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 20 of 29.
“The medical profession does not even have definitive definitions for "substantial risk" or "seriously disabled". How, then, can informed decisions be made about which babies should be aborted? On that basis, decisions can become subjective, and that cannot be right. <BR /> <BR />The Bill is a step in the right direction towards confirming that every baby has the right to be treated equally, no matter what the pre-birth scans show. What sort of a society would we be if we allowed the abortion of a baby with a cleft palate, a club foot or Down's syndrome? It is plainly wrong, and I will support the Bill. <BR /> <BR />I must challenge comments about the commissioning of general abortion services in Northern Ireland.”
“I listened closely and with admiration to what campaigner Heidi Crowter said in front of the Health Committee last week. She has not let her disability hinder her in any way and is making a huge contribution to society through her campaigning. She is loving and loved, as was evident from her interactions as she sat with her mother by her side and shared with the Committee her joy that she had recently married. <BR /> <BR />There are many examples of individuals just like Heidi who enjoy a full life and give much joy and love to those who care for them and help them to live as independent a life as is possible. Indeed, in many cases, those individuals enjoy a fully independent life. It cannot be right that the stroke of a legislator's pen could deny them the gift of life.”
“Our task would be so much easier if every medical voice said the same on the subject. The challenge for us is deciding what is best for the unborn and for those who are carrying them.”
“<BR /> <BR />I have received over 700 pieces of correspondence asking me to support the Bill. I have also received emails from two professional medical bodies asking me to oppose it. Just today, an open letter landed in my mailbox that was signed by 190 local GPs challenging some of the comments contained in the correspondence from those professional bodies.”
“The Bill involves a sensitive and emotive topic that I do not find particularly easy to speak about publicly and one that I am not particularly comfortable speaking about. I am sure that there are many in the House who share that discomfort around debating the issue. I acknowledge the Speaker's cautious opening remarks. I agree with him in recognising the effect that what is said in the Chamber today may have on many individuals listening to or watching the proceedings. I understand that there are many people who fully back the pro-choice position on the availability of abortion; equally, a huge number of people support a pro-life position. I found it regrettable that a few Members who spoke chose to attack the messenger rather than the message. Such a tactic is a distraction that serves only to diminish their case.”
“Will the Minister reassure all those who have availed themselves of the vaccine that there has been no evidence of anyone locally being placed at greater risk of developing blood clots as a result of receiving the Oxford vaccine and that, rather than being a cause of concern, there is only cause to celebrate the protection that it offers against the COVID virus?”
“Minister, it is perhaps disappointing that you have been called before the House this afternoon in what is undoubtedly a period when the demands on your time must be considerable. <BR /> <BR />It is clear that there is little evidence to suspend the current successful vaccination programme in the light of concerns that have been dismissed not only by all the local and national experts but by the World Health Organization. I can only guess at the major public concern that a suspension would cause the hundreds of thousands of our citizens who have already received their first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine.”
“That demonstrates the scale of the pandemic, and today is a day when the thoughts of all in the House will be with those people and their families. <BR /> <BR />We have something to be proud of with our vaccination programme, and it does offer hope. You acknowledged in your statement, deputy First Minister, that vaccinating on its own will not defeat the pandemic. You also acknowledged the good adherence to the current restrictions and reinforced the need for us all to continue to work together. We owe a huge debt to our medical and scientific experts. <BR /> <BR />Do you agree that there continues to be a huge responsibility placed on the shoulders of all public representatives who serve in this House and in other places not to say or do anything to undermine the corporate public health messages?”
“Deputy First Minister, you quoted in your statement the fact that over 2,000 people have died and over 112,000 people have tested positive.”
“There has been a substantial amount of illegal dumping in the countryside since lockdown. Frequently, if the owner of the land cannot be identified, there is often an issue between the councils and the Environment Agency about who should be responsible for its removal, to such an extent that the illegally dumped material is never removed. I know that, in an earlier answer, you referred to the fact that there should be no buck-passing, but, in such cases, who does the final responsibility actually lie with?”
“Executive decisions are not made by one Minister; all decisions are made collectively by representatives of the five parties in the Chamber. It is called democracy. <BR /> <BR />I will close by placing on record my grateful appreciation to all those involved in the successful and efficient roll-out of the vaccination programme that has given us all hope.”
“My take on it is that it is a cautious and graduated exercise to measure any major health issues that might be presented by pupils returning to the classroom. There have been leaks and rumours from the Executive meeting about who said what on the subject. We have even heard a Member say today that the Education Minister confided to him that he wanted to see a complete return to school. Perhaps Department of Education officials need to explain more fully their thinking to the public, or maybe the Minister could come to the House and explain what he really wants. <BR /> <BR />When I hear Members plead with the Minister of Health to relax various restrictions, I wonder whether they share those pleas with their Executive Ministers.”
“Mr Sammy Wilson MP made some heavily critical comments about our experts at the weekend. I am disappointed to sense that those criticisms may also be shared by some of Mr Wilson's party colleagues. It is important to place on record our appreciation of our local experts and to pledge our continued support to them. That reflects my position and that of my party. <BR /> <BR />I had not intended to speak about the return of our children to school, but it was referenced earlier in the debate. It is vital that our children's education be maintained, but it is also important that we take account of any health threat that an immediate and total return to the classrooms might present. The model on the table last week has been described as a hokey-cokey approach, and its logic has left many parents baffled.”
“We owe it to ourselves, our loved ones and the community at large to keep going, to endure additional pain in order to reach the finishing line ahead. It is not the time to let our personal or collective guard down. <BR /> <BR />I have heard some complimentary remarks today about the words of Professor Whitty, the Chief Medical Officer of England. I prefer to continue to put my faith in the Executive's following our local medical and scientific advice rather than slavishly following a Boris-influenced model. Boris has form for burning some fingers in Northern Ireland on other matters. <BR /> <BR />If we acted on Professor Whitty's words and suffered another surge in the pandemic, he would not be putting his hands up, but, rather, fingers would be pointed at our local experts and Health Department officials.”
“We must not forget that it is only our NHS staff, a compliant public and the efforts of our medical and scientific experts that have allowed us to get in sight of the finishing line.”
“We have all been involved in that marathon, but, sadly, all too many in our society did not and will not get to finish the journey. I am told by those who actually run in marathons that you can hit something called the wall at the 20-mile mark. The finish is a mere few miles down the road, but you can easily lose the will to go on. At that point, it is attractive to simply give up and drop out. Months of sacrifice and hard training can be cast aside by not pushing through the wall and continuing to the finishing line. It is to their credit that most runners continue. The current public narrative and perhaps, indeed, even the narrative in the House suggest that some may have hit the wall.”
“To those families, the pandemic does not just mean sacrifices like not going to the gym, a football match or the cinema; it means the loss of a loved one who had to be buried under very tight controls or watching the debilitating effects of long COVID on a family member. Unless we have a family member working in the NHS, we cannot truly begin to imagine the physical or mental health impact on all staff across our health and care systems. We owe it to those heroes to begin a robust process of transformation of our health service as soon as we have recovered from the pandemic. <BR /> <BR />It has been obvious that the fight against COVID was never going to be a 100-yard dash but rather a slow and painful marathon.”
“There are three sensible amendments before the House today, and my party supports them all. One year ago, no one could have imagined the negative effects that we would we all suffer in our personal, family, business or work lives as a direct result of the pandemic. Many of us and our families have not been touched by actually contracting the virus. That said, we must recognise and sympathise with the many families with loved ones who have died as a result of this dreadful pandemic. <BR /> <BR />We must also acknowledge those who are suffering from the new illness known as long COVID, which will have an unknown impact on our NHS. The R number does not reflect that impact.”
“The redeployment of healthcare staff throughout the pandemic has been necessary to deal with the ongoing pressures from COVID-19, and I thank all healthcare staff for the tremendous work that they have been doing in horrible circumstances. Can the Minister provide an update on his discussions with the Executive to secure more funding to deal with all waiting lists when the pandemic is finally over?”
“Can the Minister make a commitment to ensuring that the sacrifices of our health service are recognised and that health transformation remains the priority in future funding?”
“I thank the Minister for that. Minister, in the absence of some mitigation coming forward, do you agree that a number of recipients of those acknowledgements might be forced to refuse the payment and that that would be a shame?”
“I thank the Minister for her update. Can she confirm that there is a funding stand-off, to a degree, between her Department and the GAA on the delivery of this project? Will those funding difficulties put the project in danger in any way?”
“The big prize for our sacrifices will be not only a reduction in the number, or elimination, of deaths to the virus but getting the important programme of elective surgery back to normal. <BR /> <BR />In conclusion, earlier, a Member referred to the regulations as being a blunt instrument. Nobody could argue with that description. In normal times, no one in a democratic society would, in any shape or form, add their name to supporting the restrictions that we are living under. They are, indeed, a blunt instrument. In this case, however, they have saved lives, the number of which we will never be able to quantify. For that reason alone, we should all have no difficulty in supporting the restrictions before us.”
“Gym sessions are very important to those who enjoy the health and well-being benefits of a visit to the gym. A robust campaign has lobbied us to support a reopening of those establishments. I must confess that a visit to the gym is not as important to me at the moment as a visit to the barber, or as a visit to the hairdresser would be to my wife. All personal service businesses have spent money on their efforts to make a visit to their premises as safe as possible. However, the barrier to being able to get the public back into those businesses is the need to minimise travel that may have the potential for accidents, which could lead to more pressure on our hospitals. <BR /> <BR />Earlier this afternoon, the First Minister reiterated the need for us to stay at home. That advice is a cornerstone of the regulations.”
“<BR /> <BR />At least 95% of our citizens are fully complying, but some are still ignoring the restrictions. It is regrettable that, in many cases, ignoring the regulations has involved those who were responsible for helping to craft them. <BR /> <BR />The disruption to our daily lives will be lifted or relaxed in response to a slowdown in transmissions and hospital admissions. That is in our hands. The efficient and speedy roll-out of the vaccine will make a huge contribution to getting us back to normal, but our daily behaviour is still crucial. The recent welcome downward trends should not be taken as an excuse to let our personal or collective guard down. <BR /> <BR />All of us in the House are being lobbied by various sectors to be allowed to reopen.”
“During the run-up to the Christmas period just past, the Executive had a huge challenge to balance the ongoing transmission of COVID with the desire to facilitate a Christmas celebration of sorts for all of us. The relaxations were widely welcomed by the community, but they resulted in a negative impact on transmission rates. It was inevitable that a robust reaction was required to counter that, and what we have before us today is that robust reaction. It is commendable that, in line with these regulations, the main Churches made the huge gesture of voluntarily cancelling acts of public worship. The virus and the resulting regulations have changed everyone's way of life. Individuals and families are making huge sacrifices to comply with restrictions that are designed to protect everyone's well-being and to relieve the pressure on our NHS.”
“Minister, I would like to be associated with all the good wishes to you. <BR /> <BR />There are so many single-use drink containers, from plastic fruit juice drink containers to milk containers. Does the Minister anticipate that the full range of these cartons will be included in any future scheme?”
“Thank you, Minister, for that. Are you confident that solutions will be found to deal with the problems that the protocol is currently causing all of our citizens?”
“Unfortunately, we may have to live with COVID for many years to come and we will all have to continue to make personal sacrifices. What mechanisms will be put in place to address future localised outbreaks?”
“Thank you, Minister. Could the use of the separated oxygen in the sewage treatment process help to alleviate the noxious smells that have emanated from the plant on occasions over recent years?”
“Does the Minister agree that the European Commission, in apparent desperation to cover up its vaccine procurement failings, should never have brought potential supplies of this life-saving vaccine into the realms of the contentious political debate over the flawed protocol arrangements?”
“I thank the Minister for his reassuring answer. Are there any cases where payments will not have continued without any correspondence from your Department to explain why that happened?”
“<BR /> <BR />We owe a huge debt to front-line hospital staff but we must also recognise the dedicated work being carried out daily in difficult circumstances in care and nursing homes. I commend the Department of Health and the Minister for all the assistance, both financial and practical, that they have made available to the care home sector during the past difficult year. All that teamwork and cooperation has, undoubtedly, helped to save lives. However, we must remember all who fell victim to this dreadful virus, and also their grieving families. Those families had valuable time with their loved ones stolen by COVID-19.”
“I know that the Minister is aware of the situation, and I have every confidence that any future reform of the care home sector will address the important issues of staff levels and increased levels of pay to attract workers to make a career in care and will ensure that proper working conditions are in place. <BR /> <BR />The report has 54 recommendations. Many have been overtaken by events and have already been addressed, either fully or partially. Many of them cannot be taken up overnight and will need careful consideration by the Department. They have been made in a constructive manner, and I have every confidence that they will be received and studied in that spirit.”
“That said, it has 40 rooms to be fully serviced, and bedding needs to be changed and cleaned daily. It has corridors, specially adapted bathrooms and common rooms to be cleaned, and four workers share that task during the week. If one worker is off for any reason, the others have to pick up the extra work, which is carried out during a six-hour shift. At weekends, only two staff are on duty to complete those tasks. Shortcuts are inevitable, and, in normal circumstances, they are not visible and do not compromise anyone's safety, but, during a pandemic, it can be a different story. <BR /> <BR />It is easy to see how a virus can enter a care home and, unless every surface is constantly cleaned, take hold. That is labour-intensive, and adequate staffing levels are needed. The issue of staff levels will be paramount going forward.”
“In the early part of 2020, our hospital waiting lists were the longest in the United Kingdom. Given all that, we were hardly in the best place to deal with a pandemic that none of us had any experience of dealing with. <BR /> <BR />Our care homes were also under pressure for a number of reasons. Many had staff vacancies that they struggled to fill. On the plus side, they had in post many dedicated people who view their duties as a vocation rather than just a job. The fact that many of these jobs are paid in accordance with the minimum wage, as set by government, is hardly an incentive for anyone to choose working in a care home as a long-term career opportunity. <BR /> <BR />I will use the example of one home that I am familiar with. It is a home that has a modern design and an ethos of providing top-class care.”
“<BR /> <BR />It is important to remind ourselves that we went into this pandemic, with all the twists and turns that the virus has created, without any recent experience of dealing with such a situation, and it was not a case of nipping down to the library to borrow a textbook that spelled out how to handle it. The report acknowledges that, prior to the arrival of the virus on our shores, we had no sitting Assembly for three years and, consequently, no Health Minister in post. That is hardly the best set of circumstances to prepare to fight an enemy like COVID-19. Our NHS was due, during those three years of inertia, to be reformed by a debate around the Bengoa report. That report was gathering dust for those three years and, given the priority demands of tackling the pandemic at the moment, it continues to gather dust.”
“I hope that the report will be viewed not as a critique of the performance of anyone or any body during this pandemic in relation to the impact of COVID-19 on care homes but as a learning curve for us all as we continue to try to protect the well-being of everyone, especially the most vulnerable. <BR /> <BR />It was certainly not the desire of the Health Committee that any aspect of the report should descend into a party political debate on any of the recommendations, and I am confident that that will not happen. I am sure that all in the House will welcome the report and support the recommendations. All the recommendations have been put on record in a constructive way, and I am sure that that is how the Minister and his officials will view them.”
“Minister, I go back further than being 20 years of age in 1990. I remember, as a teenager going to school each day, walking alongside a long, dark, tall stone wall that would not have been out of place in a prison. I walked that route for seven years and never knew what was on the other side of that wall or what took place there. I now know that it was a mother-and-baby home with a working laundry — out of sight and out of mind. I was blissfully unaware of that operation, and I suspect that society, by and large, was unaware of it as well. It should be to our regret and shame that we did not ask the questions then. <BR /> <BR />Would the Minister agree that a more graduated approach to a full public inquiry — you referenced a period of six months — will ensure a more efficient and effective outcome of a much-needed public inquiry?”
“Does the Member agree that that would include the use of medics from the British Army?”
“I am just finishing, Jonathan. <BR /> <BR />In relation to vaccines, there is a lot of talk about ramping it up to 24/7 and getting more vaccinators. However, we are getting told by the professionals — I do not understand this; are people not listening? — that the vaccination programme is dictated by the availability of the vaccine and that we are not at that place yet where we can offer a 24/7 service. That is another reality that we all need to recognise.”
“There are obvious flaws and contradictions, and they are hard to defend at times when people challenge you about them, but I hope also that Jonathan recognises that his party has four voices in the Executive. That is the place to highlight the flaws and to correct and change them.”
“I have every confidence that he did scope out those figures that you talk about. <BR /> <BR />Robin Swann must have many sleepless nights wrestling with this situation. Our National Health Service was in a bad place before Robin Swann took up the Health portfolio. Our waiting lists, including for cancer operations, were the longest in the United Kingdom. Perhaps, if those of us who sat in the House in previous mandates had properly funded the NHS, we would be in a better place today to cope with this pandemic. <BR /> <BR />My colleague Jonathan Buckley — I recognise and admire the passion that he brought to the debate today — highlighted the flaws in the crafting of restrictions.”
“The Minister has identified a regional approach to urgent life-saving operations, not just confined to cancers. He has also told us that he has secured 112 theatre spaces in the private sector over coming weeks. Robin Swann is not a callous individual taking pleasure from the suffering of others. He must have —.”
“<BR /> <BR />Members who spell out the negative impact of the restrictions, and the toll that they are taking, are correct. They are taking a huge toll on everyone, but what is the toll on those families receiving a phone call from a hospital informing them that their loved one has died alone as a result of the virus? They then have to bury their loved one under what amounts to almost a cloak of secrecy. How long will those families take to recover from that? That is an even sadder reality. <BR /> <BR />We talked about delay in cancer operations. That is another reality. It is another dreadful impact of this virus, and one that no one can fully appreciate unless it happens to you or a loved one.”
“How and when could anyone plan an exit strategy when the virus and its variants continue to call the tune? There will be a time when we will have to formulate an exit strategy. I just do not think that we are there just yet. <BR /> <BR />For those outside this House calling for an end to restrictions, I ask this: what is the alternative? They are not in place to punish us. Rather, they are there to help protect us. The problem is that too many people are deliberately ignoring the regulations. Ninety-five per cent of people, perhaps even more, are making huge sacrifices to comply with the regulations, but those 5% are diluting their effectiveness. I will use a phrase that has been used in the Chamber before: they really do need to wise up.”
“I support the regulations but with the realisation that, in normal times, we would all reject them without any level of debate. <BR /> <BR />Mr McGrath called for an exit strategy. I wish that I had his optimistic foresight. He forecast that Members from the other four parties on the Executive would remind him that all decisions are made by a five-party Executive that include his party, the SDLP. I am not going to disappoint him: no amount of passion in making those remarks will cloud or change the reality that it is a five-party Executive that make all the decisions around this pandemic. <BR /> <BR />As regards an exit strategy, the Member must realise that every time that we get a little bit of hope, we get a setback, such as the discovery of a variant of the virus.”
“Last Thursday, I was present when the Member who tabled this question for urgent oral answer made derogatory remarks questioning the professionalism of 110 medics from the British military who will offer support to the hard-pressed staff in our NHS. How will the Minister respond to those remarks, given the call from the Member on the other side of the Chamber now to seek additional help from the private sector?”
“The Minister will be aware of the disappointing withdrawal of prominent mail order horticultural plant and seed suppliers based in England in delivering their products to Northern Ireland because of what they see as draconian regulations that have been caused by the protocol. Does he believe that this is a temporary situation, and is there anything that his Department can do in the meantime to help to restore this valuable service to gardeners and ensure that garden centres will be in a position to maintain imported stock levels?”
“What additional information or administration is required for goods moving onwards to the Republic of Ireland, or other parts of the EU, compared with that required for those remaining in Northern Ireland?”