Robbie Butler
Lagan Valley · Ulster Unionist Party · Northern Ireland
“Officials highlighted that alignment was provided through existing EU-derived arrangements and that coherence with existing regulatory frameworks was identified as a main consideration.”
“I note that the Member for Strangford agrees: she understands the value of our fisheries in those areas. There are other complexities. The Isle of Man Government have now done a bit of a circle around that island, which makes it difficult for our fishers from Portavogie, Kilkeel and Portaferry to craft and graft a living from some of the…”
“The Committee took the opportunity to question officials on several issues and highlight matters warranting scrutiny at Committee Stage but was not limited to those areas.”
“As the Minister said, they have possibly been viewed as competing demands, but they are not competing demands, because clean water is part of sustainable food production.”
“<BR /> <BR />I am glad to see language in the Bill on the sustainability of the aquaculture sector, and I want to lean in a bit on that. Aquaculture pastimes have, perhaps, been underutilised, whether they relate to the angling fraternity or other river and water users.”
“Today, I want to talk about a very talented young girl from Lisburn called Freya Terris. Freya, who is 17 years old, attends Friends' School and studies the piano under former Lisburn resident Rory Dowse. Freya is an incredibly accomplished young pianist and has performed in the Ulster Hall.”
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“I appreciate the Minister giving way right at the end. You are talking about the curriculum, and I was struck by a point that, I think, is important to make to you in that regard. We are very much concentrating on the Bill, which we should be today.”
“I suspect that his family would be very proud to know that we are trying to continue his legacy and to implant it in our young people in order to equip them with the same passion and vision that Frank Pantridge had all those years ago. <BR /> <BR />I will speak no more on this. I hope that the House will unite behind the Bill today.”
“He is an incredibly important man for probably millions of people across the world, and he is someone of whom we can be very proud. Coming from the Lagan valley, I am proud to associate myself with the area from which the great man came. <BR /> <BR />When you read about Frank, you learn that part of his desire to do what he did came from his own illness. He was a prisoner of war, and he had a cardiac condition. His ingenuity knew no bounds. The first defibrillator that he made weighed 70 kg and ran on car batteries, but, within three years, he had brought its size down to something portable that weighed only 3 kg. <BR /> <BR />His passion was saving lives, and there is no cause more noble than that. We should thank him.”
“One of the benefits of the fire safety education programme was that, when pupils in P5 were given a safety pack featuring different heroes and including stickers, they had to take it home and talk about it with their parents or carer, their granny and grandad, and their brothers and sisters. There is then cross-pollination, and that is a fun thing. Education and learning, especially at that age, can be addressed in a fun way, and the outcomes can be absolutely brilliant. I would love to see the statistics about the one in 10 figure go through the floor, just as they have done for accidental fires and accidental fire deaths. <BR /> <BR />The Education Committee Chair, Mr Lyttle, and, indeed, Mr McGrath, paid tribute to that great Hillsborough man Frank Pantridge. I encourage Members to read up on Mr Pantridge.”
“The more that we can do and the more information that we can entrust our young people with, the better that their life outcomes will be. <BR /> <BR />I do not know whether the Bill sponsor will wish to pick that up, because the Bill talks about Key Stage 3 pupils. When speaking to the representatives of the British Heart Foundation in Northern Ireland who were upstairs, I quizzed them a little bit about how they picked their target age. The World Health Organization perhaps indicated that it should be Key Stage 3 pupils, but I say that there may be something that we can do in our primary schools to inform pupils in P5 and P6. <BR /> <BR />Mr Sheehan made the point that it is not just about schools but about whole communities. He is absolutely right.”
“The fire safety education programme, which I have talked about many times in the Chamber and will keep talking about because it is so valuable, was introduced just over 20 years ago. The target audience for it is primary 5. It was assessed at the time that primary 5 presented a good opportunity and was an appropriate age at which to introduce something as important as saving life and the dangers of fire. It was not a matter of saying, "These young people are not old enough to know and understand". If we look at what has happened over the past 20 years, we will see that the number of accidental fire deaths and accidental fires has gone through the floor. That is a testament to "Education, education, education".”
“<BR /> <BR />When we look at what can be done for something such as cardiac arrest, however, we see what was done for Christian Eriksen, who was talked about earlier. Over the years, in this country and across these islands, we have heard of many young footballers whose heart stopped on the pitch. Some of them, sadly, lost their life for a variety of reasons, whether that was an unknown congenital heart defect or some other issue, but their heart stopped. In reality, if we had known better, and if we had had the substance and the resource, perhaps they would still be with us. It is never time to stop learning and improving on what we know. <BR /> <BR />To give some background as to why it is important to target that type of information, training and skills at young people, I think back to when I was in the Fire and Rescue Service .”
“He made a really important statement, and he used the word "if" in what was kind of a rhetorical question. When we do or discuss anything here, it is important that we go back into the detail of the what, why and how. In this instance, when we are talking about something that pertains to life and death, that has absolute importance. I thank Mr Newton for raising the issue of "if", because I had not thought of it. I was not here last week because, sadly, my wife's sister died. I pay tribute to my wife's sister and thank all Members who reached out. Even in that moment of grief, my wife's family and I — indeed, most of us — will say, "If only we knew", "What could we have done?" or "If we had tried —". I will not go into the details of her death.”
“I support the Bill at this stage and congratulate the Member on bringing it to the House. I thank the Minister for taking the issue seriously and indicating that she, too, is prepared to do something. In light of Mr Allister's contribution earlier, I am minded that, at this stage, we have to push through every legislative opportunity that we can, the reason being that, at times, we have found these institutions to be not the most stable of places. That is why we must avail ourselves of every opportunity to do what we can whenever we can. That is not a poke at anybody; it is just the reality of politics in Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />Before I move on, I want to touch on something that Mr Newton has just shared. It was rather exceptional.”
“I also pay tribute to Prince Philip, who selflessly supported and served the Queen, the royal family and, indeed, the United Kingdom throughout most of his life. The death of the Duke of Edinburgh brought a focus on the need to bring the regulations forward. I am also aware that the population of not only the UK but the world has become very much accustomed to the fragility of life during the COVID pandemic. <BR /> <BR />I commend the motion to the House.”
“Consequently, in order to meet that deadline, the Business Committee was required to ensure that the Assembly had an opportunity to debate the proposals today. <BR /> <BR />Members have now had a chance to set out their views, and I do not intend to run through them again. The Official Report records those views. The Business Committee has been advised that you, Mr Speaker, will send a copy of the Official Report to the Secretary of State, who may then choose to amend the proposed regulations before laying them for approval by resolution of each House of Parliament. On behalf of the Business Committee, I ask all Members to support the motion. <BR /> <BR />I will speak briefly on behalf of the UIster Unionist Party. I echo the continued support and best wishes at this time for the speedy recovery of our monarch, Queen Elizabeth.”
“I thank all the Members who contributed to the debate. I intend to be brief in my conclusion. <BR /> <BR />The Business Committee's intention in tabling the motion was to give Members an opportunity to express their views on the proposed amendments to the Flags Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2000. The Business Committee has not considered the proposals, and nor has it taken a view on them. As previously detailed, the Secretary of State wrote to the Speaker on 13 October 2021, asking that the Assembly consider the draft regulations. Following a request from the Speaker to extend the deadline, the Secretary of State asked for the Assembly to provide a report of its views by Thursday 11 November 2021.”
“Furthermore, calling on the Government to amend the Northern Ireland Act accordingly before the AERC report, as the amendment does, is, perhaps, presumptuous. I ask the Member to speak to that in her winding-up speech. The report may find that the mechanisms that we currently have may be better than any alternatives suggested. Finally, the suggestion that political designations perpetuate division needs to be clarified if possible. <BR /> <BR />With reference to the contribution of the Deputy Chair of the AERC on the Ulster Unionist position, it is our ambition not just to replace the Democratic Unionist Party as the biggest unionist party but to be the biggest party in the Chamber. That is why we will compete for the position of First Minister.”
“When we reflect on and speak about it, we need to be fair to those who authored it. The intent was good. Any tampering with the mechanism must be done carefully, with acute cognisance of the need to respect and protect people's identities. <BR /> <BR />To my mind, Ms Armstrong's amendment, in her own words, raises a few questions, not least because it is not materially dissimilar to the original motion. For instance, I ask for clarity on the statement that votes designated as "Others" are "not ... treated equally". I do not think that there has been any instance of that since we returned after NDNA; to clarify, there have been no petitions of concern or cross-community votes in that time. Maybe she can come back to that in her winding-up speech.”
“To lean back a little into the negotiations in and around New Decade, New Approach (NDNA), we constructed, with the SDLP and the Alliance Party, an alternative suggestion. Elements of it made it into NDNA, but the full working document did not make it into the text, which is regrettable. <BR /> <BR />The motion asks for consideration of the cross-community support mechanism. Whilst removing the need for designations completely, as the proposer wants, is potentially not the best solution, it should certainly be considered further. I add a word of caution that the intent of the cross-community support mechanism as laid out in the Northern Ireland Act — it is threaded through the entire Act — was to protect minority voices in the Chamber. That may not have been what happened at times, but the intent was there.”
“<BR /> <BR />The foundation set out by the Good Friday Agreement was legislated for by the Northern Ireland Act 1998. That is not a sacred cow, nor is it a holy text. It is merely legislation that can be and has been amended from time to time. We have shown our appetite for exploring change to the Northern Ireland Act where the changes are productive and positive and where there is meaningful benefit. We are adamant that the petition of concern mechanism needs to be reformed, given the excessive use of it in previous mandates. In the previous mandate, we demonstrated our appetite for changing things in the Chamber by forming, along with the SDLP, the first-ever Opposition.”
“I affirm my support for the institutions. I am a devolutionist. I voted for the Good Friday Agreement, along with over 71% of the people of Northern Ireland and over 94% of the people in the Republic. I believe that these institutions, when working correctly, are the best vehicle for delivering for the people of Northern Ireland. The Good Friday Agreement set the foundation for a new and inclusive Northern Ireland where people from all backgrounds and identities could feel safe and have their identity and rights of self-expression protected. As a key architect of the Good Friday Agreement, the UUP is proud of the peace that it delivered and of the effective cessation of others trying to achieve political aims through violence and terrorism.”
“I thank the Minister for his answer. Is the Minister confident that the provisions on permanent injuries in the generic Northern Ireland Civil Service policy fully and safely address the unique environment in which prison officers work?”
“What update can the Minister provide on the feedback from principals and teachers on the revised contact-tracing methodology to help build confidence?”
“Let us, as leaders in the Assembly, not wash our hands of our responsibility to ensure that we turn the volume down. Let us work together for the betterment of everybody as a lasting tribute to Sir David Amess.”
“That is absolutely despicable. We need to do something collectively, whether in the Assembly or collaboratively with the Westminster Parliament. We need to find ways to tackle this scourge. It does not just affect elected representatives: as said in the Chamber, it affects teachers, health workers and shopworkers. It affects society, and it is not good enough. <BR /> <BR />This has been said in the Chamber and has been tweeted out about 100 or maybe 1,000 times: "Dial down the rhetoric". There is a message for us today. We have responsibility for our own button. We can dial down our own rhetoric. In the highest elected office in this country, we must take responsibility if, by omission or by ramping it up, we contribute to it.”
“As has been said, this country and this island are not immune to deaths of elected representatives. Edgar Graham, Robert Bradford, Sir Norman Stronge, James Stronge and Charlie Armstrong felt that hand, amongst others from my party. There was also Robert McBirney and Paddy Wilson. We must also remember the humanity that sometimes surfaces. The Member for Upper Bann talked about Charlie Armstrong: I read a report about Pat Brannigan, the SDLP mayor at that time, who perhaps was the first on the scene to assist Charlie. We must think of that. What are we going to do? What will we learn? How will we react to this event? <BR /> <BR />Much has been made of social media. I noticed that Nichola Mallon received an absolutely disgusting and horrendous Twitter message last night that looks like a direct threat of hurt and violence.”
“It was a desperately sad thing that happened, but I was reading about the person he was, and he recently gave an interview that stood out for me. He has been talked of as an MP of very high calibre and quality, as well as being very constituency-minded. A question in one of his last interviews was, "Why did you never make it to the Front Bench and into the bear pit?". He said that it was because he did not change. He said that he had values that he worked to and that, if there was a need for him to change, he would not. I will remember that as a lasting testament to Sir David Amess, and I am sure that his family will hold fast to that too.”
“I am sure that if, like me, you had not had the pleasure of meeting Sir David Amess, and I did not, you will have done a lot of reading over the weekend to find out what sort of a person and politician he was.”
“However, we are now in a position where we need to become Northern Irish-centric and make sure that we do not wait for anyone else. We need to act first and set the trend. That goes back to the Ministers in Wales and Scotland striking out and saying, "This is what we will be doing". If I have one criticism of Peter, it was that he may have waited too long to demonstrate that he was going to drive the examinations agenda and how they were to be administered. <BR /> <BR />I will stop now. Reluctantly, I will support the motion.”
“However, I think that we need to be ambitious when we talk about that. I spoke about this at my party conference. Hopefully, if you are on Twitter, you may have read a little bit about the Ulster Unionist Party conference at the weekend. If not, I am talking about pre-birth, early years provision and post-education employment opportunities. I know that Diane Dodds and I concur that this is not just about schools: if we are to get it right for these people, it is also about before and after they go to school. <BR /> <BR />Daniel, in his opening remarks, mentioned looking at the stats from England and Scotland with regard to where we are and how we adjust these things. There is, I suppose, an element of that in developing best practice.”
“We often talked in the Chamber about educational opportunity and those whom COVID had affected most. That is the formula that was used in this instance, and not too many people would kick up about that. <BR /> <BR />One of the concerns that I have is that school attendance dropped to the lowest in the UK by October 2020. We need to be mindful of that when we pick up the strategy for our recovery. The part of this that we can definitely agree on is in the last sentence of the motion, which asks the Minister:”
“The Minister, in responding to the debate, will probably say that that was because of the cross-nation nature of exams, and I get that. However, we represent the children of Northern Ireland here, and we need to ensure that we put them first. Minister, if we are to learn lessons from what has gone before, we need to give children hope and communicate to them that you are their Minister. <BR /> <BR />In a fiscal context, I agree with the motion about the amount that was given. Again, perhaps the Minister could tackle that with the Minister of Finance, given that, as I said at the start of my speech, it is those young people who will be most affected in the longer term. If there is a compliment to be paid, it is that the money was targeted at areas of social deprivation. If there was something good about it, that was one of those things.”
“Having communicated with them, I know that some are still under incredible pressure because of the changes to the contact-tracing system. Minister, I therefore ask you to reach out again in order to give them confidence and again adjust the trajectory of that system. <BR /> <BR />This debate, however, is more about our young people in nursery, primary and post-primary schools. There is no doubt that they have been through a lot of uncertainty, and some of that uncertainty, around examinations and grades, has been covered. Mr Newton talked about the excellent grades that a lot of our children got, and deserved to get. What we are talking about here, however, is the pain and misery that they experienced up until that point, in the not-knowing phase.”
“Earlier, I looked up what that generation might be called, and I found that they may be called "Generation C". Previously, there were the baby boomers, Generation X, the millennials and Generation Z. As I said, discussions such as this can change the trajectory that we are on. We will rehearse many of the things that went on. I have to put on record the fact that, at this time, we should not politicise the actions of people who were doing their best. I believe that Peter Weir, the former Minister, did his best, and I believe that Michelle will do her best. That is not to say that we cannot assist. We have differences of opinion on many matters. <BR /> <BR />Like others, I pay tribute to our principals and teachers in particular.”
“I speak on behalf of the Ulster Unionist Party. We reluctantly support the motion. It could have been worded much better. Mr Newton pointed to parts that can be supported, but, as I said, elements of it could have been worded much better. A couple of proposed amendments that could have added to the motion were unsuccessful. <BR /> <BR />The Children's Commissioner, the Children's Law Centre (CLC) and many other children's advocates have covered this, but, when we analyse the COVID pandemic, we may find that our children and young people were affected the most at that time. Given that they are younger than anyone in the Chamber, they will certainly be affected for the longest time. Debates such as this are really important, because things can sometimes be teased out or pushed over the line.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. <BR /> <BR />You covered a lot of ground. It was really good, Mr Carroll. One of the realities in the fire service is that our firefighters are attending a lot fewer fires than they used to, so the fire safety education message is getting through. Does the Member agree that we need to keep that fire safety education going so that we minimise the number of fires, which will minimise the amount of exposure for our firefighters in the first place, and try to get that upstream as well?”
“We in the Chamber will do everything that we can to support them.”
“From my background, I know that, when you come back from a fire — I will be honest and tell it like it is — and blow your nose into a handkerchief, you should see what comes out at times. Such issues have perhaps not been at the forefront of the actions taken, which have focused on limiting your exposure time, increasing your distance from what is on fire and having a reasonable amount of protection. There is more that we can do, and I put on record my thanks to the Fire Brigades Union for being proactive and creating a training video. <BR /> <BR />If it is OK, Mr Deputy Speaker, in the final few seconds of my contribution, I want to send a message to my compatriots in the Fire and Rescue Service. A cultural shift needs to happen. Our firefighters are very brave, but they need to look after themselves.”
“I put it on record that I hope to bring forward a private Member's Bill that will look at protecting our first-line responders from PTSD and mental ill health as a result of their exposure. That is much like the motion. Some of our illnesses are physical, while some are mental. We need to do all that we can to protect our firefighters from both. <BR /> <BR />I looked at some of the studies that were included in the research pack and at some other studies worldwide. There is conflicting evidence about the types of cancer and their prevalence. The motion refers to firefighters being "four times more likely" to develop cancer: that depends on what region the research is taken from, but there is no doubt that there is an increased risk.”
“Their mental health can also be stressed and stretched, because they respond to life-or-death scenarios.”
“A lot of that centres around fire, whether that is putting out car fires, grass fires or house fires. Each of those brings different levels of risk. To be fair, however, the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service has high levels of supervision and training. It also has good levels of PPE. I am going to be honest. I started in February 2000. To be honest, what has happened to its approach to managing risk between February 2000 and today is quite remarkable, but that is not to say that we cannot do better. That is why we support the motion. We should always strive to improve on the levels of safety that our front-line services and responders are exposed to. <BR /> <BR />The other thing that was mentioned is that a lot of the things that our firefighters are exposed to are not just dangers to their physical health.”
“When a firefighter goes out on an appliance or responds to their Gartan — the wee bleeper — when it goes off in a part-time retained area, their families do not know what is going to happen, how long they will be away for or what danger they will be in. It is an uncertain job and it is a dangerous job. <BR /> <BR />If you will indulge me, Mr Deputy Speaker, it would be remiss of me not say this. Over the past three years, two of my colleagues, who were serving firefighters, passed away. In July of this year, a friend of mine Andy McLucas died of cancer. So did Kenny McEwan. They were both fantastic firefighters who died too young from cancer. That is what we are talking about today. <BR /> <BR />As has been pointed out, firefighters carry out a range of very dangerous operations.”
“As the Member from East Londonderry pointed out, firefighters go into the danger zone when everybody else is heading out. That should never be undervalued or played down. It does not matter what part of the world you are in. I have spent some time with firefighters from all over the world, including the west coast and east coast of America, Sweden, Europe and Australia, and they have a camaraderie around trying to protect people. Today, we collegiately pay tribute to firefighters all over the world, and particularly to our own Fire and Rescue Service in Northern Ireland — each of those men and women serve selflessly, whether they are whole-time or retained — but also to their families.”
“At the outset, I declare a bit of an interest in this topic as a former firefighter of 16 years. Also — I have to check this, Mr Deputy Speaker — I think that I was an honorary member of the FBU up until very recently. I think that my membership has expired, but I will check that to be sure. I stand in support of the motion and the amendment. I particularly thank David Hilditch for tabling the motion. It will have been a very difficult topic for him to speak on, given his personal story. Some of us know a little bit about that, so I thank him so much for that. Thank you also to the party opposite for its amendment, which adds to the topic. <BR /> <BR />I will give a bit of context to this, as I have a bit of insider knowledge of what goes on. The Fire and Rescue Service performs a very particular and peculiar emergency response.”
“<BR /> <BR />As I said at the outset, I am deeply interested in this legislation, and I am delighted that it will mean a much-needed updating of our adoption legislation. I hope that, like me, everyone in the Chamber can see the positive impact that this will have and will join us in voting for it. <BR /> <BR />Minister, I put on record that I missed the piece on SGOs when I read through your statement, but I was delighted to hear you mention them. Special guardianship orders exist across the water in mainland UK, and it is really good to see an alignment that will facilitate children who come from there to a family unit here, or vice versa, depending on how it happens. Sometimes, that has been an issue. I believe that it will be better under your ministerial guidance. <BR /> <BR />I ask everyone in the Chamber to support the Bill.”
“<BR /> <BR />My final point is that 13% of children in care have a recognised disability, and 25% of those of compulsory school age who are in care have a statement of special educational need. Those percentages are significantly higher than for those not living in care, meaning that many prospective adopters need additional support, or even specialist input, to create a safe and stable home environment. <BR /> <BR />The legislation will also set out a viable avenue for health and social care trusts to provide short-term respite care to children with a disability without requiring them to become looked-after. Throughout the COVID pandemic, we have seen the absolute need for respite care, and we have done our absolute best. However, when we come out of this, we must realise that that pathway is vital.”
“I really look forward to seeing Part 2 of the Bill be developed at Committee Stage. <BR /> <BR />Adoption of any child ultimately happens only because something has gone wrong, whether that be the breakdown of parental care or perhaps even because of tragic circumstances. Children in care come from less than ideal situations. Whilst adoption can provide a safe and stable home for them, it is not at all straightforward. Often, adoption can place a large and unexpected burden on that family unit. The legislation will further enable the health and social care trusts to provide greater financial and professional support to families, and that will help them to provide the safe and stable environment that is critical to children's successful upbringing.”
“The support services therefore need to be in place, and that need must be recognised as early as possible. The Minister has ensured that they have been included in the Bill, and their importance cannot be overemphasised. For instance, on the Education Committee, we are currently looking at the pathways for 14- to 19-year-olds. Those pathways can be difficult enough, even for children who have that stability at home and do not have additional difficulties. For those children who perhaps did not get the start to life that they deserved or who had a traumatic start that has led to, for example, attachment disorders or behavioural issues, the Bill has the potential to address those issues at the earliest stage of their life. That will make the difference for those young people.”
“They have played an incredibly important role in facilitating what we have tried to do with the children who have come through our care. <BR /> <BR />The legislation will put care planning and advocacy services on a statutory footing. It will create a duty to promote educational achievement and to diminish disruption to education. It will provide a framework and principles for those who are responsible for children in care to ensure their safety and stability, as well as promote high aspirations and prepare those children for adult life. I am absolutely delighted about that Part of the Bill. It is an indisputable fact that a good start in life very often pays out in the form of a more stable and successful later life. Life is inevitably harder for children and young people who are exposed to trauma or dysfunctionality.”
“We need to make it as safe as possible but relatively seamless for families who want to step into the gap to provide care for those children. There is also an understanding that a lot of those children come from homes that have been disrupted or are finding themselves in difficulty. <BR /> <BR />The other thing that I want to put on record from my lived experience, which, I hope, the legislation will pick up on, is that it is right and proper that we thank the people out there who provide adoptive and foster homes to looked-after children. We have to recognise, however, that, in those families, there are sons, daughters, extended family and friends who are part of the package and also provide some assistance. They therefore need to be included in the conversation as well. I think of my own son and daughter, who are 22 and 20 respectively.”
“OK. As the Member said, we have a problem. The number of children living in care has increased every year for the past 20 years. Almost 3,000 children have been in care over the past 12 months. I talked to Foster Care NI, which told me that roughly 16 new children enter the care system every week. It is a very real and pressing issue that we must deal with. We need to ensure that the homes and the supports that we create for those children are as good as they can be, and I hope that the legislation will have an effect on their lives as quickly as possible. <BR /> <BR />The majority of adoptions in Northern Ireland are of children who are currently in the care system. Figures have been given of between 91 and 168 over the past five years. That shows the absolute need to facilitate them.”
“No problem, Mr Deputy Speaker. I thank the Member for his kind comments. <BR /> <BR />The Bill talks to many of those issues. If not in technical terms, it is OK to speak to the Bill in terms that are not technical, because part of its purpose is to encourage people to foster and to adopt, so, when I say that I will not talk to its technicalities, I pray that you will indulge me, Mr Deputy Speaker, because this is very pertinent to the Bill.”
“So I have an interest in the Bill. <BR /> <BR />I will not speak too much to the technicalities of the Bill. I normally do not, so Members will say, "There's no surprise there, Robbie". I will not speak to its technicalities because, although it is —.”
“It is really welcome to hear someone speaking on the Bill from a position of experience. In the first instance, I thank the Minister for prioritising the Bill. As the Committee Chairperson said, we have a compressed time period in which to deal with it, but that is because we did not have a legislative process for three years. The Minister has seen that this is an issue that needs to be prioritised. <BR /> <BR />I will declare an interest at the outset, if that is OK. My wife and I have been foster parents for over 15 years now, and we have probably had in the region of 23 or 24 children through our home in that time. At the moment, without disclosing too much information, we are privileged to have three children, who are six, four and two years old and whom, we hope, will, in the very near future, be with us permanently.”