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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“Absolutely. I could not agree more. If there is one thing that the Executive absolutely can plan for, it is the fact that they will not have a coherent plan to deal with all the issues that need to be addressed. Of course, they are an Executive who do not want to take any difficult decisions. They simply want to trundle through and see whether they can avoid upsetting anybody by making a decision that will strategically enable services to be better delivered, for example, in Health. I cannot countenance how those trusts will find another £200 million of cuts in the year ahead. It is an unenviable position, but it is the position that the Executive have put our trusts in. <BR /> <BR />The Department of Health is, as other speakers have referenced, missing most of its targets in addressing the health needs of our population.”
“They got on with the job, regardless of how difficult and upsetting it must have been. <BR /> <BR />At the Health Committee, the Health Minister gave a health warning that, for the year ahead, things will look even worse. The Department faces a huge gap of £400 million, and the trusts have been asked again to find new savings of £200 million.”
“When we consider the year that has just passed, we see that the Health budget at the beginning of the year was deficient. Although it has never been higher in terms of the amount that was given to the Department, it simply was not enough to allow the Department to do the work that it had to do to simply stand still. Through the in-year monitoring, the finance was found to make an allocation for pay increases, and there was some for waiting lists and other pressures, but the Minister still needed more money to simply do the work that had been done before. The trusts were expected to make hundreds of millions of pounds of savings, and you can call them "efficiencies", "cuts" or whatever the Minister likes, but a cut is a cut whatever way you slice it. Did we hear our health trusts crying that it was unreasonable in the media? No.”
“That only leads to confusion over what the Executive's financial priorities are and how they align with the Programme for Government. Only the Executive can answer that. I mention that only because it has a bearing on the perception of how we handle money. Are the Executive making allocations based on priority or strategic vision, or is it simply the news headline of the day? <BR /> <BR />As for the first Supply resolution for the year ending, there has been a record number of in-year reallocations, with little sign of prioritisation or multi-year spending. I fear that lessons from that have not been learned, and that is not a good indication for the upcoming year. <BR /> <BR />As the SDLP Opposition health spokesperson, I will focus a little on the health side of the House.”
“I wish the Minister well in his new role in the Department of Finance and with the challenges that he will undoubtedly have in the time ahead. <BR /> <BR />Finances have long been the subject of scrutiny for those who debate the ability or the long-term viability of this place and how we spend our money. If we want this place to be effective and to make a tangible and positive impact on people's lives, it must do so with responsibility and accountability at its core. We can do that not just with simple Budget management but with a Budget that is underpinned by a strategic and forward-looking Programme for Government. <BR /> <BR />Regrettably, we are once again in the position where, while the votes on Finance are progressing, the Executive have yet to publish an agreed Programme for Government.”
“Towns such as Warrenpoint and Rostrevor in my constituency will be impacted on by this as consumers choose where to eat, drink and stay. Further, given that your colleagues voted for a motion in the House last week, will you continue to do everything that you can to impress upon British Ministers the need for change here, given that the other regions do not share a land border with somewhere that has a different VAT rate?”
“Most importantly, may we never again leave it without locally elected Ministers in its time of need. <BR /> <BR />Congratulations to the Downpatrick and County Down Railway group. The awards were richly deserved, and I wish it well in its future endeavours.”
“The railway links historical sites throughout County Down. All that is done through the sterling efforts of its team of dedicated volunteers. It is community spirit at its finest, and it is something that we should all be immensely proud of and celebrate. <BR /> <BR />It is also an example of a grassroots organisation that should be consulted when specific legislation is being proposed. For example, the railway stands to be negatively impacted on by the Martyn's law Bill that is progressing through the House of Commons. Unless the Home Office is willing to make concessions in that for heritage railways, there could be an impact. Therefore, it is essential that this place stands with our heritage railway and offers it the support and advocacy that we can.”
“I offer congratulations to a group from my constituency, the Downpatrick and County Down Railway, for their double win last weekend at the Heritage Railway Association awards. The railway was nominated in two categories: "Team of the Year, for its core flood-recovery management team; and "Achievement of the Year", for the incredible work achieved by its team of volunteers as part of the flood-recovery process. The floods of autumn 2023 were devastating due to the physical damage that they caused and the fact there was no devolved Assembly in place to support those who were affected. <BR /> <BR />The railway is Ireland's only full-sized heritage railway with multiple destinations. It hosts a range of family events, from St Patrick's Day right the way through to Christmas, and has a full museum on offer throughout the year.”
“Does the Minister have any opportunities in the future for hardship funds, such as those that the Department previously ran up to a value of £0·5 million, for small grassroots groups? The difference between those organisations folding and staying open can often be a couple of hundred pounds. It is not a big amount of money, but it gives them the lifeline to survive and grow in the future.”
“There may be some ways that cigarettes will be passed around. Of course, everyone knows that, in every town across the North, there are places that sell cigarettes at knock-off prices. If that continues to be the case in the future, it will provide that additional access. I hope that something can be done to try to clamp down on the access so that those who can get cigarettes do not avail themselves of that opportunity. <BR /> <BR />I welcome the fact that the legislation is being debated here today.”
“We were able to sneak in and pool our money to purchase a packet of cigarettes. The inclusion of elements that deal with removing vending machines as points of sale is really important. If the product has to be sold, it must be sold to people of an appropriate age and in an appropriate way. <BR /> <BR />There is also the issue of health inequalities. We know that smoking is more prevalent in areas of deprivation, and we know that the sheer cost of cigarettes nowadays means that it is putting a substantial drain on some families' income. Trying to eradicate smoking for future generations might take away a massive cost from some households. As matters continue, it will be incredibly difficult to police it — to have two people who are maybe just one year apart, and one can smoke and the other cannot.”
“I endorse all the remarks that have been made. We discussed the issue in Committee. It is pretty much a no-brainer. Smoking kills, and it kills lots and lots of people. It is not killing as many people now as it used to. Why? Because not as many people smoke. If we do everything that we can to provide the necessary leadership and guidance, it will, hopefully, help future generations to completely eradicate smoking one day so that nobody does it. That will help. <BR /> <BR />Like the Chair of the Health Committee, I was a smoker. I have been off cigarettes for over 20 years at this stage, although my current cold makes it sound as though I am back on them again. It is really difficult to give up smoking. I started smoking because, where I lived as a young person, we could get access to a vending machine.”
“Thank you very much, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker. Of course, you correctly, at regular times, try to keep Members on the subject matter. Some seem to stray completely. A basic of parliamentary process is being able to stick to the matter at hand. <BR /> <BR />The scrutiny of the Bill in the weeks ahead will allow further debate on those matters through the different approaches that have been taken. However, it is welcome that those developments have been brought forward with the agreement of the five parties that are represented on the Assembly Commission so that those technical matters on allowances that were not addressed in 2020 can be addressed. I commend the motion to the House.”
“You will get plenty of opportunity in the Second Stage of the Bill, but allowances — as in, a little bit of goodwill — will be made for Members who are yet to understand the parliamentary process.”
“I do not wish to have to teach people the parliamentary process, but that item is the First Stage of a Bill.”
“If they have checked their emails — something that I hope that a consummate MLA would do — they will have seen that there is a revised Order Paper with new indicative timings for today, which means that the next item of business might be the issue that some have spent the majority of their time discussing. <BR /> <BR />I hope that”
“The resolution of the Assembly in 2020, today's motion and the Bill that will be introduced later today — later today — will bring clarity to the legislative arrangements for the determination of Members' salaries and allowances. <BR /> <BR />I will briefly reflect on some points. If there is a question about the level that MLAs should be paid, maybe they should be paid in a way that is commensurate with their ability to read what a motion is actually about, interpret what a debate is about and then have a debate about that as opposed to having a debate about something completely different.”
“Thank you very much, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker. What a lovely, edifying debate to wake us all up on a Tuesday morning. <BR /> <BR />As stated by Nuala McAllister at the beginning of the debate, the motion essentially addresses a straightforward, technical matter. The motion is consistent with the resolution that the Assembly made in June 2020. Taken together, the motion and the resolution will allow the Assembly Commission to determine the allowances that are payable to Members and, especially, former Members whose allowances cannot be set by anybody in any great term at this stage. It is a bit of a housekeeping exercise to bring that together.”
“<BR /> <BR />We have waited a year for the overall strategic plan for transformation, and we have not got it. It is not the job of the Opposition to deliver a government plan; it is our job to hold the Executive to account. When we call on the Minister to deliver the transformation plan by September, that is the latest that we want to see it. We feel that that is a reasonable task. We are at the edge of chaos. If the Minister cannot deliver the plan by September and still has no levers to pull then, the media mask will finally fall and our health service will move further away from stability and ever closer to total collapse. Whose responsibility will it be then?”
“Not necessarily, but we need to tease that out if we have conversations. I wish that we were at least having conversations. <BR /> <BR />If we are to effectively transform the health service and bring it to a place of genuine stability, it must be a continuous, proactive and strategic process. The Minister tells us that he does not have enough money to transform the health service, but the other Executive parties say that he has more than enough, with half of the total Budget. Can we, please, park the petty party politics? Plenty of people are getting sick, but let me tell you this: everyone I meet is sick to the back teeth of the squabbling, the mud-slinging and the lack of delivery from the Executive. What we need from the Minister is less media performance and more substance.”
“Very quickly because I get no extra time.”
“We have been talking about transformation for years. Do the authors of the amendment not believe that it should have been a priority for Minister Wells, Minister Hamilton and Minister Poots? They will undoubtedly say that it should have been a priority for Minister O'Neill, but that fault should never be found at their own door. Given that the challenges that we are facing are systemic and historical, we cannot support the amendment.”
“Waiting times remain unacceptably long. Primary care practitioners have been depleted, where the only thing that is shifting left is the workload, and our Ambulance Service is held up for hours outside emergency departments (EDs), forcing our valued ambulances to wait for hours before they can get back on the road and respond to those in need. These are all systemic and historical issues. How do we address them? The Minister tells us that he does not have any levers to pull, but a Minister without levers is like a doctor without medicine. Both can diagnose the problem, but neither can offer any real help. <BR /> <BR />As to the amendment, while we welcome the proposer's commitment to reform of the health service, regrettably the amendment removes accountability from previous Health Ministers.”
“These included: being on course to deliver pay parity, a women's health action plan and enhanced respite care for children with complex needs. Those are all good and positive outcomes. However, people are still waiting unacceptably long periods for appointments. They are not getting any less sick, and our staff do not have the full resources to meet people's needs. Our health service is situated along the edge of chaos, which is a precarious place between stability and collapse. I think that we can agree — at least I hope that we can agree — that none of us wants to see our health service collapse. <BR /> <BR />Every symbolic step that the Department takes towards stability, it asks our health trusts to make hundreds of millions of pounds of so-called efficiencies. We have to call those out for what they are: cuts.”
“Thank you, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker, I will see how far my voice gets me through this. <BR /> <BR />One year ago, this place returned after two years of collapse. On the restoration of this place, we were told that health was a priority and that we needed to transform health. One year on, are we in a better position? Are people waiting less time for an appointment? Are they getting sick less? Are health service staff getting the right resources to meet people's needs? The answer to all these questions is a resounding no. I take no pleasure in saying that. It is simply a reality check. <BR /> <BR />Credit where it is due: there have been some wins, as the Minister stated in his video on Friday past, he is bringing "hope back into health delivery".”
“On a point of order, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker. Given that the motion calls on the First Minister and deputy First Minister, is it in order that no Minister is in the Chamber? What level of disrespect does it show to the Opposition in this institution that no Minister is prepared to come and answer when they are directly referred to in a motion? Can the Speaker's Office look at whether, on Opposition days in other legislatures, Ministers bother to turn up to hear what the Opposition have to say to them?”
“This is becoming ridiculous. We are told that to save our health service we have to transform, yet we have a Health Minister who says that he does not have enough money to do his day-to-day business never mind undertake transformation. You are the Finance Minister: what are you going to do about it? Are we going to leave people to languish on waiting lists for a generation?”
“Politely, Minister, that is not good enough. The majority of your answer was a regurgitation of the problem. You identify flow as being the issue, which will take considerable time to resolve. We need to sort out the problem with ambulance handovers now. Otherwise, we will deprive people in our communities of a 999 call. There will be no ambulance for them, which is totally unacceptable. What can we do now to fix the problem of ambulance handovers?”
“Does the Minister agree that the full utilisation of facilities such as Bangor Community Hospital and Downe Hospital would help to alleviate pressures that are felt across the South Eastern Trust? Does the Minister agree that more could be done to utilise the Downe Hospital, including its urgent care centre, by extending the hours or the provisions in the hospital? People would be assisted by not having to travel to the Ulster Hospital to get that care, and it would save some of the pressures there.”
“I believe that there was a crossover between the submission of questions for oral answer and the responses to the questions for written answer, so I thank the Minister for those. <BR /> <BR />Is the Minister assured that, in the water management along the Quoile, dredging can play no part in assisting flood alleviation in the area? Many local people, some of whom have used the waterway in excess of 50 years, can pinpoint that the change in water management in the area came when the dredging stopped, yet the Department continually tells us that dredging will do nothing. Will the Minister have a real, deep look at that to see whether dredging could assist in any way?”
“I echo the thanks expressed to front-line staff and NIE. However, I would like to add that, in the early hours of the storm, an army of domiciliary care workers went out in that weather to try to help vulnerable people. They did not shirk from their responsibility. They should also be acknowledged and thanked. <BR /> <BR />In the health service, will those who had to give up appointments on Friday, because hospital services were withdrawn, be prioritised so that they can get their appointments as soon as possible? For some of them, that will be a worrying wait.”
“We are battling every day as it is, so we need to see things change". <BR /> <BR />That said, it takes enormous courage to change things. I implore the Minister — he knows the funding issues — to take that courageous step and find what funding he can for the mental health strategy, so that we can get it out and provide more services. Then, if people are accessing services, hopefully that will help to reduce the stigma.”
“<BR /> <BR />I took the opportunity, in advance of today, to talk to a number of my constituents and ask them about their views. Some of the things that they said were enlightening, because they remind us of the daily experience that people have. Parents of children with anxiety who are waiting to be seen by child and adolescent mental health services said that the wait increases their anxiety rather than helping to address it. They feel that they are just left to manage and to get by without any help. I have been told about the impact of childhood trauma and the need for ADHD assessments for people who are sick, sore and tired of hearing that no support is available and are asking for help and being denied it. As one parent said to me, "People like ourselves deserve better because we already go through enough.”
“I was always touched by the story that, when somebody had passed away, they had to go round the staff to see whether they could get pall-bearers to bring them to the graveyard that is part of that complex, because the families were not there for them. We have moved on an awful lot; so much so that people who would have formerly lived in that institution now live in houses in my street. We welcome them as our neighbours and friends. We all live together in the street and all know one another. That is how much we have moved on. We need to continue with that work to address the issues that we can. <BR /> <BR />One such issue, as referenced, is the mental health strategy. Again, it is not funded to the level that it should be. We need to fund it to a level that will allow the continued work that will help to address the stigma.”
“There is a map in my old place of work that was about 100 years old — it is maybe about 115 years old at this stage — and it was listed on the map as the "Lunatic Asylum". I see how we have moved on: that is not the sort of terminology that we use. Some of the older people among my neighbours — the houses were populated by people who worked in the hospital — were able to tell me the stories of the individuals who were there. Many of the reasons for people being left in a place such as the Downshire were things that, nowadays, we would have utter disbelief at: maybe being a single parent, having a form of anxiety or being a little bit depressed. Their families brought them up, left them and went away.”
“They almost have to get over the hurdle of identifying that it is a mental health issue, because nobody gives a rule book to people when they are born that says, "That is what anxiety feels like" or, "That is what depression feels like". They have to have services around them that they can reach out to so that they can understand what mental health is, and then we need to push them beyond that to get to the services. Hopefully, by sending out a message that we want to reduce that, we can help young people in our community. <BR /> <BR />There is another element to the stigma and the work that we do here and how we can help to motivate society to move on. I am always struck by this: I live in the shadow of the Downshire Hospital in Downpatrick.”
“I thank the Member for his intervention. His message is the underlying one that we want to send out today. <BR /> <BR />We must also recognise that the stigma around mental health exists. As many Members have said, we would be naive to think that it does not. There are two approaches to reducing the stigma. First, for adults, we can reduce it through the work that we do, the help that we provide, the words that we use and the messages that are sent out. In our contributions, each of us has concentrated on a different sector of people. I want to speak up for young people, because the first hurdle for the many who suffer from mental health issues is wondering, "Am I the only person who has this? Are there other people like this? I've never felt like this before".”
“It might surprise some, but I support the motion, even though it is from one Executive party to another. It is really important that we send out a clear message from all parties on the need to reduce the stigma. I welcome the motion because the words that we use in this place and the message that we send can and will act as a beacon of hope for some people that might be enough to get them through and beyond the issues that they face. It is important that we take that opportunity. <BR /> <BR />The Minister has been a strong advocate in the area of mental health and will send that equal message out from here today. That will let people know that we are on their side and are trying to do everything that is possible. It will also let them know that we recognise that there is more that we can do and that we will strive to do more.”
“That should not be normal practice, and we should not accept it as normal. It is not safe, and it is not fair to our healthcare workers to have to deliver care in that way. <BR /> <BR />Despite all that, we do not know the true extent of corridor care, because it is not recorded. We do not know for a fact how often it takes place. That is why I call on the Department to start recording the figures so that we know exactly what is taking place in our hospitals and do not have to rely on feedback from our doctors, nurses and patients about its extent. The reality is that corridor care has reached crisis point. It is time for the Minister and the Executive to get to work to address the imbalance for the sake of patients, staff and the wider public.”
“The Royal College of Nursing has detailed that almost 67% of its membership report that corridor care takes place in our hospitals daily and that 90% feel that patient care has been compromised as a result. That is not just relevant to the safety of those who receive the care in the inappropriate settings; the fact that people are getting treatment in inappropriate settings impacts on the care that takes place in the normal clinical setting of a ward. The impact is also being felt by our nurses and physicians, who feel that they are not offering the best possible care to somebody if they have to deliver it in a cupboard or a corridor. Recently, one physician highlighted that the majority of their time in emergency departments is spent administering care in corridors.”
“I will talk about the corridor care that is taking place in hospitals. Unfortunately, the term is increasingly being used and accepted as a relevant form of care. That should cause us major concern. We hear more about corridor care. I understand that a hospital trust in London has advertised for staff specifically to work in corridors: that gives a sense of how widely the issue goes. "Corridor care" means treatment in places other than wards and can include any inappropriate setting such as cars, taxis, visiting rooms, toilets and even storage cupboards. It is not a normal situation when any person who presents at our hospitals faces the indignity, injustice and lack of safety resulting from receiving treatment somewhere other than in a clinical space. <BR /> <BR />The frequency with which this type of care occurs is truly shocking.”
“We await the publication of the learning disability framework and an associated funding package to support people. Again, that shows how every initiative that we deliver through the Executive has some connection to people with autism. <BR /> <BR />I support the motion. I welcome the fact that there is cross-party support for it, and I want to see us continue to deliver. The more we can do for people by reaching out to them, the more we will help their lives.”
“It is a lesson that stuck with me, and it is this: where there are people, there are people with autism. Everything that we do in this place will be to assist people in our communities, so there will always be people with autism being impacted on by everything that we do. It is important to have that in mind. <BR /> <BR />I agree with some of the references to the connectivity between the autism strategy and the mental health strategy. We know that the mental health strategy is not funded to the level that it needs to be. If it were funded to that level, it would definitely help people with autism and improve outcomes for them. Doing that would be helpful. There are other examples of connectivity. While autism is not a learning disability, around half of autistic people may also have a learning disability.”
“Think about Pam's amending Bill, which strengthened that Bill, and the work that the Health Committee did on it in the previous mandate to get as many provisions as possible through. That legislation included the appointment of an autism reviewer. That person is now in post, and it is great that there is somebody with expertise to whom we can appeal and whom we can ask for help, support and direction with services. Compared with the previous situation and with other jurisdictions, we have come a long way. We should take comfort — not so much credit — from the fact that there are structures there. We now need to develop and improve those structures in order to make life much easier for people who have been diagnosed as having autism. When I met the autism reviewer, she taught me a lesson.”
“Given the description and nature of what a debate is, I suppose that one in which everybody has the same opinion should not be seen as a debate and could be considered boring. This debate, however, is an excellent opportunity for all of us from the various parties to have the same view. That is a tribute to the work that is carried out by the all-party group, the meetings of which I do not get to as often as I would like. I know that there is a common purpose and unity amongst its membership to improve the lives of people with autism. Full credit goes to the organisation and coordination in the background by the secretariat and Autism NI. <BR /> <BR />Notwithstanding everything that we have said so far, we can forget how far we have come on the issues. Think about the Autism Bill that Dominic Bradley introduced.”
“It is well recognised in the sector and by the public that transformation of our health services is the long-term solution to our problems, but the short-term solution requires finance. Will the Executive give the Health Minister the finance that he requires to reduce the waiting lists? Does the First Minister agree that, without that finance, that will be an impossible task?”
“It removes the references to the academic research, which comes from the experts and not the politicians. One or two people have said that it is not for politicians to set the agenda, but this is about the experts in academia. They came up with the report. We do not think that removing the references to that is a good thing. The amendment also replaces the sense of implementing recommendations with reviewing them, which takes our foot off the pedal a bit. <BR /> <BR />We are happy to support the Alliance amendment, although we believe that all Ministers should be involved. Justice has a really important part to play, and we would love to see the Justice Minister doing more.”
“When we first had a round of Opposition days, the Chamber was empty, and we had all the debates done in about two hours instead of four hours. Suddenly, now that we have condensed it, everybody is jumping up and down saying that they do not have enough time. That is good and positive, and that is what the Opposition brings to the Chamber. It gives us an opportunity to examine issues as important as RSE and the other motions that have been presented today. I like the fact that people feel that they under a little bit of pressure for the time to do that. <BR /> <BR />We have two amendments before us. I struggle a little with the DUP amendment: not with its overall context but because it does not acknowledge that what we have at the moment is not fit for purpose.”
“I am in the job of trying to get votes, so I will not say that there should be more homework. That is something that should be addressed. <BR /> <BR />In this context, however, we should prioritise the type of education that we want to give our young people that shapes them best for the future. In the context of what we are discussing today, there is an opportunity to have an approach in RSE in our schools that helps to shape our young people to be the best citizens for the future and would be a good help to them. <BR /> <BR />Very briefly, I say that I am enjoying the fact that more and more Members are saying that the debates are too short and they are not getting the opportunity to participate. That is good. Turning up to these debates is good.”