Sandra Overend
Mid Ulster · Ulster Unionist Party · Northern Ireland
“My thoughts are with the Black family, who have been put into the public eye once again due to the failings of the judicial system, the very system in which David served so faithfully.”
“On this, the last day the Assembly will meet in this place, I thank my colleague Mr Doug Beattie for proposing this important motion. I express my deep concern and share the anger of many people from my constituency of Mid Ulster at the management of the bail conditions for the man who was charged with offences linked to the terrorist mur…”
“<BR /> <BR />There is an argument that suspects have an entitlement to bail due to the length of time that they spend on remand. However, the answer to that must be to speed up the process of administering justice and not to grant bail in such cases.”
“It emerged that, having failed to sign in with police on 18 November, it was not until 23 December when police called at his bail address that they found the flat had been cleared out, and, in fact, evidence suggested he had been gone a few weeks by that stage.”
“To allow this type of situation to occur once could be seen as being careless. For it to happen twice in the same year is clear evidence of a culture that needs to change and of a policy that needs to change. Bail is seemingly too easily given out and not stringently enough managed.”
“I thank the Minister for that. I wonder whether he is optimistic that he will deliver that programme in the days that remain, given the fact that clubs have been waiting since last March, when the consultation process ended. An announcement was promised before Christmas. How confident is he that there will be something for local clubs?”
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Every one of 753 lines we hold for Sandra Overend, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 2 of 16.
“<BR /> <BR />If the Minister decides to push ahead with closing the facilities, it is imperative that he considers accommodating adjustments such as the proposals for a scaled-down service in the town, IT training for service users and for employees to be relocated to the nearest social security offices. <BR /> <BR />I am also concerned about the way in which the plans were communicated to staff. As the proposer mentioned, MLAs were informed that the information was leaked through —”
“Suggestions have been made for the social security office and the jobcentre to merge in one building or for a skeleton service to be run from the council offices. These scaled-down options would make financial savings on the one hand while meeting the needs of the most vulnerable service users on the other, and they should be given careful and serious consideration. <BR /> <BR />I was very disappointed to learn that these proposals had not been rural proofed before they were brought forward and that a report was belatedly commissioned to be conducted by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs. The impact on rural areas in Mid Ulster from these closures should have been assessed long before the proposal was even brought forward.”
“A part of that process is a move towards claimants using telephony and digital services. However, many service users, such as the elderly, the disabled, those without transport to Magherafelt or Dungannon and those not able to access the Internet, will continue to require face-to-face services and will appreciate being able to discuss their needs in person or with an adviser. <BR /> <BR />In that regard, and notwithstanding reduced budgets, I urge the Minister to consider proposals for the continuation of face-to-face advice for claimants in Cookstown. Proposals have been put forward to allow this, and I acknowledge and commend the work of Mid Ulster District Council to that end.”
“<BR /> <BR />I and other Members were contacted by a number of members of staff from the offices in Cookstown, as well as trade union representatives, expressing legitimate concerns about the potential reduction in services resulting from the closure of these offices and the subsequent redundancies or redeployment of staff away from their local area. It is crucial that the difficulties and stress that the closures will cause are not brushed under the carpet and that the voices of employees and service users are listened to and fully considered throughout the consultation process. <BR /> <BR />We all know that the roll-out of welfare reform, which as Members will remember was rushed through by the DUP and Sinn Féin without the chance for proper scrutiny, will bring significant change in how benefits are delivered.”
“It will mean that constituents will have to travel much further on a regular basis to access social security services. <BR /> <BR />When I asked the Minister, in a recent Question Time, to assure me that claimants from Cookstown and the surrounding rural area will not be out of pocket by travelling to Magherafelt or somewhere else to sign on, he was, unfortunately, unable to give me a satisfactory answer. Indeed, he admitted that changes such as those proposed here can create turbulence and cause a lot of discomfort for some individuals who have to go through them, and that must give great cause for concern.”
“I thank the Member for bringing this important Adjournment debate forward. I welcome the opportunity to participate and I am pleased that the Minister is present to respond to the debate. I am also grateful to him for meeting me a few weeks ago on the matter and I look forward to further engagement. <BR /> <BR />I am sure that, by now, the Minister appreciates the strength of feeling about these proposals in Cookstown and the surrounding areas. He can rest assured that we will continue to lobby him on this particular issue. The proposed closure of the social security office and the job centre in Cookstown has raised many concerns for claimants and employees. At the outset, it is clear that the implementation of the proposals will have a detrimental effect on service users and staff.”
“I will, indeed. <BR /> <BR />I feel that sticking to the issue of nurture units would be wiser. Therefore, we will vote against amendment No 1.”
“<BR /> <BR />In my opinion, the mainstreaming of nurture units and examining the potential of universal early years education provision are not mutually exclusive; indeed, a combination of both would provide a comprehensive support system to children across the UK. For now, I feel that —”
“The evaluation report from the Education and Training Inspectorate, published in February this year, also had additional recommendations for improvement, many of which could be explored. <BR /> <BR />For those reasons, we will support the SDLP amendment, as I do not believe that nurture groups as currently delivered could be described as a finished product, although I do not want to use a consumerism term. I believe, therefore, that the SDLP amendment provides a better way forward and can allow for mainstreaming once a clearer way forward has been established. I highly commend the amendment tabled by Steven Agnew MLA, and I thank him for it. However, I urge him to bring forward the amendment as a motion in its own right, and we could maybe support it at that stage.”
“It received no additional funding from the Department of Education, but the principal and board of governors there obviously felt the need to invest in teacher training for such a part-time provision at their school. It is available to children on Mondays and Fridays and its aim is to support the social, emotional and behavioural aspect of children in need from P3 to P5. They can aim the provision to where it is most needed and for as long as necessary. This flexibility works for Castledawson Primary School, and it is receiving very positive feedback. <BR /> <BR />There were limits to the research carried out by Queen's University Belfast, and it recommended further research involving a proper randomised control trial design and further research with a larger sample size into the effects of the different models of provision.”
“For example, some evidence showed that greater progress was being made by those who were not eligible for free school meals than by those who were. It would be interesting to understand why that was the case. The original criterion for the allocation of signature project funding targeted schools with an above-average proportion of pupils who were eligible for free school meals. It would be a concern if those children were less likely to receive the benefits of the project. Perhaps adaptations can be made to ensure maximum effect in the future, and I urge the Education Minister to consider further research in that area. <BR /> <BR />A new nurture room is being officially opened this Friday in Castledawson Primary School, which is in my constituency of Mid Ulster.”
“However, the cost-effectiveness of the nurture provision programmes is well documented in the report, and shows the real value that can be placed on early intervention, not just in monetary terms but in the life of the child and their progression through primary education into post-primary schools and beyond. Teachers saw improvements in punctuality, increased attendance and significant reductions in social, emotional and behavioural difficulties. Children felt more involved in their classes and were beginning to find school more enjoyable. <BR /> <BR />While nurture groups are widespread in the UK, they are still in their infancy and there are still aspects of the scheme that could be improved.”
“They take pupils out of their mainstream class setting, usually for between two and four terms, and then return them to their mainstream class on a full-time basis. <BR /> <BR />The primary aim of nurture groups in Northern Ireland has been to improve the social, emotional and behavioural skills of children from deprived areas who are exhibiting significant difficulties. The evaluation by Queen's University Belfast found that nurture group provision was highly successful in meeting this aim. It is always great to hear that investment in our children is actually having an impact, and that it is not something to be taken lightly. <BR /> <BR />As with all things, there is, of course, a price tag for nurture groups and, under the current framework, that sits at around £70,000 per school involved.”
“I thank the proposers of the motion for bringing it to the Floor of the House. As Ulster Unionist education spokesperson, I appreciate the opportunity to participate in the debate. <BR /> <BR />Nurture units have become a widespread feature of education provision across the UK, with an estimated 1,500 currently in operation. This is a targeted programme, as Members have already said, aimed at pupils who, for a variety of reasons, have difficulties in mainstream classes, fail to engage in the learning process and may otherwise be at risk of underachievement. <BR /> <BR />Early intervention is always the most valuable and as nurture units usually target pupils in Key Stage 1 they have an impact at an early stage of a child's development.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. Does he agree with me that it is astonishing that no record is kept by the Department of Education as to which teachers are trained, and how many? Maybe the Minister could look at that too so that we can identify any gaps across Northern Ireland.”
“I thank the Minister for the extra minute and for the opportunity to give my reasons. Outreach is worth so much to people across Northern Ireland, but it has been said to me that it would be useful if teenagers were to have the opportunity to stay over for an assessment. You are assessing children during school days, but they sometimes need to be assessed in the evening time. It has been said to me that that might be useful as well.”
“Therefore, although we support the motion in principle, the Minister will have to secure agreement —”
“<BR /> <BR />It is unfortunate that the funding model for the Middletown centre is dependent on a different country, which is at the mercy of its own electorate, financial pressures and so on. Unfortunately, that is why we are in the position that we are in at the moment. The Middletown Centre for Autism is funded on a 50:50 basis, as we all know, between the Department of Education here and the Department of Education and Skills in the Republic of Ireland. Indeed, in 2009, the then Department of Education and Science in the Republic said that it could not fund the expansion of Middletown because of financial pressures. Despite the then Minister of Education's protestations, the expansion plans for a residential service never came to fruition.”
“<BR /> <BR />By all accounts, the Middletown Centre for Autism provides an excellent service and plays a vital role in meeting the needs of children with autism in Northern Ireland. It has outstanding inspection reports. Its research is considered world class. After speaking to many parents, teachers and school principals who have accessed its training, I know that it makes an invaluable difference to the lives of those who have the privilege of availing themselves of the service. One parent recently told me that, once you have understanding and awareness, you eliminate the stigma that is associated with autism. That is something that we need to remember now and in the future. In all walks of life and all Departments, we need to eliminate the stigma that is associated with autism and increase awareness and understanding.”
“Whatever the Executive are doing, it is simply not working. <BR /> <BR />The impact is then felt on the children themselves and their families. Without a statement of diagnosis, children cannot receive the care packages or specialist education that they need. Much of the problem relates to the fact that future estimates of need are turning out to be completely inaccurate. I understand that the rates of children being diagnosed have quadrupled since 2002. It is therefore very unfortunate that many of the services that are provided by centres such as Middletown are accessed much later than is necessary for maximum impact on young people and the quality of their lives.”
“A growing body of evidence shows that early intervention can improve social and communication skills in children with autism spectrum disorders. At the beginning of 2016, it was reported that, in the Belfast Trust area, where autism is most prevalent, children are waiting up to 20 months to receive a diagnosis. That equates roughly to just under two full school years. I, personally, find this absolutely unacceptable, especially considering that it is recommended that a child should wait no more than 13 weeks for diagnosis. Indeed, in the Northern Trust, by August 2016, 58% of children on the waiting list had been waiting for 13 weeks or longer. This was even after the Minister of Health had announced a £2 million investment in autism, which had been available to trusts since 1 April 2016.”
“How can it be, five years after the implementation of the Autism Act, that services for those with the condition are actually getting worse, promises are unfulfilled, duties are unmet and young people have been failed? I fear that that is a phrase that we will repeat all too often in the coming years. Indeed, it is not for lack of information that these failures are occurring. In fact, research and studies such as those that go on in Middletown have fed into what is a rich body of knowledge around many of the issues that affect those with the condition. <BR /> <BR />One of the major areas of concern amongst families of children with autism is that diagnosis is not early enough to make the most of support and advice.”
“I appreciate the opportunity to participate in the debate as the Ulster Unionist Party's education spokesperson. Fundamentally, at the heart of the motion, we find a very important issue being brought to the House, and that is to ensure that the healthcare, social and educational needs of young people with autism and their families in Northern Ireland are met. With that in mind, we commend the motion. <BR /> <BR />This is an issue that, in fact, since 2011, the Executive have had a statutory duty to tackle under the Autism Act (Northern Ireland) 2011 via the auspices of the autism strategy, yet, in June 2016, we found ourselves reading the report, which the proposer mentioned, from the National Autistic Society and Autism NI, indicating that, despite all the promises and hype, services are getting worse rather than better.”
“I thank the Minister for that information. In fact, it would be nice to see some greenways across the constituency of Mid Ulster. Will he consider supporting the extension of a cycle-hire scheme to outside Belfast to allow for a greater usage of greenways?”
“I thank the Minister for giving way. Does he agree that it is important that partnerships with communities and community groups can only truly be successful if there is complete transparency with regard to funding and safeguarding our children?”
“Unless the Minister is able or, more importantly, willing to tackle the high level of division and segregation in our education system, I fear that we will be unable to tackle any of these issues in a concrete way. I support the motion.”
“We often hear the terms "competitive collaboration" and "collaborative competition" being thrown around, but, ultimately, it is very difficult for schools truly to collaborate when they operate in that way. Perhaps we could look at having a wider conversation in the future, and I am interested in hearing the Minister's thoughts on that.”
“However, it is also extremely important that schools can commit to working more in partnership with each other to share best practice, reduce the duplication of services and ensure that the needs of the entire community are met. That can often be extremely difficult for schools to achieve. In Northern Ireland, much like the rest of the UK, schools are encouraged to be in competition, in the sense that they are measured against each other for the purposes of assessing quality and setting standards. Schools are forced to compete with each other to put children into seats, as that is how funding is allocated. In that context, there is a difficulty in asking schools to move from competition to cooperation.”
“<BR /> <BR />Given the parameters within which our schools are forced to operate, community services are often best placed to provide help and support to schools aimed at raising educational achievement; targeted health and support services for children, young people and families; family and parenting support; and community access to school facilities. The list goes on. <BR /> <BR />I support the motion, which calls on the Minister to:”
“<BR /> <BR />One of the first visits I made after I was elected to this place was to a school in Belfast — it may have been in west Belfast — that had families graduating from a Families and Schools Together (FAST) programme, a programme initiated by Save the Children that brought parents into schools to help them to engage in their children's education, value its true worth and overcome any fears or problems they might have experienced in education. That, in turn, helped each child to work better at school and dedicate themselves to their education. I was totally impressed by that programme, and I know that it is duplicated by others in areas across Northern Ireland. It is certainly something that the Minister should support.”
“Most worrying of all is the gap in attainment for those entitled to free school meals — a proxy for poverty — with a significantly higher proportion of students with entitlement to free school meals leaving school without achieving any GCSEs at all. It is for those reasons, along with countless others, that partnership between schools and community services is fundamental to ensuring that the needs of all our young people are met.”
“In addition, the data available on educational underachievement point, year after year, to the same socio-economic groups suffering the most, yet Minister after Minister has failed to come up with the goods to deal with that situation effectively. The Minister might say, "Until now", but we will hear what he has to say. <BR /> <BR />Catholic girls continue to outperform Protestant boys consistently and significantly, and there is wide variation in the performance of students by school type, with just over 5% of grammar school leavers failing to achieve at least five GCSEs at grades A* to C, including English and maths; that compares with almost 60% of their non-grammar counterparts. That means that four out of every 10 pupils attending our secondary schools leave education without what are seen as key employability qualifications.”
“As the Ulster Unionist education spokesperson, I am pleased to participate in the debate. I thank the Member for West Belfast for raising the issue. <BR /> <BR />All our children and young people deserve an education system that is tailored to their needs, abilities and potential. Our teachers and other education providers work very hard within the parameters and boundaries they are given to provide the best education they can for the children in their classroom, their school and the local area. However, 18 years after responsibility for education was devolved to Stormont, report after report has highlighted the problem of educational underachievement in Northern Ireland. Put simply, far too many of our young people enter the world of work without the basic skills in reading and writing needed to succeed in life.”
“I thank the Minister for his statement. Many schools across the country continue to lobby MLAs. They are crying poverty, and the wells have truly run dry. Many redundancies have been made, and the delivery of the entitlement framework is under threat. While I welcome the £13 million capital budget given to the Department of Education for minor works and the purchase of furniture and equipment for schools, I am disappointed that there is no resource budget allocation. Has the Finance Minister had any discussions with the Education Minister about the way that schools can spend the money allocated to them, so that they have more control and can achieve better value for money? If not, will he commit to doing so?”
“On a point of order, Principal Deputy Speaker. Following on from the point of order raised at the opening of today's business, and the unbefitting attempts by the Health Minister to close down last week's debate on waiting times, I would like to make you aware that in advance of today's debate on nursing shortages, I tabled a priority question for written answer asking for those statistics from the Health Minister. It should have been answered on 17 October, and it remains unanswered. How are we, as MLAs, meant to properly participate in these debates without such basic information? Can the Principal Deputy Speaker compare these practices with those of other regions and other seats of government?”
“I thank the Minister for the detail that she has outlined. One of the UK's most senior police officers has said that he believes that at least 100,000 men in the UK regularly look at obscene images of children online. Can the Minister really provide any assurances that she, her Department and, indeed, the Executive are increasing the prioritisation of the safety of our young people and are investing in real online protection and in the identification of such predators, especially considering that years after the call for a cross-departmental Internet safety strategy, it remains outstanding?”
“I thank the Minister for the statement. I have a two-part question. First, is the new plan based on any review of the calculation of empty school desks? Surely, if we are basing the new plan on something that itself needs to be reviewed, it is based on inaccurate information. Secondly, can the Minister assure the House that this round of area-based planning does not make the mistake of previous rounds, which, with individual sectors acting alone, lacked an overall strategic direction?”
“I thank the Minister for his assurances that he will sort out the mess, but how much does he plan to set aside every year to clear up the DUP Minister's mess?”
“Does the Minister agree that this relaxation of time pressures possibly presents an opportunity for applications that were originally submitted in a rushed manner to meet the Chancellor's November deadline to be reviewed and potentially resubmitted to ensure that they are fully able to access all available funding?”
“I thank the Minister for that information. The so-called Community Safety College that was to be built at Desertcreat was to be finished last year. It was supposed to bring between 1,500 and 2,000 jobs in construction. Unfortunately, that all fell through, and mid-Ulster has been left very sore about the Desertcreat project. Can the Minister provide similar figures for this project in terms of construction? How does she feel it will benefit mid-Ulster?”
“The Minister will not be surprised to hear that I will continue to lobby him to ensure that the entire area receives a fair share of funding for new projects as well as ongoing road maintenance.”
“Roads issues are frequently raised by constituents, who rightly expect us to lobby Transport NI and hold the Minister to account. It is vital that a long-term strategic approach and a degree of planning are adopted. The Sherrigrim Road near Cookstown is an example of a road along boggy lands. It is a feature of many roads across this rural constituency that they can quickly become wavy. They are then unsafe for heavy vehicles, lorries and agricultural vehicles. We need to really plan ahead and not just cover over the cracks so that, if funding is available, we can improve the foundations of those roads for the longer term. <BR /> <BR />The road network across Mid Ulster continues to require significant investment in new infrastructure schemes and to address historical maintenance problems.”
“The A29 is a key transport corridor, and the Minister recognises that it leads from Coleraine right through to Armagh and is very important. There is also the matter of traffic speed in some of the local villages. I ask the Minister to look specifically at the village of Desertmartin. Previous Ministers installed some measures to slow traffic coming into that village, but it remains a concern. I would be interested to talk to the Minister about that village with a view to looking at other measures that could be brought in. There are speeding problems in other villages across Mid Ulster too — I could name Castledawson — but this speech could quickly turn into a list of wishes to the Minister. <BR /> <BR />As well as capital projects, it is essential that our local roads are well maintained.”
“I urge the Minister to look at those considerations in the future. <BR /> <BR />Improvements such as those outlined would not only help businesses in Mid Ulster but create a better flow of traffic for all road users, for those living in the towns affected as well as those coming to the constituency on business, to visit friends or relatives, for tourism, as the proposer mentioned, and to shop in our local towns and villages. <BR /> <BR />Since Madam Principal Deputy Speaker has given me a bit of extra time, I want to raise another couple of issues that I might have mentioned to the Minister during topical questions today. We talked about the A29 and the possibility of having overtaking lanes and slow lanes on it.”
“I repeat that call to the current Minister and ask that he consider upgrading the A29, which is currently deemed a link corridor, to a key transport corridor in his future priorities. A bypass was first proposed almost 40 years ago, and, despite a preferred route for the road being announced in 2010, the proposal remains on the shelf. I urge the Minister to revisit the plans, which, again, would bring tangible benefits to local residents, businesses and commuters. <BR /> <BR />With the imminent completion of the Magherafelt bypass, many people have predicted that the next travel bottleneck will be in the village of Moneymore. With my constituency office located there, I am well aware of the levels of traffic that pass through there daily. The congestion on the main streets and the parking are issues.”
“I have worked with landowners, farming businesses and officials to ensure that those who have concerns regarding the project have them addressed. It is important that the Minister and his officials work to resolve the outstanding issues so that no one is disproportionately or adversely affected by this project or any future infrastructure projects in Mid Ulster. <BR /> <BR />There is much that can and should be down to improve road infrastructure in Mid Ulster. Before the end of the previous mandate, on the Floor of the House I called for the then Minister for Regional Development to reprioritise the A29, make it a key transport corridor and make the necessary improvements to ensure that the road is fit to service the needs of the manufacturing base in Mid Ulster, which, as we previously touched on, is continuously growing and developing.”
“It was fitting that it was an Ulster Unionist roads Minister who delivered on that project and cut the first sod, and I once again commend my colleague Danny Kennedy MLA for that. As his Assembly Private Secretary at that time, I felt it a privilege to be part of that historic first step. <BR /> <BR />The impending progression of the A6 project is also welcome, stretching from the end of the M22 to the Castledawson roundabout and on towards Londonderry. The A6 is a key transport route for Mid Ulster and beyond. Again, that is something that I was calling for long before I was an elected representative. The former roads Minister Danny Kennedy progressed that project as far as he could without the capital funds being made available for it, so it is pleasing to see that that work is coming to fruition.”
“Many of our local businesses are big players on the European and global stage, so they would very much welcome improvements in the area. Indeed, road infrastructure projects provide employment to many of the construction sector businesses in my constituency, and so a strategic plan is very welcome for employment purposes. <BR /> <BR />I welcome the completion of the Magherafelt bypass, which will be officially opened this Thursday. That will be good news for the town of Magherafelt and should go a long way towards reducing its heavy traffic congestion. Improved road safety, speedier journeys and reduced congestion should all bring benefits to the people of Magherafelt and the surrounding area.”
“At present, this is problematic, and I have even heard of goods being transported across the constituency of Mid Ulster and to the port of Warrenpoint because of heavy-load problems on the motorways. This was a surprise to hear, and I think that that is an issue that the Minister and his officials should continue to look into. I know that it was raised last year at some stage.”
“I welcome the opportunity to speak on this topic, and I thank the Member for raising it. I congratulate him on his maiden speech. I am pleased that the Minister is here to respond to the debate. <BR /> <BR />Mid Ulster is a hub of the manufacturing and engineering industries in Northern Ireland. Indeed, recent figures show that 27% of all of the people who are employed in Mid Ulster work in the manufacturing base. Therefore, it is important that the appropriate roads infrastructure is in place to allow our businesses to transport large and heavy products and machinery to customers across Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and to the ports with ease in order to develop and grow vital export markets.”