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.”
The complete record
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 48 of 49.
“Thank you very much for your answers to date. Following on from the question on NGOs and the sad news last week that the Northern Ireland Council For Ethnic Minorities (NICEM) will have to close its doors, how will you ensure that the NGOs have sustained funding to support them? The problems will not be dealt with very quickly.”
“Thank you, Minister. The reports are very good and very much reflect what we, as Health Committee members, have been hearing over the past few months. The increase in GP places each year to 111 is very much to be welcomed. As you know, however, the British Medical Association and the Royal College of General Practitioners have a lot of urgent and pressing matters that need to be attended to, not just about more places. I am talking specifically about more finances. How do you plan in the shorter term to address finance issues?”
“I think that all parties in the Assembly will join me in emphasising that nurses in Northern Ireland, regardless of where they come from, do a terrific job and make a significant contribution to the health and social care sector. <BR /> <BR />A similar motion was passed by the Assembly in January 2014, and the workforce plan followed the next year. I therefore emphasise that resources for reform need to follow, and, with that plan and countless expert reports now available to us, we need more actions and fewer considerations. Let us hope that the motion leads to those actions and to direct, tangible outcomes.”
“However, even that workforce plan contains a lot of reviews and considerations, when what is required are concrete actions. In any case, all the workforce plans and reform reports in the world are of no use without an adequate commitment of resources. <BR /> <BR />At this moment, we should not underestimate the seriousness of the UK's decision to leave the European Union. Across the UK, it has led to an ugly expectation among a minority that the result of the referendum somehow equates to foreigners having to leave the country now. In fairness, it has to be said that local representatives, even those who were vocal in campaigning for a "Leave" vote, have been clear that the NHS simply could not function without the foreign workers doing such a great job.”
“However, the fact there is a campaign to attract nurses back to the profession indicates that education is not the only problem — perhaps it is not even the main one. Many of those qualifying do not enter the profession in Northern Ireland, although it is good that the number doing so seems to be on the rise. As I mentioned, workforce planning is a serious issue across the whole of the health and social care service, and, in fairness, it is not restricted to nursing. <BR /> <BR />It is hard to disagree with the recommendations of last year's workforce plan for nursing and midwifery: a strategic approach; a review of the workforce and the independent sector; proper forecasting; and the introduction of advanced practice programmes.”
“I support the motion and the amendment, but, on balance, I prefer the text of the motion. The objective today is that, going forward, we secure concrete action. <BR /> <BR />Nursing is one of many areas of the health service in which workforce planning has been inadequate for many years. The motion is correct in its aim of reducing dependency on agency workers and emphasising long-term planning. No one is claiming that, going forward, this will be easy. <BR /> <BR />It is fair to recognise the rise in the number of nursing students, although that must be matched by a rise in the number of nurses working here. Here in Northern Ireland, our nurse training is among the very best in the world, and there is good provision for continuous professional development and return-to-nursing courses.”
“To follow on from your last point, will you give us some specifics on proposals that you are bringing forward to diagnose and treat those people in the youth justice system so that they do not become adult prisoners of the future?”
“I think that the Minister has just answered my question.”
“Can the Minister assure the House that the consultation process around the legislation will be in keeping with Equality Commission guidelines and that the questions in it will not be leading and biased towards heterosexual married couples from the same religion?”
“We would also need to look at cross-border medical training standards and so on to maximise the potential for cross-border solutions to care, particularly for people with rarer conditions. <BR /> <BR />Special status would be good not just for our economy. More importantly, it is vital for our basic health and well-being going into the future. Today I therefore call on the Executive to agree a common platform for special status for health and other areas as a matter of urgency, and to develop a plan to ensure that Northern Ireland has the relevant influence in London and Brussels to deliver on it.”
“Importantly, it would also include continuing medical research in Northern Ireland available to, and potentially partially funded by, the EU. It is absolutely vital that a decision that had majority backing in England and Wales does not result in negative impacts on our medical research at, for example, the cancer research centre at Queen's, which is in my constituency. <BR /> <BR />Finally, we will need some form of understanding around cross-border services. Clearly, this would be easier if the UK were to retain in some form the customs union and the single market, thus retaining maximum free movement across the border. Failing this, special status, as outlined above, would surely help.”
“Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. <BR /> <BR />— vocational element to a career choice, should absolutely not be removed. A special status arrangement could protect these. Indeed, there is a strong case that retaining EU standards in areas such as these will be good not just for public-sector workers but for businesses, as goods and services exported from Northern Ireland will be known to maintain EU employment standards. <BR /> <BR />Thirdly, there is the development and licensing of medicines and medical research. This is trickier perhaps, but, if reciprocal rights are agreed and employment standards maintained, there is no reason why such a special status arrangement should not include access to medicines licensed and developed in the EU, and to clinical trials data, on the same basis as currently.”
“Secondly, employment is a devolved matter, as is health, so there is no good reason for us to move away from working time directives as they currently apply in the health sector and beyond. The rights of staff, particularly in sectors where there is a significant —”
“Contrary to what some Members said, us leaving the EU will have a devastating impact on tourism because people will find it more expensive to come on holiday here without insurance.”
“I support the motion. I would like to briefly emphasise some practical issues with regard to health that special status could help to resolve. First, the most directly practical issue is access to healthcare in other EU member states, notably for holidaymakers who have sudden illnesses or accidents. Currently, we have reciprocal rights through the European health insurance card. For example, residents in Northern Ireland will be looked after in Spain if they fall ill on holiday on the basis of EU citizenship and residence. Should the UK proceed to leave the EU, those reciprocal arrangements will no longer be in place. However, special status for Northern Ireland would enable us more easily to negotiate an opt-in whereby residents here would continue to enjoy these rights.”
“In light of the First Minister's willingness to stand and be photographed beside self-admitted paramilitary figures, what credibility is now left in the Executive commitment to the disbandment of paramilitary groups?”
“Obviously, it is through health, food, healthy eating and lifestyles and stuff, but the lessons of taking them outside their classroom for two hours a week and getting them active, while also getting their minds active, is something we really need to consider.”
“<BR /> <BR />The other way we would invest the £18 million would be through teachers, volunteers in the school and leaving resources behind — educational resources but also footballs, goal nets and stuff like that. A lot of schools, as people will know, really struggle with their budget for things that are probably called "luxuries" but should really be essentials. There would also be investment in the wider community where there are collaborative projects. <BR /> <BR />When I was working in community health projects we used different venues to educate the young men, especially those in danger of educational underachievement. For example, we took them to Windsor Park to do maths lessons with footballs. This may be about education and physical activity, but again it is a wider education process that we would be asking people to engage in.”
“My colleague Chris said today that Alliance is usually very reluctant to sign up to ring-fencing of any money of this kind because there are other good causes out there, but again we come back to the schools as the main vehicle for this. <BR /> <BR />The other point I would like to end on has been raised a few times. It really started with Carla's comments about the "bubbly children", which I thought was a lovely word to use for children. As we all know, they are so full of life, and we would call them "sponges", for example. This is really about supporting our children from the start of their educational career and investing in them as children but also investing in the long-term health and wealth of the nation as they grow into the future.”
“I appreciate the point, but my point is that not all children who are at the lowest ebb in terms of poverty actually access Sure Start, and that is to do with the structures through which that programme is run out. We feel schools are the best vehicle for that. <BR /> <BR />Going forward, in terms of the Programme for Government, most of the debate has come from the Sinn Féin corner around ring-fencing and whether it is the right way to go. Our amendment proposes a consultation process whereby we would inform. We would start with the stakeholders in the schools — the head teachers — and make our way down but also with the parents and the stakeholders in that community to look at a structured programme that children of all ages and backgrounds could access. That would provide a comprehensive response to inform how the money would be spent.”
“Others in the Chamber today have referenced the after-school programmes, the youth clubs and the sports clubs, and there is great partnership between them. We support the motion, in terms of going into the schools, because it is a mandatory time that children are there. Not all children go to every sports club. Not every child goes to Sunday school or an after-school programme. We feel that, while the children are in a learning environment, that is where the money should go. <BR /> <BR />I reference Steven Agnew's comments about Sure Start. While I have experience of working with them, especially in South Belfast, not all children are eligible for that. For example, children from asylum-seeker families who live on the Lisburn Road, because of their postcode, are not eligible to go to their local Sure Start. Do not tell me —”
“I thank all Members who spoke today. For the first time in the Chamber, I will not read from a speech, because the debate has been so good, with so many important points being raised. I do not want to repeat them, but I want to knit them together a bit. <BR /> <BR />First, I come to the Ministers points around ring-fencing. The Minister will know, as a colleague in South Belfast, that I come from the community sector and worked in community health projects. It is rather naive to say that the schools would act in silos, because, when we look at the after-school programmes, the Active Communities coaches who went into the schools, the mums and young girls projects and the lads and dads projects they often emanated from the schools and were not necessarily within school time.”
“With regard to the new social build that you referred to, how many are in shared housing schemes?”
“I will certainly provide that to you. I will carry on with access to cancer drug treatments: where are we with the task and finish group's review of individual funding requests? When will we get information on how that will change in the future?”
“I want to continue on that last point. You said that you have put out a call for the roll-out to the next 30 GP practices. If you are oversubscribed, how do you plan to decide which ones will get the roll-out at the next stage?”
“What independent advice has the Minister received in developing his priorities?”
“It is only once we seize the need to implement a proper reform programme for Health and Social Care services, with better data and workforce planning, and more specialised and primary care cooperation, that the outcomes proposed in this motion will become a reality.”
“It is important that we, as Health Committee members with an elected mandate, and many people within the sector with the expertise, should have view of it, so that we can all contribute and have a consensus on its delivery. The Health Committee Chair, who is in the Chamber as well, said at the outset of the Assembly term that she wanted the Committee to work together, but this is impossible while we are denied access to the report. I trust that, in the spirit of cooperation that she rightfully proposed, she will join me today in calling for the immediate publication of the report.”
“Such reform would probably deliver a type of shift left, to ensure that conditions such as epilepsy are properly diagnosed in the first instance; to ensure that information is available to people concerned about them at the outset; and to plan support services and treatments more effectively, especially among primary care providers. <BR /> <BR />It would be interesting to know if this is the type of reform proposed in the expert panel report, as chaired by Professor Bengoa, but of course, as we know in this Chamber, we are being denied access to the report. I am grateful that the Minister is here today, and I challenge her to publish the report as soon as possible.”
“One thing I would say, however, is that over the summer months, like many people on the Health Committee, I met different condition-specific lobby groups and charities, and with all due respect to epilepsy sufferers, this motion could be brought forward for any one of those conditions. <BR /> <BR />There is no doubt that the answers are within the motion here, in terms of wider health reform. We need expert-led multidisciplinary teams; we need more nurse specialists; we need better workforce planning and data management; and we need better use of resources. The motion is 100% correct in all of that, but to do it all, we need reform of the entire Health and Social Care service for epilepsy, and indeed, all of the other conditions.”
“I support the motion. This is, of course, a very significant issue. No one here today could have any difficulty with the text of the motion, and nor would anybody deny that it is important to put it on record for the 20,000 people and their families living here in Northern Ireland. Epilepsy is a condition that does not discriminate; it can strike any one of us at any time, and it is a condition that can have a devastating impact on the quality of life and well-being of the sufferer. <BR /> <BR />Like other Members, I have no hesitation in supporting the work of the Northern Ireland advisory council of Epilepsy Action and other epilepsy support groups, and emphasising the huge importance of their work.”
“Thank you for your answer. You will be aware that all regional and subregional authorities are required, under the agreement, to scale up efforts to build resilience to the effects of climate change. Will you give me any indication of how you plan to meet those objectives?”
“Did the Minister hear his party colleague Gregory Campbell on 'The Nolan Show' this morning talking about allies in Hungary? If so, does he think it credible for the DUP to talk about these allies, given the track record of Orbán and Jobbik on refugees? If he has not heard it, I am happy to read it out to him.”
“I would like you to expand on the point about it having detrimental effect. How can you quantify that?”
“Thank you. I am finishing off. <BR /> <BR />I said that we needed to focus on consensus, reflecting that, if we can manage it in South Belfast, we could manage it anywhere in Northern Ireland. I will close by saying that I hope and trust that the South Belfast MLAs and other elected representatives will engage positively and constructively with my work on the private Member's Bill so that we can address the issue for residents and traders once and for all.”
“Out of frustration when I joined the Assembly four months ago — like Claire, I am contacted a lot by desperate constituents, saying, "What are you going to do about it?" — I started work on a private Member's Bill to create a legislative framework that would establish the legal right to display flags and emblems for commemoration and celebration, while seeking to ensure maximum consensus and that flags are on display only where there is local agreement. I do not propose any specific means of doing that nor any particular outcome in the development of the Bill, as I have just begun the consultation process and, as I am today, I am very much in listening mode. Frankly, I think that people have had enough of politicians claiming that they want to build consensus but then putting all sorts of caveats over what the outcome must be.”
“However, the Loyalist Communities Council also issued guidelines for the flying of flags, which indicated where they should and should not appear. We have to recognise that progress has been made. <BR /> <BR />The last question that I will pose is this: how do we build community confidence across the constituency? How do we build consensus on protocols, guidelines and local dialogue? We would do well to note that interventions absolutely must not do further harm to a process that is going in the right direction in most locations.”
“In other words, how do we build consensus about what is perceived as a reasonable display and what is not and how do we agree on how to manage the grey area in between? The fact is that much of the work has been done. Many of us may not have found it ideal, but I think that the Loyalist Communities Council (LCC) is to be commended for developing and adopting a protocol and for seeking to ensure that it was enforced. That cannot have been an easy process for the LCC, and in many areas across Northern Ireland local accommodation was found this summer and things were better than in previous years. Of course, in some places, such as South Belfast and the Knockbreda Road, there were more flags than usual.”
“On the other hand, almost everyone objects to a Union flag, a tricolour, or any national flag, being left to turn to rags on a lamp post. Even those who regard the flag as their own can object that the flag is disrespected when it is allowed to fall into a poor state of repair. <BR /> <BR />Let me be clear about what I have said, because this is a controversial issue, and it is very emotive as we have already seen this afternoon. In one case, there is almost universal support for the display of the flag, regardless of what the flag is; in the other, there is no support at all. The question is this: when does an obviously reasonable display of celebration or commemoration turn into one that is disrespectful, even to the flag itself?”
“We need to be clear about the problem. The problem is what many of us would regard as an unreasonable display of flags and emblems that does not have cross-community support. It is not the display itself. For example, few people had any serious objection to the display of the Union flag to commemorate the royal wedding and the Queen's golden jubilee a few years back. Those were obvious displays of national pride, and even though the feeling may not have been shared by the whole community, in a progressive society, they proceeded without controversy, and rightly so. As has been mentioned this afternoon, Bredagh GAA flags were recently flown on the Ravenhill Road to mark the all-Ireland football championship final, a highlight of the GAA calendar, and it could be seen that they were put up in celebration and not to cause offence.”
“I would like to once again put on record that, for the Alliance Party, a shared future does not mean a neutral, nondescript future. Indeed, in a positive, progressive society, we need to recognise that the display of emblems and flags is a legitimate democratic right, whether or not we endorse the flag or emblem ourselves.”
“Nevertheless, it is important to reflect that a whole lot of people in South Belfast take pride in the display of flags and emblems. I have included the word "emblems" because it is not just about the flying of flags but the flags on paramilitary memorials, community gardens and stuff that we need to consider. <BR /> <BR />There are cases during the year — special occasions — when the flying of flags is entirely legitimate and a positive expression of commemoration and celebration. It is further noted that the displaying of flags is quite normal across the UK and Ireland, both around specific times of the year, at sports finals, local festivals and national commemorations, and in general. Northern Ireland is distinct, however, in that people from different backgrounds can view the same flag in different ways.”
“Thank you, Claire, for bringing the Adjournment debate. Thank you, Christopher, for your comments as well. <BR /> <BR />The unregulated flying of flags from lamp posts in South Belfast is, without doubt, a significant issue for a number of people living and working in our constituency. As Claire said, it is one of the top five issues that is raised with me. We should not underestimate the scale of the problem. Residents are concerned that flags are displayed as symbols of paramilitary control and to mark territory, which undermines their desire to live in a mixed community and, unfortunately, can have a negative impact on traders' ability to reach out to the whole community. Nevertheless — it is unfortunate that you are leaving, Christopher, because I am coming to the point that you were making.”
“Thank you for your answer. What discussions has the Minister had to secure more money as a proportion of the overall Executive budget for skills to continue to address a skills shortage, as referenced in the Belfast Chamber of Trade and Commerce's manifesto?”
“Minister, thank you for your answers to date. Can you guarantee that the report from the working group will be published promptly, once the review has concluded, to ensure full transparency?”
“What plans does the Minister have to incorporate into the new ticketing system the needs of post-primary children who use trains and who are not eligible for free transport?”
“If anyone deserves a successful outcome it is her. The courage of many other campaigners like Melanie, so many of whom are undergoing treatment for cancer or who have people close to them who are, is also remarkable. They are too numerous to mention. <BR /> <BR />We call on the Minister to look again at the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence's guidance on access to those drugs. We would like her to make that a top priority for the Department of Health.”
“Indeed, we found millions of pounds in the summer, without a business case, to subsidise an airline and, just this morning, we found millions of pounds to prop up a regional airport. Whatever the rights or wrongs of those decisions, the fact is that the budget required to deliver equal access to drugs is but a drop in the ocean in the overall Health and Social Care budget. As so often, it is not merely about money but about the system. <BR /> <BR />Let me say a word about Melanie Kennedy, who has been working on the petition. That remarkable woman, frankly, could have worked around the system; she could have perhaps taken a friend's address in England or such like. However, recognising the injustice and determined to fight for others as well as for herself, at risk to her own health, she campaigned for what is right.”
“Far from being helped out, they find yet another obstacle placed in their way. <BR /> <BR />The position of people living in one part of the UK having access to life-enhancing drugs while people living in another do not is indefensible and has gone on for far too long. It is a basic principle: we pay in the same, we should get the same out. The system is unequal and unjust. Small wonder that the petition that I am submitting today on behalf of the campaign struck such a chord with the public. <BR /> <BR />Let us not be diverted by any notion that money may be an issue. Health Ministers can always find allocations of tens of millions of pounds for various things when elections are on the horizon.”
“I am pleased to bring the issue to the urgent attention of the Assembly. I am also thankful that the Health Minister is in attendance. <BR /> <BR />Everyone in the Chamber will at least know someone close to them who has been affected by cancer. Everyone in the Chamber knows the difficultly and stress that it can cause to families, family circles, workplaces and people in every walk of life. We cannot, therefore, fail to be aware of the crushing unfairness of denying access to drugs for people who are going through all that. At the precise time that the health service should be on their side, when they have paid the same taxes and National Insurance as everyone else in the UK, people in Northern Ireland find themselves at a blatant disadvantage purely because of where they live.”