Daniel McCrossan
West Tyrone · Social Democratic and Labour Party · Northern Ireland
“I thank the Member for giving way. She has raised some points of interest. Aside from the Bill at hand, the Department of Finance currently collects rates from property owners across Northern Ireland. I have found that there can be difficulties with that when properties have been lying vacant for a significant period.”
“That applies in particular to those who have been land-banking over a period of time — that happens everywhere, unfortunately — with the hope that the big cash cow will be coming and, ultimately, they will be relieved of their responsibility to maintain, look after and enhance the landscape in a town or village by spending the necessary f…”
“As is often the case when we speak in the House, it may be that some ratepayers or members of the public will take it as a given that the Bill will be the silver bullet that will resolve the dilapidation issues in towns. Depending on which area you are in, the scale is very different.”
“We need to be creative in how we can put the Bill to task. <BR /> <BR />Certainly, as I have said, it is good policy. I have no question that the Bill is well intended.”
“<BR /> <BR />Addressing dilapidation is not simply a matter for local government in isolation. The responsibility lies with the Executive as a whole. The Executive have had their eyes closed to this matter for too long, and many of our buildings have deteriorated significantly across council areas over a long period.”
“That encourages private investment, and there is natural enhancement from those investors. However, in areas that lag behind because of economic decline, underinvestment and general deprivation, many towns and cities can quickly become the poor cousin.”
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“I have seen great work undertaken in the integrated sector, as have many Members. Drumragh Integrated College, which the Minister will know well, in my West Tyrone constituency is possibly one of the best examples of how integrated education works so well. I put on record my appreciation to the retired principal, Nigel Firth, for his fantastic work in ensuring that the integrated movement has a footprint in west Tyrone. <BR /> <BR />Currently, we have no ministerial target for the percentage of integrated schools; we have no action plan from the independent review of integrated education that took place three years ago; and we have used only 14% of the available funding for integrated education from the Fresh Start Agreement. Those issues need immediate and tangible action, which we have not seen to date.”
“Our priority should be the quality of the education provided and how that can be done sustainably without the need for unnecessary school closures or any decision having a hugely disproportionate impact on certain parts of society. The complete abandonment of faith-based schools or Irish-medium schools is not the way forward. We should consider the future prospect of joint-faith schools supporting the education of our children and young people of different backgrounds together. <BR /> <BR />Another issue on which we can all agree is that we need to invest more in integrated education. Despite coming a considerable way on provision — we now have 65 fully integrated schools and another nine in the pipeline, in response to parental choice — we have not come far enough.”
“We need an education system that will provide the building blocks for our children and give them the best possible future. <BR /> <BR />Our education system is in need of reform that moves towards the development of a single education system and the development of the integrated sector, while still operating a system where parental choice continues to play an important role in ensuring that our schools deliver efficiently and effectively, with improved access to the curriculum and ever higher standards. The review must not be a slash-and-burn exercise that is conducted with the typical haphazard and inconsistent approach that we have become accustomed to in our public services. <BR /> <BR />Change cannot happen overnight, and there is no one-size-fits-all fix to the situation.”
“Our public services face inescapable pressures, and education is not immune from those. If we do not take action, our schools and the many dedicated principals and teaching staff across the North will continue to suffer — and suffer they have. Members made clear some of the resource challenges that our schools have faced and how, as put on record in recent weeks, they have been largely ignored and isolated by the Education Authority. <BR /> <BR />We need more money, but we also need to look at how our education system delivers for each child in Northern Ireland. In that context, the SDLP supports an independent review of education. Mr Humphrey claimed that his party does, too. We support a review that will look at how we can best provide top-quality, top-class education for all.”
“At the outset, I put firmly on record my sincere appreciation to Derek Baker and Tommy O'Reilly, and to the principals, teachers and classroom assistants who have kept the lights on in our schools over the past three years in the absence of these institutions. The work that our principals and teachers have done is fantastic. They continued, in the face of many challenges, to ensure that our children were looked after in the circumstances that we faced. <BR /> <BR />I speak as the SDLP's education spokesperson, and I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the important debate. I thank Chris Lyttle and his colleague Kellie Armstrong for tabling the motion. We can all agree that our current education system is unsustainable. It is haemorrhaging money on a significant scale, and it is unsustainable in its current form.”
“In the context of the Member's contribution in relation to the presentation received, particularly that received from the EA and the failings found in their internal report — an audit, as they called it, but not carried out by auditors — does the Member agree that, given what we have heard, it is time for a full independent review of the EA?”
“Given that a significant number of people here have contracted the virus from people who have been in northern Italy, have there been any conversations between your respective Departments about stopping those flights?”
“Minister, thank you for your address to the House. I also put on record my sincere thanks to and recognition of our hard-working healthcare staff who are on the front line, as well as their families, who, in the context of what we are facing, will be extremely worried about their family members helping those most in need. <BR /> <BR />Minister, I note that in your statement you said that there is a UK-wide action plan to deal with coronavirus, but we are on one island, and people traverse the island daily. You mentioned that you are also in conversation with Minister Harris in the South. Are there any plans for an all-Ireland action plan to tackle coronavirus? Moreover, flights between Dublin Airport and northern Italy continue.”
“I will follow on from a point made earlier. Principals have been telling me that they feel isolated, for want of a better description. They say that EA has been unhelpful, there has been no clear guidance or policy and they are under huge pressure to make the right decision in the interests of their children and staff. What happens, Minister, if a principal makes the decision to go ahead with a trip and a child is contaminated? Who is liable in that case?”
“The Minister will join me in acknowledging the importance of this infrastructure, particularly for rural communities like West Tyrone, when we see the closure of rural banks, homework being done online and also the benefits system being online. It is vital for my constituents. The Minister clarified that 10,000 homes in West Tyrone are affected. What is the figure for Fermanagh? How quickly will this be rolled out in my constituency, which is suffering quite a bit?”
“I thank the Minister for the consideration that he has given to the matter and for the work that has been done by his Department thus far. I know that you are taking it very seriously, Minister, and I appreciate that. Will he consider joining me in the beautiful Glenelly valley to visit a few of the farmers who are affected to see at first hand the impact that the flooding has had on that community?”
“Farmers have concerns about their funding post 2020 and, again, Brexit has compounded that. Will the British Government commit to the same levels of EU funding for our farmers? That remains to be seen. If the New Decade, New Approach funding is anything to go by, I have no faith that they will do what is right for the agricultural community. <BR /> <BR />I welcome the fact that my constituency colleague has brought this issue to the House, but it is a bit frustrating that Sinn Féin is back in the Chamber asking for funding to be reinstated that was removed as a result of a consultation by the Sinn Féin leader, then Minister, Michelle O'Neill, back in 2016.”
“The compensation that they were provided with for so long has been removed, with very little care given. <BR /> <BR />In West Tyrone, farms in the Glenelly valley not only have to deal with those cuts but are still in financial despair, given that their farms, livelihoods and businesses were decimated by the flooding in 2017. I have documented that very well; I know that the Minister has taken it seriously, and I appreciate any response that he has given to me in that regard. Almost three years later, they have still not been properly compensated and, as I said, I hope that the Minister will move swiftly on that. <BR /> <BR />The debate is not only about ANC payments but the wider fundamentals of future farm payments, following the end of CAP in December.”
“That is unacceptable, and it is why we need to do something tangible about it. Regardless of which farm I have visited, that comes across very clearly. <BR /> <BR />Over 60% of the farmland in my constituency of West Tyrone is designated as severely disadvantaged, and that includes areas such as Dromore, Ruskey, Castlederg and the Glenelly valley. I have met farmers and local community groups who hold the view that the removal of the ANC payments was disproportionate for farmers in West Tyrone and, indeed, in Fermanagh and South Tyrone. They are not able to compete with producers in many more favoured areas and do not have the luxury of simply converting to dairy, arable farming or potatoes. Indeed, DAERA's statistics show that upland farms' income is £114 less than that of lowland farms.”
“It is with great concern that we are here today to represent those farmers who, through no fault of their own, have lost entitlements because of the removal of the ANC support last year. ANC represents the less favourable areas of land — again, that was discussed in great detail by other Members — mostly on hills. My constituency is quite hilly, as Declan McAleer, my constituency colleague, mentioned. <BR /> <BR />The ANC accounts for 44% of all farmland across the North, and ANC payments were meant to protect those farmers because of their disadvantage and to ensure that there was an equal playing field. However, that funding, which amounted to around £20 million spread over 9,000 applications, has now been removed. Many farmers have been left in a state of limbo, unable to plan for the future or for their families and their farms.”
“Like many in the Chamber, I take great offence when farmers are accused of being paid for nothing. We hear that but, in fact, people need to realise the work and endless hours that a farmer puts in to ensuring that his land is farmed and the great sacrifices that are made. Some farmers do not go on holiday, and some will not even leave the house for a day because they are afraid to leave the farm because they are so dedicated to it. That is a generational thing that has come through, and I can speak about many people in my constituency in that regard. <BR /> <BR />I do not need to convince the House that our farmers across Northern Ireland are world class and that they provide world-class produce that is exported around the globe.”
“Many of our farmers are struggling and are in need of support. It is important that we use this debate to convey that support directly to them and to the organisations that represent their interests. As I said, our farming community has benefited substantially from EU money for decades and from schemes that have not only kept farms alive but contributed significantly to their output.”
“I am sure you have influence over her, Declan. <BR /> <BR />I support the motion and thank those Members who brought it before the Chamber. It is important that we send a clear message to our farming community across the North that they will no longer be left behind. That includes ensuring that those farmers who farm less favourable land are not disproportionately impacted on by the House or by something that is as catastrophic as Brexit. It will have a huge impact on our farming community. That is well-documented by many farmers across the 18 constituencies of Northern Ireland, regardless of their background or belief; it is generally accepted that Brexit will have a devastating impact on agriculture here.”
“I too congratulate the Member for Mid Ulster on her maiden speech. I sincerely hope that she finds herself as a Tyrone woman and not a Derry woman.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, thank you for your patience. I am due to bring my speech to an end, but what I will say is: let us learn from the past. Let us learn from the failure of this place to properly account for public money so that we do not find ourselves in such deficits, and we do not find ourselves scratching now for £600 million to pay the people who kept this place going, kept our children educated, kept our people in care and safe. That is where the priority should be.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, I am providing context as to why we find ourselves in this financial situation.”
“<BR /> <BR />When it comes to funding and budgeting in the House, we need to be conscious of the fact that we are the worst possible example of how we spend and account for public money. I will list wastage of public funds, why we are in this Budget situation and why it could have been avoided. RHI: Mr Carroll rightly points out that we burned the shortfall as people stood silent, knowing full well that, in poultry sheds across this place, the heat was blazing and the money was burning. Red Sky: do not mention that; it is in the past; it is another blatant example of where money and public funds have been wasted and why we are in this situation. Research Services Ireland: that has not been mentioned in a while. NAMA.”
“To hear the Finance Minister come out and say that there is a £600 million shortfall raises questions about how this place has been run for many years prior to its collapse and since. <BR /> <BR />When you consider the cost of corruption, the cost of scandal, the cost of complete and utter political ignorance, to take responsibility for the looseness, the recklessness and the abuse with which public funds have been mistreated in this place for years. I heard a Member across the House say, "The SDLP left the Executive. The Ulster Unionists walked out as well". We left that Executive because there was a big cake and it was cut down the middle, and, if we were lucky, we got the crumbs off the plate.”
“Brexit is still a major threat to many farmers and businesses in West Tyrone, with many people left in a state of limbo, unable to plan for the future and afraid of how their livelihoods will be impacted. I urge each and every Member to come together and oppose any trade restrictions or tariffs that will not only impact rural communities but impact all 18 constituencies here, this entire island, our all-island economy. That needs to be a priority for the Executive. <BR /> <BR />I will finish with this point. We talk in the House about shortfalls, and it is very depressing, after having some hope that the Assembly was back, that we were going to resolve the teachers' issue, the nurses' issue, the Civil Service issue, the flooding issue. I even had visions of the A5 and driving on it.”
“Where was the leadership then? I got excuses such as, "There is no Minister, Mr McCrossan. We have no money. We cannot grant it, Mr McCrossan". That is the issue. It is not all about Belfast. There needs to be proper budgeted funding for rural communities and for the west of the Province, and it needs to happen soon. People feel that they have been abandoned. People feel that it is discrimination, regardless of what community they are from. They are united in that feeling in my constituency. <BR /> <BR />I am hopeful that Minister Poots, who, I know, recognises the severity of the issue, will grant the funding, and I hope that the Finance Minister will also support him in that. The imagery does not do it justice. I was in the water for days supporting those farmers, and I am sure that other Members did the same.”
“It destroyed the city centre and caused all sorts of chaos, and it was a very regrettable situation. However, five or six hours after that happened, there was a statement of some sort released by the head of the Civil Service rounding up the Departments and saying, "We're going to do something about this. We're going to save Belfast". Straight away, much as I was absolutely horrified by the scenes in Belfast, I was going, "Where on earth was that when my constituency was under water, when I watched a woman who couldn't get into her house and the water was touching the ceiling of her kitchen?".”
“There was no leadership in the Department to actually give some form of help to those farmers, who have spent tens of thousands restoring their land. Homeowners were out of their homes, and, thankfully, from Derry City and Strabane District Council and other councils, through the Department, there was £1,000 for homeowners, but there was very little for businesses. There was very little granted for the farms and the farmer. I stood and watched a grown man who had farmed for 40 years in tears in his field, and he asked, "Where is the funding?". I had asked the Finance Minister whether there had been any approach from the AERA Minister to grant any funding for farmers in the wake of the crisis that they are continually going through. <BR /> <BR />I will make a point for comparison. Unfortunately, Primark went on fire in Belfast city centre.”
“When I went to knock on the door of the permanent secretary, he welcomed me in with open arms and said, "Daniel, have a seat", and we had cups of coffee and all the rest. First, he told me that they would look at the cost of the damage caused and would brief me and fellow Members from the neighbouring constituency and others on the level of devastation. However, "Oh no. Hush, hush. Do not say anything. Sure it is way down there, not in Belfast. Who cares?". That is what people think. Well, it is not happening any more. If I have to jump up and down, shout and scream, people will hear the voices of the people of my constituency, and they will hear that they have been neglected and abandoned. <BR /> <BR />That was a crisis. There was no Minister in place because Members in this place could not agree with each other.”
“That needs to change, and there needs to be some meaningful investment in rural communities, particularly in mine of West Tyrone. <BR /> <BR />Members will be glad to hear that I am nearly done. Nothing epitomises the blatant inequality more than the recent floods that brought devastation right through the very heart of my constituency in 2017. The rain came and flooded houses, businesses, community facilities and farms and destroyed livelihoods. I put on record, because this is the only opportunity that I have had to do so, that the services provided by Roads Service and Rivers Agency were exceptional. They were there, supporting people on the ground. They were helping people throughout the constituency and in other areas that were impacted.”
“Post offices have been closed. Rural banks are gone. Schools are closing. The heart has been ripped out of rural communities. I have a large rural constituency. You can see the damage that has been caused to rural communities by a lack of investment, a lack of responsibility from the Executive. People in rural communities feel neglected, and anyone who represents a rural community will argue the same point as I am making here and will continue to make. I sincerely hope, if I am in the House in 10 years' time, that I am not making the same arguments. We need to address the blatant inequality that exists in the west of the Province. For too long, eyes have been closed, mouths have been shut and no action has been taken.”
“The difficulty is that we are so focused in the House on taking chunks out of each other and finding reasons to not work with each other that we cannot see past our own agendas. <BR /> <BR />I also want to use the debate to raise issues concerning rural communities, especially those in West Tyrone. I start with some positive news on Project Stratum. I had an answer from the Minister, and I thank him for providing it. It will serve 10,000 homes in my constituency, which is a significant investment that has been a long time coming to address the deficit in broadband provision. I would be walking up the streets in West Tyrone, and one side of the street would have broadband and the other side would not. It is an unbelievable situation, but let us be honest about where rural communities are today. They have been stripped.”
“Yes, some say, "There's no money, Daniel. There's no point in discussing rail. We can't have a halt at the International Airport. We've no money". What is wrong with having a bit of ambition and a bit of vision for this place to properly connect the island and get some buy-in? Regardless of the political disagreements around the House, this place finds itself in a unique situation. We have the Assembly and these institutions and our budgets; we could have buy-in from the British Government, who are very keen to build bridges at £20 billion or more; and we have the Irish Government. We also had Europe. We had European funding that was key to this place. It was key to my constituency in Omagh, when it was blown to bits and people were killed in the streets. We had a situation where we could attract funding from a wide range of places.”
“Absolutely. There is an issue with infrastructure across the entire Province. There was an old saying years ago that, if you went to Donegal, you needed to watch for potholes; in Donegal now, they are saying, "If you go to Strabane, you need to watch the potholes". There is a huge issue with the infrastructure of this place, and there is a desperate need for full and proper investment. I close off my remarks on the A5 by saying that it is important that the House is united in ensuring that we have proper infrastructure that links the entire Province and, more importantly, this island. It takes me two and a half hours to get here every day and two and a half hours to get back. <BR /> <BR />In terms of capital budget, I want to see the House do more to extend rail services. That is a discussion that we really need to get into.”
“I call on any Irish Government — particularly the future one, whoever that may be — to recommit that money to the infrastructure that will unite this island in the interests of our economy and the safety of our people. Removing that funding, which they have done twice, has put these institutions and the Department under financial pressure.”
“A minority group — a handful of self-interested people — have taken it on themselves to derail a project that is supported by the majority of people across the island. Unfortunately, to date, they have succeeded in continually derailing it. They make their excuses as to why they feel so strongly about it, but it is down to complete and utter self-interest. They have cost the taxpayer tens if not hundreds of millions with their continued petty objections that have put that project where it is today at a cost that has put the House under significant pressure. <BR /> <BR />Mr Beggs rightly asked about the commitment of the Irish Government — some £400 million in previous times.”
“It will be absolutely pivotal to the all-Ireland economy and to creating greater connectivity across the island. <BR /> <BR />I had friends over from England recently. They were looking at a map of the old rail system, and they said, "What's that big patch up there?". I said, "You're standing in it". They could not believe it. They said, "Does no one know you exist down here, or have they deliberately turned a blind eye?". That is something that I will leave you all to think about. <BR /> <BR />The A5 — I say this without any hesitation or doubt — is the most dangerous road on this island; in fact, I go further; it the most dangerous on these islands. People have lost their loved ones because of continued delays to the scheme.”
“There is no option for people who live in West Tyrone. Luckily, I lived to tell the tale; I got the car pulled in — eventually. That is the reality for people travelling on that road. Regardless of which stretch, corner or section of the A5 that you go on, you literally take your life in your hands. The latest figures available, which are from 2014 to 2018, show that 18 lives have been lost — I said 15 earlier — on that road since 2014. Since 2006, 34 lives have been lost. Anybody who has had the pleasure of visiting the beautiful constituency of West Tyrone will have noticed that the infrastructure is absolutely disgraceful. It is non-existent. We have beautiful views, but we have very dangerous roads.”
“I do not want to drive on a nice road from Derry to Strabane, then struggle to get from Strabane to Omagh and then have another nice road from Omagh to Ballygawley; I want to see the full completion of that A5. In more recent weeks, a public inquiry has been ongoing in relation to the A5. I will attend that public inquiry next week and echo, as strongly as I do in the Chamber and to the Minister and officials, how important that road is for the north-west of the Province to increase connectivity, bring about investment and save countless lives. <BR /> <BR />I avoided the A5 this morning because it gets congested between Omagh and Strabane on the Omagh section. It takes me 45 minutes to get through Omagh if I hit it at the wrong time. I took an alternative route, and, in so doing, I ended up hitting black ice and going off the road.”
“Recent reports state that the combined depth of potholes here is eight times that of the English Channel. There is a stark figure for you: eight time that of the English Channel. We have seen millions of pounds wasted on claims due to damage to vehicles from potholes. We really need to get our infrastructure budget right. Again, that is not an easy task, given some of the tremendous pressures that exist in that Department. As has been mentioned by various Members today, a lot of the issues that will affect our economy are to do with infrastructure. <BR /> <BR />I want to see the full delivery — I will say it as clearly as I can — of the A5 western transport corridor scheme. I know that it was a commitment of previous Executives to see the delivery of the A5. I do not want to see a quarter of the A5.”
“Another request that the Minister kindly answered about Western Urgent Care revealed that only 24% of shifts were covered in the primary care unit of Strabane health centre in the last year. That means that 76% were left unattended, with no notice. People travel from Castlederg to go to the health centre in Strabane, hoping to be seen and to receive vital medical treatment for their child, who cannot speak for themselves, and to understand what is wrong, and they are told, "You'll have to go to Derry. We have no doctor here". That is all the result of the shortage in funding but also, more importantly, in my opinion, how we manage Western Urgent Care and others with the funding and resources that they are granted. <BR /> <BR />I want to comment on our infrastructure budget and deficit.”
“We are told that it has been stripped back due to budget cuts. That makes a bad situation much worse, because people end up going to A&E, which congests our A&E departments.”
“My fellow constituency Member Mr McHugh may back me up on this. Day and daily, we are inundated with complaints about the lack of out-of-hours GP services in the Strabane area.”
“In our constituency offices, we see people suffering day and daily. For three years, people pleaded with me, as their representative, to do something to help them, but there simply was not the funding there to resolve the huge and deepening crisis with our waiting lists. <BR /> <BR />It is absolutely shocking and inhumane that over 5,000 people have died every year while waiting to receive some form of treatment. I got that figure from a response to a freedom of information request. To make that directly relevant to Members, that is our mothers, our fathers, our brothers and sisters, our neighbours and our friends. There are big issues in the health service that will require collective responsibility from the House to resolve. <BR /> <BR />I also want to discuss accessibility to healthcare, and I will take Strabane as an example.”
“Absolutely. There is a lack of planning in the system. There is a lack of workforce planning. We have some of the greatest healthcare staff that you could ever ask for. They are some of the most hard-working, caring people, but they too need to be supported to do the job that they want to do in order to deliver for the people whom they care for. That is the issue with the system. It is not reflective of our medical staff, and it is certainly not reflective of the current Minister, who was brave enough to take on the brief and lead. <BR /> <BR />Another issue that the Assembly must face is the crisis that the rest of our health service faces: the 300,000 people on health service waiting lists. I hope that funding is secured as part of the New Decade, New Approach deal, as too many are suffering. All of us can relate to that.”
“I will. I am told that there is no funding available for services. These are our people. These are our mothers, our fathers, our sons and daughters, our brothers and sisters, our neighbours and our friends. That lady sat for one week in a hospital to which she had reached out for help, and she did not see any kind of doctor or psychiatrist. That is the issue with our system. They can pump money into things and think that it is a sticking plaster to resolve some of the huge crises that we face. I know that person very well, and it hit me very hard to learn that she reached out and went into the system yet still did not receive any support. I will let the Member intervene.”
“That person had reached breaking point and asked to be admitted to that very nice facility with very hard-working staff. There was an issue, and that person who was desperate for counselling, help and assistance sat in the hospital for one week. She did not see a psychiatrist and was left sitting in a room looking out a window, with others around her. When I lifted the phone to the chief executive of the trust, the chief executive was rightly horrified. That person's condition worsened because she did not receive the intervention or the care that she needed. I was promised the sun, the moon and the stars and that the situation would be resolved, but I can assure you that, three weeks after that lady left the hospital, there has not been one call or follow-up or any referral to any form of mental health service. She is at breaking point.”
“They should not talk about it, say how terrible it is and say, "We must put money into it", but meaningfully plan for, invest in and tackle it. A few short weeks ago, I visited a mental health facility at a hospital in Derry. I saw fantastic facilities, wonderful staff and a lot of very unwell people. I visited someone in that hospital who is very close to me, who was desperate for help, who reached out for help on many occasions, went to the GP, could not get seen by a community psychiatric nurse (CPN), could not be seen by a psychiatrist and could not receive counselling services.”
“Just look at the disparity between the east and the west of the Province. <BR /> <BR />I will come on to the infrastructure deficit again, because I feel very passionate about it, as many Members will know. We have high rates of unemployment and very high rates of social deprivation and poverty that collectively contribute to the mental health crisis that we are face. While I fully recognise the great work our medical staff do in the Western Trust, they have not been supported by additional investment or provided with fit-for-purpose facilities, and they have not been provided with funding that reflects the reality of the Western Trust area. That is especially the case with primary care. <BR /> <BR />Mental health is a crisis that the new Executive must tackle.”
“I referenced yesterday the fact that 25 critical incidents occurred in 2017 where the Education Authority was called into schools to deal with suicides, and it is my understanding that it handled them very well, given the circumstances. That is a shocking figure, and it clearly shows the impact that mental health and suicide rates have on young people and children. <BR /> <BR />In my constituency of West Tyrone, there are a number of budgetary issues that I want to raise that negatively and continually impact on my constituents on a daily basis. Regional imbalance, which is a big term in the House that has been spoken about by many Members who have walked before me and represented my constituency of West Tyrone and other constituencies west of the Bann, is a major sticking point for so many people in my constituency.”
“Absolutely. Given that it was founded only a few short years beforehand, it has certainly lacked the political leadership from here and direction on what was necessary to make it properly function. I know many people who work in the Education Authority who do a very good job, but the thing is not fit for purpose, and we need to call it out as we see it. Every principal and every teacher in every school that I have attended in West Tyrone and beyond has, when asked what the problems are in the school, pointed the first finger at the Education Authority. Serious questions need to be asked about the money that we put into it and about how it functions. I am sure that the Minister will do that. <BR /> <BR />Our mental health services in schools also need better investment now and moving forward into future Budgets.”