Alan Chambers
North Down · Ulster Unionist Party · Northern Ireland
“<BR /> <BR />A relatively recent piece of important character that was added to the village some years ago was the addition of a number of trees along Main Street.”
“It is my pleasure and privilege to present a petition signed by more than 1,500 people calling on the Department for Infrastructure to drop plans to chop down a number of mature street trees in Main Street, Groomsport. <BR /> <BR />Groomsport is a beautiful village with a strong community spirit.”
“Indeed, in the past week, it has been adjudged to be the best-kept town on the island of Ireland. It has many outstanding characteristics, including three lovely beaches with clean and pollution-free bathing water; a well-sheltered harbour that is reputed to have been first constructed by the Vikings; a modern children's playground; and t…”
“Minister, I sent a question for written answer in May 2025. You told me that your officials had identified a problem on the A48 in November 2024 and that a works order had been issued.”
“The Department's approach to the problem, however, has been to fire up the chainsaws. That is a shameful and unacceptably lazy plan. There are many engineering solutions that do not involve such crude environmental vandalism. Government policy, rather than to chop down healthy mature specimens, is to encourage more tree planting.”
“For many, the ability to start or grow a family is a major priority; for others, it is not a priority at all. When fertility problems stand in the way of that dream, the emotional toll can be immense. There has already been reference to the commitment in NDNA, which was one reason why my party very much welcomed that agreement.”
The complete record
Every one of 1,411 lines we hold for Alan Chambers, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 14 of 29.
“Today, I will support amendment Nos 1, 2, 3 and 5. I am looking forward to hearing Mr Allister make the case for amendment No 4. At this stage, I am minded not to support it, but I will listen to the arguments.”
“The evidence that we listened to in the Health Committee from trust officials and the police was harrowing. It is unacceptable in a civilised society that people should behave like that. Against that, people should always have the right to protest. It is not a particularly big ask to ask people to take their protest 150 metres away from the front door of these clinics.”
“It is designed to protect members of the public who may be entering the same buildings on completely unrelated business and who may even be accompanied by children. It is also designed to give some form of protection to staff who work in the clinics. <BR /> <BR />The main issue here is that people out there do not seem to be listening. They do not seem to be hearing what the thrust of the legislation is. It is not about abortion but about women's health issues. Women are perfectly entitled to have the right to seek advice on that topic and to get the advice that is available in those clinics. A lot of the letters that I received have been copied and pasted, and they seem to paint a completely different picture of the protests that take place outside the clinics.”
“Over the past number of days, I have received a lot of emails, as have my colleagues in the Ulster Unionist Party, from pro-life groups and pro-life individuals. My mailbox probably contains the same huge number of emails that I received when debates in here were focused on abortion. It is disappointing that that is the way in which the debate on this legislation is being viewed by some people. Abortion is a matter of conscience for our MLAs in the Ulster Unionist Party. That has not changed; it remains the same. Our position is not influenced by either pro-life or pro-choice arguments. <BR /> <BR />The Bill, including the amendments before us today, is designed to create a safe environment for vulnerable women who want to visit those clinics to seek advice.”
“I thank the Minister for that update. Does the Department have any concerns that the increase in buildings costs and potential shortage of materials could have a negative effect on its planned rebuild and refurb of education facilities across the sector?”
“We cannot praise enough or often enough all of the staff who were involved in coordinating that programme. Nearly 4 million doses of COVID vaccine have been administered, and that is on top of the annual routine flu vaccination. Everybody involved in that deserves the highest praise that we can give them. <BR /> <BR />I have noticed that a lot of people are still comfortable to wear a mask. That is fine. If they feel comfortable doing that, I encourage them to do so. I also encourage people, as others have done, to continue to take the simple, basic precautions that came out at the start: wash your hands, socially distance and do not go into crowded areas. I call on the public to continue to do that. I support the motion.”
“This is an occasion to, once again, as others have said, praise the Northern Ireland public for how they have stepped up to the plate to help to curtail the spread of COVID infection. We have asked people to make personal, family and employment sacrifices. Thankfully, the majority of the public did exactly that. At the start of the pandemic, we were fearful about facing the complete collapse of our health service and about hospitals and GP practices collapsing with the sheer volume of people presenting with the infection. Because of all of the sacrifices that the public made and the public compliance, those doomsday scenarios were averted. The guidance in the regulations that were brought to the House definitely contributed to that situation. <BR /> <BR />The arrival of the vaccine was a game changer.”
“I beg to introduce the Preservation of Documents (Historical Institutions) Bill, which is a Bill to make provision for the preservation of documents relating to certain institutions and residents of those institutions between 1922 and 1995, and to certain children of those residents.”
“The amendments are an example of how to help make a very good law that little bit better. There has been much cooperation between the Minister, his Department and the Health Committee on producing the much needed and significant legislation that is before us. <BR /> <BR />I welcome all the amendments and commend them to the House. The Ulster Unionist Party will support them all. The end result and benefits of the Bill for children and adopters will be felt for years to come.”
“The Bill has sought to find a balance between all those competing rights. The right to protest directly outside a clinic will simply be displaced to a point that is 100 yards away from the clinic. That will not stop you from protesting. An individual's right to enter a clinic for whatever reason will also be protected by the Bill. It will prevent any individual from being intimidated or subjected to behaviour that could cause them to feel either threatened or fearful. The Bill, as amended, will respect everyone's rights, be that to protest peacefully or to enter a building without fear.”
“At that point, no one has been arrested or attracted a potential criminal record. We have heard from Members that there are harassment laws from so many years ago that could deal with that situation. That is fine, but if you breach those harassment laws, you will attract a criminal record. Therefore, it is not the harassment law or the new law that will make you a criminal: it is your actions that will attract a criminal record. <BR /> <BR />The other issue that has arisen in correspondence is the human right to protest and the right to freedom of speech. Those rights also come with a responsibility to respect the human rights of others. Those who seek to attend a clinic also have human rights with regard to seeking medical advice, and their rights are equally worthy of protection.”
“Unfortunately, during our evidence hearings in the Health Committee, we heard that some protesters — maybe only a small number — target not only women who are heading into a clinic, but the people who actually work in those clinics and, worse still, other members of the public who enter such a building in pursuit of other business, which may include children. The protesters take photographs and shout loudly. I welcome amendment No 11, which addresses the aspect of protesters taking photographs or videos. I am sure that we all acknowledge that that sort of behaviour is unacceptable. <BR /> <BR />The Bill allows for a police officer to direct a protester or suspected protester to leave the safe access zone. They then have the power to remove the person from the zone if they do not leave.”
“They may be at the lowest point of their life, unable to share their fears or concerns with even their most trusted friend or family member. All the correspondence that I have received on this Bill has been from people on the pro-life side who are opposed to it. That fact tells me that, in the eyes of many people, the topic has been reduced to a pro-life/pro-choice argument, which it clearly is not. Many who have contacted me — I fully respect their motivation — have spoken about those who are following the words of scripture in taking part in a protest that will lead to their being criminalised.”
“The subject of abortion is a matter of conscience for the Ulster Unionist Party Assembly team, but this Bill falls outside the scope of where an individual stands on the subject of abortion. It is misleading, at best, for some people to try to make the debate on the Bill into another debate on the emotive subject of abortion. The way my party votes on the Bill should not, in any shape or form, be viewed as representing my or any of my colleagues' position, either pro-life or pro-choice, on the subject of abortion. It still remains a matter of conscience. That will not change. <BR /> <BR />The Bill's purpose is to provide a degree of protection for any vulnerable woman who seeks advice or guidance at an abortion clinic.”
“As a member of the Health Committee, I certainly refute any suggestion of a biased approach being taken by me during this process. Scrutinising the Bill was a lengthy, difficult and, at times, upsetting task. My party will support the sponsor's amendments, which, I understand, she has worked through with the Department. We will not support amendment Nos 7 and 9, which put a responsibility on the Department in relation to signage; we have concerns around those particular amendments. <BR /> <BR />Some months ago, when I made my first contribution on this Bill in the House, I made it clear that it was not to be viewed through the lens of a pro-life or pro-choice debate. That fact remains.”
“Will the Minister provide an update on what facilities might be envisaged for the proposed primary and community care centre in Bangor?”
“Minister, has any of the information from the Ulster Farmers' Union report, produced by KPMG, been utilised in any reviews carried out by your Department?”
“Does the Minister accept that many of the delays in the planning system are caused by organisations that are under her responsibility, such as Rivers, Roads and, on many occasions, Northern Ireland Water? Does she have any detailed plans to improve that situation, especially given the impact on private-sector investment, as is being witnessed in Bangor?”
“Those brave people will be the movement that will eventually consign Putin and his acolytes to the waste bin of history, which is where he belongs. That cannot happen quickly enough. I stand with the people of Ukraine, who are bearing the pain of having their country and their family life destroyed by a tyrant. May the will of good triumph over evil.”
“Many body bags will be starting to arrive back to towns and villages throughout Russia in the coming days. The remains of young men and women who were forced into participating in this illegal invasion will be in those body bags. Behind the brave and legitimate defences that have been put in place by the people of Ukraine, innocent families are having their homes destroyed by the indiscriminate Russian missile attacks. Women and children are among the victims who are being killed and injured. We have heard from Ms Sugden the extent of that. <BR /> <BR />Tens of thousands of Russians are out protesting at the actions of Putin, and they are doing so under the threat that they will be arrested and punished.”
“The sanctions imposed by countries throughout the world are already starting to bite Russia. The people who will suffer are the ordinary people of Russia, the majority of whom do not support the warmongering of Putin and his team of maniacs.”
“It would have funded in full the cost of elective care, cancer and mental health rebuild strategies to help to transform the health service and reduce waiting lists. However, weeks away from the start of the financial year, it looks as though patients and staff have been cruelly robbed of the opportunity for real change.”
“<BR /> <BR />Realistically, however, if we are ever to get on top waiting times in a sustainable way, a multi-year Budget is an absolute prerequisite. The worst way to run the health service is from month to month, never really knowing how much money will be available the following April. The cracks in the HSC system will not be fixed with one-year Budgets. The people who will suffer from that one-year Budget routine are all the citizens of Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />In the past, serious mistakes were made. Too few staff were trained, and a wholly unsustainable gap was allowed to develop between demand and capacity. It would be a tragedy if this place were to repeat those same mistakes. We are in danger of doing exactly that. That is why the 2022-25 draft Budget provided a real opportunity.”
“I welcomed many of the additional in-year funding allocations to the Department of Health throughout the year. For instance, additional funding at October monitoring allowed the delivery of the 3% pay award, and I am glad that the Health Minister was able to supplement that with a further £25 million increase in January. Whilst the House is well aware of the challenges of non-recurring funding, the Department of Health has been able to direct £90 million specifically to waiting list initiative activities. As of the end of December 2021, an additional 158,000 assessments, diagnostic tests and inpatient and day-case procedures had been delivered, both by HSC and through the independent sector.”
“It is not only testing that costs money; significant additional costs relate to the medical response, the challenges of additional PPE and staff costs.”
“While the Department of Health has a closing 2021-22 budget that is much higher than its opening base, the reality is that more than half the additional funding — £560 million — related to the pandemic. Of course, that additional funding was absolutely crucial in the immediate response to the pandemic. It is likely that the impact of COVID-19 will continue into 2022-23, despite what the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, has tried to railroad through in recent days.”
“I will be very brief. As others said, this practice has absolutely no place in our society. The Ulster Unionist Party welcomes and fully supports the legislation.”
“I thank the Minister for that answer. Does she believe that the private Member's Bill on integrated education moves us towards a single education system, or does it further reinforce sectoralisation in our education system?”
“I thank the Minister for his answer. Minister, you touched on the fact that it is also a question of the availability of products for wholesalers, for instance, to sell on to retail customers. Will your departmental officials commit to meeting trade representatives to discuss the difficulties being experienced by the wholesale trade?”
“Unfortunately, it sometimes takes a period in the school system before families and teachers even realise that there could be a problem. Once that is identified, it is essential that Health and Education move quickly so that long-term learning is not impacted. <BR /> <BR />My party also welcomes the appointment of an autism reviewer. As I mentioned a few moments ago, it is essential that robust monitoring mechanisms are in place. Amendment No 7 will rightly strengthen the independence of the role. <BR /> <BR />The Ulster Unionist Party fully supports the Bill.”
“I know from talking to the Minister about the matter that he has already tasked officials to speak to the trusts directly and to find out what plans they have to address those times. Importantly, the inconsistency in waits across the region is also being addressed, and, therefore, I very much welcome amendment No 4. One of the reasons that waiting lists have deteriorated to the extent that they have since 2014 is the lack of clear oversight. <BR /> <BR />I especially welcome the focus that amendment No 6 will, hopefully, place on consistency of practice. There has been much greater cooperation between Health and Education in recent times, but it is important that that momentum be maintained. Early detection and intervention in cases of autism is absolutely critical.”
“While there has been good progress in the past couple of years, not least through the publication of the interim autism strategy — hopefully to be followed by the full strategy next year — it is important that we have mechanisms in place to monitor progress properly. Long-term strategies, however, require long-term guaranteed funding commitments, and it is deeply unfortunate that this place appears to be repeating the mistakes of the past. Autism services, like so many other services, fell victim to a decade-long period of underinvestment and a lack of strategic direction. That really should be avoided now. <BR /> <BR />I recognise that there is a particular issue with autism waiting times in Northern Ireland.”
“It is a privilege to be working at a late hour to progress this worthy Bill. I am sure that that sentiment is shared by everyone in the Chamber. <BR /> <BR />The Bill has brought a welcome focus to the delivery of autism services. There is no doubt that there is still much work to be done to improve the support for people with autism, as well as for their families and carers, and to ensure that interventions are delivered at the best possible time. <BR /> <BR />On the whole, my party and I support each amendment, and I again pay tribute to the Bill sponsor, my Health Committee colleague Pam Cameron, for her efforts to push the Bill forward.”
“Does the Minister accept that the message going out from the House today to those on hospital waiting lists for a consultation or for routine surgery and to NHS staff who are working to their absolute limits is that the promised reforms of the NHS are on hold for the immediate future and the planned and much-needed improvements in the NHS, which were initiated by Minister Swann, will be seriously curtailed?”
“At that point, I withdrew from the work. I did not resign from the Committee, but I retired from the work of it, because of what, I felt, was going wrong. <BR /> <BR />I was at the meeting on 25 November in good faith, and I was prepared to advance the report at a time when Committee time was at a premium, yet the opportunity to hold a meeting on that day was not taken. It was suspended, yet we were called back four weeks later without that condition of a panel of experts being appointed having been met. I am extremely disappointed with that. The Chair of the Committee needs to reflect on her actions, particularly those taken at the meeting of 25 November.”
“The minutes of that meeting read that the Committee agreed to suspend the meeting until a panel of experts was appointed. I did not agree to that. No vote was taken at that meeting to support that minute. They say that the camera does not lie, but there are people in the Chamber who may feel that the camera can lie, because they have insisted that a vote was taken. I have watched the video many times; I cannot see any vote being taken. <BR /> <BR />I raised a number of issues around the meeting of 25 November. When the minutes came out for the meeting that was held on 20 January, at which I raised those matters, not one word of my concerns was contained in those minutes. When I objected to that, my suggestion that those things should be put in the minutes had to be subject to an electronic vote by the Committee.”
“Given that a panel of experts was not appointed in the interim period, I could not understand why there was a sudden change by the Chair, who had previously suspended the Committee pending its appointment, but, suddenly, we were going to have a meeting without the appointment of a panel of experts.”
“I certainly left the meeting disappointed that the work of the Committee was at a standstill. I could not see a panel of experts suddenly and magically appearing between then and when the report had to be presented at the end of this month. <BR /> <BR />A couple of days later, correspondence was received from The Law Society expressing its grave disappointment at the indefinite suspension of the work of the Committee. A learned body like the Law Society seemed to have the same interpretation as me: that the work of the Committee was suspended indefinitely. <BR /> <BR />At the end of December, Committee members received an email from the Clerk saying that there was to be a meeting of the Committee on 13 January. It was actually cancelled and took place a week later on 20 January.”
“Thank you, Mr Speaker. <BR /> <BR />At that meeting, there seemed to be an awful lot of inside knowledge of what was happening at the Executive and who had blocked what. I can only speculate on where that information came from. The meeting on 25 November was short. It lasted maybe 10 minutes. The Chair put forward a proposal, which was seconded, to suspend the meeting pending the appointment by TEO of a panel of experts. That rather threw me, because the Committee had been working for the last year and a half to two years without a panel of experts. I could not understand why, at such a critical stage, when we were coming to the endgame of producing a report, it was thought appropriate to suspend the work of the Committee. An agenda item for the meeting was the date of the next meeting, so we did not even get to that point.”
“At that meeting, there also seemed to be —”
“I am not going to defend that party. Its Members are in the Chamber and can defend themselves. It would not have mattered whose paper was drawn out for political critique; I would still be making the same remarks. I want to make that very clear.”
“My party has approached the work of this Ad Hoc Committee positively. I do not wish any remarks that I make this evening to reflect any opposition to the principle of a bill of rights. I welcome the fact that the Chairperson has been able to present a report to the House tonight. However, I have to point out that she omitted to mention some actions that she has taken recently on the work of the Committee which I consider to be an abuse of position. <BR /> <BR />Before a regular meeting of the Committee on 25 November 2021, all parties were requested to submit a position paper for inclusion in the report to be brought to the Assembly — the report we are discussing today. No indication was highlighted on the agenda of that meeting that the Chair would single out a paper from one particular party for a political critique.”
“It is important that the House keep all options open on that vital issue.”
“<BR /> <BR />Given the breadth of the Bill, I am pleased that we have been able to reach this stage with a strong degree of political consensus. Although there are quite a number of amendments in the group, many largely relate to the abolition of the Health and Social Care Board, while others, such as amendment Nos 43 and 44, relate to regulation-making powers. <BR /> <BR />I welcome the Minister's support for the Committee's amendment No 45, which concerns a review of the implementation of the Bill. It is important, given the Bill's size and importance, that appropriate reviews and reporting mechanisms be put in place. <BR /> <BR />Finally, as was touched on earlier, we face a major shortfall in legal provision for the preservation of records from mother-and-baby institutions.”
“I join other Members in wishing the Minister a speedy and full recovery. I am confident that double vaccination and the booster will help him achieve that outcome. <BR /> <BR />I am glad that the Bill has reached this stage. The legislation, which is long overdue, represents the largest overhaul of adoption legislation in almost 35 years. As the Minister said, it has been long awaited by all who are involved in the adoption process. Today marks one step closer to crossing the finish line. The Bill has faced many challenges, not least passing through the Executive last summer and, in recent weeks, the brief uncertainty over whether the Assembly would still be in place to allow it to continue its passage. Fortunately, however, common sense has prevailed.”
“What action will the Minister's Department take to push the planning application along?”
“— to compel a private owner to conduct any —”
“The problem with Clandeboye lake was identified over a year ago, yet it is only in recent weeks that a report has been commissioned on the remedial work that will be required. I have been informed by the Minister for Infrastructure —”
“I want to place on record my disappointment with the apparent lack of urgency that has been shown by two Departments on this important matter.”
“It would, however, be remiss of me not to place on record today my acknowledgement of the work of Mrs Jo-Anne Dobson, a former Ulster Unionist Party MLA colleague, who has championed the cause for over 10 years. Indeed, she donated an organ to her son. <BR /> <BR />I would also like to place on record my appreciation of the renowned work that is carried out by the kidney transplant unit in Belfast. I am sure that the Bill will enhance its ability to change even more lives. It is a good day for Northern Ireland, and I warmly support the legislation.”