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.”
The complete record
Every one of 2,188 lines we hold for Stewart Dickson, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 9 of 44.
“I thank the Opposition for bringing this important motion to the House today. We stand here confronted with a harsh truth: violence against women and girls in Northern Ireland is not just a problem; it is an epidemic. Statistics show that women in Northern Ireland will face at least one form of gender-based violence or abuse in their lifetime. More than two thirds will have at least one experience of unwanted sexual contact during higher education alone. That is a harrowing and shameful statistic. It represents a collective failure to educate perpetrators, protect survivors and deliver justice. <BR /> <BR />I send my best wishes to my party colleague the Justice Minister. As Members will know, she was struggling with a cold yesterday. She has shown remarkable leadership in this area. I thank her for the work that she has done.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. Does she agree, given that she referred the fact that judicial training is the key element in all this, that our judges need to have a clear understanding of what is front of them and that the Lady Chief Justice has a clear responsibility to ensure that that training is rolled out to all our judges?”
“— and get them delivered as soon as possible.”
“That is why I am appealing to the Health Minister to embark on the Bengoa proposals. Get the negotiations up and running —”
“GPs should be able to refer people for diagnostic testing directly rather than putting them through what are quite often pointless appointments systems that result in diagnostic tests being ordered for a second time. The GP might think that the patient needs the diagnostic testing, but that can only be done when a consultant says that it should be done. <BR /> <BR />It is important that we recognise the incredible work that is done by our health and social care staff and the amazing work that is done by our ambulance crews, their management and all the people who have been struggling over this winter to deliver. We also need to take a step back and recognise that we, as politicians in Northern Ireland, have failed to support them and to deliver proper transformation in healthcare. That is what the debate is about.”
“We do not even have a proper procurement system in social services. People are pushed out into the community and into the private sector. There is little or no public-sector accommodation available for people who need it to allow them to move out of hospital and create space to allow a flow through so that our hospitals can deliver on their targets. It is particularly distressing that we fail to meet the four-hour waiting time target in emergency departments. Once that target is breached, the rest of the things that flow from it fail. If you cannot be treated within four hours, if you cannot get the appropriate tests and if you cannot get a hospital bed, the problems are exacerbated. <BR /> <BR />We need to have an opportunity for more direct diagnostic testing.”
“In England and Wales, social care, which deals with those people who need to move out of hospital into assisted help in the community, has to battle with local authorities. Here, we have a joined-up — allegedly — health and social care system, yet the joined-up bit has failed us. <BR /> <BR />We could save some £500 million a year if we revised and refreshed our social care budget. That, in large part, means that the Department has failed to adequately address the causes of the ambulance waiting times. One reason for the inefficiency is that our social care system is understaffed and inefficiently funded. Indeed, that £500 million would go a long way to addressing that. However, as we saw last week, it is not just an issue of underfunding, but one of inefficiency. If we had reformed the system, we would have more money.”
“If people cannot be discharged, they have to be left in hospital wards. If people are left in hospital wards, there will be people left in emergency departments. If people are left in emergency departments, others will be left in ambulances. Patients cannot get into wards, because other patients cannot be discharged into care. That is the chain reaction that we are all facing. Some 700 patients were left in or near ambulances because, at the same time, 500 patients were unable to be discharged from hospital and, thus, were occupying beds to which those in the ambulances should have been processed within the appropriate time targets. The issue of too many people being in hospital and the failure to discharge patients promptly and effectively is, at scale, a particular problem here in Northern Ireland, yet it should not be.”
“Many of us feel frustration when we see ambulances trapped outside emergency departments, unable to provide the services that those working within them wish to provide. It is a problem that we could resolve with the political will of all in the Chamber. <BR /> <BR />We have the road map. The answers are there. They were given to us by the expert panel chaired by Professor Bengoa and, indeed, by many others before that. We need to be clear that, if we have chosen not to implement the panel's recommendations, we have opted against change and, now, we pay the penalty. Fundamentally, the main reason that ambulances are stacked up outside our emergency departments, and that people have to be treated in those ambulances, is that there are too many people in hospital. They do not need to be there. There is a chain of backlog.”
“Yet, the Minister's response to my question for written answer indicated the sad reality that, despite all the ballyhoo, Maggie's Call has not been rolled out across Northern Ireland. It still exists only in Carnlough. <BR /> <BR />I wish now to take a broader look at why our unreformed health and social care system inevitably leads, as the motion says, to the pressures facing the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service. It is directly related to the sad and predictable, but nevertheless harrowing, crisis that we have seen in our emergency departments. We have all had constituents contact us over the past number of weeks and months about incidents such as those that I just mentioned.”
“Distressed school staff had to look after him with blankets in a soaking wet playground because it took an hour and three quarters for an ambulance to get to him in an urban area that is just off the motorway. That most distressing situation resulted in a number of 999 calls to the Ambulance Service. One of the calls was answered by an English call centre, which is the default backup when calls cannot be answered in Northern Ireland. In an urban area in East Antrim, that is simply unacceptable. <BR /> <BR />A number of years ago and under a previous Health Minister, we had, in East Antrim, the much-lauded Maggie's Call scheme, which would have allowed for alternative emergency services, like the Fire Service, to attend such an incident and perhaps provide further support.”
“The families of Mary and Robert both made it clear that they had no issue with the hospital staff or the incredible ambulance crews who took care of their relatives. Indeed, Mary's sister Sharon noted the effort made by staff to ensure that Mary was kept warm while in a very cold position in the ambulance and the fact that she received proper pain medication. <BR /> <BR />In my East Antrim constituency, I had to deal with the head of the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service when an ambulance took an hour and three quarters to respond to an incident at an urban special needs primary school, where a young child fell and broke his femur in the playground.”
“We hear statistics and figures, but we must remember who is at the centre of all this: the patient. Generally but not always, it is an elderly and/or distressed patient with concerned family members. Mary Donaghy, whose case was widely reported last week after she was involved in a head-on car collision, was left to be treated in an ambulance outside Royal Victoria Hospital for more than seven hours before finally being admitted. There was the story of Robert, an 88-year-old gentleman with dementia who fell on New Year's Eve and, unfortunately, had to wait a total of 40 hours before being admitted. That included 23 hours waiting on an ambulance to arrive, nine hours waiting inside the ambulance outside the emergency department of the Ulster Hospital and eight hours waiting inside the emergency department.”
“That has led to an unacceptable delay in ambulances' access to emergency departments in recent weeks. We saw a snapshot of that on Friday morning, when it was reported that 19 of 56 ambulance crews across Northern Ireland were sitting outside hospital emergency departments, the longest wait of which was for over nine hours. We know that that snapshot does not adequately describe a full day of movement for hospitals, but, with Fridays tending to bring an easing of pressure ahead of the weekend ramp-up, it is extremely concerning.”
“It becomes particularly clear when we look at the fact that ambulance response time targets for every category of call were missed in every month of the financial year 2023-24. I will return to what we might describe as the definition of a target. That means that regardless of whether calls were for immediate, life-threatening or emergency cases, such as a heart attack, a stroke or any urgent problem, ambulance crews were not in a position to respond in the timely manner that they would like and for which they have targets.”
“Thank you very much, Mr Deputy Speaker. I rise to propose the Alliance Party's motion on Ambulance Service waiting times. The motion proposes some tangible measures that, we believe, can be taken by the Department of Health and the Minister to ease the pressures. The motion is not about complaining; it is about trying to propose solutions and bringing them forward. <BR /> <BR />Unfortunately, many will have heard the stories in the media over the past number of weeks that illustrate the pressures on our health and social care services. Often referred to as "winter pressures", the reality is that those unacceptable pressures are with us all year round. I will quote Dr Clodagh Corrigan, the deputy chair of the British Medical Association locally, who put it at the beginning of January:”
“Thank you, Minister, for your answer. Minister, there has been a great deal of interest expressed to me, as a former member of the Justice Committee, about the content of the victims and witnesses Bill. Can you perhaps outline for the House the general principles behind that Bill and the type of offences that will be covered?”
“I commend all the charities that are dedicated to those cancers. We demand focus and attention from the Minister and the Department of Health. We want every individual faced with a diagnosis in Northern Ireland to be given the best chance to fight, survive and thrive. <BR /> <BR />Thank you, on behalf of all the amazing charities that support less survivable cancers, such as OGCancerNI (Oesophageal and Stomach), Pancreatic Cancer UK, Guts UK, Liver Cancer UK, Brainwaves NI and the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation.”
“We know that early diagnosis, in the case of all cancers, gives the best chance for survival. Sadly, with the less survivable cancers, diagnosis is often made all too late, and the cancer is, therefore, much harder to treat. Over 20% of oesophageal cancer cases are diagnosed in emergency settings. Unfortunately, at that stage, the cancer has often progressed and cannot be treated. <BR /> <BR />This week, I urge people to educate themselves and those around them, to promote awareness and to support organisations that prioritise the six less survivable cancers. This week is an opportunity to confront the stigma and to amplify the voices of those affected by less survivable cancers: stomach, oesophageal, liver, pancreatic, brain and lung. Let us strive for a future where no cancer is deemed to be less survivable.”
“Less survivable cancers, such as pancreatic, liver and oesophageal, not only bear a heavy emotional weight on those who have been diagnosed with them but place a significant burden on our healthcare systems and the families of those who have had that diagnosis. Unlike some of the more common cancers, these conditions often receive less public attention, resulting in diminished research funding and limited treatment options. It is our duty to shine a light on these cancers, ensuring proper funding and recognition. <BR /> <BR />In December 2024, I marked a personal milestone, celebrating five years cancer-free following successful surgery for one of those less survivable cancers.”
“I rise today to mark a very important week. Today marks the beginning of Less Survivable Cancers Awareness Week 2025. Across the world, six cancers make up those known as the less survivable cancers, namely stomach, oesophageal, liver, pancreatic, brain and lung. Those cancers have just a 16% survival rate. This week is a vital occasion that reminds us all of the realities faced by many individuals battling cancers that often go unnoticed and underfunded. This week is a time not just for reflection but for action, awareness and commitment to the fight against these cancers that take far too many lives. Statistics tell the harsh truth.”
“That sounds to me to be the most insincere apology that you have ever received in the Chamber, and I ask you to rule on the sincerity of that apology.”
“On a point of order, Mr Speaker. Mr Gaston said that he "had" to apologise to you in order to speak this evening.”
“I am interested in a particular word that you used. You said that your rights had been "trampled", but surely, both yesterday and today, the Lord Chief Justice upheld the decision to allow the House to take part in a democratic vote. How have your rights been trampled when the highest court in Northern Ireland has made that decision?”
“For fear of your becoming a Little Englander, have you looked to see the damage that Brexit has done to supermarket shelves in England, Scotland and Wales?”
“Thank you, Minister for your statement, which included references to cancer. Do you recognise that cancer patients cannot wait and that cancer certainly does not wait? I express some disappointment that the statement is full of aspirations but short on detail. In respect of cancer services, Minister, can you tell us what you mean by "good progress", given the appalling waiting lists across Northern Ireland? Can you back that up with clear, measured evidence of the outcomes for cancer patients?”
“<BR /> <BR />I paint that picture to show that, whilst we have come a long way in the past 76 years, there is still progress to be made in Northern Ireland. As we look back on our accomplishments on this historic anniversary, I urge us all to turn our attention to the future and a Northern Ireland that is fair for all.”
“<BR /> <BR />In Northern Ireland, no legislation protects us from age discrimination in accessing goods, facilities and services, yet there are protections for those on every other equality ground. Whilst disability discrimination is technically legislated for, there is no law against indirect discrimination. That shortfall was addressed in the rest of the United Kingdom by the Equality Act 2010, 14 years ago. We need to look at Northern Ireland's harrowing shortfalls in its ability to protect women and girls from violence. It is horrifying to think that we have one of the most dangerous places in Europe for a woman to live. We must continue to press that issue and support the framework for ending violence against women and girls completely and undeniably.”
“The year 2024 also marks the 75th anniversary of the Council of Europe, of which the United Kingdom was a founding member and which is the custodian of the European Court of Human Rights. For the 76th anniversary, the United Nations has called for an acknowledgement of the importance of human rights in our daily lives. That requires us to tackle misinformation, counter disinformation and seek to mobilise human rights as a global movement. As Deputy Chair of the Committee for the Executive Office, I mirror that sentiment and highlight the need for an equality Act in Northern Ireland similar to that in the rest of the United Kingdom. It is past time that we brought legislation that consolidates human rights, protects them as a singular entity and ends the disjointed systems that we currently have.”
“As others have mentioned, today, we mark Human Rights Day. On 10 December 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was pledged to the world at the United Nations General Assembly in Paris. That historic document provided the fundamental rights for every human being as we know them today. The pledge established that people deserve to have their humanity protected at a baseline level, regardless of race, gender, sexuality, colour or status. It is a promise to respect other people, transcend our differences and strive for a better world.”
“First Minister, what discussions have been held with the Communities Minister about how the commissioners' work will interact with the relevant strategies?”
“Thank you, Minister for your statement. Will you confirm that you have included a place-based approach to retrofitting in the strategy? You will be aware that a place-based approach concentrates retrofitting in geographical areas one at a time to effectively deliver changes that are needed to meet climate change targets. Such an approach would save money through investment in public and private housing and enable coordinated construction. Do you agree that a move to ensuring that all housing meets high energy-efficiency standards needs to be a long-term objective?”
“Thank you, Mr Speaker, for allowing me to share my personal story today and to encourage others.”
“The radical re-plumbing of my body brings me daily challenges, but I am a survivor and grateful to all who have helped me. <BR /> <BR />Oesophageal cancer, like many other cancers, does not differentiate between age or sex, and knowing and recognising the signs and symptoms are crucial to early diagnosis. If anyone suffers from any of the following symptoms for longer than three weeks, consult your doctor: persistent indigestion; difficulty swallowing food or food sticking; heartburn and acid reflux; hiccups that will not go away; and unexplained weight loss.”
“<BR /> <BR />On a personal note, I want to place on record my thanks to all those who supported me in my cancer journey, including my GP, Dr Ian Kernohan; the team at Antrim Area Hospital that did my diagnostic scope and gave me the devastating news that I had oesophageal cancer; the Macmillan nurse specialists who took time to talk to me in Antrim; the team in the Cancer Centre, who gave me hope and support; my oncologist, Dr Richard Turkington; the cancer nurse specialists who guided me through gruelling chemotherapy; my surgeon, Mr Andrew Kennedy, who, a number of days after surgery, gave me the good news that my surgery had cured the cancer; the theatre staff and intensive care staff; the staff in ward 2 north; and the family and friends who journeyed with me through all of that. Thank you.”
“We fundraise for research, and we support families and carers. Our volunteers work tirelessly not only to fundraise but to get our message out: catch it early. We provide emotional and practical support to patients and a weekly information point at Belfast City Hospital.”
“The poorly developed cancer strategy coupled with the worst waiting times anywhere in the United Kingdom make for bleak reading in Northern Ireland. As chair of the all-party group on cancer, I call on the Department of Health and the Minister of Health to redouble their efforts to deliver a strategy and improve outcomes for all cancer patients. We need to support the work of the Northern Ireland Cancer Centre and the wider network of clinicians, researchers and others, including the internationally acclaimed research work done at the Patrick G Johnston Centre for Cancer Research. Cancer patients cannot wait. Cancer cannot wait. <BR /> <BR />I am a trustee of the cancer charity, OGCancerNI. We support, communicate with and advocate for patients, families and health professionals.”
“I was diagnosed with oesophageal cancer on 11 July 2019, and five years ago today, at 7.30 am on Monday 9 December 2019, the day after my birthday, I was in an operating theatre in Belfast City Hospital. Nine hours later, I was recovering in intensive care, following an oesophagectomy, one of the longest and most complex elective surgeries, and I returned to the theatre 24 hours later due to complications and had a 12-week stay in hospital. <BR /> <BR />Oesophageal cancer is one of the six least survivable cancers in the world, one for which there is currently no widespread screening for early detection. Approximately 220 cases are diagnosed in Northern Ireland each year, from which only 17·3% of people are alive five years after diagnosis.”
“Today, I celebrate a very personal milestone: I am five years cancer free.”
“What are the barriers to bringing forward that legislation?”
“I thank the Minister for her statement. Minister, you will be aware of concerns that have been expressed, particularly by those in the criminal legal professions about the viability of the service that they deliver. Will you outline to the House your Department's responsibility for the service's viability, particularly for the criminal legal professions?”
“There have been successful initiatives, such as access and inclusion programmes and enhanced council facilities for people with disabilities, but they are all, sadly, just sticking-plaster politics, and it really is not enough. The Assembly needs to adopt a unified, strategic approach, one that centres on the voices of disabled people themselves, as exemplified by the co-design model used by the disability strategy expert advisory panel. <BR /> <BR />This is not just about legislation, although legislation is what is required to underpin all of it, but about creating a society in which everyone has the opportunity to thrive. Let us be clear: inaction is a choice, and its consequences are borne by those who can least afford them. Let us make the right choice today and commit to building a fairer and better future for everyone.”
“Those are not lofty ideals but basic human rights, yet, as the disability strategy expert advisory panel highlighted in its report, systemic barriers continue to undermine those rights in housing, transport, education, employment and, as we have heard today, healthcare, particularly when it comes to sign language support for people who are deaf. Moreover, the pandemic only widened the gaps, making our inaction even more damaging.”
“The evidence presented is indeed stark, and the urgent need for legislation is undeniable. The lack of progress made on Northern Ireland's equality legislation has left too many people without the support and protections that they need. Although strategies can help, they are not the answer. While our neighbours in the rest of the United Kingdom have progressed with protecting disability rights, we continue to lag behind. <BR /> <BR />The motion provides an opportunity to commit to incorporating the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities into our local legislation, which is something that I wholeheartedly support. The convention is clear: it calls for equality, inclusion and accessibility.”
“They are important, and I am not diminishing them in any shape or form, but the House clearly has to acknowledge that we would be best served by having a single equality Act for Northern Ireland that takes account of all the issues that have been debated this evening, as well as many other equality issues. <BR /> <BR />I have already thanked all the Members who contributed to the debate, but I particularly thank my party colleague Danny Donnelly for proposing the motion. <BR /> <BR />We have discussed a deeply pressing issue that is equally frustrating, because, despite its pressing nature, it has been just another opportunity for a talking shop. The persistent inequalities faced by the 25% of our population who live with a disability or a long-term health condition is clear to us all from the debate.”
“Thank you very much, Mr Deputy Speaker. I can assure you and the House that I will not take 10 minutes to sum up the debate. I place on record our sincere thanks to all the Members who spoke. One clear message is going out from the House today, and that is the urgent need for us to support people with disabilities across Northern Ireland. That having been said, I came to the House nearly 11 years ago with the perhaps idealistic view that we could quickly see in law a single equality Act for Northern Ireland that would draw together all the disparate pieces of equality legislation for people here. Sadly, here today, we still have a Minister talking about strategies.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. I appreciate the comments that he is making around the necessity for hate crime legislation in Northern Ireland, but, unfortunately, we have to live in the real world of the Assembly, which has failed to be in place for so many years — five out of the past eight, I believe, is the current count, and running. In dealing with this amendment, it is important that we note that the Justice Minister is strengthening the legislation when it comes to sentencing, and that it is clearly her intention, and this party's intention, to deliver on hate crime legislation going forward, but that will not happen in this mandate.”
“Thank you, Danny, for outlining the key elements of the motion. You referred to the range of legislation that applies in Northern Ireland. Do you agree that the best way in which to move forward, in addition to adopting what is included in your motion today, is to have a single equalities Bill for the whole of Northern Ireland?”
“Deputy First Minister, on 12 November, the Assembly called for a short, sharp review. Will the review be completed by the end of the calendar year?”
“Minister, will you agree that your Department and the Northern Ireland Prison Service have made a major contribution to assisting those leaving prison with their housing by changing the day of their release during the week? Do you agree that providing stable housing helps to stop reoffending?”