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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“Or do you abandon proposals only when groups such as Hospitality Ulster speak out? <BR /> <BR />Minister, you always ask about ideas and suggestions for revenue raising — you will probably come on to that — and where that might come from. I do not have the access to the staff and good people that you do, but I will give you one example that I have raised with you before. The income of the top 100 companies in the North has increased to £1·8 billion over the past year. Minister, I do not know why you are averse to tackling that through the rates system. Having raised that with you before, the answer that I received was that a rates review was happening. With respect, Minister, people do not need another review. Rather, they need action to tackle that naked profiteering.”
“I want to speak against the Executive's proposal to increase rates. It is not inevitable that the only available option is higher rates for households or the collapse of public services. A 5% increase in rates for domestic properties, alongside the discrepancy of a 3% increase for non-domestic properties, has not been explained, nor has the Minister outlined his rationale for that. It is also worth putting this rates increase in the context of the rates revaluation. The Minister backtracked on his plans after a backlash from Hospitality Ulster and withdrew his proposal for the rates revaluation. I ask the Minister directly: what is it going to take for you to look again and reverse the decision to increase domestic rates? How many stories of people struggling to pay their bills will you have to hear before you abandon this proposal?”
“The sector and its workforce are under huge pressure. It is not supported adequately by the Minister and the Department. A small number of the Minister's staff are working on Irish-medium education. <BR /> <BR />I also want to pay tribute to all the classroom assistants, teachers and principals in my constituency. In particular, I want to mention St Teresa's Primary School in my constituency and pay tribute to the staff and the principal, who are fighting to extend the school's speech and language unit beyond primary 4. That is not a radical demand. They are not asking for the earth but for something that other schools have. I believe that the school needs that extension, and the community and the parents demand it.”
“To add insult to injury, the additional £300 million in Barnett consequentials resulting from additional investment in special educational needs and disabilities in England will go back to paying the Treasury, which is offensive and quite ridiculous, not to mention the 24% pay increase for MLAs while there is no 24% pay increase for classroom assistants. <BR /> <BR />The work of classroom assistants is transformative for thousands of children with special educational needs. I do not think that the Minister gets that. I also want to mention the difficulties that are faced by young people who are in Irish-medium education. Some parents and carers have been forced to move their child from mainstream Irish-medium education to English language schools because funding has not been made available by the Minister.”
“The Minister is not here to answer me, but I suspect that the Department made a calculation that because so many classroom assistants are on temporary contracts, the Minister could quickly change the criteria for those contracts, and that would release the funding to pay for enough classroom assistants and keep pace with the change and support that is needed, while not having to pay redundancy payments to those staff. That is a win-win for the Department, but a lose-lose for education workers, young people and the wider community. <BR /> <BR />It is also worth mentioning that Unite the Union, of which I am a member, has begun to ballot its members in the Education Authority on the Minister's plans to cut terms and conditions for education support workers.”
“I share the concerns that were raised by the proposer of the motion and others, and which are felt by parents and educationalists, about the Minister's disastrous plans to remove classroom assistants who are clearly needed, as everybody has stated. Already, parents and carers have to fight tooth and nail to get classroom assistants and the full hours that their child needs. <BR /> <BR />I am concerned that the Minister's proposals, as others have said, are an attempt to reduce the number of classroom assistants by the back door.”
“I thank the Member for giving way and commend him on outlining the impact that the provision has on his own son. Does he agree that the Minister's decision to push ahead with this disastrous strategy is more to do with finances than with education?”
“Thank you, Minister. Obviously, time is of the essence, because the environment is slowly being killed. In theory, any legislation or ministerial decision could be challenged in court, so I do not think that, in a general sense, that should be used as an excuse for inaction. To clarify your earlier answer, will you move at speed to establish an environmental protection agency (EPA)?”
“Thanks, Minister. My understanding is that the PSNI holds images of people who have never been charged with or convicted of anything, which is terrifying. You will know that the PSNI is considering introducing live facial recognition. I am concerned, as are many human rights organisations, about the chilling effect that that will have on people who are organising and campaigning in a peaceful way. Do you share those concerns?”
“I express my solidarity with Vincent Kearney and the other journalists who were spied on. Much is always made about the PSNI being the most accountable police force around. Therefore, it is astounding to hear that the Minister of Justice is effectively powerless to do anything about the PSNI spying on journalists. Minister, have you contacted the Chief Constable to raise your concerns about the issue?”
“It is not a memory test; it is a political debate. <BR /> <BR />It is important to emphasise that point, and the Alliance Party has done so and can do that for itself. <BR /> <BR />There are good points in the amendment about the need for reform of the whole structure of this place, not just to change the First Minister titles; however, I am sceptical of the idea that Sinn Féin and other parties would push ahead with it.”
“I advise the Member to look at how many times cross-community votes were needed.”
“My point was that it is naive to think that that change would bring about a new form of politics or type of election. <BR /> <BR />Before the Member intervened, I was making the point that it is absurd and ridiculous that parties here are "othered". I find that offensive. I am a socialist — Alliance Party members are liberals; they can define themselves — and the fact that we are put to the side, literally in my case, and othered, with my vote not counting and my being seen as a second-class MLA, is distasteful.”
“<BR /> <BR />It is ridiculous that, if the Alliance Party were to become the biggest or second-biggest party in this place, it would not be able to take up those positions. I have been more critical of the Alliance Party on many things than other parties have been, but that is absurd and shows how sectarianism and communalism are hardwired into this place.”
“I do have a party — an all-island party, with TDs. I will teach you about that some day. <BR /> <BR />We have always called for maximum reform of these institutions, but it is clear that most of the bigger parties are opposed to real, deep, meaningful change. Sinn Féin fought the previous election on the mantra of "First Minister for all", and it was rewarded in part for that when it was returned as the biggest party. That slogan, and that reality, were symbolically important for many, but we need to move beyond symbols and see delivery for working-class people. The First Minister and the Executive as a whole have not delivered for working-class people across the board. Most people have checked out of Stormont and have completely lost faith in this institution.”
“I do not know what you shouted, but I am going to move on.”
“, but I could send the Members to my right a few articles. As I said, there is no problem with the proposal in principle; however, it is a bit absurd for us to have this debate, and I query why it has come to the House now. <BR /> <BR />In a general sense, my party and I — I have said this from day 1 —.”
“I do not know whether I have time to go into all that or whether the Deputy Speaker would let me expand on that”
“It is naive to think that, just by equalising the titles of First Minister and deputy First Minister — changing them to make them joint First Ministers or First Minister 1 and First Minister 2 or whatever — elections here would no longer be a battle about which was the biggest party or who has the biggest communal bloc. To say that that is naive is to put it mildly. I would hazard a guess that, if it were to happen, the debate would become about who the "first" or "real" First Minister was. We would not move away from that context, because communalism is hardwired in this place through its structures and the agreements that brought it into being. <BR /> <BR />I was not here at the start of the debate, but there is merit in querying the timing of the proposal from the SDLP when unionism is on the back foot and in a historic crisis.”
“We live in a situation where people are being dragged into deeper, longer and more dangerous wars and there is global uncertainty of a kind we have not seen for 15, 20 or more years. In that context, it seems bizarre that we are having a debate about title changes on the doors of Ministers who have delivered nothing of substance for working-class communities. The SDLP may be running out of ideas for its motions, because it has considerable time every month or six weeks to propose them. If that is the case, I am happy to lend some ideas for motions for the Members opposite to propose to the House.”
“Mar sin de, bainimis sult as Seachtain na Gaeilge. Cuirimis i gcuimhne dóibh siúd atá i gcumhacht go bhfuil ag teip orthu beart a dhéanamh de réir a mbriathair.”
“Tá gach sórt imeachta ar siúl sna hionaid Ghaeilge, amhail Raidió Fáilte, an Chultúrlann, Ionad Uíbh Eachach, Glór na Móna, Cumann Chluain Árd, Spórtlann na hÉireann, agus neart áiteanna eile. Molaim fosta na grúpaí eile atá ag cur spás ar fáil d’imeachtaí teanga mar chuid den fhéile seo. Bhí lá mór teaghlaigh i lár na cathrach fosta ag an deireadh seachtaine. Bhí mé ann anuraidh le mo chlann agus bhain muid an-sult as. <BR /> <BR />Críochnóidh mé ar phointe polaitíochta: ceiliúradh atá i Seachtain na Gaeilge ach cur i gcuimhne atá ann chomh maith. Cuireann sí i gcuimhne dúinn go bhfuil freagracht ollmhór ar an stát freastal ceart a dhéanamh ar an teanga. Tá cearta, meas agus, thar aon rud eile, infheistíocht ag teastáil. Chan amháin go bhfuil na rudaí sin ag teastáil ach is fada thar am iad.”
“Tá Seachtain na Gaeilge 2026 faoi lán seoil. Is féile iontach í seo atá ag dul ó neart go neart. Tá na mílte imeachtaí ag tarlú ar fud na hÉireann. Tá rudaí ar siúl do gach aon duine: foghlaimeoirí, daoine gan Ghaeilge agus daoine óga. Is léiriú í ar fhás agus ar fhorbairt na Gaeilge. Tá níos mó daoine á labhairt, tá níos mó daoine á foghlaim, agus tá níos mó daoine ag cur suim inti. Tá pobal na teanga lán brí agus beochta. <BR /> <BR />Guím gach rath ar na grúpaí ar fad atá ag eagrú imeachtaí idir anois agus Lá Fhéile Pádraig. Molaim do gach aon duine a bheith ag freastal ar imeachtaí le linn Sheachtain na Gaeilge. Más rud é nach raibh tú ar imeacht Gaeilge, gabh sa tseans. Buailfidh tú le pobal fáilteach, fíorchairdiúil. Tá scoth na n-imeachtaí ar siúl i mo cheantar féin.”
“<BR /> <BR />It is worth reminding ourselves that the far right and those who trumpet far right arguments do not stand up for women and want to divide people with a racist, anti-migrant or anti-other agenda. <BR /> <BR />I want to finish by talking about women in the community in West Belfast. I pay tribute to all of them: those who are working; those who are not working; those in our schools; those in the Royal Victoria Hospital; and those in all childcare settings across the constituency. We had a Seachtain na Gaeilge event earlier. There would be no Irish language sector in West Belfast without the women in Bóthar Seoigh, Ionad na Fuiseoige, Cultúrlann McAdam Ó Fiaich, Glór na Móna agus na Gaelscoileanna suas agus síos an bóthar.”
“We have heard that during other debates. <BR /> <BR />Childcare is another scandal. The cost of childcare in the North remains amongst the highest across these islands. Women are locked out of work and education, because affordable childcare simply does not exist. That is structural inequality, and it demands a structural response that, unfortunately, is not found in the childcare strategy. Childcare should be free, publicly available and universally accessible for women. <BR /> <BR />I want to mention the women's hostel in my constituency, Regina Coeli, which closed about four years ago. That was a vital refuge in West Belfast for some of the most vulnerable and deprived women who were seeking to escape from violence. There has been no replacement service in West Belfast, and that needs to be addressed.”
“Women in our most deprived areas face significantly worse outcomes in mental health, chronic illness and life expectancy than women in wealthier parts of this city, but, obviously, all women lose out. That is a direct result of decades of underinvestment in working-class communities. We are the only jurisdiction on these islands without a dedicated women's health strategy. As the Member for Fermanagh and South Tyrone and others said, it takes, on average, almost 10 years for a woman to be diagnosed with endometriosis. If that were an illness that affected men, things would undoubtedly move much more quickly. The Women's Resource and Development Agency (WRDA) research on health inequalities reports that many women feel unheard and dismissed by healthcare professionals.”
“I think that it is important to talk about all women but particularly about the women in my West Belfast constituency, because their lives, their struggles and their resilience deserve some attention. West Belfast is one of the most deprived constituencies on these islands. Poverty runs deep and is very much a political issue. When poverty and deprivation take hold of a community, it is usually women who bear the heaviest burden. They are called the "shock absorbers of poverty". They often skip meals so that their children are fed, sit in a cold house so that the family can stay warm and balance impossible budgets. They do all of that without support from the Executive, who underfund the services on which they depend. <BR /> <BR />The health inequalities are stark, as has been mentioned.”
“It is important to speak on the issue. The conversation should be and has been led by women — rightly so — but men have a stake in it and should be interested in standing alongside women and sisters in the fight for women's liberation. <BR /> <BR />I will make a quick history point. The first international women's day — I may have said this last year — took place in New York in 1909 and was organised by the Socialist Party of America. The left movement — the socialist movement — has always been there in the fight for women's liberation, despite the different views on display today. <BR /> <BR />As Members have said, it is International Women's Day this weekend.”
“I thank the Member. Does she agree that Ireland should use its presidency of the Council of the European Union to defend the triple lock and to oppose an EU army and greater expansion of NATO? Should that be the stated position of the South?”
“. For that reason, I am against the UUP amendment. <BR /> <BR />Despite what the motion mentions and despite the vote on the European Union, the North is still in Europe, so there is an anomaly in that. I share the concerns of my TD colleagues in the South who say that the Government are using the presidency of the Council of the European Union as a fig leaf —”
“<BR /> <BR />The Member for Foyle talked about Ireland setting the agenda with the presidency. In theory, that can potentially be a good thing, but I hope that the agenda is not set by the people in the South who are trying to undo neutrality and undermine the triple lock. I hope that it is set by the overwhelming majority of people on the island who are obviously for neutrality and for Palestinian rights. <BR /> <BR />The opinion of the people in the South is crystal clear on the question of neutrality and joining NATO. Again, it is unfortunate that it was not mentioned in the motion. That is despite a relentless campaign — often a hyperbolic propaganda campaign — by most of the Southern media and some, obviously, here as well, in an attempt to vilify and attack previous and current uachtaráin”
“Yes: you did not answer the question. It was not in the motion, but that is up to you. Through the Principal Deputy Speaker, that is for the Member. If the Member is happy to erode Irish neutrality, that is on him. Fortunately, the public do not agree. <BR /> <BR />If history teaches us anything, it is that empire and war bring nothing but disaster, death, havoc and destruction. In a general sense, in the debate, from some Members today and just generally in this period, we need less beating of chests and beating of war drums and more recognition that an anti-war movement is needed across the island and across the world. Some politicians, North and South, want to pull the Southern state deeper into more, bigger and longer wars. The truth is that they want and are happy to send working-class kids to be killed and to kill across the world.”
“You tried that in the last debate. Again, the Member did not answer the question: why is neutrality not in the motion?”
“Can I finish the point? Some 185 schoolkids were bombed by the US, and you say nothing about that. <BR /> <BR />I give way to the Member for South Belfast.”
“Yes. Not to be taken off course, I carry no torch for the Iranian regime, but the Member and his party have nothing to say about a school —.”
“In a second. <BR /> <BR />Those actions would not be possible without the political cover given by the European Union and Ursula von der Leyen, in particular, not to mention the weapons sold by EU member states. Unfortunately, the motion makes absolutely no mention of that. <BR /> <BR />The motion also makes no mention of keeping Ireland neutral, which is more than disappointing. It is a missed opportunity. That is the biggest political debate in the South of Ireland. I suspect that the SDLP does not want to annoy its friends in Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael who are in overdrive mode in trying to undermine the triple lock and become a willing partner in European and American wars across the world.”
“That obviously points to gaps in the motion. It fails to deal with some of the biggest questions of our day. The Member for East Derry mentioned that in passing as well. We have seen a genocide being committed over the past three years against the Palestinian people. Everybody knows that Biden and Trump backed Netanyahu and financed him and supported that war at every step of the way.”
“You cannot laud the EU as the best peace project over the past 50 years and, at the same time, have nothing to say when it is warmongering and banging the war drums.”
“The proposer of the motion stated that there are irresponsible actors in the world today who launch wars and, to paraphrase him, wreak havoc on the world. He was obviously talking about Donald Trump and the actions of the US Government in recent days. I note that Pete Hegseth has not ruled out putting boots on the ground in Iran. We need to call out the brutality, gangsterism and thuggery of Donald Trump's regime and what it has committed in Iran in recent days. The Member failed to mention — it has not been mentioned at all in the debate — the role played by European states that are backing the US war on Iran. Britain, Germany and France have all issued statements jointly or separately to say that they support and will back the US attack on Iran or will do so collectively. There has been no mention of that.”
“Thank you, Minister. There is a lot of concern, to put it mildly, that there is no stand-alone legislation coming through to support that community. I pay tribute to Caleb's mother, Alma White, who has campaigned on the issue. <BR /> <BR />Minister, pupils with complex needs who are leaving school SEN settings will be likely to need one-to-one support. How will your Department meet their needs in a day centre or other day opportunity environment?”
“Thank you, Minister, for that answer. You will probably be aware that, in 2022, Regina Coeli, a women's refuge, closed in my constituency. I commend the people who worked and volunteered there. Since then, there has been no place in West Belfast for women to go if they have been subjected to domestic violence by partners or ex-partners. As part of the strategy that you outlined, will consideration be given to expanding the number of refuges in my constituency and across the North?”
“I call on him to make sure that Belfast International Airport — Aldergrove — is not used to join the US and Israeli war against Iran or any other country in the Middle East. We need peace and de-escalation. We do not need people in this House or elsewhere banging the war drums.”
“They can laugh all they want. On day 1 of "liberation", 165 schoolchildren were killed in Iran. Is that liberation? Is that freedom? Is that democracy? Do those people's lives not matter? Do they not count? Obviously not to the Members to my right. We need to challenge that, challenge the repetition of the strategy that was used pre the war in Iraq in 2003 and challenge the lies that are being put out about Iran. It is worth saying that the International Atomic Energy Agency reported that Iran was in full compliance with its obligations around nuclear weapons. <BR /> <BR />We also have to challenge and call out Keir Starmer for putting people in the region at risk. Obviously, that includes ordinary Iranians, but it also includes people in the region with a British or Irish passport.”
“It is often said that the first casualty in war is truth, and we are already seeing apologists for the US and Israel, both here and across the world, trying to spin a war of aggression. The enablers and implementers of a genocide in Palestine have no interest in or concern about democracy or human rights for anybody in the world. They are best mates with the Saudi Arabian regime, which kills journalists and puts them in bags. We need to call out this latest war as an act of aggression. It is a war that is about US interests and Israel expanding its role in the Middle East. <BR /> <BR />Parties, especially ones to my right, cannot justify a war in which missiles are launched from the sky to bomb people. It will never bring freedom or liberation. On day 1 of "liberation" —”
“Another week and another act of huge violence and aggression by the United States Government. The supposed president of peace has, once again, launched a war on people who pose no threat to the citizens of the United States. I fear that the Pandora's box has well and truly been opened. We saw the effects of the violence of the Iraq war: one million Iraqis killed and the creation of ISIS. I wonder and am terrified about what will happen as a result of this war. <BR /> <BR />It is worth saying that, until Friday, the United States was in deep negotiations with representatives of the Iranian Government. Trump and Netanyahu launched a war precisely because the negotiations were advancing and, by all accounts, going well.”
“At one point, she had mould inside her oven. The house is completely overcrowded, with two teenage daughters sleeping in a box room and one sleeping on the floor. The Housing Executive does not seem to have the will or ability to get the private landlord to make the repairs. <BR /> <BR />The issue is widespread, Minister. I urge you to implement legislation that addresses that problem urgently. I urge Members to support the SDLP amendment and the motion.”
“the public health impacts of poor housing. It was tabled on 17 February 2025, which is more than a year ago, but no answer has been received. After today's debate, I will chase up that answer for the House and me. <BR /> <BR />Nye Bevan, the socialist Labour MP who founded the NHS, was the Minister of Health and also had responsibility for housing. He and many people in the 1940s understood that there was a connection between housing and health. The issues are fundamentally connected. However, apart from today's debate, that connection seems to be something from a bygone era, and both things are not referred to as closely as they need to be. <BR /> <BR />In conclusion, I will quickly mention a constituent of mine — Raja — who lives in the Rockdale Street area of West Belfast. Black mould is crawling all over her ceilings.”
“I thank the Minister for that. I look forward to reading the detail of that when it comes through. <BR /> <BR />Everybody talked about the human cost of damp and mould. I am glad that the Health Minister has joined us for the end of the debate. The NHS spends at least £1·4 billion a year treating illnesses caused by cold and damp housing directly. When wider societal costs are included, that rises to £15·4 billion. This is not about tight budgets and a lack of resources but about political choices. I tabled a question for written answer to the Health Minister, asking:”
“<BR /> <BR />The Minister mentioned the guidance from NIFHA: we had NIFHA upstairs today. That guidance is important, but, obviously, guidance is just guidance; it is not enforcement. That is a big difference. He talked about the powers that are already in place. Some powers are in place, but they are not strong enough. They are quite limited. <BR /> <BR />I think that the Minister mentioned the Decent Homes Standard consultation. I am happy to give way to him. What aspects of Awaab's law will be or are likely to be in the legislation to come out of that consultation? Obviously, minimum energy efficiency standards are welcome and long overdue, but they will not be as strong as the time commitments and clear time frame set out in Awaab's law.”
“If the Member is serious about protecting working-class people in the Village or elsewhere and about them remaining there, he needs to look at a ban on no-fault evictions, rent controls and supporting the measures that I am proposing — not today, obviously — generally and through my private Member's Bill. <BR /> <BR />The Minister said that he has been in worse positions than agreeing with me. I will say this to you directly: you talked about Housing Executive borrowing and support, and I am glad to hear your announcement, if I picked you up correctly, that it is not connected to reclassification of any kind. The Housing Executive should be able to borrow but should remain a public body. I know that you are sharing information with the Communities Committee. I ask that it be shared with my good self as well.”