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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“We could have asked for clarification and sought some more information, but all that we got was a briefing. It was a Committee briefing rather than a Committee engagement. Numerous remarks were made that, if hospitals were to implement free car parking, that could cause problems such as blocking blue-light routes. However, people also highlighted that that is an issue as things stand, so perhaps it is an issue not of car parking but of how ambulances get to the hospital. To suggest that it is an argument for holding up free car parking for another two years seems a bit weak. <BR /> <BR />Furthermore, the issues are very site-specific. Issues of congestion are specific to the Royal, and the issue of other people using the car parking facilities is specific and was mentioned in relation to the City Hospital.”
“<BR /> <BR />We are told that a new infrastructure system is needed. What is wrong with the current one? Could the current infrastructure, where people have to use cards to get in and out and to pay for car parking, not have been adapted in the short term to deliver some solutions rather than having to seek a delay for two years? <BR /> <BR />I will go slightly easy on Committee consultation. The Committee has had one presentation, lasting 45 to 50 minutes. That is all that the Committee has had, so I do not want to imply that it has had proper engagement. We would like, I am sure, to have brought in other organisations, including staff organisations and, potentially, other organisations involved in the delivery of car parking services.”
“When you hear terms such as "creating inequality of access to service" and then hear people asking for a two-year delay that, itself, creates an inequality of access to service, you wonder whether the situation has been handled properly at all. <BR /> <BR />The inevitability of the Bill's passing by the four-party Executive means that the most important thing that we, as an Opposition, can do is ensure transparency and make sure that the full facts of the matter are known. On that basis, I make the following points and seek the Minister's clarification. <BR /> <BR />The now junior Minister's Bill passed just before the Assembly elections in May 2022. We have heard that a legal challenge was concluded around November last year. How soon after the Bill received Royal Assent did the procurement process commence?”
“<BR /> <BR />It seems that it will take the Executive four years to put up a few cameras at a number of hospital sites to read car registrations and to get a computer program to analyse them. In our constituency offices, how many of us have been dealing with, if not been swamped by, people who get car parking tickets from supermarket and shopping centre car parks? Those organisations got their infrastructure in place, and I wager that it did not take them four years to put it up. <BR /> <BR />So many reasons — others might call them excuses — have been given for the delay in getting the infrastructure in place and for requesting the two-year extension. Some of them are so weak in places that the bottom of the barrel has been not just scraped clean but scraped through.”
“We are here today to discuss the Second Stage of the Bill, and I have to say that that is a shame. It is a shame that we are discussing the delaying of the implementation of the 2022 Act, and it is a shame that, on a day on which we in this place have been focusing on how to break the cycle of poverty, we are debating a delay to removing unfair charges. The then Hospital Parking Charges Bill was lauded by Sinn Féin in April 2022 as saving patients and hard-working staff the money that they would have to pay and as saving folk money when visiting their sick and dying relatives, yet, two years later, here we are. The difficulties with that legislation mean the Sinn Féin/DUP-led coalition Executive have agreed to delay its implementation by another two full years.”
“My goodness, with the complete lack of legislation coming from the Executive, we certainly could not cite pressure on Assembly time as a reason for having to rush things through. I also note that we have been back since 3 February; we are two and a half months in. This could have been sent to the Committee a few weeks earlier to allow us a little more time to consider it than we got at one meeting. I fear that discussion of the delay that is being requested today is not in the Executive's favour. A quick, stick-it-through delay is what suits Executive parties best, and that is what we face. As the saying goes, we are where we are.”
“I will make a few brief remarks about the request for accelerated passage. I am not happy that we are having to use it. I worry when a Department gets a procurement process so wrong that it is left open to legal challenge and that that delays the roll-out of legislation that the House unanimously voted for. I remind Members that there was all-party, full-party support in the Chamber for the Bill over two years ago. Mind you, the fact that there was an election a few weeks later may have accelerated that support, but that full-party support was nonetheless there. <BR /> <BR />I am not a fan of the accelerated passage of Bills. We have normalised this place a little bit: we have an Opposition and Committees, and we have space for debate.”
“It is our duty to mitigate the worst impulses of the Tory Government for whatever time they have left. <BR /> <BR />In summary, the two-child limit is having a devastating impact on families right across Northern Ireland. It is within our gift to remove it, so I ask the Minister for Communities to get on with his job.”
“Thank you. <BR /> <BR />Absolutely. Sometimes, the consequences of a policy are completely forgotten. For the consequences in this case to include the re-traumatisation of victims of rape and other crimes is absolutely horrendous. <BR /> <BR />While he is at it, will the Minister also use the other levers that he has at his disposal to eradicate poverty, including working with his Executive colleagues to introduce proper childcare support? That was meant to be a day-1 matter for the Executive — the four-party Executive. What concrete action have we seen them take so far? A motion? A debate? Maybe a photo shoot? Without change to bring down childcare costs, more and more families will be pushed into poverty. No one should shirk their responsibility to act or blame the Tories without stepping up to do what they can do in this place.”
“The two-child limit, or sibling penalty, runs totally contrary to that right, but it is not enough to just blame the Tories. My party's motion asks the Minister for Communities to present a plan before the Assembly to remove the limit; not to remove it overnight, but to set the direction for, once and for all, ending the poverty trap that has caused so much misery for so many people.”
“The social inequalities that we see across the North and then reflected in other ways — for example, in health inequalities — become multigenerational. It becomes a cycle, with generation after generation trapped in poverty. As legislators, how do we help people to break that cycle of poverty? <BR /> <BR />Poverty is not a personal choice; it is a political choice. It is one that successive Tory Governments — at times, supported by parties here — have made. We certainly will not forget those parties who handed welfare powers back to the Tories 10 years ago. We will listen to hear whether they are crying today about the impacts of doing so. Children and families in Northern Ireland deserve much better than that. Children have the right in law to an adequate standard of living, including the right to social security.”
“The two-child limit is the single biggest driver of child poverty across these islands, so much so that the United Nations has said that the UK is in violation of international law over poverty levels and is grossly underfunding universal credit. <BR /> <BR />We know that such policies have a devastating impact in Northern Ireland, not only, as has been said, because we have larger families here but because our rates of poverty would shame any other country. They should shame the Executive and they should shame the Assembly. One quarter of children here live in poverty. In my council area of Newry, Mourne and Down, we have the second highest rate of poverty in the North, with children making up 21% of the population. The area also has, at 26%, the joint highest child poverty rate in the North.”
“Many aspects of Tory policy of the past 14 years have brought pain to working people, but, today, we are discussing a uniquely cruel and punitive policy. Since the introduction of the two-child limit, the Tories have insisted that it is designed to boost employment, yet it is perverse Tory social engineering that is designed to punish the most vulnerable, push families over the brink and force more and more children into abject poverty. <BR /> <BR />The facts speak for themselves. As a result of the two-child limit, families with a third child or more children born since 2017 are missing out on up to £3,500 per child. Over one fifth of families in the North have three or more children. If we continue as we are, more than half of the families across the UK with three or more children will be in poverty in five years' time.”
“A singular thing that we could do for them, if they choose, is to provide that certificate in their baby's memory to recognise that they had a life, they were loved and they were part of a family. I have seen that love and sense of family at events that I have attended — annual events that are organised by Sands — within the constituency. I have been able to join parents and share a moment with them. It is only a moment for me but it is their life that they are living day and daily. To have some sort of recognition, in the form of a certificate, would be very much welcomed. For those reasons, the SDLP is happy to support the motion and the amendment. There is clearly work that we should be doing, and it should be our priority to provide that service for families and children here.”
“<BR /> <BR />In our present state, parents who lose a baby — I appreciate that that is imperfect language — during pregnancy must travel to England for the child's post-mortem. Whilst I appreciate that HSC will pay for the travel and accommodation and that staff will help and provide care, dignity and compassion throughout, it feels unfair that we cannot provide that service here. It is regrettable that we are in a position where although we have tried to restore our regional paediatric pathology service, despite repeated attempts, it has just failed. It is also regrettable that, despite attempts by the Health and Social Care Board in the past to approach providers in the South, no provider could be found to offer that service for those from the North. <BR /> <BR />All of us want the best for our families and children.”
“This is not an easy motion to speak on. It deals with deeply emotive subjects that can be incredibly traumatising for women and families, and it is focused on the loss of the most innocent of lives. All of us across the House only want the best for our families and children. While many of us differ on policy in this place, often quite heatedly at times, we can recognise our shared humanity and share our human stories. I am grateful and thankful to Kellie, Gary and others for telling their stories. It enriches the discussion and helps us to understand exactly what we are discussing. It is the sense of shared humanity that we are discussing today, and that must be our starting point. If that is the starting point, any changes to policy that follow will be coming from the right place.”
“Given that, last week, his officials could only highlight multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) as a possible saviour of primary care, will the Minister confirm that he has specifically requested additional funds from the Minister of Finance for the continued roll-out of multidisciplinary teams across the North?”
“Will the Minister consider utilising Downe Hospital to deliver elective care and other procedures, given that, in the hospital, there is the capacity and a willing workforce to do them?”
“Has the Minister had any meetings with the Minister of Health to try to secure additional funding for nursing staff, following the Royal College of Nursing's decision to turn down the Executive's pay offer?”
“There is a critical need to have a Programme for Government, yet the response from this place is silence due to the collapse for a number of years or, when I asked the First Minister yesterday about publishing a Programme for Government, I was told, "Let's not be in a hurry". <BR /> <BR />The public are in a hurry. They are in a hurry to get their loved ones off waiting lists. They are in a hurry to get childcare sorted so that they do not have to fork out more than £10,000 per year. They are in a hurry to get their children's school into proper order. The public are in a hurry. The community and voluntary sector is in a hurry. Healthcare staff are in a hurry, and the Opposition are in a hurry. I hope that the Finance Minister will also be in a hurry to deliver the money to where it is needed so that we can help our communities now.”
“Just a few months ago, an SDLP motion at Newry, Mourne and Down District Council called for an increase in the budget for NIPSO, and, again, it received full cross-party support. We welcome that support from all parties there. <BR /> <BR />As a constituency MLA, I find that the issues that are presented to my office and, I am sure, to those of other MLAs extend beyond health and the lack of funding. The roads have never been as bad. They are absolutely dreadful. Driving is a really dangerous activity now because of the state of them. There is not enough housing to go round all our constituents. Councils do not have enough money to do their duties. Schools are under-resourced, and I have listed the health issues. The list could go on and on.”
“While we support the strategy, my SDLP colleagues asked whether it needed to be funded. I am sure that the Finance Minister will receive a letter from that council asking for the continuation of the cancer strategy with a financial plan alongside it. I am pleased that the amendment achieved consensus among all parties. <BR /> <BR />There is money in the spending plan for the Northern Ireland Public Services Ombudsman (NIPSO). That essential office carries out its duties with full independence and impartiality. It is becoming apparent, however, that it is struggling to conclude its work fully and in a timely manner. Sometimes, representatives are left for many years waiting for investigations to be completed. A lack of finance can be at the centre of that. It is also carrying an increasing workload.”
“The only sector here that was lucky enough to receive it was GPs providing out-of-hours services, but that is now being withdrawn. That cost is to be borne directly by GPs. It makes the sector unattractive to them to work in because they have to pay to go to work. That does not have to be done in any other sector or in any other place on these islands. We need to regularise that quickly. We need to make primary care and GP work attractive so that doctors will want to go into it. <BR /> <BR />The 10-year cancer strategy also needs a funding plan. We were told at the outset that £778 million would be required over 10 years. I am not sure that too much of that has been applied. Just last night, colleagues of mine on Newry, Mourne and Down District Council supported a Sinn Féin motion but tabled an amendment to it.”
“People are being left to languish on them for far too long. It will cost approximately £135 million a year to help clear those waiting lists, so I hope that, as we regularise the financial approaches for this year, we will see, as we look towards next year, some targeted finance to help the people on those waiting lists. Those people are needlessly suffering pain daily, but we can help them if we make interventions good and early. <BR /> <BR />Primary care faces major challenges, yet, even with those challenges, the Department of Health announced last week that it will withdraw indemnity cover for GP work that is done out of hours. We are the only area of the UK that does not support doctors by giving them cover for indemnity.”
“<BR /> <BR />Many of the issues that our health service faces stem from chronic underfunding and from the fact that Ministers work with a silo mentality, as other Members have said. Poor mental health is one of the most important issues that we face. It costs the taxpayer £3·4 billion every year. If we were to put a small amount of investment through our health service and other Departments to address the issues, we could save money in the long run and, most importantly, help people where they need it. I am a bit concerned that, although we have had the publication of the mental health strategy, there is no proper financial structure to go alongside it. There is not much point in having aspirations if we are not helping people. I would like to see that addressed. <BR /> <BR />We know that waiting lists are far too long.”
“I support the remarks that numerous Members so far have made about this not being a perfect process — it is far from perfect — in that we are looking at agreeing money that has already been spent. However, given that a significant amount of money is allocated to Departments and that we often just apply flat-cash budgets from one year to the next, in reflecting on last year's budgetary process, which we did not have much involvement in, and looking forward to next year's, I will, as our party's health spokesperson, highlight some of the essential issues that prevail in the health service in the hope that some of that information will trickle down and that we see some help for that sector's budget in the year ahead.”
“The staff want to do that, and all the elected representatives in the area want to support that. <BR /> <BR />I wanted to make that statement, and I hope that, in the future, we see additional services at the Downe.”
“I worry that the trust is removing the ability to clean the materials and the utensils, taking that service away, and, in a few years' time, if it reviews the service provision, it will say that, because that service is not there, it has to close it down. I want it recorded in Hansard, so that we can see that and that I stated that. If that is a consideration in the future, we will have this statement to refer to. <BR /> <BR />The staff at the Downe, the members of the Downe community health committee, which met about this last night, and all the elected representatives in the area sing from the same hymn sheet. We all shout the same thing, which is that the Downe Hospital can do so much more. It wants to contribute to addressing the waiting lists and to help. It wants to contribute to service delivery. It wants to play its part.”
“Staff at that location in the Downe are absolutely hurt. They are hurt because they deliver the service in such a top-class way that they have an accreditation for it that staff at the Ulster Hospital — the service is being moved there — do not have. It is a bit difficult to understand why you would take a really good service that is working well and move it to somewhere else where the standard is at a different level. <BR /> <BR />Previously, the MO of the trust — I am clear that this does not refer to the current chief executive — was so transparent that it was embarrassing. The trust took the decision to completely run down a service and then, after a year or two, to review the service provision and close down the service that had been run down, saying, "It's because it is run down".”
“I want to discuss my concern about the removal of the unit for the cleansing of endoscopy equipment at the Downe Hospital. I will go right from the start, because some critics will jump in to say that we are against transformation or we will potentially be accused of engaging in parish pump politics, and I have a letter here from the chief executive that states that the unit is being removed because of efficiencies and not because of any wider transformation programme. I do not think that it could be stated that a single change to an isolated service in order to improve efficiency is being done for the purpose of transformation. I just wanted to put that out there at the beginning.”
“In the Minister's response, we heard about early planning, engagement, new places and additional funds. All that has been done before, but, every year, we face the same problems. Is the Minister is satisfied that something different will be done between now and September so that we will not see the same outcome this year?”
“It is welcome to hear that the Programme for Government on which the Executive parties have been working for over a year will be published in the summer. Given that it is required to be consulted on, will the First Minister give a commitment that it will be published before the summer recess to give people the opportunity to assess it over the summer?”
“I thank the Member for his supplementary question. The Commission is going to look at reviewing the policy. A number of issues need to be addressed as part of that, not least the imbalance in the number of events that are organised by particular political groupings. Some political parties have sponsored five times the number of events compared with others. The 'Events in Parliament Buildings and its Grounds Policy' is due to be reviewed in May this year. If the Member were to write to the Commission, those views could be considered as part of that.”
“Between March 2022 and March 2024, there have been 582 Member-sponsored events.”
“A difficulty with that could be that a lot of the goodwill that we have required of staff would no longer be there because they are exhausted, they feel that they are overworked and underpaid, and they feel that the transformation that is necessary in the health service is taking too long to be delivered. I hope that that is something that the Minister will continue to work on to try to give us a health system that can cope should there be a rise in cases in the future. The SDLP is happy to support the motion, however.”
“<BR /> <BR />As has been said, cases of other illnesses such as measles are on the increase. We have known that there is a problem with slipping back to there being more examples of that condition, which is often because people do not take the opportunity to have vaccinations because of misinformation on social media. I hope that the people who can get those vaccinations will get them. <BR /> <BR />I am a bit concerned that our health service is so close to collapse that, if we were to see an increase in the likes of COVID again, it would really struggle.”
“I welcome the opportunity to speak on the motion. It is important to note that these regulations will assist with the preparation and distribution of COVID vaccines, which remain a critical weapon in our arsenal for fighting against COVID and the seasonal flu. We know the problems that can occur if our hospitals become overwhelmed, especially during wintertime, and the pressures that that can put on the staff and systems. If we can do anything with the vaccinations to try to reduce the number of people contracting these illnesses, that would certainly help. It does not take a genius to draw the connection between having the vaccination, it preventing you from catching the illness, and that then preventing you from having to go into hospital, which hospital staff would greatly appreciate.”
“Will the Minister consider evaluating that scheme and its effectiveness, given the increased incidence of flooding and that floods are happening in places that have not experienced them before, such as Cathedral View and Cathedral Park in Downpatrick where my constituents are now being hit with very high insurance premiums even though their houses were not flooded?”
“The arguments have all been well-rehearsed and made. We put forward our suggestion about biennial testing, and I welcome that the Minister has said that he will consider that if it comes up. I just hope that we can get it sorted out, because far too much time is being invested by people having to complain to their MLAs about not being able to access a timely MOT test. We hope that we can get that sorted.”
“As was eloquently said, that means that, if there is a problem with the car, they will not be travelling 80 or 90 miles in a vehicle that may not be suitable for the road.”
“That is the main reason for our suggestion that we move to biennial testing, because we feel that cars up to the age of about 10 should be relatively safe. They will have warning lights that will come on and indicate that there is something wrong with the vehicle, and that should help. <BR /> <BR />The distance that some people have had to travel for testing was mentioned. One issue is that, because of the difficulties in the system, people are crossing each other. People from Enniskillen might have to come to Downpatrick, which is a wonderful thing for them to do, but, likewise, people from Downpatrick might have to go to Enniskillen. If the systems were organised in a timely way, that would help people greatly, as they would be able to access their local MOT centre, resulting in minimal disruption.”
“and carry out my work so that I can provide that scrutiny. I hope that, once I get the date for my appointment, I will be able to avail myself of that service, if needed, that helps people to get their test a little more quickly. <BR /> <BR />Those who are not necessarily as heavily involved in matters relating to infrastructure may have been struck, as I certainly was, by hearing that over a million tests have been carried out. That is really quite shocking, as it is such a large number. When one thinks about the number of test centres that we have, which is not huge, the fact that they are undertaking a million-odd tests every year is an achievement. <BR /> <BR />We know that the cost-of-living crisis means that people hold on to cars for longer and that, generally, newer cars are of better quality and are able to last a little longer.”
“Of course, I was presented with the fact that I need a booking reference number, which I will not have until I receive the reminder letter. I can see how I will start to move towards the territory in which it will be so late by the time I get the opportunity to apply for an MOT. I know that the Minister and others know the importance of an Opposition and that we need to be here. I will need that car to be able to come up to Stormont”
“<BR /> <BR />I am not an Infrastructure Committee member, but, reading across to the Health Committee, of which I am a member, we can think about many of those in the domiciliary care sector who are out working in the community and providing valuable community care. Often, representatives from that sector come to us and say, "If I do not get my MOT sorted out, I will not be able to do my work". That links to other professions as well. <BR /> <BR />It is really important to get access opened up for tests in a timely manner. As we sit here, we all know about the website to which you can log on to check when your MOT is due. The debate prompted me to do that, and I see that my MOT is due in eight weeks. I thought, "I had better get on to the other part of the website", which is where you book an appointment.”
“That places a bit of a difficulty on the Member who makes the winding-up speech on the debate, because there is bit of an onus to give feedback on what Members have said, but everyone said the same thing. I do not intend to rehearse the points in any great detail, but, in summary, Members are aware from their constituents that it is taking an absolute age to get an MOT test and that that can cause considerable stress and pressures, because it might not be done in time. People might have to take their cars off the road for a period while they get the right appointment or chase up an emergency appointment. We all have had such individuals come into our constituency offices asking for help to secure appointments.”
“Thank you, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker. The debate has been somewhat interesting, in that, before the Minister took to his feet to respond to it, we were able to read his remarks and see some of the things that he was going to accept. One was our amendment. That is welcome, but, as ever, the devil is in the detail, as the words that he used are, "I will explore". That means that the Minister will explore the suggestions, if they come from the Department, so we still have a bit of road to travel, and we will have to see how those things develop. <BR /> <BR />The interesting thing about the debate is that almost every contributor said practically the same thing.”
“I appreciate that you are talking about this legislation. I am not talking about that; I am saying that, if it were required and the order were to fall, what timescale would be required for you to come here with another piece of legislation to enable you to take the decisions that you need to take? I do not mean the legislation that is going out for public consultation and will take until the autumn to go through its stages. If an emergency were to be declared, you could come to the House and lay legislation if it were prepped now and sitting ready to go, and it could be passed within days. Is that not correct?”
“We are moving perilously close to going back into the territory of the Minister saying that she is not the Minister for police. If the Chief Constable is looking for additional resources, will you work with him to gather resources to address antisocial behaviour, or does he simply ask for resources and you do not know what he needs to use them for?”
“If that process began, I am quite sure that, here, we could get through a 24- or 48-hour process to be able to give the Executive the ability to take the decisions that they need to take. <BR /> <BR />We all remember that, towards the end of the pandemic, countless people contacted us to tell us that they were not happy with how we carried out the process of short, sharp and immediate decision-making. I will finish by stating the fact that it was needed then. We do not need it now. We will get a number of weeks' lead-in time to the potential need for it again. We will have an opportunity, because the Assembly can take decisions quickly if it needs to. With that lack of information, my party finds it difficult to support the motion.”
“Between March 2020 and October 2022, 51 ministerial directions were issued; more than in the previous 10 years put together. We were absolutely in a different place during that time. We are not in that place now. <BR /> <BR />In the Committee, we asked — the Committee Chair referred to it — why a piece of emergency legislation could not be brought to the House if it were required. We passed a Budget — spending of £28 billion — in two days. Two days is what it took. When we reflect on the period of COVID-19, we know that it took weeks to build up to the stage of needing some form of legislative cover to be able to take decisions: the World Health Organization will have referred to it as a global emergency; it will have upgraded it to a pandemic, and time will have been taken to go through that process.”