Gary Middleton
Foyle · Democratic Unionist Party · Northern Ireland
“I thank the Minister for his statement. As other Members have stated, the First Minister spoke publicly about the £150 million secured for pay awards, including £37 million for teachers.”
“I thank the Minister for her response. Although the FE sector is facing a difficult budgetary landscape, NWRC has been able to punch above its weight.”
“<BR /> <BR />Of course, we recognise that there is more to do, but we then come to the central issue: funding. The Education Authority faces an overcommitment of some £280 million. The Department is chronically underfunded. The independent report entitled 'Investing in a Better Future' made that clear.”
“I welcome the opportunity to speak on the motion. I do not think that there is a single Member who does not want to see our children healthy, well fed and ready to learn. We all recognise the statistics before us: 13% of children live in food-insecure households. We understand that nutritious food is the fuel for educational attainment.”
“That targeted, sustainable intervention is designed to support what many describe as the working poor; families who work hard but struggle to make ends meet. <BR /> <BR />The Opposition's motion mentions comparisons with other jurisdictions, nothing that they are expanding universal provision. However, they are being selective.”
“We hear calls from the Benches opposite for subsidies and expansions, but we rarely hear where the money should come from. If we are to find the extra £202 million for this specific policy, which Department does the Opposition suggest that we take it from?”
The complete record
Every one of 861 lines we hold for Gary Middleton, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 16 of 18.
“They will be needed in specialist skills areas as well to provide complex case management and advanced and specialist practice knowledge. Of course, they will need to have the confidence to work independently in the community rather than in acute hospital settings. <BR /> <BR />The second point —”
“I support the motion, and I agree with the comments made by my colleagues earlier. The motion has five key points in it, which I feel the House should support. Many Members have already agreed with the first of those points, which is the fact that there is a shortage of nurses and that that is an ongoing problem. We know that nurses make up a very large part of our Health and Social Care workforce and are delivering 24/7 care, 365 days of the year across a wide range of sectors, in primary, secondary and tertiary care and in our schools, prisons and workplaces, to name a few. Of course, to assist and drive further the transition of service delivery from predominantly acute hospital-based care to community-based care, more nurses will be needed.”
“I welcome the funding announced by the Minister. Will the equipment be shared across other motor sport events?”
“I accept that. Nobody is trying to justify the number of people on the waiting lists, but I question the figure of 392,000 that was stated. That is not specifically cancer-related; it is related to all conditions. The way in which the motion has been proposed is deliberately misleading. Opposition Members cannot, on one hand, say that heads should roll yet, on the other hand, say that we have great staff who should be complimented. If you want to do something for staff morale, start being thankful for the service that we have and recognise the challenges but work together to get reform. That is something that our party and the Executive and, no doubt, the Minister will do.”
“Of course, that language again deliberately scaremongers and causes concern for people.”
“<BR /> <BR />Do I believe there is a deterioration in cancer services? I do not. I believe we have one of the best systems in the world, but we can do better. <BR /> <BR />The motion calls on the Minister:”
“When motions like this come before the House, the signatories need to be careful about the language being used and make sure they truly think through exactly what they want to achieve by tabling it. <BR /> <BR />This morning, I attended an event and chaired a conference in the Stormont Hotel, hosted by the Policy Forum for Northern Ireland, on the reform of the health system. It was refreshing to hear from the over 150 delegates who attended it. The medical professionals talked the health system up rather than talking it down. Yes, there are challenges, and they recognise them, but they were there to work collectively to come to a solution. If the people out there — the health professionals — are working together to come to a solution, we in here should do the exact same rather than trying to score political points.”
“I thank the Member for the intervention, but I do not agree with that. At times, there can be particular pressures in a trust, and that is where you see issues arise, sometimes not in a fashion that you would have seen previously. That creates situations the likes of which we have seen in the Southern Trust, but those can be rectified. The Minister and the previous Minister have worked to alleviate the pressures and ensure that people are not waiting. One of the ways we have done that, particularly in the north-west, is through the opening of the radiotherapy centre at Altnagelvin, which our party was very supportive of. Thankfully, the Minister is working on that as well to reduce waiting lists.”
“Unfortunately, unforeseen circumstances — I know my colleague will touch on this in a few minutes — caused that issue. Nobody is trying to justify the figures or the waiting times, but, at the same time, we have to recognise the pressures in the system as a whole. Conveniently, it was not mentioned in the motion that 100% of cancer patients have been seen on target in the Western Trust area. Of course, there are better situations in other trusts. That has been achieved by the commitment and dedication of staff and a focus on providing the best possible care.”
“I will begin by recognising the magnificent and life-saving work being carried out by our clinicians and medical experts, who are, of course, working on the front line day and daily delivering a first-class health service. Like many others — Mr Sheehan outlined his personal circumstances — I know that cancer has affected many of our family members and friends. Of course, it does not discriminate; it affects all of us, whether old or young, male or female. <BR /> <BR />The way the motion has been tabled is unfortunate. Together with the inaccuracies, it has been done in quite a knee-jerk fashion not, of course, to improve the situation or provide solutions but to scaremonger and to score political points. That is really sad. The motion focuses specifically on one trust and one month.”
“Is the Minister willing to meet the council to look at how it can source funding for the service?”
“I thank the Minister for her answer. The Minister may not be aware that the council has costed a proposal for a service at a value of £170,000, £40,000 of which it has committed —”
“I thank the Minister for his response. Will he outline what he is doing to prevent the payment of benefits to prisoners?”
“I thank the Minister for the schemes that she has announced. They will be very welcome, particularly the askmyGP scheme. You mentioned that it will be extended to 30 other practices. How long do you foresee the pilots lasting? When will a roll-out right across the Province be possible?”
“I thank the Minister for his response. I appreciate that there are issues with land and agreements to be reached on properties. Can he give any time frame for when he foresees such a project being brought into use?”
“Another use for the database would be to provide a basis for gathering information on the relationships between conditions. That is important in terms of links with autism, for example, as 46% of children with autism also have seizures. It is important that we share that information across the board. We must understand the interrelationship between epilepsy and other conditions but also that between epilepsy and life restrictions in terms of employment, social services or people having to give up their education due to a lack of support. <BR /> <BR />I fully support the motion and the calls within it. We all recognise the pressures that our health system is under; however, the steps proposed will not only benefit the 20,000 people in Northern Ireland with epilepsy but, I believe, will have an impact on the health service.”
“The APG report identified trusts in Northern Ireland that did not have those specialist nurses and looked to other trust areas for support. Without that cover locally, epilepsy patients have to travel to other areas, increasing the time for assessment and treatment. More epilepsy specialist nurses will not only result in a better service for patients but could bring about savings for the health service. <BR /> <BR />Finally, there is the creation of a database. As we all know, up-to-date, accurate information is something that our health service needs and relies on to ensure that the best possible and most effective care is available. Epilepsy should be no different. The database would provide information and evidence for the targeting of services to areas of need and ultimately reduce misdiagnoses and waiting times.”
“I have spoken to people with epilepsy and colleagues on the APG, and it is clear to me that they not only want to protect the services already there but want an extension of those services. That will not only help patients with the condition; it will have an impact on the wider health system through the reduction of their dependence on other specialists. More importantly, it will have an impact on the number of people who die with the condition. We need to ensure that we have the right support at every level. <BR /> <BR />There is no doubt — there should be no doubt — about the value of epilepsy specialist nurses. They provide a crucial source of support and advice and enable many patients to manage their epilepsy effectively and remain independent in the community.”
“When we discuss epilepsy, we always hear people saying, "My friend has epilepsy" or "I know someone who has epilepsy". With the numbers being so large, it is inevitable that we all know somebody who has the condition. <BR /> <BR />The motion calls for actions to be taken to go some way in addressing the many concerns around provision for people with epilepsy. First, there is establishing a patient-led approach. This is important when dealing with issues directly affecting the life of an individual. Whether it is having an impact on their health, their education or their employment, the patient should have an input to the services they require. Obviously, that approach must be evidence-based. <BR /> <BR />Secondly, there is the epilepsy service provision itself.”
“Like others, I begin by thanking my colleagues for bringing this important motion to the House. I want to recognise and congratulate the APG on epilepsy on the work that it has carried out to date to support and advocate on behalf of people with epilepsy. I also recognise the work of Foyle epilepsy support group and, in particular, Keith Cradden for his tireless efforts in raising awareness of the condition. <BR /> <BR />Whilst a lot of work has been done, there is still much more to do to ensure that epilepsy has its rightful place in our health system and that it is seen as a chronic condition that needs greater attention, greater support and much less stigmatisation. Many people who have epilepsy do not say that they do.”
“I welcome the response from the First Minister and she has, in part, answered my supplementary question. Will she give some assurance that she will do all that she can in her Department to ensure that Londonderry and Strabane are well represented even if the council is focused on other areas?”
“As mentioned by my colleague as well, we need to look at other regions and areas of best practice, be it England, Scotland or the Republic of Ireland. I am pleased to hear that there is ongoing work by the Committee for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs to look at the issue. I encourage all Members here to support the motion.”
“High-level, widespread control is currently not the responsibility of any of the statutory organisations. It is even more frustrating when the knotweed is coming from neighbouring, vacant premises. As MLAs, we know that trying to sort issues involving vacant private properties can be very difficult in normal everyday circumstances, never mind dealing with invasive species. <BR /> <BR />As a former member of the Environment Committee, I heard directly from those involved in the eradication of Japanese knotweed, an organisation called Knotweed NI. It was agreed that, to effectively tackle the issue, there should be cross-departmental cooperation and work with outside bodies and organisations.”
“The implication of that is that it runs into serious financial costs of millions of pounds. Homeowners have found that Japanese knotweed can reduce the value of their home, damage the structure of the building and create issues, as mentioned already, with mortgages when they are selling the property. Of course, the fact is that it takes years to eradicate. <BR /> <BR />A regional programme for the eradication of Japanese knotweed would be useful and could help to deal with the issue more effectively. I appreciate that such an initiative would require much attention from the Minister and much investigation of the exact cost of such a programme and the legal issues involved. <BR /> <BR />The concern for the landowners affected is that they are responsible for dealing with it.”
“I welcome the opportunity to speak on the motion. The fact that we are discussing this in the Chamber shows the seriousness with which we take it and how serious an issue it is across the Province. Japanese knotweed has affected and continues to affect many areas and properties throughout Northern Ireland. Whilst the full extent of the problem is not known, many cases have been highlighted in the media and through Members' constituency offices. My colleague mentioned the well-known case of Mr and Mrs Atkinson in north Belfast. The distress and annoyance caused is clear. <BR /> <BR />This invasive species not only destroys native plants and reduces local plant biodiversity but seriously damages buildings, land surfaces and infrastructure. There have been cases where knotweed has damaged flood defences and waterways.”
“I thank the Minister for his response. He will be aware that infrastructure in the north-west is very important to our local economy, and, of course, we welcome the announcement by the Executive Office today about the airport. Can the Minister outline whether he foresees any issues that could possibly delay the upgrade of the A6?”
“It is about the fact that these family members will not get back the time that they have lost with their relatives or the support that they lost out on. I call on the Minister to provide reassurances to the families — I know that she listened to the Committee last week — and ensure that this situation cannot be allowed to happen again.”
“Other Members have touched on the fact that, at this stage, we still do not know the extent of the deficit; £8 million has been mentioned, of course. The fact that we do not know is worrying in itself, because it will be more; it is just a question of how much more. We need to see the report from the Health and Social Care Board, which is due out, hopefully, in the next couple of months. We look forward to seeing that, and seeing how the Minister is going to tackle the serious underspend. <BR /> <BR />Last week at the Health Committee, I mentioned to the Minister that there needs to be a thorough investigation into why and how this happened. There is uncertainty as to how this went under the radar for so long. It is clear that family members had suspicions and concerns about services, but, again, this is not all about finance.”
“In 2015, the previous Minister allocated an additional £350,000 to learning disability services. That was helpful, but, unfortunately, it was, given the overall scale of the problem, a drop in the ocean.”
“I thank the Member for bringing this very important topic to the Floor today. Several weeks ago, I went to a public meeting in the City Hotel in my constituency. Family members, carers and fellow elected Members were gathered there to discuss this very serious issue. The high emotion was understandable — there was hurt, tears and anger. Of course, as elected Members, we shared in that and voiced our concerns and anger as well. <BR /> <BR />We met the trust on 20 May, as was mentioned. It was a useful meeting, albeit that we left with more questions than answers. It was made clear to us that it was first identified in 1996 that there was a £4·4 million deficit in the money going to adult learning disability services. It is staggering that that was over 20 years ago and that, still to this day, very little has been done about it.”
“I thank the Minister for his answers so far. Will he outline what total budget was due to transfer if powers had been conferred on councils?”
“Individually, we all have a role to play in tackling the stigma around poor mental health. I will continue to support innovative campaigns such as Change Your Mind and focus on destigmatising poor mental health. The House should not divide on the issue. We should support the motion and the amendment.”
“The Department should implement the Mental Capacity Act and ensure that sufficient resources are allocated.”
“We need to ensure that any new positions or offices give value for money and will, ultimately, have a positive impact and enable better mental health.”
“I pay tribute to each and every one of them. Day and daily, they provide care, and they are champions of mental health. That needs to be recognised as well. <BR /> <BR />I have outlined some of the work that has been done, and indeed there is still much more to be done. Too many in our population suffer in silence and go untreated. We need a mental health champion to take forward, protect and promote the interests of those suffering poor mental health and well-being. It should be a champion who focuses not only on the Department of Health but across Departments, as was previously mentioned, and across the education and other sectors. I agree that this needs to be scoped out to ascertain the role and remit of a mental health champion.”
“She mentioned at a conference last week that she would take forward and champion mental health, and I look forward to that and to working with her in Committee. <BR /> <BR />As outlined by the Health Minister in Committee last week, spending on mental health by our trusts has increased by 17% since 2004-05. Under previous Ministers, mental health spending increased to £250 million per year, a rise of £50 million since the Bamford review. There has also been a positive switch in where that investment goes. Some 57% of mental health expenditure is now in the community, compared with just 46% a decade ago. That is a welcome shift in where the money goes. We know that there are many organisations and charities that do excellent work in our communities, and they need to continue to receive the necessary support and resources.”
“The victims are civilians and, of course, members of our security forces. Research published in March 2015 that was commissioned by the Commissioner for Victims and Survivors estimated that 213,000 adults had mental health difficulties that appeared to be directly related to the Troubles and that, potentially, 60% of those individuals had not received treatment. That, of course, is a worrying figure, and it needs to be addressed. The previous Health Minister initiated work on a new world-leading mental trauma service for Northern Ireland. Prior to leaving office, he allocated an additional £175,000 for early set-up costs. I would welcome the Minister's outlining her commitment to that service.”
“I thank the Member for tabling the motion. It is timely and something that the whole House can get behind. I concur with the sentiments expressed by all the Members so far, particularly those of my colleague Paula, the Chair of the Health Committee. As mentioned, each and every one of us in the Chamber will, at some stage, have had experience of poor mental health, whether personally, through family members or, indeed, through constituents in our offices. Many of the issues brought to us as elected Members lead to poor mental health whether it be, as mentioned in the motion, financial stress, unemployment or homelessness. For that reason, I support the motion. <BR /> <BR />Of course, as has been mentioned, the 30 years of violence in Northern Ireland has also had a direct impact on our mental health.”
“I thank the Minister for her answer. She will be aware that the Protect Life strategy is out for consultation and that that will close in the next number of weeks. Does she agree that, while strategies are important, we need the resources and the finance to back those up?”
“I thank the Minister for his answer. He mentioned the Controlled Schools' Support Council. Will he give an indication of the progress that has been made on its establishment?”
“I thank the Minister for his answers so far and welcome him to his first Question Time. Will he give an indication of what progress has been made on raising educational attainment at GCSE level among working-class Protestant boys?”
“I thank the Minister for his answers so far. Can he give us an indication of how expenditure over this term on the use of taxis compares with the expenditure during the last Assembly term?”
“I thank the Minister for his statement. Will the Minister give an indication of how many patients from Northern Ireland will be treated in the new radiotherapy centre at Altnagelvin?”
“<BR /> <BR />Under clause 2 on shopfronts and window displays, those commercial and non-commercial premises will continue to receive 50% empty property relief. I think that that benefits not only those who own empty shops, but existing businesses in allowing them to advertise. Ultimately, we want to see empty shops being filled. I think that this will be a welcome step to try to encourage city centres to be more vibrant and user-friendly. Thankfully, we are starting to see a lot fewer empty shops in towns and city centres. In my constituency, we saw the benefits of window dressing during the UK City of Culture year in 2013. The place looked well and was attractive to tourists. <BR /> <BR />There are no issues with clause 3 or the rest of the clauses. I support the Bill and encourage everybody to unite behind it.”
“In hearing from these organisations, it is important that we get balance in doing all that we can to support sports clubs in the difficulties that they face whilst also supporting the hospitality sector and ensuring that there are no unfair advantages. <BR /> <BR />Clause 1 allows the Department the power to increase rates reduction and, in some cases, exemption in relation to amateur sports clubs that do not have a liquor licence. That will harmonise the treatment of such clubs with that of community halls. It is also positive that the clause will not preclude clubs from gaining full relief if they obtain occasional licences. I know of quite a few clubs in my constituency, Foyle, that hold charity fundraising events and other specific events. They will be eligible for that.”
“As this is my first time speaking since the new Finance Minister has been in place, I want to welcome him, thank him for all the work that he did in his previous role and wish him well in this role. I trust that he will do as good a job in this post as he did in his previous one. <BR /> <BR />Of course, I rise to support the Bill and the comments of my colleagues who have spoken before me. I believe that it is a good-news Bill; one that should be non-contentious. For that reason, I plan to keep my comments brief. We had several very useful evidence sessions with various sports organisations, be it Ulster Rugby, the GAA or the IFA, to name a few. We also heard from the hospitality sector of course.”
“Like all our front-line services, when the need changes, the services must be flexible to adapt. I have full faith that the Health Minister is doing all he can to support our front-line services, including the Fire and Rescue Service. <BR /> <BR />I hope that parties will not use this issue as a political football but will work together with the Minister to do everything possible for our health service. I hope that Members will support our amendment.”
“If anything is to be achieved by the Assembly today, it should be about reaffirming our commitment that public or firefighter safety must not be compromised. That, too, has been reaffirmed by the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service, which, when publishing the consultation on the proposed new changes, stated:”
“No, I am not going to give way. <BR /> <BR />We want to further ensure that enhanced emergency capability is provided where need is identified, such as in south Down or the west of the Province, including Enniskillen and Dungannon stations, ensuring that any proposals for efficiency savings required by the Executive will be considered where they do not compromise public or firefighter safety. <BR /> <BR />On previous occasions, the Minister has stated publicly that joined-up working and collaboration is key in the Health Department. Ultimately, it offers significant potential. That is something that I want to see in not only the Health Department but every Department in the Executive.”
“No, I am not going to give way. <BR /> <BR />We hope that the Assembly will support our amendment to the motion and publicly confirm that we consider the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service, along with the Ambulance Service and policing as well, to be key front-line services. We believe, of course, that any change to service delivery should not compromise the safety of officers or the public. We also welcome the 26% reduction in Fire Service mobilisation undertaken in Northern Ireland since 2010-11, but we urge caution against comparison with the figures in England, as of course there are specific factors here in Northern Ireland.”