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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“Thank you, Mr O'Dowd, for your answers so far. You spoke about the events that Parliament Buildings can be lit up for: can you give some idea of what you would consider as additional events beyond the four days?”
“First Minister, you spoke about pupils returning to schools, but what consideration has been given to students in further education colleges? Will you give me an update on that, please?”
“Those day centres have proven to be excellent for treating Alzheimer's, dementia and many other of society's afflictions. Will the Minister commit to bringing up the issue of creating physical and sensory disability day centres across Northern Ireland with the Finance Minister, who controls the funds that would allow that to happen?”
“Minister, while an abhorrent action, bullying often masks underlying issues with perpetrators. Given that victims unequivocally deserve every support, what steps will be taken to reform and educate the perpetrators?”
“Today, we have an opportunity to uphold that right and to celebrate children like Tess and courageous women like Heidi by removing from our laws a provision that perpetuates discrimination. I implore Members to vote for the Bill.”
“That mindset has no place in the 21st century, nor is that a culture that we want to tolerate here. The Bill that we are debating today sends a very clear message that people with Down's syndrome or any other disability are equally valued members of our society, as the friends and families of those with Down's syndrome will testify. <BR /> <BR />I will close by reminding Members of the comment by the special rapporteur on the rights of persons with disability. The rapporteur said of the UN Convention on the same:”
“She was offered 15 terminations. Many women have shared similar stories. In January of this year, St George's University Hospitals in London, working with two leading Down's syndrome charities, introduced at a regional level an evidence-based best-practice pathway for the care of women whose babies are diagnosed with Down's syndrome prenatally. That is the first pathway to be introduced in an NHS trust anywhere in the UK. It is an indictment of our culture and laws that it is groundbreaking in 2021. <BR /> <BR />Let us not think that the impact of those discriminatory laws stops at birth. Dr Elizabeth Corcoran, from the Down's Syndrome Research Foundation, said:”
“She was offered an abortion just three days prior to giving birth to her little boy Hector. <BR /> <BR />For quite some time now, in those jurisdictions, termination of pregnancy has been the only pathway for unborn children with an antenatal diagnosis of Down's syndrome. Therefore, it is unsurprising that those are the questions that clinicians regularly ask. How do we expect those women to feel reassured about their baby when the default pathway for their antenatal care is the deliberate ending of life? One woman, Emma Mellor, described her experience by stating:”
“<BR /> <BR />Sadly, we know that some women and families do not have to imagine. Women in England and Wales have sat with the clinicians involved in their antenatal care and, just weeks before their due date, have been forced to consider their pregnancy ending with the intentional death of their much-wanted child. Cheryl Bilsborrow is one of those women. She said:”
“Imagine that heady mixture of excitement and not a little fear as you prepare for life as you know it to be turned upside down. Imagine the checklist of the preparations that are to be made running through your mind. Now imagine sitting with the nurse at the maternity unit, and these questions then come: "Are you sure? Do you know that we still terminate up to term in cases like this?" How do you think that it would feel for that woman and her family to realise that the maternity team that will care for her during those very vulnerable moments is contemplating, just weeks prior to birth, the possibility of a termination? How confident do you think that she and her family will be that their child will be given the best possible chance at life and the highest standard of care?”
“Thank you very much, Mr Speaker, for the opportunity to express my wholehearted support for the Bill today. I add my voice to those who have commended the work of the disability campaigner Heidi Crowter and a number of others, including Edwin and Karen Wilson from my constituency, who have bravely spoken about the impact of discriminatory abortion laws on their lives. What a joy Hannah is to the Wilson family. <BR /> <BR />For anyone who remains unconvinced about the disability discrimination problem that the legislation has been designed to address, imagine, if you will, that you or your partner are just three weeks shy of the long-anticipated arrival of a much-wanted child. I appreciate that, for some of us, that may be more of a distant stretch into our past than for others.”
“Violence is wrong. Catcalling is also wrong. <BR /> <BR />We have just had International Women's Day. We listened to examples of the abuse that women have to tolerate, from social media abuse to the asides and comments that are made as they walk along the street. We need to drive out those unhealthy attitudes towards women. A strategic plan must be worked on here in Stormont and put in place post-haste for the betterment of everyone.”
“I, too, send my condolences to Sarah's family at this very sad time. I also have a sister and a daughter. My daughter is slightly younger than Sarah, so I empathise in many ways with what her family is going through at the moment. Sarah was a young woman going about her daily business. She disappeared off our streets without sight and without trace. Nobody saw it happen. Sadly, it is not the first time that that has happened. Women should have the right to walk our streets, to feel safe on our streets and in our countryside and to go out for walks alone. They should not be terrorised. They should not go out with fear in their mind. It is very concerning that, in a UK poll recently, 80% of women reported having been harassed in public and 97% reported having been sexually harassed. That should not be allowed. It cannot go on.”
“We know that women's equal participation in political processes results in tangible gains for everyone, for the legitimacy of Parliament and for the quality of the analysis and solutions that are brought forward to create legislative change. <BR /> <BR />The Women's Caucus recognises that, and, today, we brought the motion to the Assembly in order to reiterate the considerable amount of work that remains to be undertaken. The action plan serves to create a gender-sensitive Northern Ireland Assembly that is founded on the principle of gender equality so that men and women can access their equal right to participate without discrimination. I call on the Assembly to endorse the recommendations in the gender-sensitive Assembly action plan that has been put forward today by the Northern Ireland Assembly Women's Caucus.”
“The Assembly and Executive Review Committee made those recommendations after its comprehensive audit and resulting in-depth report on women in politics in Northern Ireland. The Assembly has been scrutinised and deemed to be not good enough as an institution that facilitates and promotes participation and inclusion for women. We know that if you do not have adequate representation of women in positions of decision-making and leadership, you have an Assembly that does not legislate at the level of gender sensitivity that it should, that is not as effective as it could be and that is less democratic than it could be.”
“We have the Belfast Agreement to look at and all its implementation arguments, which make commitments to increase women's representation in public and political life in Northern Ireland. We must make good on those commitments. We cannot continue to deprioritise or move slowly on them. The time is now — the time is today — to make that endorsement and to champion the targeted and strategic interventions that are set out in the action plan. <BR /> <BR />The motion calls for the Assembly's endorsement of the Women's Caucus action plan to implement measures to create a gender-sensitive Assembly. That action plan is grounded in research on gender equality here in Northern Ireland.”
“She spoke about the difficulties of juggling childcare and work. <BR /> <BR />Mr Carroll offered his solidarity to the women who spoke today and to the women who have been affected over the past year or so by COVID. Mr Lunn again referred to 2007, when there was a very poor level of female representation here in Stormont. He talked about 30 recommendations that were put forward by a review that took place and said that a number of them have still not been implemented. <BR /> <BR />There is no doubt that the under-representation of women in political life in Northern Ireland is a problem. Attempts to address it have fallen short. We know that the repeated scrutiny of that failure has come up with the same conclusion: it is a serious matter that must be addressed with urgency.”
“<BR /> <BR />Ms Dolan said that women need to be respected and appreciated, not on one day of the year but every day. She, again, referred to quotas for increasing women's representation and exploring the strategies that we need for work-life balance. She said that a third of women are economically inactive. <BR /> <BR />Ms Hunter said that we still need more women in politics. She said that the Queen's University students' union officer team is now all female, and she was optimistic that perhaps this was the start of these ladies moving up into political life and other life. She also said that women should not be defined by what they wear or look like. <BR /> <BR />Miss Woods spoke about the sexist remarks that are made to ladies. She also referred to what women look like, what they wear and the comments that are often made about those.”
“She asked for Standing Orders to be updated, particularly for paternity leave and maternity leave. Ms Armstrong was also concerned about the language that is sometimes used, so she talked about inclusive language and the issues with social media for women. <BR /> <BR />Mr Sheehan spoke about female under-representation in the Assembly and said that young women who are starting work today will be much less well off at the end of their career than men will be over their lifetime. He praised the females in the Chamber who participate, and, indeed, he praised them for staying late into the night for Assembly sittings and talked about how that impinges on their family life. He talked about issues of childcare and caring responsibilities, and, of course, he referred to the misogynistic abuse that women have had.”
“It may not seem that way, given that I am the only Ulster Unionist Party female MLA, but it was a success a couple of years ago, when we had Jo-Anne Dobson, Sandra Overend and Jenny Palmer. I know that a number of them came up through that Dame Dehra Parker programme, which I also attended. It was a success. Mr Nesbitt also spoke about the representation of people with disabilities, and I think that we, as an Assembly, need to look at that, particularly women with disabilities. <BR /> <BR />Ms Armstrong said that the Women's Caucus should perhaps look at bringing more motions in its own right. She spoke about a gender-sensitive Parliament and that that needs to have an environment where men and women are equally valued and there is equality for both.”
“She spoke about the difficulties of retaining women in politics, and I think that we have seen, through the years, the difficulties that many parties have had in keeping women once they, perhaps, have families and caring responsibilities. She referred to the cost of childcare for women and how it prevents women from going out to work, and she challenged a lack of understanding and assistance for women around the menopause. <BR /> <BR />The three gentlemen Members who are present for the debate are very welcome, too. Mike Nesbitt spoke about his experience of working with politicians internationally, and, surprise, surprise, we all have the same issues. He also spoke about the Dame Dehra Parker programme that the Ulster Unionist Party had, and that, indeed, was a success.”
“Ms Sheerin spoke about the importance of period products and about the fact that the majority of people who were furloughed as a result of COVID were women, not men. She said that many of the people who are affected as unpaid people in our economy are women; they are the ones who stay at home and look after the house. She also suggested that we should, perhaps, use gender quotas and perhaps have mandatory childcare for politicians. She said that we need to tackle gender-based violence. That is very important. <BR /> <BR />Ms Sinéad Bradley reminded us about the number of young people who were in this Chamber this day last year, and I was thinking the same when I came into it today.”
“She also referred to the importance of women in society. She spoke about what we have been through recently with regard to working through COVID and keeping our homes together. She said that it has not been easy for people who have lost employment or who have had family members off school, and she spoke of the women who have played a crucial role in that regard. She also spoke about the abuse that female MLAs take. Women should not have to deal with that. She spoke about pregnancy issues for female MLAs and the fact that there is no such thing as maternity leave for them.”
“I wish you all a very happy International Women's Day. I thank everybody who participated in what has been an interesting and wide-ranging debate, with many comments that I wish to consider. Ms Bailey talked about the purpose of the Women's Caucus and spoke about parity of esteem for women. She said that action must be taken to prevent the marginalisation of women, particularly in politics. She also said that political representation must reflect the population and that female representation here needs to be up to 50%. It is approximately 33% now. Ms Bailey also said that a gender-sensitive Assembly would result in legislation that would provide opportunities to be outward-looking. That was the most important part of her speech. <BR /> <BR />Paula Bradley referred to the strong women who have stood in the Chamber in the past.”
“Minister, thank you for your answers so far. As you will be aware, the agricultural shows, which have been used to showcase much of our good agricultural produce in Northern Ireland, had to be cancelled last year and therefore did not have the opportunity to collect gate receipts that are used to pay for various running expenses during the year. Minister, would you have discussions with members of the Royal Ulster Agricultural Society with a view to giving them some financial support?”
“The Minister spoke about uncertainty in forward planning. We are coming to a busy time of the year for moving agricultural stock back and forth between GB and Northern Ireland. What reassurances can he give that there will be no hold-ups in that?”
“Will the Minister give a timeline for when the advocacy support services for domestic violence is expected to be launched?”
“Minister, I was going to follow up by asking whether you had any idea of how many people were affected and how much finance was involved.”
“<BR /> <BR />Some of the minor amendments to help with the direct payments include the removal of having to make the payments through the euro and the removal of non-specific dates, together with the intended simplification, for applicants and administrators, of the direct agricultural support schemes. There is also the removal of the greening payment and the money included in the basic farm payment. There is also a new minimum 1% inspection rate for scheme applications, but that can be increased, where necessary, by the Department. Finally, provision has been made to introduce a coupled payment in 2021 for protein crop payments. <BR /> <BR />I support the motion.”
“While the amendments to make the direct payments can be described as technical, if they are not in place, it will affect DAERA's ability to make direct payments to farmers and prevent its effective function. Those payments are worth approximately £290 million per year to the industry. However, because the Department is constrained by the Treasury, the allocation will not change because the same method to calculate direct payments is used across the United Kingdom. While it will take time to develop policy for future payments, it is important that there is no impediment to payments that prevents simultaneous work towards a review to simplify the payments, which would be most welcome.”
“Thank you for the opportunity to speak on the amendments to the regulations. The regulations are the consequence of the UK's withdrawal from the EU and the common agricultural policy. That is one of the most significant changes to agriculture policy for nearly 50 years. Policies will no longer have to comply with the common agricultural policy, which means that, eventually, Northern Ireland will be free to develop new approaches and support systems and build on the agri-food industry, which is already recognised as a world-class producer of food. <BR /> <BR />With that new approach, consideration will have to be given to environmental sustainability and improved resilience that address agriculture, the environment and rural needs.”
“Minister, I welcome you to Question Time and wish Mr Poots all the best in his recovery. <BR /> <BR />Is there any progress on removing the barriers to bringing pedigree breeding cattle into Northern Ireland from Great Britain? That has been a problem.”
“<BR /> <BR />Given that agreement has been obtained at the Business Committee to facilitate remote participation in plenary sittings and that agreement has also been gained from the Commission to procure and install the necessary equipment immediately, further consideration is necessary regarding participants. For example, decisions are required on the number of participants, how voting will be carried out, whether the present proxy system will continue and whether it is possible to develop a remote voting app. The necessary support will have to be available in the event of teething problems with the technology. <BR /> <BR />The Ulster Unionist Party supports this alternative in this Building for the duration of the COVID regulations.”
“There is also the issue of Members having to swap and sanitise seats on occasion, particularly during Question Time and ministerial statements. Frequently, greater numbers want to participate than is possible with adherence to social distancing. As technology is present in the Building for Committee meetings, it is the opportune time to explore extending that facility to the Chamber. <BR /> <BR />Hybrid proceedings have been implemented in the House of Lords and the House of Commons, where there are temporary orders for Members to participate. In the Scottish and Welsh Parliaments, Members can contribute to debates and Question Time remotely. Obviously, with the new hybrid system, Standing Orders will have to be amended accordingly so that the discharge of business by Ministers and Members continues without impediment.”
“Thank you for the opportunity to participate in this debate on the amendment of Standing Order 110 to permit hybrid proceedings in the Chamber. <BR /> <BR />The so-called hybrid proceedings could be defined as being when a quorum of Assembly Members attend in person and one or more Members attend and participate in a plenary sitting of the Assembly via video link. Obviously, with the COVID pandemic, the more virulent variant strain of COVID and the current restrictions, it is a priority that everyone works in a safe environment. <BR /> <BR />Recently, the Assembly Chamber has had very limited opportunities for full participation in plenary sittings due to the number of people permitted in the Chamber being limited.”
“Thank you for your answers so far, Minister. Can you outline the quantum of PEACE PLUS funding and your expectations for future rounds and allocations?”
“The Member just asked the question that I was going to ask. Is the Minister considering other platforms for primary- and post-primary-school children?”
“Those vulnerable children must continue to be supported by SEN provision. That provision must be flexible in order to work with schools, parents and pupils, as Mr Newton said. It is important that we all continue to support those young people and the staff in their schools through a mixture of blended learning and, much more importantly, teacher-led learning and support. Special educational needs provision for those vulnerable children must continue to be well planned, with consideration for the health of staff and pupils and with the school being a safe environment for all to work in and attend. I support the motion.”
“Indeed, you are quite correct. Communication among all stakeholders is very important, especially for children with special needs and complex difficulties. <BR /> <BR />During the first lockdown, many children had normality in their life. However, unfortunately, in this second lockdown, although they have had normality, trying to maintain distance has brought a number of issues. Through lower class numbers, children have had difficulty in mixing and socialising again. Teachers have had to spend a lot of time sanitising equipment so that our children are safe in school. While normality has remained, it has been at a great price to the time of support staff and teachers.”
“They missed the education, the social aspect of mixing with other young people and, indeed, the interaction with their teachers and carers. This time, however, many of those children have remained at school but are still suffering. While they are in a routine, they are still suffering the effects in school due to the introduction of COVID safety rules for the children and staff. Often there are fewer in the —.”
“I will first pay tribute to the parents, staff and all the supporters in the special needs sector in our education system. Those people have worked very hard with the children and have tried to maintain normality with them. I thank them very much for that. <BR /> <BR />We are all very aware of the impact of the pandemic on our education system, especially among these young people, with their many complex needs. Those young people must be given the educational support that is so vital to them on a daily basis. Many have suffered dreadfully from the impact of the virus. During the first lockdown, many of those people suffered because of a lack of routine in their day. They enjoyed their journey to school and their education.”
“Minister, thank you for your answer. You talked about seeking additional funding for student hardship. That is all well and fine, but many students have had difficulty in meeting the criteria for the student hardship fund. In particular, they have had trouble with the providers of student private accommodation when they have signed contracts that they cannot get out of. Minister, what conversations have you had with the providers of student private accommodation about those who cannot get out of these contracts?”
“Minister, I wish you all the best in your recovery too. You are very welcome back here. <BR /> <BR />Will there be any training for the young people for the jobs that they are interested in and, perhaps, for the people who will employ them?”
“I thank the Minister for his statement. He will be aware that there are huge problems with plant and health pesticides, and I know that he had talks about that with his counterpart in the Republic of Ireland. What further cooperation can there be to resolve the issue of plants coming into Northern Ireland? As the Minister will know, there is a huge problem with parsley seeds that we plant in our gardens and with potato seeds.”
“Minister, I want to move back to steel for a moment. Will you clarify the position on the fabrication of steel when it is moved from Northern Ireland into the Republic and perhaps then on to other EU countries?”
“The Minister will be aware that the incidence of TB in calves that are under six weeks old is very low. Is it not possible that, in the event that a farm is closed due to TB, the farmer could get calves that are under six weeks old TB tested and sell them online or directly to another farmer, thereby not going through the mart system?”
“I welcome the quality training that has been given to the vaccinators, which maintains our health service's high professional standards. How many vaccinators has the Department employed to administer the vaccine?”
“I thank the Minister for his answers so far. We all want our young people to have the best educational experience possible, but I do not see any mention of the preschool sector in the review. Will it be included in the review, because it is extremely important? Children start to learn from the age of two.”
“Minister, you spoke about students not being disadvantaged if they wanted to go to universities in England, Scotland, Wales etc. As you will be aware, quite a few students in Northern Ireland still like to study at Trinity College Dublin. Have you had any discussions with the universities down there about what would be acceptable?”
“I thank the Minister for her answers so far. Will she clarify the support that transport firms have been given for transporting goods back and forth between Northern Ireland and the Republic and east-west and west-east to ensure that there is least disruption?”