Rosemary Barton
Fermanagh and South Tyrone · Ulster Unionist Party · Northern Ireland
“Unfortunately, I see nothing about women in agriculture in your statement. You talked about succession, for example. Will there be extra support to allow women to succeed to the family farm? Many women have caring responsibilities.”
“My question leads on from Mr McGlone's. You talked about responsibility for the environment, but everybody has to take responsibility for their local environment, and that is the aspect at which I want to look. What conversations have you had with councils about how they will be able to help you meet the strategy's challenges?”
“Thank you, Minister, for that comprehensive answer. Those investments are all very fine and are very welcome in Fermanagh and South Tyrone. We still have a communication problem owing to the mobile network coverage, however. Can you think of any way in which to put further investment into Fermanagh to try to alleviate that problem?”
“When there is an issue involving devolved matters, it is the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Assembly to legislate on those matters. The UK Parliament retains the power to legislate on them, however.”
“<BR /> <BR />A number of strengthening arrangements therefore needed to be considered. There must be an assurance that the Assembly is made aware in a timely manner of those Westminster Bills that require an LCM. There needs to be improved communication from Ministers to the Assembly if normal timescales cannot be met.”
“The amendment that we are debating is to Standing Order 3, and it covers what happens in the event that a Member cannot attend, whether through illness or for another reason, the first meeting of the Assembly following a dissolution. That Member, therefore, would not be able to declare his or her political designation.”
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“Yes. Partnerships must be analysed and assessed by specialists.”
“<BR /> <BR />In addition to partnerships with health and social care services that directly affect the health and well-being of our young people, there are partnerships that can have similar benefits such as sports and recreational and other extracurricular activities. By partnering with community services that specialise in those areas, schools and communities can ensure that all our young people, from preschool to sixth form, have a well-rounded educational experience and an opportunity to excel. While it is essential that adequate resources are put in place to develop and expand partnerships and services, adequate resources must also be in place.”
“<BR /> <BR />It is our duty to make sure that, through partnership, we do everything to help our children achieve optimum results. Working in partnerships brings to bear the expertise of all kinds of professions in ensuring that our children have the best possible start in life. A school environment is a great one in which to compare a child's health and development, neither of which can be taken in isolation. Developing and expanding those partnerships will help contribute to the delivery of top-quality services. It would also give great comfort to parents and guardians who will know that their children have the support and guidance of people in a system who can look after their education and health needs from a number of perspectives.”
“I know that parents and teachers would welcome assessment earlier because, the earlier that support mechanisms can be put in place, the more pupils will enjoy and engage in their education. Teachers are dedicated, trained and committed professionals. However, they are not healthcare experts, particularly in mental health issues. While teachers can sometimes identify concerns in relation to a pupil's mental welfare, they must be supported in finding help for the pupils under their care to ensure that every child's needs are met. Working in partnership with an organisation such as the NSPCC would provide support in relation to teachers' concerns and could be available through a school counselling service one or more days per week.”
“Whether it is eyesight tests being carried out by community nurses, dental services being made available in schools or the assessment of a child's psychological or social needs, the earlier that issues can be identified and worked on, the better it is for the child. Addressing health and social care needs equips children to make the most of their opportunities. <BR /> <BR />It is vital that educational psychologists, whether associated with education services or health services, are allowed to facilitate support for a child at as early an age as possible. In many cases, pupils are not referred for this kind of help until the end of Key Stage 1, even though they have presented earlier, whether for behavioural reasons or for other special educational needs. At that stage, it is often too late to minimise the impact on their education.”
“The purpose of developing partnerships between schools and any organisation or service is always to improve outcomes for our young people through the synergic planning of our education services. The motion is one that I support wholeheartedly. I ask that the Minister pays particular attention to partnerships between schools and allied professionals in the health and social care sector. No longer can our education and health services work in silos. Young people must be given the joint support and opportunities that they need to achieve their educational goals and reach their full potential. Without good health and well-being, it is impossible for anyone, including our children and young people, to achieve their potential educationally.”
“Minister, while I hear what you are saying about the problems that there are with the public realm scheme, surely, as you provided 100% funding and problems have arisen perhaps because of issues that were not foreseen, you could provide some funding for remedying them.”
“So, Minister, you cannot categorically give an assurance to the people of Fermanagh that the courthouse will not close within the next five years?”
“Many patients also have no direct transport to the north-west and frequently have to leave home at 6.30 am or 7.00 am to travel to Belfast, eventually returning home 12 hours later. That journey for seriously ill patients is debilitating; for them, it is unacceptable in the modern world. Given that cancer incidence in Fermanagh and South Tyrone will only increase, I appeal to the Minister to consider a third cancer treatment hospital in the south-west.”
“Given that information, it is essential that the Minister look immediately at a specific cancer strategy for Northern Ireland, including further screening for older people and younger people, the recruitment of extra consultants so that targets set can be further improved and the provision of extra specialist cancer nurses. <BR /> <BR />As Fermanagh and South Tyrone is registered as having the second highest number of cancer cases each year, serious thought must be given to increasing the services offered at the South West Acute Hospital, including a cancer treatment unit there. After all, Fermanagh and South Tyrone has an ageing population, and its people have the furthest to travel for day treatments.”
“However, I commend the Western Trust for achieving 100% in relation to the number of patients first being treated within the 31-day target and for the 100% target being reached for the number of patients first seen by a breast care specialist following an urgent referral for suspected cancer within 14 days. While the Western Trust has reached its targets, there are still approximately 200 deaths too many from cancer in Fermanagh and South Tyrone. <BR /> <BR />Dr Gavin, a founding director of the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry, projected that cancer rates in men would remain steady in the years ahead but, among women, we would see a 7% increase by 2020 and a 13% increase by 2035 due to medical advances and people living longer.”
“Over 660 cases of cancer are diagnosed in Fermanagh and South Tyrone each year. One third of cancers is caused by smoking, and it is those cancers that have the poorest survival rates. Therefore, Minister, it is essential that there is early diagnosis to start treatment as soon as possible before health further deteriorates. <BR /> <BR />The most recent statistics from the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry show that there has been an average of 205 deaths each year in Fermanagh and South Tyrone from cancer over the last five years, with the most common cancers being bowel, prostate and breast. While the Western Trust is one of the highest-performing trusts, with an average of 91% of patients first treated following an urgent GP referral for suspected cancer, it is still below the ministerial target of 95%.”
“What budget have you allocated to those areas?”
“Experiencing problems during pregnancy can be a stressful time for any expectant mother. Does the Minister accept, however, that for a seven-day service to work, women absolutely need to be able to self-refer in order to avoid getting caught up in the current turmoil in general practices?”
“Minister, can you assure me that area-based planning is not simply a smokescreen for pushing through a large-scale closure of small rural schools whilst letting the Education Authority take the blame? During the consultation, will cognisance be taken of rural proofing?”
“Thank you, Minister, for your answers so far. Will you indicate how schools in the formal intervention process are being supported to achieve the standard expected by the inspectors and needed by our young people, when a large number of the support staff have exited the EA by the voluntary exit scheme?”
“Can the Minister advise how many of those convicted have set up an arrangement to pay the money back?”
“Thank you, Minister, for your answer. I am sure you are aware that the improvement of the A32 has been ongoing for six, seven or eight years and has been held up due to funding issues. Will the Minister consider transferring capital funding that was originally set aside for the delayed A5 project to the A32?”
“<BR /> <BR />I welcome the amendment to Standing Order 23(3), which should provide clarity on the requirements of the Assembly Library to publish information. I reiterate my opinion that all information, unless there is a strong reason not to publish, should be made fully available in the interests of transparency. <BR /> <BR />I also welcome the provision for hybrid Bills. Its has resolved a maybe uncommon but important discrepancy in the Standing Orders; thankfully, it will allow private and public legislation to be brought through the House.”
“I welcome the opportunity to speak on these changes to Standing Orders. Of course, the changes to Standing Order 3 have their roots in the so-called Fresh Start Agreement, which was set against the backdrop of two brutal murders on the streets of Belfast last year. In the subsequent talks, the Ulster Unionist Party put dealing with paramilitarism at the top of its agenda. While the eventual agreement led to commitments such as those that we are implementing today regarding an undertaking to act lawfully, it totally ignored the elephant in the room: the IRA still exists, it still has access to weapons, and the army council oversees Sinn Féin strategy. Sinn Féin would not admit it, and the DUP does not want to talk about it. It still will not.”
“How will these offices be affected by the departure of Stephen Grimason?”
“I note, Minister, that Co-operation Ireland has been awarded the contract to progress teacher professional development in the area of educational underachievement, including numeracy and literacy. Will you provide some additional information on how that professional development will be progressed, given the two very different curriculums in the jurisdictions of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland?”
“I therefore urge the Executive to intervene, meet the Bank of Ireland chief executive and do everything to prevent the proposed closure. I support the motion.”
“The threat of closure certainly does not indicate that, nor does the manner in which the bank's customers learned of the proposed closure. There is also no evidence that the Bank of Ireland assessed the impact on the local community of this closure. My constituents in Fermanagh and South Tyrone deserve better than bank after bank being under threat of closure or being closed. While Belleek town is relatively small, it is a vibrant community with a world-famous pottery and a thriving tourism industry.”
“This access to the Internet and poor mobile infrastructure certainly is a huge disadvantage economically for the Belleek area and is a gigantic issue that the Executive still have to address successfully. The Bank of Ireland speaks of 365 online, which it says offers the convenience and flexibility to do day-to-day banking at any time. Has the Bank of Ireland in Belleek considered working with the community and the Executive to jointly finance a state-of-the-art mobile and online infrastructure to ensure the success of its 365 online service in Belleek so that digital banking will be accessible for the people of the area? <BR /> <BR />Time and time again, one is told by the bank about its good customer service.”
“I understand that, due to accounting procedures, the more lucrative income from business and mortgages is not now counted in the bank income measurement, thus accelerating the rate of closures in rural areas such as Belleek. Since 2013, the Bank of Ireland has closed 17 branches in Northern Ireland, leaving only 28 operational. I hope this is not the thin end of the wedge of the Bank of Ireland closing all its branches. <BR /> <BR />Again, the excuse that customers are doing their banking by Internet is not acceptable. Of those who have access to the Internet, only 51% use it for online banking, compared with the average figure in the UK of 60%.”
“We are told the bank is closing because of the reduced footfall due to declining business. In the past two years, two other banks in Belleek have closed. What has the Bank of Ireland done to encourage new business? What incentives did it offer those customers from the other banks to change their account and make the Bank of Ireland in Belleek more viable? The banks have to change their single-minded approach of using a decreasing footfall as an excuse to close a bank. They must make a greater effort to entice more clients with larger incentives. <BR /> <BR />Presently, it looks as though the banks do not want the bother of providing a service to rural customers.”
“How many people in the Chamber would endure a round trip of 50 or 60 miles several times a week to use a bank to do business, together with the risks of transporting cash? Very few, I assume.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to participate in this bank closure debate. I, too, support my constituents in their efforts to halt the closure of the last remaining bank in the town of Belleek. From 2010 to 2014, 77 branches in the overall banking network in Northern Ireland closed; that is one third of all branches. Since 2014, this closure programme has been accelerated, leaving many towns and villages without any form of banking. This is particularly prevalent in my own constituency of Fermanagh and South Tyrone. <BR /> <BR />A number of Members have outlined the socio-economic reasons why banks must remain open. We all realise that banking is changing, but at least one bank needs to be operational in the larger villages, given the land mass of the county of Fermanagh.”
“Minister, before the referendum, you suggested that farmers would not be left financially worse off in the event of a Brexit vote. Do you still believe this, especially for the years after 2020?”
“I thank the Member for giving way. Does the Member not agree that many of the repairs that have been done in recent years just appear to be a sticking plaster to the solution because of the lack of strategic planning? Yes, potholes and edge failures are repaired, but, in many instances, this continues to be only a temporary solution as there appears to be little maintenance budget diverted towards investigating the real causes of such faults, such as drainage problems. We need to divert more money there.”
“Thank you, Minister, for the money that was made available to Transport NI in County Fermanagh to help alleviate some of the flooding. What extra finances were allocated directly to Rivers Agency in its quest to alleviate future flooding through managing the drainage system?”
“Thank you very much for your answer, Minister. Are you confident that proper due diligence was carried out on the appointment of Frank Cushnahan to NAMA's Northern Ireland advisory committee?”
“— so that the high cost financially, socially and to health is lessened forthwith.”
“Many homes have had to be adapted and renovated to accommodate loved ones, sometimes at the expense of family holidays. Caring is 24/7, 52 weeks a year, with extremely limited opportunities for respite and, indeed, very limited family time. The impact that that money could have had on their families will never now be able to be measured. <BR /> <BR />What makes the deficit more difficult to accept is that it is the most vulnerable in society who have suffered. I ask that the Minister immediately put in place a programme of support for carers and those with the various adult learning disabilities that there are —”
“Generations of adults with learning disabilities have been deprived of the opportunity of a better life. That has had a detrimental effect on many families' personal and family lives, which no financial compensation will ever redress. However, I urge the Minister, through the Western Health and Social Care Trust, to start working immediately with all the families of adults with learning disabilities to cut through the red tape and provide immediate support for respite services, day care and social work. <BR /> <BR />The Western Health and Social Care Trust must come clean and explain fully how this gross underspend happened. It must be transparent and open in its explanation, including about the number of years for which the deficit has existed. Many of the carers whom I have spoken to have, for years, lived on a knife edge financially.”
“I have listened intently to what each Member has had to say this afternoon. I want to mention a lady I sat beside at one of the meetings of the western learning disability action group. She spent most of that meeting wiping tears from her eyes and becoming more and more emotional, frustrated and angry as the appalling extent of the underspend became apparent. She explained how it was a continuous battle over the years to have her family member assessed and to fight to find an acceptable school and how, during that time, as her child reached adulthood, she had to move house from the country to the town so that she could avail herself of some the services provided. As a carer, she felt totally isolated, with no one to turn to. <BR /> <BR />That is only one example.”
“Thank you for your answer, Minister, but will you consider legislating to clamp down on unauthorised monuments on properties belonging to the Department and, indeed, on other public lands? Do you agree that memorials glorifying terrorist organisations, past and present, are unacceptable?”
“Minister, I am pleased to hear that you are dedicated to tackling some of this economic inactivity. Will you make it a priority for your Department, however, and have you identified a budget for the implementation of your strategy?”
“Minister, I thank you for your statement and welcome the reopening of the market choice for teachers and pupils from the other examining boards. I think that this is very welcome here in our schools. However, in relation to comparability and portability, will the addition of a further grade, C*, not add further confusion to the grades? Would it not have been simpler to have adopted the English numerical system for everybody?”
“OK. <BR /> <BR />I totally agree with the Member. These people have no idea of the geography of the area. <BR /> <BR />We have another problem in that the divide between the broadband available seems to be getting greater. In England, they have up to 200 megabits. In Fermanagh and South Tyrone, we are trying to get 2 megabits. Something needs to be looked at. Over many years, questions have been asked in the House about broadband and mobile connectivity, and a substantial amount of money has been allocated for upgrading both. However, connectivity and mobile not spots remain a major issue that is very important for the people of the west.”
“Many have to travel some distance to their nearest Agriculture office, at extra cost to themselves, to do that. Farmers are also encouraged to submit their single farm payment applications online for quicker assessment checks by Department staff and, of course, quicker payments, which all farmers need these days. We tax our cars online, bank online, book holidays online etc. None of that can be done.”
“<BR /> <BR />We then have the situation in Lisnaskea, where green boxes are located at either end of the town and the centre of the town is outside the range of either green box, because many of the businesses were originally connected to the exchange directly in the town centre that cannot be upgraded. Surely that indicates that some thought needs to be given to upgrading the already out-of-date historical infrastructure. <BR /> <BR />Yesterday, we debated the proposed closure of the electoral offices and the difficulties of registering online due to limited broadband. Farmers, who traditionally live in rural areas, cannot avail themselves of the facility of registering their newborn animals online and thus keeping their registers up to date.”
“While I represent Fermanagh and South Tyrone, I have great empathy with my colleagues from West Tyrone and further afield. The issues of broadband and mobile not spots are exactly the same. Yes, some villages have benefited, but, unfortunately, rural dwellers appear to have been forgotten about or neglected. Is that because, in the long term, superfast broadband to those areas would not be economically viable? Furthermore, we have the situation in Fermanagh and South Tyrone where people living within a few hundred metres of a new green box cannot receive fast broadband as, historically, the infrastructure that already exists means that they have been connected to a green box six kilometres in the opposite direction and are, therefore, out of range of the fast broadband. That needs to be looked at.”
“I welcome the Justice Minister to her first Question Time. Has she any concerns over the ability of the Executive to work towards the disbandment of paramilitary groups, given the intimate relationship between one of the Executive parties and the main and still existing paramilitary organisation in Northern Ireland — namely, PIRA — and the other party's history of flirting with other paramilitaries over many years, such as Ulster Resistance?”
“I thank the Member for giving way. Is he aware that there is a rural/urban divide in Northern Ireland? Currently, in Fermanagh and South Tyrone, 37% of premises cannot receive a broadband download speed of greater than 10 megabytes per second, compared with 2% of premises in Belfast.”
“I thank the Minister for his response. However, given the emphasis that the 2011 Budget placed on this rationalisation only for nothing to happen in reality, can he explain whether the Budget review group is now, effectively, dead in the water?”
“We have had a disastrous approach to tackling TB from previous Ministers. Today, will you state exactly how you intend to improve on that. You talked about a vaccine. Is there anything else?”
“with their Government grant being reduced by 24% between 2010 and 2015 and no sign of a process to build a sustainable and equitable model to finance third-level education into the future. The mid-year Estimates give no answer to this question, but the issue cannot be put off by the Executive much longer. <BR /> <BR />To sum up: the budget for education remains a cause for real concern.”
“However, we shall see what emerges in the months to come. In the shorter term, we need clarity on the deficiency in the aggregated schools budget for 2016-17 as schools head towards the summer break in an atmosphere of uncertainty and anxiety. <BR /> <BR />Finally, higher and further education, which is now a responsibility of the new Department of Education, is an area that cannot be ignored any longer. As my colleague Mr Philip Smith said yesterday:”