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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“<BR /> <BR />As Members will know from their contacts with victims of abuse, redress has been a long time in coming. The legislation for the Hart inquiry was introduced in the Assembly in June 2012 and passed in January 2013. The inquiry reported in January 2017, and among its recommendations was a redress process for victims of abuse. In the absence of an Executive, legislation to establish a commissioner and a redress board was passed at Westminster in 2019. The Historical Institutional Abuse Redress Board began its work in April 2020, convening a series of panels to assess the claims of victims of institutional childhood abuse. <BR /> <BR />Members soon began to hear of problems with the process, and I am sure that many will attest to that in their contribution today.”
“This is one of those debates that should never have had to be brought to the Assembly. Over a period of many years, some of the most vulnerable people in our society were handed over by the state to institutions in which all too many of them were abused. Our society failed those people as children. We need to make absolutely sure that we do not fail them as adults. I will not rehearse the harrowing stories of what happened to those children. The abuses were catalogued by the Hart inquiry into historical institutional abuse, and no one could fail to have been moved by the testimonies of those who courageously told their stories so that the extent of what happened to them could be heard, documented and acted on. Besides, the issues have been discussed in the Chamber before, so they are well known to us.”
“Any recognition of our wonderful healthcare staff is welcome, and I am happy to welcome this one today.”
“Also, we got to recognise the full breadth of careers that there are in our health sector. There are many people doing different jobs, and, if any element of that did not play its part, the system would not work. I acknowledge fully what has been done. <BR /> <BR />Whilst such an award is welcome, they were also promised a £500 payment a long time ago. That would be an equal, if not more-practical, acknowledgement of their work and their effort, and I would like to see those payments start as quickly as possible. The best recognition for our healthcare staff and the bravery that they show daily would be a properly resourced service, paying our health service staff the proper pay rise that they need and ensuring that there are proper working conditions that are appropriate and acceptable.”
“I welcome the award today for what it is: a recognition of our brave health service staff. It is also a recognition of their hard work, their determined effort and the absolute bravery that they have displayed. Let us remember the images that we were seeing just one year ago and the people whom we were talking to, including those who were working in the intensive care units, those who were working in other areas of the hospitals and those in the community who were being given one set of gloves and one mask and being asked to go into multiple houses throughout the day. All of that was done during a time when none of us truly knew what the impact of COVID was going to be. They did not stop, and they did not think about it. They went ahead and did their work because they knew, as staff, that they had to deliver care.”
“I thank the Minister very much for that response. Will the Minister give a commitment that there will not be any cuts to temporary or substitute teachers, and will she give some recognition to the valuable contribution that those teachers make to the overall staffing complement of our schools?”
“I thank the Minister for her reply. The need for a sexual orientation strategy is in the New Decade, New Approach agreement, and this will be a key part of that. The meetings are important, but action and delivery on the ground are what will make the difference. We discussed the issue a few months ago, and I am not sure that today's answers are very different from those given then. I implore the Minister to take as much action as possible so that we can create equality on this matter across these islands.”
“I thank the Minister for her statement. When we go through it, we see that it highlights 16 areas of cooperation and delivery for all citizens on this island. I understand that the NSMC plenary meeting was obstructed again last week and was not able to take place. That is totally unacceptable. What options are open to the Minister to ensure that the functions of North/South meetings are no longer allowed to be blocked by anyone or any party?”
“The Minister is correct: it is not her Department's responsibility. It is, in fact, everybody's responsibility, because what we are trying to do is make sure that people who live here and have called it their home for, sometimes, up to 40 or 50 years can avail themselves of all the proper services. Minister, you mentioned that your Department did some work to try to signpost people. Can you detail further what that work was and how successful it was?”
“I appreciate the confines within which the Health Minister is working, and I continue to offer my support for the work that he is doing, but I make an appeal to him to seek clarity from the Executive Office as to why it handed that money back when so many people in our communities are confused about the regulations and do not fully understand them. <BR /> <BR />The public have made so many sacrifices over the past year, and we have to do all that we can to support them. I believe that there is an obligation on the new First Minister and the deputy First Minister, and potentially the Justice Minister, to issue an apology to the Black Lives Matter protesters. As mentioned by my friend, there is a need for refunds as well. We need, however, to get clarity on whether protests are legally protected by the regulations, which I support today.”
“As we enter the summer months, there is a need for an Executive — that requires the DUP and Sinn Féin to wise up and appoint the new First Ministers — to ensure that the public are advised and supported on exactly what the restrictions are. <BR /> <BR />Somehow, for reasons that we may never know, given that we do not, at present, have a First Minister and deputy First Minister, the Executive Office has just handed back to the Department of Finance £1 million that was previously allocated for communication. What possible reason could the Executive Office have for handing that money back? It certainly was not because the communication strategy was so effective and efficient that it did not need the extra £1 million.”
“While we now allow gatherings of up to 500 people, they require an approved and applied risk assessment. What are the Executive doing to provide organisations, or concerned individuals who are not familiar with that process, with support or assistance? <BR /> <BR />We know that Prime Minister Johnson is coming apart at the seams and that the public in England, like the rest of us, are beginning to see through his buffoonery and are losing patience with him. You can play the fool for only so long before people have had enough and realise that you are not playing. That will have implications for the Prime Minister as he attempts to ask the public to do their bit to combat the delta variant. <BR /> <BR />Here in the North, we, too, are in a precarious position.”
“Absolutely. If it is now defined that those people should not have received those fines and that, with hindsight, the way in which they gathered was legal, they should be reimbursed. If nothing else, that would prove to them that what they did was right and that they did not breach any of the regulations, as they thought. <BR /> <BR />Right through last year, in the Chamber, I consistently called on the Executive to ensure that they provided Members and the public with clarity on the restrictions. However, amendment No 4, which we are asked to ratify today, still does not provide that much-needed clarity on whether protests are legally protected. There is still no clarity on whether small, socially distanced groups of protesters are considered to be separate gatherings.”
“Members, into which of those criteria does a protest fit? We have a fundamental right to protest. Some argue that we have a moral duty, at times, to protest. It is natural to raise one's voice against injustice.”
“When the initial restrictions were introduced last year, many people, in addressing that point, were left wondering what defined a "gathering". In May last year, we saw the Black Lives Matter protests across the world and here in the North. They were at outdoor locations where people had gathered in small bubbles. With hindsight, we can agree, I hope, that those protests did not breach the coronavirus restrictions. However, at 11.00 pm on the day before the protest here took place, a new amendment was introduced that allowed enforcement powers to be used, although it still did not define what a "gathering" was. It was not until 23 July that our restrictions introduced clarity on gatherings and exemptions. Those exemptions were for:”
“I support the amendments. It is, after all, the business of legislators to legislate. I do so with an appeal, again, for the clarity that we need to see in the regulations. I have no issue with amendment No 5, nor with amendment No 2 on face coverings. I want to focus on amendment No 4. Paragraph 15, which amends regulation 9(3), details:”
“I welcome the statement. Whilst the remarks against the Minister last week should not have been made, I know that he is thick-skinned. Minister, you can also take courage from the fact that everybody knows exactly whose behaviour was dangerous of late, and it certainly was not yours. <BR /> <BR />Minister, people and staff get a little uneasy when they hear about the private sector coming onto National Health Service property and using theatres, for example. Whilst there is definitely a place for the private sector in assisting and helping the health service, what assurances can the Minister give that priority will always be given to health service usage and that monitoring will be in place to make sure that the private sector is not given any advantage?”
“I am sure that the Minister is concerned about this deeply troubling issue. Members will have made reference to work that needs to be done but now is not happening. Will the Minister provide assurances again, especially for the people in my area of South Down — the Newry, Mourne and Down part — as to how works may take place, going forward, to assist them with the road network in the area?”
“It can be absolutely life-destroying. It will be useful for people to know that somebody is speaking out for them. <BR /> <BR />As I am just a few short years away from being 50, I say this to the First Minister: you are still young, and you have a long future ahead of you. I wish you and your family all the very best in that future. Good luck.”
“<BR /> <BR />The issues that we have had to discuss in the Executive Office Committee, of which I am Chair, over the past year and a half have been difficult, divisive and, indeed, controversial, but you have been polite, courteous and friendly to me. It needs to be said that those are important attributes. Politics can be a difficult and dirty game. When you walk off the pitch knowing that you have done your best, worked hard for people and always done what you thought was right, you, at least, walk off that pitch with your head held high. <BR /> <BR />I commend you for your work in calling out social media trolls and the horrendous social media environment. I hope that you will be able to continue to use your voice and experience to call that out in the future, especially the impact that it has on young people.”
“I thank the First Minister for her work in various roles across the Executive and in the Assembly. I do not have any stories of duets or cocktail waitresses in bars. First Minister, I first met you in Newcastle, at the opening of the promenade. I remember taking time, as chair of the council, to bend your ear about the importance of advocating, through the review of public administration, that youth services remained within Education so that we could try to help, develop and strengthen them. That was the case, and I know that, as far back as those days, you have always had an interest in young people.”
“— healthcare staff or those delivering T:BUC, are left wondering, "Why don't you value us?". The Executive's finances should be about people. The Sinn Féin Finance Minister owes those people an answer for this lacklustre Budget. It is time to call in the debt and pay up.”
“<BR /> <BR />Lastly, I mentioned that £12 million is being made available in order to continue the excellent work that has been done through T:BUC, but, ridiculously, only half the money has been committed, so not only are we not able to do multi-year Budgets but, it would appear, there are areas for which we cannot even do a single-year Budget. The people most affected, such as those on waiting lists, victims of the Troubles —”
“<BR /> <BR />One of the excuses that we hear so often is that we cannot have a multi-year Budget because our finances are heavily dependent on allocations from the British Government. However, until we reach a point of self-determination, that is where we are. If we turn to the Troubles permanent disablement scheme, which was mentioned, we see that the Finance Minister has funded its implementation but that we still need £19 million to issue the payments. If we are serious about addressing the legacy of our past, the Finance Minister has a responsibility to show the British Government — they are the very ones who made so many victims — that they must make that money available. Victims were failed by the British Government. They must not be failed further by the Finance Minister, Conor Murphy, or by the DUP and Sinn Féin.”
“It is people and their lives that are being impacted. <BR /> <BR />The architect of the Budget that has been supplied today, Minister Murphy, has achieved something quite remarkable in that he is failing not only to fund the waiting list crisis but to sort out our nurses' salaries. I do not think that we will find many from the NHS out clapping for this. Unless we are realistic and aspirational about the issues of the day and what is required, we will become crisis legislators — we will be legislators who react to a mental health crisis, a waiting list crisis and a nursing crisis — and legislators who are themselves forever in a crisis, thanks to the DUP and Sinn Féin's incompetence.”
“That should terrify and shock us. The waiting list crisis predates the COVID-19 pandemic, yet there is no aspiration in our Budget to address that crisis. It seems to be a recurring theme across so much of our Executive that we do not aspire but, rather, react to some of the issues of the day. <BR /> <BR />The uninspiring and lacklustre Budget that we are discussing today deals with the short term — temporary bursts of money — and does not aspire to long-term budgeting that will effectively address the very real issues that affect us from day to day. Where is the drive from our Finance Minister to bring forward a Budget that is aspirational, forward-thinking and transformative? After 14 years of successive DUP and Sinn Féin Finance Ministers, we are still reacting to and playing catch-up on the issues of the day.”
“If we add that £6 million to the £5·5 million over-commitment by the Department, the £19 million that will be needed to pay victims of the conflict and the additional £2·3 million that the Department says it needs for COVID recovery, that makes, by my calculation, more than £32 million that the Department has to find somewhere, and that sounds like a lot to expect from monitoring rounds. The Committee will be monitoring the Department’s financial commitments closely in the coming year, and we look forward to engaging regularly with the Department on how it spends its money. <BR /> <BR />I now wish to make some remarks in my capacity as an MLA. Government finances should be about people and how their Government values them and seeks to invest in them. Currently, one in four people across the North is on an NHS waiting list.”
“Just last week, the Committee heard from Community Relations in Schools (CRIS), and it is an example of the commitment and dedication shown by community-based organisations to promote peace and reconciliation in our communities. However, can we not commit to multi-year funding streams to ensure that they can adequately plan and embed their work and retain the experienced staff they need? A one-year funding cycle is barely sufficient to plan and build the necessary relationships to begin this sensitive and challenging work, let alone run a full programme of activities. <BR /> <BR />The Committee has raised some concerns that whilst £12 million of the shared future funding has been announced, only half of that has been committed with the remainder to be found during the year.”
“The Committee acknowledges and supports the Executive’s approaches to the Northern Ireland Office to foot this bill, but, in the meantime, it is unclear where this money, which the Department has a legal obligation to pay, will come from. It is of particular importance to the Committee that people who have been affected by the conflict will receive financial support. After years of endurance and campaigning for people to receive support, the scheme is finally expected to open at the end of this month. <BR /> <BR />The Committee was also pleased to hear that £12 million was announced to continue the excellent work being undertaken by projects under the Together: Building a United Community (T:BUC) strategy.”
“That funding includes £46 million for the implementation of the recommendations of the Historical Institutional Abuse inquiry, including compensation paid through the redress board to the victims. The Committee has taken a close interest in this issue and, while we are pleased that there is now acknowledgement and compensation for those who have suffered abuse, there is still much to do to ensure that it is undertaken in a sensitive and appropriate manner. <BR /> <BR />A £6·7 million allocation has been made to the implementation of the victims’ payment scheme for permanent disablement, but nothing for the actual payments themselves, which are estimated at £19 million for this financial year.”
“I rise to speak on behalf of the Committee for the Executive Office. The Committee heard from the Department about its spending plans on 12 May, and we look forward to engaging with officials this week to hear what they are asking for in the current monitoring round. <BR /> <BR />The Department was allocated over £120 million in the final Budget for resource and £15 million for capital. However, the Department’s planned expenditure for the financial year would require an additional £5·5 million in total. Of the planned spending, £33 million is for the arm's-length bodies that are sponsored by the Department, £29·6 million is for departmental spend and the remaining just over £62 million is for ring-fenced funding.”
“In a question for written answer to the Executive Office, I asked whether joint representations had been made to the British Government about their financial obligations. I was told that there had not been any, but the Justice Minister told us last week that there had. Will the Minister give us some clarity on whether any joint representations have been made to the British Government for them to fulfil their financial obligations under the Stormont House Agreement?”
“I thank the Member for giving way. Will he agree with me that the delay was not helped by a three-year absence of this place, which was brought about by some of the parties that have to rectify some of the problems that we are addressing today?”
“The Department has been powerless to intervene and deliver a resolution to a problem with a reservoir, which, in some instances, was up to 8 or 9 miles away from where the planning applications were for. Some people were relying very heavily on the outcome of a planning application to be able to sell land and generate some income for their retirement, but that was held up as a result of what was happening 8 or 9 miles away, and the Department could not bring any influence to bear. Real-life problems were being created by some of the decisions that are being rectified in some form today. I therefore welcome the motion and am happy to support it on behalf of the SDLP.”
“It is right and proper, however, that policy relating to gender pay disparities sit with the Department for Communities, along with the other gender equality matters that were transferred in 2016. The Committee for the Executive Office supports the motion. <BR /> <BR />I will say a few words of my own as a private Member on behalf of the SDLP. I welcome the transfer of powers to the various and relevant Departments. I place great emphasis on "relevant". For example, I welcome the role of the Department for Infrastructure on reservoirs. In my constituency, I have encountered a number of issues, with several planning applications having been held up for many years because of maintenance issues with reservoirs.”
“First, how on earth did the situation arise in which legal responsibility for matters lay with one Department while policy responsibility for those same matters was the remit of another? Secondly, why did it take so long to rectify that anomaly? I acknowledge the Minister's explanations, so I will not labour the point. I will leave it for others to speak on the transfer of the other functions and instead comment only on those associated with the Executive Office. <BR /> <BR />The Committee naturally has a great interest in the rights of women and in gender equality. Indeed, we look forward to engaging with the Department on the violence against women and girls strategy.”
“I thank the Minister for his update to the House. I am speaking on behalf of the Committee for the Executive Office. I am grateful for the comprehensive manner in which the Minister described and justified the statutory rule. It leaves comparatively little for me to say on behalf of the Committee, other than that the Committee has supported the rule from the outset and, in fact, consistently urged that it be progressed as a matter of urgency. The Committee considered the proposal in October last year, and, in consultation with the other relevant Committees, approved the making of the rule. The rule was considered on 19 May this year, and the Committee recommended that it be brought before the Assembly. <BR /> <BR />The Committee had two key questions.”
“What role can the Youth Service play in closing the attainment gap? Did the group consider the role that the Youth Service can play and, possibly, an enhanced future role for that service?”
“Does the Minister agree that it would make sense for our Executive Office and Ministers to have an agreed position on trying to work with the British Government to get funds? As I understand it, they have not had any joint engagement with the British Government about the funding of the programme.”
“I thank the Minister for her answer. It is obvious that she is making real progress on tackling the climate crisis. We in South Down want to be able to play our part. For example, many people have contacted me — I know that this is not her direct responsibility — about e-car charging points, which they would like to see more of in the community. <BR /> <BR />Will the Minister commit to meeting me so that we can discuss ways in which the community can respond to and assist with the shared ambition of tackling the climate crisis?”
“Thank you very much, Mr Principal Deputy Speaker. I am sorry to hear about your windiness. <BR /> <BR />Will the Minister give me his assessment on carers' pay? Does he agree with me that the work that they have done during COVID-19 has just proved to us the absolute need to have fully resourced and well-paid staff in our domiciliary team?”
“— have the tools and the ability to respond to this situation. If we bring everything together that is happening, we can do that even better.”
“I thank the Member for that. It is really wonderful to hear. Again, as I mentioned, if there is good practice out there, let us bring it up, amplify it and spread it everywhere, because we —”
“They are becoming more open and honest about that. We need to learn their language. As policymakers, an Executive and an Assembly, we need to know exactly what we are listening to from young people, who are telling us exactly what they need. We can then develop and respond through the services and packages that we put in place for them. <BR /> <BR />I totally support the motion. This sort of debate shows the public the real and human side of politics.”
“I welcome the opportunity today to appeal directly to the Health Minister. I hear on the ground that there are real problems in accessing CAMHS and problems with some of the waiting lists that go with that. That is a wee corner that we can try to fix to make services more readily available and more responsive so that we can reach out to young people whenever they are in need. <BR /> <BR />Young people who are seeking inpatient support are often placed in adult inpatient centres. That is not the appropriate place for them, and it is not the help that they need. It is help, but it is not the bespoke help and space that a young person needs. It would be good to see additional ways of helping to focus on treating those people's individual needs at that time. <BR /> <BR />Young people are crying out for better mental healthcare and support.”
“Thank you very much. Of course I welcome that intervention and the help and support that are available. We heard that heartbreaking story. It would break our hearts to listen to that story, and I hope that support services are available to all families. <BR /> <BR />Much work is also needed to allow individual groups to learn from each other. There are so many specialisms and so much dedicated work is taking place across all our communities that it would be great to see opportunities for those groups to get together and share their practice, their strengths and their skills, so that we can develop the work that we do. <BR /> <BR />Last December, I hosted a youth mental health discussion on Facebook Live. From that discussion came a sense that you cannot change the world on your own but you can help by changing your little corner of it.”
“Our school staff, while juggling everything else that they do, also make time and space available for young people at their time of need. We need to see much more support for the work that is currently happening.”
“It can come across more directly, through arguments and tensions at home or through difficulties in the friendships and relationships that young people have around them. They really want and need to have their voices heard, so that we can respond to them. <BR /> <BR />Many organisations do great work to support and help young people, such as the facilitating life and resilience education (FLARE) project, which is delivered through the Youth Service and provides great support and interventions for young people across Northern Ireland. Many young people have come to rely on that service. There are other organisations, including the Public Initiative for the Prevention of Suicide & Self-Harm (PIPS) and many others that reach out to and help young people.”
“What I know about youth mental health was learned not from working as a councillor or as an MLA but from working directly with remarkable young people as they grew up in my town. Many in the House can attest to the experience of being able to work with young people in various strands. I know that the Chair of the Health Committee, as a social worker, will certainly have worked with young people. Social workers are often forgotten for the work that they do and the interventions that they make in young people's lives. I offer my support to them and to that sector for the work that they do. <BR /> <BR />Young people, in their own wonderful way, have been crying out for improved mental healthcare, support and provision. We see that on social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok.”
“I also support the motion. I had not originally planned to take part in the debate, but I felt that I wanted to add my voice to it, particularly about young people. Before entering politics here, I spent about 17 years working as a youth worker in the heart of Downpatrick. It is by no means an easy task. I certainly appreciate that it must be more difficult now during the pandemic.”