Sinéad Bradley
South Down · Social Democratic and Labour Party · Northern Ireland
“<BR /> <BR />Periods have had many different names and have come, as Emma correctly pointed out, in many different colours. Mostly, they were talked about in hushed tones, but that is no more.”
“I, too, support the Bill, and I thank Pat Catney, my friend and colleague, for introducing it. <BR /> <BR />As a Member who sat on the Justice Committee, I am all too aware of some of the harrowing circumstances that young women face every day.”
“Pat's charm allowed everybody to embrace what he is trying to achieve today. I genuinely mean this: the people of Lagan Valley served the House proud when they put Pat Catney here. It is having people like Pat, with a good heart and good intentions, in a place where change can happen that results in days like today.”
“I am privileged to support the motion on behalf of the SDLP. Like other Members of the House, I have heard at first hand about the horrendous and heinous acts that led to the Domestic Abuse and Civil Proceedings Act.”
“I thank Members across the Chamber for their kind words. <BR /> <BR />I suppose that all of us like to consider ourselves to be fair. I include myself in that.”
“I thank my party leader, Colum Eastwood, for hearing my calls, understanding the importance of the Narrow Water bridge and making sure that it was included in the New Decade, New Approach agreement.”
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“I further urge the Minister to consider options for sentencing in cases that sit within that fine margin of a determination from murder to manslaughter. <BR /> <BR />The question raised before us in the House today is this: do we task the Minister of Justice, who already has limited time remaining in the mandate, to begin to explore the possibility of creating legislation that looks specifically at the sentencing of those convicted of attacking emergency workers, or do we, as a House, unite behind the broader sentencing review that has already started? The rigours of the legislative process will facilitate the level of discussion, deliberation and debate required when considering a proposal to break from the principle that all lives should have equal protection from the law and be equally subject to the law.”
“It is reasonable to give some latitude to the speed with which the matter has moved in the Department to date, as resources were hastily, temporarily and correctly directed towards the united fight against COVID-19. However, as business as usual begins to resume, albeit in a period of COVID coexistence, I urge the Department to build momentum into developing the sentencing review. Mindful that a flow of information into the review may have been hampered, I also welcome the wording in the amendment that calls on the Minister to look beyond the consultation and consider sentences:”
“However, I support Mr Blair and Mr Dickson's amendment, which cuts right to the heart of the debate in a Northern Ireland context. As we know, a sentencing review is under way here, and the consultation closed in February this year. On behalf of the SDLP, I add my support to the words in the amendment that express gratitude to all the victims who courageously engaged with the consultation. <BR /> <BR />It is fair to say that, since March of this year, nothing in the House or outside it has been business as usual.”
“At the outset, on behalf of the SDLP, I place on record our sincere gratitude to all the emergency service workers who courageously put on a uniform and step forward for the good of society on a daily basis. It is not their uniform that sets them apart from other individuals but their commitment and courage in playing a part in society. <BR /> <BR />I acknowledge the sentiment articulated in the House by Mr Givan and Mr Storey in the motion, and, given its contents, I also acknowledge the horrendous death of PC Andrew Harper as being the catalyst for its timing. The voices of PC Harper's wife, Lissie, and his mother, Deborah, have resonated with many people. Serious questions surrounding the determination of murder versus manslaughter and consequential appropriate sentencing have legitimately been raised.”
“I will just make a closing comment. I ask those to just step up and represent the people they claim to be representing today and support the amendment.”
“A cheap political point-score. That is what the motion was. If anybody was sincere in doing anything else, they should have no problem supporting the amendment to the motion. In fact, I will go further. If you supported the need to bring the motion to the House today, there is a moral duty on you to support the amendment, which sets clarity on how to move this matter to a final resolution. If you are sincere —.”
“Mr Muir, we might have time to watch that fish learn to climb a tree.”
“The DUP will not support the amendment, which defuses the political point-scoring and offers a real solution. Let us be clear: the amendment sets out a clear course of finding a quicker solution. The DUP apparently has a pre-prepared position that it has declared and will continue to align with Sinn Féin on that regardless of the facts. <BR /> <BR />The DUP wants the Minister for Infrastructure to make a bid for funding that it knows she cannot spend. How would that make those who are in need feel today? It is a ridiculous proposal, which reveals a lot about the consideration that went behind the motion put before us today. Can you just imagine the prolonged kerfuffle and the process that would be required if such a bid was made, and it was not made in a cross-cutting way?”
“Thank you for that informative intervention.”
“I will give you one moment. I know that you have been trying.”
“I will not. We set the tone earlier on that. <BR /> <BR />The amendment, as outlined by Daniel McCrossan, moves the debate closer to a resolution. It cuts through the "He said, she said" arguments. The amendment sets a course for a swifter resolution, but Sinn Féin cannot support it. The DUP has gone on record today to say that it wants to see a swift solution, and it does not want to play party politics, yet it fails to support the amendment.”
“I apologise that I will not have time for an intervention. <BR /> <BR />I feel compelled to repeat that fact because it seems to be lost on some in the House. Sinn Féin contributors tied themselves in knots. In front of my eyes, they shredded the motion when Mr Boylan placed on record that he agreed with the limitations of the Department's vires. The Member for Newry and Armagh went on record to state that she recognises that the Executive have a role to play in reaching a solution. Yet, Sinn Féin then goes on to state that it cannot support the very amendment that recognises these two facts.”
“Mrs Kelly listed a catalogue of communications, which was repeated by the Minister, showing that all Executive Ministers are aware not only of the plight of transport workers but of the fact that the Department for Infrastructure does not have the legal vires to provide financial assistance.”
“<BR /> <BR />It is important to note, however, that this work does not rest exclusively with the Minister for the Economy; it will require a cross-cutting effort by all Ministers at the Executive table to ensure that all those sole traders and individuals who have yet to be supported by the Executive are included. This must, and I have no doubt will, include the taxi, haulage, driving instruction and private hire bus and coach sectors, which are in urgent need of help. I say that I have no doubt because I know, as does every member of the Committee for Infrastructure, that Minister Mallon has ensured that their plight was heard by all her Executive colleagues.”
“Dolores Kelly, in moving the amendment, repeated the fact that the Minister for Infrastructure does not have the legal vires to provide the financial assistance that the motion calls for. Roy Beggs and Andrew Muir referred, correctly, to another fact: across many sectors, many sole traders and self-employed people with no employees have, to date, remained outside the Executive's support schemes. It is, I believe, obvious to all Members that a body of work needs to be done to close the gap created by the schemes led by the Department for the Economy. Rightly, Mr Beggs warned of the need for such work to continue to be channelled through the Executive as an assurance that double accounting cannot happen as the funds are rolled out.”
“Therefore, I ask the Minister to look at how such areas are rated and how any exemptions that applied could allow for the secure retention of ATMs in those critical areas.”
“I, too, welcome this. In and of itself, it is not, as the Minister said, an incentive to bring an ATM or cash machine to a rural area, but it certainly helps with the viability of retaining one there. Rightly, other Members pointed out the importance of such access in rural areas. The money goes to critical shops and supports industry in the local area. That is of absolute importance and should not be lost. However, it has occurred to me, Minister, that I am not absolutely certain about how the area around an ATM is rated. Is it by the square footage of where the ATM sits? If that is the case, I ask him to take a flexible approach. Given the recent spate of robberies, many rural ATMs have required additional bollards or space around them for protection.”
“It was based, I believe, on misquoted legislation, so I am satisfied that that is the case and that fishermen and women across South Down and across the North will be paid in due course the amounts that are due to them. I welcome that and support the motion.”
“I rise as a Member for South Down, the home of Kilkeel and Ardglass harbours. I thank the Minister for bringing this forward today, because it was clear to all that the obvious slump in the market for fish required urgent attention, and this is it. I also thank the Minister for clearly outlining the process that was followed in respect of the requirement for Executive colleagues to come on board, alongside the Minister of Finance, to make this work. It really highlights the need for collective responsibility to recognise where there is a problem and come together to fix it. <BR /> <BR />As a Member for South Down, I have sought and acquired assurances from the Department that the amendment that will come up next is merely technical, and I understand that there will be no change in the amount of payment due to those fishers.”
“I echo the words of the Chair of the Committee. The SDLP has, since 2012, consistently called for the ratification of the Istanbul convention. It is therefore important that we all get behind and support this legislation. I take the point that there appears to be a question mark surrounding the competence of the Assembly, as opposed to Westminster, where there is no dispute on the LCM and the vehicle that can be used today. However, for our own Domestic Abuse Bill, which should be coming to the Floor sooner rather than later, the question has been raised. Now is a good time to get that question aired, because nobody wants to see any delay in bringing either forward.”
“I will not add to the Committee report, which has been thorough, or the Minister's statement. It is about future-proofing. The SDLP supports the Minister on this issue. This legislative consent motion is important, and, potentially, is a first step in a much wider debate.”
“Particularly with the St Louis site, I have in mind the need for the inclusion of a junior school, a vocational school, modern special educational needs provision and upper-sixth capacity.”
“Thank you, Mr Temporary Speaker, and I hope that that is the correct title. <BR /> <BR />I thank the Minister for his statement, particularly because it includes the long-awaited announcement on St Louis Grammar School in Kilkeel. During our break, I did have a chance to have engagement with the vice-chair of the board of governors, Brendan Cunningham, and to say that he and the principal, Kevin Martin, are ecstatic is beyond anything that I could describe. The staff and the governors are absolutely delighted with today's announcement. <BR /> <BR />I also welcome from the Minister's statement what he said about ensuring that all future buildings are future-proofed to fit the green agenda. Minister, what consideration or assurance can you give that buildings will be future-proofed to provide a wide curriculum and educational offer?”
“Minister, given the critical need for a regulatory body at this time, can you outline how long you anticipate it to take for a new board to come together? Are you planning any interim measures that could, perhaps, bridge the gap until a full board can be put in place?”
“I thank the Minister for his comments and the individuals in the food sector who have supplied food throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Is the Minister aware, or concerned, that, at this late stage, many businesses and support businesses sit outside the business support scheme and are still struggling today?”
“I note that the motion asks us to note the report. That is worthy of doing, but is it not a live demonstration that we are actually repeating RHI now with COVID-19? Should all resource, time and energy in the House not be used to try to tackle that problem? Outside the House we hear the screaming voices of health workers, schools and others who are looking for leadership. I think that I am sitting in a parallel universe here.”
“To follow on from Mr Carroll's comment, does the Member agree with me that a lot of Members in the House followed their conscience and not the media on the issue?”
“I appreciate the Minister's words of reassurance. That is important. <BR /> <BR />As the Minister is aware, the Education Authority has access to a rich bank of good supply teachers. Are there any backup systems in place, however, to ensure that schools can continue to operate in the event that non-teaching staff are unable to work?”
“Does the Member accept that educational establishments, like others, should not just respect but celebrate our difference? We should aim to have a society that can acknowledge difference, celebrate it, support it and recognise it. You said that a one-size-fits-all approach does not work. I agree, but will the Member go further and say that we should aim to have a mature society that celebrates difference and is not threatened by it?”
“I, too, thank the Minister and all those who are charged with trying to realise containment on this issue. What safeguarding or protection for the supply of and the health of domiciliary care workers is taking place in the Department? As he rightly pointed out, we owe it to the sick, the elderly and the vulnerable in society, and those workers are often the lifeline to those people. What protections are in place for them?”
“I appreciate that most patients who are unfortunate enough to contract COVID-19 will suffer only a mild illness. Unfortunately, however, there is a vulnerable group of people who will be fearful of contracting something much more sinister. Given that that cohort exists in the school environment, be it children who are more vulnerable or staff, will the Minister acknowledge that the PHA advice is quite generic? I appreciate that he does not have a clinician's voice to add to the situation, but those people will look to him, as the Minister of Education, to be heard. <BR /> <BR />In addition, will he also give an assurance that there is enough soap in schools for children and staff to wash their hands at regular intervals and that the schools are resourced?”
“Flybe cited COVID-19 as being the final stress for its business, which forced its closure. Will the Minister advise the House on the measures that are being considered or delivered by the Department for the Economy in order to ensure that businesses and the economy in general are protected in the best possible way against the impact of COVID-19?”
“I, too, welcome the news that the strategy is moving forward and that there is co-production and co-design so that the voices of disabled people are heard there. While the Minister has the stakeholders at the table, and, more importantly, she hears the voices of disabled people, could she also tell me what scoping exercise, if any, will be carried out to look at international good practice?”
“Finally, the health service's transformation agenda simply cannot and will not be delivered with short-term budgeting. There is agreement across the House that we should be looking for longer-term fiscal proposals, and I will second any such proposal being made to the House.”
“In that context, those services may not be graced with having the waiting times to wait for the Main Estimates. Whilst it may be unusual practice, these are unusual circumstances, and the Minister may wish to use the opportunity to advise whether he has bid for additional funding or is confident that sufficient scope exists in the Budget as presented to deal with those pressures.”
“I speak as a member of the Health Committee and as the SDLP spokesperson on health. The Minister may recall that, at Second Stage, I sought an assurance from him that the remaining in-year Budget and the start of next year's Budget would allow adequate flexibility for all front-line public service across all Departments to fulfil their duties in accordance with public health requirements. Whilst I appreciate that we are, today, effectively tidying up the 2019 Budget and allowing provision for the 2020 financial year, it is clear to everybody in the House that significant financial pressures will arise as a result of COVID-19. Whilst I appreciate that it is difficult to measure that, we must be assured that we are financially prepared. <BR /> <BR />Disruption and pressure on all our public services are, at this stage, sadly inevitable.”
“Can the Minister advise whether he is taking into consideration, from his reading of the proposals, the reliance on seasonal workers in industries in the agriculture and fisheries sectors? Can he explain what direct lines of communication he has to the uninformed, unconcerned — perhaps, both — Prime Minister who made such proposals?”
“I accept the Member's point, and I concur. I live in South Down, a predominantly rural constituency that borders the region, and I think everybody in the House will share the view that any perpetrator of crime should have no place to hide on this island or any island and that systems should be cognisant of that. <BR /> <BR />The whole process, however, will be valued by that final piece. When sentencing is determined, it must recognise the extraordinary courage required of a vulnerable person who has stepped up to engage with the justice system and process. It must also reflect society's absolute disgust at the heinous acts that are often behind the stories of elder abuse.”
“No doubt, there is a need for a review of the court infrastructure to better facilitate the needs of vulnerable older people and vulnerable groups across society. <BR /> <BR />When we hear reports of violence against an older person, all right-thinking people are sickened and disgusted, but it also gives rise to our innate human instinct to protect. Today's motion rests much of that on the Minister and asks her to take up her role in safeguarding these vulnerable groups of people. Going forward, Minister, we must entrust, safeguard and reassure our older and vulnerable people; empower them to report crime and engage with the justice system with as much comfort as possible; ensure that they remain empowered and supported at the end of the process; and see justice served.”
“I know many sprightly over-somethings who would take great offence at being called "old" or even "vulnerable". <BR /> <BR />The 2019 report by the Commissioner for Older People rightly highlights the barriers to justice, which, arguably, apply more to older people and vulnerable members of our society. They have been touched on today. They include reluctance to give evidence in court; the fact that the offender may be known to the victim or that they are conscious that the offender knows where they live; delay in realising that a crime has happened, which is particularly true with scamming or financial abuse; or the embarrassment of the victim about reporting it. There is also a real impediment in the time it takes to progress through the justice process. It is very consuming at what should be a precious time in somebody's life.”
“Of course, the report focuses on the views of older persons and looks at the matter purely from their perspective, but, on inspection, the recommendations proposed and the safeguards could apply to many vulnerable people in our society, regardless of their age. I am thinking more of people with learning disabilities or physical disabilities and children. In that same vein, the Department's sentencing review of 2019 correctly stated:”
“First, I welcome the opportunity to support the motion, and I commend Mervyn Storey and Joanne Bunting for tabling it. <BR /> <BR />At the outset, I reassure any older people who are listening in that, following a spate of burglaries in 2011, which we were all aware of, the rate of recorded burglaries against those aged 60 and over has dropped significantly — by 28%. There has been, however, a negative legacy of those earlier incidents, and that has remained with many people. As has rightly been pointed out, people now live as victims of the fear of crime as opposed to actual crime. The consequential loneliness that emerges from this issue should not be forgotten; it is a real blight on society. <BR /> <BR />I congratulate the Commissioner for Older People on the thorough 2019 report, which is referred to in the motion.”
“I appreciate the Minister's replies so far and, like others in the Chamber, will try to keep to a calm narrative. The instruction is for people to contact the PHA and the website, but it is very much drafted for the individual. Will there be, or has the Minister given any consideration to having, clear contact points across Departments? For example, will leaders in our communities such as schools, the community pharmacy and nursing homes have a clear, accessible, informed contact point, via a Department, in case the PHA becomes a bit of a bottleneck for accessing information?”
“Does the Minister recognise that a critical piece of infrastructure for the South Down constituency is the delivery, finally, of Narrow Water bridge? Will she commit to visiting me and members of the Narrow Water Bridge Community Network, who are eager to see the project delivered as soon as possible?”
“<BR /> <BR />In an effort to see real savings and the rationalisation of services, so that we do not duplicate services across Departments, I urge one thing: we remain mindful of rural areas that do not have ease of access to public services. As we take forward any proposals, we must use that benchmark at all times.”
“We lean heavily on individuals and small businesses that simply have no margin for making further financial contributions. <BR /> <BR />I am a Member for South Down, and our dependency on small local traders and the agriculture and fishing industries is well understood. What is less acknowledged is the untapped potential that exists in South Down to increase our tourism offering. Strategic investment in key economic driver projects such as the Narrow Water bridge has the potential to draw on a tourism footfall that we see within eyeshot across the lough in Carlingford. Such projects give us the opportunity to build on who contributes to our public purse. We must understand constituency profiles and the room for real growth. That may vary from area to area, but, as the home of the Mourne mountains, the South Down potential is clear.”
“I welcome the Minister of Health's commitment to engage with Community Pharmacy, as articulated earlier in the House, ahead of any such industrial action being required. <BR /> <BR />The issue of budgeting in this place is, without doubt, a challenge. Of course, we have to address the immediate pressures that are flagged up across Departments and ensure the safe delivery of public services, but we need to find room to make this part of Ireland a choice venue to do business. We need to find ambition. Our revenue-raising options are relatively limited and too often ask for additional contributions from individuals and businesses that already make generous contributions to our public purse. Our Budgets of the past have created a working poor.”
“Any proposal is only as strong as its weakest link, and Community Pharmacy has articulated strongly that its contribution is beyond compromised; it is broken. Last night, it reluctantly arrived at a consensus to take industrial action on contractual and patient safety issues. Morale in the sector is reportedly at an all-time low. The social value of community pharmacies across our communities should never be underestimated or undervalued. Not only do their professionals safely dispense medicines and treatment but they take significant pressures off our GP services by providing critical front-line services. They add richly to our social fabric by making up for the increasing lack of human contact that sadly exists across our society. They speak to the loneliness agenda, something that we have been late in picking up on.”
“We need to make sure that somebody somewhere is responsible for monitoring the effectiveness of our expenditure and resource that is directed towards mental health. <BR /> <BR />We also need to obtain, as the Minister, rightly, said at the outset, a fair wage for our health workers. We reached out to nurses, and I welcome that, but that is only a section of our Health and Social Care. I welcome that the Department briefed us on its early efforts to reduce waiting lists and times and to engage with the transformation agenda, but let us be clear about this: plans to proceed with any budgeted transition without directly addressing pressures that exist on such front-line services are set for inefficiencies if not failure.”
“I no longer want to have parents, carers, children and adults with autism to have to fight for every service they need or to have any vulnerable person to have to add to their misfortunes by finding the fight in them to present their case to get the services that they need. This is a real opportunity for us to share views on how to effect change via expenditure to reach those front-line services. <BR /> <BR />The SDLP very much wanted to see a junior Minister for mental health, and I appreciate that that has moved into a working group. I have concerns that, looking through the budgetary process, it is really difficult to follow through and see what level of expenditure is being issued across Departments on this, sadly, ever-increasing problem in society.”