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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“That type of early intervention would see the most appropriate care provided immediately, with adequate follow-ups within a few days. That is the most effective channel to help people in need without the need for referrals, other than in the most extreme cases. <BR /> <BR />To re-emphasise two key points, the service cannot survive by having to chase after a pot of funding every few months. It needs a longer-term footing. Secondly, if we could provide longer-term funding, it could become a true anchor for the service and for improving mental health across the area, and that is potentially a model for elsewhere in this country. <BR /> <BR />I express my thanks to everyone who has been involved in the service to date and wish them well for the future.”
“By allocating funding to such services in the longer term, we should recognise that by intervening early — and, therefore, effectively — we can turn lives around. There is, surely, nothing more important. <BR /> <BR />I have spoken to my party's councillors in the area, and I emphasise the point raised in the earlier debate that crisis intervention should be much more an innate part of the overall mental health service, and, indeed, the health and social care system generally. Crisis intervention can be a fundamental part of primary care, providing a direct link for the police, ambulance and fire services rather than having to direct people to an already busy emergency department at Altnagelvin or elsewhere.”
“Thank you to the Member for bringing this debate. It is not my constituency, although, as a former resident of Eglinton, it was once, so I speak as not just my party's health spokesperson but as someone who has a natural sympathy for the area. <BR /> <BR />The case for the retention of the service and placing it on long-term funding has been made. Indeed, the clear case exists for not just retention but extension. Funding sources may need to be wider than the Department of Health but, as we heard in the earlier debate, it is essential that we do not see money allocated to these services as just money spent but money saved. Such services are classic examples of the type of early intervention that the entire process of transforming our health and social care system is all about.”
“At the all-party group on cancer, this afternoon, one of your departmental officials advised that there had been a 17·5% reduction in red-flag referrals from GP surgeries. Will you put in place some temporary, short-term measures to reverse that and get people into the system?”
“Their efforts are very much appreciated and welcomed by the Alliance Party. Lastly, I wish to send my best wishes to the members of Belfast Multi-Cultural Association whose cars were damaged at the weekend. If ever there were a stark reminder that we need a fresh look at race relations in Northern Ireland, it was this.”
“As such, there may be a need to produce anti-racism policies or to update the existing anti-bullying policies to reflect the needs of these pupils in securing the appropriate support. <BR /> <BR />Another key area that I feel the race relations strategy has a huge role to play in is in the workplace. From the time of recruitment processes, with regard to fair employment, through to access to training and promotional opportunities, it is in everyone's interests that the legislative and policy frameworks are workable and effective in ensuring harmony and integration for all BAME employees. <BR /> <BR />In closing, I hope that MLAs can support our amendment, and I place on record my thanks to those groups and individuals who have worked so hard over the years in campaigning for the rights of BAME members of our society.”
“On this, it is equally important that we put in place measures to ensure that this integration is not blocked or frustrated by others through covert or overt racism, or, in extreme cases, through hate crime. I very much welcome the ongoing work in the Department of Justice into a review of hate crime legislation. It is this type of robust work that needs to be replicated across many Departments to ensure that the relevant legislative framework is fit for purpose. <BR /> <BR />Measures may also be required to address educational achievement among BAME pupils. That can be a result of, or at least in part way perpetuated, by bullying and marginalisation in our schools.”
“<BR /> <BR />In taking forward the themes of empowering and integrating people, we need to ensure that members of the BAME community are educated about all the aspects of our public services, with particular reference to providing them with an understanding of the standards of support and the duty of care that they should expect. In turn, equipping them with the power to stand up and to speak out for those rights. <BR /> <BR />On integrating, we know that individuals and families are coming to Northern Ireland to settle here for many years, decades and even centuries. The time has long since gone that we remove some of the barriers to their full assimilation into life here, in our schools, workplaces and community life in general.”
“Where cross-departmental working is required, it is absolutely vital that there is agreement from the start, with the collaboration forthcoming and not wrangled, especially with regard to financing, which, we in the Chamber know, has been the reason why many a fine project has not gotten off the ground. <BR /> <BR />Further to this, I have met with numerous voluntary sector groups, especially in my constituency, that are doing the most amazing work with ethnic minority communities with origins from all parts of the world. However, they are operating on an absolute shoestring with stressful levels of funding, uncertainty and risk. If we are serious about empowering and integrating people who choose to live here, we have to properly support those groups that have the connections, understanding and ability to properly engage with them.”
“<BR /> <BR />Therefore, moving on from today, while it is important that the Executive Office leads on this work, with full engagement from the BAME community and other voluntary sector stakeholders, it is also vital that there is cross-departmental feed-in to the strategy and, in turn, complete cooperation with the agreed actions and their time frame for implementation. This departmental cooperation will be vital to ensure that the existing and forthcoming work complements the content and aspirations of the race relations strategy. This will require some work on assimilation and coordination, but it is very much necessary. <BR /> <BR />The next stage will be the requirement that sufficient funding is allocated so that the actions can be fully delivered in a timely fashion.”
“The BAME community has been raising concerns for many years, not least at the lack of a sense of urgency in addressing the issues that they face in many aspects of their lives. <BR /> <BR />To address the substance of the motion, I very much welcomed the inclusion in the New Decade, New Approach agreement of the need to produce a new and updated strategy within 100 days. To be fair to the Executive Office, nobody in January could have predicted that our lives and the work of the Assembly would have been so significantly disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. As such, it is entirely reasonable and understandable that the target of 100 days may have slipped. However, it is time for this work to recommence.”
“That community's input will not only provide space to link the amended strategy more closely to the issues faced but will ensure greater buy-in from this diverse community. The premise for wide and authentic co-design and co-production is that, firstly, we have the identification of all the problems and the solutions. Then we ensure that we translate the solutions into firm actions, outputs and outcomes. This is where I feel that the strategy from the Executive Office is light on detail, and where it needs to go further and to be more ambitious. That is why I am calling for an update as opposed to a replacement. <BR /> <BR />Our amendment also calls for a timetable for this work to be completed and, more importantly, implemented.”
“I will speak to the Alliance Party amendment, but I thank the Sinn Féin Members for bringing this important subject to be debated today. <BR /> <BR />I represent South Belfast, which is noted as the most culturally, ethnically and socially diverse constituency in Northern Ireland. It is that diversity that makes it all the more enriched and prosperous, in all senses of the word. Therefore, the frustration for many, not least the minority ethnic community, is that the issue of race relations does not appear to receive the attention and concentration of effort that it deserves and requires. As such, our amendment is to provide a mechanism for fully engaging with and drawing on the lived experience of the BAME community to co-design and co-produce an updated race relations strategy for Northern Ireland.”
“Minister, my question follows on from Mr Gildernew's on the number of queries that we are getting through our constituency office. Are you minded to set up a public representatives' phone line to filter those through so that we are not just going through the general helpline?”
“I was in the Holylands this morning — it is part of my constituency — and there were 10 or 12 young people standing in the front garden, drinking away. My specific question in relation to the announcements last week is, given we know that they are not socially distancing in that community, do you believe that the term "avoid unnecessary travel" relates to them going home to their families at the weekend? If so, can some further guidance be produced for the students?”
“In the Housing Executive's list of housing-related support under the Supporting People programme, one of the categories refers to women at risk of domestic violence. Given what you have just said, it seems that practice is out of line with policy. Will you review the policy to bring it up to date so that it does not discriminate against men?”
“Minister, for the safety and well-being of employees of meat processing plans, can you confirm whether you are going to move towards more regular testing at this plant and others, given the prevalence of the spread of the virus in such facilities?”
“It is about transparency about what went on historically, but it is also a call to action to improve, meaningfully and permanently, the future experience of people with mental health problems, learning disabilities and autism. Those in care, and their families, must always be assured, regardless of what form that care takes, that they are being looked after properly, with appropriate safeguards and leadership in place. I will support the Sinn Féin amendment, and I commend the motion to the House.”
“We need to get the information from the people who were there and were responsible. <BR /> <BR />Before I draw my remarks to a close, I want to acknowledge that many fine employees at Muckamore have provided, and still provide, health and well-being support to the patients with professionalism and integrity. A public inquiry would separate those who did wrong from those who did right by their patients. We owe it to them to provide a mechanism for marking out that distinction. <BR /> <BR />In conclusion, the motion is not just about a public inquiry. It is about meaningful change emerging from such an inquiry. It is about justice for families, past and future.”
“They have demanded a full public inquiry under the Inquiries Act 2005, Indeed, when they made this clear around, I think, 2018, the Minister, in his previous role as leader of the Ulster Unionist Party, signed up in support. There is no harm in the Minister continuing in the role of engaging with the families. However, he must know what is required. Now, it is about getting on what with he signed up to. Endless delays mainly suggest that people are trying to hide something. What we need is absolute transparency. Specifically, a public inquiry is required to meet the families' justifiable demands and address their concerns, and to compel witnesses. We saw in the recent review of leadership and governance that not everybody who should have taken part in that did so. We need to get the answers.”
“The entire system of oversight, but not the actual regulation, of Muckamore by the RQIA is a nonsense. There needs to be specific regulation of mental health and learning disability services similar to that carried out by the Care Quality Commission in England. <BR /> <BR />We should already have seen a review of staffing, both numbers and training, if we are to become increasingly reliant on day care for patients, and a comprehensive package of emotional support for the families of those who suffered at Muckamore should be in place. <BR /> <BR />The Minister has met the families in the past. Indeed, he did so at a recent Health Committee meeting. The families are very clear about what they want.”
“It is possible that that was before my time as a full-time politician, but I will note your remarks. <BR /> <BR />When simply put on the record like that, I am unsure why we have not, to date, had a public inquiry. <BR /> <BR />As I mentioned, a review of leadership and governance was carried out earlier this year, and it provides recommendations for immediate implementation. The culture of resolving matters on-site rather than enabling challenge at board level regarding the discharge of statutory functions; the lack of clear direction, in any sense, from board management through even to the plans for the future of the site; and the fundamental failure to implement governance arrangements are clearly defined problems that need to be rectified. <BR /> <BR />On top of this, we see that our regulation system simply does not work.”
“This is a deeply alarming litany of adverse incidents, poor governance and, most importantly, alleged harm caused to vulnerable people.”
“In December 2018, Dr Margaret Flynn's report outlined failings including a lack of safeguarding protocols, the harming of patients and the use of an unmonitored seclusion room. She made public her view that the hospital had to close. The resettlement of those at Muckamore was promised but remains incomplete. The report was leaked rather than published. That lack of transparency is one reason why the Alliance Party and others made clear their view at that time that only a public inquiry would suffice. It was even later than that when the RQIA took action against the trust in regard to standards of care. It is unclear why it took so long.”
“Years after the Ennis report, CCTV was, finally, installed in two wards at Muckamore but no policy was put in place to finalise its use. Nevertheless, we then heard about the CCTV footage, and the subsequent introduction of the police looking at that. We know that that is ongoing, and I respect that process. No policy being in place was evidence of there being too great a distance between the operation of the hospital and the management of it. We have heard of many arrests and suspensions for alleged abuse over the years, so we will not go into that.”
“Already, by the mid-1990s, focus in public policy and academic research was shifting towards community care from the outdated concept of institutions. From October 2002, we saw the publication of the Bamford Review of Mental Health and Learning Disability and the implementation of at least some aspects of the review. Those included the relocation of children's services and a more general emphasis on moving on from Muckamore as it was at that time. <BR /> <BR />It was in November 2012 when two staff members were charged with assault for abuse in the Ennis ward. The fact that the subsequent report was not acted upon is one reason why families will, with justification, accept nothing less now than a full and transparent public inquiry.”
“That re-emphasises the fact that an inquiry is not about just ensuring justice, although that is essential, but about enabling us to take urgent action to ensure that such a situation never occurs again. The most urgent action is that we now implement the conclusions of the review of leadership and governance, and the safeguarding report. The latter, of course, requires the closure of Muckamore Abbey Hospital. On top of that, however, we must ensure that we never again see any place of care within the health and social care system become so peripheral that the highest standards of leadership and governance are not implemented. <BR /> <BR />Muckamore was once seen as a model for good delivery, but that was many decades ago.”
“It could take days for families to be informed about those incidents, and it could, and still can, take years for complaints to be investigated properly. The Assembly must commit to never allowing that situation to develop again. <BR /> <BR />Let us look at the background. Professor Roy McClelland, chair of the Bamford Review, warned that what we have heard about Muckamore, particularly in the past three years or so, constitutes systemic failings requiring a full inquiry. He also warned that that may be just:”
“The motion is about an inquiry into what turned Muckamore into a high-risk setting rather than a healing environment but it is more fundamental than that. In supporting the motion, I am asking MLAs to make a commitment to never again place vulnerable people in high-risk settings. Therefore, the motion is not about bricks and mortar or even one location. It is about how we care for vulnerable patients and how we ensure and commit to their loved ones that they are being cared for appropriately. <BR /> <BR />It is clear from what the families said in various reviews and reports over the years that Muckamore was felt to be a place of out of sight, out of mind. Some cases of the denial of information about the care of family members, particularly about serious incidents, were and are alarming.”
“Again, thank you, Minister, for being here. I propose the motion not on my behalf or on behalf of the Alliance Party but on behalf of the parents and loved ones who have campaigned for many years for a public inquiry into Muckamore Abbey Hospital in their quest for truth and justice. I pay tribute to the families, whose dedication and determination have brought us this far. This is an extraordinarily difficult and sensitive issue, as the Deputy Speaker pointed out. We cannot applaud enough their efforts to get us this far. <BR /> <BR />In her review of safeguarding at Muckamore, Dr Margaret Flynn stated:”
“Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker, and thank you, Minister, for joining us in the Chamber today. I rise —”
“Ministers and fellow MLAs have talked much over the last few weeks about resetting our health and social care sector and better recognising the unnamed yet diligent members of our society who played a vital role in holding the country together during the lockdown. We owe it to the carers and their loved ones that disability services are better resourced and better meet the needs of children and adults. In so doing, we have to ensure that we listen, engage and do better, going forward.”
“I was asking him principally about the potential for parents to use their direct payments flexibly, as is the case in England. When the long-awaited guidance came out, there was provision in it that social workers could work with families on a case-by-case basis. The guidance also required that the recipient of the money would have to pay tax and insurance and become, effectively, their parents' employee. All of that smacks of extra work and stress at a time when there was already a bucketload of both for the parent and the social worker. <BR /> <BR />In preparation for the debate, I had a quick look at the comments on posts that I created on my Facebook page during the pandemic to provide updates for carers. One comment jumped out at me, because it said:”
“I had been contacted by parents who were acutely aware that, because outside carers were no longer coming into homes due to their legitimate fears about bringing in the infection, they were becoming reliant on their other children for support, essentially making them unpaid carers. Many told me of their acute stress and guilt at that, especially as the children were also feeling the pressure of their own absence from school and homework coming through, as well as their isolation from their friends and outside activities. I raised that issue on two occasions with the Minister at the Health Committee, and he came back to me with the answers I was looking for.”
“<BR /> <BR />At this point, I pick up on the huge efforts of the teaching staff in the special needs schools and the physiotherapists, speech and language therapists, classroom assistants and so on who have come up with inventive ways of continuing contact with the children and adults to encourage them to keep doing their activities, their exercises and their learning at home during these periods of isolation. I am sure that the parents and carers have really appreciated their ongoing support. However, I express some disappointment that it took so long for the guidance for social workers working with such families to be reviewed and updated by the Department of Health. I think it was about 12 weeks into the pandemic when that updated guidance came out.”
“From the start, one group of people who were acutely focused on the news and the latest information about the virus were the parents and partners of people who live with health vulnerabilities. Their principal job in life is to care for their loved ones and protect them from harm. Therefore, when the non-statutory services were closed, it was done without much dispute but with a sense of apprehension about how life would be for them as 24-hour carers without outside help and without the interventions of allied health professionals and other support staff who play such a vital role in working with people on mental and physical health and development.”
“One of the earliest contacts I received was from a worker in a day-care centre for adults in Belfast who was very concerned about the close proximity of attendees on the buses and in the activity rooms, as well as the lack of hygiene control measures and, probably from this person's perspective, the apparent lack of urgency to close operations and stop the spread of infection. Very quickly thereafter, they were all closed. However, we all need to recognise now that that decision, like many others at the very start, was not taken lightly and was reached with consideration of the full ramifications of ceasing such services. Let us not forget that, back in February and March, we were facing into the unknown. Figures for potential projected deaths were in the thousands, and none of us had a crystal ball to know how the virus would spread.”
“I fully support the motion and welcome the opportunity to speak. I hope that the cross-party nature of the motion will send a strong message to the parents and family members watching or hearing reports of our discussion today so that they know how much we care about the subject matter. <BR /> <BR />I start off by acknowledging how difficult the lockdown has been for families where one of their loved ones lives with a learning difficulty or physical disability. I have said many times in the Chamber that the lockdown measures introduced to minimise the spread of coronavirus have been and continue to be felt disproportionately by certain sections of society, not least this one. We have all been contacted over the last four months by people raising concerns about aspects of accessing healthcare, social care and education.”
“I am just wondering what role our universities will play in the economic recovery and whether the Executive will support the lifting of the cap on student numbers.”
“I repeat my support for Mr McGrath's suggestion last week that, when we get the announcements of easements from the Executive Office, we are given an opportunity in the Chamber to ask questions of the junior Ministers about what that means in practice for our constituents and when they will receive updated guidance and advice. <BR /> <BR />In closing, I ask that the public, as they return to our hospitality and beauty businesses and to visiting their loved ones, are ever mindful of the need to be vigilant and careful. No one in the Chamber wants to see a second spike in cases with more deaths, illness and misery.”
“I hope that the Executive's decision to support the Infrastructure Minister's request to make wearing a mask on public transport compulsory, albeit with some exceptions, will give them the extra confidence, when they return to work in the coming weeks and months, to use our trains and buses. <BR /> <BR />Further to that, the childcare needs of some of our returning workers must not be forgotten. With amendment (No. 7), we know that grandparents can begin to be an option again for that, but there are still many who will not have full childcare cover. It is a reminder of how interlinked our society is and the important role that we have in the legislature in ensuring that, when we amend the health protection regulations, we reflect on the full consequences of the announcements.”
“During the coming weeks and months, we will continue to need to balance the need for effective and clear public health guidance and advice with not placing unnecessary pressures on those businesses, so as to allow them to open their doors, to continue to provide a service to their local community and to provide opportunities for employment. <BR /> <BR />The other group of people who are of high importance to the regulatory changes are the staff who will be working in our visitor attractions, nail salons etc. We need to give them confidence that the lifting of the lockdown restrictions has been done with clear evidence and careful thinking.”
“We will all have received those distressing phone calls and emails from constituents who needed answers about the status of grants because they needed to ensure that their staff, with their own bills, got paid in time. Let us not forget that, while financial measures were brought forward by the UK Government and our Executive Ministers, there were delays in those payments and, worse still, there were many who were not eligible and were forced to take the decision to close their business as a result of the COVID-19 lockdown. As Mr Beattie has just pointed out, we know of many who will sadly not reopen this month. Moving forward, we must bear it in mind that, from small cafes to hairdressers, with the current restrictions, many are left with much uncertainty about whether they will survive.”
“I do not think that any of us will take for granted again that quick pop in for a coffee with a loved one. Those chats and connections are so valuable to our sense of community and belonging, and, no doubt, it will go some way towards easing some of the poor mental health and well-being issues than many of our constituents have experienced during this prolonged period of isolation. <BR /> <BR />As we turn to amendment (No. 8) and the opening up again with mitigations of our restaurants, bars, hair salons, beauty bars and visitor attractions, we must remember how difficult the process has been for those businesses. I reference in particular the small operators who have a few staff and are just pursuing their passion by going it alone in enterprise. They have faced the most horrendous financial circumstances over the last few months.”
“I will speak on behalf of the Alliance Party. My colleague Kelly Armstrong will address the wider issues during the debate tomorrow. <BR /> <BR />For many in our society, the changes made by amendments (No. 7) and (No. 8) have brought us closer to a return to normality and a resumption of activities that bring joy and amusement. Amendment (No. 7), which amends regulation 5, allows people to visit others in their home. That has, undoubtedly, brought untold joy to people from all walks of life but especially, as Mr Lyons pointed out, to grandparents, who have had to learn to use electronic devices to engage with their treasured grandchildren during the pandemic. When we saw the photographs of recent family reunions, we were all reminded of the purpose of the lockdown restrictions: staying apart so that we could reunite in the future.”
“We need to maintain the basics, not least hand hygiene, appropriate distancing and ensuring that our gatherings are of an appropriate size.”
“Again, that reduces confidence that decisions are being led by scientific guidance and genuine public health considerations. <BR /> <BR />In addressing the regulations in general as they are being amended, I remain concerned that some people are being left out of the due consideration. The longer that we go without seeing the scientific guidance and public health considerations upon which these decisions are based, the less that the public will have confidence in them. It is, therefore, essential that decisions are not just announced but explained. <BR /> <BR />I again put on record my thanks to the public for their consideration during these difficult few months. Significant challenges remain. I emphasise again that, despite the very low levels of transmission, we need to be cautious.”
“The risk from the virus is clearly determined by the environment. Indoor facilities with poor ventilation are particularly risky. I am concerned, therefore, that we have opened up and are opening up indoors, and in particular certain indoor locations, sooner than we should. I would like to see the scientific evidence on which these decisions are based to provide some reassurance. <BR /> <BR />Like Mr McGrath, I am also a little concerned that openings are announced without full and appropriate guidance being in place for business service providers, potential customers or whoever to enable them to fully prepare. That often causes practical confusion but also serious safety concerns. For example, what exactly are the mitigations allowing one-metre distancing? Why were those not stated clearly at the time that the change was announced?”
“I received a very useful document from the Department on how it is calculating and using the R number. I am still content that the reopenings take place over a period of weeks so that we can assess the latest recorded infection rates and ensure, as far as reasonably possible, that what we are doing is not leading to a rise in cases. <BR /> <BR />We are still told that we are being guided by the science. We need to know what scientific guidance was sought and what scientific guidance was presented. That is particularly important because we will need public support if we need to manage any outbreaks, like the one we see in Leicester today, over the next few months. The more information that we can provide the public with, the better. <BR /> <BR />I have some concerns that we are not addressing with precision the lessons learnt elsewhere.”
“<BR /> <BR />It remains vital that we do not forget those who are clinically vulnerable or those who are caring for them. The proposed reopenings that were announced last week were good news for many people across the community, and there was certainly something for everyone. However, we must remember that those shielding must remain doing so until 31 July and cannot, as it stands, take advantage of most of the reopenings. We will need to consider how we not just ensure that they do not feel pressurised into taking risks that they are not comfortable with, but provide them with support to access public services. <BR /> <BR />On top of that, I remain concerned by the lack of absence of reliable data on which to base our decisions on easing lockdown.”