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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“I have been taught CPR, and I know that a number of other Members have been trained in it, so we should be able to get that figure from one in 10 up to one in four. Through our skills and training — my first aid training, Robbie's Fire Service training and the skills of many others — we would save an additional 13 MLAs' lives. We can fight afterwards about who would survive. That is a debate for another day. We have the skills in here, however, so we would be increasing the chances of survival from one in 10 to one in four. Why should we not enable our communities to have the same fighting chance that we have? <BR /> <BR />I thank everybody for their contributions today, and I look forward to the Bill's Committee Stage.”
“The person who comes after you could also be a brick wall, but if this is in law — if we decide that we want the Bill to be enacted — it will be much more difficult for somebody in the future to overturn that law, because that Minister would have to come back here to do so. I do not think that that would happen. Having observed the Minister's good work, I want to copper-fasten it so that the House is 100% behind her through our adding our legislative weight to it. I look forward to seeing the Bill progress. <BR /> <BR />I will finish with this. I said at the beginning that there are 90 Members of the Assembly and that, according to the current statistics, only one in 10 would survive a cardiac arrest. That is nine of the 90 Members. I was hoping that somebody might have corrected me or taken the point a step further.”
“<BR /> <BR />I accept what the Minister says about the curriculum and understand the predicament, but it also causes me to be a little bit suspicious. The reason that I am suspicious is this: if you say that you do not need to put it on the curriculum because it is happening anyway, if it is happening anyway, why do we not put it on the curriculum so that it is there? If it is in legislation, it cannot be taken away. If it is happening but is not in legislation, it can be changed. <BR /> <BR />I know that this Minister is completely dedicated to this happening. I have spoken to her and met her, and I know the work that she has brought forward thus far, which has taken us leaps and bounds beyond where we were previously. I was with your predecessor, and it was a brick wall.”
“Hopefully, most of the specific references to the Bill — for example, whether training could be an annual event rather than a one-off — will be examined at Committee Stage. I am absolutely up for that. I would love to see it happen. I tried to keep the information presented in the Bill as minimal as possible in order to get it through, because I wanted to try to gain as much support as possible from everybody, but if there is an appetite amongst Members to increase the amount of information or for pupils to have the training more than once at school, that will be welcomed. I did not want to put too much into the Bill in case it put people off. I wanted to get the legislation across the finishing line, so that is why I have kept it as basic as possible, but I am happy enough for it to be expanded on, if that is the wish of Members.”
“The Bill would allow clubs and community groups to focus on their activities without having to spend time focusing on these skills.”
“That is when you have to lift the phone and seek help. As I said earlier, every additional minute lost will cause more problems for — potentially, even the death of — the person concerned. Each of those homes must have somebody with the skills to help. <BR /> <BR />Many Members mentioned community groups and sporting organisations. They have led the way with training, support and help for their members to get these important skills. However, why should they have to do that? I contend that, if they are sporting groups, they should focus on sport; if they are community groups, they should focus on their activities. We should have an education system that delivers to everybody the appropriate life skills to be able to get on with their daily lives but also to step in to help if somebody is having a cardiac arrest.”
“We have those stories to tell in a Chamber with just 15 or 20 Members in it. Let us multiply that across our community and acknowledge that this is an issue that affects huge numbers of people. Therefore, we need to take our response to that seriously. We need to legislate, if we can, to try to resolve this issue and help people with those experiences. <BR /> <BR />Many Members spoke of being in a public place when a cardiac arrest took place. A key feature, as I said in my opening remarks, is that 80% of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests take place in the home. If 30, 40, 50 or more people are in a public place when somebody has a cardiac arrest, two or three people will jump to help. In the homes that those people go back to, there may be no one to jump to help and no one with the skills.”
“I thank all Members for their contributions. As everybody correctly pointed out, this is an important issue. The debate gave us an opportunity to discuss providing something in our curriculum and communities that will save lives. <BR /> <BR />Many debates in this Chamber can be very frustrating. However, having a debate — this conversation and these discussions — on something that could make a real difference to people's lives and help people to survive is heartwarming. There was about 98% support around the Chamber, and there may be a few rough edges that we need to move on. <BR /> <BR />Rather than going into individual contributions, I will pick out some themes that are worth mentioning. Many Members provided a story. They had an experience or knew somebody who had a cardiac arrest, and there were various outcomes.”
“I look forward to hearing contributions from all other sections, and if any clarity is required, I look forward to providing it. At the outset of my contribution, I mentioned that the figure of one in 10 surviving would work out at approximately nine MLAs. Taken in the round, in the full knowledge of your medical history and lifestyle, would you rather know that, should anything ever happen to you, every child who has come through our schools has received training in CPR and AED awareness? If the answer is yes, and you want to be a part of changing our statistics, I implore you to support this Bill.”
“Poverty is still prevalent here, and, in the past, those who lived in the most deprived areas were identified as being more at risk of suffering from cardiovascular disease. Two years ago, the statistics told us that 10 people were dying every day in the North due to heart conditions, including cardiac arrest. Given that other countries have increased their survival rate from one in 10 to one in four, I believe that, by enacting this legislation, we stand a real chance of saving lives. We are dealing with life or death. That is bigger than any of us. It goes beyond the issues that are often a source of division and touches at the very essence of that which unites each of us: our common humanity. <BR /> <BR />In closing, I am proud to bring the Bill to the House for its Second Stage.”
“When I detailed all the information from the public consultation, I was detailing the voices of the public. With just under 1,000 people participating in that process, we have a duty to listen to what they said and to try to act in a way that meets the need that they identified. <BR /> <BR />With the figures as they are, we, as an Assembly, must act now. We must do more to ensure that CPR training and automatic external defibrillation (AED) awareness are a normal part of everyone's lives and that those who are trained have the confidence and skill set so that, should they need to go out and save a life, they can do so. <BR /> <BR />We are living longer, but we are not always living better. Smoking, a lack of physical exercise and obesity remain factors that we must consider.”
“Thank you very much, Mr Deputy Speaker. I knew that everybody had rushed to the Chamber to hear the end of my speech, so I did not want to disappoint them by not getting the opportunity to conclude. <BR /> <BR />Given that there has been a little bit of a gap, I will summarise. Thus far, I have taken the opportunity to detail why we need this Bill, the reasons that it will help people and how the outworkings of this private Member's Bill will save lives. I will repeat that: it will save lives. I also detailed how all other parts of these islands have brought this measure in by legislation and that we are the only place that does not have it in that way. I also detailed a lot of the numbers and the background of the public consultation that took place.”
“I thank the Minister for answering questions on this important issue. I put on record that this is not about the vaccine or receiving it. That continues to be one of the most important things that we can do at this time. Rather, this is purely an issue of data and data protection. <BR /> <BR />I ask the Minister whether there is any difference between how that data is held and accessed compared with, say, how data is held and accessed in other parts of the health service, such as, for example, data held by GPs, dentists and other allied health professionals who can access information electronically? Is there anything that the Minister thinks could be done to tighten up what was referred to in the original question?”
“<BR /> <BR />Of the 983 responses, 963 think that it is important for young people to have knowledge of CPR skills and awareness of AEDs by the time they leave primary education; 979 think that it is important for young people to have knowledge of CPR skills and AEDs by the time they leave post-primary education; 903 think that pupils in post-primary schools should receive the training once a year, every year; 964 feel that the Government have a responsibility to ensure that that training is provided; and 929 feel that CPR training and AED awareness is as important as academic subjects or more important.”
“The findings are as stark as the statistics that I have quoted in relation to cardiac arrests. <BR /> <BR />Nine hundred and eighty-three individuals responded to the online consultation. The respondents ranged from students of school age to parents, grandparents, guardians, school staff, medical professionals, sporting officials, and beyond. I will detail some of the responses to the survey in case any Member has concerns about the public's view of such a Bill.”
“<BR /> <BR />Allowing an opt-in system, even one that will form part of ETI inspections, remains just that: an opt-in system. Therefore, the Bill that I seek agreement on recognises and welcomes the step by the Education Minister, but it makes a leap that we need. In many ways, the two complement each other, and I hope that the Minister is able to support the Bill today. Should it pass this stage and eventually be enacted, it will mean that every part of these islands will have mandatory CPR training and AED awareness in schools. That would be greatly welcomed. <BR /> <BR />We all know that schools are stretched as it is. The needs of our children and young people are complex. Cognisant of that, I carried out an extensive eight-week consultation with the public to gain views on the Bill.”
“Thank you, Mr Allister. The keyword is "may". This Minister may, but the next Minister may not. If we put it in legislation so that a Minister must, it means that it will take place. That is different from its being an option. I applaud the current Minister for picking up the mantle and introducing this training in schools, but that could be reversed by a future Minister. If we have it in legislation, it cannot easily be reversed. Legislation would be required to undo what we are doing today. <BR /> <BR />Further to that, in preparing the legislation, consultation with the teaching unions has been carried out. I have not heard whether it is the Minister's expectation that that is being delivered, but, from my work with the unions, I know that they are happy that this would be included.”
“I thank the Member for his intervention. The easiest way to put it is that, in working with the previous Education Minister — not to talk about somebody in their absence, but I will do it anyway — we were not making much progress with ministerial intervention to deliver it. The new Minister has introduced the request to schools to carry out this measure, but it has no legislative base. The Bill would provide the legislative base so that, regardless of who the Education Minister is, this skill must be taught in schools. It is that difference between its being asked for and its being a definite legislative requirement.”
“In saying that, I recognise that the Minister has issued a notice to all post-primary schools that it is the Department's expectation that those schools will all deliver CPR training through the curriculum at Key Stage 3. I applaud and welcome that. It is an important step, but, while it may be a step for the Department, it is not the giant leap we need. Politics is so often transitory. If we should see a future Education Minister who does not see things as the current Minister does, that expectation could be rolled over and we could be back to square one. <BR /> <BR />Further to that —”
“<BR /> <BR />The question is this: what are we to do? In bringing forward the legislation, I gave prior notice to the Education Committee and presented the Bill to it. I met Minister McIlveen and spoke to her about my intention to bring forward the Bill. I have witnessed phenomenal cross-party support, and I recognise that and express thanks to my party colleagues, who could not have been more supportive, and to all the parties I have engaged with so far, which have fully supported the intention of the Bill. <BR /> <BR />I say the "intention" because I appreciate and understand that, for the Minister, the outworking of the Bill is something the Department may struggle with. We are talking about introducing a mandatory element to our curriculum, and I appreciate that some are not comfortable with that.”
“While Members have just been treated to a science lesson in cardiac arrest, I do not want to move into a history lesson except suffice to say that those threatening to collapse these institutions should look at what can be achieved in under three years. Think of the lives that have been saved as a result and ask yourself honestly what those lives are worth to you. <BR /> <BR />I have given the raw statistics, and they speak for themselves. When we introduce CPR training and AED awareness to as many people as possible, the direct and indirect consequences are that we ease the pressure on our health service, reduce the number of people waiting for a hospital bed and, for those who would potentially have to adjust to a life in care in a care home, that is prevented and mental health is supported. Most importantly, though, we save lives.”
“However, it is actually practised in the North right now, in the beautiful seaside tourist location of Newcastle, in my South Down constituency. <BR /> <BR />Following the tragic death in 2017 of a local resident who had been struck by a car and died before an AED could be administered, the local Lions Club began a campaign to fundraise and purchase an AED so that that type of incident would not happen again. That incredible example of local grassroots community action resulted in the purchase of not one, two or three but 10 AEDs for the town, making it possibly the safest place in Ireland, should you require an AED. As in Denmark, there are local volunteers who register, monitor and organise the replacement or repair of the AEDs, should it be necessary. <BR /> <BR />A local community achieved that in under three years.”
“Before I return to the Danish example, it would be remiss not to note when discussing the provision of AEDs that the inventor of the portable AED was Professor Frank Pantridge, a Northern Irish physician and cardiologist. He has been called the father of emergency medicine, and he is surely someone that we can rightly pay tribute to. <BR /> <BR />Back to Denmark. Between 2006 and 2011, the number of registered AEDs in Denmark increased from approximately 3,000 to nearly 15,000. In Copenhagen, an AED registry was formed in 2007 which established a platform to register the location and accessibility of AEDs. The registry was expanded nationwide in 2010. That may all seem very technical and removed from our experience.”
“However, the medical study that I referenced also discussed that issue. When looking to Denmark, the authors found that the risk of anoxic brain damage or nursing home admission was also significantly lower in those who received bystander CPR. The authors wrote that their finding:”
“If CPR is not administered and an AED is not accessible within four minutes, that will cause anoxic brain injury, which is a total lack of oxygen to the brain. The resulting damage is potentially irreparable, so that, even should the patient recover from the cardiac arrest, they will potentially be left in a coma. Even if the patient is resuscitated, the hypoxia may have caused damage to their temporal lobe, causing memory loss. They may suffer muscle contractions, incontinence, impaired speech, changes in personality and further disorientation. <BR /> <BR />The result is someone who needs expensive additional care for much of their life, and all because a trained responder was unable to get to them within three minutes. The ripple effect of a cardiac arrest, and the precious time we have to respond, is extensive.”
“In that period, the out-of-hospital cardiac arrest numbers remained stable, but the percentage who survived to 30 days increased from 3·9% to 12·4%, with recipients of bystander CPR more likely to survive to that 30-day threshold. It is particularly interesting that the rate of bystander CPR increased from 66% to 80% and overall mortality decreased from 18% to 8%. <BR /> <BR />When we look at cardiac arrest, there is a further implication that must be considered, and that is the level of oxygen that gets to the brain. In the moments when someone has a cardiac arrest, every second that the brain loses oxygen is precious. If CPR is not administered and an AED is not accessible within three minutes, there will be a substantial lack of oxygen going to the brain, and that is called hypoxia.”
“In seeking to introduce this Bill, I looked at the example set in countries across the world. The examples are numerous, but the one I will focus on is that of Denmark. In 2005, Denmark launched a national effort to teach its residents to perform CPR to save people who suffer a cardiac arrest outside of hospital. The effort included mandatory training for elementary-school students, making it mandatory for drivers to learn those skills when applying for a driving licence, distributing instructional training kits, offering telephone guidance to bystanders and placing AEDs in more public places. <BR /> <BR />A study published in the 'New England Journal of Medicine' looked at out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in Denmark between 2001 and 2012.”
“Each of us will agree that something deep-rooted in Health needs to change. Anything that we can do to ease the pressures on the service will be of benefit, whether that is preventative health care; active travel initiatives, such as those the Infrastructure Minister is bringing forward; or training a new generation in critical life-saving skills so that we are not totally dependent on an already stretched Ambulance Service when someone has a cardiac arrest.”
“Those in our health service walk a fine line between ensuring its stability and its falling into chaos. <BR /> <BR />Of the 1,400 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests each year, 80% take place in the home. We know that our Ambulance Service plays a critical role in our health service, and it does so admirably, but it is stretched to its limit. If we look in particular at many rural areas in the North, including my constituency of South Down, we see that there have been many instances of individuals tragically dying because the ambulance simply could not reach them in time. That is not said to criticise the work of the Ambulance Service. Rather, it is said simply to illustrate the real pressure on our health service at this moment.”
“Let us put that into perspective by looking at the Chamber. If we 90 MLAs were all to have a cardiac arrest, only nine of us would survive. That is what the numbers say. <BR /> <BR />Women are less likely to survive an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, because, across the world, they are less likely to receive CPR from a bystander. We therefore have a gender-based difference in out-of-hospital cardiac arrests. Studies from two years ago show that survival from the time of cardiac arrest to admission to hospital was 34% among women and 37% among men. From admission to discharge from hospital, the survival rate was 37% of women and 52% of men. <BR /> <BR />If we have learnt anything over the past two years, it is that our health service is a very precious thing. There is a duty on all of us to ensure that it is not overwhelmed.”
“I thank my fellow MLAs Robbie Butler and Chris Lyttle, who co-sponsored that event for me. <BR /> <BR />Five and a half years ago, I rose in the Chamber to make my maiden speech. The issue in hand then was illegal drugs. It was, and remains, my view that government has a crucial role to play in ensuring a joined-up approach to that issue. In the matter of drug prevention, education was key. I mention that by way of an introduction to the Second Stage of the Education (Curriculum) (CPR and AED) Bill, because, although it is indeed a health matter, it remains my firm view that education has a critical role to play. <BR /> <BR />The statistics are clear for all of us to see, and they are shocking. There are 1,400 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in the North each year, and fewer than one in 10 people will survive.”
“I accept that it is lunchtime, and Members will note that the business has been changed around today. <BR /> <BR />In opening the Second Stage debate on the Bill, I pay particular tribute to the efforts of those who helped with its drafting, namely Fearghal McKinney and Denise McAnena from the British Heart Foundation (BHF). I also thank Clare and Melissa Doyle, a mother and daughter who spoke so powerfully at our public 'Listen In' event about their experience of CPR and its capacity to save lives. <BR /> <BR />In the past few hours, a group of students from St Mary's High School in Downpatrick has been in the Long Gallery learning those critical life-saving skills. Even some MLAs and party support staff have attended, such is the importance of the training.”
“Thank you, Mr Principal Deputy Speaker, for allowing me to address this packed House”
“The report and reports in the media refer to 24 young people who have been waiting for a year with a red-flag diagnosis of cancer. That must have been one of the most distressing times for parents, children and families. Will the Minister give an undertaking today or, at the latest, tomorrow that children with a red-flag case of suspected cancer will see a specialist in the next 24 to 48 hours?”
“I appreciate that absolutely everything has to be done correctly and by the book, but that announcement was made back in January. Staff who have been promised the £500 are contacting MLAs almost weekly. Today, we do not even have a date for when that payment will be made. Can the Minister please give us some indication of when it will be made? I know that many in my constituency were hoping to have it for Christmas.”
“There is much about our institutions that is good; indeed, they stand as a testament across the world to how division can be overcome. Yes, there are imperfections, and they may take a lifetime to overcome, but we in the SDLP are happy that some of those considerations can be reviewed. Therefore, we are happy to support the motion and its amendment and to offer our amendment to the House.”
“The system we have for appointing the First Minister and deputy First Minister results in a party having not just a veto on a choice of Minister but a veto on these entire institutions. Allowing parties that maybe represent fewer than 25% of the people of this place to hold the other 75% and, by default, all of society to ransom is wholly unacceptable, and that needs to be reviewed. If Members think that the system that we have is perfect, our amendment is not for them, but, if they can look their constituents in the eye and say that dithering, inaction, collapse and stalemate are truly unacceptable, they have an obligation to support our amendment.”
“Let us ask any principal of any school whose funding dwindled and whose capacity to manage their school was hamstrung. Let us ask those who are so reliant on our welfare system, who faced the ravages of a Tory Government because there was nobody here to make the decisions. Let us think for a moment about our current situation, in which one party is threatening to pull down these institutions. Why? Because it can. We have a system of appointing a First Minister and a deputy First Minister that serves the whims of a single party, not the collective society that we all serve in our communities.”
“Let us be clear: the appointment of Ministers in this place is done by d'Hondt, which is based on the strength of the parties when they return to this place after an election. Prior to the St Andrews Agreement, the appointment of the First Minister and deputy First Minister was achieved by parallel consent. What was critical in that was that this place decided who would be the First Minister and the deputy First Minister. The St Andrews Agreement instead reduced that methodology to a crude algorithm that disenfranchises the representatives in this Chamber. <BR /> <BR />Did the St Andrews Agreement provide a better method? Let us reflect on the recent three-year absence of these institutions. Let us ask our nurses, who had to take to the streets to demand a pay rise.”
“It is also worth noting that all the parties that were involved in the construction of these institutions were happy with that method at the time. Given that a number of options are available, the SDLP is comfortable with the AERC exploring those and coming back to the Assembly with a report on its findings before the end of the mandate. <BR /> <BR />One element that the SDLP included in amendment No 2, which differs from the substantive motion and the Alliance Party's amendment No 1, is for the AERC to give real consideration to how we appoint the First Minister and the deputy First Minister in this place after an election. We need to press the reset button and go back to the methodology that was established as part of the Good Friday Agreement, which was seriously undermined by the St Andrew's Agreement.”
“That may be to tidy up the fact that the AERC is engaged in that process and that we do not need to refer those matters to it as it is already considering them. However, I accept that the motion and amendments allow us to have a general conversation about those issues. <BR /> <BR />Several options are open to us when making decisions in this place. We have parallel consent, qualified or weighted majority voting or a simple vote. During the significant talks process to construct these institutions, I understand that the parallel consent methodology was used. Given that it served the talks process and the construction of these institutions well, it seemed reasonable to use that methodology for making decisions here.”
“They are saying that there is a problem that needs to be remedied. I note that the Alliance Party's amendment No 1 would remove the words:”
“<BR /> <BR />Our politics in the North is akin to a house of cards: it is finely balanced, intricate and precise. Remove one element of that structure, and we threaten to make the whole thing come crashing down. It was my colleague the former deputy First Minister Mark Durkan who once said that an "ugly scaffolding" supports the institutions here. That was a fair summary and those were wise words. Very few of us like the way that we do business here, but, in our heart of hearts, the majority of us know that it is the only way to do business. That is not to say that there are not elements that we could change, do differently or refine but that would not help us to remove the scaffolding. I will expand on that in a moment. <BR /> <BR />We need to look at the spirit of the motion, amendment No 1 and the SDLP's amendment No 2.”
“I welcome the opportunity to introduce the SDLP amendment to the motion. These institutions are a delicate system of checks and balances, which are necessary because the society that we represent is diverse and divided. It is delicate in its own way. <BR /> <BR />Since the Good Friday Agreement was drafted, a growing number in our community have become unhappy with the polarised and divided politics in the North of Ireland. However, it would be somewhat utopian to believe that we should simply scrap every guideline or rule to have a simple majority-based voting system. The bottom line is that, if we were to operate a majority-based voting system in this place, the same growing number of people who are unhappy with how we do business now would, regrettably, not be long in becoming unhappy at the new way in which things were done.”
“We are failing some of them. We know, as well, that many children and families across the North wait too long for appointments to deal with autism, ADHD and a range of other medical conditions. Let me be clear: if the system is not working, it is broken, and, if we know that it is broken, there is a duty on all of us here to do all that we can to fix it. For the children and their families who still wait, that is what I want to see in the weeks and months ahead.”
“In the Chamber, politicians are often accused of thinking only in parliamentary terms, so let me put it into parliamentary terms: with well over 17,000 waiting and 18 constituencies, that averages just shy of 1,000 children in each constituency waiting to see a consultant for the first time. Let that sink in, Members: 1,000 children in your constituency are waiting to see a consultant for the first time. What is harrowing is that, among those 17,000 children, 24 have been waiting a year with a red flag to see a clinician about a cancer diagnosis. <BR /> <BR />We are supposed to live in the First World — not the Second, not the Third but the First World — and we leave children for one year to see a doctor when they have a suspected or even a confirmed cancer case. We are not protecting our children or looking out for them.”
“Thank you, Mr Speaker, for accepting the Matter of the Day to allow me to raise a very important issue. <BR /> <BR />We are regularly told that our children are our future, they are precious and they are to be protected. What has come to light in the Children's Commissioner's report "More Than Just a Number" tells me and all of our society that we are not protecting all our children; we are not looking out for all our children; and, indeed, we are failing some of our children. The report states that 17,000 children are waiting to see a consultant for the first time.”
“The youth services work with tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of young people, across the year in all of our communities. Often, when we talk about education, we only reference the formal education sector or the special education sector, but nearly £50 million of the Education budget is spent on youth services every year. I hope the work of the service over COVID will be recognised, as well as the continuing need to support the work of youth services as we go forward into the future.”
“I thank the Member for her intervention. Again, it shows the critical importance of that youth work methodology where you get special access to young people and their lives and you get to see where there are problems. What is really important is that those youth workers are capable of sourcing the right help and support that those young people need. That need may not have been picked up on in other places. The Member has raised a very valid point, and I thank her for that. <BR /> <BR />I do not wish to prolong the pain of talking about youth services. It is something that I like to do every time I take to my feet in education debates. However, if the Minister provides support as a result of today's debate and future work, I ask for that to be extended to the youth services.”
“If there are any developments or support that are going to be provided to the formal education sector as a result of COVID, they should also be given to youth services in the statutory and voluntary sectors. When the figures are rolled out, there will be tens, if not hundreds of thousands —.”