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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Every one of 2,662 lines we hold for Colin McGrath, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 42 of 54.
“We hold the Good Friday Agreement as sacrosanct, so we will vehemently oppose this UK Internal Market Bill. We call on the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, just for once — for once — to show some genuine leadership, respect the will of the people here and realise that the Brexit agenda that he is recklessly pursuing — regrettably, an agenda that is aided and abetted by some MPs from the North, who, in the run-up to the Brexit vote in 2016, agreed with the statement that we needed to "Get the ethnics out" — will not be good for anyone. Brexit will not be good for anyone, and it will be worst of all for the people of the North of Ireland. <BR /> <BR />I am proud to support my colleague Matthew O'Toole and the motion.”
“You mentioned a few times that it is100 days away and that we are in peril and need to move quickly. I have to say that that is why the SDLP asked for an extension to the transition period. We would not be staring at 100 days; we could have been looking at a year plus 100 days, if we had all supported that back then. I am sorry, Mr Dickson, that I will not get to refer to what you said because my time is moving on. <BR /> <BR />The people of the North voted to remain in Europe and, in so doing, reject Brexit. The SDLP has been steadfast in that view and its commitment to it. We are proud Europeans. We are steadfast in our commitment to our place in Europe because we know that our relationship with Europe is a mutually beneficial one.”
“I thank the Member and totally agree with what he said. I agree that it could not be further from the truth. We are interested in here. Whether it was Johnson, May, Cameron or whoever, if they do not have the best interests of here at heart, we will not support what they are going to do. <BR /> <BR />Dr Aiken also suggested that we write to Mr Gove and Mr Barnier. We did. Back in July, nearly 100 days ago, the Committee for the Executive Office, which I chair, wrote, and we still await a reply from Mr Gove. So, I am not so sure that our writing will achieve anything. However, if it is something that we can do to try to mitigate the impact of Brexit, we will certainly be agreeable to that. <BR /> <BR />He also said a few —.”
“Mr Givan also asked which business group disagrees with the content of the Internal Market Bill. What about this: how many of those business groups agree with Brexit? They were all pretty vocal in saying that Remain was the best way forward. <BR /> <BR />Martina Anderson detailed the importance of the protocol and the protection of equality and rights and how those were underscored in the Good Friday Agreement. They are protected there, yet the Internal Market Bill rides roughshod over the protections of previously agreed international agreements. We need to see our commissions effectively challenge the attack and grab that there could be on our rights. <BR /> <BR />Steve Aiken referred to Boris Johnson and the potential for "Brit-bashing".”
“I am going to make moves. I am over halfway through my time. <BR /> <BR />Paul Givan highlighted how this feels like it is round two today after a similar debate yesterday. What is wrong with that? What is wrong with having a conversation every day about the biggest, most seismic constitutional, economic and cultural change that there will be to these islands, impacting on everybody who lives on them? I think that we would be neglecting our duty if we were not talking about this every day. <BR /> <BR />I also note that we are not having a debate at any stage on a ministerial statement by the First Minister or deputy First Minister. For the second time today, I get to make the point that they must be in hiding because they cannot agree on an approach.”
“Absolutely. We cannot control COVID in the sense that it will have the impact that it has, and that will be terrible for our economy, but some control can be exercised over the Brexit outcome. We have seen the British Government try to opt for one of the worst possible outcomes, and that will have an even bigger impact on us. <BR /> <BR />Talking of that British Government, Matthew made this very valid point: is Boris Johnson somebody who we really want to trust with our future? Boris Johnson.”
“He mentioned, as did many others later, the internationally reckless and diabolical approach that is being taken by this British Government. He then asked a really key, critical question: do we want to be plunged into an economic crisis whilst we are in the middle of the greatest pandemic to impact on us in living memory? Is that really where we want to go?”
“Make no mistake, if this Internal Market Bill passes at Westminster — SDLP MPs are working hard with others to try to prevent that from happening — it will confer pariah status on this Tory Government. If this Bill passes and the United Kingdom foolishly believes that it can tailor the Good Friday Agreement to suit its needs, there will be no US-UK trade Bill. That is not open to discussion and that is not negotiable. <BR /> <BR />I will highlight a few remarks that a number of Members made during the debate. We started with my colleague Matthew O'Toole, who referred, amongst other things, to the fact that we could still be looking into the face of a no deal scenario and that that would be totally and wholly disadvantageous for us here.”
“<BR /> <BR />What I will not accept, however, is the voice and will of a UK Government that ran roughshod over their own MPs, their own Ministers and their own Prime Ministers. They negotiated another deal and then threw it out because they simply could not sell it to their own Brexiteers. I do not accept the Northern Ireland Secretary of State, who openly declared in the Houses of Parliament that his Government will have to break international law — but just a bit. That is all to say nothing of how abysmally they have treated the negotiating team from the European Union. <BR /> <BR />Mr Speaker and Members, how can we ever trust the perpetrators of such a shameful abdication of responsibility?”
“Brexit has rocked international relations and how the United Kingdom is viewed the world over. All the while, the public here wonder what it means for them. <BR /> <BR />Members can say what they want. Many have stated many times that the Brexit vote was UK-wide and that we must accept the will of the people. I categorically say that I do; I accept the will of the people of my constituency of South Down, an overwhelming 67% of whom voted to Remain. I accept the will of the people across the North; 56% voted to Remain. I accept the voice of the Good Friday Agreement, whose authors understood and appreciated our place in the European Union and all the assistance that the European family provided us, whether economic, social or cultural, as we clawed our way out of so many troubled years and into a time of peace.”
“It is now 12:5. I shall continue. I welcome the opportunity to speak on the motion before us today and wind on the debate. <BR /> <BR />There can be no doubt that the entire process of Brexit — of taking back control and English nationalism gone mad — has been an unmitigated disaster. Just like the SDLP motion that called for an extension to the transition period in June, this debate is an essential opportunity for the Assembly to make our voice heard again. We were denied that opportunity for too long. We are able to signal to the British Government that we do not agree with the Internal Market Bill. <BR /> <BR />Since the initial Brexit vote in 2016, we have seen three United Kingdom Prime Ministers, all from the one Tory Party, and all with differing views on what Brexit really means.”
“Maybe some of your departmental officials can help us with déjà vu as you have been answering so many questions in the last few days, and no other Ministers have been. <BR /> <BR />The question for urgent oral answer specifically asks about the restrictions applying to those working from and providing services at home. Have you had any conversations with the Minister for the Economy, given that there will be many tradesmen and others who will not be able to go into people's homes to provide services, which will leave them with a loss of income?”
“We are all coming from the same perspective on this. However, having the opportunity to ask questions is critical. The answer you have just given to Mr Allister contradicts what is on the nidirect website. The website says that you can have a social bubble and, in the next line, that you can go into a house for the purpose of childcare, and that it is not the same thing. We need to tease out that information because the public will read that and get confused. It is good to talk and ask questions if we are in the Chamber, and if you cannot answer them then your officials will know exactly what questions we will email to you at the end of the sitting, which would be worthwhile.”
“On the Member's point about the rates, I am sure that the response would not have been, "The reason that we are increasing the rates is that it is common sense". You would have put together an argument for it. I think that, on the point that you make, we are all on the same page, just coming from different directions. If we have to have the regulations, clearly articulating why we have them and what they are might stop a lot of people out there who are confused and do not understand the rationale automatically going to the fourth base of "Nah, we do not want any of it". It is about that clear message. If we could get to that, it would be much more helpful.”
“Following on from the crucial point that you have made, and which was made to us at the Health Committee last week, that face shields are not considered appropriate, many people in a work environment wear them because they are much more comfortable to wear — they almost slip on like a pair of glasses rather than an actual face mask. That highlights the confusion where, under the regulations, people are not required to wear any covering in their workplace because sometimes the message might be that, if somebody is wearing a shield in their work, they are not wearing the right item yet they are not required to wear the item. That just aids the point that we need to have a clear message that we send out to people.”
“Does the Member agree with a point that I have made at Committee: if we made home testing kits available in places such as pharmacies, you could have been down to the pharmacy and back at your house within about 10 minutes, the test probably would have been posted later that afternoon and you could have had the result the next day? If there are no testing kits, we need to get them. Making them very easily accessible to people would increase the speed of the testing process and would have helped you in a situation like that.”
“The point that I was making earlier, and that you are reiterating here, is on the issue of not coming to this place to give the information. The press is incredibly important. It has very important questions to ask, but its members generally get only one question each across about half a dozen outlets. If Ministers come here, there are potentially 89 other people who can get up and ask questions, and we can drill right down into the detail of what people are contacting us about. That is why this place is the most important place to come to give the information because there is very little room to hide in here, whereas there is room to hide in a very controlled environment with the press.”
“If the Health Minister can answer any of the questions I raise today, especially around messaging, it would be very welcome.”
“<BR /> <BR />As the public are asking relevant and appropriate questions of their representatives, it is high time that we got the opportunity to ask these questions in the Chamber and get answers from the Dispatch Box. I absolutely welcome that the Health Minister will take on that role. As evidenced here today, he is prepared to stand up, give a bit of clarity and get a bit of information to us so that we can ask questions. We were unable to get it from the First Minister and deputy First Minister. I hope that we continue to get it from the Minister of Health. <BR /> <BR />A plethora of regulations is presented to us. In their own time and way, the regulations were logical. I continue to support the decisions taken in the interests of public health but the issues of clarity, understanding and interpretation seriously need addressed.”
“<BR /> <BR />What I am about to say, I say with no sense of satisfaction or enjoyment. The problem with simply going to the media could not have been illustrated more clearly than this morning. Not two hours ago, our First Minister and deputy First Minister took to the radio separately, with one giving her interpretation of the new regulations and the other giving hers, 30 minutes later. It is still early in the day but am sure that, by the end of it, we might see one of the parties' MPs give a further interpretation of those guidelines, with their expert views on the matter. Suffice to say, the First Minister and deputy First Minister were all over the place this morning.”
“I appreciate the complexities of what is going on, but these announcements leave it open to individual interpretation. <BR /> <BR />As MLAs, we have done our job in delivering the message to the public, based on the messaging that we are presented with. How are we meant to sell the message when it is so unclear? How can we expect the public to adhere to something that is unclear, confusing and open to interpretation? The public are rightly frustrated and angry. It is becoming increasingly frustrating to have to say, time after time, that when decisions are taken by the Executive, we end up with 200 comments on social media streams, asking what this means for day-to-day life. How do we find out about this information, when we have to wait 28 days before the regulations come to the Floor of the Assembly?”
“At the point of preparing for this debate, I have just short of 200 comments on that thread. They are not positive. It has almost shocked me that, to a tee, they are not positive. I can understand the thread being peppered with an unhappy comment here, or disputed comment there, but it is comment after comment from people who do not like the regulations, do not want to see them or are totally confused and exasperated by them. <BR /> <BR />There are comments like, "I cannot have people in my house but I can take them to the bar?"; "How does this work with so many children in my classroom?"; or, as one constituent sums it up, "There needs to be a simple go-to place for the most up-to-date guidance." Each day, something new is said and wires are crossed, causing confusion.”
“I ask that the Minister gives some update specifically on the Executive's communication strategy that is there to punch out the message in a clear and unequivocal way. I accept that this has probably been transferred to him in the last few days, rather than how it was carried out previously. <BR /> <BR />As I said, lack of clarity means lack of certainty, and I give an example. The announcement yesterday was made to the press, not to the House, as the Speaker suggested last week. I note that, yesterday, the First Minister, the deputy First Minister and the Health Minister were all in the House and we were sitting when the announcements were made. As all MLAs would undoubtedly have done, to try to help my constituents, I posted on social media a little snapshot of the new regulations and the changes.”
“<BR /> <BR />Every time I have taken to my feet in this place to discuss the regulations, I have said that the matter of clarity is critical. A lack of clarity means a lack of certainty. When is the message going to get through that we need to have clear and simple messaging? The bottom line is that the communications strategy from the Executive is not working. The public are left to try to understand what the regulations mean, how they should interpret them, when they can or cannot hug their grandchildren or when they can or cannot stay with people during birth. They are not embracing the regulations because they are changed so often and they do not like that.”
“That was certainly evident to anybody that listened to the radio this morning. <BR /> <BR />The regulations that we have been presented with up to this point are very complex, confusing and, at times, contradictory by the time they make it to the Assembly and are grouped together. That always makes it a very difficult message to sell to the community. That is amplified by the fact that many of the regulations that we are talking about today will be out of date by 6:00 pm when the new rules and regulations come in. One of the regulations said that it was OK to go to Portugal and another one came in two weeks later to say that it was not OK. We know the ramifications that that had for our constituents who were caught out when they were over there.”
“Coronavirus, as we all know, remains in our community with spikes moving up and down. It is quite clear from the past few weeks that the current trajectory is upwards and that that will, eventually, result, if unchecked, in too many people contracting the virus and thus, maybe, needing hospitalisation and some, perhaps, needing ICU intervention. We know from our past experiences that that will result in people dying. <BR /> <BR />I do not envy the job of the Executive Ministers in trying to manage the response to the virus, although it increasingly appears that we have only one Minister responding to the issues. I wonder whether the First Minister and the deputy First Minister are now hiding because they cannot agree on the message that they need to be sending out.”
“On a point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker. Last week, the Speaker made his views known about press conferences and information being made known in press conferences rather than to the House. That was on the back of a Business Committee meeting where the views of many Members were articulated that, because of the nature and complexity of the rules that are being introduced and the lack of clarity in the information that is being given, we stated that the House would be the best place to make announcements about them. Has there been any further action or response from the Speaker's announcement to the First Minister and deputy First Minister last week?”
“All those who receive care, whether at home, in a care home, in hospital or hospices deserve every dignity that we can afford them. Members, we cannot lose sight of this. I support the motion.”
“We have to reduce that because we know that some trusts are not hitting that target and we must do all that we can to try to pull together and provide the support, through the Executive and the House, so that trusts are able to get that number right down. Somebody else mentioned — I forget who it was — that early diagnosis is key to being able to provide the appropriate services and interventions. <BR /> <BR />I have said that COVID-19 is teaching us many lessons about healthcare, caring, loneliness and isolation. Unless we are willing to learn from these vital lessons and, more importantly, to act on them, we will be doomed to repeat them”
“<BR /> <BR />Alan Chambers mentioned the impact of people living longer; people are living longer and therefore it is a condition that we are going to see an increase of. <BR /> <BR />Paula Bradshaw mentioned how support is available and various projects. She highlighted the dementia navigators and how they can help. Matching people to the help and support that is available is a critical job for all of us. People may be feeling lonely and isolated but there is help and support out there, and we should be trying to connect them. <BR /> <BR />It has been highlighted that no patient should be waiting for more than nine weeks for dementia services.”
“I think that many of us got photographs today with some of those from the charitable and voluntary sectors to help support them in the work that they do. <BR /> <BR />My colleague Dolores Kelly mentioned the issues and concerns about COVID and the impact that it is having. The Minister gave what was a very extensive and detailed response. It was a ministerial contribution that told us lots and lots about the things that are happening and are taking place and about the help and support that are there. That is good, because sometimes Ministers come in to be defensive and talk about the things that they are trying to do, but there was plenty of detail in your response, and I know that that will be appreciated. I know that Dolores mentioned the limited visits for people in care homes and how that is having an impact.”
“She also mentioned the roguish spirit of her grandmother, and I could not help but feel that that is maybe a family trait and that there is something in the genetics. I am sure that we will continue to find that out. Again, she started off by mentioning, as many, many others did, the importance of help and support for carers and how that is absolutely critical, because they are contributing a great amount to society by taking a massive burden off the health service. <BR /> <BR />The Chair of the Health Committee, Colm Gildernew, highlighted the impact of the condition on those who are suffering. He mentioned his professional work as a social worker and that of social workers right across the North as they try to help families. He also highlighted the importance of the charitable and voluntary sectors.”
“I commend the work of the APG on preventing loneliness, which is chaired by my colleague Sinéad Bradley. <BR /> <BR />It is anticipated, based on projected numbers, that dementia diagnoses will double by 2040, with the North having the highest projected increase. Therefore, our response to this disease, which is an indiscriminating illness, must increase proportionately to be able to deal with that. <BR /> <BR />I know that this is a cross-party motion, so I will take a few of the points raised by one rep from each party to give the breadth of views on it. Paula Bradley began by highlighting some of the true impacts of dementia, which can be that children are left behind and husbands and wives are left grieving. That is a real concern for people, and they know that maybe years in advance when the condition starts.”
“I thank the Member for her intervention. Absolutely, it is such a critical and massive step to place a loved one in a care home but to do so under the current circumstances would be very difficult. It is a decision that families will put off and put off and put off. Again, that may be to the detriment of the care overall for the family and for the care of the loved one. <BR /> <BR />That helps me to dovetail into my next point about the carers of those living with dementia often feeling isolated, lonely and forgotten. That is unacceptable. One of the cruelest ironies of dementia is that the people who care for those who have lost their cherished memories are often the ones who are forgotten. Certainly, the ethos of the SDLP and others has long been about bringing people in from the cold and not forgetting them.”
“They mourn as the condition develops: a once patient and gentle person may become aggressive as the condition continues its assault on their mind. They mourn for the life that the person has left behind. Finally, they are left to grieve the passing of that person. We understand that, in one third of all COVID-related deaths, dementia was also on the certificate. I know that the Health Committee, of which I am a member, will conduct an investigation into the care home sector's handling of COVID. Hopefully, we can examine that to see whether any practices can be replicated or improved to be able to help those who have dementia.”
“Working out their individual quirks to make their life more comfortable can be done more easily if you have long-term staff. Trying to challenge the high turnover of staff in the care sector is something that we should be doing. It may have something to do with low wages and difficult conditions, yet it is something that we should be working to eradicate. <BR /> <BR />To say that caring for a loved one or a patient with dementia is not easy would be an understatement. The demands that it places on a carer are monumental, as you try to make sense of the condition that is so cruel in its affliction. Carers for such a person can go through a range of mourning as well, as was highlighted. They mourn for the person at the outset of the diagnosis, knowing what is ahead.”
“It takes the people we cared about and breaks them down into someone that we must care for. Statistics show that there are between 14,000 and 22,000 people living with the condition, although that may be just the surface; there may be many more. We have been told that dementia accounts for about 13% of all deaths here. Whilst those statistics are shocking, they do, however, give us a picture of the heroic work being done by those in our care homes and why a dementia-friendly policy is so badly needed. <BR /> <BR />Many care homes provide excellent, round-the-clock care every day, but it is, as has been recognised, a sector in which there is a very high turnover of staff, yet continuity is critical when working with people with dementia and in understanding how to care for them.”
“In this debate, I have heard all sides and all Members talking about their very personal stories, and that allows us to show the human side that there can be to politics as we discussed this issue. It has been a nice debate and motion to be part of. <BR /> <BR />I welcome the fact that the motion is a cross-party one, and I thank the DUP for foregoing their turn in order to allow this cross-party motion to take place. That sends a clear message to the tens of thousands of people across the North who have been impacted by the condition or who care for those who are living with it. The fact that we have all come here together today to be unified in our approach in discussing and caring for those who are affected has been a particularly nice touch. <BR /> <BR />Dementia is a heartbreaking condition.”
“Thank you very much, Mr Deputy Speaker. I do not have much faith in myself sticking to my 10 minutes. However, I will try to finish in that time. <BR /> <BR />I am grateful for the opportunity to make a winding-up speech on the debate on promoting dementia-friendly policy in the North and to speak in support of the motion. One of the things that we learn quickly when we enter public service as elected representatives is the scrutiny that our lives are placed under, whether through the media or, increasingly, social media. The life of an elected representative is often seen by some as a life detached from the lived human experience. However, I am sure that everyone in the Chamber has encountered the devastating effects of dementia on someone in our lives.”
“Most MLAs will have had contact from concerned constituents about young people gathering in groups in the community, not least in areas such as the Holylands. What action is the Minister and, indeed, the Executive taking to try to address the issue with young people?”
“I thank the Ministers for today's statement. I will gently push this: this is our third week back, and we have had very light amounts of work from the Executive. The statement probably could have been made two weeks ago, but I am thankful that it has been made today. <BR /> <BR />In the statement, you referenced the appointments to the board of Tourism Ireland and the fact that there are vacancies on some of the other boards as well. Given that the North/South Ministerial Council can cover areas including health, the environment, agriculture and transport and with Brexit approaching in a matter of a few weeks, will the Council undertake to do all that it can to fill those vacancies? Is it possible to get in writing information on what the vacancies are at this stage?”
“I thank the Minister for his attendance and his answers to questions. It is indeed an increasingly common complaint that we get that people are not getting access to their GP. It creates a lot of frustration and worry, especially among the older members of our community. <BR /> <BR />You mentioned the COVID centres. Are they having any impact on GPs' ability to deliver their services, or are there mitigations in place to allow them to have cover in their practice while they are out working in the COVID centres? When you say that they are at their busiest since May, for some of those COVID centres, that is a very low workload. Is there any way that they could share the burden that there might be in some GP centres?”
“I am sure that that answer meant something, but you lost me halfway through it. <BR /> <BR />Is there not simply a change whereby pupils have done an awful lot of work over the past year and, in ordinary circumstances, that work and effort would contribute to their result next year and that is not the case this year? Students have spent a full year doing work that would normally contribute to a grade but is now not being considered. All of the pressure will be on their one year's worth of work, going forward.”
“Yet, I have been told that, in one trust, some children are waiting more than 57 weeks for an appointment and the average waiting time in one trust to access adult mental health services is 92 weeks. Does that scare you? It certainly frightens the life out of me. <BR /> <BR />I know that I paint a bleak picture, but it does not compare with the darkness that envelops all too many in our society. We must do more. We can do more. I wholeheartedly support the motion.”
“Well, last year, we had nearly 15,000 children and young adults under the age of 24 being prescribed and dispensed diazepam, and nearly 3,000 prescribed and dispensed pregabalin. Throwing a pill at the issue and hoping that it will go away will not cut it. The issue is not going away. In fact, too many are being left to be seen by our trusts. The Health Minister has told me that nobody should be waiting more than nine weeks for access to either adult or child and adolescent mental health services, or 13 weeks to access psychological therapies.”
“<BR /> <BR />In the last year before the formation of the Education Authority (EA), £1·5 million was spent on post-primary school counselling services, and nearly £2 million was spent on primary school counselling services; that is £3·5 million. In the last financial year, the EA spent only £2·3 million to cover all primary and post-primary. Why is that? Has there been a change in budget or a change in priority? Perhaps the Health Minister could liaise with the Education Minister to try to find out. <BR /> <BR />Being impacted on by other issues, such as addiction to drugs, alcohol and gambling, means that many of the young people in our society are not equipped with the skills to sustain a job or a housing agreement. Social deprivation in some areas results in third generation unemployment. What do we do?”
“Why are we leaning so heavily on the voluntary sector and not supporting them more? <BR /> <BR />I spent 18 years of my life working with such issues as a youth worker. I have seen at first-hand how this problem has evolved, and I can tell you that we are failing our children. We need further support as well for perinatal mental health care and early intervention for primary and post-primary school anxiety. We have no legislation on cyberbullying despite the NSPCC highlighting how important this is. Our children are being exploited in the most heinous and horrific way. We need to find legislation to combat this online scourge and not minimise the abuse that they suffer.”
“If she does, it would be great to hear about that. <BR /> <BR />It is clear that the voluntary sector is taking the lead on this and achieving some phenomenal results. I look at my own area in south Down and see the fantastic responses being made on the ground by MYMY (Mind Your Mate and Yourself), Life Changes Changes Lives, PIPS (Public Initiative for Prevention of Suicide and Self Harm) and Newcastle Community Outreach. Those are some of the groups that I work with. I am proud to try to help and support them with what they do. That is to say nothing about the great work being done by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), the Irish Football Association (IFA) and many other sporting groups. However, why should organisations and charities have to struggle year on year to pick up the slack and find funding and volunteers?”
“The report also highlighted that the most deprived areas continue to be more likely to have a higher score, almost 25%, than those in the least deprived areas, where it is only 12%. <BR /> <BR />We need a committed and adequately resourced response to this issue. We all accept, for example, the need for a mental health champion and the importance of the role. I welcome Minister Swann's recent appointment of Professor Siobhán O'Neill to the post. I have met her, and there is no doubt that she is committed to, and ready for, the task at hand. However, I ask this genuinely: are the Executive committed to that as well? She has no budget, no staff and no direct authority. This is certainly not about playing politics or who is to blame. It is just about ensuring that we get the best possible outcome.”
“I am grateful for the opportunity to speak on this motion. This is an incredibly important discussion that is being held in homes, schools and workplaces the length and breadth of the North. No matter what our age, job or background, all of us are affected by, and must give due consideration to, our mental health. I agree with the spirit and content of the motion. Never has a collaborative and well-resourced mental health service been more needed. <BR /> <BR />We are in the midst of a mental health crisis. The most recent health survey for Northern Ireland presented some distressing statistics. Around one fifth of respondents scored highly on the GHQ-12, suggesting that they may have a mental health problem. The motion makes reference to a more up-to-date figure that one third meet the criteria for depression.”