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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“Every day, I see convoys of vehicles leaving Bangor with workers bound for Belfast and other places, and the reverse happens later in the day as they return home. It is impossible to guarantee that the virus is not making that same journey along the A2. That situation is replicated every day in every corner of Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />I have also recently heard many Members calling for more evidence and data to support the actions that the Health Minister and, by extension, the Executive are taking. The evidence that I see and that convinces me that there is an issue that needs to be addressed is the number of people who have passed because of the virus and the number of people who have become infected and will endure a long and difficult recovery. What more evidence do any of us need?”
“If those figures continue to grow at the current rates, as a society, we could be in really deep trouble. Many people will die. The measures that are needed to curtail that lie in our hands. The Executive must be prepared to take whatever action is needed to minimise the impact of this dreadful virus on our population. If ever there was a vital moment when collective responsibility trumps everything, it is now. <BR /> <BR />This morning, I heard some politicians asking why their areas should suffer intensified restrictions when their rates of infection are much lower than those in other areas. In my area of North Down, the figures of infection are low. However, Northern Ireland is too small to start finger-pointing across constituency lines.”
“In recent months, the staff at every level of our health service have gone far beyond what we should expect from them. They have toiled for long hours and have taken threats to their health and safety head-on. The leadership and support that they have received from the Health Minister have been rock solid. For that to have been otherwise would have risked a collapse in staff morale and commitment. That leadership and support have been publicly supported by the Executive every step of the way. <BR /> <BR />Any cracks in that collective leadership will have bad consequences. That is the last thing we need as we find ourselves being hit by increasing infection rates and rising hospital admissions. Most worrying is the number of people who need the intervention of ICU teams.”
“There should never be a point when political point-scoring interferes with the responsibility of the Executive to protect the life and health of our citizens and sustain our National Health Service.”
“I certainly recognise the need for the motion and support it and those that will surely follow in the days, weeks and, indeed, even months ahead. <BR /> <BR />It is disappointing to hear leaks that can only have come from within the Executive being circulated in the public domain and debated on the radio. To date, the Executive's approach to the COVID pandemic has been an admirable, collective one.”
“Does the Member agree that it is important that nobody in the community should be left to feel that they have fallen through the net in receiving financial assistance from the Executive?”
“With respect, is it not the case that, in fact, you have moved outside due process by calling on Mr Kelly to reaffirm his commitment to peaceful means? The Policing Board's code of conduct appears to be silent on the actions that the board can take. Public confidence in the board has been seriously undermined. Will the Minister consider dealing with the situation as a matter of urgency?”
“Minister, have your officials actually met any of the victims? Has the Minister met them, or does she have any plans to do so in the future?”
“Thank you, Minister, for your answer. There is a large number of experienced driving instructors in the private and public sectors, many of whom can train and test to an even more advanced driving level. I am sure that you fully appreciate the disruption that delays are causing to individuals and the economy. Will you consider bringing in urgent temporary measures to enable additional testing at once?”
“My thoughts today are with all the families affected by this dreadful virus. Will the Minister comment on whether there was any engagement with the key stakeholders in advance of today's publication of the framework? Will he give a commitment that the framework, as well as the individual trust surge plans, will be kept under constant review and that all decisions will be heavily informed by the views of clinicians working on the ground?”
“I recognise that this will have been a difficult issue for his Department to consider. Can he confirm that any decision on visiting policy is especially informed by the opinions of his chief professional officers as well as by the clinicians and front-line workers in our hospitals?”
“Why, therefore, would we neglect or ignore the rights of victims of crime? Those who choose to commit crime knowingly make that decision; those who become victims do not have that choice. A feasibility study into the possibility of a victims of crime commissioner would be a good starting point to show that we are serious about victims. I commend the motion to the House.”
“It was driven by the sterling efforts of two families, the Dorrians and the Murrays. Both families have spoken highly of the support that the police have offered them, but I think that a victims of crime commissioner could provide families like them with a more formal line of communication and support. I believe that the contributions to the debate last week pointed up the pressing need and the positive help and support that all families that are victims of crime need and deserve. <BR /> <BR />We hear a lot about protecting the rights of those who are arrested on suspicion of committing a crime. Their rights are fully protected during a subsequent court case, and, indeed, that protection continues whilst they are serving a custodial sentence. That is as it should be and is a compliment to the type of society that we are.”
“<BR /> <BR />Having a family retail business that has had its fair share of robberies, which normally have come either with direct violence, or the very real threat of it, possibly drug-fuelled, I know that the aftermath of such a crime can linger with the victims. If it comes to court, the time spent in those unfamiliar and daunting surroundings can be a lonely and stressful experience, proceeded by many sleepless nights. From that personal experience, I understand the effect of crime on victims. Indeed, a young member of my family had to arrange herself counselling after having a gun put to her mouth and suffering nightmares and flashbacks for some time afterwards. <BR /> <BR />Last week, the House held a debate on a possible introduction of Helen's law.”
“Crime can affect victims in many ways. They may suffer injuries, possibly even life-changing injuries. They may carry psychological scars for a long time as a result of the trauma of the crime, or they simply may have to deal with practical outcomes of the crime, which may be logistical or financial. If a perpetrator is brought before the court, the victim may be required to stand in the same courtroom, a few yards apart, and recount in detail what happened. Very few of us are equipped to deal with such a situation. The courtroom is an alien environment for law-abiding people. <BR /> <BR />The police do a good job in trying to keep the victims of crime informed of the progress of their investigations, but they have limited resources to continue that line of communication and contact over a lengthy period.”
“I am sure that the Minister shares my concern about the temporary closure of St Comgall's Primary School in Bangor. Can he assure me that his departmental officials are engaging with the school and offering help and advice as required to ensure the continuing welfare of the staff and pupils?”
“First Minister, I welcome your clear message to the public this morning, especially to the small minority of people who seem to think that this is some sort of a hoax to rob them of their civil liberties. Earlier, my colleague Doug Beattie asked whether the Executive had invited the Justice Minister to chair the new enforcement body. You referred him to ask that question directly to the Justice Minister. Can I respectfully ask, First Minister, whether, at any point, you asked the Justice Minister to chair this body?”
“Mrs Armstrong raised issues with the motion, but there will be future opportunities to fine tune any legislation that eventually comes to the House. I find it disappointing that the House does not feel able to rally around the motion in unity.”
“I cannot support the Alliance Party's amendment because I do not believe that it will help families like the Murrays, the Dorrians and others find the closure that they seek.”
“They have seen the killer of their loved one convicted and sentenced but still crave the return of Charlotte's remains. Charlotte had a twin sister, Denise. I have twin daughters and twin granddaughters. You have to live with twins even to start to appreciate the bond that they enjoy. I know that the loss of her sister will be especially and deeply felt by Denise. <BR /> <BR />These families want just one outcome: it is not revenge; it is the return of their loved one's remains. The implementation of Helen's law would offer them hope of such a conclusion. Without this law, their hope will continue to be hollow. Helen's law may not provide what they seek, but it will concentrate the minds of those convicted of a killing where there is no body.”
“Lisa's mum, Pat, never recovered from the tragic loss of her daughter and died of a broken heart without being able to lay her daughter to rest. Pat was another victim of this crime. <BR /> <BR />I do not believe that the Dorrian family care whether someone gets 10 years or 20 years in prison, if anyone is ever convicted of this cruel, heartless murder. Their only prayer is that they can finally give Lisa a Christian burial and know that she can then rest in peace. I do not know how anyone involved in this crime can sleep easy in their bed. Maybe they will wake up one morning and do the right thing. Unless they do, the demons summoned by what they did will haunt them to their grave. <BR /> <BR />I know the Murray family only through the media and having recently been at a meeting with them.”
“Someone was responsible for her death, and some people were responsible for disappearing her remains. The people who carried this out were people whom Lisa may have considered to be her friends. <BR /> <BR />Despite the best endeavours of the PSNI, no one has been charged with her killing, and no information that would help to return Lisa's remains to her family has been forthcoming. I know that her family appreciate the sterling efforts and the resources that the PSNI has committed to trying to find Lisa. <BR /> <BR />I watched the devastating effect that all this had on her loving family: her mum, her dad, her sisters and the extended family circle. They supported each other and, to this day, they continue to do so.”
“To lose a loved one to the heinous crime of murder is a huge burden for any family to bear, but not knowing the location of the remains is a pain that I find impossible to comprehend. It is a pain that many families have to live with. <BR /> <BR />I have known the Dorrian family for many years. They were a happy family unit living in the seaside village where my family has a retail business. I recall a lovely, well-mannered young child buying her 10p mixes on pocket money day. That pretty little girl was Lisa Dorrian. Lisa had her life in front of her. She would go on to have dreams and aspirations and a determination to succeed in life. Fast forward to a dark day in February 2005. Twenty-five-year-old Lisa was attending a party in a caravan at a park in Ballyhalbert. This was the last sighting of Lisa alive.”
“If a major and disruptive second wave can be avoided, it will be because of the continued and admirable adherence to guidance and advice by the public. To those who demonstrate outside this building and speak about the pandemic as being some sort of hoax or overreaction of government and who point to the reduction of medical interventions across the board, I say, "Wise up" — I know that I have stolen those words from previous Members — "Follow the guidance and help speed up the return to normal service that we all crave, especially in the field of children's health". My party fully supports the motion.”
“<BR /> <BR />If progress is to be made, it will require the cooperation of everyone in the House, not least his Executive colleagues. We must accept that it will be a case of taking baby steps as we go forward into a winter that may bring more major disruption to all health services. Hopefully, aspirations such as those expressed in the motion can be progressed. The public have a role to play, as do those in the House. Members also have an obligation to provide leadership as our public health services try to reduce the transmission of coronavirus.”
“<BR /> <BR />I am confident that the Minister will support the motion and take every step open to him to address the delays in appointments. It will not be an easy road for him to travel as he grapples with delays across all the medical disciplines. It must be acknowledged that he inherited a health service that was operating on the pure goodwill of everyone employed in it. Nurses were forced to stand on picket lines in the middle of winter to highlight their issues, morale throughout the system was low, and waiting lists were at an all-time high. None of those issues could be nailed to Minister Swann's door, and when he came into office, he pledged to address all outstanding issues as quickly as he could. COVID-19 put paid to the fullness of those plans.”
“<BR /> <BR />It is reassuring, as seen in a personal family situation recently, that newborn babies are still receiving all the tests that they normally receive, including audiology tests that can pick up hearing problems at a very early stage. That early detection is vital. <BR /> <BR />Hearing is one of the most important faculties that we have. Living in a silent world cannot be a pleasant place to be. Many of us may have seen the videos circulating on social media of young children and babies who have been fitted with advanced technology hearing aids that take them out of a previously silent world. The amazement and sheer delight on the children's faces when their mother speaks to them on the first occasion on which they can actually hear her voice would touch the coldest heart.”
“I welcome the motion because it enables us to register our acknowledgement of the importance of early detection, intervention and support for children with hearing difficulties or deafness. As the motion points out, deafness or hearing difficulties can have a negative impact on a child's education. The various delays that the motion identifies are hugely regrettable, but, like many aspects of our health provision, we need look no further than the impact of COVID-19 to understand the problems that it gives our health service in trying to cope with waiting lists, right across the spectrum of medical conditions. There are no easy solutions nor magic-wand cures for the reality of the disruption that COVID is causing to many aspects of our life but especially in connection with routine and planned medical care.”
“I concur with the Minister's remarks in her statement about her first concern being for the victims. Have the Minister's departmental officials been able to establish an estimated cost to the public purse of potential compensation claims from the offenders, who will, perhaps, exploit unlawful detention claims, and the cost of a package of retrials? I appreciate that, in answer to Mr Blair, the Minister gave a welcome assurance that the Department would robustly resist any such claims, but the fact is that claims from offenders will probably end up being financed and funded by the public purse, and it appears, on the surface, that they would have a strong case. I hope that they are resisted. Do any of the cases fall outside the statute of limitation for retrial?”
“If people think that my job on earth is to protect the Health Minister, I say to them that it is one of the easiest jobs that anybody could ever be given, because I think that the public agree, the media agree and, begrudgingly in the House, even we agree that he is doing a great job.”
“As to spending money and advertising, the Executive and the Government could spend millions on advertising, but the events at that funeral would have totally neutralised any message and any amount of money that was spent on messaging. Senior Ministers, the deputy First Minister, MLAs and MPs attended that funeral in complete contradiction of all the regulations and advice. We need to get real on these things. <BR /> <BR />The Member talked about protecting the Minister, but I do not think that the Minister needs protecting.”
“OK. I will refer to some of the other comments that have been made. <BR /> <BR />Mr Gildernew talked about spending money and asked how much had been spent on advertising and stuff. I will comment on that in a moment. <BR /> <BR />Mr Sheehan commented that the Ulster Unionist Party was protecting its Minister. There are a couple of issues there. I remind Pat that, just one week after the Bobby Storey funeral, he said at the Health Committee, "Let's move on. Let's put this behind us". That was one week after the funeral, when the consequences and the outcomes of it, in medical terms, would not have been known.”
“I ask the Deputy Speaker to show the same latitude to me as he has shown to others.”
“That was on the record at the Health Committee. We are supposed to provide leadership, and people in the House have called for leadership. I suggest that that was quite irresponsible leadership, and I am glad that, on that occasion, the Minister and the Chief Medical Officer called her out on that. We still have not had an apology for that or a retraction of that remark.”
“<BR /> <BR />I want to go on to some of the comments that Members have made. At the start of her speech, Ms Bradshaw indicated that her party supported the regulations but went on to point out many of the shortcomings and contradictory parts in them in relation to face coverings in restaurants and shops and all the rest of it. At the end of the day, it was an Executive decision and the Alliance Party has a Minister on the Executive. You cannot have it every way. Ms Bradshaw also talked about confusion and clear messaging. I remind her that, back in June at the Health Committee, she said:”
“I rather despair of anybody who does not understand how serious the situation is and what their civic responsibilities are. I really despair for those people. <BR /> <BR />We had a situation in which the junior Ministers used to come to the Chamber to present the SRs. That reflected more evenly and fairly the fact that decisions on the creation of the SRs are Executive decisions. This morning, the Health Minister, who is in the middle of fighting a pandemic and is helping to fight it with a dedicated staff around him, has had to come and do something that the junior Ministers could maybe have done on his behalf. The Executive Office withdrew that. I am not sure why. I have asked a number of questions for written answer to establish why that is the case, but it is what it is.”
“My family are all ratepayers. I am not doing this to make life awkward for anybody. I am certainly not a turkey voting for Christmas". That is the case here: we have to make regulations that we do not like, and they affect our families and our way of life too.”
“I will address that later. <BR /> <BR />In yesterday's debate about dementia, the Minister or Mr Dickson — I cannot remember which — said that it was good that we were in the House talking about something that affected every home and talking about our personal experiences. The public sometimes think that we sit up here in a bubble and do not really know what is going on out there, but, in the dementia debate, we all had personal experiences to talk about. It is the same with the virus. The Ministers and Members are not sitting up here trying to find ways to make life difficult for the public. I will always remember my days in local government, when we had to make hard decisions around increasing the rates. People would say, "Why are you doing this? What is your rationale?", and my reply used to be, "I am a ratepayer.”
“<BR /> <BR />We also hear about the way that the regulations are getting pushed through quickly. I understand that. We keep saying that, in normal times, we would not tolerate certain things that are happening. We all know that, when a law goes through the House, it is a laborious, lengthy journey from start to finish. We are producing laws here and pushing them through in hours and then coming back a fortnight later and changing them, because that is the nature of the emergency that we find ourselves in. <BR /> <BR />I am not going to defend the Executive: they should be here this morning to defend themselves.”
“What is complicated about using a bit of common sense? Why do we all need to be told and to have it spelt out to us what we can do and what we should not do and when we should do it? It is common sense. <BR /> <BR />Mr McGrath said that he had put something on social media and a lot of people were saying that they did not want regulations. I suggest that the people who do not want regulations are maybe the type of people who are invading sports pitches or maybe the type of people who, even as we speak, are organising house parties for this weekend. Maybe they are the type of people who are running mad around the Holylands. Those are the sorts of people who do not want regulations and who do not care about the rest of us. They have no sense of civic responsibility. If they did, they would not do what they do.”
“<BR /> <BR />There has been a lot of talk this morning about how complicated the regulations are. People are saying, "They are complicated. I don't understand them. I need more clarity". I do not think there is anything complicated about it. When I was bringing up a young family and we had a open fire in our living room, I did not need a statutory regulation to tell me to put a fireguard on it to protect my children from falling into the fire. It is called common sense. The virus is out there. It wants to kill people. It is killing people. We have heard about the disastrous situation in the two hospitals. There may well be other hospitals affected before this is all over, and there may well be dozens or hundreds of people this winter who will die as a result of the virus. What is complicated about trying to stop it in its tracks?”
“Over the past few weeks, I, along with everybody else in the House, I am sure, have received an avalanche of emails from a small group of people. Some of them run to 5,000 words with lots of links to YouTube and all sorts of statements on social media. Frankly, I do not know where those people get the time to do what they do. The theme is that all of this is some sort of government conspiracy, it is not real and it is really a huge attack on our human rights; in fact, just last week, we had a musician penning a song that included the words "fascist bullies". That is pretty strong language to apply to people who are trying to do something good, something to save lives. To go back to the point about human rights, the most basic human right is the right to life, and that is what this is all about and what we all should endeavour to protect.”
“On a point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker. We seem to be getting a little bit off the theme of the motions. We are talking about testing, and I do not see anything on the Order Paper that refers to testing. I wonder if you might rule on whether we are moving a little bit off the subject matter that is in front of us this morning.”
“Minister, we all view hospitals as a place of safety and recovery, and we probably do not expect our loved ones to come into contact with something like COVID in that setting. However, hospitals suffer infections from time to time — MRSA and gastric infections spring to mind — and it does not necessarily represent negligence on the part of anyone. Does the Minister agree that It is impossible to completely exclude infections in hospitals, and can he assure the House that everyone involved is taking every step to mitigate this infection in Daisy Hill Hospital?”
“Without them, our social care system would not be able to cope, and there is no doubt that the quality of life of those whom they care for would be severely impacted. <BR /> <BR />It is important to note that it is not a failure when a family has to make the hard and heart-wrenching decision to allow a loved one to go into professional care. Carers drive themselves to the limit. They compromise their own health to keep loved ones in their own home. My family has been there. <BR /> <BR />The Ulster Unionist Party has no hesitation in fully supporting the motion.”
“There is also a growing body of evidence to suggest that it is possible to reduce an individual's risk of dementia. Research here, the rest of the UK and internationally suggests that smoking, excessive drinking and lack of physical activity, for instance, can contribute to a higher risk of an individual getting dementia later in life. With that in mind, healthcare practitioners and public health bodies can aid the population to reduce or mitigate the risk of developing dementia along with other conditions, such as diabetes. <BR /> <BR />Finally, it would be remiss of me not to mention and pay tribute to the many tens of thousands of people locally — family members, staff, volunteers and support groups and associations — who care for people with dementia.”
“<BR /> <BR />Thankfully, there is much more awareness of the condition now, so the Ulster Unionist Party strongly supports continued efforts to dementia-proof our health service for future years. That should start with our health service staff so that they can spot the signals and, perhaps, pre-empt the practical but important challenges of communication and surroundings. <BR /> <BR />There is no cure. The only comfort that we can draw is that, unlike back in the day, when much less was known about dementia, and patients could have found themselves in a locked-down hospital ward or even in an asylum with no stimulation to help them through the day, we now have nursing homes that deal exclusively with the care of dementia patients and staff who are trained to deal with their mood changes.”
“<BR /> <BR />Dementia is, perhaps, seen as some sort of a new medical condition, but, in reality, it has always been among us. I doubt there is a family who has not been touched by it. The reason we are so aware of dementia is testament to the success of our NHS and its medical practitioners in increasing the life expectancy of our citizens over recent decades. In its early stages, it is an invisible condition and can be excused as simply the forgetfulness that we associate with the ageing process. However, it is a condition that has no regard for age, social condition or standing. Over 22,000 people are living with dementia in Northern Ireland, and as many as 1,600 of those sufferers are under the age of 65. That reinforces the point made by Paula Bradley.”
“I do not believe that there is one word in the motion with which anyone in the House could disagree. Dementia is often a catch-all phrase. However, in reality, there are over 200 subtypes of dementia, the most common of which are, of course, Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia. Across the types, the impact can be debilitating. It can rob people of their memories, thoughts and relationships. It can also be particularly difficult for the families affected, as they can only watch when their loved ones remain often physically healthy but, mentally, slipping away. As our population ages, there is no doubt that dementia is going to become a growing problem. We should, therefore, be planning and taking steps to prepare for that.”
“Will the Minister provide an update on essential maintenance to ensure road safety, including gully clearing and grass-verge cutting? In particular, will she account for the delays in major pothole repairs?”