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.”
The complete record
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 5 of 54.
“It was not that it had not been prepared. It was not that the Minister was not ready to say, "This Bill needs to be presented to the House". The Committee did not have an opportunity to scrutinise the Bill properly because the Minister could not get it on to the Executive's agenda so that it could be approved in time for it to have a Committee Stage. Once again, what a farce. Some parties blocked a Bill from going to the Executive in order to stop its going to the Committee to receive proper scrutiny. They stopped the Committee from discussing a Bill that would stop money going from one Department to another Department, and the result of that has been that staff are being prevented from getting the free car parking that was promised to them. What an absolute farce. What we have today is a delaying Bill to the 2022 Act.”
“That is down to the fact there is not enough capacity to deliver free car parking. Again, what a farce. <BR /> <BR />We are now dealing with a Bill that looks to delay free car parking until no later than May 2029. Free car parking will be brought in before then only if there is money available. I am pretty confident in saying that, a few weeks before May 2029, we will be back here looking at a further extension, because it is unlikely that whoever the Health Minister is then will be able to come up with the millions and millions of pounds in rates that need to be paid to the Department of Finance to introduce free car parking at hospitals. <BR /> <BR />The Bill has been granted accelerated passage. That was required because the Minister could not get it on the Executive agenda. It was not that the legislation was not ready.”
“We therefore have money from a Bill that goes in one way, goes through the Department of Health and then comes back out another way. Then we have no money, so the legislation does not get implemented. <BR /> <BR />We were told the whole way through that the legislation would have no impact on front-line medical services, yet now we are told that, if we do not agree to the delay, £7 million will have to be diverted from front-line health services to fund it. The legislation therefore does have an impact on front-line services. What a farce. <BR /> <BR />Staff were promised free car parking. It subsequently turned out to be the case that only some staff were to get free car parking. Only some staff who work in hospitals where there are car parking charges get free car parking. That has created a two-tier system at some sites.”
“What a farce: an Act that promised to bring so much to so many will be delayed once again. The legislation, which was full of promise, with suggestions that there would be plenty of money there for it, was passed just weeks before the election in 2022. Then, just weeks after we came back — eventually — in 2024, it had to be completely overturned, because there was not enough money for it. <BR /> <BR />Originally, the then Health Minister was landed with a private Member's Bill from Sinn Féin, and now the current Health Minister has said that he will struggle to commence the 2022 Act's provisions because he does not have enough money to cover the costs. We are told that the cost would be around £7 million, the majority of which is rates that need to be paid to the Sinn Féin Finance Minister.”
“The Jo Cox Foundation launched its first call to action in 2024, with recommendations for a number of sectors to address the escalating level of abuse of Members of Parliament in the wake of the horrifying murder of Jo Cox and David Amess. Since then, the foundation has moved its focus to elected representatives in the devolved Administrations and, on 23 February, it launched its second call to action. That report focuses on actions for the devolved Administrations and includes recommendations for the Assembly. The Speaker participated in the launch of that report and noted that the recommendations would fall within the responsibility of a number of bodies in the Assembly and that that will be pursued and taken forward.”
“To inform that work further, Commission officials have engaged with colleagues in other Parliaments, including the Scottish Parliament, the Welsh Senedd and the Houses of the Oireachtas, and have continued discussions with the PSNI. The Commission will continue to engage with other bodies on these matters, and Members will be aware that, last month, the Speaker joined the Presiding Officers from Scotland and Wales at the launch of the most recent report of the Jo Cox Foundation’s Civility Commission.”
“Assembly Commission officials now sit on a joint group with the PSNI to consider delivery of that strategy and to ensure that appropriate support is available to Members, both in response to specific incidents and through the provision of advice and training. <BR /> <BR />The Commission has also taken steps to ensure that its future work is informed by Members’ lived experience. A survey of Members on abuse and harassment was conducted between June and September 2025, with 48 Members responding. As a result, the Commission established a group to bring forward proposals for actions that the Commission can take, within its responsibilities, to address these issues.”
“Building on that work, the Speaker convened a round-table meeting in September, attended by representatives of the Assembly Commission, the PSNI, the Electoral Commission, the Electoral Office, the main political parties, the Assembly Women’s Caucus, the Jo Cox Foundation and the Hume Foundation. While a wide range of issues were discussed, participants emphasised the impact of hearing directly from Members about their personal experiences of abuse and harassment. Engagement between the Assembly Commission and partner organisations is ongoing and a significant development has been the PSNI’s MLA safety strategy.”
“Madam Principal Deputy Speaker, I may require an additional minute for this answer. <BR /> <BR />I thank the Member for her question. The Assembly Commission recognises that abuse and harassment of Members is a serious and persistent issue and that addressing it requires coordinated action across a number of bodies. Within its own remit, the Commission has taken forward a programme of engagement and action to strengthen support for Members and to address gaps in existing arrangements. Last year, the Speaker held separate meetings with the PSNI and the Electoral Commission. Those discussions highlighted the importance of ensuring that organisations involved in this area have a shared understanding of existing activity and where further action is required.”
“I thank the Member for that really important point. We should have full access for every member of the public who comes to visit the Building and for staff and others. That is a key issue for us to take away and have a look at. Maybe we can write to the Member after some sort of assessment of those doors has been carried out to see what can be done to improve access.”
“A limited number of recommendations were made, including the expansion of automated doors, lift controls and toilet layouts. The Assembly Commission considered the recommendations last week, and Members raised some additional points for officials to consider. The Assembly Commission is seeking to address all the key findings and implement all the recommendations. While some work is under way, budget has been incorporated to complete delivery of the automated doors in 2027-28.”
“I thank the Member for her question. The Disability Discrimination Act audit was completed in 2025, encompassing all areas of Parliament Buildings, including approaches and entrances, internal circulation routes, sanitary facilities, signage, general amenities and evacuation arrangements. The report recognises the Building’s grade A listed status, which places inherent constraints on the scope of physical adaptations that can be made to its historic fabric. As such, the recommendations seek to balance statutory and best practice accessibility standards with the preservation of the Building’s architectural and heritage significance. Where physical modifications are not feasible, the audit highlights the importance of operational adjustments and management strategies to ensure accessibility for all users.”
“That is why we present the motion to the House.”
“We want to champion such cooperation and see more of it. That is what the motion is about: greater economic cooperation to deliver benefits for the people who live North and South. <BR /> <BR />Our task today is twofold: to deepen cooperation across this island and to build an economy here that is productive, competitive and capable of contributing to shared prosperity. That means investing in skills and therefore the economy; investing in infrastructure; strengthening cross-border enterprise; and delivering the projects that will connect this island economically. The all-island economy cannot be simply an aspiration; it must become a programme of delivery. If we get that right, we will not only strengthen the economy of today but lay the foundations for the prosperous and sustainable future that this island deserves.”
“HMRC takes my tax, so I will be nicer about HMRC in case it targets me. Yes. I agree that data is important. We should always have access to as much data as possible. <BR /> <BR />There was reference to the fact that we did not speak about the UK economy. That should be no shock, given that the motion is about an all-island economy here in Ireland. The Alliance Party, again, took the approach of saying that this is politicking. We are in a political arena — we are politicians — guess what we are going to do. There will be an element of politics in the work that we do, because that is who we are and what we do. <BR /> <BR />There was reference to the all-island energy market. That is another example of how cooperation and working together delivers benefits and good outcomes for people.”
“Very quickly, because I am short of time.”
“For the SDLP, the goal of a new and united Ireland is clear, but we recognise something very important: that we also have a responsibility, today, to ensure that Northern Ireland works economically, socially and politically, because, if the North becomes an economic burden that is defined by stagnation, underinvestment and dysfunction, people in the South will be concerned. <BR /> <BR />I will quickly look at some of the Member inputs. It was said that one of our papers lacked costings. I wonder why. We cannot access any of the information that most other Oppositions across these islands have and that would help us make those costings. If we are in the dark, it is because we are being left in the dark when it comes to the facts and figures. We will come up with ideas and champion those ideas as best we can.”
“Too often, Northern Ireland is framed as a fiscal problem or burden, but that narrative misses the point entirely. The North has assets that can strengthen the all-island economy: a young population; world-class universities; growing, high-value sectors; strategic infrastructure such as Belfast port; and a strong base of SMEs that could scale more effectively in a larger, more integrated market. Better integration would expand supply chains, support regional growth and strengthen economic resilience across the island.”
“They are practical steps such as establishing a joint all-Ireland infrastructure fund to invest in strategic cross-border projects; delivering the all-island strategic rail review; aligning skills systems to open up the all-island labour market; creating an all-island economic task force to drive delivery; and targeting investment at growth corridors such as the Dublin-Belfast corridor and the north-west region. Those are not theoretical ideas; they are practical steps that would improve productivity, strengthen regional development and raise living standards. They would deliver benefits now, regardless of constitutional outcomes. <BR /> <BR />We need to recognise the strategic economic role that Northern Ireland can play in a stronger island economy.”
“Thank you. As I said at the start, the Departments that are listed in the motion can make the greatest contributions. When it comes to all-island economic connectivity, those are the Departments that can deliver the greatest amount of leverage and deliverable actions. <BR /> <BR />The examples that I listed are proof that cooperation works, but, too often, progress has been piecemeal and dependent on political will, rather than embedded as standard practice. Our paper sets out a series of no-regret actions that could strengthen the all-Ireland economy right now.”
“Sorry, I meant to give way to you earlier.”
“I will always agree with bringing things on this island together to make it work better. Thank you for making that point for me. <BR /> <BR />Cross-border healthcare cooperation, such as on the North West Cancer Centre, shows how shared services can improve outcomes for patients. Improved Belfast-Dublin rail connectivity has strengthened labour mobility, tourism and business links. Those examples are proof that cooperation works.”
“That is exactly why the motion matters. If we want a stronger economy on the island, cooperation must move from occasional collaboration to systemic integration. <BR /> <BR />We already know that it works. The single electricity market has demonstrated how treating the island as one energy system improves efficiency and security of supply. Cross-border healthcare cooperation —.”
“Economic outcomes are shaped by choices about skills, infrastructure, innovation and governance. The truth is that the North and the South started the 1990s in broadly similar economic positions but that, over the past three decades, their trajectories have diverged sharply. The South has experienced sustained growth, higher wages and stronger productivity. Meanwhile, the North has struggled with weak productivity, weak growth, lower wages and a continued reliance on public expenditure to sustain economic activity. That divergence was not inevitable; it was the result of decisions and often the absence of decisions about investment in the foundations of growth. There has been underinvestment in infrastructure, skills and innovation, and there has been political instability that made long-term planning difficult.”
“The Departments that have the greatest capacity to drive it — Economy, Finance and Infrastructure — all sit under the same party's control. Sinn Féin holds the post of First Minister, and its Ministers are in the three Departments that I mentioned. If building the all-island economy is central to Sinn Féin's narrative, this fair question must follow: what measurable difference has been delivered? Where is the progress on infrastructure? Where is the urgency on cross-border investment? Where are the projects that people can see and feel in their daily lives? Strategies, reports and speeches are not economic policy: delivery is. <BR /> <BR />The SDLP recently published its paper 'Success by Design: Preparing for a New Ireland'. It makes this important point:”
“Thank you very much, Mr Deputy Speaker. There should be nothing controversial about the principle behind the motion. Stronger North/South economic cooperation delivers practical benefits for workers, businesses and communities across the island. It makes economic sense, regardless of anyone's constitutional preference. Supply chains cross the border every day. Workers commute across it. Tourism depends on it. Businesses already operate on an all-island basis. <BR /> <BR />Recognising the value of cooperation is one thing, however, while delivering it in practice is another. That is where the Executive's record must be questioned. If we look honestly at the evidence, we see that effective cross-border economic cooperation has simply not been consistently prioritised.”
“It is interesting that the drivers earn less. An imaginative approach would be to recognise that the drivers also take on caring responsibilities. They are the familiar face; they have interactions; and they keep people calm while they are being transported. Maybe recognising that element of the role, which respects all the duties that the drivers undertake, would help to increase their wages.”
“<BR /> <BR />I acknowledge that the motion is not about criticism for the sake of it; it is about trying to get something done urgently. When the Minister responds, I hope that he recognises that this is not about people coming at him from all angles to criticise the Department or the Executive; it is about the sense of urgency that exists to fix the situation. If there are 37,500 people in our community who are impacted, we need to get something done. <BR /> <BR />To anyone who is watching the debate, I say this: you are not weak, you are not vain and you are not beyond help. Support exists; please reach out for it.”
“We cannot pretend that that statistic does not have some form of consequence. We may have to deal with the health consequences, but people have to deal with the mental health consequences for their families and their communities. There will also be issues when it comes to education and employment. If we do not invest money and deal with the issues in one place, we will end up spending money dealing with them in other places whilst putting those affected through the trauma of getting to the solution. <BR /> <BR />Eating disorders are not lifestyle choices as some people might think. They are not phases; they are serious mental illnesses with the highest mortality rates of any psychiatric condition. They distort self-perception, damage the body, isolate the individual and devastate families.”
“We know that one in six young people has an eating disorder. One in six. Admissions for eating disorders to the general adolescent inpatient unit nearly tripled between 2019 and 2024, which is a frightening escalation. We all know how quickly a mandate can go by, but if we do not do something about the situation and admissions continue to triple in such a period of time, we will lose control of it. <BR /> <BR />The mental health strategy was costed at £1·2 billion over 10 years, but during 2024 and 2025, only £12·3 million was allocated — just 16% of what was deemed necessary for one year. We are going to miss the target 84% of the time because of the spend that we direct to the strategy and to our response to many other issues that impact most people in our society in some form but especially our young people.”
“It almost becomes hidden, which compounds the difficulties that people face.”
“Young people do not even get educated about eating disorders in school. Imagine being a young person who has a condition that is just not spoken about. It must be really difficult to deal with that, never mind the fact that you have an issue that you would like to get some help with. <BR /> <BR />The statistics that have been referenced are nearly as stark as the fact that we do not talk about the issue enough. There could be 37,500 people with an eating disorder. That is the population of a large town. Imagine going into a big town and knowing that every single person who lives there has an eating condition. If we had those numbers in one place, we would do something about it, but because those affected are spread out and the issue is kept behind closed doors, people feel a sense of isolation.”
“It goes to the power of these sorts of awareness weeks that we are able to have debates that allow us the opportunity to raise the profile of important issues. Often, they are on issues that are not spoken about in our community, so it gives us the chance to amplify awareness of the various conditions and provide a beacon of support for people who are suffering from them. Whilst this is a Chamber in which there are deeply political debates — I think of debates that took place here just a few hours ago — I am glad that, when it comes to debates like this on issues that are deeply personal for people, we are always able to switch and get the right tone. <BR /> <BR />Recently, I was contacted by a young person in my constituency who said something about eating disorders that I will never be able to forget:”
“There is so much sea swimming in my constituency. In what way might these updates help in the year ahead? There are still concerns that some of the water quality is not great. Given that Carlingford lough has a North/South element, do any of the Minister's suggestions require interactions with Dublin?”
“Thousands of people in our communities are unable to access a diagnosis; they are unable to access treatment for ADHD; their education journey is being impacted on by the cuts that are being delivered; and we do not have a single penny ring-fenced to try to help them. What is your message to those families?”
“Minister, given that that means that £80 million worth of high-risk work still has to be done, including electrical work such as fire alarm wiring, is it not the case that the Executive are neglecting our health estate and that is putting the lives of patients and staff in danger?”
“<BR /> <BR />We need to do all that we can collectively — north, south, east and west; across the Executive; and those of us in the Opposition — to serve the people whom we represent right across the constituencies, not just those in parts of them. Key to that are places such as the SWAH being able to deliver the services that they were built to deliver. <BR /> <BR />I hope that we will see the change that we need, and that we will keep the campaign going. I thank Helen, Jimmy and all the team for keeping it on our agenda.”
“However, that independent organisation, which analyses the information, is not so sure: it says that it does not show a statistically significant change, and that it needs a longer period of time to assess the data. It talks about the average length of stay. There is no change in the average length of stay. When it comes down to it, it is about that old saying about pounds, shillings and pence. It is about simply putting everything into one centre because that makes the service easier to run. That is not fair on rural communities. Minister, we need somebody to stick up for rural communities. There are parallels in my constituency of South Down. People in rural communities are frightened that, at their moment of need, the health service will not be there for them.”
“If they have gone via the SWAH, by the time that they get to Altnagelvin, they have to be triaged a second time, which adds more time to a service that is supposed to be an emergency service. <BR /> <BR />We invested in the hospital, and it was built, but we were then in a scenario in which the services were removed. I am sure that people feel that the trust is doing a good job in its own way, but it is using statistics to try to prove to people that the decisions that it wants to take are the right ones. I wonder whether they are. I reflect on figures from some of the experts, such as CHKS. We keep hearing about a risk-adjusted mortality index (RAMI), which is a measurement that we are supposed to just accept and say, "Well, the RAMI score's grand, so let's shut down the emergency surgery and forget about it".”
“There is another concern for people who live in rural communities, especially those in Fermanagh. The journey can take two and a half hours once the ambulance arrives, but the ambulance has to get to them first. We know that, at the moment, through no fault of the dedicated paramedic staff or those in the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service, the Ambulance Service is not able to respond to people in rural communities in a timely manner. I do not know what it must be like for some people who need emergency surgery and ring for an ambulance. They may think that it will take an hour to get to them, but it could take two and a half hours. Then, when they arrive at hospital, they have to be triaged.”
“We should not go there, because, when you are sick and need emergency treatment, you want to get to the nearest facility as quickly as possible. The fundamental point is that it is not good enough that people in Fermanagh have to travel to Altnagelvin for emergency surgery. A journey of two and a half hours for anything emergency is just ridiculous. It is counterproductive to say to somebody, "You can get emergency treatment, but it's two and a half hours away".”
“<BR /> <BR />I welcome the opportunity to have a debate about rural provision in the SWAH. The SWAH covers communities across Fermanagh and Tyrone, as well, indeed, as in parts of Donegal, Cavan and Monaghan. The fear for the debate is that we could lapse into talking about North/South or British/Irish issues.”
“As in any discussion on a topic such as this, I will start by acknowledging the surprise in the room, which is that I am not from Fermanagh. That does not mean that, as an SDLP representative, I will not stand up for the people who are fighting this campaign. I live in the town of Downpatrick, which, in some ways, is not dissimilar to Enniskillen. One similarity that my constituency has to Fermanagh is that it is mostly rural. One consistency — I think that this is becoming a bit of a pattern — is that rural communities are being left behind in healthcare generally, but specifically in emergency healthcare treatments. It seems that emergency facilities, whether surgeries, emergency departments or other facilities, are becoming more urban based. That is fundamentally unfair to those of us who live in rural communities.”
“I can't be annoyed with the stress and pressure that we are under in the service that we have here. I want to go somewhere else, where it is easier to work, be that Australia, Canada or America". We need to keep our workforce here and give them a local service in which they can work, keep their work-life balance and enjoy their full working career. <BR /> <BR />On the basis of the pressure that there is to pass the Bill, we will reluctantly support the LCM. There has been a lack of scrutiny, but we will agree to it.”
“<BR /> <BR />As with everything else, it is about a holistic journey in which we should try to maintain opportunities for people to train locally, work locally, provide their services locally and have their entire career locally. Nobody wants to see a local person being left in a position in which they have to travel overseas, because we are then left in a position where we train people, spend money on putting them through university and then do not give them an opportunity to train further to work here, which means that they have to go elsewhere. In other words, we spend our money to train people to go off somewhere else. If the Bill helps to reset that in a fashion, that is good. <BR /> <BR />However, we need to look at the pressures that make people who are five, 10 or 15 years into their careers say, "Do you know what?”
“<BR /> <BR />I cannot help but think that the core of the issue is the 'Little Britain' attitude that has taken hold of local people's getting the opportunities first. I am glad that that has been extended to the UK and Ireland. It is always good to retain our own workforce where we can. I raised an eyebrow last week at Committee when I realised that only 10% of the places at university were for people from overseas. That means that 90% of the people in each year's intake to university whom we train in medicine are defined as the "local cohort", so it would seem odd if they were disproportionately represented in the cohort that gets the training places.”
“I was not expecting to be called so quickly. <BR /> <BR />I echo the remarks that have been made about this not being the ideal way in which to do things. Last week at the Committee, we had questions that the officials did not have answers to. There were numbers in the background that I would have liked to see to give us the opportunity to scrutinise the LCM properly. Of course, we are in the strange position of being asked to discuss something today that will get Royal Assent next week. I am also cognisant of the fact that we were told that, if we do not approve it, that might create an anomaly whereby Northern Ireland goes in a different direction from the rest and ends up being the back door for people to come through to get that training, because different opportunities would be available here from those everywhere else.”
“<BR /> <BR />I contend that it is very difficult to be strategic if you are constantly changing the platform from which you move. Our health service desperately needs strategic planning and transformation to be able to serve the people whom we represent. That massive movement of in-year money about the place means that the things that we were planning to do at the start of the year are not happening by the end of the year; we are doing something different. We are still spending the money on Health — that is not the argument — but I worry that that massive movement of money does not help us to plan the future and make our health service as responsive as it can be for the people in our communities.”
“However, £842 million is not too far off 10% of the Health budget, and it has been reprofiled and moved into different places. We have to wonder how, if priorities are set at the start of a year, we end up where we are at the end of a year and with such massive movements as the year progresses. That makes the process of looking at annual budgets even more difficult. Quite often, at the start of one year, you get what you had at the end of the previous year or you move from the start of the year before. However, when there are such massive movements in-year, that makes tracking a budget very difficult. We, in the Health Committee, try our best to monitor that through the in-year processes. It is reflective of the massive changes that take place throughout the year.”
“As I look back over the past year, I do not see an awful lot of movement towards meaningful transformation, and some of that is as a result of a lack of funds. Looking forward to real change, we need to see transformation baked into a three-year Budget, so that the service is fit for the future, will deal with the backlog and will be able to treat people in a timely manner. I do not believe that the transformation agenda has been taken forward correctly. <BR /> <BR />I do not claim to be an expert in finances and figures, but, if it is possible, I would like the Minister, in his summation, to look again at the £842 million that was reduced in the annually managed expenditure (AME) Health budget. As I understand it, that is money that can be flexed around and moved into different places.”