Linda Dillon
Mid Ulster · Sinn Féin · Northern Ireland
“It is important to have that acknowledgement for the sake of history — so that the generations who come after us will understand what happened to you and what you went through. It is also important for our present and future: we must make sure that what happened to those women, girls and children never happens again.”
“I begin by offering the apologies of my colleague Carál Ní Chuilín, who cannot be here today owing to ill health. Carál has been very much invested in the work on the legislation. The Bill is very important to her, given the work that she does in the Assembly and the people with whom she has personally worked and engaged over many years.”
“My colleague Áine is the Member who probably comes closest to having a true understanding of what you have had to live with and endure, and continue to live with and endure, because it has affected, and will affect, you all your life, and we know that those effects are transgenerational. I acknowledge that.”
“We can never allow that to happen. <BR /> <BR />You showed bravery by speaking up. You spoke up, yes, so that people would know what had happened to you, but you also spoke up so that it would not happen to others.”
“Some lived to see the beginning of the campaign but not the Bill getting to this stage. Many did not even see the beginning of the campaign and did not believe that, in their lifetime — or anyone else's lifetime, for that matter — there would be an acknowledgement of what happened to them.”
“I apologise for not being in the House from the beginning of the statement and thank you for your latitude on that. <BR /> <BR />Thank you, Minister. You have outlined some of the benefits that Waterways Ireland ownership can bring to waterways and local communities.”
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“The crisis did not occur overnight, and I understand that it will take time to fix the problems, but we have an Executive action plan. We must all work together to implement it in order to deliver our vision of a healthy, sustainable lough that will be there for the generations that come after us: our children and grandchildren. <BR /> <BR />There is an onus on all of us to act for the health of our environment and the future of everyone who relies on that vital resource. It should not be a blame game, and it should not involve ignoring science or data in order to chase votes. The reality is that it will take all of us — government, local communities, farmers, fishermen and environmental groups — working together to solve the issue. Everyone must have a say and be genuinely and actively listened to.”
“<BR /> <BR />I appreciate the information that the Minister provided to us this morning on plans for a potential Shared Island programme to improve the water quality of Lough Neagh. That is positive. As we all know, rivers do not recognise borders. We must ensure that we have an all-Ireland approach to protecting all our waterways. As my colleague Declan Kearney outlined, there must be maximum cooperation between the Minister and the Government in the South to seek and implement actions to protect the lough. <BR /> <BR />Lough Neagh is central to life on this island. It sustains local communities and rural economies. It supports fishermen, farmers, tourism operators and those who live around its shores. The pollution crisis on the lough has multiple causes that have all been outlined, and I do not deny any of them.”
“Like many of you, I find the return of the blue-green algae this summer deeply disturbing. With its devastating environmental, social and economic consequences, it threatens biodiversity, wildlife, the safety of our water and the livelihoods of those who depend on the lough, as previous contributors mentioned. The matter is personal to me, because I live five minutes from the lough shore. I live five minutes from the Washing Bay, and I have worked closely with communities along the lough shore — in my local community around Derrylaughan and Brockagh — to support the development of excellent facilities for local residents and those who come to visit. They are right on the shore of an amazing natural resource that must be protected. We all need to work together to make sure that that is exactly what happens.”
“I also have a husband who is an angler. Like every other angler and fisherman, he loves the rivers and wants to protect and look after them. I understand the importance of the issue.”
“It is not a highly productive agricultural background, so I certainly do not think that we add in any way to any pollution.”
“I thank the Members for bringing the motion to the House. <BR /> <BR />I will start by addressing one of the final points made by the Member who spoke previously, the Alliance Member for Upper Bann. We need to work with farmers. That is exactly what we need to do. We should work not with farmers alone but with everybody, but farmers have be included as part of this. They are an essential part of it, so I do not think that we can ignore them, move on and do things without bringing them with us. It is very important that we work together to address that. <BR /> <BR />Protecting our environment and safeguarding Lough Neagh is a critical priority for Sinn Féin, as I hope it is for all of us, including our farming community. I declare an interest, as I did earlier, as somebody who comes from an agricultural background.”
“I thank the Minister. Other Members have raised the issue of Lough Neagh, which is a real concern for many of us. Will you give us some sense of what the Shared Island initiative that you have talked about will involve? What stakeholders will be engaged in that? Members have spoken about the agriculture community — I declare an interest as somebody who comes from an agricultural background — but we also need to engage fishermen, both those who fish on boats and our angling community. All those people have a vested interest in protecting our lough. <BR /> <BR />Will you also give us a sense of what environmental and economic benefits our population might gain from the lough in the future?”
“I thank the Member for allowing me to intervene. I welcome the news during the debate that the Education Committee will carry out an inquiry into SEN provision. That is really important. Given some earlier comments from Members about the need for engagement with the Department of Health, I encourage us to have that engagement. We also need to get an understanding of the savings and efficiencies that could be made were Health and Education to work properly together. Children's needs could be met so much better and in a much more efficient way if we had good, proper collaboration between the two Departments.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. Does the Member agree that the biggest challenge that is being outlined to us all is, I suggest, if my connections with business are anything to go by, access to workforce and Brexit's being a block to workforce?”
“In relation to the previous response, do you agree that, across the Executive, we have been clear, whether we are talking about victims and survivors of domestic and sexual violence, victims and survivors of historical institutional abuse, victims and survivors of mother-and-baby homes or those who, unfortunately, suffer suicide in their families or addiction, that, in every instance, those most impacted and those who understand it should be engaged with and listened to and that that is exactly why the Rainbow Project was involved in that conversation?”
“Will the Minister outline any conversations that he has had with transport providers, including Translink, about ensuring that the pick-up and drop-off points are safe and that providers will be flexible? As the previous contributor outlined, it is not just about getting children to the pick-up and drop-off points but about what happens when they get out of their parents' car and have to stand there, because those places are sometimes not very safe. A wee bit more flexibility from transport providers in rural areas might be helpful.”
“On the back of the question that Connie Egan just asked, can the deputy First Minister give a guarantee that the wording on the plaque will be reflective of the experiences and input of victims and survivors, and can she give us some sense of exactly what that engagement looked like?”
“I thank the Member for giving way. Does he agree that that is a reserved matter? It comes under the remit of the Home Office, not, unfortunately, that of TEO. It would be much more preferable if we were able to deal with those matters ourselves. Unfortunately, that is not the case at the moment.”
“I thank the Minister for that answer. I appreciate that, Minister. I would like to get a sense of whether that evaluation will include physical infrastructure, as I have been contacted by parents who say that physical infrastructure is also a problem in some of the colleges. <BR /> <BR />Research also highlights issues on which action by other Departments is required. I am thinking specifically of the Department of Health, as I am on the Health Committee. Will you bring those issues to your Executive colleagues? Have you already had conversations with them? If so, what have the responses been?”
“I thank the Member for giving way, and I thank the Minister for the Bill's Second Stage today. Does the Member agree that what is not included in the Bill but would strengthen it is the duty of candour? That would allow for many of the issues that the Member outlined to do with whistle-blowing to be dealt with. If we could have such honesty and candour, it would enable people to say when things are not right; when things are wrong and need to be fixed.”
“I add my condolences to the family, wider family and friends of Sarah Montgomery. A theme that was dealt with in the conversations in the NSMC was women and babies and girls. Women and girls and their children continue today to suffer at the hands of men — often, the very men whom they should be able to trust. <BR /> <BR />Minister, with regard to your conversations with the Irish Government about the mother-and-baby institutions, Magdalene laundries and workhouses, given that there was a clear all-island dimension to those practices, will you outline what cooperation is happening or will happen between the Executive and the Dublin Government in moving forward and ensuring that it never happens again and that we take the same approach in ensuring that violence against women and girls is ended?”
“I thank the Member for giving way. He mentioned grassroots activists. It is clear that the movement to support Gaza and Palestine is not a Sinn Féin movement. It is not a political movement at all. It is the movement of people: the Mothers Against Genocide and the Gaels for Gaza. Those are the activists on the ground. We stand with them, absolutely, but it is those people's movement. It is not a political movement; it is a movement for right.”
“Can the Member confirm how many showers are located in Parliament Buildings? Are there any plans to increase the number of shower facilities?”
“— about the people who are in our homes and around us.”
“I thank the Minister for her answer. She touched on the point that I wanted to raise. What can be done by her Department and by the Education Minister to raise that awareness? There was a programme called "Talk PANTS", which was absolutely excellent. What more can we do in that space so that parents, young people and children understand that the greatest risk comes from those who have access to them and the trust of their family? We need to stop worrying about strangers and start worrying —”
“<BR /> <BR />We know, because they have told us, that many of the mothers and children who went through the system suffered trauma at the hands of the Church and the state. As the Government of today, we must do all that we can to make amends for that and not to add to that trauma. I hope that we can all work together with the mothers, the adult adoptees and their families to pass legislation that will go some way to making right the terrible wrongs of the past.”
“I have deep concerns about that arbitrary cut-off date for posthumous claims. It is not simply about the ability of those families to claim redress; it is very much about the acknowledgement and recognition of their loved ones who are now deceased. I appreciate that there is significant work to be done on apology and memorialisation, but the cut-off date feels particularly cruel to those whose loved ones — mothers and adopted children — have passed away. It is important that the Committee work with the Department to address that along with any other concerns that may be highlighted by the mothers and adult adoptees during the scrutiny process. I will certainly work with you to that end.”
“Those women and girls were further abused by those who should have cared for them when they were pregnant, frightened and vulnerable. We have heard in some of the testimonies about the physical, psychological and emotional abuse and the cruel and humiliating treatment, but we need the inquiry to get a full understanding of the scale and detail of what happened. There needs to be understanding and acknowledgement, and we must do our best to meet the needs of those who suffered and whose entire lives have been shaped by what happened to them. <BR /> <BR />The Committee Stage is the opportunity to get into the detail and look at what amendments may need to be made to the Bill to ensure that it meets the needs of victims and survivors. I specifically raise my concerns about the cut-off date of 2011 for posthumous payments in clause 31(5)(b).”
“They were not protected because of the nature of society at that time and those who ruled it. <BR /> <BR />There must be ongoing engagement with mothers and adoptees to understand what changes may be required to meet their needs. Mothers and their children suffered at the hands of a system that treated them as though they were a stain on society, when, in fact, Church and state and their treatment of women and girls and their children were and are the stain on society. It is worth remembering that many of the mothers were little more than children, and some of them were actually children. Some suffered abuse and sexual violence, and some were in the care of the state and religious institutions, though I use the term "care" loosely.”
“I welcome the fact that we have finally got to a point at which we have legislation before the Assembly to provide for an inquiry and redress for the victims and survivors of mother-and-baby institutions, Magdalene laundries and workhouses. It is a testament to the mothers and adoptees who have campaigned over many years and laid bare their souls to help us understand what they went through, which they should never have had to do but did. I know that many in the Chamber and many who came before us have met those mothers and adoptees over many years. <BR /> <BR />It is important that we all understand that this is the beginning of a legislative process, and I associate myself with much of the commentary by Members, particularly on the issue of misogyny and the fact that this was about women and their children.”
“I thank the Minister for her statement. The exercise was definitely worthwhile. What oversight did the Department have of it?”
“In the conversations on victims and witnesses, particularly on domestic abuse and sexual violence, was there discussion of the giving of character references to those accused of such crimes and of maybe doing something more into line with what they do in the South, where character referees have to take the stand, which means that they are aware of what the person for whom they are giving the character reference has been accused?”
“I apologise for not being in my place yesterday. I thought that my question had been withdrawn. <BR /> <BR />Minister, will the cost of the works at the new maternity hospital be borne by the public purse, or will it be possible to get the money back from the contractor in any way? If you do not know, when will we know?”
“I thank the Minister for his statement. I refer to a couple of comments made by the Member for North Belfast and the Member for South Down about delay and hypocrisy. There has been no hypocrisy so great as the hypocrisy hanging clean out of the DUP, which blocked the anti-poverty strategy for a long number of years and would not allow the invaluable work that was ongoing with the sectors to continue. <BR /> <BR />Minister, will you give us some detail on who will make up the anti-poverty strategy board, what mechanisms will be put in place and who the board will report to?”
“I appreciate the fact that the Minister has engaged with the unions on the issue. That is positive, and I hope that it continues throughout the process, either through Peter McBride or the Department. <BR /> <BR />Minister, you have yet to receive the Belfast Trust's action plan. Will you reassure me that, in the interests of accountability and transparency, when you do receive it, you will publish it for everyone to see? That is about the public confidence that other Members and you have spoken about.”
“Minister, you disengaged from the anti-poverty strategy co-design group, which was a mistake, because you might have had a much more worthwhile document had you engaged fully with that group. How will you engage with the expert groups during the consultation? For the consultation and strategy to work, you need to work with the people who know what they are talking about.”
“Will the Minister please outline how TEO is working collaboratively across the Executive to ensure that we tackle violence against women and girls? What are the expected outcomes from its collaborative work?”
“I thank the Member for her supplementary question, because it is important for us to understand the evaluation process to make sure that we get the best value for money.”
“— young people and the PSNI and DFI. I again thank all the families who have come here today.”
“— and her announcement today, I hope that you will know that we have listened and acted and will continue to listen. It is not a silver bullet solution. We need to work with everyone, including families, advocate groups, school and youth groups —”
“<BR /> <BR />The most important thing to all of us, as parents, is the safety of our children. When they go to school every day, we think that they will come home. I cannot begin to imagine what it is like for the families who did not have that experience or those for whom the child who came back to them was not the child who left home that morning. I cannot begin to put myself in your shoes. Through what Minister Liz Kimmins has done in recent weeks, in launching the awareness campaign —”
“We all have a responsibility to ensure that we do everything that we can as individuals, leaders in our communities and legislators to ensure the safety of all road users. If the Minister's announcement today about her intention to introduce legislation can help to ensure that no family has to suffer the loss and trauma that the families who are with us today have endured, that is one positive step. <BR /> <BR />Last week, as a member of the Policing Board, I visited the road safety division of the PSNI. It was a real eye-opener to understand the full extent of the work that it carries out. When I met the families earlier today, they highlighted the fact that they do important work with that division by advising it on how its processes work for families and victims.”
“It is clear that we need to see a change and a cultural shift in safety awareness. We must all be aware of the danger that we can pose to ourselves and others through our behaviour on the roads. <BR /> <BR />As Members, we have outlined that an education response will be required. We need to ensure that we have a fit-for-purpose, robust and compulsory road safety programme as part of the curriculum. I was glad to hear the Minister's comments about engagement with the Education Minister on what more we can do, and I ask that specific work be done by the Education Department with the Education Authority's transport division to look at the safety of bus pick-up and drop-off points. We have talked much today about speeds around schools, but children are getting off buses on rural roads, and most of the incidents do not happen around schools.”
“I thank everybody who took part in the debate and those who tabled the motion and amendments. <BR /> <BR />We cannot overstate the significance of the issue, which is most vividly expressed by the attendance in the Public Gallery of families who have been impacted on by serious road traffic collisions resulting in the death of or serious and life-changing injuries to their children. As others have outlined, our thoughts are with you and your families. I am sure that the debate, whilst welcome, is extremely difficult for you all. <BR /> <BR />I am glad to hear resounding support from all Benches for improved safety for children and young people on our roads. In that vein, I welcome the Minister's campaign, launched a few weeks ago, on the overtaking of stationary school buses.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle.”
“I thank the Minister for that answer. I am glad to hear that the sentencing Bill will finally be coming to the House, because it is really important. Can you give us some sense of what will be included in the Bill? I am really happy to hear that Charlotte's law will be included, but, when it comes to violence against women and girls, what else will be included? Some recent sentences for serious crimes against women and girls have been nothing short of absolutely disgraceful.”
“I thank you, Minister, for giving way. I will make it brief, as I do not want to eat into your time. Do you agree that Right Care, Right Person becomes even more important in relation to stigma? It should not be the police that respond to people who are victims and addicts. We should have a health service response for those people.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. I am going to give away my age now, but I remember, in 2007, before I was elected, the very gentleman who sits in front of me and who is now Finance Minister was part of a discussion about fiscal freedom. A motion came before the House, and the SDLP did not think that we were ready for fiscal freedom or to have the levers of fiscal power. SDLP Members should be reminded of that fact.”
“The Minister will be aware that while some people are waiting for their surgery, some people have had their surgery but unfortunately are no longer with us. I hope that this provides us with an opportunity to reassure people that their loved one is not deceased because of what was happening in the cardiac surgery unit. This report was instigated because there were concerns. I want to understand what has been done in the interim. I sincerely hope that we did not wait for a report with recommendations in order to do something about what was going on in the cardiac surgery team.”
“I appreciate the Member's giving way. Like him, I did not intend to say anything. I have heard a lot in the Chamber about the cost of the migrant population. I have heard nothing about what migrants have added and the value that they have brought here. I am not just talking about the value in diversity but about actual economic value. In my area of Mid Ulster, many businesses in the manufacturing and agri-food sectors would not be there if it were not for our migrant population.”
“Minister, I am sure that everybody thought that everybody was on their game and doing their very best when we had the cervical smear scandal in the Southern Trust. What we really need is some reassurance on the accountability mechanisms. <BR /> <BR />I think that you will agree that the most important element of tackling health inequalities is education. Women need to understand the importance of the cervical smear, and they need to understand that that does not detect ovarian cancer or womb cancer. We need to understand as women exactly what cervical smear testing will detect and what it will not so that we are not afraid to go forward when there are other symptoms.”
“I welcome the Minister's statement and his previous answer in particular. Can the information that will be shared with Mr Donnelly about those projects be shared with Health Committee members? That will be really important. It is really welcome that the Council approved the child protection work programme for 2025-28. Again, I would appreciate it if the detail of that could be shared with Committees. What in that, or in your conversations, will ensure that what happened to Kyran Durnin from Drogheda, a young boy who had supposedly moved to the North but was not followed up on and was murdered, never happens again? We know that the most dangerous place for a child in this country is in their own home.”
“Every element of what we do here needs to be about supporting those families and the people affected. We must remember the many families who are impacted on, and there will be so many more. None of us knows whether we will be that person. I hope every day that it will not be me or anybody whom I love, but none of us knows. I therefore ask everybody to support Dementia Action Week, and I ask the Health Minister to make sure that people have early access to GPs and other health services.”
“In my family, my cousins looked after their mummy, and my uncle looked after his wife, for many years as though she were an egg. She was a beautiful person inside and out. They did everything for her that they possibly could, and they did it with the support of the Alzheimer's Society. I acknowledge that it did a lot of work, but they were the ones who were there day in, day out. Her husband, daughter and sons cared for her, loved her, fed her and made sure that they talked to her just as they had talked to her every other day of her life. They did not treat her any differently, and that was so important. <BR /> <BR />To be able to do that, people require support from all of us in government to support them in the community, through the benefits that are available and through the health service.”
“Many drugs are coming online that can either delay or prevent dementia. We need to work hard, and our Minister needs to look at what can be done to ensure that those drugs are available to all who need them. We also need early diagnosis. We talked yesterday about the availability of and access to GPs. If people cannot access GPs and other services in the health sector, they will not get diagnosed, and it will then be too late for the medication to be of any use to them. I call on the Minister of Health to address and action that issue and to make sure that all people can get early access not only to GP services but to the services that are needed to diagnose them fully. <BR /> <BR />People have been crying out for help for many years. I am sure that there are Members in the Chamber today who have been affected.”