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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“As such, it needs to be noted that this piece of legislation does not distinguish between severe and fatal, but it does require the ending of stereotypes and ongoing social and financial support for women who decide to carry such pregnancies to term. It is right to seek advice on exactly how that is to be understood in terms of the international human rights obligations arising from it. <BR /> <BR />Members may also welcome advice on the human rights implications of the Supreme Court judgement of 7 June 2018, even though it was, at the time, obiter dictum. It was endorsed by the High Court in Belfast in October 2019, and it clarified the incompatibility of the then existing law on abortion in Northern Ireland with human rights obligations.”
“Section 9(1) of the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation etc) Act 2019 is specific in requiring the Secretary of State to ensure the implementation of paragraphs 85 and 86 of the CEDAW report. Paragraph 85(b)(iii) of the report directly addresses the balance of rights in this legislation. It requires legislation to allow access to abortion in the case of:”
“To be compatible with international human rights standards, therefore, Members will want to be assured that the amendments to the relevant regulations proposed in the Bill are compatible with the recommendations to the CEDAW report, as contained in paragraphs 85 and 86 and as explicitly required in Westminster legislation. <BR /> <BR />Mr Speaker, will you ask the gentleman behind me to stop speaking, please?”
“The question arises as to how the convention should be interpreted in that regard. <BR /> <BR />One further UN convention is of relevance to the Bill, as it specifically seeks to amend regulations arising from the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). It was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1979 and applied in the United Kingdom since 1986, with reference to the report on the 'Inquiry concerning the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland under article 8 of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women' of 2018.”
“She also noted that using the convention in any effort to restrict or prohibit access to safe abortion:”
“<BR /> <BR />All human rights are a balance, and it should be noted that, in 2008, the chair of the convention, Theresia Degener, said:”
“Thank you, Mr Speaker. I am particularly grateful, on International Women's Day, to those women who have campaigned so courageously for women's rights. <BR /> <BR />The proposer of the Bill argues, fundamentally, that the current regulations are discriminatory and therefore a breach of human rights under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2006 and the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. <BR /> <BR />Since it is entirely right to establish what those rights are and legislate accordingly, it is essential, before proceeding with the legislation, to explore the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission's view on whether the Bill is compatible with human rights obligations and whether Northern Ireland may currently be in breach of the convention with regard to the rights of the unborn child.”
“Thank you very much, Minister. That is very helpful. I am pleased to hear that Queen's University in my constituency is involved in this and that there will be cross-departmental working. To what degree will the public be made aware of any of the findings of the research?”
“The Finance Minister pledged last week that that £500 payment will not create complications in tax pensions and credits. It is important to ensure that all key workers, who have been placed under huge pressures and who provided vital services during the pandemic, qualify for that payment. That includes those in the community and voluntary sector. The money is clearly there in the headroom allocation to pay for that. <BR /> <BR />Our job here today is to safeguard the finances for Northern Ireland and, most of all, for the people of Northern Ireland. We trust that, in voting through these allocations, we are very much helping to do the latter, and we must give them the benefit of doubt despite the rush.”
“Mental health and well-being, which were also raised in the Chamber this afternoon, accounts for between 7% and 8% of all health spending. Northern Ireland has higher rates of poor mental health than the rest of the UK, and we cannot just rely on Barnett consequentials and remaining confidence-and-supply funding to deliver a comprehensive strategy for that. We need every Member to commit to ensuring that it is properly funded. In particular, I will highlight that we have committed no extra funding, either this year or next, for children's mental health. <BR /> <BR />I want to turn to an issue that has been live in recent weeks and that is very relevant to the decisions that we have to make in this financial year, namely, the £500 special recognition payment.”
“Those are not just pledges that were made on paper; they have real-world impacts in areas that are a matter of urgency to many people who cannot wait for them to be addressed. <BR /> <BR />Some of the extra funding in these Estimates is very welcome. For example, there should now be no shortage of PPE, given the £175 billion allocation. I put on record some of the key concerns for Department of Health spending heading into the next financial year. For example, long COVID is already a growing pressure on well-being and post-viral services. They will need to be commissioned properly and properly funded in the coming months. Waiting list pressures, as I said, will inevitably need more than the current £1·1 billion Budget allocation.”
“That is, perhaps, understandable in these specific circumstances, but the fact is that that cannot remain the case. If anything, as we rebuild and reform health and social care, any budgetary uplifts to Health will have to be allocated as a proportion of the total. We need not just to address the appalling backlog in waiting lists, diagnostics and treatment but to increase spending on investment and reform. That should have happened a long time ago — the Bengoa report, published a few years back, was mentioned — and we have a lot of space to recover. <BR />There are also some aspects of healthcare that were pledged in the Westminster legislation or in 'New Decade, New Approach' that have still not been provided for, from the three cycles of IVF to back pay for workers in various parts of the healthcare sector.”
“Increasing corporation tax across the UK would, for example, raise the question of whether we wish to accept increased income from such an increase through Barnett consequentials, or ignore it and maintain a lower rate here. That has a potential impact even on how we might wish to spend the headroom money that is allowed for in the Estimates. At all times, we have to consider what lies ahead. Hopefully, we will begin a recovery period in the second half of the forthcoming financial year. <BR /> <BR />Notwithstanding what I have said about the spending impacts on Health, even with COVID-19 spending, Health is under-represented. The Department's £1·04 billion allocation may be the highest of all the Executive Departments, but it is actually a lower share of the total that is usually allocated in the Budget process.”
“The requirement for assistance is also felt across all sectors, from the need to provide extra public spending to plug gaps, to the need to support the community and voluntary sector to provide vital services at a time when it is most difficult to do so, and to the need to support businesses and those who work in the private sector who cannot, for whatever reason, earn a living at present. That is a reminder that spending must be about practical outcomes, not bureaucratic silos. <BR /> <BR />A little like when we discuss coronavirus regulations, the timing for discussing the Estimates and budgets is not ideal because of changes that are about to come. We are still uncertain about what lies ahead in the UK Budget.”
“There is an element of familiarity for me, in my capacity as my party's Health spokesperson, in that we are discussing a motion that we have no real option but to agree. We have never had a year in which the Estimates have diverged so significantly from the original Budget, with 19% extra resource expenditure and 11% extra capital, even discounting the specific COVID-19 spending. That is why it is so frustrating that we have little time to scrutinise it fully, but we are where we are. <BR /> <BR />When I was in the Chamber to debate the Vote on Account 10 months ago, I mentioned that the current crisis had shown that Health spending concerns all Departments because health is all-encompassing. The impact of the pandemic has been felt across every section of society and every public service.”
“Thank you, Minister. The Executive Office responded to a question for written answer from me regarding the commission's report, and indicated that the junior Ministers were establishing a working group to look at its recommendations and findings. Have your Department's officials been invited onto that working group, and what role could they play on it?”
“<BR /> <BR />Lastly, given the relative absence of information that my colleagues on the Health Committee highlighted, I want to mention, with great reluctance, that there are ongoing difficulties with our scrutinising the regulations and amendments. We ask departmental officials to be more forthcoming with that information, which, potentially, is being provided to the Executive. We have a lot of work ahead of us, but there are brighter days ahead.”
“It is very worrying that, as we come up to St Patrick's Day and, as others mentioned, with the arrival of nice weather, we could see greater community transmission in that area, which will lead out into the regions if a "steel wall" is not put in place and the Executive, through the task force, do not get a grip on the problems that are occurring nightly and throughout the night in the Holylands. <BR /> <BR />I want to raise with the Health Minister the need to update the shielding advice on nidirect. At the minute, it is based on the previous restrictions. Can that be updated urgently for many of our constituents, particularly those who work or send clinically vulnerable children to school?”
“Is there any opportunity for rapid testing to be introduced at test centres before the people who are taking their tests enter the car? That would protect test centre staff and give greater comfort to the wider public. The sooner that that backlog is cleared, the better. Among those will be people who are graduating from health and social care degree courses, for example, who will be vital members of the workforce as we emerge from the pandemic. <BR /> <BR />It is imperative that I raise an issue that is local to South Belfast, which is the ongoing and seemingly increasing issue of parties in the Holylands area. The message seems to have been completely lost. There seems to be great disturbance to local residents. Low-level criminal damage has occurred. There are all-night parties.”
“In the next review round, serious consideration could be given to reopening some of them, given the social-distancing and hygiene control measures that they had put in place before the current lockdown. <BR /> <BR />I want to raise another issue, which the Health Minister does not handle but which the Executive need to consider. It emerges from amendment No 4, which allows driving training for the emergency services, aligning the exemption here with that for motorcycles. We need to be fully prepared for the recovery with regard to driving tests. We heard from the Infrastructure Minister in response to a question that tens of thousands of young people — that age group in particular — are waiting for their tests.”
“That may give greater clarity on what is required. However, we also need to remember the slogan that I used in the Health Committee: "You are not caught in traffic; you are traffic". <BR /> <BR />Contrary to amendment No 2, the next review is now on 18 March. We also now have an ad hoc debate about whether we should follow England more closely, particularly with regard to school reopenings. I urge the Executive to follow the evidence that is provided to them and to do it strategically rather than on an ad hoc basis. Other facilities beyond schools impact on the key balance between mental and physical well-being on the one hand and eliminating serious illness arising from the virus on the other. Essentially, leisure centres, gyms, golf courses and libraries are good for supporting people's mental well-being.”
“If I may, I want to address quickly yesterday's headlines about apparent crowds on the north coast and public parks on Sunday, as the Committee Chairperson and the MLA for East Derry raised earlier. There is a distinct lack of clarity about what we are asking of people. The regulations suggest that we may meet more than one person and, imminently, another household for exercise. There will now be further confusion because the Prime Minister has talked about allowing that for recreation but not exercise. People do not just walk past people whom they know when they are in a park. I have been out walking on nearby walkways. One does not just walk past people. People are interacting even when they do not intend to meet others. Should we revert to the basic message of avoiding the three Cs: crowded spaces, contact and crowds?”
“I welcome the announcement last week that click-and-collect arrangements are to be extended for some retailers. As the Deputy Chair of the Health Committee rightly pointed out, that is vital for retailers in areas such as children's footwear. However, I believe that we have left some retailers scratching their heads wondering why they have not been included.”
“I am not the only one who, while out grocery shopping, has found myself in what I term "COVID central". Ultimately, the question becomes whether we are serious about the enforceability of the "Stay at home" order or have the potential to limit those crowds. We missed the opportunity at Valentine's weekend to introduce the click-and-collect provision. That is possibly why all the supermarkets were crowded, as I said at the Health Committee.”
“Apart from a few hiccups, it is going really well, and they are all to be commended for their hard work. <BR /> <BR />Despite that, we still need to ask ourselves why we are getting hundreds of cases every day given that the numbers now being reported represent a period after the regulations came fully into force. That was the question that I asked the Health Minister when we last debated the regulations, and the wider public, who continue to make this significant sacrifice, have a right to that information. <BR /> <BR />We also need to ask ourselves how we assess the reality that, if fewer shops are open but people are still determined to go out and about, we inevitably end up with crowded shops and, as it seemed at the weekend, crowded parks and public tourist destinations.”
“In this instance, we are looking at a reversion to something that is fundamentally closer to the regulations when they initially came into force last March. The main headline in the regulations is that a "Stay at home" order now clearly applies and may be enforced. <BR /> <BR />I continue to commend the vast majority of people who are staying at home except for essential journeys. This is an exceptionally grim time of year in which we are asking them to do that. I hope sincerely that the advances made by the vaccine programme, which are now evident in reducing infection and not just hospitalisations, are keeping people's spirits up, but we appreciate that this is a difficult task. I put on record my thanks to the Health Minister, Patricia Donnelly and the rest of the team for the vaccine programme.”
“Thank you, Mr Principal Deputy Speaker. I welcome back Mr Poots as well. It is great to see him in the Chamber. <BR /> <BR />I place on record my continued appreciation of the Health and Social Care workforce for its sterling efforts in battling this devastating virus. I also pass on my condolences to the families that have been bereaved since the last time I was in the Chamber. I sincerely hope that they will have an opportunity in the near future to come together with their loved ones to mark their passing in a more accustomed tradition. <BR /> <BR />We again find ourselves discussing regulations long after they apply; indeed, amendment No. 2 has been superseded by another amendment to move the date of the review further on.”
“On a point of order, Mr Speaker. You have not addressed the issue of our receipt of the Human Rights Commission's advice before we move to scrutiny.”
“On a point of order, Mr Speaker. This morning's situation is unusual because the proposer of the Bill decided to provide us with information on it at 10.16 am. With reference to Standing Order 30, parts 5 and 6, and Standing Order 34, I am sure that the proposer will have no objection, given that he has stated that his Bill is fundamentally about human rights, that I ask for assurance that we will have written evidence from the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission on its content before we proceed to scrutiny.”
“Would it not be advantageous if Members and, indeed, the public could see that information? Otherwise we will be even more limited in our scrutiny role than we are already by having to debate these regulations so long after they already apply. <BR /> <BR />Given the relative absence of information and the ongoing difficulties that are caused by so many of them, it is with some reluctance that I commend the regulations in the hope that we have seen the last peak of infections. There will be something very wrong if we have not.”
“There is a balance to be struck between, on the one hand, holding the current line until, at the very least, all the clinically vulnerable have been vaccinated and perhaps beyond that in order to give the vaccination programme itself the maximum chance of succeeding, and, on the other hand, enabling the limited opening of lower-risk and high-benefit locations. The most obvious amongst those are schools, but I accept that that is not a matter to which the Health Minister can give a direct answer. Other facilities include leisure centres, general retail, gyms and libraries, which are essential to mental well-being and can be managed in a way that limits risk markedly. <BR /> <BR />I ask the Minister what information is being considered for the now-imminent review of the restrictions.”
“That is why we need to hear from the Minister how exactly that will be managed and what information will feed into consideration of the next steps.”
“I am impressed particularly by those shops that have invested in having staff on hand at the entrance to try to ensure that the guidelines, such as one person only, are adhered to. <BR /> <BR />As has so often been the case during the pandemic, we continue to operate in an information vacuum. Where are the ongoing problems that are causing infections? I hope that the Minister can provide us with not just an outline but details of what contact tracing is telling us and therefore what precisely those who provide the public health advice have been asked to consider for the coming weeks. Arising from that, I hope, Mr Deputy Speaker, that you will allow me leeway to touch on the amendment No. 2 regulations, which indicate that a review will now take place ahead of potential changes on 5 March.”
“If infections are happening in the home, how is the virus moving between homes when a "Stay at home" order is in place? If infections are happening in offices, do all those offices need to have people in them? If infections are happening in shops, do we need to implement improved social-distancing measures? <BR /> <BR />I commend the vast majority of people who are staying at home except for essential journeys, because this is an exceptionally grim time of year in which to do it. I hope sincerely that the advances made by the vaccination programme are helping people to keep their spirits up, but that is a difficult task. I also applaud the workplaces that have ensured that staff can work from home. I know of many instances in which it has not been straightforward to make that a reality.”
“Again, we find ourselves discussing regulations long after they began to apply. In this instance, we are looking at a version that is fundamentally closer to the regulations that came into force last March. The main headline in these regulations is to "Stay at home". That is an order, and it may be enforced. <BR /> <BR />We probably need to ask ourselves how we are still getting hundreds of cases every day, given that the numbers being reported are for the period after these regulations came into force. In other words, they represent infections in a period throughout which a "Stay at home" order has applied in law. In such circumstances, how are infections taking place? That is a question to which the Minister should have an answer. In recent weeks, we have heard little about the contact tracing that might answer that question.”
“Thank you for your answer, First Minister. I wonder, therefore, when you will sign off and publish the report from the Commission on Flags, Identity, Culture and Tradition.”
“First Minister, you will be aware that, last week, the UK Government went out to tender for managed isolation hotels close to airports and ferry terminals. Given the changing nature of the list of banned countries, with countries moving on and off it, will the task force move forward with tendering for provision in Northern Ireland?”
“<BR /> <BR />One advantage, probably the only one, of having waited for the rest of the UK to move first is that we have been able to see what works in practice and not just in theory. I can see why, in theory, it was felt that the best way to go was to tag the offence of stalking on to the offence of harassment, as was done in England and Wales. However, the figures show that the decision in Scotland to create a specific offence of stalking and another of threatening and abusive behaviour has resulted in better reporting, more convictions and, surely, a greater comparative sense of safety. That seems, therefore, to be the best way to go, and we should all welcome the fact that the Minister has chosen it. I commend the Bill.”
“It is to be hoped that the presence of this Bill alone will make people think twice about whether the behaviour that they are engaging in is stalking: fixated, obsessive, unwanted or repeated. A further advantage of stalking protection orders is that they may require participation in an intervention of some sort to disrupt the behaviour. That is fundamentally what this legislation is about. <BR /> <BR />Victims have waited too long for this legislation. That was the case when it was introduced in the rest of the UK 10 years ago, so victims here have waited for an eternity. It is essential that we recognise that we do not have further time to waste and that this vital legislation is put on the statute books as quickly as possible.”
“<BR /> <BR />I have listened carefully to the arguments for and against addressing stalking primarily with stalking protection orders and have become convinced of the case for them on the basis that their prime objective is the protection of victims. The Minister has set out the conditions that will apply to their implementation. We have heard stories of orders being breached already in England and Wales, where they have applied for a year, and we have also heard stories of stalking continuing from prison. As the Minister said, what will be needed when an order is applied and when a prosecution is secured is training and a commitment to swift action by the police and the courts when conditions are breached. <BR /> <BR />It is worth re-emphasising that the disruption of stalking behaviours before they become entrenched is a key objective.”
“A very helpful study, albeit from over 20 years ago, 'Study of Stalkers', referred to five motivation types: the rejected stalker, who is typically from a relationship; the intimacy stalker, who believes that a relationship is inevitable despite evidence to the contrary; the incompetent suitor, who usually seeks a sexual encounter; the resentful stalker, who generally sets out intentionally to cause distress; and the predatory stalker, who gets gratification from the act of stalking. In other words, the motivations can be wide-ranging. We also need to highlight the potential for stalking to be a hate crime if it is committed against someone because they are from a particular group in society.”
“<BR /> <BR />It is essential that we reflect in today's debate, and in the public debate more generally, that legislation like this must, first and foremost, be about protecting the victim. That is no easy task in law. The challenge is not just to define stalking and apply penalties where it occurs, with the aim of stopping repetition, it is to stop it occurring in the first place. In other words, the objective is not to put lots of people in prison for stalking but to stop stalking. <BR /> <BR />At this stage, it is helpful to emphasise that the common idea of what a stalker is may be too narrow.”
“Naturally, I support the motion and the Bill, which is fundamentally about making people feel safe. We have heard about many high-profile cases in which fixated, obsessive, unwanted and repeated behaviour has not been tackled, at great cost to the victim, sometimes for decades. <BR /> <BR />I join other Members in paying tribute to the many victims who shared their stories. In doing so, they played a significant role in ensuring that no one will have to go through what they went through. The role of the Suzy Lamplugh Trust, alongside organisations such as Women's Aid and Victim Support, in keeping the issue in the public mind has been vital in delivering legislation elsewhere in the UK, and it has been vital here.”
“It is now imperative that we ensure that the Policing Board holds the PSNI to account and that the Police Ombudsman carries out her investigation with the utmost expediency. They are the correct channels for scrutiny and accountability. <BR /> <BR />The events of Friday remind us all of how our past continues to live with and through us. The PSNI has to police the COVID regulations proportionately and consistently. Leadership from the House is required so that communities, such as the lower Ormeau community, which suffered so grievously in the Troubles, can be supported respectfully, and we can get peace and reconciliation firmly back at the centre of our work in the Assembly.”
“I thank Mr Kelly for bringing the Matter of the Day to the Chamber. Twenty-nine years ago, the lower Ormeau community was plunged into acute grief and dismay at the truly shocking attack on Sean Graham bookmakers. Five families lost loved ones, and the deep wounds and scars from the atrocity still endure. As such, it is important that we all recognise and respect this anniversary. <BR /> <BR />What happened last Friday was truly shocking, and I found it very saddening. The respectful service that was attended by the five families should not have been disrupted in such a fashion. It is my understanding that the Chief Constable made the decision to remove the officers from duty following a review of body-worn video footage as opposed to social media posts.”
“I echo the comments from the previous speaker on the expectation and anticipation of the road being delivered. Minister, are you confident that the money that has been allocated for the next financial year will be spent and will not be handed back?”
“As the Minister knows, carers have been living through the most anxious times over the last year. Many of them are contacting their GP surgery to find out when they will be called for their vaccine, but they are told that they are still not in a priority group. Two weeks ago, I asked Patricia Donnelly whether she could produce a leaflet specifically for our carers so that they do not have to go to GP practices. Will you issue a statement to give them clarity on when they will be called forward?”
“— the number of deaths and serious illnesses would have been a lot worse.”
“The pandemic has shone a light on the crucial role of the sector, how much more we need to do to equip it to play that role and, indeed, how much we rely on staff who often go beyond the call of duty and acting — it is a vocation — to keep it operating. The exact nature of an emergency is never easy to predict, but we must apply learning now for future generations. <BR /> <BR />In closing, I recognise the amazing work of Pauline Shepherd and her team at Independent Health and Care Providers. From the start, she raised with the Department of Health issues that were affecting care homes and kept pushing for them to be addressed until the additional funding, PPE and other supports were made available. I genuinely believe that without her tenacity —”
“There are ongoing concerns about the true independence of the RQIA given the resignation of its entire board during the pandemic, and I trust that those concerns are now being addressed. We also need to be better prepared for future pandemics, including with equipment storage and helping people to cope with bereavement in times of a public emergency.”