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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“Mr Lyttle spoke earlier about our community facing a pandemic. He could have gone further and said that it was a worldwide pandemic. Hundreds of thousands of people are dying all over the world, and we have certainly had our share of deaths.”
“The Minister involved, whether it is an Economy decision or an Education decision, comes to advise, and the Executive can accept that advice or reject it. I understand that most decisions in the Executive are made by consensus. Therefore, I always feel that, when decisions come from the Executive, they are Executive decisions. The Minister of Health has to appear in the Chamber to deliver all these regulations, but they reflect collective decisions of the Executive. I would certainly like to see the First Minister, deputy First Minister or junior Ministers coming to the Chamber and explaining to us the rationale behind the regulations that have been made. <BR /> <BR />Mr Frew is quite correct that most regulations are retrospective, and it does not take a genius to work out why they have to be so.”
“I absolutely agree with the Member. It was disgraceful and disgusting that people who wanted to be vaccinated were put under that pressure. That should not be happening anywhere. I totally condemn what happened yesterday. <BR /> <BR />To be honest, as Mr Frew's contribution went on, I did not know where he was coming from. I did not, at first, pick up the point that he was trying to make. He started to refer to the regulations as the Health Minister's regulations. I will not deeply rehearse the arguments; the Minister addressed them adequately. It is obvious to us all, and surely it is obvious to somebody who spent time as a Minister, albeit a short time, that decisions in the Executive are made collectively.”
“Last week, at the Health Committee, the Minister referred to the abuse that some of his vaccine teams received as they went about the countryside doing their life-saving work. Another example of that occurred in west Belfast yesterday when picketers with placards stood outside premises in which vaccinations were taking place. They put people in fear: the people going into the premises, but, more importantly, the vaccinators who were in the premises delivering vaccines. At last week's Health Committee, we talked about how everyone has the right to refuse to take the vaccine. If people have deeply held medical or ethical views, they are perfectly entitled to refuse to take it. However, it becomes serious when people who hold such views decide to become campaigners and try to influence others not to take the vaccine.”
“I am sorry, Mr Deputy Speaker. I will start again.”
“Last week, the Minister referred to the abuse that some of his vaccine teams got as they went about the countryside doing their life-saving —.”
“I thank the Minister for his answer. Does he know the legal position on insurance for GB drivers wanting to drive in Northern Ireland with a trailer?”
“The Ulster Unionist Party welcomes and fully supports the Bill. It is reform that is long overdue.”
“<BR /> <BR />Today is an opportunity to place on record our appreciation for the people who take on the selfless task of providing a caring and loving home to a child in order to allow them to be fully encouraged to develop their talents and go on to become an important and valued member of society. I commend the Minister and his officials for bringing this very important Bill in the middle of all the other challenges his Department has been dealing with, but it does not reflect very well on the House that it has been residing in the pipeline since 2006. I pray that political developments outside the control of the Minister do not prevent the Bill coming into legislation during this mandate. As the Health Committee scrutinises the Bill, I look forward to helping to address the concerns expressed today.”
“It will improve and streamline the process of matching up children and adoptive parents. The creation of an appeals process may also help to encourage more potential adopters to come forward. <BR /> <BR />The new legislation should not in any way be seen to undermine or criticise past work on adoption; it just puts into place a better and more expedient process with clear and uncomplicated guidance. As the Minister said, it will put the interests of children front and centre, and, as I mentioned, it will create circumstances where adoptive parents will receive more ongoing support, as, indeed, will the child as it grows into adulthood.”
“<BR /> <BR />It is a largely technical Bill, but if you scratch its surface, you will see the tangible benefits it will deliver for children and their adoptive parents and carers. For instance, at last, post-adoptive support is recognised. There is also now greater recognition of the need to improve the longer-term outcomes for looked-after children. Importantly, it will formalise the support for adoptive parents through the legal duty to provide it. After the Bill is enacted, never again should a new parent feel that they have been abandoned. <BR /> <BR />As the Minister pointed out, the proposed legislation has been extensively consulted upon with the public but, more importantly, with the dedicated professionals who deal with this complex and sensitive issue on a daily basis.”
“As others said, this is a long overdue Bill. For too long, Northern Ireland has been operating in the shadow of improvements in England and Wales from two decades ago and from 14 years ago in Scotland. Whilst the Adoption Order has served its time well, there is no doubt that the legislation relating to adoption in Northern Ireland needed updating. Its purpose could be summed up as making the entire process more efficient but, more importantly, cutting out some of the unnecessary delay and anxiety for children. Whilst I absolutely understand why due process and checks would be carried out, there has to be an acceptance and recognition that the process of adopting a child in Northern Ireland can take far too long. Setting new timescales for adoption proceedings will be a novel but hugely welcome step forward.”
“Whilst I note that some Members, and even some Ministers, still occasionally call on the Health Minister to unilaterally introduce a new service specification without an Executive decision, to date, none has been able to produce a credible argument that, by doing so, he would not be in clear breach of his own legal requirement, according to the Executive's definitive legal advice, as well as the ministerial code. Will the Minister confirm that that is still the case?”
“I thank the Minister for that. Is he surprised that a proposal, which was defeated by seven votes to one, was recently put before the Health Committee by the People Before Profit representative on the Committee that urged the Health Minister, the First Minister and the deputy First Minister not to implement the planned offer of 3% for health workers and supposedly find the additional money from elsewhere?”
“Will the Minister provide an update on the £15 million that he allocated to trusts earlier this year to support healthcare workers across Northern Ireland?”
“However, what is really needed is for the pumping stations — they are not treatment works — to be upgraded and to have the same storage capacity that was granted to the pumping stations on the Bangor line. I call on the Minister to give that serious consideration.”
“However, alongside the main street in Donaghadee, the beach is covered constantly in sanitary items, babies' nappies and cotton buds that are being washed up. That is unacceptable in this day and age. <BR /> <BR />I wrote to the Minister and asked how many outlets there were along the coast from Donaghadee to Millisle that facilitated raw sewage to flow into seawater. I was told that there were 17 pumping stations that had a licence to allow raw sewage to flow into the sea in order to prevent flooding. A further four had the same type of licence. Therefore, 21 outlets along that coast have the potential to allow raw sewage to flow into the sea, and it does. It is totally unacceptable. The Minister has proposed that there be a new pumping station somewhere down the line in Millisle.”
“Northern Ireland Water addressed that problem by making a huge investment in creating huge storage tanks right along the line, which meant that, even in heavy rainfall, the pumping stations could still cope and could store the rainwater. That mitigated the risk of any sewage getting into the sea. <BR /> <BR />The problem has now shifted down the coast to Donaghadee. The little seaside town of Donaghadee had been in decline. However, in recent years, it has really lifted itself. The council and local traders have sought grants. They have created a niche for themselves with hospitality and restaurants. Recently, as some Members may be aware, a big investment was made in the Moat, which will have a camera obscura in it — the only one in Northern Ireland. That will be a big tourist attraction.”
“I want to talk about problems with the sewerage system in my constituency, particularly along the coast. Bangor, Ballyholme and Groomsport used to be blighted by raw sewage that was being pumped straight into the sea. There was no treatment whatsoever: it just went through a grille. You can imagine the quality of the seawater back in the day. Northern Ireland Water made a huge investment in a new treatment plant in Donaghadee, which we thought would solve the problem. Generally, it did, but, at times of heavy rainfall, the pumping stations along the line from Bangor could not cope, valves were opened and the sewage went straight back into the sea.”
“Mr Speaker, I apologise to you and the House for not being in my place when called for a topical question to the First Minister and deputy First Minister.”
“I thank the Minister for her answer. Minister, do you, your Department or the governors of Bloomfield Primary School have any concerns about there being any negative impact on Bloomfield Primary School's pupil intake, given the proximity of the proposed new campus to that primary school?”
“Like many other services, they fell victim to a decade of underinvestment and lack of strategic direction. That has resulted in the gap between capacity and demand at present. The Minister has said openly that the current model of autism services is unsustainable. Too many people are waiting for far too long for an initial diagnosis. In turn, that robs them of the opportunity for early intervention. If it passes, the Bill will help, along with the interim strategy that the Minister published earlier this year. However, what is needed most is sustained investment to allow for the recruitment of additional permanent staff in order to stabilise and sustain the provision of the autism services that Northern Ireland deserves. As I said earlier, the Ulster Unionist Party broadly welcomes the Bill.”
“The fact that this has already been included as an action in the 'Autism Interim Strategy 2021-2022' indicates that the Bill is heading in a direction that will enjoy broad consensus. <BR /> <BR />The Bill also includes many other worthwhile objectives, not least the further detail on training for staff in public bodies, the provision of an autism information service and taking best international practice into account. Some other parts of the Bill, such as the appointment of an autism reviewer, may require further scrutiny before the Ulster Unionist Party can commit either way. The discussion that will happen over the weeks and months ahead will be useful. Fundamentally, however, the Bill will help to focus minds, and that can only be a good thing. <BR /> <BR />For too long, autism services have struggled.”
“I also thank my Health Committee colleague Mrs Pam Cameron for introducing this private Member's Bill on autism. Pam is absolutely passionate about this topic. Autism is a condition that seems to be touching more and more families. My party broadly welcomes the Bill. We feel that a few aspects may need to be tweaked as it proceeds through Committee Stage, and I look forward to engaging in that process. <BR /> <BR />The overall objectives of the Bill are positive, and many have already been identified, with work or discussion under way: for example, clause 2(4D) states:”
“The Executive Office should be providing information to the Health Committee and telling us about the rationale behind the decisions to allow us to fully exercise our scrutiny role. I hear people say, "The Ministers all just fall in behind whatever the Minister of Health asks for. There is consensus. It's great". I therefore hope that, when the Minister asks the Executive to ring-fence the Barnett consequentials — the extra cash that comes in — that consensus is evident on that topic.”
“If we look through the regulations, we see that some have on them the hands of the Community Ministry, some the hands of the Education Ministry and some the hands of the Economy Ministry, but it is the Health Minister who has to come along and explain why the regulations were sought and how and why they were passed. <BR /> <BR />I see this as a three-pronged system. The Minister and his professional advisers go before the Executive to give their advice. At the other end, the third prong is the debate in the Assembly, but the middle prong is the discussion among Executive Ministers. They make the actual decision. The Health Minister, in the first instance, delivers the advice, and we provide the scrutiny, but no one ever comes and tells us about the Executive discussion. I have raised that issue in the Health Committee.”
“We have to remind ourselves that all these regulations are in place to not only protect the health and well-being of the public but to help take the pressure in our hospitals off our medical and nursing staff. It is also about the fact that ICU beds that are taken up by patients who present with COVID are taken up for quite a lengthy period; those ICU beds could have been used, in the meantime, to accommodate patients who have had elective surgery. <BR /> <BR />The Ulster Unionist Party absolutely supports the motions. I notice, however, that we seem always to have the Health Minister here to talk through the regulations and about the rationale and thinking behind them.”
“Sorry. It gave airtime to a clinician who spoke against the Bill. I was certainly disappointed to hear that, and I am sure that the Minister would have been disappointed as well. Are those views representative of clinicians in general in Northern Ireland?”
“On my way here this morning, I listened to the 10 o'clock news bulletin on BBC Radio Ulster. It gave airtime to a clinician —”
“I thank the Minister. He will be aware of a lobby group called the Coalition for Bereaved Workers that wants provision similar to that in the parental bereavement Bill to be available for those workers who lose close relatives and partners. What is the Minister's attitude to that call?”
“<BR /> <BR />I hope that the Bill can become law in this mandate. We owe it to all those patiently waiting for a transplant that will change their lives dramatically to ensure that that happens after timely due process and the scrutiny of the Assembly. It is a fact that any delays in delivering the Bill could, unfortunately, cost lives. Is there anything more important than preserving life?”
“<BR /> <BR />When a family loses a loved one, especially a young person, the only comfort that they have left behind about the life of the deceased is the memories of family holidays and occasions, as well as, perhaps, the academic, sporting and workplace achievements of their loved one. In many cases, when a family has lost a member, especially when the circumstances of the death are sudden, unexpected and tragic, you will hear parents, sadly but with a quiet sense of pride, announce that the organs of their loved ones have given hope and life to other families who had a family member waiting for a transplant. It must surely be a point of comfort for the family of the donor to know that their loss has given others hope. In Mr Catney's intervention, he explained the comfort that it gave to his family.”
“Whilst public support for organ donation across Northern Ireland remains high at around 90%, just over 40% of the local population are on the organ donor register. <BR /> <BR />Tragically, around 14 people pass away each year on the waiting list. Lives are being needlessly lost. As of 1 June 2021, there were 125 people waiting for an organ transplant in Northern Ireland, 16 of whom were waiting for a new heart. That is a huge number of people who could have not only their quality of life drastically improved but a better outlook in their life expectancy. <BR /> <BR />The soft opt-out scheme will not legally tie everyone into having their organs harvested if they have omitted to opt out. The final decision will be made by the close family of the potential donor. They are best placed to know what the donor would have wished.”
“Thank you for that. However, there was understandable and significant anger across charities, patients' groups and campaigners in 2016 when Jo-Anne was forced to withdraw her Bill. As a result, Northern Ireland has gone from having once been a trailblazer on organ donation laws to now having the most archaic system anywhere in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The Bill will put that right. <BR /> <BR />Organ donation saves lives, and increasing the rate of organ donation would allow our medical staff to save even more lives in Northern Ireland. Organ donation is one of the most selfless acts of kindness that one person can do for another. Whilst it continues to have strong public support, unfortunately there remains a shortfall between the number of donors and the number of organs needed each year.”
“The Ulster Unionist Party fully supports moving towards a soft opt-out system. I am glad to see the Minister delivering on one of our important manifesto commitments. The tragic reality is that Northern Ireland now has the most outdated organ donation system in the United Kingdom. That did not need to be the case. Jo-Anne Dobson's private Member's Bill, which proposed that everyone should be on the organ donation register unless they took the simple step of opting out, was blocked, disappointingly, at the last moment by some parties in the Chamber. Wales already had that system in place.”
“Extra Barnett consequentials funding will come soon, and, hopefully, all parties represented in the Executive will ensure that the totality of that money is ring-fenced for the recovery of our health service. <BR /> <BR />My party wishes to register its deep concern that Her Majesty's Government intends to disproportionately tax the least well-off through increases in National Insurance contributions and the removal of the pension triple lock. We call on the Government to give a commitment that the additional burdens created for ordinary workers, families and pensioners by those changes, which are to fund health and social care, will be reviewed frequently with the intention of relieving them as soon as possible.”
“The fact that recent Finance Ministers struggled to set a Budget has not been helpful in putting together a sustainable recovery plan for our health service. Neither was the three-year absence of an Assembly or Executive helpful while the Bengoa plan gathered dust. The uncertainty that has arisen in recent days over the future of the Assembly has also put a huge question mark over long-term recovery plans. <BR /> <BR />I agree with my colleague Dr Aiken, who referred to the additional funding that has come to Northern Ireland from the UK Government: it has been a very welcome lifeline for everyone here, especially our hard-pressed businesses.”
“The reasons for much of the damage that has been inflicted on our health service are closer to home than in the corridors of Westminster. Over the past decade, the big decisions around health that created a pattern of underfunding lacked foresight or planning. Those decisions were made in this Chamber, and they were made under the leadership of a number of Health Ministers from parties here, including the party of the motion's proposers. <BR /> <BR />It has been widely accepted that multi-year Budgets would make a huge contribution to rebuilding our health service. How can any Minister make plans for reform and rebuilding if they do not have guaranteed, ring-fenced multi-year funding?”
“I have no difficulty fully supporting elements of this private Members' motion. Equally, however, I feel that I need to question certain assertions. The motion claims that damage has been done to our health and social care system as a result of the legacy of British Government austerity. Of course, our health service has been damaged, and there is an obvious need, which we can all see and appreciate, for us to rebuild our health and social care services in order to tackle the historical and unacceptable waiting lists for initial consultations and subsequent treatment. <BR /> <BR />The wording of a portion of the motion sounds as though it is coming from a party that is either in denial or attempting to rewrite history.”
“I look forward to the Minister's upcoming consultation on adult social care reform. However, recommendations from that will likely come with significant funding commitments. Does the Minister envisage any challenges around the Executive table when he makes the case for funding consequentials from health spending in England to be earmarked for health spending in Northern Ireland?”
“The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has declined to give a definitive judgement, but it has invited the four UK Chief Medical Officers to discuss the issue and weigh up risk against benefit. We await the outcome of those discussions. Proposals to transfer tracing to the PHA will change the dynamics of the situation and help to calm the fears of school staff, parents and, importantly, our children. We all want what is best for our children. Transferring the tracing programme to the professionals is a step in the right direction.”
“What must be going through that young mind? One, who is seven years of age, had to be held down by her mother to have a test carried out, which came back negative, so that she could get back to school. What terror will the second test hold for that child? The third child is due to take his transfer test in the coming months. He has already lost three days of education. Is that satisfactory preparation for such an important academic test? How can teachers create a schooling plan for their pupils? <BR /> <BR />There is evidence that the vast majority of close school contacts who were sent home to isolate during the 2020-21 school year did not go on to develop COVID. Vaccinating post-primary students, which has been mentioned today, is a discussion for another day.”
“I have listened carefully to the debate today. Rightly, most Members highlighted the unbearable pressure that has been placed on teachers and principals. It is a fact that school staff have been placed in an intolerable position. I believe that all of us recognise the fact that our children are not mere statistics in this situation; they are suffering badly as well. With 11 grandchildren currently at various levels of our education system, I have been hearing about the impact on those children from their own mouths and from their parents. That is in addition to the many emails and phone calls from constituents. Two weeks into the new term, three of my grandchildren have been sent home from school because of a positive contact in their class. One, who had just started school in P1, was sent home on just his second day.”
“An amnesty may remove the threat of a knock on the door for the bad apples, but it does nothing to remove the stain on the reputation of those who served with honesty and professionalism and put their life on the line, 24/7, to protect and serve the community.”
“He and his brother joined the police at a time when it was not fashionable for people from that community to do so. He served with distinction for 30 years and achieved high rank, as did his brother. Some time ago, I met him at a funeral. He told me that he was ashamed to tell people that he had served in the RUC, not because of anything that he had done or seen — he was proud of having served in the police — but because of the rewriting of history that included the demonisation of everyone who had served in the Royal Ulster Constabulary. How sad it is that somebody who gave dedicated professional service should feel that way. It is the same for the Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) and the British Army.”
“There has been much talk and justified outrage by all parties about the Secretary of State's proposals, the lack of accountability and transparency and closure and justice for victims' families. The Stormont House Agreement ticked hardly any of those boxes for many victims' families. <BR /> <BR />During the Troubles, I served in the Royal Ulster Constabulary Reserve for 15 years. I ran and organised football teams to enable police officers to play competitive football. Eight officers whom I knew personally were killed during the Troubles. Wives were left without a husband and children without a father. The officer's only crime was to wear a particular uniform. I knew a Catholic officer who came from a strongly nationalist area.”
“At the time, I did not consider myself a victim; I saw the 3,500 poor, unfortunate people who were murdered or killed as victims. Looking back, I see that I was a victim — a very lucky victim, by a mere quarter of an inch. I might have had to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair or worse, as over 40,000 who were injured during the Troubles did, many of them maimed, many with lost limbs, and many carrying brain damage. All of them were victims. Many were not as lucky as I was that day. <BR /> <BR />The Stormont House Agreement removed any hope that those injured during the Troubles, many with life-changing injuries, would ever see their case investigated. They were considered by some as collateral damage, a number to be overlooked. My party never signed up to that agreement. I am pleased that it took that position and maintains it.”
“Travelling to the Royal Victoria Hospital in an ambulance that was packed with the walking wounded, I became paralysed. Fortunately, however, that was induced only by shock. I was informed by doctors attending me at the hospital that the glass had missed my spine by less than a quarter of an inch. I had the glass removed and received a number of stitches. I carry a scar to this day. I was unable to work for six weeks after the incident. The people who planted the bomb, made the bomb and transported the bomb did not care whom they injured or killed with their actions.”
“In early 1973, I was employed as the manager of a busy supermarket on the Shankill Road in Belfast. Just before lunchtime one day, police officers came into my shop and asked me to evacuate the store immediately as a utility van parked across the road had been hijacked earlier in Ardoyne and was thought to possibly contain a bomb. After securing the store, I made my way to what I considered to be a place of safety beyond the police cordon. Moments later, there was a huge explosion, and a second-floor, large plate glass window blew out and struck me and a colleague on the back and the head. I was, obviously, in shock, and I could not understand why two women who had come to my aid fainted at my feet. I was unaware that a huge triangle of glass was protruding from my back, accompanied by a steady flow of my blood.”
“I thank the Minister for her answer, and I recognise and acknowledge her difficulties. She may have answered my supplementary question in that answer, but what are the consequences for our water and sewerage infrastructure if Northern Ireland Water is not properly funded in subsequent years?”