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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“What we witness in Gaza is not a war; it is a brutal, calculated and systemic attempt to erase an entire people physically, socially and politically. Over 50,000 Palestinians have been killed, and thousands more carry wounds that are not only physical but psychological and emotional. It is a humanitarian disaster. Right now, in Gaza, people — human beings — are on the brink of famine. Nearly half a million people are at risk of starvation. That has not happened by chance; it is the result of Israel's blocking aid for months while destroying what little remains of Gaza's food system. Starvation is not just a war crime; it is a tactic. It is being used to break down a society, to dismantle its political identity and to destroy the ability to function.”
“I do not know what their diary commitments are, but I really feel that they should have been in the Chamber to hear the Second Stage debate today.”
“That means changing what needs to be changed. That means being honest about where we have fallen short, and it means keeping our promises, especially to those who have waited decades for us to get to this stage. In passing the Bill at Second Stage and moving it to the Committee Stage today, we have a lot of hard work to do to make things better. <BR /> <BR />Finally, I recognise the work and presentation that has been done by the Executive Office and the contribution of the junior Ministers present in the Chamber today. While I am not chiding, I will, nevertheless, say this: I express my disappointment that the First Minister and deputy First Minister are not present here today, whether they participated in the debate or not. I find it disappointing and, truthfully, disrespectful to the victims and survivors who are in the Public Gallery.”
“Our inquiry must be wide-reaching enough to look at that. We need to be clear that this was not just a failure of care but a systemic abuse of power and one that was rooted in misogyny, shame and silence. There are to this day those who provide cover-up for those who pressurised or said or suggested that people should be placed in those positions. <BR /> <BR />To put it plainly, no two stories are the same. Some people want justice; some want recognition; and some simply want an acknowledgement and peace in their life. Our job is to make sure that the inquiry and redress scheme are strong enough to meet all those requirements and flexible and respectful enough to hold all those truths. Legislation is not the end; it is the start. It will work only if survivors are not just consulted but are at the centre and heart of the legislation.”
“You cannot say that an organisation is guilty of one of these offences until that has been proved, but, equally, we have to balance that with the absolute human rights of the victims and survivors of that terrible past. Therefore, I am determined that we find a way forward — there has been failure in other jurisdictions, particularly the Republic of Ireland — that ensures that we explore every legal avenue to make sure that those who were perpetrators will be made to pay. That is a determination. I cannot make it a promise, but it is a determination that I have in seeing the Bill come to fruition. <BR /> <BR />In Committee, I also asked about the role of those who recommended that girls and women go into those places. The truth is that people and systems were complicit but have yet to be named.”
“Clearly, our Government are stepping up, but where is the financial input from the people and organisations that ran the institutions? Where is their accountability? It is not good enough to say that they might be invited to participate: they must be compelled to participate. If they put people in harm, they must be part not only of a financial redress scheme but of the healing. We need to hear clear, proper and fulsome apologies. We need to hear a genuine understanding of the hurt and damage that their predecessors caused over many years. <BR /> <BR />I, for one, appreciate very much the human rights elements and protections that are built into those organisations and for those organisations.”
“<BR /> <BR />As I said, there are huge questions about those who have been left out, including survivors who were adopted abroad, people who lived outside Northern Ireland and those who, as I said, were in foster care or certain workhouses. We have heard that there may be people who could be described as slipping through the cracks. That brings me to an important point about ensuring that we get a clear message out that, if you believe that you or a relative have been affected or your family history tells you that you have had some involvement in that dark and miserable past, please come forward and speak to the Committee and to the structures that the Bill is setting up. We must ensure that no one is left behind. <BR /> <BR />We then move to the question of who pays.”
“Another Member referred earlier in the debate to the places that might be described as private nursing homes that are not specifically referenced in the Bill or, if they are, only tangentially. There are areas of serious question that we need to cover. I will pass both those emails on to the relevant Committee staff, and I trust that the Committee will be in touch with those correspondents, of whom there were at least two, later today to encourage them to come forward when we move into Committee Stage. I commit in the House today to take forward the issues that they have raised in their commentary to us.”
“Thank you very much, Deputy Speaker. While Members find it somewhat frustrating when they are talking about a topic and have to break mid-speech, the next section of my contribution has even more meaning now because, in the interim, members of the Committee for the Executive Office have received a number of emails from people who have been and are involved in and affected by the implications of the Bill. Indeed, I prepared my next sentence to say that there are huge questions about those who have been left out of the Bill. This afternoon, I, at least, have received two emails from people who believe that they have been left out. One refers specifically to the posthumous redress for those who were in workhouses, and a second email, which came in even later this afternoon, also deals with those who have potentially been left out.”
“Minister, I ask you to outline broadly the action that your Department is taking to address sexual offending.”
“<BR /> <BR />The second scheme, which is one for individual harm —.”
“That is not justice but hard-hearted, cold bureaucracy, and that date needs to, and must, be changed. <BR /> <BR />We have also heard that £10,000 is not enough. As others have said in the House today, that is the figure that was used for the victims of historical institutional abuse some five years ago. With inflation, it is worth even less today. Yes, it is a start, but, if we are to be honest about the scale of suffering endured, we know that it simply does not go far enough. The scheme is based on admissions, not on what happened to people once they were inside the system. That leaves out too much. For the women and girls who were subjected to forced labour, for the children who were separated from their mothers and for the survivors of abuse, the scheme risks being seen as being tokenistic.”
“Survivors deserve more than words: they deserve action. That means that we have to get the legislation right. The Bill does some good things. It sets up an inquiry with proper powers to compel document delivery, call witnesses and uncover the truth. It starts a redress process, which, as we have heard, includes a standardised payment of £10,000 for each eligible survivor and of £2,000 for a qualifying relative where a survivor has passed since 2011. It commits to a further, individually assessed scheme to look at specific harms. It also creates a redress service to oversee that work. Let us be honest, however: many major concerns remain. As other Members have said, the 2011 cut-off date for posthumous claims is plain wrong. Families who lost loved ones before that arbitrary date are being told that they do not count.”
“I start by recognising that, at the very heart of the Bill, for my party and me, are the victims and survivors and their families, who are watching the debate. The Bill is long overdue, but it finally sets in motion a statutory inquiry into what happened in mother-and-baby institutions, Magdalene laundries and workhouses and begins the process of redress. The Bill is not perfect — I will come to that later in my comments — but it does do something very important: it tells us that what happened matters, that people's pain matters and that the institutions and the state can no longer hide behind silence. <BR /> <BR />As a member of the Committee for the Executive Office who is speaking on behalf of the Alliance Party, I am here to support the Bill's moving to its Committee Stage so that we can make it better.”
“Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. To go back to the topic, while we certainly welcome a 20 mph speed limit outside schools — I have heard this question asked regularly in the Chamber, and I will ask it again today — what action are you taking to encourage children to cycle and walk and use walking buses to get to school?”
“We appreciate all the benefits of Encompass. Nevertheless, there remains, particularly in primary care, a mishmash of systems that either GP practices or others across the healthcare system have procured. <BR /> <BR />In England and Wales, a major project is under way. The previous technology was very difficult to draw together, but excellent technological solutions now exist to bring everything together under central systems.”
“Deputy First Minister, I want to ask about the review of T:BUC. When will the refreshed approach to T:BUC and good relations be published?”
“Minister, if social media is not your focus, your focus must be on your role as housing Minister. Can you tell the House whether you have taken the opportunity to meet privately the people who were displaced and brought to Larne leisure centre traumatised? Have you accepted that that is part of your role as housing Minister? Have you visited those people and heard their stories?”
“<BR /> <BR />My deepest sympathies go to Carol, Claire, Peter, Ciara and John: I know what your dad has gone through in the past number of years. May you rest in peace, Seán.”
“Seán went on to be a Member of the parliamentary Assembly in this House from 1982 to 1986 as a Member not for East Antrim but for North Antrim, because East Antrim did not exist as a political constituency. He went to the Northern Ireland Forum from 1996 to 1998, and, of course, as we know, he came to this Assembly as an MLA. <BR /> <BR />At the heart of all that, however, Seán had a passion for our town of Carrickfergus and its history, particularly the harbour and its maritime history. Seán and I stood together in good times in Carrickfergus and in some extremely difficult times, supporting each other through the brickbats and, sometimes, the real bricks that flew at us in events in Carrickfergus over all those years.”
“I stand this afternoon to pay tribute, first and foremost, to my friend Seán. Seán was brought up in Carrickfergus in the Sunnylands estate. He went to St Nicholas' Primary School and attended St Malachy's College and Queen's University. After graduation, he taught history in St Comgall's High School in Larne. We came together just short of 1977 in the Alliance Party, and we were both invited to be candidates for the Carrickfergus Borough Council election in 1977. We were elected together on the same day. <BR /> <BR />We spent most if not all Monday nights together in that council. Back in the day, the council of 15 members did not meet just once a month. Everybody was on all the council committees, so all 15 members met every Monday night to discuss council business.”
“Minister, do you agree that dual market access represents a unique and significant opportunity for businesses across our economy here? Can you tell the House specifically how you are working to develop that trading relationship for small and medium-sized businesses in Northern Ireland?”
“<BR /> <BR />While good work continues to be done by farmers, with the vast majority playing by the rules and rejecting those who do not, it is clear that our lakes, rivers, streams and coastlines are increasingly suffering from the effects of pollution. Lough Neagh is a stark example of the environmental and societal consequences of poor water quality. The Minister is clearly on record as saying that no decision has been made. This is a genuine consultation. Therefore, today's motion quite simply puts the cart before the horse. A consultation is a process of inviting people to share their views on an issue in order to help inform decision-making. Consultation is about listening to stakeholders. In this case, they include the farming —”
“That was reiterated last week at the AERA Committee by the chair of the OEP, Dame Glenys Stacey. She said that the issues at Lough Neagh will become a common experience across many more sites in Northern Ireland and the UK and was clear that business as usual is no longer an option. It is a fact that agriculture contributes significantly to poor water quality. The latest research confirms that over 60% of phosphorus inputs into Lough Neagh originate from agriculture. Yes, we need to look at other sources of pollution in Lough Neagh and our waterways and we need to deal with our waste water infrastructure. That is an issue that other Ministers in the Executive need to get to grips with. Clearly, however, the overwhelming burden of pollution in Lough Neagh is coming from our agriculture sector.”
“Yet, the very same party that sponsored the motion has launched a campaign to scrap the nutrients action programme proposals. The programme was first established in 2005 to help address agriculture-related water pollution. It is therefore highly irresponsible to suggest that we should scrap the NAP. The mature and responsible thing to do is to engage in the process, highlight your concerns and contribute constructively. We in this Chamber are supposed to be legislators who are committed to democracy; we should not seek to undermine the established policy development processes and deny the public the opportunity to have their say. I urge the DUP to bring forward its alternative ideas for reducing nutrients in the agriculture sector. <BR /> <BR />As Members have said, we heard what the Office for Environmental Protection said last year.”
“This debate has been diminished by the appalling threats against our Agriculture Minister. <BR /> <BR />I start by calling out the rank hypocrisy that is at the core of the motion. It says that we:”
“It is unsafe and unfair. <BR /> <BR />We need to ask why we have not made imaging reform a clear part of our cancer strategy. Why is Northern Ireland still using outdated scanners, and why do we still have unfilled workforce posts? I ask the Minister this directly: when will funding be secured for the imaging academy? When will there be regional plans to replace scanners that are now past their safe use? When will we see clear public targets to bring Northern Ireland's imaging waiting times into line with those in the rest of the United Kingdom? We need action, we need investment and we need leadership that stops talking and starts delivering.”
“The Minister tells us that he has permanent solutions, such as a Northern Ireland imaging academy. That is one of his priorities, but it has not been allocated any funding, and no timeline for it has been set. It is not a plan for change; it is simply another idea from the Minister. While we head towards having the worst radiologist shortfall in the United Kingdom, patients and consultants wait longer and longer for the answers that they need. Scandalously, 16% of imaging equipment is already obsolete, and that percentage is rising. We are still diagnosing cancer with machines that have been used since before some of our junior doctors even started secondary school, yet the Department has allocated only £3 million annually for the replacement of equipment, when the real need is up to £25 million. That is not an efficiency.”
“We also know that 35% of patients in Northern Ireland are waiting for more than 26 weeks for an MRI scan, yet, in England, less than 5% wait longer than 13 weeks. That is not just a postcode lottery; it is a completely different healthcare system. What is the Department's response? Repeated reliance on non-recurrent short-term funding that comes too late to make real differences.”
“Cancer is a disease that does not wait. It does not care where you live, how old you are or how much money you have in your bank account, but, in Northern Ireland, how fast you get seen and whether your cancer is caught early can depend on those things. A recent audit report on imaging services lays that out in black and white. Our system is falling behind in staff, scanners and basic capacity, and it is patients who are paying the price. <BR /> <BR />In the past four years, almost 1,800 people were waiting more than two weeks for a red-flag cancer scan, and almost 9,500 waited four weeks for an urgent diagnosis scan. That is not a delay; that is a death sentence. We know from published studies that a four-week delay in cancer treatment increases the risk of death by 13% to 16%.”
“Can we be assured that, at the end of the day, the Belfast Trust has the appropriate human resource responsibilities available to it so that it cannot and will not shy away from any appropriate disciplinary or dismissal actions that may be required as an outcome of all this?”
“Thank you, Minister, for your answer. Once implementation is complete, how does your Department intend to monitor whether the provision is working, particularly in respect of the requirement for dignity, choice and ease of access, as required by the legislation?”
“Thank you, deputy First Minister. How can the public have confidence in the Executive's commitment to genuine community transition when one funded group saw fit to take young people on an awayday to Larne last year to observe the largest bonfire in Northern Ireland? What message does that send to communities that are genuinely trying to move beyond division?”
“Thank you, Minister, for your answer. Is the Office for Environmental Protection considering the contribution of waste water to poor water quality in Northern Ireland?”
“The Alliance Party has long held the belief that the Department for the Economy, as the lead Department, should take forward the recommendations in the report. That is why our amendment seeks to put the onus on the Economy Minister to work with the task force and the Finance Minister to put forward realistic and pragmatic proposals to implement the recommendations and drive the economic growth that we all seek. Ultimately, our businesses cannot afford any further dither or delay. We know the issues, and we know the solutions. Now is the time to take action. <BR /> <BR />I thank the Members who spoke in the debate. They all made valuable contributions, and, in reality, we are all talking about the same issues.”
“We support an increase to the VAT registration threshold for small businesses to reduce their financial burden. Additionally, we propose a lower VAT rate for the hospitality, tourism and beauty and hair sectors, which are crucial to our local economies and job creation. As an Executive, we should lobby the UK Government on those issues at every opportunity. I trust that those items are on the Finance Minister's agenda today. <BR /> <BR />The high street task force brought forth a wealth of ideas from various stakeholders — the very people who know what they need to drive our high streets forward. Sadly, there has been a lack of action from the Executive Office, which is responsible for the implementation of the task force report, not least because of the lack of an Assembly over the past number of years.”
“Schemes such as the small business rate relief scheme and Back in Business have enabled businesses to operate effectively in Northern Ireland and have brought vibrancy, footfall and investment back to our high streets while providing businesses with a boost at the start of their business journey, helping them to support jobs and bringing long-term vacant units back into use. I welcome the Finance Minister's plans to review the small business rate relief scheme by October this year. I encourage the Minister to consider expanding that scheme to enable more businesses to avail themselves of it so that our economy can grow. <BR /> <BR />Other measures would help to relieve businesses in many sectors in Northern Ireland of the financial pressures that they face.”
“The various rate relief schemes that are offered in Scotland and England provide much more direct support to the sectors that need it most, which, ultimately, sustains their economies. What we have from our Minister of Finance is a step-by-step individual review of each rate relief. We are having one review now, but the likelihood of that relief needing to be changed again in five years' time is high, given the volatile economic climate in which we live. <BR /> <BR />There was a clear recommendation in the high street task force report, which I made reference to in my intervention, for immediate rate relief.”
“<BR /> <BR />Without appropriate support and the ability to function, businesses remain under threat. Simply forwarding to the Treasury a report of the issues that we already knew existed is not the tangible action that we should be taking as a devolved Administration. Indeed, there are much more targeted measures that could be taken that would ensure that local businesses feel that the Government are supporting them. The most obvious of those is the one that we have been discussing this evening: rates relief. My party — the Alliance Party — has consistently called for an independent and holistic root-and-branch review of the rating system in Northern Ireland in order to ensure that it is fair, fit for purpose and, importantly, supports economic growth.”
“<BR /> <BR />As we have said many times in the Chamber, the UK Government took a decision to increase employers' National Insurance contributions without any meaningful consultation with the devolved nations or, more importantly, with those who run businesses. Those who run businesses are the people who, as employers, have to pay the extra money and, in turn, make a decision on whether to employ fewer staff. Unlike the public sector, which has been given some contribution towards those increased costs, businesses have once again been left on their own to chart their way through a difficult economic tide. The UK Government are making businesses fund a black hole that would best be addressed by pursuing progressive taxation and easing pressure on businesses and workers.”
“Thank you very much, Principal Deputy Speaker. <BR /> <BR />The Alliance Party recognises the extreme cost of doing business in the current economic climate and the fact that many are experiencing financial strains that have been further compounded by recent decisions by the UK Government. Reference has been made around the Chamber to those decisions, particularly the increase in employers' National Insurance contributions in this financial year on top of inflation. Add in rising energy costs and the effects of Brexit, and a perfect storm of crisis has been created in a matter of a few years.”
“Thank you. Recently, I asked a question of the Executive Office about the high street task force report. Its rather weak answer was that it had sent questions to each Department to ask what action it is taking. Clearly, there was no leadership. As the Member has said, it is all about the launch, the photo opportunity and the report itself, then nothing happens.”
“Perhaps the Member could explain to us something that has mystified me for quite some time. Who paid for the wrap-around advert in a popular morning newspaper that, as pundits will tell you, seriously influenced UK voters to leave the EU rather than to remain? Where did that money come from, and who funded it?”
“I am interested in the referendum; I am old enough to remember it.”
“Thank you very much, Minister, for your answer and for meeting me on the issue, when, as you know, we had the opportunity to express local concerns. You undertook to re-examine the unnecessarily overly engineered barrier, and particularly the chicken wire that covers it, not only blocking the view but causing further health and safety issues. Will you soon be in a position to respond to the specific issues that I raised with you? Will it be possible to remove that unsightly chicken wire, which blocks the view of Belfast lough for residents, commuters and cyclists?”
“That initiative aims to streamline diagnosis, treatment and supportive care, ensuring that pancreatic cancer patients receive the right support at the right time. We commend the vital work of charities such as Pancreatic Cancer UK and Northern Ireland Pancreatic Cancer. <BR /> <BR />This petition and open letter highlight the urgent need for the Government to act swiftly. We must make early detection a reality instead of a rarity for people across Northern Ireland. Today, we are here for Tam, Max and Isla — Max and Isla are in the Public Gallery — and for every family who could face the devastating disease of pancreatic cancer. The time for action is now.”
“Without urgent action, pancreatic cancer is set to claim thousands more lives in Northern Ireland and is projected to overtake breast cancer as the fourth-biggest cancer killer here. <BR /> <BR />Today, Pancreatic Cancer UK has submitted an open letter to accompany Isla's petition as part of its Unite, Diagnose, Save Lives campaign. The letter, which has received over 1,000 signatures in Northern Ireland, calls on the Executive to urgently introduce regular monitoring for those who are at high-risk, support the roll-out of new diagnostic tests and secure sustained funding for research. <BR /> <BR />We welcome the Department of Health's recent commitment to deliver optimal care pathways for pancreatic cancer.”
“Throughout 2024, Tam repeatedly sought medical help, attending at least six GP appointments and visiting A&E on numerous occasions with stomach pain, back pain, constipation and dramatic weight loss. It was not until months after his initial symptoms appeared that a CT scan finally confirmed that he had pancreatic cancer. Tragically, he passed away weeks later, on Boxing Day, without even meeting the consultant who had been assigned to his case. <BR /> <BR />The impact of Isla's campaign speaks for itself: it is now the biggest petition ever relating to pancreatic cancer in the United Kingdom. That demonstrates the strength of feeling from the public that something must change. Here in Northern Ireland, pancreatic cancer is the deadliest common cancer. Half of all patients die within three months of diagnosis.”
“Today, I present a petition that was created by Isla Gear, from Leven in Scotland, who tragically lost her brother, Tam, to pancreatic cancer just four weeks after his diagnosis. Isla launched a UK-wide petition from Tam's bedside on Christmas Day that calls for the targeted monitoring of high-risk individuals and for increased funding to develop effective, accessible diagnostic tests for pancreatic cancer. Tam and Isla were determined to prevent others from facing that devastating disease and agreed that more needed to be done. <BR /> <BR />Tam Barker was only 47 years old. He was a dedicated father to his then 11-year-old son, Max. He had previously lost a cousin to pancreatic cancer and therefore had annual blood tests done.”
“The outcome should be their life, support and an ability to be taken away from the drugs that have been given to them. That is the challenge that all those agencies, particularly the Department of Health, face when dealing with the people across East Antrim who are addicted to drugs.”