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 6 of 29.
“As far as I am concerned, there is no such thing as too much awareness or too much focus placed on preventing those drugs from being consumed or brought to festivals in the first place. <BR /> <BR />Yet, as legislators, we are also confronted with the stark truth that drugs are present at concerts, festivals and a multitude of other social locations. They are circulating, and they are being taken. To pretend otherwise would be to close our eyes to the reality on the ground. That is why the debate matters. We have seen in the Republic of Ireland, through the Health Service Executive's drug-checking scheme, that rapid testing at festivals can identify highly potent or contaminated substances.”
“From the outset, something that can never be overemphasised is the fact that there is no such thing as safe drug taking. Every illicit drug carries with it the potential to harm and devastate families. Too many lives in Northern Ireland have already been cut short by substances, for which society may have thought the risk was limited, but, in reality, are laced with danger. As a parent or grandparent, watching our loved ones excitedly leave the house to go to a festival is a common occurrence. For some people, it is a rite of passage. In that excitement, we also consider what would be any family's worst nightmare — young people whose promise will never be fulfilled because of a single pill swallowed in a field or a powder taken at a party; a moment's action with potentially life-changing consequences.”
“Of course, women's health is about so much more than one condition. It must be part of a much-needed, broader recognition that women's health matters and must be central to health policy in Northern Ireland. From this condition to menopause and fertility services, we need to listen and continue to act where necessary. I am confident that Minister Nesbitt is across the issues.”
“With improved awareness has come improved outcomes: diagnosis is now an alternative to the endless years of uncertainty that many once endured. Better treatment pathways, supported by research and investment, are allowing patients to manage their condition more effectively. Workplaces and schools are also beginning to adapt and are acknowledging the reality of the condition, offering flexibility and support. <BR /> <BR />Of course, there is still much more to be done, which is why I welcome the efforts that are under way in the Department of Health. The upcoming publication of the women's health action plan will be an important step. I very much welcome the other, wider efforts that are already under way, not least those informed by the getting it right first time (GIRFT) review.”
“There is now much better awareness and understanding of the condition compared with even a relatively small number of years ago. Awareness is growing. Health professionals and patients have worked tirelessly to ensure that the condition is no longer dismissed as just bad periods but is recognised as the serious health condition that it is. That change in understanding has given hope to thousands. <BR /> <BR />I commend the women who have spoken out about their experiences. Campaigners and charities, including many here in Northern Ireland, have done so much to raise awareness and push the condition up the public and political agenda. Their work has brought us to the much higher level of understanding that there is today.”
“I welcome the opportunity that motions such as this give us to discuss and highlight important medical issues faced by citizens across Northern Ireland. Endometriosis is not a rare or fringe condition but one that affects a great number of women: our mothers, daughters, sisters, colleagues and friends. However, for far too long, their pain was often minimised or misunderstood. The condition can mean years of severe pain, repeated hospital visits and the very real fear and anxiety about the hugely sensitive issue of fertility, and yet, as the motion highlights, there are still challenges with finally getting a diagnosis. <BR /> <BR />We know that our health service is under immense pressure, but women's voices in decades gone by were not always listened to. That must change, and, thankfully, it is changing.”
“That should be the position of every member of the Executive. <BR /> <BR />I will conclude by saying that I am disappointed to hear the attempts at cheap political point-scoring on such an important issue in the Chamber.”
“Why are we putting our Health and Social Care staff into a corner where they are left with no alternative to secure what they are fully entitled to? <BR /> <BR />I have stood on the picket lines with our nurses, and it was clear that they would rather have been on the wards than standing on the streets with placards. That is not who they are. I will happily stand alongside them again, if we go down the shameful road of forcing them on to the picket lines. The catastrophic consequences of strike action will rest not with them but with us in this place for breaking promises that we have made. The current Health Minister, Minister Nesbitt, and the previous Health Minister, Minister Swann, have made their positions clear that agreed pay settlements for Health and Social Care staff must be met in full and in a timely manner.”
“How can we as politicians allow that serious breach of wage commitment to continue for a minute longer into the current financial year? <BR /> <BR />The settlement for which our Health and Social Care workers wait was a result not of some bullish and outlandish salary demand but of a national and independent assessment. We hear about the potential of a full strike by our nurses: just imagine the impact that that would have on the operation of hospitals. The front-line heroes for whom we stood clapping on our doorsteps in gratitude for their selfless service during the COVID epidemic do not have one ounce of desire to walk out on their patients at this time. That goes against every fibre of their dedication to care for the sick and help make them well again. Why are we allowing it to happen?”
“It is shameful that, six months into the current financial year, our Health and Social Care workers are the only group in the United Kingdom's health sector that is still waiting to receive the nationally agreed pay settlements. We talk about the importance of staff retention, but, if ever there were a recipe for health workers to take their skills to another jurisdiction, the current situation is it. <BR /> <BR />I have said in the Chamber many times that our health and social care system has been sustained for years by staff loyalty and delivered with huge helpings of freely given goodwill. However, goodwill cannot be depended on for ever. Goodwill does not put food on the table, pay the mortgage or fund children's education journey. The figure on the payslip deals with the financial demands that we all have to address.”
“Perhaps the Minister will update us later, but access to CAR T-cell therapy in the Republic is already, as others have said, running close to maximum capacity. A bit like us, it is in the process of investing in future haematology capabilities. <BR /> <BR />Overall, I support the call for equitable access to CAR T-cell therapy for our citizens. Thankfully, that appears to be the current direction of travel.”
“The absence of a CAR T-cell therapy service locally is an issue not just of geography but of fairness. It is about ensuring that a postcode does not determine whether someone can spend their last days surrounded by family or in a hospital hundreds of miles away. <BR /> <BR />I welcome, however, the fact that, instead of trying to justify or explain away the current problems, the Minister of Health here has been upfront in his assessment that he wants to see the position changed and that the mechanism to see a local service introduced here is the delivery of a new regional haematology ward in Belfast City Hospital. Thankfully, that project has been prioritised to proceed, although I acknowledge that it will take some time. An all-island solution would not be just as straightforward as adopting a new policy on this side of the border.”
“First and foremost, I extend my deepest sympathy to the family and friends of Catherine Sherry. Her tragic passing is a stark reminder to us all of the unbelievably cruel nature of cancer. As Catherine was a mum of three young boys, her case is particularly poignant and upsetting. <BR /> <BR />Thankfully, over recent decades, there has been significant progress in the treatments and interventions available. CAR T-cell therapy represents one of the most significant breakthroughs in cancer treatment in recent years. That level of advanced treatment now offers hope where, in the past, there would have been little. However, the arrangements here are far from ideal; indeed, patients are being separated from their loved ones at the very moment when they need them the most.”
“Minister, I welcome the fact that it seems that the trust responded at pace and that it was able to draw on technical expertise from other corners of Health and Social Care (HSC) in Northern Ireland. Does the Minister agree that the trust should leave no opportunity unutilised in booking in patients as quickly as possible again, especially those requiring urgent and time-critical treatment?”
“Those figures undoubtedly prove that attracting cruise liners to Belfast has been a huge success story. Minister, the added value is in cruise passengers planning a return visit to explore more of what Northern Ireland has to offer. Has there been any research into the potential for that, and are we actively encouraging it?”
“— before there is a serious collision because of that.”
“Minister, my supplementary question goes a little beyond the A2 West Circular Road and back towards Belfast. A number of years ago, your Department introduced speed cameras on that road that measured average speed being driven between them. There was a public perception that the cameras were a bluff and did not work, but they had and still have a perceptible impact on speed on that road. <BR /> <BR />Another problem on that road that I have seen recently — it is endemic — is motorists jumping red lights. I am not sure whether your Department has access to any detection mechanism that would deter that practice, because it is only a matter of time —”
“I welcome the fact that action has now been taken to end the sheer inequity and postcode lottery for patients with suspected breast cancer. Does the Minister agree that, in a region as small as Northern Ireland, with a population of fewer than two million people, there should be no tolerance of such varying patient experiences not just of services for suspected breast cancer but of other specialities?”
“I will be very brief, Mr Deputy Speaker. I just want to place on record the fact that my party supports the legislative consent motion. Without research into rare cancers, no mitigating measures will be discovered. Who knows? The scientist working on that research might stumble upon interventions that could be helpful for more common cancers. Cancer cures will not fall into our lap; they will be found by scientific research, and we all have a duty to support and encourage that research. We must never lose sight of the fact that research offers hope to sufferers.”
“<BR /> <BR />In conclusion, I have to agree with my colleague Miss McAllister, who referenced the fact that the House was down for a long time and that, when we talk about delays to legislation, we have to reflect on the impact that that has had on legislation passing through the House.”
“However, I appreciate that some may be disappointed, including myself, that the Bill has not been able to go further on CCTV. As we all know, CCTV was a critical in exposing the scale of the abuse at Muckamore, and, no doubt, that is an area that we will explore further during the Committee Stage. I appreciate that the legal options to make CCTV mandatory did not exist, and, as such, I welcome the provision to make further regulations in that area. <BR /> <BR />Overall, the Bill is important, and it has long since been proven that it is needed. I and my party fully support it. Hopefully, it will prevent disgraceful episodes such as the one at Muckamore and ensure that no other families have to deal with the abuse of a loved one.”
“The Bill is a large and far-reaching piece of legislation. It introduces a number of new powers, places greater responsibility on us all to better support adults who may be vulnerable for whatever reason and brings Northern Ireland up to speed with neighbouring jurisdictions. <BR /> <BR />If the Bill is passed, I hope that there will be no more blind eyes or missed opportunities. There will be a formal legal duty to carry out sufficient inquiries. I appreciate that that may present some further responsibilities for our trusts, but I am sure we all believe that that extra workload is justified. The Bill also offers critical enhanced protections and orders, such as powers of entry, as referenced earlier by the Minister.”
“I welcome the Bill's Second Stage. Adult protection encompasses a number of key concepts, which have, rightly, been reflected in the Bill across a number of principles, such as autonomy, dignity, accountability and, crucially, prevention. Whilst we understand how and why the Government should have a very strong interest in protecting members of the public from harm, especially those who are at risk due to their age or any other vulnerability, tragically, we are all well aware of the various instances in which that protection has been found wanting. <BR /> <BR />The Bill has its genesis in a number of such shortcomings. The abuse and sheer breadth and scale of the safeguarding failings that occurred in Dunmurry Manor and Muckamore shocked us all, and they very powerfully shone a light on our legislative shortcomings.”
“Will you call for the release of hostages?”
“Minister, you reported this morning that you had commissioned a report on shortcomings in Northern Ireland Water. Will you carry out a similar exercise in your Department if you identify any internal failures in its preparation for the legal challenge?”
“What would the Minister say to those who suggest that the report merely provides a distraction from her Department's ongoing failures to provide the necessary capital funding to bring Northern Ireland Water treatment works up to compliance standards?”
“<BR /> <BR />I call on the Minister to establish a sentencing council, as is referenced in the motion, to review the scale of sentences available to the courts with a view to creating genuine deterrents for those who are considering assaulting another human being and, especially, to protect police officers, who are always on the front line.”
“I asked the Minister whether she would consider introducing legislation to cover that specific offence. I know that she shares my absolute disgust at that element of an assault. However, the Minister informed me that she has no plans to introduce a further specific offence, and she pointed me to sentencing guidelines for judges in assault cases. I was disappointed to discover that the gap between lower and higher levels of custody are measured in small numbers of months when kicks to the head are involved. In my opinion, that offers little deterrent. Assaults on the police also carry small gaps in custody guidelines, with community orders featuring. We owe it to our police officers and, indeed, to all emergency workers to bring forward a much more meaningful range of deterrent sentences.”
“Criminal sentencing must meet two important criteria: the sentence must reflect the gravity of the offence, but, more important, it must be seen as a deterrent. A few years ago, we saw an advertising campaign with the slogan, "One Punch Can Kill". The message was that you did not need a gun or knife in your hand to end a life: one punch could do it. That one punch could elevate a petty argument to the perpetrator facing a murder or manslaughter charge, and that was the obvious deterrent against throwing that punch. <BR /> <BR />A growing, cowardly and vicious element is evident in street assaults, when a victim has been knocked unconscious and is unable to defend themselves, and people take turns to kick them on the head or, indeed, stamp on their head with force.”
“Is the Minister satisfied that the local section office's cleaning routine for roadside gullies is adequate?”
“Any amount of raw sewage going into Belfast lough is totally unacceptable, but everyone agrees that the waste water treatment works that discharge into Belfast lough require considerable investment to bring them up to the compliance standards that are coming down the line. Has the Minister a strategy to find the investment needed to bring those treatment works up to standard?”
“Minister, are you satisfied that works are progressing well with the neighbouring capital project on the Royal site, which is the new children's hospital?”
“Will the deputy First Minister agree that some of the comments made in the House this afternoon may have undermined public confidence in the operation of the Executive Office and, indeed, the Executive?”
“Threatening graffiti has appeared on the windows of a number of homes in Bangor, which is disgraceful. Can the Minister assure me that his officials are engaged or will engage with the families who have been so disgracefully targeted?”
“Thank you, Minister. I am absolutely delighted to receive that update, and I certainly look forward to work commencing on that much-needed new build. Does the Minister have any concerns that a brand new primary school in that area could have a negative impact on the enrolment numbers for nearby Bloomfield Primary School?”
“I am grateful for the Minister's urgent response to the crisis to date. I also very much welcome the appointment of Peter McBride to a role of independent support in the Belfast Trust. Is it the Minister's belief that Mr McBride is not the sort of person to shy away from shining a light into dark corners when necessary and that he is also someone who has the skill set necessary to drive change throughout an organisation?”
“Thank you very much. I was grateful for last week's media headlines and positive PR on the subject, but a large number of people to whom I have spoken in the past week have understandably said, "I'll believe it when I see it". Is the Minister confident that, later this month, we will see him in a high-vis jacket and hard hat welcoming the first digger on to the site, before the construction industry takes its annual break in July?”
“Does the Member agree that multi-year Budgets would be helpful to all Departments?”
“Is the Minister in a position to outline the number of cases of abuse of position for sexual purposes that have been investigated in the past 12 months compared with the previous 12 months?”
“This report has shone an important spotlight on what was clearly a totally unacceptable environment for some Belfast Trust staff. Is the Minister confident that the scale of the problems in this particular service are rare and that, in fact, clinical staff teams in all services across our hospitals normally work incredibly well together in the best interests of patients under their care?”
“Recently, I submitted a question to the Executive Office regarding its assessment of a part of the Programme for Government. The question was rejected, and I was advised to address my query to the particular Minister who had written the part of the programme that I was referencing. Is that the policy of the Minister's office regarding questions about the content of the Programme for Government? Is there a danger that that could lead to a silo mentality?”
“Initiatives such as the current dental access scheme, with a multimillion-pound budget allocated to it, have helped thousands of people across Northern Ireland, as has the enhanced child examination scheme. I know from engaging with the Minister that work has been under way on further initiatives, some of which will be innovative and unique to Northern Ireland. I welcome that, because no one — not us as MLAs, not the profession and especially not the patients — can be satisfied with the current state of NHS dental provision here.”
“Whilst there are various reasons for the move to private dentistry, money is undoubtedly a driving factor behind it. Some people claim that delivering a National Health Service dentistry service is a loss-maker, but I note that that has been strongly refuted in the past. One thing is undeniable: private dental work is much more lucrative for individual dentists and practices. <BR /> <BR />I am not sure whether, as the state, we could ever afford to fully reverse that, as it would come at an enormous cost. I am glad, however, that, despite the unprecedented funding challenges that face the health service locally, the Minister, like his predecessor, has decided to prioritise what limited funding exists for high-priority registered patients who are in need of urgent care.”
“As an MLA, I am well aware that, in recent years and especially since the pandemic, it has become increasingly difficult for people to access health service dentistry. Whilst it is clear from regular media reports that access to NHS dentistry is a problem in every corner of the United Kingdom, there is an undoubted problem and challenge in Northern Ireland. Although the number of practices and dentists has remained broadly stable, the trend over a number of consecutive years has been that more and more opt to deliver greater private dentistry work instead of health service dentistry. <BR /> <BR />The number of patients who are no longer registered — perhaps, it would be much more accurate to state that they have been deregistered — is a further clear illustration of the shift from NHS to private work.”
“I thank the Minister for that rather sobering update. Perhaps, it will be a bit of a reality check for some in the House. Given the speculation that the pay review recommendations for this year are likely to be published any moment now, I welcome the Minister's commitment to moving swiftly, within reason, to ensure that our health workers are not left waiting for clarity on their pay while colleagues in equivalent roles across the rest of the UK see increases appearing in their pay packets.”
“Does the Minister agree that it is vital that women should have confidence in the cervical screening programme in Northern Ireland?”
“I thank the Minister for his statement and welcome his ongoing engagement with his Southern counterpart. Does the Minister sense that the Republic's Minister for Health shares his desire to do things differently, including perhaps through taking a new approach to tackling common health inequality areas in order to improve outcomes for patients on both sides of the border?”
“I thank the Minister for his statement. I agree that an open-ended period of negotiation, with little or no prospect of the funding situation changing, would only provide a distraction from the wide-ranging discussions that the Health Department will have with primary care. Does the Minister hope that, through the new access indicators, as well as GPs receiving financial clarity on indemnity and National Insurance, patients will see real benefits from the contract?”
“I join others in commending the professionalism and courage of all the police officers who were involved in last night's incident. Individual officers shepherded people away to safety, without any thought for their own safety. I am aware that the PSNI is conducting a full and proper investigation into the circumstances of the incident, and I encourage everyone to give the police the space to carry out that investigation.”
“I wish to refer particularly to the firearms incident that took place in Bangor last night. I happened to be in the vicinity, in a local petrol station, at the time. I was aware that lots of police were running backwards and forwards, but I was not aware of the situation that was developing. There has been much speculation, particularly on social media but also in the press, as to who did what and when. At this time, speculation is unhelpful. The most important fact, and the bottom line, is that no one was injured. A gentleman is now in the care of the health service. I think that, in another jurisdiction, the outcome of that incident could have been completely different.”