brexit in Northern Ireland have been to varying degrees. Brexit amounts to a circle that cannot be squared.”
“We also support the recognition that this presidency can contribute to improving UK-EU relations. Given that Northern Ireland has so often found itself at the centre of those tensions, it would be no small thing to play a part in the solution for once. <BR /> <BR />The motion and the UUP amendment are a perfect case study in post-Good Friday Agreement politics, as they both focus on the different constitutional avenues for Northern Ireland's relationship with the EU to be strengthened. As a cross-community party, my party — the Alliance Party — recognises the legitimacy of both of those positions and reaffirms today the principle at the heart of the 1998 agreement, which is that any change to the constitutional status of Northern Ireland must be decided by the people of Northern Ireland through their consent.”
“Alliance has always held the belief that Northern Ireland thrives when relationships at every level function well: between Belfast and Dublin, Belfast and London, and the UK and the EU as a whole. We want to see this Irish presidency being used constructively to facilitate trade opportunities for business, strengthen links between our students and researchers and their European counterparts, and enable smarter cooperation on public services where it makes sense to do so. <BR /> <BR />We warmly welcome the motion's call on the Executive to engage proactively with the Irish Government and establish clear priorities. That is exactly the right instinct for cooperation. Those priorities should be agreed across Departments and shaped by genuine engagement with businesses and civic society.”
“I welcome the motion and the opportunity that it presents. I particularly welcome the Irish presidency of the Council of the European Union. That is a genuinely significant moment, and it is one that has occurred in the past. The Alliance Party believes that Northern Ireland should be drawing on the benefits of that presidency. <BR /> <BR />There is much in the motion and, indeed, the amendment that we can get behind. The presidency has real potential to help resolve some of the lingering practical difficulties of Brexit; strengthen east-west and North/South cooperation; open doors; and strengthen the already excellent work in areas such as research, energy, skills and cross-border public services — issues that matter directly to my constituents in East Antrim and to people across Northern Ireland.”
“Thank you, junior Minister, for recognising the work that the Committee did to deliver its report. It is important that victims and survivors can have their situation explained to the public inquiry, when we get to that stage. How will they be involved in shaping the inquiry's terms of reference?”
“Minister, you will have heard sustained criticism in the House of the waiting times for the commencement of treatment for cancer patients, particularly as they approach surgery, which you will understand. I appreciate that that is a difficult issue to resolve, but it is imperative for the patients who are waiting for surgery that it happen in a timely fashion and in accordance with the time limits that have been set out. What plans does the Minister have to expand theatre capacity on the Belfast City Hospital site?”
“Thank you, Minister, for your comprehensive response; it is greatly valued. Do you agree that, in the absence of a statutory duty on public authorities to consider social value in their spending decisions, the current policy-based approach risks inconsistency and could be changed at ministerial direction? Will you consider supporting legislation that would place such a duty alongside a duty on your Department to provide guidance and training on a statutory footing?”
“Minister, thank you for your answer. Will you tell the House what practical steps you intend to take to ensure that specialist placements for pupils and students are available in the areas in which they require them in order to keep children and young people in their local communities and as close to home as possible?”
“Minister, do you not agree that, instead of advancing bureaucracy, we should strip it away and that we do not need another body? On the question of equality, should you not, in fact, create a single managing authority for education that includes all the current sectoral bodies?”
“Thirdly, we need a clearly stated position on the recommendations for an independent public inquiry. <BR /> <BR />This is about transparency, accountability and respect. It is about showing survivors that, when the Government ask for their testimony, they will not walk away once the resulting report has been submitted. It is about restoring people's confidence that the Assembly can see difficult work through to the end. Good government is measured not only by its commitments but by its outcomes. On an issue involving harm that has lasted a lifetime, and on which trust is nothing but shattered, process without progress is failure. The victims and survivors in that tragic litany of life deserve honesty and, today, action. For those reasons, I urge Members to support the motion.”
“However, careful consideration should not mean open-ended delay, particularly as we progress towards the end of the mandate. Seven months on, real leadership, clarity and a real follow-through are required. That is what those people and all of us expect. That is why we tabled today's motion. It asks for three reasonable steps, the first of which is publishing the reports. I appreciate that sensitivity will be required around that, but survivors need to see the findings of their testimonies produced. I can certainly attest to that when it comes to mother-and-baby homes. There are many who wanted to see out in the open what they had said on how they were treated. Secondly, we need to set out a funded and time-bound response to deliver safeguarding and support.”
“That is a very helpful explanation from the junior Minister. Certainly, the Chair and I would very much welcome that briefing at the Executive Office Committee. <BR /> <BR />What needs to follow from that is a very clear timeline on where this is all taking us to in having clarity around a public inquiry. Brave individuals came forward, but, currently, they are in the dark. <BR /> <BR />Good government is measured not by PR releases or the reports that you commission but by what you do with them. People were asked to relive deep trauma, trusting that it would lead to change. To leave them in limbo now is to tell them that their voices matter only up to a point. That is not good enough. <BR /> <BR />Let me be clear: the motion does not seek to rush Ministers or to pre-empt outcomes. The matters are, indeed, complex.”
“That research depended on victims and survivors coming forward in good faith, sharing extremely painful experiences and trusting that their voices would be heard. However, many months later, those reports remain unpublished. We heard with concern today that they may never be published but only be taken account of in the next steps of the process. I find that concerning.”
“<BR /> <BR />In making a winding-up speech on the debate, I say that we need to remember why the motion was tabled and what we are asking the Executive Office to do. Throughout the debate, it has been clear that Members across the House have acknowledged the profound seriousness of clerical child abuse and the lasting harm experienced by victims and survivors. There is a broad agreement that what people endured was wrong, that safeguarding failures were systemic and that those who came forward showed immense courage. We welcome that consensus. That has been the view of everyone who has participated in the debate today. <BR /> <BR />The core issue is simple. In July 2025, independent research commissioned by the Executive Office was submitted to the First Minister and deputy First Minister.”
“Thank you very much, Mr Deputy Speaker. I thank my colleague Paula Bradshaw for moving the motion, and I extend a warm word of thanks to every Member who contributed to today's debate. These are serious and important matters that not only cover a great deal of our history and our past but, sadly, remain in our present. Regrettably and undoubtedly, they will be in our future as well. I particularly thank Gerry Carroll for tabling his amendment, which we fully support, as has been discussed by colleagues in the debate. I also thank each Member who participated in the debate: Linda Dillon, Pam Cameron, Robbie Butler, Sinéad McLaughlin, Carál Ní Chuilín, Nuala McAllister, Timothy Gaston and junior Minister Reilly, who responded on behalf of the Executive Office. I will come to some of her remarks shortly.”
“You said that a lot of the work is now dependent on policy advice being received. Has that policy advice been received? If not, when will it be provided to you?”
“Minister, will the review of Northern Ireland's charities legislation resolve the issues with section 167 of the Charities Act, which causes confusion and difficulty in the registration of charities in Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom?”
“Minister, what proactive role can farmers play to promote good biosecurity?”