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.”
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“I am just reflecting on the remarks about young Dáithí and the right hook that he threw at the Minister. I am sure that, if that was the only right hook thrown at the Minister in the past two years, he will have been able to dodge it. <BR /> <BR />It is a momentous day for Northern Ireland, especially for the hundreds of people, including many children, who await the opportunity of receiving a life-changing transplant. It is a day of renewed optimism and hope for all those people and their families. The fact that the Bill has come before the House at this time without any amendments or political or public controversy demonstrates that it is welcome and well-received legislation. My party fully supports the Bill and commends the Health Minister and his team of officials for progressing it to this point.”
“Pharmacists, doctors, GPs, nurses, health visitors — I do not want to leave people out — and the entire health and social care family have really stepped up to the plate and, at times, at personal risk. Once again, I put on record my personal gratitude and that of the Ulster Unionist Party. Today, we certainly support the Minister in all his efforts to relax the regulations.”
“I have put this on record many times, but we cannot put it on record often enough: the House sends its sympathy to all those who have lost loved ones. I know many families who have lost mothers, grandmothers and fathers during this terrible pandemic. We must also not forget the hundreds of people who are still suffering from the various long-term symptoms that they have been left with because of the virus. The medical profession does not have all the instant answers to that, but I am sure that there is a lot of research going on in the background to find ways to help those people who are still suffering from the effects of COVID. <BR /> <BR />Finally, we cannot put on record often enough our absolute gratitude to all the staff in our health and social care system.”
“I hope that the legal eagles will take the view that it would be well in the public interest to allow the Minister to intervene on an individual basis and to repeal and relax the regulations.”
“<BR /> <BR />The very fact that we are here today discussing relaxations in the regulations and guidance around COVID is due to public adherence and to the dedication of our health and social care staff and volunteers, who not only nursed the sick at great personal risk at times but rolled out the vaccination programme, which was such a huge success and a credit to everyone involved. <BR /> <BR />The Minister of Health has maybe been placed in a difficult position by the events of the last few days. He has made it clear in his public statements over the last few days that he is keen to see the regulations being relaxed as far as they can be at this time. I hope that that legal advice does allow him to repeal regulations that, we cannot forget, were put in place at the will of the entire Executive.”
“We have asked families across Northern Ireland to make many personal sacrifices in their daily lives over the last two years, in particular with regard to the education of their children and grandchildren. Those with loved ones in residential care were hard hit by the restrictions that had to be imposed on visiting to prevent the transmission of COVID into those vulnerable settings. <BR /> <BR />We also asked the public, when the game changer of vaccination came along, to avail themselves of the vaccine, and they did so in their tens of thousands. We owe a debt of gratitude to that public cooperation. Unfortunately, many others took a different view, but that was their choice.”
“If anyone, whatever uniform they wore or none, has done wrongdoing, they should be brought before a court of law, be made to account for their actions and receive the due punishment, but please do not besmirch the reputation or memories of those thousands of officers who left their homes every morning and left their wives and children behind them without any certainty that, at the end of their working day, they would return to their family unharmed or, indeed, alive.”
“I was proud to wear the RUC uniform as a part-time reservist for some 15 years. I did not serve with one officer who I heard threatening to go out and harm any member of our society. Thousands of officers served with distinction, many of whom have gone to their graves and many of whom are still alive. The families of those who served will be hurt by the broad-brush nature of the ombudsman's report and, more importantly, the broad-brush opportunities that it provides to the history rewriters. <BR /> <BR />My colleague Mike Nesbitt spelt out where the Ulster Unionist Party stands on law and order.”
“Will the Minister give his assessment of the number of UK suppliers that are choosing not to supply this part of the United Kingdom? Does he agree that that is having an adverse impact on every citizen of Northern Ireland?”
“The Minister for Infrastructure can sort it out with a stroke of a pen. How much longer are her officials prepared to hold back the project, when their paper objection is not even covered by government powers to force the lake owner to carry out any work needed? If public safety is an issue, tell us and produce the proof. I plead with the Minister on behalf of the citizens of North Down, the business community and every elected representative to sign this off and get the diggers on to the site.”
“One year later, the Communities Ministry, which is the lead Department, revealed that a section 10 reservoir inspection report has been commissioned in recent weeks. <BR /> <BR />Where has that action been since last January? The Minister for Infrastructure has revealed that, if a report suggests that work needs to be carried out on Clandeboye lake, she has no powers to force the owner to carry out any of that work. The Reservoirs Act (Northern Ireland) 2015 has not been fully implemented and gives the Minister no powers of compulsion. Are we serious about attracting private-sector job creation and investment? Why, one year after planning permission was granted, are two Departments appearing to sit on their hands? We are at our best when we deliver.”
“A private developer signed a development brief with the Department and committed to a £50 million mixed-use scheme that would lead to many jobs in the local construction industry and to further employment opportunities as the scheme moved forward. <BR /> <BR />Last January, the local council's planning department passed the plans as submitted by the developer, but the Rivers agency, which is a part of the Department for Infrastructure, intervened with concerns about a reservoir called Clandeboye lake, which is situated in the Clandeboye estate some miles away. DFI Rivers raised concerns about the potential for flooding emanating from that lake. Those concerns were not based on a visual inspection; rather, they arose, I understand, from a remote computer-modelling exercise.”
“When the House delivers for the people of Northern Ireland, it is at its best. However, when we cannot agree or compromise on important issues or when Ministers choose to delay signing off a decision, we hand ammunition to those who hold the view that nothing positive happens on the hill. <BR /> <BR />In my North Down constituency, the local council set out on an ambitious project nearly 25 years ago to pull together a regeneration site along Queen's Parade that consists of derelict properties alongside properties that have been denied maintenance for a number of years. Many false dawns arrived and went. A few years ago, the Department for Communities took over the project, adding more properties to the site and enhancing its potential.”
“The message is still that you should hang in there, continue to do the right thing when it comes to social distancing, mask wearing and hand hygiene and, most importantly, continue to show respect to the people with whom you come into contact daily. <BR /> <BR />Throughout the pandemic, the Ulster Unionist Party has consistently followed and supported the medical and scientific advice. We will continue to use that as our guiding light. In concluding, it would be remiss of me not to place on record once again the eternal gratitude that everyone in Northern Ireland owes to all those who work in the NHS.”
“<BR /> <BR />As we move forward with a degree of optimism and hopefully head towards some degree of normality, I must acknowledge, as other contributors have done, the sacrifices that people in Northern Ireland have made in missing family events and holidays and the effect on our children's education. The people of Northern Ireland made huge sacrifices, despite the tsunami of negativity that we saw and continue to see on social media. Disappointingly, that negativity has come from a number of what I would describe as irresponsible elected representatives. <BR /> <BR />It is an opportune time to say this to the Northern Ireland public: thank you for your adherence to the regulations and for the sacrifices that you have made.”
“Administering that vaccine has been a huge success not only in Northern Ireland but throughout the United Kingdom. As we see some light at the end of the tunnel, the guiding principles that we set out to fight the pandemic with are just as important now as they were at the start of the pandemic. We must never forget that 3,000 families have lost a loved one and hundreds of people still suffer the debilitating effects of long COVID. We must never forget or underestimate the long-term impact that dealing with the pandemic will have on our NHS staff.”
“We have to acknowledge that what we have been dealing with over the past two years is the biggest pandemic in living memory. It has been a worldwide pandemic, and it is easy to lose sight of that fact. Our officials who were charged with dealing with the pandemic could not just walk down to the local library and pick off the shelf a textbook that would tell them how to address it. In the early days, they had to formulate guiding principles. The major one was to find ways to restrict the transmission of the virus. Obviously, the game plan was to save lives. We also had to be mindful of protecting the physical and mental health of our NHS staff. <BR /> <BR />We then had the good fortune of the development of an effective vaccine. That was a game changer.”
“Thank you, deputy First Minister. Will you commit to meeting representatives from the Northern Ireland Football League to discuss ways to guarantee that that important funding is signed off in the current mandate?”
“Minister, there is a growing perception in some soccer circles, which I am sure is misplaced, that the delay in releasing funding under the subregional stadia programme is linked to the ongoing Casement Park funding situation. Given that the Minister indicated last summer that release of the subregional funding was close, will she give any reassurance of a timely sign-off in this mandate of this funding?”
“I thank the Minister. I commend all of the Minister's staff who work to keep our roads safe during the winter in probably very challenging conditions, when the rest of us are tucked up in bed. A feature of winter weather, which the Minister alluded to, is localised pooling and flooding on roadways that can prove to be dangerous. Does the Department identify hotspots where that habitually occurs and provide additional gully clearing or longer-term solutions in those areas?”
“Minister, yesterday, there were calls from some Members in the Chamber for more time to scrutinise and debate the legislation. Considering that the virus never rests, would the Minister agree with me that such a delay would have come with a negative public health impact?”
“In the Health Committee's recent deliberations, no vote was called on this legislation, and the DUP firmly put on record its opposition to the legislation that is before us. A Division being called in the House today on the subject will provide oxygen to those who oppose just about every aspect of the battle against COVID. I suggest that it is not too late to avoid that by signalling to our population that the Executive and the House are as one in the fight against the virus that is killing our people every day. Let us all do the right thing today. <BR /> <BR />My party supports the legislation, as it may help to save lives and will undoubtedly reduce pressure on our overwhelmed front-line health and care system staff.”
“Those are all people who deal in detailed evidential studies on a daily basis and who have the ability to tap into international best practice. <BR /> <BR />For me, the most telling piece of evidence is the fact that over 2,000 of our citizens will not be sitting around the family Christmas table this year, having been robbed of their lives by this virus. My heart goes out to their families. Thousands of those fortunate to survive infection by the virus have been left with a condition known as long COVID. We know little about that condition and do not know for how long it will affect the sufferers' lives. What other motivation do we need to go the extra mile and make sacrifices that will help to reduce the impact of COVID?”
“Those who have turned their backs on being vaccinated, for whatever reason, did have a choice. For that very good reason, we must continue to follow medical and scientific advice to reduce the transmission rates of the virus and the pressure that that translates to in our hospitals. <BR /> <BR />In some of the emails I have received, I have read demands for me not to support this legislation. Those emails have asked for sight of the evidence used to inform the expert advice behind the decision to proceed with COVID certification. On occasions, I also hear those calls voiced by public representatives. I trust the advice offered by our government experts. I have also failed to hear any of the local academic epidemic experts that we listen to in the media say that the legislation that is before us is surplus to requirements.”
“One of those members also thought that it would be a good idea to put a jokey post on social media. Such mixed messaging does nothing for public confidence; it only serves to undermine public health advice and guidance locally. <BR /> <BR />In recent days, I spoke with clinicians from the Belfast Trust. They told me that they are dreading January and that they fear that a dedicated staff that is already stretched to breaking point may not be able to cope. I was told that 44 patients were being treated in ICU beds and that over 60% of those patients had not been vaccinated. Every one of those occupied beds prevents three, or possibly four, elective surgery procedures from being delivered in a week. People who are in pain or who fear for their lives as they await such surgery do not have a choice: it is out of their hands.”
“Financial support would undoubtedly have helped it to cope with the demands of policing the legislation, but the Minister of Health has told the House today that the Economy Minister has brought no plans suggesting any such support to the Executive. <BR /> <BR />Why do we need more legislation to curtail this virus and the new variant? As others have said, those who seem to be set against supporting this piece of legislation do not seem to have any alternatives. They talk up their support for vaccines and for getting a booster, but do all their Members in this place support vaccination? They support good hand hygiene and the wearing of masks in public places but, as referenced by Minister Mallon, three members of the DUP Westminster team decided to vote against the mandatory wearing of masks in England in recent days.”
“The hospitality sector has highlighted the logistical difficulties that it feels will be caused to it by the use of COVID certificates. I appreciate that fact, but closing the doors completely, as in the Republic of Ireland, might be much more challenging. I would support financial support for hospitality premises so that they can purchase equipment and employ extra staff to control the implications of this legislation. Despite the impression that has been created, it is not only the hospitality sector that will have to work within this legislation. It has implications for other sectors. That said, I fully acknowledge that the hospitality industry will have to deal with it on a day-to-day basis.”
“If the authors of comments like that had lived through a Nazi regime, they would reflect on the absurdity of such a statement. <BR /> <BR />As I said, the legislation will not be in place for one minute longer than the medical and scientific advice suggests that it is needed. I have heard people saying that COVID certificates have not worked in Scotland or the Republic of Ireland. How do we know that they did not make a contribution to reducing the transmission rates of the virus? Our experts will be able to evaluate the effectiveness of the legislation in the coming weeks. What has been the reaction in the Republic to the current transmission rates there? They have closed their nightclubs. Is that a place that we want to return to in Northern Ireland by ignoring the deployment of a tool that our experts say is necessary at this time?”
“I will not take any interventions, nor will I make any. <BR /> <BR />Some regulations have been relaxed by the Executive when the medical and scientific evidence supported that course of action. It goes without saying that the regulations before us are not a forever piece of legislation. They are not a stand-alone magic bullet. They are just another building block in the wall that we want to keep between the general public and the COVID virus, be it the delta or the new omicron variant. <BR /> <BR />I received a number of ill-informed emails, mostly of the copy-and-paste variety, which quoted all sorts of fanciful figures and theories. A few described the virus as being an attempt by China to take over the democratic world by stealth. Others threw in the comment that this regulation would take us into a Nazi-style regime.”
“None of us likes getting needles stuck into us, but the majority of the public presented themselves to be vaccinated, not once but twice, and followed that with a booster jab when they were eligible. <BR /> <BR />Why did we endure all that? Our first motivation was to protect ourselves from the virus and, in doing so, to protect our families and those with whom we come into contact in our workplaces or public spaces. That motivation has not or should not have changed. <BR /> <BR />None of this has made me feel that I am heading into some sort of state-controlled dictatorship where our freedoms are being slowly dismantled and taken from us. Unfortunately, there are people who hold that view.”
“<BR /> <BR />The return to freedom of movement was achieved by sensible regulations, supported by medical and scientific advice, that required us to wear face coverings in public places, with the public responding to social-distancing requirements, washing hands regularly and avoiding entering or remaining in crowded and badly ventilated enclosed spaces. <BR /> <BR />Then, along came the production of vaccines that offered us the hope that, if we should contract the virus, the medical reaction would be a lot less severe than if we remained unvaccinated. I am confident that the vast majority of us in the House have willingly availed ourselves of the vaccine.”
“We have all had to make personal and family sacrifices over the past 22 months, as we have stood together to try to stem the advance of the worst, worldwide, viral pandemic in living memory. We endured a total lockdown that took all but essential traffic off our roads, kept aircraft parked on the ground and ruled out any leisure travel. Tourism and hospitality premises closed their doors to customers. Sporting events, when permitted, were conducted behind closed doors. We have moved on since then, as we have learned to achieve a balance of work and personal lifestyle that has allowed us to move about more freely.”
“How much impact does the Minister believe that one of his first achievements — the delivery of 300 more student nurses and midwives a year for three years — will have on making a real difference in tackling the workforce challenges that we have been facing for so long?”
“The ladies' international squad is now emulating the achievements of their male counterparts in qualifying for major competitions, with a limited squad of players compared with other countries. <BR /> <BR />Now is the time to encourage all this positivity by releasing the funds promised in 2015. Some people, rightly or wrongly, suspect that the increasing costs of the Casement Park project are contributing to the £36 million remaining locked in the Department's bank account. The Minister could dispel these suspicions by signing off on the immediate release of the money to help to maintain the current momentum of football in Northern Ireland. I respectfully call on Minister Hargey to do so without delay.”
“In 2015, a subregional stadia strategy was announced with funding of £36 million. A total of £10 million was earmarked for the Oval in east Belfast, with the rationale that it was the second-biggest football stadium in Northern Ireland. Other Irish League clubs with a ground capacity of over 5,000 could tap into a pool of £17 million. Championship clubs would share £3 million, with £6 million intended for a high-quality junior facility and a national training centre. <BR /> <BR />The clubs and fans have been asking: where is this money? The Minister for Communities indicated during the summer that it was only weeks away from being released. The quality of the football package has improved in Northern Ireland. The international team and the green and white army have created positive impressions of our country around the world.”
“Participation in sporting activities has always provided a distraction for our young people from the many undesirable activities that would suck them in and destroy their lives. Given the society that we now live in, the distraction of sport has never been more important for our young people.”
“There have been conversations in this place since 2011 about making funding available to local senior Irish League football clubs for ground improvements. In many local football grounds, a ladies' toilet would have been a novelty then, and even the basic gents' toilet facilities left a lot to be desired. The clubs were living a week-to-week existence and were running up debt in order to survive. Many of them had nothing more than the odd coat of paint applied around their grounds by volunteers, who also gave their time to raise funds to keep the clubs afloat. <BR /> <BR />Sport, in general, in this country has played an important role in bringing people together during the disturbing years of the Troubles, and it continues to do so, but it has not received the credit that it deserves for that.”
“I am pleased that this long-awaited legislation has moved to this point and that all suggested amendments have been incorporated into it. The continuing existence of local commissioning groups while new structures are put in place is important and very welcome. I wish the new model well, and I am confident that any operating changes will be fully embraced by the dedicated departmental staff. The Ulster Unionist Party fully supports this piece of reform.”
“Yesterday, the Principal Deputy Speaker asked me to complete a supplementary question in 10 seconds. I cannot promise that my contribution will take 10 seconds today, but I will be as succinct as possible.”
“I declare an interest as part-owner of a family business that sells tobacco products. That said, I welcome and fully support all legislation that provides clarity to retailers who sell tobacco and tobacco-related products. This further control will make a huge contribution to public health, especially that of our young people. <BR /> <BR />Banning smoking in a private vehicle when a child is present is important legislation that will protect the health of our young people. My party welcomes the legislation, which has been our party policy for some time. We commend the Minister for bringing the legislation to the House today. The harm inflicted by second-hand smoke inhalation should not be underestimated. The evidence for the harm that it causes is overwhelming. My party fully supports the statutory rules.”
“I welcome the indication that there is going to be a further announcement from the JCVI. Is the Minister satisfied that he has the staff, the vaccines and the infrastructure in place to meet whatever the new decision may be? I thank him for his calm, measured and responsible response to the latest development, especially his call for collective political messaging from this House.”
“The Minister may be in a position to tell us whether such contracts exist, how long they have left to run and the costs of buying the operator out, if we wanted to move to free car parking; no doubt, there would be a penalty clause. That all adds to the cost of introducing such a scheme. We will tease out all those questions as the Bill moves on to Committee Stage, but, although it is well intentioned, it will require quite a bit of scrutiny to find a scheme that works.”
“There could be two or three people in the car, with one going to the outpatients department, and when they come out of there, they could say, "It would be a good idea to go down into the city centre and do a bit of shopping, or maybe get a bit of lunch. We'll just leave the car here because it's not costing anything". That is another issue that will need to be addressed as the Bill moves forward. <BR /> <BR />Another issue that I have not heard any talk about is the fact that, at the moment, trusts may be tied into contractual arrangements with an outside operator who is operating the car parks.”
“Thank you for that. I accept the Member's points. <BR /> <BR />Free car parking could also have a knock-on effect, albeit it would be an unintended consequence of the Bill, on the routine of clinics. If people are routinely turning up late because of issues around the car parks, that could have an impact on the good working of the clinics. <BR /> <BR />The other issue that I raised at the Committee meeting, and to which I do not think we have had an answer at this stage, is, if you go into the car park, having applied the day before through the number plate recognition system, or whatever the methodology is, I do not see how there can be a compulsion on you to leave at a particular time.”
“<BR /> <BR />It could also have implications for —”
“They will have to wait for a space due to either intentional or unintentional abuse of the car parking. People who come for an outpatient appointment at the Royal Victoria Hospital or the Ulster Hospital might arrive in what they consider to be good time — maybe 45 minutes or half an hour before their time — but find themselves in a queue with 50 cars in front of them, praying that another car will come out so that one more car can go in and they get closer to the top of the queue. Inevitably, they will end up going into the outpatients department 10 or 15 minutes late, have their blood pressure taken, and it is through the roof. I use the excuse of the white coat syndrome, but maybe there will be a new condition here — car park syndrome — for high blood pressure readings when you eventually get into an outpatient department.”
“<BR /> <BR />At the Health Committee meeting, we talked about the various logistical solutions that would be available. I thought that we were a bit light on detail, but no doubt, as the Bill progresses, we will get more meat on the bones, as it were, as to how it could be implemented and how it would work. Number plate recognition was mentioned. We were told that that works very well in Scotland. Maybe they have bigger car parks — I do not know — but those are the sorts of things that we need to look at. We also need to know how much it is going to cost to introduce new logistical schemes and systems. <BR /> <BR />We also have to explore the unintended consequences of free car parking at our hospitals. There might be consequences for visitors coming to the hospital.”
“The thing that worries me a little bit about the Bill is the opportunity for abuse. Hospital car parks could become park-and-rides. That would be completely unacceptable. As I said at the Committee meeting last week, the concept of on-street car parking charging is to guarantee that people will not stay in a car parking space for any longer than they need to. They will go to their high street, go into a shop, spend their money, come out, get into the car and go away, and that opens the space for somebody else to come behind them. In any car parking situation, it is vitally important that there is turnover and that you do not have people taking up spaces for long periods and preventing other people from being able to use the car park.”
“I have sympathy with the concept of the Bill. It is certainly well-intended. I have reservations about some of the suggested logistics for its implementation, however. I know that 97% of the people who responded to the consultation agreed that it was a good idea. It would therefore be a popular idea. I have a lot of sympathy for free car parking for staff. There have been some very well made points about what it costs nurses and healthcare staff, particularly those who are working overtime and are having to fork out to park their car. I have a lot of sympathy for that. Those well-made points will not be lost on the Minister. <BR /> <BR />It is also critical that we can guarantee that staff who are going to a hospital have a safe car parking space available to them.”
“The burden of the 2010 Act can inhibit localised community activity. Can the Minister outline whether an update to the Act would enable more community road closures, such as for local community celebrations to mark the platinum jubilee in 2022?”