Fearghal McKinney
South Belfast · Social Democratic and Labour Party · Northern Ireland
“We need to do everything we can to bring investment and job opportunities. A prosperity strategy should also include a massive programme of workforce training and skills enhancement.”
“In particular, we want the Programme for Government to adopt a much more joined-up style of government that delivers much greater accountability and transparency and will itself say that it wants Northern Ireland to work.”
“<BR /> <BR />We can point to collective achievements — local government reform among them — but just months ago the echoes of our past threatened our political future, reinforcing the challenges to our delicate political system that the Good Friday Agreement could never have foreseen.”
“Creating much better social cohesion and integration must be another Programme for Government requirement. <BR /> <BR />Health reform, job creation, better infrastructure, creating world-class education and tackling social deprivation are issues on which the SDLP is not prepared to compromise.”
“There are many big challenges facing Northern Ireland, perhaps the biggest of which is to get people into work. It is our job to create the infrastructural and educational opportunities and to maximise those opportunities.”
“It is our job to ensure that our people can and should dare to dream that life can be better; that our children will not be forced to leave these shores for the promise of work in Australia or America because of a failing economy — I referenced the Joseph Rowntree Foundation's latest research; that our health service provides a service th…”
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“Those are damning in themselves. They lead to very serious questions that must be asked as a result, of not just the Minister but of successive DUP Ministers. The current situation can be attributable only to systemic political failure to properly implement and fund a strategy to deal with the current and future demand for services. <BR /> <BR />There are other areas of concern. The issue of rural mental health has to figure. It is a major problem. The rehabilitation of patients has proven that to be the case. Asking people to travel big distances for treatment cannot be acceptable. Added to that is the fact that many farmers — and we have seen it in the headlines recently — are under extreme financial pressure, with livelihoods at risk. There is the attendant suicidal risk as well.”
“If we look closely at it, we do not see any concrete evidence that the plans concerning mental health have been implemented to an appropriate degree. Most concerning is proposal 62, which stated the intention to close long-stay institutions and complete resettlement by 2015. As part of that, £11 million has been spent on the resettlement; that was basically closing Muckamore and Holywell and relocating patients. A recent report conducted by Queen's University and Action Mental Health lays bare the current status of community mental health provision across the North. In particular, the report expresses concerns about the range of inadequacies in community care services. One user stated:”
“In 2009, when the first action plan was embarked on, the total amount of additional funding that the Department anticipated was £44 million. However, due to the CSR, £29·5 million was spent. To delve even deeper, let us look at trust spend. Between 2008 and 2014, trusts spent something in the order of 25% less on mental healthcare. Those cuts have dramatically affected the Bamford action plan's ability to improve mental health services here. I have serious concerns about the future ability to carry out each initiative set out. There are very genuine concerns that, if more cuts are forced on the mental health budget, it could not be done without severely hampering existing services. <BR /> <BR />At this stage, we are well aware of the current status of the Transforming Your Care plan.”
“Again, in 2011, despite mental health ultimately taking a minor role, the Programme for Government set key milestones to strengthen the drive on improving health and well-being and in tackling disadvantage. <BR /> <BR />In theory, therefore, those developments should have resulted in massive strides forward in affording mental health provision the recognition and parity of esteem that it truly deserves, but — and you could hear the "but" coming — unfortunately, the progression has been tainted by lack of implementation and systemic failure to fund and measure. <BR /> <BR />The key challenges that the Executive have faced in the delivery of mental healthcare have been the role of Transforming Your Care, budgetary cuts and the cumulative effect that they have had on the Bamford action plan.”
“It made a number of key recommendations including the development of a comprehensive range of mental health services that would support people in the community, supplemented by the 2011 Transforming Your Care plan to bolster mental health treatment at home.”
“An example is the Change Your Mind campaign by the Association for Mental Health (NIAMH) and the Public Health Agency, which is aimed at reducing levels of stigma, discrimination and negative attitudes towards people with mental ill health. <BR /> <BR />However, severe challenges still exist and are of great concern. We have recently seen damaging headlines around the care provided to suicide and self-harm patients in our emergency departments and the inadequacy of children's mental health services. In this context, it is important to look again at some of the recent policy developments on the provision of mental health services here in the past eight years. One of the seminal reports dictating the nature of mental health services was the Bamford review of 2007.”
“Long-term social and economic deprivation and the Troubles have had a massive impact on the health and well-being of our population. A project carried out by the Commission for Victims and Survivors and the Ulster University indicated that 213,000 people here suffer from some sort of mental illness and that almost half of these illnesses are directly related to the Troubles. It is a startling figure. <BR /> <BR />Tribute must be paid to the many staff in our hospitals and community who continue to play an important role in delivering high-quality care. Much great work has also been undertaken by various organisations. I applaud the action that they have taken and the campaigns that they have been involved in.”
“However, it does give the proposers extra time to speak, which I hope will be used to further elaborate on these urgent plans and to express the genuine concerns of the many people impacted on by mental ill health across Northern Ireland, and the many others, such as health staff, carers and families, who share the concerns reflected here today. Therefore, the amendment cannot be a gesture. I welcome the intention to establish a mental health trauma network, but I have severe doubts that it will be followed by the robust and strategic action plan that is so desperately needed. <BR /> <BR />It is widely recognised that the North has higher levels of mental ill health than any other region of these islands. It is estimated that one in four adults will suffer from a mental health problem at some stage of their life.”
“At the outset, I welcome the Health Minister back into his post after a period of great uncertainty. I hope that, in the context of today's debate, the Minister can clarify the importance of him being in post to make strategic decisions on the future delivery of mental health services here. <BR /> <BR />As SDLP health spokesperson, I welcome the opportunity to bring the very important issue of mental health to the Chamber. As many of you know, the prevalence of mental health problems has historically been and continues to be a major concern for us all. In that regard, I note the amendment, which the SDLP is happy to support. In our view, it neither adds substantially nor takes away anything from the original motion.”
“If I do not manage, my colleagues can bring any other necessary points to the table. <BR /> <BR />I beg to move”
“Earlier, the Minister reflected on how it might take 12 to 14 years to feel the benefit of an education intervention, but, clearly, this type of intervention could pitch up on the Minister's desk much sooner than that. Does he recognise that fact, and what conversations could he have with the Department of Health to mitigate it?”
“I thank the Member for giving way. He is aware that, under paragraphs (ii) and (iii) of article 1.5 of the ministerial code, there is a duty to communicate with Assembly Members and the public. Given the number of times that those Ministers have been out of their seats, is there a risk that they have, in fact, breached the ministerial code?”
“— going to bring a focus on the murders when, in fact, it has only brought focus on its own failed strategy.”
“Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. The Member may have misinterpreted what I was reflecting on. While I have my criticisms of your party's support of the adjournment process, I was making the point that the DUP said that you had little room to criticise when it escalated its approach beyond that. I am comparing and contrasting that with the SDLP's very robust approach of saying that it wanted the Assembly institutions running. We do not accept the principle of adjournment and therefore, perhaps uniquely in the Chamber, we can stand here and say that this is wrong in terms of adjournment, wrong in terms of escalation procedures and, as I say, wrong from a strategic perspective. The party that adopted that process claimed that it was —”
“Where else would it be acceptable to have a part-time Health Minister as we continue to witness crisis after crisis, as I have outlined? It is important to remember that the Ministries that are occupied by the DUP retain the key policy levers that are paramount in dealing with the long-term issues facing Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />Part of this morning's contribution elsewhere was that those who had supported the concept of an Assembly adjournment — the Alliance Party — had no room to criticise the DUP when it took further escalation measures. I remind the House that the SDLP objected completely and unanimously to the concept of an adjournment and, by the DUP's logic, is therefore in a stronger position to criticise its in-out approach today. It is letting down patients —”
“I take a moment to congratulate all those who turned out at the weekend to support our junior doctors and the NHS overall. <BR /> <BR />If the DUP's in-out approach says anything, it is that the strategy has not been properly thought through. It has been an attempt to pull the wool over the eyes of patients and the public. It has not worked. Indeed, the DUP said that it was doing this to put a focus on the murders that were talked about in earlier contributions: if anything, it has taken focus off those horrendous murders, which we should all, quite rightly, abhor. By any measure, their strategy has cataclysmically failed. <BR /> <BR />We have no leadership and no strategy. Health staff, the public and patients continue to be failed.”
“In health, we have seen it translated down into elective care, cancer services and autism. Instead, we have a smokescreen, with the Minister turning up for five or 10 minutes to do a small bit of business to make it look as if the bigger bit is being done. The public are not blind and are not fools, and the issues are not restricted to those that I have listed. There are others such as the availability of cancer drugs and the Transforming Your Care plan, which is at the very heart of our health service. Think about the strategic difference that that would make if it were being properly driven. Other issues include the well-deserved pay rise for health staff and the recent focus on the air ambulance service here. Punitive changes to junior doctors' contracts is another issue that is now coming to the surface.”
“We all agree that the current situation in society is not pleasant, but it is not a situation that should allow Ministers to abandon their post, abandon the public and abandon the democratic process.”
“The party has continued to put enormous public concern over issues, such as health, second in favour of a spat between it and the Ulster Unionist Party over who is taking the hardest unionist line.”
“The DUP was absent for the first two, which had the public interest at their core, but it turned up for the much narrower and self-interested SpAd issue, and I notice social media's outrage. <BR /> <BR />As I listened to the BBC news this morning, I was intrigued to hear a DUP contribution on this debate today on the airwaves. So, the DUP is happy enough to go to the radio stations, but it is not happy to turn up in the Chamber. In my view, that is perpetrating a deceit on the public: pretending that it is making a contribution while, of course, it is not. Ultimately, the fact that the DUP has either turned up to vote on issues or participated narrowly in others shows that there is no principle at the heart of this approach.”
“I welcome the opportunity to participate in the debate, and I do so as SDLP health spokesperson. Before making my comments focusing on health issues, I would like to make a number of wider points, principally on the nature of DUP abstentionism. Peter is out, but Arlene is in twice. The party is putting pounds before patients by keeping the Finance Ministry open while pretending to be in and out of the Health Ministry. Jonathan is out, but he is in when he is out of the country. You literally could not make it up. <BR /> <BR />We have held a number of very important debates in the Chamber in the last number of weeks: on autism, which affects many thousands of young people and their families; on cancer, which reaches into all levels of society here; and on SpAds, which has a much more limited audience.”
“I thank the Speaker, and I hope that, with my supplementary question, I am not frustrating his attempts for clarity on the issue. This would involve major decisions at Executive level and would involve the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister, in my humble opinion. <BR /> <BR />The Minister might be aware of plans for the cancer centre in south Belfast, and I would see the benefits of any expansion there as much more regionally. Is her Department and all of the Departments discussing the potential for financial transactions capital in that regard, given the economic and health benefits that would be had of linking academia, health and pharma?”
“I thank the Minister and welcome his comments around collaboration. Does he share the concern of the Northern Ireland Independent Retail Trade Association that the development of town centres and the retail sector requires a joined-up approach involving the Executive, councils and the sector?”
“During the inquiry, the Committee heard that the plan is not so much a plan any more, rather it is a philosophy. We all love to have a philosophy, but, if you do not have some strategic plan to work to, you are going nowhere. The Health Minister, according to himself, has diluted it even further. It is now about the "principles of TYC" and some vague ambition for world-class healthcare. I remind the Minister that the TYC document made one very important point. It said that to fail to plan for the future would lead to unplanned and haphazard change that will not be in the best interests of patients. So it has come to pass.”
“These views point in only one direction, which is towards a plan that is simply not being implemented. I should know. I have spent the last two years constantly asking questions about its implementation, only to be fobbed off with obfuscation. First, we were given assurances that it was being implemented and that there were targets in the plan. Then, as the questions piled up, the evidence conveniently disappeared. In the end we had the Donaldson review, which basically called it as it was: a failure of leadership, a failure in commissioning and a failure to deliver. It is the workers, the patients and the public who suffer as a result, and they all deserve better. <BR /> <BR />The response of the Department and the absentee Minister is even more concerning.”
“I thank the Member for his intervention. We have all been receiving correspondence in this regard; I am sure that the Member has too. While it is not within the confines of this discussion, the new terms of that contract would bring about a complete removal of the GP training service, cut junior doctors' pay by 30% or 40% and stretch the working week at a time when there is a shortage of GPs, A & E and psychiatry trainee doctors, which once again underlines the irony here and the fact that there is not proper strategic planning. We, as a party — I am sure that other parties are too — are concerned that the proposed changes will dissuade medical students from going into the profession, or from staying here if they have gone into it, at a time when we need more of them. <BR /> <BR />The consensus is clear.”
“That is the considered view of leading health unions four years into the process. It reinforces the fact that the public have not yet benefited from the implementation of TYC and have scarcely seen its implementation. Worryingly, the BMA advised that it has no evidence that investment has been shifted from hospital settings to primary care. The Royal College of Nursing also pointed out that there has been decline in the number of community nurses over recent years, which similarly seems to be out of step with the direction of shift left under TYC. So, we were getting an absolute chorus of key representative organisations saying the same type of things albeit in slightly different ways.”
“Systemic failure. The unions told the Committee:”
“What did TYC say about workforce planning? Recommendation 79 called for measures to be put in place to ensure that staff are able to work in a manner that supports TYC. Recommendation 95 called for the development of new workforce skills that shifts care towards prevention, self-care and integration to the home. Recommendation 97 called for integration of workforce planning into the commissioning process. <BR /> <BR />The Committee heard views on these articulated by many substantial representative organisations in the system. The Royal College of General Practitioners said that TYC sets:”
“The pressure they are under is intolerable and the reason for it is systemic failure. <BR /> <BR />We are here to discuss the key strategic direction of workforce planning in relation to the Transforming Your Care plan. That plan foresaw the strain on the health service, particularly on the expense side, with a growing older population, growing long-term health conditions and a growing need to reach into communities with meaningful health interventions to avoid, as much as possible, people having to go into hospital and essentially racking up big bills.”
“As SDLP health spokesperson, I welcome the opportunity to speak on the motion and give my party's support to the review into workforce planning by the Committee for Health, Social Services and Public Safety. <BR /> <BR />I concur with the remarks of the Chair. I find it ironic that we are discussing workforce planning when the Minister is not at his desk and the Chief Medical Officer is double-jobbing as head of the Belfast Trust. I am disappointed that the Minister is not here. <BR /> <BR />The health service employs almost 55,000 staff, who are dedicated and professional, and who are working to achieve the highest standards of care for patients in often difficult and stressful circumstances. Their commitment, energy and compassion must receive the highest praise. It is important that we acknowledge that.”
“I thank the Minister. What assurance can she give to the non-dairy sector, which is also experiencing cash-flow problems, that their problems are being dealt with by her and her Department?”
“Does the Member agree that, in some cases, this could amount to individual trusts abdicating responsibility for dealing with these issues, and that it has a further effect because it leads to lengthening queues in neighbouring trust areas and causes further frustration for those involved?”
“There are other groups in south Belfast that are looking after small constituencies of 20 or 25 families with children who have autism. It is groups like these that often go unrecognised, and they have told me that the Education Authority and the Health Department are failing to ensure that they get adequate provision, which leads them to take their own actions, which can sometimes mitigate but would be much improved if the Department and the Government were to listen.”
“Parents of children with autism are rapidly losing confidence in the Education Authority and the health system to provide statutory statements. We need to do something to resolve the situation immediately. The suggestion of a formal needs assessment and a formal process between the two Departments is welcome. It is clear that proper funding and joined-up government is also needed to address the issue fully. A properly funded cross-departmental focus is paramount in improving their quality of life while ensuring that these children receive an education on an equitable basis so that they can go into further education or otherwise lead a productive working life. <BR /> <BR />There are many people in community and voluntary groups who are doing all that they can to support struggling parents. I have been particularly impressed by PEAT NI.”
“The diagnosis forms an important component of the overall statementing process, and its failure is failing children, their parents and all of us. My constituency office in South Belfast, for example, has been inundated with parents who are facing significant delays. The mother of Adam, a boy of eight, contacted the office in June, well ahead of the academic term, and he has been waiting now for six months for an appointment. His mother is desperate to make sure that her son receives the help that he needs in primary school. He has still not been assessed and is still attending a mainstream school, and the current situation, in her words, is "tearing her family apart". That is not an isolated incident.”
“As already noted by Members who spoke previously and went through some of the statistics, diagnosis of ASD in schools has risen dramatically in recent years from just under 4,000 in 2009-2010 to over 6,000 last year. That represents a prevalence rate of some 2·2%. I have no doubt that increasing awareness has led to that but also that increasing levels of diagnosis have played a key role. In that context, we must recognise the important and professional role that professionals such as educational psychologists play in this. We must also recognise the extreme pressure that they are under as the numbers increase but the wider financial provision for them does not match demand. <BR /> <BR />There are over 1,300 children on waiting lists for autism diagnosis to receive the extra help and care that they need.”
“That gives you an indication of the strength of opinion out there around the issue. People are reporting live, if you like, on their anxiety and annoyance at the present situation and the ignoring of this very important debate, which all the people who have turned up in the Chamber agree is one that needs action now. <BR /> <BR />Autism is a lifelong developmental disability, and it affects how a person communicates and makes sense of the world around them. It is a spectrum condition, so, while all children and young people affected share certain difficulties around social communication and interaction, it affects them all in different ways. That is why diagnosis is so important for special educational needs provision.”
“As SDLP health spokesperson and a South Belfast MLA, I am privileged that my party has tabled today's motion. I am hopeful that the Minister of Education and the absentee Simon Hamilton will take heed of today's debate, as it is a very important issue. It is so important, in fact, that we have launched an online petition that is reflecting on the Minister's absence and urging him to get back to work. It was launched a couple of hours ago, and 200 people have already responded. The nature of the petition is that they can also leave responses. Patricia O'Neill from Newtownabbey describes it as "outrageous". Terry Ruddy from Newry says:”
“There is no direct equivalence between the A* grade at GCSE and grade 10 in the English model. How will the Department ensure that children from here who are applying for, for example, high-demand courses like veterinary science in England will not be penalised?”
“It is great to have ambition at the heart of these things, and, clearly, when people see a project nearing completion, or being completed, they expect more. The access issue that you raised is important. Are there any further discussions about how access in and around the city for Windsor Park will be catered for?”
“As we heard, Mr Speaker, there are 13 clauses in total. Some of the issues have been rehearsed. You can hear that there is not much dissent, but we need some further scrutiny. Further improvements can be made as the Bill progresses through the next stages in Committee and in the Assembly. I look forward to participating earnestly in those discussions with colleagues so that we can shape the best legislative and financial platform for credit unions to work productively for society, as they have been doing for so many years.”
“Sorry, Phil; you have just left the Committee. He is my former colleague. We have heard recommendations from the Irish League of Credit Unions and the Ulster Federation of Credit Unions to amend that clause to allow for parity of treatment. In essence, they feel that, if banks are allowed to open accounts in the names of organisations, so should the credit unions. The SDLP backs that approach.”
“I understand that the credit unions would be keen to see that type of investment. When a bank has fled the scene, we need to facilitate those that would take up the strain. Credit unions are ably placed to do that. <BR /> <BR />The credit union brand is integral to Northern Irish and Irish society, but times change, and it is imperative that this important work is able to continue to allow credit unions to compete in today's market. As we have heard, the Bill seeks to amend two pieces of existing legislation. Perhaps the biggest change is in relation to clause 1, which my colleague on the Committee, Phil Flanagan —”
“<BR /> <BR />Credit unions can also play a part in filling the gap that has been caused by the closure of bank branches across much of the North. In an area close to my office in my constituency of South Belfast, three banks have closed. If you go through any area now, you will not be far from a bank closure. Lots of my constituents have come to the office, including many who are older and do not have access to computers and online banking. They now find themselves potentially considerable distances from the banks that served them for years, and that is in an urban environment. Clearly —”
“Of course, the aims of the credit union movement are close to the hearts of our society, and the credit unions exist only to serve their members and not to profit from their needs. That practice is as necessary now, potentially even more so, as it was when Ireland's greatest, John Hume, assisted in founding the Irish credit union movement and the Northern Irish credit unions. <BR /> <BR />We all know the value that the credit union movement, North and South, has brought to many tens of thousands of people. It is a trusted service that is embedded in and serves the community. That is in sharp contrast to some of the organisations that prey on those who find themselves in need with extortionate interest rates. That has been reflected by my colleague the Committee Chair, Patsy McGlone.”
“Thank you, Mr Speaker. During the latter part of this comment, I was going to invite the Minister to intervene to try to justify his inaction, if he could, but I suspect that would have been in vain. He should be embarrassed, and I am embarrassed for him. If any ministerial position needs to reflect to the world that we are open for business, it is the economic brief. How can you do business when the chief executive officer is not in the boardroom? <BR /> <BR />I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this very important Second Stage debate on the Credit Unions and Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Bill, and I do so as a member of the Committee for Enterprise, Trade and Investment. As has been reflected in contributions from the Floor, we have an exceptionally strong credit union movement here, with over 400,000 members.”
“Well, well. Here we go again. We are in a perilous economic state, our economy is broken, and that is reflected in our economically inactive population. The Enterprise Minister needs to be doing a raft of things, but he has not been doing them. Instead, he has vacated his seat, just like his ministerial colleagues, and abandoned the people of Northern Ireland. He should be embarrassed, and I am embarrassed for him.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. He is just touching on the bit about not being at his desk. Notwithstanding the political connotations that he is trying to foist, if you like, on that position, does the Member agree that, by not being in his position here or at his desk in the Health Ministry, the Minister does not recognise the crisis that the Member has so eloquently reflected?”
“I thank the Member for giving way. Does he agree that perhaps there is a bit of a discrepancy here in that Mr Hamilton's public utterances suggest that he may be uncomfortable with what the DUP is doing and that he is at odds, in fact, with his leadership in that regard?”