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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“Why have the Executive chosen to bury their head in the sand with regard to this crisis? A document called 'Story of Belfast Lough' was published recently. Given the absence of an action plan from the Executive, perhaps it should be renamed, "An Obituary of Belfast Lough". <BR /> <BR />I understand the Budget constraints that the Executive face, but there is a solution to the problem, which is also a policy of my party: to grant mutual status to Northern Ireland Water. To do so would open up many funding opportunities for Northern Ireland Water. It is beyond the time for that solution to be actively considered.”
“Sorry, I want to make progress. <BR /> <BR />The level of unacceptable pollution is moving steadily down the lough, starting with the already heavily polluted waters in the harbour area. That is having an adverse effect on the mussel-farming industry in the lough. There is already a disaster there, but it is heading for a greater crisis that will eventually replicate the crisis in Lough Neagh. Again, however, there is no mention of it in the Programme for Government. <BR /> <BR />A number of waste water treatment works and pumping stations in the greater Belfast area were scheduled for urgent upgrades that would make them compliant by 2027 and stop them contributing to the pollution in the lough, but what has happened? The upgrades have been mothballed due to a lack of funding.”
“Yet, there is not one mention of Belfast lough in the Programme for Government. The level of unacceptable pollution is moving —.”
“Just last week, in a supplementary question, I asked the Minister about the sewage pollution that statutory and government agencies are still putting into waterways. Part of his reply was:”
“My comments today are about my disappointment with something that does not get one direct mention in the Programme for Government. Belfast lough should be a jewel in the crown of what Northern Ireland has to offer visitors and residents alike as a recreational and leisure facility. What is the reality, however? Due to pollution levels, the harbour area around the popular public Titanic Quarter is out of bounds for events that require sporting use of the water, such as triathlons. I have been receiving reports about leisure sailors who are using the waters off the coast at Holywood developing serious infections in their ears, eyes, throat and gut simply due to exposure to polluted sea spray. <BR /> <BR />Back in November, I asked Minister Muir this question:”
“I thank the Minister for that very welcome news. Locally, there has been a lot of ill-informed and negative speculation that the current development plans were going to fail. Will the Minister offer some reassurance to the local population? In the past, people have been failed so many times at the last hurdle. Will the Minister give some level of reassurance that this development is on course to start?”
“Does the Minister agree that, until statutory and government agencies get their houses in order to meet the climate and environmental challenges adequately — I think especially about the developing crisis in Belfast lough — it will prove difficult to ask those involved in private business, particularly in the agri-industry, to cooperate?”
“That clearly needs to be expanded with more detail of specific outcomes. <BR /> <BR />The motion is reasonable and worthy, and I will support it, along with my party colleagues.”
“The lack of forward planning for decades for the increasing number of elderly people who will require care packages in their advancing years has contributed to the ongoing issue of hospital beds being occupied by recovered patients who could be cared for in their home. I know that that issue is high on the Health Minister's radar. <BR /> <BR />The draft Programme for Government is wordy and aspirational across a wide range of sectors. I might have missed some comments in it, but I can find only one line that loosely relates to our ageing community. It states:”
“As the age-related Father of the House, I had to stop for a moment to convince myself that I did not have an interest to declare before speaking briefly on the motion. However, I suppose that we will all eventually benefit from anything that might hopefully emerge from the debate that could make life better for older people. <BR /> <BR />An old saying attributed to many authors is that, "A society is judged by how it cares for its elders". With advances in healthcare, life expectancy has increased considerably over recent years, and that has been a huge success story for our NHS. However, maybe that reality has been lost in some quarters of the Government's forward planning.”
“I thank the Minister for her answer. Minister, are you in a position to detail the number of officers who are receiving no salary while the matter remains unresolved?”
“Minister, I very much welcome the fact that an offer and a longer-term potential solution have been identified. If agreed, I hope that those will allow an even greater focus on how primary care can undoubtedly assist with the Minister's shift-left agenda. Does the Minister agree that primary care has the potential to play an even greater role in addressing some of the many elective challenges that are being faced within secondary care?”
“I am almost finished, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker. We could spend many hours in the Chamber discussing the rights and wrongs of how the 2024-25 allocations have panned out, but, to sum it up, our health service, patients and health workers were not given the priority that some in the Chamber would like to pretend that they were. That is deeply disappointing.”
“Madam Principal Deputy Speaker, I am responding to comments that were made yesterday, and —”
“Sorry, but I want to make some progress. <BR /> <BR />Week after week, MLAs from across the Chamber urge the Minister and the Department to do more to reduce waiting times, to introduce new schemes and to invest more money in existing services, yet the Executive, propped up by the Assembly, consciously took the decision last May not to spend money — not a single penny — on waiting list reduction initiatives. MLAs, particularly those from the other Executive parties, therefore need to take —”
“For almost the entirety of 2024-25, the Department of Health has existed in a significant deficit position. Although some MLAs are now almost using the fact that the Department and the Minister were able to balance the books as some sort of irrational justification for additional funds being unwarranted, those same MLAs are ignoring the undoubted damage that has been inflicted.”
“I welcome the chance to make some brief remarks on the Budget Bill at its Second Stage. I will focus my comments on our health and social care system. I listened with interest to yesterday's debate on the spring Supplementary Estimates. Although many sensible points were made across the Chamber, what struck me most was a small number of comments from an even smaller number of MLAs, who seemed to be casting doubt on the existence of financial woes in the Department of Health. Any Members who try to claim that our health service was not handed a poor financial deal at the start of 2024-25 are simply not living in the real world. They certainly have not talked to senior clinicians and service leaders, who have spent almost the past year constantly firefighting and having to deliver unprecedented levels of savings as a direct result.”
“Does the Minister agree that the task of producing a multi-year Budget is made more difficult by the absence of a costed Programme for Government and that such a cycle of multi-year Budgets would assist in the delivery of long-term strategies, particularly in Health?”
“The health and well-being of our society are far too important to be used in such a manner.”
“they must have done so while apparently being unaware of the progress that has already been made in that area. <BR /> <BR />Not one patient or health worker will benefit from the motion. The debate smacks of political parties trying to score misguided political points.”
“Instead of more reports, patients and staff, I am sure, would much prefer to see the multitude of existing reports being delivered in full, including the three-year plan, the publication of which was announced by the Minister in the Chamber less than two months ago. <BR /> <BR />The motion, aided and abetted by the amendment, calls for the implementation of "meaningful reform". It is clear that people in different parties have different interpretations and definitions of reform, but they rarely, if ever, set out what they mean in practical terms. Equally, when the signatories to the amendment called for the delivery of digital capability and efforts to tackle:”
“Opposition parties have a crucial role in any parliamentary democracy in scrutinising policies and, when necessary, proposing alternative ones. An effective Opposition is to everyone's benefit. Unfortunately, on the 1st anniversary of the restoration of the Executive and the Assembly, the motion falls short of what I would expect from a constructive Opposition. <BR /> <BR />I will focus my initial remarks on the motion's final line and its call to introduce a further plan by no later than September this year. Frankly, I was surprised to see such a demand, especially from the Opposition. I thought that they would have believed that enough reports had been written and strategies published.”
“The addiction to trying to beat the bookie can wreck marriages and families, and it can lead to the loss of a home. The local papers regularly report court cases of formerly upright citizens having stolen money from employers to feed their habit and having attracted a life-changing criminal record. That can all come with mental stress that turns into a serious mental health issue. Many victims need help beyond what commendable charities may be able to offer. <BR /> <BR />It requires three fronts to be opened up: education for our young people is vital; mental health services need to be adjusted to help addicts fight their demons; and online and TV gambling sites, as my colleague said, need to have their hours of operation curtailed. I support the general thrust of the motion.”
“One of the perks of reaching my stage of life is that you have earned the privilege of freely using the phrase, "Back in the day". Back in the day, the opportunity to put a few bob on a horse meant a journey to the local bookies, and every town had at least one. The punter could gamble only the meagre hard cash that they had in their pocket. Now, placing a bet is as easy as pushing a few buttons on a keyboard. Your phone can be your local bookmaker. The electronic devices in the home are your 24/7 access to placing a bet, and the funds to do so are not just the few coins in the bottom of your pocket. <BR /> <BR />One of the realities of life is that casinos and online gambling sites, along with high street bookmakers, do not exist to make punters rich.”
“I record our appreciation of our Health and Social Care staff, who continued to provide a service during the storm. <BR /> <BR />Can the Minister clarify who has responsibility for putting in place signage to warn of a road that is closed because of a fallen tree? The response in that respect was slow in some instances; in fact, some blockages were left overnight without any signage in place, which resulted in the creation of road safety issues during the hours of darkness.”
“I am nearly finished. <BR /> <BR />Tabling motions such as this, requesting plans for further specialist services to be introduced, whilst at the same time passing Budgets that threaten the provision of even existing services, never mind the introduction of new ones, is entirely inconsistent.”
“In the past, the various health trusts were able to take steps to help manage the growing demands. A key feature of those previous recovery plans was a greater reliance on overtime and additional hours to increase capacity. Parallel to that was the provision of additional funding to allow trusts to appoint staff into substantive posts. Unfortunately, however, in the current circumstances, that simply is not an option. Trusts are, regrettably, having to scramble to deliver increasingly difficult savings plans rather than focusing efforts on responding to patient needs.”
“I welcome the chance today to speak on this really important topic. Autism is a condition that affects lots of people and in many different ways. As such, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to either diagnosis or support. What is clear, however, is that current provision is falling short of what is required, and that is deeply regrettable. It is widely accepted that early intervention is far more effective and impactful, particularly in the case of young people. <BR /> <BR />I very much welcome a focus on autism services today, but as MLAs debating yet another health issue, we also need to be honest with ourselves. Services at present clearly are not keeping up with demand. Over the past decade, more and more young people and adults have been facing growing waits for autism assessment and other related services.”
“I ask some parties in the House to exercise a bit of self-reflection as to when the seeds of the problems were first sown.”
“Similarly, we could question the integrity of some parties blaming the Department of Health for apparently not investing in greater Ambulance Service capacity while supporting and voting through a Budget that, most health stakeholders and expert bodies were clear, was wholly insufficient in meeting need. <BR /> <BR />The fundamental answer involves sustained, long-term investment based on need, strengthening capacity to deal with the growing demand for care. I hope that the debate will serve as a chance to highlight once again the immense pressures on our health service and our dedicated staff. Calling on the Minister to do more whilst tying his hands behind his back is, however, the height of double standards. As MLAs, we should be able to do better than that.”
“I am sure that no one in the House underestimates the scale of the pressures facing our Ambulance Service. Equally, I suspect that no one will try to pretend that our ambulance response times are acceptable. We need to be mindful of the fact that the delays to patient transfer at EDs reduce the availability of ambulances for other emergencies. We need to be conscious that it is not just a Northern Ireland problem. Various ambulance trusts and even greater numbers of hospital trusts have declared critical incidents across Great Britain in recent days. Our priority must remain doing what we can to ease the pressure facing patients here. <BR /> <BR />One could question whether a motion that is heavy on apportioning blame but maybe light on solutions is really the best use of everyone's time.”
“Have flaws in the integrated education legislation — legislation that my party opposed because of those shortcomings — in any way made it difficult for the Minister to apply any degree of flexibility to the decision-making process around the two Bangor schools? I wish to place it on record that both are excellent places of education.”
“Minister, you will recall that I have raised in the House previously the issue of control of those dogs in a residential setting. In recent months, there have been serious attacks throughout the United Kingdom and, indeed, some tragic fatalities in family homes. Does the Minister plan to keep the issue under review?”
“There are around 140 custody cells throughout the police estate, including those in reserve custody suites. Can the Minister confirm whether any of those cells have been used to house prisoners in the short to medium term due to pressures in the Prison Service estate?”
“My party and I welcome and support this timely plan. Our Health and Social Care (HSC) workforce will be critical in the delivery of many of the ambitions set out in today's plan. I wish the Minister well in his discussions later with the trade unions. Does the Minister hope that, moving forward, it might be possible to avoid the constant uncertainty and destabilising effect that delays in honouring the annual pay awards inevitably contribute towards?”
“Minister, what specific initiatives were discussed to support the revitalisation of towns in Northern Ireland as part of the post-COVID recovery?”
“Whilst there is no doubt that the pandemic caused a major disruption to public health priorities, I am glad that the Minister has had such a clear and immediate focus on public health inequalities. Can the Minister give an assurance that, despite the pressures weighing down the system, progress will continue to be made with his Live Better initiative?”
“This type of motion will not encourage those of us who genuinely care about the health of our population to come together to work in common cause.”
“I can understand why our dedicated health service staff, who work hard to deliver better services every day, would view parts of the motion as a slap across the face. Transformation will not happen at pace if the morale of health service staff, particularly around pay settlements, results in disastrous industrial action this winter. The motion will do nothing to prevent industrial action during the winter pressures. <BR /> <BR />I will conclude by saying that, with respect, anyone who supports the motion in its totality is simply swelling the ranks of the hurlers on the ditch, when what we need is the collective approach that was referenced by the deputy First Minister at Question Time yesterday.”
“Not only is the motion dripping in hypocrisy in most parts but it demonstrates a certain lack of self-awareness by the Members who tabled it. The phrase "hurler on the ditch" springs to mind. Some in the Chamber will know what that phrase means. If the signatories to the motion do not know its meaning, they could Google it and reflect on whether parts of the motion qualify them for the title. I cannot see one positive suggestion in the motion that offers alternative solutions. It is not a helpful motion. I read it as being, for the most part, an example of a piece of political point-scoring that does a major disservice to those who are trying to move our health service forward.”
“I take it from that answer, Minister, that health is still your first priority. I am sure that the Minister will agree that avoiding industrial action this winter is essential. What conversations has she had with the Health Minister to find a solution to the budget shortfall that is denying health staff the pay awards that they have been promised?”
“I declare a personal interest in the increasing roll-out of that great Northern Ireland invention. It is a piece of equipment that, you hope, will gather dust due to inactivity, but, when someone suffers cardiac arrest, the prompt deployment of a defibrillator increases the chance of complete recovery. I commend the ministerial initiative, and I thank the Minister for it. I am sure that he will agree that it will contribute to saving lives.”
“As a proud pensioner, I have to declare an interest in the topic. What role did third-party stakeholders, such as charities, community organisations and pensioners advocacy groups, play in helping him to shape the policy?”
“I thank the Minister. Following on from what the Minister has said, someone will take the hit, be that the public, through the tendering process, or the contractor. Would it not be more cost-effective to the public purse to programme such major work outside the period in which we have that traditional cessation of work?”
“With an individual duty of candour in place and potential criminal sanctions lurking in the background, how much more difficult will it be to attract health professionals here to work? There is also the issue of clinicians becoming more risk-averse in their treatment plans for patients. <BR /> <BR />I know that it is the Minister's ambition to deliver on the organisational duty of candour, but there is no doubt that an individual duty would be difficult to deliver and to deliver at pace. We will not divide on the motion, but we will always be honest about what is deliverable.”
“Today, my sympathy and that of my party is with the many families in Northern Ireland who have suffered greatly as a result of medical negligence but have not always been able to get to the truth. They are very much in my thoughts today. <BR /> <BR />I understand the motivation behind the motion, but my concerns and those of my party relate to the unintended consequences and, in particular, the chill factor that it could create among our health professionals. We will support any future movement to introduce an organisational duty of candour. Such a duty would bring Northern Ireland into line with the rest of the United Kingdom. We saw the difficulties when efforts were made to attract surgeons to take up employment at the South West Acute Hospital, when the jobs did not perhaps tick all the boxes for potential applicants.”
“Will the Minister confirm that she has advised Executive colleagues that the Department of Health's capacity to make more savings in this year is extremely limited if not non-existent?”
“Mr Speaker, I apologise to you and the House for not being in my place during questions to the Minister for Communities. <BR /> <BR />Minister, do you agree that it is vital that any member of the public who has any information, no matter how small, about the recent attacks brings that information immediately to the attention of the PSNI to assist with its investigation?”
“Scientists are providing evidence that the area of dangerously polluted water in Belfast lough is expanding. It is having an adverse impact on water sports, bathing and mussel production, with the annual tonnage of that down. Will the Minister agree with the assertion of a whistle-blower, who said to me that Belfast lough has the potential to become the new Lough Neagh in the next 10 years?”
“Minister, we see high-profile, serious criminal cases in England being concluded within months of the crime being committed. In Northern Ireland, we do not see that urgent progress in serious cases. Will the Minister give her assessment of why that is and what can be done to expedite delivery of justice in criminal cases?”