Colin McGrath
South Down · Social Democratic and Labour Party · Northern Ireland
“Minister, regardless of where people stand on the exact figure, surely we can all agree that a health service cannot function without the doctors whom it trains.”
“Minister, climate change is happening, and extreme weather events are taking place. We saw that in Downpatrick a number of years ago when the town centre was ravaged by flooding, and it has taken the businesses affected many years to try to get over that flooding.”
“Minister, given that capital funding is, generally, being decimated, the extent of which may increase as a result of the Executive's not agreeing a Budget, what impact will that have on any final road maintenance strategy, and are any contingencies being put in place to manage that?”
“<BR /> <BR />Since March 2025, the parliamentary excellence programme has delivered dedicated sessions with the Executive Office on the strategic framework and its delivery plan, enhancing Members’ understanding of the cross-government approach and their role in scrutiny, legislation and constituency engagement.”
“<BR /> <BR />More broadly, the Assembly Commission supports Members and Committees in carrying out their scrutiny functions, including in relation to the Executive Office’s work on that framework.”
“As the Member mentioned, one example is the Assembly's Women's Caucus, which has a particular focus on supporting women in public life and highlighting the increasing challenges that women face in the digital sphere, including online abuse.”
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“Minister, given that capital funding is, generally, being decimated, the extent of which may increase as a result of the Executive's not agreeing a Budget, what impact will that have on any final road maintenance strategy, and are any contingencies being put in place to manage that?”
“Minister, regardless of where people stand on the exact figure, surely we can all agree that a health service cannot function without the doctors whom it trains. Resident doctors say that their pay has fallen significantly in real terms, and more than half of final-year medical students surveyed said they were considering leaving Northern Ireland because of pay and conditions. Today, patients are paying the price of the dispute in their treatment. Is today's strike not the clearest indictment yet of your handling of our health service, showing that, under your watch, it has become cheaper to lose doctors than to keep them?”
“Minister, climate change is happening, and extreme weather events are taking place. We saw that in Downpatrick a number of years ago when the town centre was ravaged by flooding, and it has taken the businesses affected many years to try to get over that flooding. Has any consideration been given to looking at what can be done through the rating system to try to help businesses that struggle to get back on their feet after such extreme weather events?”
“Yes, thank you for that question. The Commission is committed to ensuring that all Building users, even those who are just visiting, are aware of the locations of the devices so that they can be quickly accessed in an emergency. To support that, the defibrillator locations are listed on AssISt and the Members' portal and are covered in first aid training. To further raise awareness, the health and safety team will begin distributing postmasters to all Building users to highlight the locations so that, if the defibrillators are needed, people can access them as quickly as possible.”
“I thank the Member for his question. The Assembly Commission currently has five defibrillators, which are located at the front reception, the basement control room, the Blue Flax restaurant, the Long Gallery and on the fourth floor. All five devices were registered on The Circuit in September 2025. The most recent status check was completed on 25 May 2026. To date, none of the defibrillators have been required for use, but they remain fully operational and ready in case they are needed.”
“That provides an example of an initiative that is delivered through the Commission that scopes out an issue, gathers learning and then flexes its muscle within its organisational structures to push out that learning and assist people. That takes place across various areas in which the Commission operates.”
“As the Member mentioned, one example is the Assembly's Women's Caucus, which has a particular focus on supporting women in public life and highlighting the increasing challenges that women face in the digital sphere, including online abuse. This year, the caucus is undertaking a gender-sensitive audit and is working with the Assembly's Research and Information Services (RaISe) and other partners to develop a constituency service guide on online safety. That will comprise a set of resources to help Members to support constituents who are seeking information, advice and practical assistance and to report and respond to instances of online abuse and digital harms.”
“Finally, Members may also be aware that the Speaker held an event last November to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and Girls and to recognise the work of Women’s Aid and its many volunteers.”
“<BR /> <BR />More broadly, the Assembly Commission supports Members and Committees in carrying out their scrutiny functions, including in relation to the Executive Office’s work on that framework. As an employer, the Assembly Commission also has a clear responsibility to support the wider aims of the framework by fostering a safe, respectful and supportive workplace. That includes promoting dignity at work, taking action to prevent and address bullying and harassment, supporting staff who may be experiencing domestic abuse and providing well-being support through initiatives such as the employee support programme, mental health champions and staff health networks.”
“<BR /> <BR />Since March 2025, the parliamentary excellence programme has delivered dedicated sessions with the Executive Office on the strategic framework and its delivery plan, enhancing Members’ understanding of the cross-government approach and their role in scrutiny, legislation and constituency engagement. The Women’s Parliament has focused on ending violence against women and girls, highlighting the importance of listening to survivors, strengthening legal protections and ensuring sustainable support for services. In parallel, the Youth Assembly is examining the role of young people, including young men, in challenging the attitudes and behaviours that contribute to violence against women and girls.”
“With your permission, Mr Deputy Speaker, I may need an extra minute to answer this question. <BR /> <BR />While the Assembly Commission is not a delivery body for the Executive’s strategic framework to end violence against women and girls, it supports its objectives, both as a democratic institution and as an employer. In its democratic role, the Assembly Commission contributes through awareness-raising, supporting Members through briefing, training and awareness sessions, and support for key initiatives including the Women’s Caucus, the Women’s Parliament and the Youth Assembly. It also undertakes work to address abuse and intimidation of MLAs.”
“Dereliction has been a blight on many of our town centres, and there is a concern that the rate relief for vacant properties encourages landbanking and incentivises those properties to remain vacant. The review has been more lethargic than strategic. Will there be any definitive moves and meaningful change to try to help our town centres with that blight before the end of the mandate?”
“On a point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker. This is, I hope, a point of good order. I have a genuine appointment for which I will have to leave at 3.15 pm, so I will not be in my place for the Minister's response. I just wanted to say that that is not intended as a slight on the Minister's response; it is just that I have to leave and will not be here.”
“to, among others, Warrenpoint Harbour Authority. That measure can be seen as removing departmental oversight. It is critical that we get the balance right. Hopefully, the Minister will show how we can get it right so that, if things go wrong, this place can still intervene.”
“The explanatory and financial memorandum states:”
“The Member makes a crucial point, but it is about getting the balance right. Local communities will be concerned when they see clause 2, which is:”
“While I welcome the Bill, it should be noted that greater autonomy could come with greater accountability, and economic development and community well-being should go hand in hand. As an MLA for South Down, I have had significant engagement with the residents of Warrenpoint, who have been raising ongoing concerns about odours and environmental nuisance that are associated with activities that are taking place in the harbour nearby. Does the Member agree that consideration should be given in the Bill to stronger departmental powers to ensure accountability of ports, should their commercial work impact on local communities, as we have seen in Warrenpoint?”
“I appreciate those remarks. There is no point in all of us here agreeing on something and then not doing anything about it. That only gives false hope to people. What is the term that we heard in Committee last week? It was "hope-mongering". We do not want to do that: to simply give hope to people but not see it through to delivery. That is the challenge for the Executive: to deliver on it. <BR /> <BR />I will end with the words of someone who has led the campaign for 15 years and who put it best. She told us, "Northern Ireland needs to do better. Stand up for your people. Listen to them and support them".”
“However, it is no use only supporting a motion in the Chamber when there are a few cameras on us and some people are in the Gallery. We need to see that commitment in the Executive. We need to see that commitment in the Executive turn into delivery, and that delivery will make a difference to people and their lives. <BR /> <BR />There is no credible reason why Northern Ireland should continue to lag behind neighbouring regions on something as fundamental as the chance to start a family.”
“In the motion, we call on the Minister to, by the end of the mandate, introduce proposals and secure the funding needed to provide up to three cycles of treatment — not another review or another working group but a funded plan with a clear timeline. <BR /> <BR />Whilst I appreciate that finances are difficult, I must say to the Minister that it is difficult listening to him say, "I cannot afford it. What would I scrap in its place?" That is cold comfort to the couples out there who wish to start a family, knowing that their priority is not matched by their Executive. That must feel like a bitter blow to them, so I hope that we can work together and see the Executive pulling together to deliver on their commitment. Today, the fact that every single Member who spoke supported the motion adds to the consensus on this.”
“We have also had personal contributions from Órlaithí, Linda and Kellie and on behalf of Nuala's family. Those people are still trying, but, at their current rate of saving, it could take them another three to four years to afford further treatment, by which time, they have been advised, their opportunity may have passed. <BR /> <BR />Infertility affects around one in six couples. As one campaigner said, had she broken her leg, she would have been treated without question. Too often, infertility is treated as something that people should simply endure rather than as a healthcare need that deserves support. <BR /> <BR />The motion does not ask for a new policy, because the commitment already exists. The guidance already exists. What is missing is delivery.”
“<BR /> <BR />New Decade, New Approach committed the Executive to expanding publicly funded IVF provision to three cycles, in line with NICE guidelines. That was not an SDLP commitment but an Executive one. Five years later, it remains undelivered. People here have access to less fertility treatment than people in Scotland and Wales. Behind that failure are real people. One couple has spent more than 15 years trying to start a family. They have gone through 18 rounds of ovulation induction, three rounds of IVF and four miscarriages. They are now facing another private cycle costing at least £5,000 before medication and scans. That is not a luxury that they can put off: it is the hope of having a child. Another couple began treatment through the regional fertility centre but suffered serious complications and a heartbreaking loss.”
“Thank you. I thank all Members for their contributions. What we have heard makes one thing absolutely clear: this is a broken promise, and the people who are paying the price are individuals and couples from across Northern Ireland who simply want the chance to start a family. I acknowledge the campaigners and families who are in the Gallery, some of whom shared their experiences with my colleagues directly before the debate. I want them to know that the debate exists because they have refused to stay silent. One story that was shared earlier deserves repeating. A couple said that, if they had not been able to pay privately, they would not have the child who they have today. That reflects not a health service that is working as intended but a system where the ability to become a parent depends on ability to pay.”
“The BMA has repeatedly argued that meaningful negotiations could prevent the industrial action altogether. What specific steps has the Minister taken in recent weeks to try to get involved in getting a resolution to the potential strike? What confidence will patients have that every effort is being made to prevent such strikes again in the future?”
“That is how we rebuild trust, strengthen confidence in devolution and begin to build something new.”
“It is restored through actions, when people can see that public appointments are based on merit, expertise and integrity; when positions that are funded by taxpayers are genuinely open to everyone and genuinely awarded to the strongest candidate; and when independent scrutiny is welcomed rather than avoided. That perception matters. If people believe that public bodies are being stacked with political allies, trust in our institutions suffers. <BR /> <BR />What we have is not working, but it does not have to be this way. We can do better. We can build a public appointments system that commands confidence because it is transparent, independent and beyond reproach — a system in which the public can once again believe that the best person, not the best-connected person, gets the job.”
“The independent watchdog responsible for protecting confidence in the system simply was not there. At precisely the moment when confidence needed to be strengthened, oversight disappeared. Leaving the office vacant for so long sent entirely the wrong message. At a time when transparency needed to be reinforced, scrutiny was weakened. <BR /> <BR />The SDLP believes that public service should be open to everyone. Talented people from every background should feel that these opportunities are genuinely accessible to them. Appointments should be determined by ability, competency and integrity, not political patronage dressed up as procedure. The Executive often talk of restoring confidence in politics. Confidence is not restored through speeches.”
“When questions were raised, it became clear that the board responsible is heavily populated with representatives from all four Executive parties, yet, when concerns were raised, we were told that they were somehow not political appointments but political representatives. The public are not fools; they understand how politics works, and they understand influence. They also understand why scrutiny matters. If parties are happy to celebrate appointments when things are going well, they cannot suddenly distance themselves when difficult decisions are taken. Accountability cannot be optional. If appointments are not genuinely merit-based, public confidence collapses. That is why the absence of a Commissioner for Public Appointments for more than four years was so serious.”
“Instead, too many people are seeing a system in which the same parties hold power, make the appointments and then insist that there is nothing wrong. What we have is not working. Confidence in public appointments has been weakened. That matters, because public appointments are not just some side issue. As I have said, these bodies oversee our schools, investment agencies, public services and significant amounts of public money. The public deserve confidence that positions are being filled by the best candidate available. <BR /> <BR />We saw the issue arise recently with the controversy surrounding summer schemes for children with special educational needs. Families were, rightly, furious. Children who rely on those schemes were facing the prospect of losing vital support.”
“They should not be a vehicle for parties to extend their influence through arm's-length bodies (ALBs). They should be about one thing and one thing only: getting the best person into a position in which they can deliver for the public. It should be the person with the strongest skills, the greatest expertise and the clearest ability to improve outcomes, not the person with the right party membership card. <BR /> <BR />These appointments matter enormously. These bodies oversee huge sums of public money. They influence education, investment, infrastructure and public services across the North. What makes the issue so important is that it speaks directly to a wider problem that is facing politics today: trust. People were promised government that would be open, accountable and focused on delivering for the public. They were promised better.”
“When politically connected figures repeatedly emerge to take up appointments that are overseen by their own parties, with little independent oversight and limited scrutiny, people draw their own conclusions. <BR /> <BR />Ministers cannot simply dismiss those concerns by saying that a process was technically followed, because the issue is bigger than process. The issue is one of confidence. Do people genuinely believe that such appointments are based on merit? Do they genuinely believe that the best person is getting the job or that political access, party proximity and party loyalty matter most? That is the question, and it is a dangerous question for democracy, because trust in institutions is already fragile. Public appointments should not operate as political rewards. They should not be consolation prizes.”
“<BR /> <BR />Although some of that old culture has diminished, a new perception has emerged in its place. Increasingly, the concern is not about who gets employed in constituency offices but about who gets appointed to boards, who gets a position of influence and who get a seat around the table where public money and public services are discussed and where public policy is shaped. Again, people are noticing a familiar pattern. When a DUP Minister of Education appoints a sitting DUP councillor as chair of the Education Authority, people take notice. When Sinn Féin Ministers appoint Sinn Féin representatives to public bodies, people take notice. Even today, a DUP Minister has appointed a DUP councillor to a public board. Sure, keep it all in the political family.”
“The motion goes to the very heart of whether people trust this place or not, because, when they look at public appointments in Northern Ireland, too many people no longer believe that the best person gets the job. Too often, what they believe they are seeing is political networks rewarding political insiders. Northern Ireland has seen that culture before. For years, politics here developed a reputation for nepotism, with political offices being staffed by relatives or family members, and that grated with the public. Much of that practice was challenged, because people understood something fundamentally important, which is that the use of public money and appointments to public positions should never become extensions of party machinery or political dynasties.”
“The past week has reopened wounds for many families that should never have been inflicted in the first place. The inquiry has exposed one of the gravest adult safeguarding failures that we have seen, but it has also exposed a system that repeatedly failed to listen to families. One of the most disturbing findings from the inquiry is that the families were not believed. Across our health service today there are campaign groups, whistle-blowers and families raising concerns who feel they are meeting the same culture of defensiveness and resistance. What evidence can you point to that the system has genuinely changed? Why should those people be confident that they will not have to endure the battle that the Muckamore families faced?”
“I thank the Minister for his response and share in his disgust at what happened last week, especially to our healthcare staff. We saw the rioting, the racist violence and the mass disruption, and that prevented many healthcare staff from being able to get to work, which was sad to hear. We also heard that masked men set up a barricade and a checkpoint at the Mater Hospital. Staff sought an intervention from the PSNI and were advised to show their ID so that they could be let through. Does the Minister agree that that is not an acceptable response from the police? All staff who work in our health service should feel safe and secure going about their work. They should not be stopped by masked men as they try to get to their place of work to help people in our community.”
“I welcome the updates and improvements that the Minister has set out in her response. She mentioned the issues with the Criminal Bar Association. Can she give us an update on how negotiations are going in that process? A swift conclusion to that issue would unlock much of the delay that we are currently experiencing.”
“Those principles are not in conflict with one another; they are mutually reinforcing. Group 4, at its core, is about maintaining public confidence and ensuring that the systems that underpin policing remain modern, effective and credible, so the SDLP will support the broad thrust of the amendments in the group.”
“We all know that new challenges emerge, public expectation changes and lessons have to be learned from experience. Our responsibility as legislators is to ensure that the framework that supports policing evolves accordingly, alongside our experiences and with time. Taken together, these amendments strengthen professional standards, improve accountability in policing structures, enhance public confidence and ensure that our policing framework remains consistent with best practice elsewhere. For the SDLP, those are important objectives. We support a Police Service that is effective in keeping our communities safe. We support police officers who carry out their duties correctly. We also support independent oversight to ensure that there is robust accountability and the highest professional standards.”
“<BR /> <BR />Where amendments are capable of strengthening the operation of the accountability framework and command support from the Police Service and the ombudsman, it should give Members confidence that they represent a practical attempt to improve how the system operates rather than a departure from its core principles. Ultimately, accountability mechanisms must be capable of carrying out their functions effectively. The relevant amendments seek to assist in achieving that objective, while maintaining appropriate safeguards and protections. <BR /> <BR />More broadly, the amendments in this group reflect a recognition that our institutions must evolve. The structures that govern policing and policing accountability today cannot simply be the structures that existed 20 or 30 years ago.”
“It is crucial that we get that balance right, so that we can ensure that there is confidence but also to make sure that we do not get any of the investigations wrong by jumping too soon. <BR /> <BR />It is our understanding that the amendments have been developed following engagement between the Department of Justice, the Office of the Police Ombudsman and the PSNI, and that the Police Service and the ombudsman are supportive of the proposed changes. That is an important point. Too often, discussions about police accountability can be framed as a choice between supporting policing or supporting police oversight. In reality, both effective policing and effective oversight are essential components of confidence in policing.”
“Independent oversight is a fundamental component of maintaining public confidence in policing and ensuring that complaints and allegations are investigated thoroughly, fairly and transparently. The relevant amendments seek to clarify the circumstances in which the Police Ombudsman may provide reports to the appropriate authority while investigations or related proceedings remain ongoing. <BR /> <BR />As Members will appreciate, those issues require a careful balance to be struck. On the one hand, there is legitimate public interest in transparency, accountability and the timely reporting of issues that may require attention. On the other hand, there is a need to protect the integrity of investigations and any associated criminal proceedings.”
“Modern policing increasingly operates across organisational and jurisdictional boundaries, and effective cooperation requires confidence that the relevant information can be shared appropriately and that safeguards exist to protect the public and the integrity of the profession. It is about having the confidence that behind the scenes or "under the hood" in human resources departments there exists the ability to share all that information and ensure that people are not able to move around. <BR /> <BR />The second significant theme in the group 4 amendments relates to the role of the Police Ombudsman. The Office of the Police Ombudsman occupies a unique position in our policing architecture.”
“<BR /> <BR />In many respects, the provisions bring us into line with arrangements that already operate elsewhere across these islands. They help to ensure that officers who are dismissed for serious misconduct cannot simply re-enter policing or related roles without appropriate scrutiny. With my background in youth work, I can see the connection to child protection guidelines from 25 or 30 years ago, when we had to have the appropriate lists and checks put in place in order to stop people moving from one organisation to another and continuing with behaviours that were not appropriate. The public are entitled to know that high standards are expected, maintained and enforced. That helps to drive confidence in policing. <BR /> <BR />The same principle applies to the amendments that relate to information sharing and professional standards.”
“The overwhelming majority of police officers serve with professionalism, integrity and dedication. It is important that we recognise that at the outset. They undertake difficult and often dangerous work on behalf of the public, and they deserve our support. Like other Members, I recognise that that is one of the most important lines that we can suggest from this place today. However, public confidence depends on the knowledge that, where serious misconduct occurs, we have the appropriate mechanisms in place to investigate it, to address it and to prevent those who are responsible from simply moving to other parts of the policing system. The amendments relate to police discipline together with the establishment of barred and advisory lists, and they seek to address precisely that issue.”
“This group of amendments is about ensuring that policing and police oversight arrangements here remain effective, accountable and fit for purpose. That is important, because public confidence in policing is one of the foundations on which our justice system must rest. That confidence is built not only on the ability of the Police Service to prevent and detect crime but on the existence of the robust systems of accountability, transparency and professional standards that there must be. Therefore, it is right that the Assembly periodically reviews the legislative framework within which policing exists to ensure that it remains capable of meeting modern expectations. <BR /> <BR />I will first look at the amendments relating to police discipline and standards.”
“By explicitly recognising threats or harm to animals as behaviour that is capable of constituting domestic abuse, these amendments strengthen protection for victims and ensure that the law reflects the reality of coercive control as it is experienced in practice. <BR /> <BR />Taken together, the amendments modernise our law, strengthen our ability to tackle organised crime and exploitation, remove outdated offences that no longer reflect modern values and provide greater protections for victims of abuse. For all those very good reasons, the SDLP will support the amendments in this group.”
“Threatening to harm a family pet, harming an animal or using an animal to exert psychological pressure can have a devastating impact on victims and their children. For many households, pets are cherished members of the family. Abusers know that, and, in some cases, they deliberately exploit those emotional bonds in order to maintain control. Domestic abuse is about power and coercion. It is about creating fear and limiting the autonomy of the other person. These amendments rightly recognise that threats against animals can form part of that pattern of abuse and should be treated accordingly.”
“While much of that activity takes place out of public view, the evidence points to clear links between online advertising platforms and the exploitation of vulnerable women. We have a responsibility to ensure that our laws keep pace with the changing nature of exploitation and abuse, particularly in an increasingly digital world. Measures aimed at disrupting the infrastructure that facilitates sexual exploitation deserve support. For that reason, we will support the amendment. <BR /> <BR />Finally, amendment Nos 88 and 89 represent the Northern Ireland equivalent of Ruby's law. These amendments recognise something that many survivors of domestic abuse and those working in the sector have understood for a long time: abusers frequently use animals as a means of coercion, control and intimidation.”
“Again, I have already referenced that. It is important to listen to all the words that I say and allow me to progress, because many of those questions have been answered. Repealing these offences sends a clear signal that freedom of thought and expression are fundamental democratic principles and that they deserve protection. <BR /> <BR />The SDLP will also support amendment No 78 concerning the advertising of sexual services. Members will be aware of the extensive work that has been carried out by the all-party group on modern slavery and sexual exploitation and the evidence that has been gathered from survivors, academics, front-line organisations and law enforcement agencies. That work highlighted the role that online advertising can play in facilitating sexual exploitation, trafficking and coercion.”
“Absolutely. Again, that supports the point that we are trying to make. You cannot credibly tell people that they should not be persecuting people if you have the same rules on your own books. The amendment is about removing that and allowing clarity and giving us the confidence to go and challenge other places about those offences without fear that we are going to be hit for some reason because we still have those outdated laws, even if nobody has been charged under them. As I say, if we wish to speak with credibility when criticising jurisdictions that criminalise dissent, non-belief or criticism of religion, we must ensure that our own laws are consistent with those values.”