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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“This is a very important and timely report that will help to inform and improve maternity services across Northern Ireland. In early 2020, Minister, your predecessor, Robin Swann, announced an increase in pre-registration and midwifery training places from 90 to 115. The first of those recruits entered the workforce just last year. Will the Minister give his assessment of how that has contributed to stabilising the wider midwifery workforce across Northern Ireland?”
“Without them, it is a simple fact that an enormous number of people would not be able to experience the quality of life that they currently experience. <BR /> <BR />The recent BBC 'Spotlight' programme, which has been mentioned, was a superb piece of journalism. No one who watched that programme could feel anything other than admiration and empathy for each of the families featured. The Minister has said in recent weeks that this is one of the many burning issues on which he has tasked his officials and the system to come with up options and possible solutions. There is no doubt that, going forward, action is required. The Ulster Unionist Party will support the main motion and the amendments.”
“Today's discussion on this important topic allows us to focus once again on a vital area of support. Many more people are being supported to live a long and happy life in and as part of the community. Critical to that, however, is the availability of ongoing support for families and carers. Therefore, none of us can overestimate the importance of short breaks and appropriate respite provision. Short breaks provide much-needed support to disabled young people whilst allowing parents the all-important time that they need to recharge. It is the exact same for families with adults who have additional or challenging needs. Such breaks are critical lifelines for the well-being of entire families. Those carers are the backbone of our society and provide an immensely important service.”
“Minister, I welcome the fact that you have commissioned a curriculum review. Will any recommendations from the review be subject to any level of public consultation? Will you, Minister, be the final arbiter when signing off on any of those recommendations?”
“Does the Minister agree that primary care will have a very important role to play in helping to resolve our totally unacceptable waiting times? Will the Minister give an assurance that he and his Department recognise the value of the primary care elective scheme?”
“We sit through non-binding debates and Question Time, with MLAs asking the Minister to do things that their very actions have prevented. Nevertheless, I am quite sure that funding for the Northern Ireland Children's Hospice will be on the Minister's radar, as will be all the other remaining issues, because, as I said, it is an incredible service that we simply could not do without.”
“I was glad that, within days of the restoration of the Executive in February, my party colleague Robin Swann was able to move quickly to reinstate funding that was at risk of removal and to place some of the other funding on a recurrent basis. <BR /> <BR />I am sure that many of us wish to see even greater funding being invested not only in end-of-life care but in the hugely important work that the Northern Ireland Children's Hospice does through its respite and short breaks services. Week after week, the Assembly debates motions calling on the Minister of Health to fund one thing or to increase funding for something else. It is almost as if some parties and some MLAs have forgotten how they voted on this year's Budget.”
“I have nothing but admiration for our hospice and palliative care staff. Their contribution can have an enormous impact on not only the people whom they directly support but those people's loved ones. That is especially important in the case of the Northern Ireland Children's Hospice. <BR /> <BR />As is the case with the delivery of so many parts of health and care, end-of-life care has been greatly impacted on by inflationary pressures and rising demands, but it is a system that we simply could not do without. As such, there is a perfectly reasonable expectation that the state will provide funding towards its costs. The Department of Health already commits significant funding to it each year.”
“Minister, this is really good news today. Will the majority of posts to be recruited be at the basic Civil Service grades? Will the exercise create promotion opportunities amongst your current departmental staff?”
“The production tonnage of commercially farmed mussels in Belfast lough has fallen over recent years due to waste water pollution reducing the areas where it is safe to farm. Does the Minister have any concerns about the impact that that pollution may have on the future viability of a currently economically successful enterprise?”
“The independent neurology inquiry report was extensive and detailed, but it also made for some difficult reading. Will the Minister give an assurance that its findings and recommendations are being taken on with appropriate priority?”
“Thank you for that. The last thing that anyone in the Chamber wants to see is another collapse of the institutions. Will the deputy First Minister join me and my party in calling on all Members to commit to putting the importance of devolution and good governance ahead of personal or party interests?”
“<BR /> <BR />My sport of choice has always been football. Local senior football has made great strides in recent years, and the enhanced coaching and development of young players has launched many of them into full-time careers at high levels across the United Kingdom and beyond. My biggest disappointment has been the failure to deliver a national training centre of excellence that could be used by men and women footballers from international to junior grassroots levels. The bricks and mortar of a permanent football centre of excellence would provide a valuable and positive legacy for the game. I call on the Minister for Communities to kick-start the distribution, at the very least and at the earliest opportunity, of the funding that was previously on the record. More promises will just not cut it.”
“Participation in any form of sport makes a major contribution to the mental and physical health of those taking part. It is open to all, and the opportunity to take part in organised sport is available at every level of ability and skill. For those who choose to just follow and support their game of choice, it can provide something to look forward to during the working week. The outcome of the game can deliver joy and satisfaction, if the result is favourable, or give you the opportunity to dissect where your team went wrong and look forward to the next game with the hope that your idea of winning tactics will be deployed by the team coach. Northern Ireland has produced sportsmen and sportswomen from every generation who have excelled on the world stage. It is a fact that we have always punched well above our weight in all sports.”
“One speciality that is, unfortunately, experiencing lengthy waits for outpatient appointments is dermatology assessments. What efforts have you made to help those patients, especially those who have waited the longest times?”
“Does the Minister agree that inconsiderate and careless parking outside schools can provide as big a threat to the road safety of children as vehicle speed?”
“Parties can call on the Minister of Health to invest in addressing waiting times, but, effectively, they are doing so having tied one arm behind his back.”
“Unfortunately, the damage had already been done, and there is a huge waiting list backlog. <BR /> <BR />It has been over three years since Robin Swann published the elective care framework, which was a detailed and realistic road map for tackling Northern Ireland's appalling hospital waiting lists. At that time, there was political unanimity for it. The framework had 55 clear action points and was endorsed by all Executive parties, and commitments were made to allocate the £700 million of funding that it required. Yet, within less than a year of its being published, the Executive collapsed, the deadlines for setting an overall multi-year Budget were missed and the damaging mistakes of the past were soon repeated. Instead of Health being prioritised, its opening allocation was cut in cash terms.”
“Lengthening waiting lists may be the current problem, but we must recognise that they have developed due to over a decade of underfunding, a reduction in training places and the closure of hospital beds. For some treatments, the waiting lists have been so long that individuals and families have been left feeling that they have no choice but to pay what are often huge sums of money to the independent sector. Whilst I want to stick by the mantra that our health service is there for everyone, based on need and not the ability to pay, that sentiment has become increasingly strained. Through our offices, I am sure that we all know of cases where people have borrowed money just to try to claim back some quality of life. It has only been in the past couple of years that we have been able to get sufficient numbers of staff into the workforce.”
“I welcome the fact that the Assembly has this chance to discuss one of the most important issues in Northern Ireland right now: the unacceptable health waiting times. Whilst enormous advances in health treatments and technologies have been made over recent decades, we must be honest and accept that too many people in Northern Ireland do not receive the quality of service that they need, deserve and, indeed, are entitled to. For some people, it may be OK to wait longer for treatment, but, for others, the risk of coming to further harm increases with every excessive wait. Cancer, for instance, is a disease that does not wait; instead, it often thrives during periods where interventions are delayed. <BR /> <BR />There may be many things that divide the Chamber, but there is political unanimity that patients and health workers deserve better.”
“— will the Minister perhaps reflect on whether the perfect solution might be a complete ban on those dogs?”
“Minister, when you brought the matter before the House in March, I asked a supplementary question about my concerns about dogs in residential settings. We agreed that there was "no perfect solution", but you said that you "could not live" with yourself if you did not do something. You brought forward that legislation, and I know that those words were spoken with sincerity. Given the number of fatalities and serious maulings, in the UK and the Republic of Ireland, in recent months in residential settings —”
“Minister, what engagement have you had with community and voluntary organisations and other interested stakeholders to support the Department in tackling fuel poverty? Do you feel that you could utilise their experience and knowledge, through a vehicle such as a fuel poverty task force, to help tackle fuel poverty?”
“In doing so, my party pledges our continued full support for the Police Service of Northern Ireland and the efforts of the Chief Constable in highlighting what he needs to increase the level of service that he wishes to deliver and that, he considers, all the people of Northern Ireland deserve.”
“My party applauds him for taking that direct action and rejects any ham-fisted attempts to silence him. I was pleased to hear him informing the Policing Board last week in a determined and robust manner that no one will stop him fighting for what he considers a just cause that is very much in the interests of the Northern Ireland public and of the service and the officers that he commands. <BR /> <BR />Our amendment calls on the Minister to not just be a cheerleader for the police but do more to reverse the decline in police funding and police officer numbers, and I commend it to the House.”
“The Chief Constable reported last week to the Policing Board that the numbers stand at around 6,300, with just a handful of part-time reservists. Of that 6,300, he currently can deploy only 4,500 officers on the streets due to illness and injury. Chief Constable Boutcher has a statutory duty to protect life and property, to prevent crime and to bring those who break the law before the courts. He is accountable to deliver and is judged by how effectively he does so. He needs more officers, and, to recruit and train new officers in numbers that outstrip the natural wastage of officer retirements, he needs more budget. What did he do? He wrote to the Prime Minister directly, pleading for more resource and referencing the national security crisis for additional budget from the Government to cover the situation.”
“However, on occasions, live ammunition is still being fired towards police officers with no regard to who may fall victim to such actions. Petrol bombs and bricks are still being thrown at our police officers, and many of those officers still feel the need to check under their cars every morning for explosive devices planted by those who refuse to move on. Would Patten, 25 years on, feel that there is a surge in violence that might warrant an upward adjustment on his recommended police numbers? <BR /> <BR />What did Patten recommend in 1999? He envisaged a Police Service made up of 7,500 full-time officers supported by 2,500 locally recruited part-time reservists to police the peaceful situation that, he hoped, the Good Friday Agreement would produce. What is the current position on policing numbers?”
“Thank you, Principal Deputy Speaker. <BR /> <BR />In September 1999, Chris Patten delivered his report and recommendations on the future of policing in Northern Ireland. If he were to present a report on where policing is 25 years later, would he be satisfied with the progress, and would he award an A* grade for how his recommendations have been taken forward? I suspect not. He based his recommendations on the number of police officers on an assumption that the peace gained by the Good Friday Agreement would become the norm, with the proviso that any upsurge in violence would lead to an increase in police numbers. There is no doubt that our society has moved beyond the daily mayhem of indiscriminate bombing and the wanton murder that terrorist murderers inflicted on all of our people.”
“Minister, do you not think that there is enough doubt to undermine the process, and that, for transparency, you should do the right thing as there is certainly a perceived conflict of interest?”
“I welcome the fact that one of the priorities is tackling health waiting lists. Waiting list initiatives are the vehicle that will be used to deliver those critical activities. Can the deputy First Minister confirm that bids for funding to deliver those efforts such as was sought but refused earlier this year will now be considered more favourably?”
“I appeal to all overseas staff in our health and social care system: do not leave. The community of which you and your family are valued members needs you. You are not an outsider but, totally and completely, one of us.”
“I had not intended to speak in the debate, as all that needs to be said has been said eloquently and sincerely by the previous contributors. I hope that those who feel threatened or frightened by the disgraceful events of recent days can take some comfort from the support that has been expressed in the Chamber and, indeed, in the broader community. <BR /> <BR />Some months ago, I was a reluctant but very grateful guest in the wards of the Ulster Hospital. Injections, drips and regular medication were the main features of my two-week stay. At least 25% of the medical and nursing staff who administered that treatment, 24/7, were from overseas. I am sad that, but can understand fully why, some of those medical practitioners have expressed their intention to take their skills elsewhere.”
“<BR /> <BR />Speaking as a father and a grandfather who cares about the health of the people of Northern Ireland, my conscience will not allow me to support the Budget today. I confirm that that is the position of my party.”
“<BR /> <BR />Having seen how the vote on the 2024-25 Budget went in the Executive at the end of April and in the Assembly at the end of May, I suspect that the outcome of today's debate is a foregone conclusion, but I will still use this chance to urge MLAs who are genuinely worried about our health service, as we should all be, not to support the allocations to be confirmed today. Whilst I absolutely accept that there should be an onus on the Department of Health to make the best use of every penny that it receives, ultimately, MLAs must recognise that, by tying one arm behind its back, the Assembly will make the Department's problems worse rather than better. That, unfortunately, is what the Budget does.”
“<BR /> <BR />The fact of the matter is that, before yesterday's belated intervention with the agreement on the monitoring round, the Department of Health's budget had been cut by over 2% compared with where it was just a few months ago. Whilst some still try to refute that, I remind them that that fact was recognised in the most recent report published by the Fiscal Council. That is the exact opposite of prioritising healthcare; indeed, even after yesterday's allocation, the Health budget is still less than what was spent last year. At a time of increasing demand, with annual health inflation rising to 6% and, apparently, a policy, on paper at least, of retaining pay parity, it is clear that something is going to break. Unfortunately, it seems as though it will be patients and staff who will be left at that breaking point.”
“The Executive and the Assembly also had the opportunity to reinstate a reimbursement scheme, like the previous cross-border scheme, but, again, it did nothing. However, I still hear MLAs brazenly call for the introduction of the very initiatives that they are preventing through their support for the Budget. It is also worth noting, when some try to proclaim that this was the best that could be done with the money available, that the Education, Agriculture and Environment, Justice and Infrastructure Departments all receive proportionately greater increases to their general allocations than the Department of Health.”
“In addition, even after all the public statements about how parties are committed to doing all that they can to tackle waiting times, the 2024-25 Budget did not include a penny extra for cutting waiting times other than the £34 million that had already been announced long ago by the UK Government. <BR /> <BR />From presentations that the Health Committee received, it is obvious that the Department of Health was asked what additional efforts to reduce waiting times were deliverable this year. Within only a couple of weeks, a costed plan amounting to £135 million was produced. In addition to maintaining time-critical work, the Executive and the Assembly had the opportunity to support almost 70,000 extra patients by delivering greater levels of outpatient activity as well as focusing on those waiting the longest.”
“No matter how you assess it, there has been an abject failure to be honest with the public about the real-life impacts that the Budget will have. There has been zero measure of its impacts and zero recognition that a funding shortfall in the health service has significantly greater consequences than a shortfall in many other public services. <BR /> <BR />I could list countless examples of how the Budget will make things worse rather than better. For example, providing not a penny for pay awards is likely to lead to growing demands for further industrial action in the autumn and all the huge disruption that that would bring.”
“<BR /> <BR />No one in the Assembly ever tried to suggest that it would be an easy Budget, but many people took some comfort from the fact that, when the institutions were re-established in early February, there appeared to be a genuine cross-party assurance that the health of our people would be put first. Parties collectively committed to prioritising our health service and all those who rely on it by putting our shoulder to the wheel to tackle its many challenges, not least the appalling waiting times. Promises were made, but, unfortunately, through the Budget, those promises are being broken. <BR /> <BR />This spending plan completely fails to recognise the sheer magnitude of the challenges facing the health service in Northern Ireland.”
“I welcome the chance to make some remarks on the Budget (No. 2) Bill. The Bill provides formal legal authority for Departments to incur expenditure as set out in the Main Estimates that we discussed yesterday. The substance of my remarks will focus on what the Estimates mean for the health service in Northern Ireland and for all the staff working across it. Yesterday, some MLAs tried to skirt over the impact of their decision to support this year's Budget, but the reality is that the stark warnings that were raised in April and May are still valid today.”
“What is the Minister's assessment of the challenges in attracting new staff into the hospitality industry in Northern Ireland, and, most importantly, retaining them? Is there more that we could do to encourage more people to take up what can be a very fulfilling career in that industry?”
“Will the Minister provide an update on what is being done to speed up access to diagnostic services for patients who are suspected to have cancer?”
“I very much welcome many of the allocations. Unfortunately, however, significant questions remain over the deliverability of pay awards for 2024-25. Looking at the Department of Health, can the Minister of Finance confirm that nothing has been allocated to fund even the most basic pay award for our health workers this year?”
“I thank the Minister for his statement, and I trust that the meeting served as an opportunity for an early face-to-face engagement with his ministerial counterpart in the Republic of Ireland. Cross-border cancer treatment is an area of collaboration that appears to be working well. Will the Minister commit to tasking his officials with continuing to do all that they can on cross-border cooperation to ensure that patients receive cancer care and treatment that is as timely as possible?”
“I thank the Minister for his reply. I am sure that he will agree that the placement of mainstream transfer pupils can be a stressful exercise, but for special educational needs pupils and their families, it is even more stressful. Hopefully, with the help of the House, he can find a resolution to a situation that he has acknowledged is challenging.”
“I am delighted that my private Member's Bill, which passed in March 2022 and was enacted as the Preservation of Documents (Historical Institutions) Act (Northern Ireland) 2022, is making a significant contribution to initial investigations into that terrible blot on our past. No such legislation exists in the Republic of Ireland, and records are being lost. Will the Executive Office lobby the Government in Dublin to close that gap and make sure that any salvaged records are made available to the inquiry? We have also talked about compensation. Will compensation come from the public purse or from the organisations involved in that stain on our care of those who were some of the most vulnerable people in our community?”
“First Minister, what is the average timescale from application to decision?”
“Does the Minister agree that, if section 53(1) of the current legislation were removed, that would remove the need for new legislation?”
“Thank you, Minister. Will the Minister outline the annual cost to her Department of His Majesty's Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS)?”
“First Minister, the events of last Thursday were very significant internationally and historically. They were an opportunity for you to demonstrate the cooperation that has been developing between you and the deputy First Minister. Will you agree, First Minister, that, on reflection, your absence was a serious lapse of judgement?”