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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“<BR /> <BR />Secondly, the issue is fundamentally about an unsolicited approach, and particularly about activity that is designed to cause distress to people accessing sexual and reproductive health services, and thus it is about the assurance of their safety, well-being, privacy and dignity. Again, to be clear, we are talking about access to any sexual and reproductive health services, including counselling.”
“That means there will be protection for all and any involved, not just those seeking to access health services directly, although they are currently the obvious victims of harassment, but those who work in them and, for that matter, those who accompany anyone accessing the services. As has already been highlighted, we on the Health Committee have heard from the chief executives of the trusts about how damaging that harassment is to the morale of the staff working in those settings. The Department of Health is already obliged to consider protecting the people attending healthcare sites, and I will come back to that. The Justice Minister stands ready to support the Health Minister on that.”
“The fact that Northern Ireland would be the first jurisdiction in the UK to legislate in this way speaks in favour of the Bill. Being in the vanguard of legislation that is about safety, well-being, privacy and dignity is exactly what the Assembly should be about. Nevertheless, going first in the UK also speaks to the complexity of the issue, and it is on the prioritisation of human dignity and the balance of human rights that I wish to focus my remarks. <BR /> <BR />First, to be clear, my reading of the Bill is that it would be an offence to harass people within a safe access zone.”
“health services, whatever those services may be. <BR /> <BR />One of the arguments made against the Bill is that safe access zones have generally not been put in place elsewhere, at least not as a result of legislation. In common law jurisdictions, however, they are not unknown. They exist in large parts of Australia and Canada and in some parts of the United States. Although the Irish Government appear to have reversed their initial plans to prioritise them in forthcoming legislation, and although they have not yet been pursued in other parts of the UK, there is legislation enabling them in the Isle of Man.”
“I support the principles of the Bill. I thank its sponsor, Ms Bailey, not only for introducing it but for her resilience in pursuing this legislative change over many years. <BR /> <BR />Safe access zones exist, in the words of the Queensland Law Reform Commission:”
“The mother-and-baby homes panel report was launched last week, and one of its recommendations was the swift introduction of a redress scheme. Have conversations begun in the Minister's Department around amalgamating the two schemes?”
“Thank you, deputy First Minister, for your statement today. I will focus on paragraph 7, which talks about the briefing you received on the close cooperation in the response to the pandemic. Will you give some specifics on what that cooperation looks like now? Was there any discussion about what it will look like in the future?”
“No matter what the experts say about relaxation measures, each patient with a rare disease is extremely fearful about how safe they will feel on re-entering society. As the roll-out of the booster begins, there is still uncertainty about the long-term protection offered by the vaccine and how long antibodies stay in the system. <BR /> <BR />In 2021, the inequity experienced by the community is unfair and avoidable. Let us work smarter together to reduce health inequalities for that community, remembering that it numbers over 100,000 people. In this case, rare is not so rare.”
“That is more than 110,000 people in Northern Ireland, yet diagnosis takes over five years on average and often a lot longer, with typically three or four missed diagnoses along the way. There are also many that are undiagnosed. The rare disease community faces daily frustrations and challenges in Northern Ireland due to its small numbers and the limited specialist health services, as I said. Mental health problems are also common amongst that group, and they are often unaddressed due to the complexities of the psychological side of their conditions. <BR /> <BR />The restrictions due to COVID-19 have been difficult for us all, but consider the rare disease community, many of whom are in the "clinically extremely vulnerable" category — otherwise known as "shielding" — and have been in continual lockdown since March 2020.”
“Following World Mental Health Day yesterday, I want to speak today about the rare disease community, which needs a clear voice at the Executive. That community lives with complex conditions, faces daily frustrations and challenges due to its small numbers and limited specialist health services and has undoubtedly been severely impacted by the fear, isolation and loneliness caused by the pandemic. <BR /> <BR />You do not need to look far in your circle of friends and family or, indeed, at colleagues or neighbours to find someone with a rare disease. Approximately 8,000 conditions have been identified to date. While the individual conditions are rare, when you add them all up, it equates to one in 17 people living with a rare disease.”
“Thank you, Minister, for coming to the Chamber. As you referenced in your opening remarks, Informing Choices NI submitted a funding application on 20 August. Why has it taken so long for it to get an answer on that? Also, you mentioned that it is really a referral point. Are you aware of the full extent of the support that Informing Choices provides to women? It is not just a telephone service. There is also counselling and non-directive care, which directs women to adoption services, for example.”
“The South Belfast Foodbank is always in need of donations to continue its amazing work. <BR /> <BR />I also take the opportunity to thank the wider Trussell Trust for its UK-wide network of support, of which the South Belfast Foodbank is a part. In the last financial year, the charity delivered a record 2·5 million emergency food parcels — a 33% increase on the previous year. That is a staggering number, which has been exacerbated by the pandemic but is, unfortunately, a reality of the current Government. While I question the policies that make food banks necessary, I remain incredibly grateful to be able to offer my constituents the service to access the South Belfast Foodbank.”
“For people who are in need, it will provide a welcome boost to their income to spend on essentials. For others, it will be an opportunity to treat themselves after a difficult 18 months. I hope that they will use many of the fantastic local businesses in South Belfast. Others will look to make use of it for charitable purposes. While it is my understanding that the prepaid cards should not be donated directly to a charity, I encourage people to consider purchasing items for those organisations that can make use of them. In that way, the money can still not only benefit the local economy as intended but go to people who are in need of it. A local food bank or shelter is a perfect choice. Anyone who wishes to make a donation can make contact to ask what is required.”
“I am immensely grateful to Bruce Gardiner Crehan and the rest of the team for going above and beyond to help people through such a tough time. <BR /> <BR />My thanks also go to all those people who donated directly or via the drop-off point at Tesco in Newtownbreda. Over the Christmas period, I was pleased to be able to make my contribution by offering my office as a drop-off and collection point, and by volunteering in the delivery of food parcels, which were delivered to individuals and families to get them through the holidays. Although Christmas is a period of joy, the financial burden can place a huge strain on households. I look forward to helping again this year. <BR /> <BR />I know that my constituents will look forward to spending the £100 from the high street scheme.”
“I take the opportunity to thank the South Belfast Foodbank in my constituency for its outstanding contribution to the community during the pandemic. As the £20 uplift to universal credit comes to an end, its services will be in demand more than ever as people struggle to feed their families this winter. It has been a lifeline for so many, from people who lost their jobs due to COVID-19 to those who faced increased household bills as a result of furlough or the closure of schools. When people who found themselves with a severely reduced income were falling through the cracks between support schemes, the South Belfast Foodbank stepped up to give vital support. When the pandemic forced the closure of its drop-in service, the food bank adapted to the needs of South Belfast residents by providing a much-needed door-to-door delivery service.”
“<BR /> <BR />Victims have been overlooked for far too long. There is no time for expediency. It is time to recognise the fact that victims need and deserve a full say. I urge Members to consider that a unanimous vote in the House on the motion and the amendment would send a clear message that we can agree, that we can come together on behalf of victims and that we can come together to support access to truth, justice and accountability. I do not think that we are far from agreement on a route forward if we are courageous enough to deliver on it. We must be courageous. After all, that is what the families of victims and the campaigners want. However, we do not have long. A show of unity here now would be one step, but it is just one of many.”
“Sadly, the families and campaigners for truth and justice in the case of Ian Sproule are among many who would suffer if the UK Government's proposals were to progress. That raises the question that all in the House must answer about what we can do to stop those proposals progressing at Westminster. If we continue to be divided on legacy, we will play into the hands of the UK Government. UK Ministers will continue to argue that, if we are divided, they are therefore justified in simply acting over our heads. In other words, it is not enough to say what we are against; we must agree what we are for. If we cannot come up with a route forward, the UK Government's proposals will become law and be progressed. We have to ask ourselves, hands on heart, whether we want to let that happen or whether we will do something about it.”
“While recognising the independence of that office and that it is, rightly, not subject to ministerial direction, it is a sad truth that investigations into atrocities during the Troubles have more often progressed when they were reopened. Surely, there is also a case, as colleagues in the SDLP noted in their proposed amendment and elsewhere, that the ombudsman should be given statutory and legal powers for relevant historical investigations. At the very least, there should be a clear and dedicated liaison point. <BR /> <BR />It should be emphasised that the last words of our amendment reflect those of the motion. That is another reason that the UK Government's legacy proposals are so unacceptable. We need to do the best that we can to provide, not remove, access to truth, justice and accountability for all affected families.”
“First, I recognise the hard work of family members and other campaigners. Their campaign for truth has the Alliance Party's full support. There remains in this case a serious question over the claim at the Smithwick tribunal that there was a leak from the gardaí, and that question requires a clear answer. <BR /> <BR />Our amendment takes the view that it is not for the House to direct how authorities in a different jurisdiction should ensure that the case is progressed. Nevertheless, the sentiment in the House is, I think, that a request should be made to the Garda Ombudsman to reconsider it, and, no doubt, some will openly recommend this during the debate.”
“It is worth putting on record that what the motion says about seeking fair and proportionate investigation regardless of the jurisdiction in which the offence was committed is important and correct. Ultimately, it must be stressed that the UK Government's withdrawal from past agreements through their stand-alone plan for legacy makes it difficult to imagine any investigation occurring, regardless of the jurisdiction of the offence. It certainly makes it difficult to imagine that victims' families will have access to the truth, justice or accountability that they seek. That is implicit in the motion, but we wanted to make it more evident in the amendment, especially to emphasise that both Governments have an ongoing obligation around information exchange. <BR /> <BR />I turn directly to the case of Ian Sproule.”
“Most of all, they are unacceptable because they take away from the friends and family of victims the opportunity to seek justice. Indeed, they do so without even assuring them of truth or accountability. <BR /> <BR />Quite correctly, the motion also raises the point that such a statute makes a mockery of the claim that we are all equal under the law and equally subject to the law. Making the potential for charging anyone with an offence and going to trial subject to a set time frame rather than to the potential for conviction places some above the law. This is a serious violation of the basics of the rule of law. Without the rule of law, collectively, we have no foundation from which to build a coherent and fair response to the legacy with which we continue to struggle.”
“I should emphasise that I propose the amendment primarily in an attempt to ensure that the motion satisfies its original intent and so that it enjoys unanimous consent across the House. Later, I will come back to why I think that that is essential, not just for the Sproule family but for many, many others. <BR /> <BR />First, I would like to address the motion directly, and I thank Members in the DUP for tabling it. We agree entirely that the UK Government's plans to address the legacy of the past are unacceptable. They are unacceptable because they do not enjoy the support of any of the political parties represented in the Assembly. They are unacceptable because they amount to, as the motion notes, a statute of limitations.”
“I will be brief. Minister, are you satisfied that the trusts have explored every option to raise that revenue in other ways so that those charges do not —”
“My question is about the removal of free car parking for Health and Social Care staff at some of our hospitals. Minister —.”
“Thank you. That is the point that I was making, and Kellie mentioned it as well: we all do the lottery, put on small bets or go down to the amusements in Newcastle, but it is a problem when that becomes exploitative and people are taken advantage of. For example, Gambling with Lives said that the messages come through at 2.00 am when people are lying in bed, having not gambled for a few weeks, and those messages hook them back in with offers and deals. <BR /> <BR />The Bill is really important. I wish the Minister and the Committee all the best going forward.”
“We need to do so much more to provide accessible support, remove stigma and ultimately use the experiences of those who have, unfortunately, experienced addiction in order to help with interventions to prevent it occurring in the first place. Mr Butler mentioned that the Bill needs to be more comprehensive to ensure that people do not get into gambling in the first place. It is not entirely a matter for legislation because much can be done through adequate resourcing and policy prioritisation. However, it should be at the core of everything that we do on the issue. <BR /> <BR />Gambling is a public health matter, and it requires a public health approach. I want that to become more evident in the deliberations on the Bill and the issue in general.”
“They appear to have been left to later legislation, when the 1985 Order is completely overhauled. I am unconvinced that that is good enough, because there is an increasing recognition that problem gambling is a health issue. Therefore, we need to include the health aspects at the very start of any deliberations or drafting. <BR /> <BR />I tend towards the view that there should be a stand-alone service for addiction. At this point, I thank Dunlewey Addiction Services, Extern and Gambling with Lives for the work that they do, but they are not sufficiently funded. More commissioning of such services would be particularly welcomed.”
“So, while fully recognising, understanding and, indeed, even agreeing with the notes of caution, I do not think that we have much option but to proceed on the basis on which we are proceeding. That does not necessarily mean that this will be perfect, and, as my colleague Kellie Armstrong indicated, the Committee for Communities has a lot of work to do in its deliberations and in putting forward potential amendments. <BR /> <BR />I broadly agree with the measures in the Bill. They bring Northern Ireland into line with the rest of the UK in allowing customers access to the same games and fixing the oddities around Sunday trading and operating in the internet and social media age. <BR /> <BR />My concerns are around what appears to me to be the lack of priority given to the health aspects.”
“Given that problem gambling is a markedly bigger issue in Northern Ireland than elsewhere in the UK, I understand fully where some are coming from when they warn that what is really required is fully considered new legislation fit for the 2020s. In an ideal world, most of us would want to proceed in that direction. That is particularly the case with the industry levy proposed in clause 14. Given that that will have to go out to full consultation, I am unclear on why it has been included at this stage, but I look forward to hearing more about that. However, as others have indicated today, having already lost three years of legislative time, we do not have time to leave this untouched for the time that it would take to draft and approve what would inevitably be compromised legislation on something that is considerably complex.”
“I thank the Member for that intervention. I do not want to labour the point, but he is a 21-year-old football fanatic who is very impressionable at times, and the last thing that I want him to do is to see gambling as glamorous. However, knowing what his hourly rate will be, I can assure you that, in my opinion, bookies are just as exploitative of their staff as they are of their customers. <BR /> <BR />I put it on record that I understand the concerns of those who have cautioned against the approach inherent in the Bill, namely that of the middle road of amending parts of the 1985 Order rather than going with outright replacement legislation.”
“I will add a few words, primarily about health, but, before I do so, I put on record that I am a member of the APG on reducing harm from gambling. Unfortunately, I cannot get to as many meetings as I would like because they clash with Committee for Health meetings, but I recognise the amazing work that the APG has done since it was set up. <BR /> <BR />I also put it on record that my son, whom I left to university this weekend, is paying his way through university by working in a betting shop. You can imagine that my heart sank when he told me that that was how he was going to do that. My only hope is that, working in that environment, he will see how exploitative it is.”
“Has the Minister had any discussions with the UK Treasury on additional funding for healthcare workers, particularly nurses' pay? Is there an update on that?”
“<BR /> <BR />I see the ultimate objective of the Bill as moving autism away from something that is dealt with under "health" towards something that we accept as "difference", which should be respected and included across public services and society. I hope that we can pass the Bill quickly and move towards implementation and towards a society in which people with autism are better connected and understood and in which they have a real sense of purpose and of who they are.”
“Strengthening the consultation process, for example, should enable greater input from people with autism and their families and, therefore, greater understanding and awareness. <BR /> <BR />Will specific autism training as something distinct in its own right promote acceptance and inclusion of people with autism? I believe that it will. Will benchmarking ourselves against international best practice improve the lives of people with autism here and lead to improved awareness and better connections and, indeed, to a real sense of purpose? I believe that it will. Will the autism reviewer provision help to connect us all and enable us to better understand where we are succeeding and failing on autism? Again, I believe that it should.”
“<BR />By shifting our whole perspective on autism and how to ensure that there is a place and purpose for people with autism across society, we will find it much easier to be inclusive and to raise the awareness and understanding of the whole population. <BR /> <BR />One of the biggest challenges that people bring to me is simply ensuring awareness of the connections and assistance that are out there. It is essential that people with autism and their families, perhaps most notably siblings, can build connections and share experiences from the moment that autism is recognised and diagnosed. <BR /> <BR />When I saw the Bill, I asked myself, "Does it move us towards much wider acceptance, awareness and inclusion of what is, ultimately, difference?". I believe that it does.”
“As Temple Grandin — I hope that I have pronounced her name correctly — put it when she spoke in Belfast a few years ago, there must be a place in society for everyone on the spectrum and at all levels of the spectrum. As one parent of a child who received the diagnosis put it to me recently, the challenge is to work out that the child's mind will work differently. That means that suitable adaptations will need to be made, not least in the education system. The key point is to provide a sense of purpose, or, to put it another way, to emphasis what the person can do, rather than what they cannot do.”
“However, if we focused on understanding and inclusion across all services and wider society, we would greatly improve outcomes. <BR /> <BR />I want to point out as an aside that responses to the current consultation on the autism strategy 2023-2028 are to be sent to the learning disability unit. While I understand why that is, I do not think that it is right to regard autism as a learning disability. It is a difference. People with autism are not automatically less able to learn: they learn in different ways. I wonder just a little whether we have fallen at the first hurdle there. <BR /> <BR />Autism should absolutely not be presented as some form of devastating diagnosis. On the contrary, in most cases, at least, it is as much about experiencing the joy of difference.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Bill is also useful not just because of its content but because it establishes autism as an issue that we all must take into account. Furthermore, it has long been apparent that the cost of doing something is lower than the cost of not doing it. For many years, autism has been bracketed under mental health or learning disability. That has been done with the right intentions, but it has presented autism as something that it simply is not. Presenting it in such a way risked and, I suspect, caused significant stigma. Personally, I am not sure that the word "syndrome" is helpful either. What we are really talking about is difference. In some cases, yes, significant intervention and support will be necessary. For example, it is currently the case that 86% of children with autism have special educational needs.”
“<BR /> <BR />I recognise many of the serious issues that have been noted by the proposer and others: the length and variation of diagnoses, the lack of support for those who have been newly diagnosed, the lack of budgets and so on. It is important to see the positive potential of the Bill to address those failings. I should state specifically that the lack of clear Northern Ireland-only data on adults with autism is one of several data failings across the entire health and social care system. It is extremely frustrating. I sincerely hope that the independent autism reviewer, whose appointment is proposed in the draft legislation, will be able to make a difference. If we want to get to somewhere, we first need to know where we are. We cannot just know.”
“I support the Bill. I do not intend to speak for too long on it because it is largely self-explanatory. Most of all, what I want to say is intentionally general because the Bill is primarily about filling gaps and moving in the right direction. I commend the chairperson of the all-party group on autism, Pam Cameron MLA, for bringing forward the Bill, and everyone else on the all-party group. I have raised issues at Committee, particularly around how the Bill will impact on the health and social care workforce. We have explored those issues, and will certainly come back to them. The matter affects the whole health service, but I do not think that that should hold up the Bill at this time.”
“I put on record that I am meeting the police next week and that I will be raising serious concerns with the universities about this today.”
“Public services, be they police, Belfast City Council, the Housing Executive or the universities themselves, are going to have to stop passing the buck and stop putting in place piecemeal interventions for short periods, because we are now getting to the stage where young girls cannot even walk to school without being harassed. What would have happened if that kind, heroic gentleman had not intervened? I declare an interest in that, just this weekend, I left my daughter off to Newcastle, a strange city. We send our children to places around GB, down South and further afield knowing and hoping that they will be safe, and the last thing that we need is the harassing of our young female students when they are just minding their own business and trying to live their lives.”
“The House will be very familiar with complaints about the Holylands area of South Belfast, with the all-night partying, the risk of COVID being spread and waste being dumped in alleyways. In addition, I was made aware overnight that a young woman was followed home. I have seen the footage of her front door having been kicked in by a man. This morning, two females, one of whom is a schoolgirl, were harassed. It was only through the intervention of a resident, from whom we have both had correspondence, Mr Principal Deputy Speaker, that the man ran off. I am so concerned about the area. It is a becoming a lawless slum.”
“In closing, with these amendments and any other aspect of the regulations, public communication is key. On restrictions, we need clarity from the Department on purpose as well as requirement.”
“First, to repeat a point that I have often made, these regulations work only if there is compliance, and compliance is far more likely if the public know the why, not just the what. Secondly, it may give us some idea of what to expect in the winter. People are already planning for business ventures, social events, educational activities and so on. What is the public health advice and evidence concerning what mitigations they should consider and what back-up plans they should keep in reserve?”
“Was it that the original restrictions did not really work in the first place? Was it that new evidence had determined that they were ineffective in particular contexts: for example, in the summer? Was it that we were content, in fact, to let the virus spread in the summer among an increasingly vaccinated population? These amendments also came at a time when the modelling suggested that infection rates would peak no later than mid-August and potentially earlier. However, that is not, in fact, what happened. Was there any adaptation to the public health advice to take account of the peak not having been reached? <BR /> <BR />Those questions are important for two reasons.”
“Indeed, I am one of several Health Committee members who has expressed concern about the lack of clarity on the purpose and assessment of the changes. That is the point that Mr Chambers made a minute ago. There is certainly a striking lack of detail available to us as members of a scrutiny Committee. <BR /> <BR />The amendments all serve to remove restrictions, such as those on social distancing at outdoor gatherings, at a time when infection rates are rising. Again, to be clear, we come at this from the point of view that, if there is no clear reason for a restriction, there should be no restriction. However, that did create a degree of confusion among the public about why we are continuing along the journey to normality when infection rates are anything but normal and when pressures on our health workers are clearly abnormal.”
“We have no option but to go with the advice on such matters, but we also need to reflect on the fact that the public can be left bewildered and that that matters to compliance, to which I will return. Of course, the regulations have now moved on in their implementation. For example, advance records of attendance at events, like hockey matches, do not need to be taken. <BR /> <BR />As members of a liberal party, we continue to regret that any restrictions are required at all, but we accept that, on balance, given the evidence, many of them are clearly desirable in the effort to keep infection rates down and thus protect lives and our health service. I am concerned, however, that the rationale behind changes to the regulations has been far from clear.”
“13) regulations, which, while allowing for live music indoors, still leave in place relevant mitigations, including, in some instances, prior ticket purchase. <BR /> <BR />The amendment (No. 11), amendment (No. 12) and amendment (No. 14) regulations, taken together, ultimately allow for large indoor gatherings in public spaces but still leave in place strict regulations, including on the number of people and households at private premises. They say that ignorance of the law is no defence, but I am unclear as to whether anyone outside the Chamber is fully aware of the requirements on private premises and the reason for them in the context of large gatherings elsewhere now being permitted.”
“I support the regulations as amended. I should probably declare an interest. The amendment (No. 8) and amendment (No. 9) regulations refer to the return of team sport, which I very much appreciate. Over the last year and a half or so, I have seen first-hand how difficult it has been for many people to not be able to fully participate in their sport, not just for physical health but for spiritual and mental well-being. The amendment (No. 8) regulations essentially reflect the clear evidence that the virus spreads considerably more rapidly indoors than outdoors. That is also the reason for caution around aspects of the amendment (No. 9) regulations and even the amendment (No. 10) and amendment (No.”