Gerry Carroll
West Belfast · People Before Profit Alliance · Northern Ireland
“Yesterday morning, as others did, I stood alongside our resident doctors as they commenced a 24-hour period of industrial action. We often praise our healthcare workers in the House and more generally, saying things such as that they are invaluable and that we wish them well.”
“If we have learnt anything from the political events of the past week, it is that powerful people — powerful men, in particular — and institutions should always be held to maximum account when it comes to abuse, neglect and victims, and that victims and survivors should be believed and supported on every occasion.”
“Agency spend has, again, gone through the roof and is sky-high; locum spend has gone up and continues to go up — it has gone up by in the region of £0·5 billion over the past few years; and, almost every single year out of the past five to 10 years, hundreds of millions of pounds of public money have been pumped into the for-profit privat…”
“With bills increasing month-on-month and year-on-year, that is true, and those workers need a proper settlement that meets their needs and the ever-increasing cost of living. One striking doctor put it to me starkly yesterday. They said that they left Scotland and took a more senior position in the health sector in Belfast.”
“I commend Stephen and his colleagues in the Bill Office and the Executive Office officials, who worked closely with me to try to support, amend or help along my amendments — whatever way you want to look at it. I also want to commend the Member for Fermanagh and South Tyrone who spoke out during the last few stages.”
“I commend people for speaking out on the issue, especially Sharon Burke. I think that she might be in the Gallery. She has been emailing Members on that issue.”
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“Quite often, those same parties supported the stripping back of those services. <BR /> <BR />There is a story from before, which is not often told in the House or elsewhere: a story that it is hoped that people will forget. I am here to remind people about some of the reasons why we are where we are. The truth is that, if they choose to, Governments can afford to invest in sports and culture as well as in essential services such as health, education and infrastructure. Many would argue that, in the past 20 years or so, they have refused to adequately do both. As a starting point, we should reject the either/or approach that assumes that it should be either sports or education, or either culture or health.”
“I declare several interests: most of my family members are members of the GAA; I am, I think, technically still a member of Patrick Sarsfields GAC, although I have not played for many years and was not really much good; and I may be the only Member in the House who is a member of Casement Social Club. <BR /> <BR />There is no doubt that the Casement Park development has been beset by disaster from the get-go. In more recent years, the role played by unionist Ministers has tended to dominate proceedings. That is not unimportant, but, for me and many others, it is not the full story. Those same parties have been particularly vocal in claiming that public money should not be spent on sports infrastructure at a time when public services have been and are being stripped back in schools, hospitals and elsewhere.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. Does he have any concern that the term "active travel" is often misrepresented in the House? It is presumed that there has been a huge increase in spend on active travel, but the concern is that that includes a lot of general spend on roads on which people could in theory cycle. It does not meet the definition of spend on active travel, however. I am sure that the Member knows what I am talking about. Does he also have a concern about that?”
“That is the bare minimum. Working-class communities in West Belfast and across the North deserve roads that do not wreck their cars and endanger their lives. I do not think that we are demanding the stars here.”
“I defend active travel in the truest meaning of the word, with proper cycling lanes, protected pedestrian routes and free and frequent public transport that reduce car dependency. The draft road maintenance strategy mentions sustainable maintenance but offers no vision at all for reducing the vehicle traffic that is causing the damage. As has been mentioned, cars are getting bigger, and people are being told by marketing companies and car companies to buy bigger cars. <BR /> <BR />We need a radical rethink of how we move people and goods. The motion demands:”
“That is welcome, but it is just a drop in the ocean. I also note with concern that, in my constituency, although Netherlands Park and Summerhill Road are on the priority resurfacing programme, which you would think would mean that they would be dealt with in a timely manner, we have been told that the works will not be carried out this year, but possibly next year. The cynic might say that it will be March 2027, but I will leave that up to others to decide whether that will be the date or there will be another date. <BR /> <BR />Our road network was built for a different era. Heavy goods vehicles and higher traffic levels are destroying surfaces that were designed decades ago. Rather than endless resurfacing, we need sustainable transport infrastructure.”
“<BR /> <BR />Cyclists, motorcyclists and people who wheel — people with prams, wheelchairs, rollators and other devices — have not been mentioned in the debate. For those people, these are not just potholes; they are potential death traps. I agree with the previous Member to speak that the Department is taking a sticking-plaster approach. As noted in the motion, 97,000 potholes were reported last year, and only two-thirds were fixed. In Belfast, that figure dropped to 44%. The Member for Newry and Armagh might want to listen to that point. <BR /> <BR />The Minister announced a £30 million package for road resurfacing but admitted that she needs £1·6 billion to bring the roads up to standard. Clearly, the sums do not add up. In my constituency, £135,000 has been announced for the resurfacing scheme for the Old Golf Course Road.”
“It is hard to see what the Member is holding up from here. I recently got glasses, so I might need to use them for that. <BR /> <BR />The number of potholes in Belfast has gone up. People are paying for them twice: once through their rates and also through compensation claims. Those topped around £700,000 in north Belfast alone, which is obviously huge. It is a public finance issue. It is more than an inconvenience; it is a public safety crisis. In the news recently, we have seen funeral processions unable to reach Roselawn, with families forced to walk to the crematorium because the road was impassable. On the same day, 12 cars were stranded on the Ballygowan Road. It is dangerous for so many people.”
“Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I do not know whether he means that Belfast is the best for having the highest number of potholes or the best for repairing them.”
“In West Belfast, like other constituencies, working-class communities are bearing the brunt of the infrastructure collapse. It is affecting Dunmurry, Lake Glen, St James's, Falls Road and many other areas that I have previously raised in the House and through the "interesting", shall we say, DFI website. Like other Members, I regularly hear reports about burst tyres, damaged suspensions and repair bills that people simply cannot afford during a cost-of-living crisis. <BR /> <BR />I missed the start of the debate, so I am not sure whether it was reported, but Belfast saw a 38% increase in the number of potholes between 2024 to 2025. People are obviously paying —”
“Minister, time and again, trans and non-binary people have been let down by you and the Executive, such as when you unanimously endorsed the puberty blocker ban, and when you refused to include people in the trial. The decision is clearly rooted in politics and ideology — the wrong politics and the wrong ideology. Minister, you have not mentioned a single specific medical reason or safety concern for why young people cannot participate in the trials. Do you want to outline any?”
“Does the Minister agree that a better approach to tackling plastic pollution is to prevent it from being produced and appearing on shop shelves in the first place? It is ridiculous: you go to a shop to buy bananas, and they are covered in plastic. That is absurd. Will the Minister outline what work he is doing to compel or encourage producers and suppliers to stop using plastic, especially single-use plastics?”
“I have a concern that the Executive have, for too long, operated in the interests of the big agri-food sector. I hope that that does not continue. You mentioned a figure of £3 million for the Climate Commissioner and the staffing structure. How many staff will that include, and will the commissioner have teeth to intervene and impose fines, if necessary? What happens if the deputy First Minister does not agree to the commissioner being established?”
“Despite the establishment's attempts to silence and misrepresent the solidarity movement, people are going nowhere. Their sights are on the Republic of Ireland's upcoming football matches with Israel. Football and politics have always been connected and gone side by side. It has usually been up to those at the grassroots across the world to stand up for what is right. I call on the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) to pull out of those matches. If it does not, the players will need to lead the way, and I hope that they do, backed by people across the island who have no time for apartheid Israel.”
“They did not utter a word; they were tight-lipped in their support for Keir Starmer and his clampdown. Clearly, in anybody's eyes, using a tin of spray paint is not a violent act. I recognise the role played by my party colleagues in Derry, including Eamonn McCann, a former Member of the House, who were threatened with arrest and suppression because of their support for Palestine Action. Máire Mhic an Fhailí, who is a constituent of mine, was stopped and interrogated at an anti-racism demonstration in Belfast and put in the back of a police jeep for having a Palestine Action T-shirt. <BR /> <BR />The British Government need to drop their appeal in the case and instead put Keir Starmer, David Lammy and the genocide enablers in the dock for their war crimes and support of such crimes.”
“The High Court decision in London last week confirmed what everybody had known for some time: the ban on Palestine Action was unlawful and disproportionate. Keir Starmer and his Government have acted like some of the most brutal dictators in the world by arresting almost 3,000 people in Britain for having the temerity to hold a sign, wear a T-shirt or simply declare their support for a peaceful civil disobedience organisation. I commend those who have stood up to the repressive British Government and refused to back down, despite the arrests and the heavy-handed approach from the police and the state. <BR /> <BR />People on these shores were not immune from harassment and repression for holding a sign or wearing a T-shirt. What about the so-called defenders of free speech on the unionist Benches in the House?”
“— who are focused on profit and wealth. I support the motion and the amendment.”
“We need to focus on the multinational companies and hold them to account for allowing toxic content to thrive on their platforms. They have run the show for too long. We should not blame children and young people for a system created by adults —”
“<BR /> <BR />An outright ban is not the answer, because social media can often be a lifeline for young people, LGBTQ+ people and neurodivergent communities. Cutting them off from friends and access to vital support could leave many vulnerable people feeling disconnected. Two months into Australia's social media ban for under-16s, young people are already finding ways to circumvent the ban. They pivot to alternative apps that do not require an account and re-emerge on platforms with fake birthdays. That was all entirely predictable. As with other prohibitionist policies, consumption does not end; it is just forced underground. Young people already feel increasingly isolated, which is a problem that a ban does not and cannot address. <BR /> <BR />I will move on, in the interests of time.”
“A study by University College London (UCL) and the University of Kent found a fourfold increase in the level of misogynistic content that TikTok suggested over a five-day period. That is pushed on our young people, because it is presumed that extreme content will keep them online and on the apps for longer. In other words, the companies are pushing extreme content at children and young people and encouraging them into screen addiction so that they can monetise them, because they see them as consumers and customers. In the Dáil, my party colleagues have introduced a Bill to tackle toxic recommender algorithms. They have had no choice but to introduce that legislation, because social media companies are failing to protect children.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Center for Countering Digital Hate looked at the videos that YouTube recommends to a 13-year-old Irish girl who watched one video about eating disorders. One in three future recommendations were for harmful eating disorder content. Two in three were related to eating disorders or weight loss, and one in 20 involved self-harm or suicidal content, so the algorithms are clearly a public health issue.”
“Social media has been largely self-regulated. In practice, that means little regulation or at least none that threatens the bottom lines of those companies, which are profit and wealth. Recommender algorithms bombard children and young people with harmful material that promotes self-harm, eating disorders and suicide, as was alluded to by the Member opposite. Our young people are being shown a relentless stream of toxic content that promotes misogyny, racism and transphobia, and social media companies keep us in the dark about the parameters of their toxic algorithms and do not even disclose that detail to the Government for scrutiny. They routinely prioritise trade secrets and commercial confidentiality over children's health and well-being.”
“Stormont cannot deliver housing while thousands of families are homeless; it cannot deliver healthcare while waiting lists are the worst on these islands; it cannot deliver educational reform while children are still segregated at 11; and, apparently, it cannot even deliver basic ministerial accountability.”
“Last year, at the time, I said that either the Communities Minister knew what he was doing when he posted about the migrants' location at Larne Leisure Centre and distanced his party from that decision with an unsubtle wink and a nod to far right and racist agitators in the town or he was so clueless that he did not think that mentioning the location of migrants, who had been driven out of their homes in the context of racial violence, would lead to racial violence. One of those statements is true, and both of them, in my view and that of many people, are reason enough for him to be out of office. <BR /> <BR />The debate exposes the fundamental hypocrisy of our institutions.”
“Thank you, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker. <BR /> <BR />A lot of derision and scorn has been poured on the fact that the commissioner challenged the Communities Minister for not showing empathy. It is beyond farcical that the Minister and his backers think that empathy is a bad thing and something that Ministers should not have while they are in office. It should be a bare minimum for Ministers, MLAs and anybody in elected politics. Frankly, I do not care whether it is written down in the ministerial code: Ministers should have empathy as a basic requirement of office, and, if they do not think that they should have empathy, they should not be in office. The Oxford Dictionary says that empathy is:”
“I do not know the circumstances that the Member is talking about.”
“He talked about the problem of HMOs, not because the people in them are stuck in damp, mouldy and unsuitable housing but because there might be a tiny increase in the number of black and brown faces in Larne, Ballymena or elsewhere. Did he backtrack? Has he apologised? Absolutely not. <BR /> <BR />Some Members said that the debate is a waste of time. If holding Ministers to account is considered to be a waste of time, that shows the depth of arrogance and entitlement that DUP Ministers in particular have.”
“You might not like it, but I am going to say it. In particular, there were anti-Roma comments. Sexual harassment and misogyny are always wrong and have to be condemned, but it is worth remembering that, after last summer's events, the two charges against two Romanian teenagers, which sparked the riots, were dropped. There were no apologies from any of the Members who gave a wink and a nod or stirred the pot. <BR /> <BR />Mr Frew gave a blazing defence of his Minister. Maybe he will be rewarded with a ministerial position in the next mandate. Let us remember what he said last year. He, disgracefully, tried to tie sexual assault to immigration. That needs to be called out and challenged.”
“I will come to you in a second, Mr Frew. It is also worth remembering that, last summer, many unionist MLAs were taking part in a strategy of whipping up anti-migrant sentiment —.”
“You need to get a new playbook, mate. <BR /> <BR />It is also worth remembering that, in that period in which unionist MLAs —.”
“Ministers have a duty to act responsibly and to be careful of the impact of their words at all times, but especially at a time of heightened racial violence.”
“<BR /> <BR />In the debate, former junior Minister Cameron said that there was no evidence that the Minister for Communities's post increased tensions. I remind the Member that, after the Minister's social media post, a leisure centre housing people who were fleeing racial violence was burned to the ground. If that does not meet the threshold of increasing tension, I do not know what does.”
“<BR /> <BR />There is a clear pattern here of Ministers shrinking from responsibility because their parties shield them from accountability. They close ranks, deflect criticism and wait for the news cycle to move on. They have made a cynical but, unfortunately, entirely correct calculation that there are no consequences for breaking the rules, which may be the case today. That has resulted in astounding arrogance from Paul Givan and Gordon Lyons: an arrogance that Ministers can breach the ministerial code repeatedly, but, if they just sit tight, the public will forget. People will not forget, Minister. They see through the circus, and many are asking what the Executive have actually delivered. The big parties have delivered absolutely nothing for struggling working-class communities.”
“Thank you, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker. I thank and commend the Members for tabling the motion. Almost three months ago, in November, we debated a question for urgent oral answer that, similarly, was an attempt to hold a Minister to account. That time it was Paul Givan: different Minister, same party. Today, we are talking about the same shameless refusal of people to take responsibility. <BR /> <BR />The commissioner found that the Communities Minister was in breach of the ministerial code not once but twice, yet he still clings to office, protected by a party that values tribal loyalty over public standards. The Labour Party's defence of Keir Starmer in the past few days has been nauseating, but the DUP takes the biscuit in its defence of Gordon Lyons and Paul Givan.”
“European leaders often present themselves as members of the civilised garden — leave aside the racial undertones of that comment — but they are looking to ramp up deportations, raids and, rather than stand up to Trump, be a smaller, poorer version of him, and we should resist that.”
“I absolutely will. The motion refers to geopolitical issues, and I am talking about those and the EU's role in those, Mr Deputy Speaker. I will bring my remarks to a close in a second. <BR /> <BR />That policy is reminiscent of Trump's, what Jim O'Callaghan is doing in the South and Keir Starmer's. What the plan will do — it is important that this is on the record, because nobody raised it today — is deport people from Europe to third countries in which they never lived and with which have no social ties. That is a real rotten, dangerous and, for many, deadly plan. That is extremely important.”
“She articulated repeatedly her and the EU's unending support for Israel and paid a solidarity visit to Netanyahu, supporting the flow of weapons to that apartheid state. She also articulated that Ukrainians had a right to resist in opposing an invading Russian army, but Palestinians were told to accept mass slaughter and starvation, but we do not hear anything in the House about that. <BR /> <BR />We also hear nothing in the House about the EU's migration strategy. What is it? I do not know whether people follow the debate closely, but essentially it is a policy reminiscent of Trump's ICE approach. Keir Starmer, who is Prime Minister for now but hopefully for not much longer —”
“<BR /> <BR />The motion refers to "geopolitical uncertainty". It is clear that we are in a time of climate change, financial instability and uncertain economic times — and, as I said, the beating of war drums. The academic Adam Tooze talks about a "polycrisis", a combination or connection of multiple crises. They are not just connected but are intertwined: supply chain disruptions, financial system failures and geopolitical instability are all one part of one fragile, global network. <BR /> <BR />Going back to the motion, we often hear in the House about the European Union being a key promoter and defender of human rights. Nobody could say that with a straight face when you see the role played by Ursula von der Leyen in supporting Israel's slaughter — genocide — in Gaza.”
“Left to the people in charge, however, that is a fanciful dream. The people running the world economy operate in the interests of corporations, polluters and the arms industry. If there is to be a break from that rotten and depraved economic and political system, it can come only from the people who are ground down by it. <BR /> <BR />For the best part of 40-plus years, we have had Governments in America, Britain and, probably, most of Europe trying to break down barriers to trade to increase trade and open up markets and exploit people but to have trade free-flowing, relatively speaking. Now, we are in a different era, where tariffs can more essentially be the order of the day. That is not hyperbole. Take any newspaper from Britain, Ireland or anywhere in Europe and you will see the drive to war, and tariffs are real and threatening.”
“They are a toll by corporations and the ruling class to jostle with and outfight each other and to, again, maximise profits and punish the working-class people of other countries, who have the same interests at heart. <BR /> <BR />In some ways, we are entering — if not in it already — a different epoch in trade, how states interact and how the global North responds to economic difficulties. Mark Carney, the Canadian Prime Minister, has said that the rules-based order is over. He had his own reasons for saying that, but I do not think that it ever existed in a real sense, because people guilty of war crimes walk free in America, Europe, Israel and elsewhere. I hope sincerely that there can be a new international system of cooperation, working together in a commitment to peace.”
“Part of the motion is about trade, and seamless trade would be broadly welcomed and my party and I would not oppose it. Also, we need to be realistic and realise that free trade is, essentially, freedom of capital to crush the worker, as somebody once said. People should have the free-flowing access to goods that they need, and much is made about the restrictions and the other issues coming out of EU exit, which, obviously, was not an unimportant event. However, I do not think that enough is made in this debate about the actions, in a general sense, of large multinational companies and their decisions being motivated, exclusively, by maximising profits. Greater profits for them do not mean higher wages for people here. <BR /> <BR />It is also worth noting the use of tariffs. What are tariffs?”
“We urgently need the immediate commissioning and funding of adult ADHD services in every health trust, an end to the postcode lottery and equal access to diagnosis and treatment across the North. This is a fundamental healthcare provision, and people have waited long enough for it. I am happy to support the amendment and the motion.”
“On top of that failure, we face proposed cuts in education, which will devastate pupils with ADHD who desperately need support in schools. Children with ADHD and autism are excluded from mainstream education, with families paying between £12,000 and £15,000 for private assessments and support and facing financial hardship as a result. Meanwhile, the Education Minister has repeatedly threatened to take away one-to-one classroom assistant support from pupils who benefit from it. That has caused a huge deal of fear and anxiety, and, across the healthcare system, we are seeing public money being funnelled towards private providers while inequality between rich and working-class families deepens.”
“We are spending significant public funds on crisis interventions, special educational needs tribunals and emergency care rather than on early and preventative support, which would be far more effective and humane and would be cheaper in the long run.”
“<BR /> <BR />What are entirely missing here are the services in between the crisis points — assessment, diagnosis, medication, management, psychological support, monitoring and continuity of care — which prevent people from reaching crisis in the first place. Adults in the North with ADHD live seven to nine years less than their neurotypical peers. That is due, mainly, to unmet needs. Being neurodivergent should not be an early death sentence. A system that intervenes only when someone is already in severe distress is not preventative, not equitable and not compliant with our most basic human rights and equality obligations. The human cost is enormous. Untreated ADHD results in higher attendance at EDs, school exclusion and unemployment.”
“Those who cannot afford that are left to struggle without any support. That is totally unacceptable. As Members have said, there is a postcode lottery. That creates systemic inequalities between different parts of the North, with some trusts being unable to comply with the best practice guidelines. In the meantime, as the Member for East Derry said, adults and children are turning to social media for guidance and support. For example, TikTok videos with the hashtag #ADHD have been viewed over 20 billion times. That is very worrying, considering that it is a completely unregulated media form.”
“I support the motion and the amendment, and I thank Members for tabling them. Obviously, I support the call for the publication of the report into the commissioning of services and engagement with GP representative bodies. <BR /> <BR />We are witnessing yet another example of how privatisation and underfunding create a two-tier health service that punishes working-class families. The facts speak for themselves. As Members have said, there is no commissioned adult ADHD service in the North, despite clear evidence that it is required and NICE guidelines requiring proper provision. Children and adults are left waiting for years for a diagnosis, and some trusts have years-long waiting lists for even a diagnostic assessment. Meanwhile, families who can afford to do so are paying thousands of pounds for private assessments and ongoing care.”
“Minister, I am concerned that your political and ideological attacks will be a chill factor on people accessing benefits and that nobody will count or monitor that. Rather than attacking people from the anti-poverty sector, maybe you can outline what work your Department has done to detail how much will be saved every year from people who can claim but are unable to claim, do not claim or are too frightened to claim benefits as a result of your attacks.”
“Minister, what assessment has your Department made of how unsafe roads, including those with potholes, impact on people who wheel, such as those who use prams, bikes, rollators or wheelchairs?”
“The meetings are a chance to discuss issues that affect the North and the South, although I am not convinced about how often that happens. Airbnbs and similar short-term holiday lets are affecting people north and south and wrecking communities. The owners of those properties charge a fortune, which is driving up rents. In the Gaeltacht area, there has been an 88% increase in their number in past six years. Did you or other Ministers raise that issue? If not, will you raise it in future so that Ministers can work together to address it?”