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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Every one of 2,444 lines we hold for Paula Bradshaw, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 39 of 49.
“<BR /> <BR />I made a point at the Health Committee, to which the Chair made reference, about a small adjustment in the amendment (No 18) regulations to remove sports massage from the list of close-contact services. I welcome that amendment, as it allows for those who require physiotherapy to be able to receive it at the earliest opportunity. It is unfortunate that a constituent of mine did not feel that the change was properly communicated. She felt that she would fall foul of the PSNI, after some engagement with it, if she operated within the two weeks. I therefore repeat that communication around that amendment, and others, needs to be better.”
“I sincerely hope that that is replicated across the entire small-business sector over the next few weeks and into the new year. Another observation that I made was that it was fairly easy for social-distancing restrictions to be introduced and, importantly, that customers were happy to queue accordingly while I was there. <BR /> <BR />It is regrettable therefore that, also on Saturday, in images on social media, we witnessed once again huge queues outside a large clothing retailer. I repeat that it would be prudent for the regulations relating to the wearing of face masks to be introduced on a more universal basis. It is essential that retailers be required to enforce social distancing outside their premises. Not to do so is to allow other retailers to lose out on customers who will avoid the area for fear of community transmission.”
“The Alliance Party supports the amendment regulations. They, particularly the amendment (No. 17) regulations, which brought into law a circuit breaker, had far-reaching consequences for our non-essential retailers, bars, restaurants, gyms, sports clubs and places of worship during what should have been an important time for their operations. The only glimmer of normality for many of them was the ability to provide carry-outs and a click-and-collect service and to move their services online. <BR /> <BR />On Saturday, I visited a florist in south Belfast to see how the restrictions had impacted on the business. I was pleased to learn that the owner's experience had been somewhat positive and that trade had increased, owing to the ability to click and collect and greater support from the local community.”
“Minister, in 2015, young people in England benefited from legislation that banned smoking in cars with under-18s present. I welcome the reference in your statement to banning smoking in cars. Please can you update the House on the legislation here and tell us whether it will be aligned in both jurisdictions?”
“I take the Member's point. We have all said how frustrated we are with the limited time and lack of witnesses. However, we support the regulations when they come to the House because we know that, if we waited another four or six weeks to scrutinise them, many more might die and our hospitals could be even fuller. A lot of this is about balancing the risk against our scrutiny role.”
“Will the Member take another intervention?”
“I am struggling with your use of the word "failed". I feel that the system is a very difficult one for us to operate in and that the timescales are, as I outlined, difficult. However, as a legislator and someone elected to represent people, I do not think that I, or any member of the Health Committee — I know that you joined only recently — have failed people. Will you explain, please, what you mean by "failed"?”
“Will you agree that we, on the Health Committee, have tried to leave party politics out of the pandemic and have tried to be very collegiate in our approach to these regulations and amendments throughout the whole pandemic?”
“In responding to the debate, can the Minister answer the question about the practical implications of the amendment regulations to keep us all safe and to increase confidence in using venues as they reopen over the Christmas period?”
“16) regulations were debated by the Committee only last week, but they probably should have been in place a long time ago. I fully support raising the fine for not wearing a face covering where one is required. My view, however, remains that the regulations themselves are still too difficult to enforce in practice, essentially because they enable too many exemptions. A recent survey in the United States shows that case rates have halved in areas with mandatory mask-wearing rules and risen in areas without such rules. <BR /> <BR />I have no hesitation in commending each of the amendment regulations to the House. My only real quibble is that it should have taken so long for them to get to this point.”
“Questions remain, however. Does that information suffice? How precisely is to be used? I wonder whether it is enough to take down a name and contact number. Should we not be asking for the full address of every customer? My colleague on the Health Committee Pam Cameron has raised that issue as well. Doing so would go some way to ensuring that the six people around the table are from only two households. Even if that were done, the question would arise of whether we have an adequately resourced contact-tracing service to make any use of the information, with cases still at over 150 per 100,000 of the population every week and perhaps moving towards 200 by Christmas Day. Put simply, do we have the right information, and how is it being used to enhance public health and public safety? <BR /> <BR />The amendment (No.”
“We asked the officials about it, but there is some way to go on how to ensure that best practice in one premises can be shared with the next. <BR /> <BR />Amendment No. 15 is a clear improvement. It requires contact details from every customer, not just the person who makes the booking or the first one through the door. This is essential if we are to have any hope of using this information for contact tracing, which is the objective.”
“However, it will also mean safer custom, and that can only be to everyone's benefit. I ask the public not to wait for enforcement. It is in the interests of us all and in the interests of public health that we adhere to the regulations at all times, including in spirit. The more we crowd, the faster the virus spreads, and the more quickly we will, potentially, be back in absolute lockdown. <BR /> <BR />Amendment No. 14 follows on from the suggestion, made some time ago, that, in the same way as premises must display hygiene ratings in Northern Ireland, they must also, if not set out in a manner that adequately adheres to the regulations, display improvement notices. In theory, it is an excellent idea, and I hope that it works equally well in practice.”
“As we all have a face covering ready prior to entering a venue, I do not see why people should not be asked to wear it to provide extra cover while waiting to enter. The question that many are posing, however, is how enforceable it is in practice. Establishments do not control the area outside the venue in which they operate. Who is specifically required to enforce that regulation in a queue? I wonder whether we should be looking to other authorities, perhaps councils, for assistance with enforcement, particularly around the busy Christmas period. We know where the hotspots are, certainly in the city centre and in south Belfast. <BR /> <BR />I commend the sector, nevertheless, for taking seriously the requirements outlined in amendment No. 13. In principle, as many have calculated, it will mean lower footfall.”
“Not least because of the risk of having to close again should there be a case on the premises, it will not reopen this side of Christmas. The whole thing leads us to wonder why the two-metre requirement was abandoned in the first place. <BR /> <BR />It is also interesting that amendment No.13 requires the two-metre distancing rule to be observed in queues. It would make sense also to wear face coverings in that scenario. A few weeks ago, the weekend before departmental officials came to the Health Committee, photos of the queue outside Primark that Sunday were circulating on social media. That happened after it had been announced that shops were to close, and we saw it happen again in Lisburn at the weekend. People were queueing outside shops and posing a great risk to those around them through community transmission.”
“13 is a brave attempt at enforcing the distancing required, which has pretty much disappeared from public awareness since the Executive Office reopened hospitality in the summer, with the announcement that, effectively, one metre would suffice. It is wise to be cautious about this and to reinforce the two-metre measure across the board. While I agree that it is wise from a public health perspective, I would be interested to hear what discussions were held with the hospitality sector about the viability of reopening with a strict two-metre requirement. Anyone listening to 'The Nolan Show' this morning heard that one of the restaurants in my constituency has already determined that, come Friday, it will not reopen for the foreseeable future because it is not financially viable.”
“Nothing is perfect in what we are doing to try to fight this pandemic. Everything is done in haste. I would prefer, as would everyone on the Health Committee, that we had much more time to scrutinise the regulations, but we just do not have that time, and that is why we say in every one of these debates that we do not think that the information is good enough. However, we are where we are. <BR /> <BR />Today, we are debating regulations that are so far out of date that some may soon be back in date. I intend simply to run through the amendments. As we are to assume that, generally, these amendments will be relevant again from Friday, you will be pleased to hear, Principal Deputy Speaker, that, from this point, I will not stray too far off the subject. <BR /> <BR />Amendment No.”
“The point that I made in my intervention earlier was that it is not up to the Justice Minister to come forward. These regulations are developed and produced by the Department of Health, which is why they come through the Health Committee. I made the point that I engage with my MLA colleagues. The Alliance Party has a small team, and we all have our own portfolios, so, if there are any issues, I engage with them before attending the Health Committee. <BR /> <BR />We have to put trust in our Ministers. They are the ones who, a couple of times a week at present, look at the current restrictions and at what is coming forward. We are reliant on them, in the pressing and particular circumstances of the pandemic, to engage with their departmental officials, special advisers and others to come up with restrictions that are the best-case scenario.”
“The Chair mentioned that he would have liked to have brought in the Chief Constable. We would have liked to bring in similar people, but we could not do that. He also said that he would have liked the Justice Minister to have come in and presented the amendments that are of relevance to the Justice Committee. We have never had the Health Minister there. It is not his job to provide us with that level of insight. That is the job of his departmental officials who are responsible for the drafting. As Colm, the Chair of the Health Committee, said, sometimes that can be a cross-departmental delegation, but, effectively, it is the Health officials who come to the Committee.”
“It is great to be speaking in the debate on such a positive day as the vaccine programme begins to be rolled out. It offers a clear glimpse of light at the end of the tunnel, although this set of regulations reminds us that there is still a lot of road to travel. It is disappointing that the Chair of the Justice Committee is no longer in the Chamber to hear what I have to say before I move on to the body of my speech. Some of the points that he made earlier today were factually incorrect and did not give a good representation of the work that we on the Health Committee are trying to do. These are negative resolution statutory rules. We are not given the luxury of full scrutiny, and we cannot bring forward health professionals or a number of other stakeholders. We have 21 days to get the process through.”
“Minister, thank you for your response. I have recently received correspondence from constituents who have advised me that, when they applied for the newly self-employed support scheme, they had been frustrated by what seemed to be a mismatch between the definitions used in the Go For It programme and what the Department is using for eligibility. Could you look into that? As you know, Minister, many of those who have fallen through the cracks are in very dire straits, and it is having a serious impact on their mental well-being.”
“What happens in the Alliance Party is that, if an issue comes before the Health Committee that crosses into other Departments, I engage with my MLA colleagues on those Committees to find out their position so that I represent the whole party at the Committee. Are you suggesting that that is not what happened on your side of the House?”
“In this instance, because they are Department of Health regulations, it was right and proper that we, the Health Committee, scrutinised it.”
“Including negative, affirmative and confirmative procedure —”
“On a point of order, Mr Principal Deputy Speaker. Will you remind the House that Standing Order 43(1) provides:”
“Thank you, and apologies. The Minister will recall from the evening that we spent in a church hall in my constituency how important the sign language Bill will be. I am sure that she will have heard from many constituents about the loneliness that they have felt during lockdown. To what degree will access read across not only to public services but to wider societal issues such as sport and community life?”
“The Minister will recall that, approximately this time last year, she, Christopher and I met with the —. Sorry.”
“Minister, given that we appeared to see an increase in illegal dumping during the COVID lockdown, how is the Department working with the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) and the councils to look at the broader issues around waste management?”
“— to ensure that the clinically extremely vulnerable group is well up the list of people who are called forward.”
“With regard to the Minister's recent decision to continue to pause shielding and the placing of that group on the list for prioritisation, I encourage him —”
“I welcome that the Health Minister has released the draft potential plan for the roll-out to the Health Committee, and I have had a quick look at that.”
“Protection only comes from population immunity, which, realistically, will need to apply across as much of the globe as possible, as quickly as possible, to enable to the safe resumption of international travel and trade. It is welcome news that at least one of the vaccines can be stored for some days in smaller sites, but the issues around haulage and storage are not to be underestimated, especially as two doses are likely to be required. <BR /> <BR />The strongest aspect of the motion is the call for a clear action plan to be published for the roll-out of the vaccine. We have surge plans and suchlike, so we need an action plan here that makes it clear who makes up the priority population groups.”
“In our case, that would be by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. Alternatively, of course, if authorisation proceeds quickly, it may mean that a roll-out can begin imminently, perhaps well before the end of December. However, let us not solely be driven by time; we also need to be cautious about creating false hope that the roll-out will be completely swift. Regardless of where in the world the first jab takes place, it will be well into next year — even in the best case scenario — before we will be able to return to relatively normal lives, which will be thanks to the population immunity that will be delivered by the vaccines. <BR /> <BR />We should not underestimate the global logistical challenge.”
“I trust that we will soon hear a unanimous statement from the Executive to that effect. <BR /> <BR />However, I am unsure why a date — the end of December 2020 — appears in the motion. I am uncomfortable with the treatment of this issue by the UK Government as some kind of competition to get there first. We must emphasise that, while time is clearly important, this cannot rushed and that the vaccines used must be established by the professional experts to be absolutely effective and safe. We must allow for that in this process. Any vaccine that is used in Northern Ireland or anywhere else will have to have been through that process, and we want that regulation to be clearly detailed and definitive. In practice, that may mean that a roll-out is delayed if further assurances are sought.”
“We simply cannot have parties overruling the scientific evidence in their partisan political interests on one occasion before demanding that we all trust the science and experts on another. <BR /> <BR />Secondly, which brings us to the core point that is missed in the motion, I share in the call for all of the parties in the Chamber to get behind a public awareness campaign that is focused on the need for this vaccine to protect the health of the population as a whole, and, particularly, to remove pressure from the health service. Every party leader needs to clearly commit to endorsing the use of vaccines that the regulators have deemed safe and effective and that they will fully and proactively encourage access to, and the use of, those vaccines through the agreed vaccination programme without reservation.”
“<BR /> <BR />If we are to trust the scientific experts on pharmaceutical interventions, then we must also trust them on non-pharmaceutical interventions. That does not mean that we do not challenge or debate, but it does mean that we should not be ignorant of their advice and the reasoning behind it. Indeed, the motion specifically refers to a professional expert to lead the programme, yet we have seen politicians increasingly try to overrule professional experts in recent weeks on issues as wide-ranging as the closure of gyms and the wearing of face coverings. If we are going to endorse the use of professional experts, then we have to start respecting their professional expertise.”
“I rise to support the motion in the hope and expectation that the Assembly will stand united behind vaccination. There are some specific issues around this motion that I want to prioritise, and there are some matters in it that remain legitimately uncertain. <BR /> <BR />First, the efforts to establish a vaccine have been a remarkable triumph of science. This motion carries, inherent within it, a clear trust of science when it comes to the development of safe and effective vaccines. Those endorsing it must also reflect that we need to trust science when it comes to managing restrictions around social distancing in order to protect public health and the health service during the period between now and increased population immunity, as is to be delivered by those vaccines.”
“One of the recommendations was that the definition of hate crime should be extended to include gender-motivated offences. Does the Minister have any initial thoughts on that?”
“There was a system in place for a few months that gave priority to the essential workers whom Mr Sheehan mentioned. I have a constituent whose theory test was delayed and then delayed again. She has a low-wage job and has had to use her own money for taxis to get to a COVID test. There is discrimination against essential workers, and the whole system needs to be reviewed.”
“Nevertheless, those challenges would be made more difficult by the rejection of the motion. On that basis, it has our full support.”
“Ultimately, however, we are enabling the maintenance of the status quo, that is, world-class regulation combined with local control. I also very much welcome the amendment that will provide for local scrutiny and input. <BR /> <BR />As we said during the debate in June, we have concerns about the distinct lack of clarity about the Bill. It remains frustrating that we have not had the time to engage properly with the pharma sector in general. Nevertheless, relevant future regulations should be subject to appropriate scrutiny and consultation of that nature. It remains the case that we see the challenges ahead. They arise not from the Bill but from the circumstances that make it necessary. We have not seen any of those challenges being seriously addressed in the last five or six months.”
“I recognise that that inquiry very much focused on vaginal mesh implants, but I sincerely hope that, with that recommendation, the Department of Health here and across the water will start taking hernia mesh implants seriously and will keep a record of the number of patients that are significantly negatively impacted on. They cause a lot of pain. I very much welcome that that will come forward through this. <BR /> <BR />This is an enabling Bill that affects significant matters. I remain somewhat concerned that we have reached the end of November and some aspects that are covered by the Bill are still unclear because we await a deal between the UK and the EU. Nevertheless, we need to be clear that, as an enabling Bill, medicine supply will remain in our hands.”
“On behalf of the Alliance Party, I support the motion, particularly clauses 1 to 7 in Part 1, which concern the devolved aspects that are directly related to health. I place on record my thanks to the Health Department officials who came to Committee meetings on a number of occasions, as the Chair pointed out, and for the briefings, oral and written, that they provided us with. They were excellent. I am not going to repeat what Mr Gildernew said. <BR /> <BR />There are significant amendments being brought forward in the LCM, not least that arising from the recommendations of the Cumberlege report on the database for medical devices.”
“Minister, I take you back to my South Belfast colleague's question about students travelling home. I have been contacted by parents who are concerned that their children may get a negative test on campus, but, between then and arriving home to their household bubble, they will be on a tube, a train, a bus or other mode of transport and could well pick it up on their journey home. Is there no way that you could work with Queen's University so that some of that testing could take place when the students return home as well?”
“I will bring it to a close. I was walking along Loughshore at 6.45 am today and nearly got the head blown off me, so I do understand why it does not suit everybody to go out walking early in the morning. <BR /> <BR />Lastly, I urge the public to stick to the regulations that have just been brought in. I understand the frustration at the situation and at our politics, but there is no reason for us to introduce such tough measures other than to protect public health and our Health and Social Care system. Instead of seeking loopholes, let us understand one thing: the more closely we stick to the regulations, the sooner we can ease them.”
“Absolutely. That goes to the heart of it. They do not want outbreaks in gyms; they do not want anybody who they work with to be affected. They see the benefits —.”
“They understand, given the capacity of our heath service, the need to get this right so that we do not have a lot of infections over the Christmas period. I have a great deal of sympathy for people who run independent gyms, whose salaries may be affected. However, I think that, amongst gym goers —.”
“At the Committee session, it was pointed out that a period is required between the Executive agreeing and announcing new restrictions and the regulations being drafted to put them into effect, and that there is a further period while they are ironed out by further amendments such as Nos. 11 and 12, which we are nominally debating. <BR /> <BR />I will not say much more, but I want to pick up on a point made by Jonathan Buckley, who joined the Health Committee recently. I am one of those gym goers who try to go every morning, although I probably only make it about four or five mornings a week. Maybe it was just at the gym that I go to, but, last Thursday morning, there was a strong sense that we are closing for only two weeks.”
“<BR /> <BR />That issue was raised with me in the context that coffee shops down the road that are doing take-away coffees feel a wee bit aggrieved. That initiative speaks to the need for Departments to work together so that anything that is taken forward is about trying to achieve compliance with the public health regulations. I also place on record my appreciation of the fact that the wearing of face coverings has now been extended to all post-primary pupils. It was confusing and difficult for people on trains to decipher who should be wearing them and who should not. <BR /> <BR />That brings us to the wider chaos that has surrounded the development of the regulations.”
“I do not intend to speak for long. All that needs to be said about the regulations that we are talking about today was said at the Committee in a very long, interesting session with departmental officials about the challenges of developing such regulations at speed. <BR /> <BR />I very much appreciate that what we are discussing today are, in some ways, technical amendments in order to give clarity. I want to pick up and go into greater detail on the point that the Chair of the Committee raised when he talked about a need for greater cooperation across Departments. In my constituency of South Belfast, the Department for Infrastructure introduced what are called parklets outside a coffee shop, where people have seating that they manage and are now using. It is not businesses providing the seating but the Department.”