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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“With no money being requested by the Department of Health in the October monitoring round to deal with the urgent waiting list crisis that we are facing, the lack of detail on the costs of delivering the much-needed action plan promised in the report is a bit worrying. <BR /> <BR />I conclude by echoing the sentiments of my colleague Mr Durkan on the launch of the report and by reaffirming the SDLP's commendation and support of our healthcare staff on their vigorous work providing healthcare across the North. The work and effort of our healthcare workers is second to none, and it cannot be put on them that their efforts do not translate to a first-class health service.”
“<BR /> <BR />I hope that we will not just be kicking problems down the line and that we have the plans to deal with them. It has taken years to build up, but to take 10 years to sort the problem out is a bit long. It is a disservice to our people and their healthcare workers to say that it will take that long, and we need something quicker in the short term. <BR /> <BR />The lack of clarity on the financial element of the report is also of concern. There is a complete lack of an estimate of the costs associated with the process and/or an indication of where the money will come from.”
“We need proper community care for people at home, not a 10-minute dash-and-run service that leaves our elderly bewildered rather than cared for. We need to treat staff with dignity and decency, pay them a fair wage and reimburse them for the costs of their work. It is not fair that some people in our health service are out of pocket when they go to work. I could go on and on. <BR /> <BR />I read the report and worry that Bengoa has said much, but I wonder whether he really said anything at all. Where are the concrete outcomes? Where are the timescales? Where are the measurables? Are they financed? Are they ready to go? I do not envy you your work, Minister; you have a mammoth task ahead. Help was sought and it produced this report, but I wonder whether it is really the help that we need.”
“<BR /> <BR />I am a little concerned that this report tells us much of what we already know and not very much of what we have not yet got. What is it that we need? We need to see ambulance response times improved in rural areas; they get you to the hospital. We need emergency departments that can cope and do not have long queues. Maybe you could reopen the Downe accident and emergency unit, which would help. We need to stop seeing trolleys in the corridor as acceptable healthcare. We need more consultants who can screen and direct patients to the care that they need. We need beds available for patients who need them. We need elective surgery waiting times slashed. We need outpatient appointments in a reasonable time.”
“I thank the Member for her contribution. We are discussing the report, not the Minister, so we will stick to the topic. <BR /> <BR />I welcome many elements of the report but, again, it would be difficult to argue with any elements in the report. We want a healthy population, of course; we want people to live longer, of course; we want people to access proper, decent expert healthcare when they need it, of course; we want people to avail themselves of services at home where possible and not in hospital, of course; we want to challenge the root cause of many illnesses presenting to our health service by challenging poverty, dealing with obesity and improving a healthy and fit lifestyle, of course. Who would not?”
“It has been said that this report is more a direction of travel than defined proposals. I hope that it will not be interpreted as a report of wishy-washy aspirations and, instead, is something that will deliver.”
“I welcome the opportunity to discuss the important motion today and the fact that my Ulster Unionist and Alliance colleagues have brought it to the House. Maybe the first thing to note is that in the interests of openness and transparency — something that this Executive is not particularly good at — it has taken an Opposition party to bring the substantive discussions here today. <BR /> <BR />Any effort to improve the health of people is essential and is required. I worry about reports that are published and then become bookends or dust gatherers. We have had Delivering Better Services, Transforming Your Care, the Donaldson report and now the latest, the Bengoa report. This series of reports is only useful if it provides a concrete blueprint for what must be done for the future of our health services and then our actions.”
“With the misery and suffering that the families of these individuals have had to endure, recent revelations of collusion, destruction of evidence and wilful interference have compounded the pain that they must face. <BR /> <BR />There must be closure. There must be conclusion to the outstanding issues, and there must be an apology for the wrong that has taken place. Inquests will allow this process to begin for dozens of families. The victims seek this. Their families seek it, and we must comprehensively and ethically address the past now. I believe that our amendment details the best way to achieve this, and I commend the amendment to the House.”
“You should be making your way to the Secretary of State to directly advocate for that money to be made available to the families of victims in Northern Ireland to help them get the truth that they require. <BR /> <BR />It is difficult for families of victims of the Troubles to move on without adequate and appropriate closure of the atrocities that the families endured. We need to see justice prevail, we need accountability, and we need acknowledgement. In short, for that, we must have the legacy inquests. It is time that we take narrow and vested interests out of this and work again to try to get a resolution for the victims and their families. In my constituency of South Down, we had many incidents and tragedies over the years. The people of Loughinisland suffered significantly when six local men were murdered in 1994.”
“I commend Mr McCann on his contribution, which was a powerful contribution. It highlighted to us the importance that the truth will be able to be heard and will help all of us to be able to move forward. He also made a powerful contribution on the point that all families and victims should work together because the collective voice, working as one, will help us to be able to unlock the funding that will deliver results and a resolution to these matters. I welcome the Minister's admission that families have waited too long to get a resolution to their suffering, and I also welcome her determination to do all that she can to pursue the matter. However, I say to the Minister that you are not going to get a resolution from this Executive, so it may be a bit of a waste of time looking for that.”
“<BR /> <BR />Some Members who contributed to the debate suggested that no one family's suffering or pain is greater than that of another. However, by wilfully blocking a resolution to any of these problems, we are failing and letting down all families, and that is unacceptable. We heard from Trevor Lunn how the Stormont House Agreement had offered hope. We suggest that there was also hope in Eames/Bradley and other initiatives, but the problem is that we continue to be let down, and that is unacceptable.”
“At the start and end of the debate are the victims and their families. We must remember their pain and suffering, and, importantly, we must remember their future, which we have within our control to help or hinder. We have highlighted where we believe the problem lies in this matter. The DUP is refusing to allow a request for funding for the inquests, and that is a terrible failing of those families. I reiterate that the Secretary of State needs to recognise that he has the ability to unlock this scenario and deliver the funding required to address the concerns of families and victims. He must not allow the DUP to have a veto on the matter of legacy and inquests. To do so would set a dangerous precedent and set us back in this process rather than enabling us to move forward.”
“I thank the Minister for the report. The statement suggests that there may need to be some changes to, or indeed closure of, emergency departments. Often, rural communities are impacted most by these changes, yet I note that there is no reference in the statement or the report — in what I have skimmed of it — to the Ambulance Service and the vital role that it plays in delivering front-line care to people in their moment of need. Will the Minister comment on whether the Ambulance Service will receive additional resources as part of this programme?”
“Whilst we certainly welcome investment, a concentration of investment in Titanic Quarter and the harbour can create economic imbalance in the city and deepen economic partition for the north of the city. With the Queen's University and Titanic Quarter corridor at risk of receiving all economic investment, meaning that it becomes concentrated and not diversified, it can leave areas such as the north and west of Belfast being denied investment. We must develop all parts of the city — Titanic Quarter for sure, but also the other parts.”
“It will allow greater connectivity between the local people living in the area, and these regional facilities that are centred within the Titanic Quarter. However, I am advised that the Odyssey Trust is one of the least accountable organisations in Northern Ireland, and that its balance sheet deserves closer scrutiny. It should spend more of its money on educational provision. It was set up to do that, and it should do more. <BR /> <BR />In general, the harbour estate is a strategic asset for Belfast and Northern Ireland. The concentration of economic development in the harbour estate, particularly in the waterside of the Lagan, is sometimes a matter of grave concern.”
“I thank the Member for his intervention. It is articulating what I am saying as well: we want to see all of that development in Titanic Quarter, but as part of a wider strategy that allows for the development of other parts of the city that may feel they are not being as well developed. <BR /> <BR />The Odyssey Trust, which was a millennium project, has well served the city. It is an education trust and a big business. The SDLP believes that more of its profits should be invested in the trust's stated objective, which is education. Imagine what more of its balance sheet invested in East Belfast in educational intervention could do to areas such as the Short Strand, the Newtownards Road and Dee Street, which are a hop, skip and jump away from that Titanic Quarter area. We would like to see that happening.”
“I think that there can be a bit of a sense in north and west Belfast, maybe, that there is not as much support going there as there could be. So, whilst we certainly welcome the development of Titanic Quarter and do not want to deprive it of the development that it should get, we want to see it as being part of a wider development of the whole city and a wider strategy. <BR /> <BR />It would be really good to see within the city centre the development of things such as John Lewis. We must make sure that we do not concentrate things like that on out-of-town-centre areas. There is a bit of concern amongst traders that everything could move out to the peripheries of cities, and it can sometimes be at the expense of city centres. We would like to see the development of Titanic Quarter, but as part of an overall project.”
“Thank you, and I welcome the intervention. Of course, I would say that they should visit Titanic Quarter and then come to Downpatrick and stay in a hotel. A hotel development in Downpatrick may be the subject, hopefully, of a future debate. <BR /> <BR />It is connectivity, not isolation that I want to gently touch on. We support the proper and full development of Titanic Quarter. It is a huge land mass and it has immense potential and an immense future that will create a great part of the city. However, we would like to see it very much as part of complementing the development of the whole city, using its connections to ensure that each part of Belfast gets the opportunity to develop. Care needs to be taken to ensure that we do not concentrate all our investment and development in one part of the city.”
“I begin by apologising on behalf of my Belfast colleagues who cannot make it this evening due to ill-health and the passing of a party colleague. <BR /> <BR />Like all the other Members who are speaking this evening, I acknowledge and celebrate the achievement of the Titanic experience. It is now rated as one of the best tourist facilities in the world, and it proves the value that there can be in signature tourism projects. In that regard, it would be remiss of me not to mention — just as a little drop-in — other possible signature projects, such as the St Patrick's project, and, of course, Downpatrick would like to be able to join in some of the success there. Turning to Titanic Quarter, I suppose —”
“There was also a reference earlier by Sinn Féin that there was nothing in the Programme for Government negotiations from the SDLP. In our submission, did we not propose three Bills on housing? Did we not also have an entire section of our document on housing?”
“I thank the Minister for his statement, and I appreciate the scale of the issue and the problem that needs to be addressed and which this is attempting to address. A lot of rural schools will be very worried about what they hear today, and a lot of rural-based sixth-form colleges that maybe cannot attract the large numbers will be worried. Can any assurances be given to people in rural communities that area planning will work with them, so that, if there are special circumstances that are uniquely geographical, those can be worked with rather than having a hard-and-fast line?”
“I will continue to help the Minister. Does the custodian of the public finances agree with the deputy First Minister when he said that the UDA is still a current paramilitary organisation? If so, is he happy to fund organisations with active UDA members on their board?”
“There are many issues, but there are lots of solutions. If we do all that we can to draw them together, we should hopefully be able to make an impact and reduce the underachievement that there is in West Belfast.”
“There are lots of services there, and I am sure that, if they were enhanced and strengthened, it would support the social and personal development of young people, all of which would help to raise self-esteem and, as was referred to earlier, could contribute to improvements in the classroom environment. We should not underestimate the impact of breakfast and homework clubs. Evidence shows that breakfasts clubs set young people up for a good day at school and help with their concentration. Homework clubs can help some young people, who maybe cannot get support at home with homework, by giving them support, getting them into the classroom and giving them the pride that their homework is completed. If there are initiatives like that in the area, they should continue to be supported and, if possible, rolled out a bit more.”
“It is a constituency where the life expectancy of men is 74 and women is 80, which are among the lowest in Northern Ireland. It has some of the highest rates of people on disability benefit, and I think that we can assume from that that there is a significantly higher proportion of children undertaking caring responsibilities in the home as well. <BR /> <BR />We need to support and improve health services in the constituency to try to restrict the negative impact that this is possibly having on children and their education. I would always say that we could invest in youth services and youth clubs in West Belfast, which would greatly enhance the opportunities for children in the area; it would give them good positive role models and positive engagement.”
“To take my particular slant in looking at this, I do not think that the issue lies solely with the schools. There really are some very good schools in West Belfast; some leaders in education in that area. If we look at the inspections, we can see that all of the post-primaries in the constituency have achieved a satisfactory rating or higher and all but one of the primary schools were deemed satisfactory and higher. Schools are being rated very highly in the area for the work that they are doing. Let us look at the wider picture, at some of the other things that are happening in the constituency that are negatively impacting on the education of our young people in an area that has 39% of children living in poverty. That is a stark contrast to the Northern Ireland average of 21%.”
“I welcome the opportunity to speak in this Adjournment debate as second-generation West Belfast and as the education spokesperson for the party. Whilst the issues that affect West Belfast are maybe more acute there, they do have an impact on other constituencies as well. So, whilst the issues that are being raised here today are constituency-specific, they do reach out to other places across the North. <BR /> <BR />I was shocked by the statistic that 38% of people in West Belfast hold no qualifications at all. We are doing a bit of a disservice if we have that amount of people being educated only up to a certain level. We do need to review it, take that step back and say, "What could we be doing better and in a more joined-up approach to try to deal with the issue?".”
“The study reveals that a healthy food basket for a two-parent, two-children household costs £115, while a one-parent, two-children family needs to spend £99 to eat healthily each week. That equates to nearly half their weekly income, and it is easier for them to fill up on cheaper junk food than it is to have a healthy lifestyle. We are literally killing our children in the long run. <BR /> <BR />I support the motion and any other initiative that helps to give children and young people the best start in life, the best preparation for their future and, above all, access to a healthy lifestyle.”
“Nearly one quarter of all children in Northern Ireland are living in poverty and in households that cannot afford what is defined as an ordinary living pattern. With a recent study revealing the stark reality of the cost of healthy eating, it is clear that children from low-income families are the ones who will be hit the most.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health Ireland has written to express its support for the motion and to encourage the Northern Ireland Executive to actively combat the problem of childhood obesity in the North. With 25% of children in Northern Ireland being classified as overweight or obese, early intervention is crucial if we are to prevent the causes of serious illness. With one in five children in the UK starting school overweight or obese, and with that increasing to one in three by the age of 11, we need to address health problems and do all we can to ensure that children are active and as active as they can be. <BR /> <BR />What is shocking is the number of children living in poverty in Northern Ireland.”
“We are not saying in the motion that we want to reduce intake or prevent kids from having sweeties; it is just about the levy being used and the finances that are there to help motivate children to move and get exercise. I would ask, as ever, and I will continue to do so, that consideration is given to how some of that money might be used within youth service. They have access to over 150,000 young people each year and are ideally placed to work with some young people schools cannot reach. Some of those who do not engage in school or in PE at school are happy to engage in activities within youth services that could help them.”
“Now, children, with just a click of a finger or a roll of the thumb, can get the information they need. We have increased calorie intake on one side and reduced movement and exercise on the other. That imbalance is certainly going to lead to problems in the future. <BR /> <BR />What I like about the motion is that it is not about punishing the child or overt legislation to manage the issue. It is simply saying that a small levy will be applied to those companies and that we will take that money and put it into schools to see whether we can encourage young people to become involved in education and fitness programmes to help their health.”
“I support the motion. We can invest in our manufacturing industry, our economy, our infrastructure and our communities, but, fundamentally, if we do not invest in our children, we have something wrong with our priorities, and our finances are simply papering over the cracks. <BR /> <BR />Our children face many obstacles to a healthy lifestyle that we did not. They have access to sweets, sugary drinks, energy drinks laced with caffeine, and crisps. You name it: what was once for us the preserve of a treat bought once a week with pocket money is now available to children on tap. You can couple that with the fact that the lifestyle is promoted by IT, smartphones, gaming and social media. When we wanted to know something, we had to go out there and find it out, and we had to go into the community to kick a football.”
“I thank the Minister for that answer. Would he agree to officials from his Department meeting their counterparts in the EA and representatives of the school, if only to try to sort out that confusion and allow everybody to know where they stand?”
“Can the Minister explain why she intends to bring forward no new primary legislation before June 2017, which will be one full year after the start of the mandate?”
“— concerning the withholding of the EU document. I also welcome the joint Ulster Unionist/SDLP amendment, which calls for the First Minister and deputy First Minister to act. That is very welcome. I urge the House to support the motion and the amendments.”
“Unfortunately, we do not have a Minister from our Executive brave enough to come down and hear what they do not want to hear: that the public of the North are interested in openness and transparency. I fear that the public might perceive it as a tactical and wilful obstruction of the House and its processes that no Minister would come down and give us a response. <BR /> <BR />I welcome the amendments. The amendment proposed by Mr Agnew, which was tabled jointly with my SDLP colleagues, calls for a commissioner to investigate breaches of the ministerial code. I support that, especially —”
“That is not what the powers were designed for, and it is ironic that Sinn Féin, a supposedly republican party, was happy enough to bow to the Queen and accept her royal prerogative. <BR /> <BR />Perhaps the biggest financial crisis facing this institution and the wider North has been the NAMA sale and Project Eagle. Serious allegations have been made against certain Executive parties. There have been moves to prevent the House from conducting a Committee inquiry, despite legal advice that there was no conflict here with the NCA criminal investigation. Again, we have to ask ourselves this: what is being covered up? <BR /> <BR />I was looking forward to the spirit of openness and transparency and to hearing what the Ministers would say.”
“<BR /> <BR />Then, of course, we have the monitoring round bids, with information about departmental priorities being made available for Committees to scrutinise. In our new era of openness and transparency, that has been closed down. We are shut out. We are told, "You're in the Opposition now. Just get on with it". I have to say, I love the DUP and Sinn Féin's approach to openness and transparency: they tell you nothing. <BR /> <BR />When we then look at the recent appointment of David Gordon as the Executive's media spin doctor, we see that further issues about secrecy and transparency arise. Prerogative powers are meant for the most serious of issues: in this case, they were used to bypass employment law.”
“If we are operating with an open and transparent Government, we have to ask ourselves this: why was that document not released? Was it not, surely, in the public interest? The only conclusion that I can come to is that it was at odds with the DUP's ridiculous position on the referendum and that it certainly did not want it. Sinn Féin, who supposedly wanted to remain but did not even register as a campaigner, was happy to go along with the DUP agenda. <BR /> <BR />I do not agree with the deputy First Minister's claim that the statistics were already in the public domain. The unit that compiled the report had expert knowledge of the EU and its relationships with the North. The information did not make its way into the public domain, despite being clearly in the public interest.”
“Only last week, we heard, through the excellent work of 'The Detail' with an FOI request, that a 15-page document was drawn up by the European policy and coordination unit in the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister that listed 20 ways in which an EU exit would hit the Northern Ireland economy. The document noted:”
“They may fly in the face of due process: I will not even mention the rule of law.”
“I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this important debate. It is a very important debate because, over the past number of months, despite this being a new mandate and the various pledges that were made in the Fresh Start Agreement, we have seen the Executive — the Government parties — close the gaps with regard to providing information, rather than loosening the strings. It is more autocratic leadership than joint leadership. In an era of openness and effective democracy, we have already seen in this mandate the Executive shut down rather than open up government. There are issues surrounding a hidden Brexit paper, the use of prerogative powers to appoint a press secretary and allegations linking a certain political party to the dealings of the NAMA Project Eagle sale. They have all undermined the democratic processes of the House.”
“I do not proclaim to be an expert or entirely to understand the ins and outs of hybrid Bills, but, unfortunately, the one thing that I do know is that the accompanying note from the Executive Office states that it is highly unlikely that we will ever use them. However, the fact that they are there and that we have the capacity for them and the ability to use them means that we will have more available means to pass laws that will, hopefully, help people in Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />This is a general tidying-up exercise to ensure that Standing Orders reflect the work that we do in the Assembly, and the SDLP is happy to support that.”
“<BR /> <BR />The change to Standing Order 23 will make sure that as much as possible is placed in the public domain in the Library here in the Assembly. Openness and transparency is the bedrock of any democracy. I am sure that we will hear about that on several occasions today. That is critical. It is important for the public to have faith in what we do, so they should be able to see the information that we see when we discuss and debate matters. Having as much information in the Assembly Library as possible for the public, in the interests of openness and transparency, is a very good thing. I welcome its being placed in Standing Orders.”
“I thank the Chair of the Committee for his presentation about these changes today. There are three important elements. Whilst they are maybe not groundbreaking, it is most important that they be enshrined in our Standing Orders so that they are codified for us. <BR /> <BR />I will speak first about the undertaking. Whilst it has been a practice of the Assembly, it is important, given the importance of the issue, that we have it in Standing Orders so that everybody is required to do that. Being wed to exclusively peaceful means and adhering to the law of the land is very important and exceptionally basic. I do not think that anybody in the House would argue that we should not sign up to making sure that that happens.”
“I thank the Minister for her work in this area. Has an assessment been undertaken to determine how many properties and how much land is affected by coastal erosion?”
“Oh, I will get there. There was only a short mention of EU matters. I spent 10 years undertaking youth exchanges and saw the cultural and educational benefits of that. Do you see any future for continued North/South exchanges?”
“I welcome the statement. It highlights the areas of North/South cooperation that there can be in education and the benefits of that for students. I welcome the inclusion of a substantial paragraph about youth work and the development of IT. Having worked in the sector and seen at first hand the benefit that IT can have on youth work, I look forward to seeing continued development to help young people on the ground. However, I was a little disappointed to see such a short —”
“I thank the Minister for his response about Rathkeltair House. The land prevents people from accessing a retail park, which results, essentially, in Downpatrick having an out-of-town retail park. People are not able to get onto the main street. Whilst I welcome the Minister's remarks, I ask him to instruct officials to meet the local council — the issue was raised as part of the master plan — and maybe with the Department for Communities. The initiative will breathe life back into the town centre of Downpatrick. We desperately need it, and I hope that we can get your support.”