Paula Bradshaw
South Belfast · Alliance Party · Northern Ireland
“They were places where those who were vulnerable were concealed, young mothers were stripped of their babies and children were stripped of their identities. Let us be resolute in our remembrance of what happened behind the doors of those institutions.”
“At all stages, the Committee has set out its clear support for the legislation's overarching aims and principles, which are to establish a statutory public inquiry into the systemic failings associated with mother-and-baby institutions, Magdalene laundries and workhouses between 1922 and 1995 and to create a statutory redress scheme for t…”
“Again, I refuse to call them "mother-and-baby homes", for we now know that there was nothing homely about them. What the Bill can and must do is offer a tangible declaration that the state accepts its responsibility.”
“As Chairperson of the Committee for the Executive Office, I welcome the opportunity to speak at the Final Stage of the Inquiry (Mother and Baby Institutions, Magdalene Laundries and Workhouses) and Redress Scheme Bill.”
“Key points were also made in relation to redress: the need to ensure that the Executive Office introduces clear guidelines for the scheme as soon as practicable; the need for the Executive Office to widely communicate and promote the scheme to all victims and survivors, including those who live overseas; and the need for the Executive Off…”
“The First Minister and deputy First Minister tabled a number of amendments that gave effect to the Committee's intent across a number of clauses. In several instances, the Committee chose to withdraw its amendments in favour of the Ministers' wording, where that better reflected the broader book of the law.”
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“The Committee will keep under review the commission's capacity to undertake the additional work. <BR /> <BR />At its meeting on 23 October 2024, the Committee considered the final version of the regulations, which did not differ from the draft presented in September. The Committee therefore recommends that the draft Fair Employment (Monitoring) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2024 be approved by the Assembly.”
“I rise on behalf of the Committee for the Executive Office. The Committee considered the draft regulations at its meeting on 11 September 2024 and accepted that this is technical legislation to ensure that schools do not find themselves in breach of equality legislation. The Committee had no concerns about the draft legislation and was content in principle for the regulations to progress. However, the Committee raised a query to the Department on the estimated additional costs to the Equality Commission of adding schools to its oversight remit. The Department's reply indicated that it was considering a business case from the commission to cover that cost but stressed a need for the commission to find ways to absorb the new costs in the current financial climate.”
“That work is often overlooked precisely because it does not appear on the news; indeed, it prevents even more places from ending up on the news.”
“For all that, we must reflect that, contrary to what we may perceive from the news, globally, we are lucky enough to live in the safest and healthiest period in human history. In those 106 years, global life expectancy has more than doubled, entire diseases have been wiped out, rates of murder and violent crime have plummeted and more people than ever live in a democracy. That is due in many parts to the sacrifice of those who gave their todays for our tomorrows. <BR /> <BR />In this part of the world, we should therefore reflect on the fact that, at this stage in the 21st century, UK and Irish troops as often as not work alongside each other on peacekeeping missions; in fact, the UK contributes almost 7% of the entire UN peacekeeping budget.”
“<BR /> <BR />Within most of our lifetimes, we experienced conflict in our land. Nearly 4,000 people were killed, 10 times that number were injured and, sadly, there absolutely were alternatives. At least we recognised, even if it was too late and after too much suffering, that there is no future in murder and mayhem. We may reflect on those who are always focused on building peace and creating a fair society. We may reflect on those in many other parts of the world where, sadly, murder and mayhem are still the norm. In the Middle East, Ukraine, many parts of sub-Saharan Africa and numerous other places, we see the types of suffering and instability that will create cycles of conflict that are likely to last for generations if no one has the courage to focus on our common humanity and build and lead a peace process.”
“My statement is on remembrance, exactly 106 years after the end of World War I. However people choose to remember and reflect, it is important that we do so. We remember the sacrifice of so many during two world wars and other conflicts. We recall also the loss of civilian lives in conflict, and we reflect on the ongoing need to promote peace, democracy and the rule of law. Historians will always dispute what truly led to World War I, and we must be wary of any glorification of it. Nearly all of us have ancestors who fought in the war. Few spoke of it particularly fondly, and many did not speak of it at all. The appalling loss of life and the suffering of so many, combined with the collective trauma, are what we should remember. The tragedy is that the very next generation faced the trauma of global conflict yet again.”
“<BR /> <BR />I saw that, over the weekend, a lot of people, me included, shared photos of Anna being at many rallies. She was a champion for those who experienced racism, homophobia, transphobia and misogyny and those who were being deprived of their human rights in terms of reproductive health. In many ways, she was the embodiment of the Alliance Party's core values. She was a genuinely wonderful person. I will sorely miss her.”
“<BR /> <BR />When I joined the Alliance Party in 2010, she invited me out for coffee and said, "I will be running for only one more term, and I will support you in that transition". She did that with generosity of spirit and warmth. We know in the Chamber that that transition from one politician to another is not always easy, but Anna was exemplary in that. <BR /> <BR />I also extend the condolences of the South Belfast association. We have a large membership, and they were all so fond of Anna. When we used to go out campaigning, we nearly had to allocate somebody to Anna, because she got caught at doors because everybody wanted to speak to her, spend some time with her and exchange views. We all have very happy, warm memories of her.”
“I start by expressing my condolences to the family and friends of Anna on her passing. <BR /> <BR />I first met Anna Lo in her capacity as director of the Chinese Welfare Association in 1997, which was the year that I started working in the voluntary sector. Our paths crossed many times, so I saw at first hand how she championed not just those from a Chinese or Asian background but those from all sections of society, including people of colour and those from different cultural and religious backgrounds. She always did that with her warmth and wit. She was also a great advocate for the celebration of cultural diversity, and she very much contributed to the likes of the Belfast Mela every year.”
“Thank you, Minister, for your answer. What conversations have you had with the Executive Office on the new bodies and roles that are being established, particularly that of the Irish language commissioner?”
“Minister, can you please outline how you and your Department have sought to prevent today's strike action?”
“Thank you, Minister. Do you agree that learning from this project might be useful in other contexts, especially at a time when resources are so constrained and public services so stretched?”
“Thank you, Minister, for your answer. Will funding be provided to the community and voluntary sector to allow it to continue its valuable work on ending violence against women and girls?”
“Thank you, Minister, for your statement. You referenced the words "equity" and "inclusion". In your statement, you said that the Department has endorsed the NICE guidance on caesarean sections, but I do not see any reference to the NICE guidance on the fetal anomaly screening programme, in terms of a quadruple or combined test for women in their first trimester. You talk about the best service for women across these islands, and yet women here still experience disadvantage and disparity. Does the consolidated action plan include reference to reviewing the screening programme?”
“Last week, at the Executive Office Committee, we had some presentations on the draft investment strategy. Will you lay out the timescale for you and the deputy First Minister signing off on that?”
“The Committee considered the draft regulations at its meeting on 11 September 2024. The Committee accepted that the draft Period Products (the Executive Office Specified Public Service Bodies) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2024 are a technical piece of legislation to designate the relevant public service bodies that are required to make available free period products. The Committee had no concerns about the draft regulations and was content for them to progress. <BR /> <BR />At its meeting on 9 October 2024, the Committee considered the final version of the draft regulations, which did not differ from the draft that had been presented in September. The Committee therefore recommends that the draft Period Products (the Executive Office Specified Public Service Bodies) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2024 be approved by the Assembly.”
“I want to drill down into the funding that GPs received on a per capita basis. Was that additional money or money that was within the current contract and rejigged?”
“We feel that the motion should have included reference to some of the work on tackling paramilitarism that is outlined in the draft Programme for Government and asked that that be strengthened by adding a stand-alone mission on peacebuilding. That would include not just tackling paramilitarism but preventing the hidden harm of the psychological and emotional trauma that arises from paramilitary control; ending the normalisation of exposure to violence from an early age; and removing symbolism that is designed to re-emphasise and leave no doubt about paramilitary presence. It is long past time that we moved on. I support the motion.”
“That means that there is not only coercion by thugs but no realistic way of reporting to the police domestic violence, drug dealing or assault. Indeed, the reality is that, if someone becomes the victim of threats in their home, they are the one who gets moved, not the perpetrator. I have supported far too many constituents in South Belfast who were intimidated in their homes, had their homes attacked and had to uproot because their safety in their homes could not be guaranteed. It is barbaric and immoral. <BR /> <BR />The basic challenge here, a generation on from the agreement, is to ensure that civil authority applies everywhere equally and that influence over communities and public services is derived exclusively from democratic mandates.”
“When I and other elected South Belfast reps engaged with some of those business owners, they told us that they had continued to pay protection money, so they were particularly aggrieved that their businesses were subsequently attacked. <BR /> <BR />We also need to grasp that almost all paramilitary groups have mutated in some way. Very few have gone away, and almost all have turned into something else, although exactly what has occurred varies from place to place. In too many places, we now have a situation where people are community workers by day and thugs by night. Fundamentally, everyone has a right to live free from threat and coercion, be it in their own home or in their community. The threat may be direct, or it may even be subtle through, for example, the display of flags on lamp posts or on public property.”
“Indeed, research by the Children's Commissioner demonstrates that some young people are the victims of criminal exploitation that is intimately connected to paramilitarism. That causes harm at home, at school and in the community from the earliest years onwards. It can have a disturbing, emotional and psychological impact on the rest of those children's lives. <BR /> <BR />The motion correctly refers to the sinister and negative presence of extortion, intimidation and violence and, most notably, the undermining of the rule of law. We saw that most starkly in August this year with the racially motivated targeting of attacks on legitimate businesses, which, according to the police, paramilitaries were behind.”
“I support the motion. This is an area where my party and the Opposition have much in common. <BR /> <BR />It is crude to put a figure on the harm, destruction and suffering caused by paramilitaries, but the draft Programme for Government does so, and that figure alone should cause us to stop and think. The coercive control of gangs costs a minimum of £750 million, and that cost is borne almost exclusively by the people in the areas over which the paramilitaries exert the coercive control. The cost refers to paramilitary harm, but there is also the cost of lost opportunity. If some of the role models in your community are thugs and the people in positions of influence are gangsters, what hope does a young person have?”
“Does the Member agree that that figure is probably a low estimate of the actual cost?”
“I thank the Member for giving way. On his point about collaboration, does the Member agree that work needs to be taken forward on engaging our statutory youth workers, who are qualified individuals with a good role to play in that space?”
“First Minister, given that there has been more information and revelations since you came before the Committee last week, first, do you accept our invitation to come back to address the Committee? Secondly, in your role as First Minister at the Executive table, do you undertake to work with your Executive colleagues to make sure that safeguarding policies are updated and reviewed across all parts of government here?”
“Deputy First Minister, you referenced ethic equality monitoring. We do not have that embedded on a statutory footing yet. With the delay in the revised Race Relations Order, are you minded to bring it forward through the Executive Office as stand-alone legislation?”
“Thank you. I thank the Member for his intervention. The point that I made was that, once the draft Programme for Government is agreed, we should have those specifics. They are what the Committee for the Executive Office would measure, scrutinise and assess. <BR /> <BR />The motion makes reasonable points, but they are limited because we have to think about implementation in the broadest possible sense. As I said, there is no harm in outlining targets for various Departments so that the public may assess them, and, indeed, there is no harm in adding indicators to the process, but they need to be accompanied by meaningful actions and, in our view, by an overarching mission on "Peace and Reconciliation".”
“It is for that reason, among others, that the Alliance Party has proposed that a stand-alone mission for peace and peacebuilding should be inserted into the final Programme for Government. <BR /> <BR />We need to recognise that we cannot achieve the ambitions contained in the programme, regardless of whether we have specific targets, if we do not tie it together with work on reconciliation, equality and inclusion. Ongoing political instability, the failure to tackle division and the maintenance of paramilitary control over some communities are huge barriers to achieving anything set out in the Programme for Government. We need assured stability, work on integration and an end to gangsterism if we are to meaningfully grow our economy, improve our public services and deliver shared prosperity.”
“Some of the areas stated in the motion need to be addressed over the medium to long term, so targets set for the current mandate would be staging posts, rather than a final destination, or evidence of a particular action aimed at a longer-term goal. Fundamentally, the public have the right to know what Executive Ministers have set out to do, so that, come election time, voters can best assess whether they have done it. Of course, targets are just one aspect of that, and we need clear road maps for attaining them. <BR /> <BR />The other omission from the motion and something that is central to the effectiveness of a Programme for Government is that actions have to complement one another; it has to be based on cohesion, not just for purpose but for action and delivery.”
“It is designed to set out an overall direction of travel, and, to that extent, the document is well-named as it is a broad plan to establish what matters most, and that is, indeed, what a broad four-party Executive should be doing. <BR /> <BR />Going strictly by the wording of the motion, there is no requirement to place targets in a Programme for Government before it is approved. However, there is a requirement to set targets in key areas before it can be approved and signed off. We could debate precisely what constitutes "specific" and "measurable" and whether we should take "time-bound" to mean in the current mandate.”
“<BR /> <BR />We expect to receive a briefing from Executive Office departmental officials as soon as is practical at the conclusion of the consultation to ensure that people's views have been taken on board. <BR /> <BR />The Committee looks forward to playing its part in scrutinising progress as the actions in the final Programme for Government unfold towards the stated aims and objectives. We will examine the indicators of progress and seek meaningful outcomes for individuals and communities going forward. <BR /> <BR />I will now make a few remarks in my capacity as an Alliance MLA. I support the motion and the amendment. I start by emphasising that a Programme for Government is meant to be a broad set of priorities, not a specific set of targets.”
“I will say a few words initially on behalf of the Committee for the Executive Office, and I thank the Members who tabled today's motion for debate. <BR /> <BR />The consultation on the draft Programme for Government runs until 4 November, and it is important for it to be analysed, discussed and debated to ensure that it is the best possible way forward. The Committee was pleased to receive the much-anticipated draft Programme for Government and will formulate a response to the consultation. We have written to the other Statutory Committees for their views, and I trust that members will play their part in ensuring that the consolidated response will be as helpful as possible.”
“I am looking at the SDLP's response to the draft Programme for Government for 2011 to 2015. At that time, the party also expressed concern about the lack of detail provided for each priority. The SDLP was in the Executive then, but it is not now. What has changed in your opinion of how a draft Programme for Government should look?”
“Just to be absolutely clear, I was not saying that this was a good substitute; I was saying that there is an opportunity for the Committee to extend its consultation phase until the Minister and her officials bring this forward and that they can get on with this work in the meantime and ask for responses in this space. Please do not put words in my mouth.”
“I hope that you will reflect on the Hansard report of the Minister's interventions.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. I do not want to keep going over old ground, but the Minister has laid out the policy intent. I imagine that all members of the Justice Committee have researchers who can look into the potential implications of the changes in law. The fact that the wording is not yet in the Bill is actually of secondary importance. If the policy intent is there, it is within your gift as a Committee, and that of the people who support you, to start looking into how that could work in practice.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. As my colleague the Justice Minister has outlined, it is not unprecedented and has been the case for previous justice Bills. When the Committee Chair, your colleague who is sitting beside you, and members go out with their call for evidence, they can ask for an extended period. If you feel that you need more time in which to consult so that there is full scrutiny, that is within your gift.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. I want to highlight again that we would have been in a different position had we not had two years of political impasse in this place and that the Minister and her officials would have been able to progress this more slowly. It should be welcomed that she is bringing this forward today, having had two years of sitting around, waiting for other parties to get their act together.”
“I thank the Minister for his statement. I very much concur with some of the frustration in the Chamber. We have would appreciated a wee bit more substance. It was my understanding that the co-chaired work streams, looking at the four types of hospitals, were looking at defining what was going where. <BR /> <BR />My question picks up on that asked by my colleague Sian Mulholland. You talked about the 80% of people who are willing to travel for elective care. We know that there will still be reservations for people with a suspected stroke or heart failure. Will you take forward a communications strategy to look at where there are serious concerns about the time required for travel?”
“Thank you for your statement, Minister. I will pick up on my South Belfast colleague's point. We know that Belfast Met and the universities play a pivotal role as economic drivers for Belfast city. Will you speak to the role of the universities and further education institutions in delivering the subregional balance?”
“The Equality Commission's functions include not only overseeing equality duties and promoting good relations but, specifically, keeping equality legislation under review. The commission has clearly stated for many years that our current equality legislation is inadequate. Therefore, the gaps in the law are not just technicalities; the failure to modernise equality law creates a significant and particular disadvantage that is directly and specifically felt by older people in Northern Ireland. When we tie that specific disadvantage to the experience that older people feel, we see that action is needed urgently to update our equality laws so that our older people are not placed at a disadvantage versus their peers elsewhere in the UK and Ireland.”
“Indeed, over the past year alone, 34 people have contacted the Equality Commission about age discrimination in the provision of goods and services, and they were told that there was nothing that can be done as there are no relevant laws here.”
“Most notably perhaps, older people report that they are not given the time that they need to make decisions and that assumptions are made about their capacity to make choices about their care and treatment without adequate consultation. <BR /> <BR />Members will know that the Committee for the Executive Office is carrying out an inquiry into gaps in equality legislation, looking particularly at what happens here versus what happens in neighbouring jurisdictions. There is a specific issue here regarding ageism. In Northern Ireland, age discrimination law is outdated, as it applies only to employment, training and vocational education. It is already over a decade since the Equality Commission advised that that law must be extended to cover goods, facilities and services.”
“On International Day of Older Persons, I rise to make a statement on the importance of tackling ageism, and I do so after attending an excellent event at Stormont last week run by Age NI where it talked about the results from its lived experience survey. <BR /> <BR />The World Health Organization notes that ageism can have harmful effects on the well-being of old people and can lead to outright social exclusion. Too many assumptions are being made about how to plan for an ageing demographic without involving older people in that process. Across the UK, older people report feeling sidelined, forgotten about and dismissed by the health service, despite the fact that we are supposed to be transforming the service so that it better meets the needs of that ever-growing share of the population.”
“This follows on from my colleague Sian Mulholland's question. In the summer, I had the great fortune of visiting the Ulster-Scots Agency and hearing about the exhibition at PRONI. Was the 250th anniversary of the signing of the US Declaration of Independence discussed, and is the tourism potential of that something that your Department could take forward with its Irish counterpart?”
“Thank you, First Minister, for your statement. I echo the condolences that you sent to the bereaved families of the poor women who lost their life so tragically. <BR /> <BR />Thank you for meeting us earlier. I want to pick up on your point about the grassroots groups in the community and voluntary sector that have been battling away in this area for so long. We know that, when media attention is put on an issue such as ending violence against women and girls, there may be some women who come forward who have experienced historical cases of violence and abuse. How will they be provided for in the frameworks?”
“<BR /> <BR />I urge fellow MLAs to work with me, the Stroke Association and the community support groups to lobby the Department of Health to commit to thrombectomy expansion, with multi-year investment in infrastructure, equipment and workforce training and support to tackle stroke workforce shortages by progressing the promised stroke workforce plan for Northern Ireland; to progress stroke transformation to create efficient treatment pathways so that eligible patients can access a thrombectomy as quickly as possible; and to invest in innovations that can support enhanced and timely access to a thrombectomy. <BR /> <BR />Members, now is the time to make thrombectomy treatment for stroke patients a priority. Failing to do so will have devastating consequences for so many lives. Thank you.”
“One way to enhance access to a thrombectomy is by providing a 24/7 service so that patients can access it no matter when or where they have a stroke. The Department of Health previously committed to delivering a 24/7 service for Northern Ireland by the end of 2024, but it now says that that is unlikely to happen. This is unacceptable and will lead to more serious disabilities and, unfortunately, death in some cases.”
“It changes lives: a quarter of patients who receive a thrombectomy experience reduced disability, and a fifth achieve functional independence. Thanks to the efforts of hard-working stroke teams, Northern Ireland has a relatively well-developed thrombectomy service compared with the rest of the UK. However, with only 6·7% of patients receiving a thrombectomy, we still fall short of ensuring that every eligible patient — thought to be at least 10% of stroke patients — can benefit from this life-changing treatment.”
“As the chairperson of the all-party group on stroke, I am delighted to present this petition calling for 24/7 access to thrombectomy services. The petition was organised by the Stroke Association and has been signed by 3,567 people, including stroke survivors who have benefited from a thrombectomy. I am delighted to welcome some of them to the Public Gallery. They have come to see the petition being presented, and I thank them for their efforts. <BR /> <BR />A thrombectomy is a mechanical procedure that is carried out on eligible stroke survivors in a timely manner. It saves brains and significantly reduces the chance of disabilities such as paralysis, visual impairment and communication difficulties following a stroke. It saves money: on average, each patient who receives a thrombectomy saves the health service £47,000 over five years.”