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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“As also mentioned, the Friends of Knock Iveagh and, in particular Anne Harper, who I also met, so diligently revealed to all of us further information from further investigations about the sensitivity and cultural significance of the site. It is our shared inheritance. It predates many of the divisions that ever existed on this land. We are right to all share a passion about its future. <BR /> <BR />It was disturbing to see some of the media reports that suggested that Departments, realising their error, made an absolutely deliberate decision to create another error rather than face up to the hardships of the first one. As Mr Wells said, that may well have been because of the financial impact of facing up to what went wrong.”
“I, too, thank the Member for Upper Bann for bringing this Adjournment topic to the House. We could not overstate the importance of this site. It is a Neolithic mound that predates the pyramids and Stonehenge. It may be less well known than Navan Fort, Newgrange or the Hill of Tara, but it is no less significant. The burial and inauguration site is of national importance. The associations with Magennis and the Magennis clan, which continue to be celebrated in Warrenpoint, are not lost on many. <BR /> <BR />It is a 5,000-year-old cairn. As referred to, it was subject to an archaeological dig in 1957 that revealed the hillside to be covered in layers of bone and ash.”
“Will the Minister accept that there is now a duty on her to take action to preserve any documentation or evidence that was used during the original convictions, should reprosecutions have to occur?”
“Minister, given that you are confident that there should be enough vaccine, have you had any conversations with pharmacies about whether they can offer capacity to deliver flu jabs this year?”
“Why have the Minister or the Executive still not produced any document that explains the strategy behind the COVID allocations?”
“I ask the Minister to have a broad and open mind on what that feasibility study might include, because there are many issues surrounding victims that need to be addressed at this time.”
“Legislation is all well and good, and it may be the finest legislation ever crafted, but unless there is somebody to oversee it and ensure that every letter of it is enacted, it will end up having zero value. <BR /> <BR />Across many cases and many situations, the question that has routinely arisen is this: who is the overall guardian of everything that we hold important in order to support a victim? Right now, there is enough evidence for us put this question: is this the time to carry out the feasibility study and to look at who is that guardian? To my mind, having a victims of crime commissioner, as proposed in the motion, is a good start. <BR /> <BR />I commend and support the motion.”
“There are other cases that most of us will be aware of across our constituencies. We have many questions to ask about what the role of a victims of crime commissioner would look like. Would the charter be within the scope of a commissioner? I most certainly hope that it would be and that the charter itself would be one of the lead pieces of work. <BR /> <BR />Of course, anybody in the Chamber who sits on the Justice Committee will know the repeated deliberations that we have had on how effective the Domestic Abuse Bill really can be without there being adequate training, adequate follow-up, and somebody to oversee that the legislation is being enacted.”
“The Chair of the Committee pointed today to the very good example in the report where it states that there is evidence that the Victim Charter is not being used at all. With all respect to the Victim Charter, and I commend it as a worthwhile document, it has zero value if it is sitting on a shelf and not being used and if victims are not being made aware of it. <BR /> <BR />With that in mind, I put it to the Minister that we have to ask serious questions about the charter. Do we know how it is being utilised across all agencies and areas? How often is it being revisited and updated? What process is in place to make sure that it is activated and used? There is evidence that it is not being used, and the mover of the motion rightly pointed to one case in particular, Mr Dolan's, as evidence of that.”
“As the SDLP justice spokesperson, I support the motion, which calls on the Minister to conduct a feasibility study into the appointment of a victims of crime commissioner. I thank Doug Beattie and Robbie Butler for tabling the motion. It is timely as we discuss the Domestic Abuse and Family Proceedings Bill. <BR /> <BR />At the outset, I too refer to the Victim Charter, which I understand was put on a statutory footing in 2015. On inspection of the charter, I can say that it is a very worthy document. It contains much good information and is certainly a good starting point for learning what information should be shared with victims as soon as they are identified as being victims. There is no doubt that it is impressive and thorough, but what is concerning is that we have very little knowledge of how well that information is being used.”
“<BR /> <BR />I welcome the changes and the fact that we will have the opportunity to work through them in Committee via the forward work programme.”
“I take this opportunity to thank the Clerks and the Committee, who very speedily put together these proposed changes to Standing Orders, which, thankfully, were adopted. I also echo the sentiments shared here today by the Committee Chair, Linda Dillon, that there is much in those changes that is definitely worthy of consideration as we finally — sooner rather than later, hopefully — enter a post-COVID-19 world. It is worth noting that there are not only family-friendly outcomes to the changes to Standing Orders but environmental outcomes. I certainly had to put a lot less diesel or petrol in the car for a significant period. That should not be taken lightly when you multiply that up by the number of Members. We need to set standards for other places.”
“It is a further framework of promises. <BR /> <BR />Our local fishing industry requires a reputable set of standards, a guarantee that they will not be set aside to facilitate other regions of the UK and an assurance that their catch and produce has access to a market that will command a fair price. The lack of process in the delivery of the LCM and the obvious lack of any such assurances in its contents do not fill me with any confidence. I am not sure that I can yet see the new dawn that has been promised. For the sake of constituents in South Down who are heavily reliant on the success of the outworkings at Westminster and this LCM, I genuinely put myself forward to say, "I hope you prove me wrong".”
“On 31 December 2020, the UK will no longer be part of the common fisheries policy, if there is no trade deal. The LCM proposes a legislative framework that will fill that void; I recognise that. It is a framework that rejects the House of Lords' notion that sustainability should be a key driver in building any UK policy. It often jars with me that the fishing industry is presented as a community that cares nothing for environmental protection and the preservation of their industry: nothing is further from the truth. Fishing families in Kilkeel and Ardglass go back for generations, and there is nobody more invested in ensuring that the industry is sustainable for the generations to come. That is why they deserve and need so much more than an LCM or a framework that gives no acknowledgement to their needs.”
“<BR /> <BR />There was no opportunity to consider the LCM at Committee, and there was zero opportunity to consider any amendments. Indeed, this first step involves the Department setting off on the back foot, with promises already of supplementary legislative consent motions. The first step into this new dawn appears more like a Department that has been tripped and pushed into an action. A Tory Government that have repeatedly put their needs first, regardless of the consequences for this place and its people, appear to be forcing the Department's unprepared hand — hence the need at the outset to speak of supplementary work.”
“As a Member for South Down, I recognise the significance of the LCM for the livelihoods of the many families that rely heavily on the success of the fishing industry and for the economy in Kilkeel and Ardglass. <BR /> <BR />Those who supported Brexit promised great things. The removal of the common fisheries policy was heralded as a great win that would remove the shackles of European standards and regulations from the industry in Northern Ireland. The Northern Ireland fishing industry — I refer in particular to the fishing families from Kilkeel and Ardglass — was promised a new dawn. Mr Harvey repeated that promise here today and presented the LCM as the launch of that new dawn. Well, if it is, I have to say: what a damp squib — or squid, in this instance.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. As a Member for the South Down constituency, I am fully aware of the many households that depend on the fishing industry for their main source of income. Is it true to say that the discussion here today has silenced those voices? There has not been an opportunity for those who are deeply invested in the welfare of the industry to give an opinion the Bill going through the House today.”
“<BR /> <BR />In supporting the motion, we send a clear message to all those commissioned to sit on a parole board that the direction of this House is to legislate on this matter, and the weight of non-disclosure during their deliberations should be used with absolute confidence. <BR /> <BR />The SDLP supports victims via this motion.”
“<BR /> <BR />The SDLP welcomes the fact that the Minister has already commissioned a focused consultation with key stakeholders on Helen's law. The level of deliberations and considerations that formed the legislation in Westminster will inevitably assist in injecting speed into any Northern Ireland deliberations. For that reason, the SDLP believes that it would be wrong to subject this mature legislative piece to sit alongside the timeline of a much wider sentencing review. The urgent need to deliver on this legislation cannot be emphasised enough. It is a relatively short Bill with a huge impact. For that reason, we cannot support the amendment.”
“<BR /> <BR />To those who have expressed a concern that the removal of eligibility for people may not be human rights-compliant, I remind them of two points. First, a parole board would be charged with making the determination as to whether this is a deliberate decision not to disclose. The subjectivity rests firmly with it. Secondly, those murderers or paedophiles who deliberately chose to continue to perpetrate the crime through non-disclosure, at all times, it is them and nobody else who hold the power to make themselves eligible for parole. Helen's law, or Charlotte's law, as it is lobbied here in Northern Ireland, is the tool that forces the hands of those into doing the right thing. Victims and their loved ones depend on our support to make that happen.”
“The Prisoners (Disclosure of Information about Victims) Bill established that practice in statute. Prisoners in England and Wales are now aware that continued non-disclosure must, by statute, be considered during any deliberations on parole. Prisoners who may never act out of anything other than self-interest will be forced to contemplate the consequences of continuing with their decision to withhold information. <BR /> <BR />The SDLP has no hesitation in supporting the motion, even if it does suggest contemplating the legislative process going further than Helen's law. I would add that we could consider the possibility of reflecting any delay in a prisoner's chosen time of disclosure to be reflected in the timing of their parole. The right thing to do here is to push ahead and legislate with these deliberations.”
“Our legal system requires a method of marking out those prisoners who choose to continue with the dehumanisation of their victims and who choose to inflict pain on loved ones by not disclosing critical information about the victims. Helen's law does just that. It is a carefully crafted piece of legislation that includes a level of subjectivity, allowing the Parole Board to make a determination on when a prisoner is making a deliberate decision not to disclose information. <BR /> <BR />The explanatory notice provided ahead of the legislative change acknowledged that it was:”
“As the SDLP's spokesperson on justice, I support the motion. Appropriately, it opens with reference to the trauma experienced by families whose loved ones have been murdered and who have no knowledge of the whereabouts of their remains. I acknowledge the ongoing pain being experienced by the families of Lisa Dorrian and Charlotte Murray, alongside the families of the disappeared, but, in particular, all those families that continue to live with the unimaginable pain of not being able to lay the remains of their loved one to rest. <BR /> <BR />Non-disclosure of the identity of children who were used to take or make indecent images also provides an insight into the level of remorse a prisoner feels when they make no effort to help those who simply want to safeguard that child.”
“I recognise that the Minister will have a lot of pressure on him, and he will have to prioritise what piece of work comes first. However, based on the fact that these are young children in their influential and formative years, I urge him to bring this to the top of his work priorities.”
“I will reference the comments made by my colleague Colin McGrath, who said that every Minister at the table has a role to play in supporting the deaf community in Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />On 27 August, I wrote to the Minister for Communities seeking an assurance that she would look into the VRS system, VRS for All, that is being used elsewhere and allows for calls to be made to public- and private-sector bodies to support the deaf community. It is a very sad reflection of our times when the deaf community has to lobby Members of the House because they feel left out. The bulk of the problem was not about COVID, but I appreciate that the task before the Minister is very much about catching up post-COVID with where we need to be.”
“When we look at a delay in action versus the action itself, it is not all doom and gloom. There is much to be said for the positive outcome that can come into play when a child is supported and identified through early intervention and help. I will mention the audiologists who support these children during difficult times and empower them with the tools they need to make their way through life. <BR /> <BR />I acknowledge that the Minister introduced the video relay service (VRS) system in the health service in May. Many will know that the deaf community in Northern Ireland appreciated that system, but it was six years late. I will not go into why the system was late.”
“When that confidence is knocked, it can present in the classroom or formal caregiving setting as a child who presents with what is noted as being disruptive behaviour. It is very unfortunate and unfair to disadvantage a young child at such an early stage in their life.”
“Like my colleague Colin McGrath, I support the motion. The motion rightly refers to the negative impact that delay can have on a child with hearing difficulties and on their educational attainment. However, I would like to go further. Any delay to a child during its formative years can create a downward spiral that can quickly get out of control. Trying to keep up with their peers and those around them can move a child into a very lonely place. They may not know or fully understand that they have a hearing impairment. Their family, parents or caregivers will be in deep distress until they can put their child on the right track to find the tools to equip them to deal with their deafness or hearing loss.”
“I thank the Minister for coming here today and making the statement. I also want to put on record my thanks to Victim Support and Nexus for stepping up. <BR /> <BR />I note the timeline, and I notice that the change happened in 2009. The issue was first raised in 2012. It is not clear how the issue was raised in 2012 or by whom. Was that at a departmental level? It was further raised in 2018 and, alarmingly, it took until 2020 before it arrived on the Minister's desk. If the Minister does not intend to include CGI in an investigation, what level of investigation does she intend to seek at this time?”
“They need to hear it from the trust, and they need to hear it from management in the hospital. I thank all those staff, and I thank you.”
“They need to know that they are safe and that the most that can be done is being done to keep them safe. They need to hear it from you.”
“<BR /> <BR />On that note, as my colleague from Newry and Armagh referred to, staff and patients need reassurance. I do not want to find out from the Floor of the House that cleaning has happened because we asked. I do not think that that is how staff should be finding out these reassuring words. There appears to be a real breakdown in communications from the trust to the staff and the patients. They need to know that everything that can be done is being done, and, if that communication channel opens up more rapidly and it is a two-way communication channel, I think that that will put an end to the room where rumour has grown. <BR /> <BR />Having spoken to people working on the ward and to families who have patients on the ward, I urge you, Minister, to please use this opportunity to reassure them. It is all that they seek at this time.”
“Unfortunately for those families who have lost loved ones, that will bring nobody back, but what it will do is provide them with the answers that they so rightly deserve at this time. I do share the concerns of the House that that process may be laboured and slow. It may be that the old tool in the box was quickly grabbed in these uncertain times. It may be that it is not the best tool for this job but it was the easiest to grab, and I would work with the Minister on any suggestions that he has to inject some speed into the process of bringing forward anything that needs to be learned quickly to move on to the second channel that I will refer to, the piece where we have to act fast and respond quickly to lessons that could be learned that could save future lives.”
“I, too, support Doug Beattie, and I thank the Minister for being here. I acknowledge the huge challenge that you face along with your team. It cannot be an easy day any day. <BR /> <BR />I thank the Member for bringing this debate to the Floor of the House, and I appreciate that, since it was presented to the Business Office, the situation has changed and now includes Daisy Hill, which is a recipient hospital for south Down. Both it and Craigavon Area Hospital have quite a big intake from that area. <BR /> <BR />From my perspective, Minister, I see that there are two channels at work here. There is that retrospective piece that needs to happen regarding the serious adverse incident.”
“I add my name to the condolences offered to all families who have lost loved ones due to COVID-19. I welcome the Minister coming to the House, because words of reassurance are needed. Specifically, can the Minister assure the patients, their families and the staff that all of the areas in Daisy Hill hospital that have been affected by COVID-19 have been subject to a deep clean under the instructions of the Public Health Agency on infection control? He mentioned that towards the latter end of his answer, but could he elaborate on that, please?”
“I thank the Member for giving way. On the basis of placing dementia in today's COVID scenario, the Minister and others have rightly pointed out the difficult decision that a family have to make when they feel that they can no longer care for a loved one. Those decisions are possibly being postponed or delayed because families are hesitant about putting their loved one into a care setting under such circumstances. Perhaps we will see that come out in the weeks and months ahead.”
“If extra capacity is to go into any system, will the Minister consider the people in Kilkeel and the Mournes, who are still, despite the technical errors in the system having been ironed out, being requested to make unreasonable journeys, given that those people may be symptomatic?”
“I thank the Member, because he has been very generous in giving way, unlike the Minister, it has to be said. Does the Member agree that this is the bread and butter of Northern Ireland? In our constituency offices, we are all aware of the nature of these businesses. They are often family-owned, and they are the fundamental building blocks of our economy. I had hoped that the motion would nudge the Minister in the right direction. I am bitterly disappointed that that appears not to be the case. I take the Member's point that we really start to move into the realms of, "Do we understand our economy?".”
“I thank the Member for giving way. I appreciate that a lot of this arrived in the House very fast and there was an initial learning curve on who should step up for what issue, but does the Member agree that, when we resolve the issues, at every point, we have to find the fastest vehicle for getting help to those who need it? There are examples of that not happening, and that deeply concerns me.”
“<BR /> <BR />Going forward, Members will assist residents to get through the chaos. They will then be confronted with the reality of how easy it will be to get insurance until the flood alleviation scheme is in place. The clock is ticking. I appreciate the Minister's commitment to this, but it is really difficult to say to somebody that we live in hope that there is no other flood before the alleviation scheme is in place. Whilst I thank the Minister, I urge her to do everything in her power to bring forward the scheme as early as possible, because people are depending on it and will not rest easy in their bed at night until they know that it is in place.”
“It is ordinarily an absolute privilege to live in Newcastle and that area, but, on that day at that moment, it was chaos. Residents are now left with trying to deal with the insurance and how they can resolve the matter; that is in the immediacy. I take on board the comments made by Mr Wells about the insurance companies. That is a valid question for investigation. I really cannot understand the 2009 stipulation; it makes absolutely no sense. It only adds to the concern and worry for those households. Does that year move with time? As houses become older, do more and more people fall into that category? There is no logic to it, and it is important that we understand further how that ever came about and work with the Association of British Insurers and others to find out that that is not the case.”
“It was reassuring to see community spirit, even in the midst of a pandemic, as active as ever: local businesses taking in residents, offering a much-needed cup of tea and a reassuring ear from a neighbour or friend in that critical moment. Teachers, individuals and people everywhere were doing everything that they could, and it was everything that is good about Newcastle and Northern Ireland.”
“On behalf of the residents, and as a representative of South Down, I want to record my thanks to the Minister. <BR />Plenty of people stepped up, as is often the case in Northern Ireland. In a moment of crisis, we see heroes rise. That is true, and my South Down constituency colleague Colin McGrath referred to it.”
“I, too, thank the Member for bringing this topic to the Chamber today. It is timely because, although the flood arrived and, thankfully, moved away, the aftermath is quite raw, and the residents are, rightly, now living with concerns. Having followed and spoken with residents in the area, I was alarmed to see the volume of water that could arrive in one area in such a short time. It was devastating to watch homes being absolutely ruined. There is no other word that I could use to describe what happened that day. <BR /> <BR />What also happened quickly — and I must thank her — was that the Minister arrived. In a moment of chaos and in the confusion that follows it, it is reassuring to see somebody with ministerial portfolio arrive on the scene to let the residents know that we are with them and that we understand fully what is happening.”
“Minister, with all respect, you have not really given an answer to the question. I do not think that you have to wait for a CCC report dated December 2020 to gather evidence that a climate change Bill is required today.”
“It is anticipated that Daisy Hill ED will open at the end of this month. Given these circumstances, would it be prudent to step forward and make that happen immediately and safely?”
“I too would like to add my name to the condolences to those families of loved ones who have died at Craigavon. Through communications with my office, I am all too aware of the anxiety and ongoing distress that exists among staff, patients and their families. <BR /> <BR />Minister, I welcome your reference to an investigation. In light of the circumstances, do you agree with me that now would be a good time to lift additional burdens from Craigavon Area Hospital? In that, I refer to the fact that Daisy Hill ED was closed at the outset of COVID and those who would have attended Daisy Hill are now extra traffic who are making their way to Craigavon.”
“Can the Minister give an indication of how those figures for 2017-18 and 2018-19 compare with earlier years?”
“I thank the Minister for referencing the disappointment and frustration that is continually felt by those victims. I note your reference to the operational steps, which appear to be quite detailed, and the recruitment exercises etc that have to be gone through. Given that most in the House are, I think, in agreement about where a lot of the funding should come from regarding the finances, I ask the Minister if, within the capacity of building the operational systems that are required, she will give an anticipated timeline for when the structure will be in place, which would allow for applications to the scheme?”
“The public and victims are all too often left rightly outraged that sentencing does not reflect the horror of the crime committed. We, as a House, have a duty to remedy that wrong as quickly and effectively as possible. The SDLP, therefore, believes that, if the Minister is allowed to continue undeterred with the comprehensive sentencing review, we will have the opportunity to explore in detail all the issues raised in today's motion. <BR /> <BR />Three years of absence, COVID-19 and Brexit have stripped our Departments of time and resource. It is critical, where possible, that we get behind a focused way of moving such an important issue through the House. The SDLP, therefore, acknowledges the motion and recognises the sentiment behind it, but it supports the amendment as the solution to getting things done.”