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.”
The complete record
Every one of 1,578 lines we hold for Linda Dillon, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 11 of 32.
“Today, I mark Dementia Action Week. I thank the Alzheimer's Society for the pin that it gave me as I came in here today and for all the work that it does with families and those who, unfortunately, suffer from the effects of Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia. The issue is a serious challenge for our health and social care system. In the North, treating dementia currently costs us £1 billion a year, and it is estimated that, in the next 15 years, that figure will rise to £2 billion. That is a serious cost to our economy, our society and our health system, but the greatest cost is to families: to those who suffer from dementia and to the people who love, support and look after them. We therefore need to make sure that we do all that we can. <BR /> <BR />There is much work happening in the field of research.”
“Minister, you outlined in your statement — you just said it again — that there could be catastrophic cuts that cost lives. The inability to access a GP and to have fully functioning, sustainable GP services is costing lives and will cost lives into the future. Evidence was given at the Committee last week about the late diagnosis of many palliative care patients. If you cannot access your GP, you will get a late diagnosis, if you get a diagnosis at all. What are you going to do? You said that it is no longer a negotiation, but how does that align with your stated commitment to ongoing dialogue with the BMA and GPs?”
“<BR /> <BR />Thankfully, Mary was taken to the hospital by a friend. She was taken not by the ambulance or by the health professionals who came out to see her but by a friend, and her life was saved. She had three young children. It could easily have been lights out for Mary and a family member lost. I want people to know that and to educate themselves, and I want to ensure that our health professionals are educated. <BR /> <BR />I did not intend to make this remark, but I feel that I must, before I sit down. As a woman who has often been afraid, I have never ever been afraid of a transgender woman or a black man. It is white men from here whom I have been afraid of. Do you know why? It is because 30 women have been murdered in the North in the past five years, and all of them, without exception, were murdered by white men from here.”
“<BR /> <BR />It is a common experience for all women, but particularly for young women, to be told, when they are having heart failure or a heart attack, that it is an anxiety attack or a panic attack. They are diagnosed with everything but what is actually happening to them. We need some education on that. We need to educate ourselves so that we understand the symptoms, but our health professionals and others around us also need to understand that women have heart failure and heart attacks. More women die from heart and circulatory issues than from all female cancers combined. We need to take on and challenge the issue, and t needs to be taken on as part of a women's health strategy. I am sure that the Minister is well used to listening to me speak about that, but it is important. As I said, we do not want to set records such as this.”
“I will speak about the British Heart Foundation's commentary on 'Good Morning Ulster' this morning on the results that show increasing numbers of people being diagnosed with heart failure, and I am glad that the Minister is in the Chamber to hear this. The increasing number of diagnoses is very concerning. I know that you have a history of heart problems, Minister, so you will be well aware of the matter. We now have the highest number ever, and those are not records that we want to set. I was extremely concerned by the comments made by the young woman, Mary McFarland, who spoke on the radio show. She is in her early 40s with three young children. She was actively having a heart attack but was told by health professionals that she was not and that it was a panic attack.”
“Thank you, Minister, for your answers so far. We know about the very concerning waiting times for cancer referral, diagnosis and treatment. Will you give us detail on how the combined initiatives will begin to have a positive impact on waiting times? How impactful will they be on bringing those waiting times in all cancers back within target?”
“I thank the Member for taking an intervention. It is true to say that anybody will be able to access the new certificate, and I am sure that the Member will agree that it never should be the case that one mother's pain be pitted against another mother's pain in order to prove a point, so I ask him please not to do that.”
“Minister, given the recent break-ins at Dundonald House, will you assure us that all steps have been taken to secure it?”
“I have spoken to many providers that have said that they had capacity and would be willing to take additional numbers but that would require the Minister to give clear direction to the Education Authority on a flexible approach. The Minister needs to listen to and work with providers, parents and families to deal with the current challenge. It is simply unacceptable in this day and age that children would not be able to access a preschool placement. <BR /> <BR />Before I finish, I congratulate Coalisland Na Fianna on its unbelievable fundraising efforts for children from Palestine to come here to be operated on in Dublin. It raised over £53,000. Déanaim comhghairdeas leis Na Fianna, Oileán an Ghuail, a bhailigh airgead ar son páistí ón Phalaistín le déanaí.”
“<BR /> <BR />I have been contacted by many parents and preschool providers in the statutory and community sectors about a severe shortage of nursery placements, and that is across urban and rural areas of Mid Ulster. As in all these things, rural areas are often hardest hit because of already limited provision. Many working parents are being told that there is no available preschool placement for their child. That is not acceptable. Every child should have the opportunity to avail themselves of a preschool placement to ensure the best possible educational experience and outcome for all our children. <BR /> <BR />The Minister needs to have a flexible approach to the number of placements in community settings.”
“Last Wednesday, an email was issued in error by the Education Authority regarding preschool and primary 1 placements. The error in itself caused confusion and anxiety. The start of a child's educational journey is a significant milestone for families, one that is already stressful. The email only added to the concern and uncertainty of many families in my area. The Education Authority has since said that it was investigating why it happened. It is vital that it takes steps to ensure that it does not happen again. The error has also created a situation in which any parent wishing to appeal the decision regarding their child's placement is unable to do so, as the appeals form will not be available until later this week, when parents should have received the placement notification.”
“I thank the Member for taking an intervention. I know that the issue is close to her heart. It impacts on those with illnesses and disabilities, but it also impacts on their carers, who are the very people whom they rely on. Where can they turn? There is a serious, wider impact across our system and our people.”
“I thank the Minister for her answer. I agree with Mr Harvey: we need to move outside North Antrim and all of Antrim. I am going to focus on Mid Ulster, which, I am sure, will not come as any surprise to you. Minister, what engagement have you had, particularly with the engineering sector in Mid Ulster, on the work that is being undertaken to develop the investment zone proposition?”
“While I understand the Minister's point about geography — I absolutely agree with you on that issue — we can see clearly, as identified in the reconfiguration, that Craigavon will be needed as an acute hospital. Does the Member agree that it is not about where it is but about the need for the hospital to service the people who use it?”
“I was too quietly spoken — I never thought that I would be accused of that. Does the Member agree that, if it can be shown that those costs are being incurred to the benefit of patients — the service users — that is fine? If plans are years in the making, in that period, new ideas and innovation may come along that will improve the service or the outcomes for patients. If we can be shown that, that is fine, but the problem is where those costs get out of control for no apparent reason.”
“In order to support and work with you and your officials, we need to see genuine transparency, openness and clarity about what you are doing and why. <BR /> <BR />I hope that, in your response today, you will finally give us a time frame for the delivery of modern, safe and fit-for-purpose facilities so that the people of the Southern Trust area and all those who are served by the Southern Trust — they come from across the North — who will rely on care provided in Craigavon Area Hospital in the coming years get the care that they deserve in buildings that are fit for that care to be given in.”
“Thank you. <BR /> <BR />That is exactly my point in talking about having well-thought-through plans and ensuring that our development plans go hand in glove with our reconfiguration plans and about what our hospital estate should look like; you are absolutely right. <BR /> <BR />The Department needs to hold trusts accountable. That accountability matters because, when things go wrong, it is patients and staff who pay the price. <BR /> <BR />Let me be clear: I am not here just to criticise, and neither, as a collective, is the Health Committee. Minister, we want to work with you, we want to see progress, we want to see redevelopment delivered, and we want to see you succeed because, if you succeed, the people of the Southern Trust area and all our people across the North and the wider health service will be better off.”
“Trusts must be supported to deliver good services in fit-for-purpose accommodation and be held accountable by your Department for how they spend that money.”
“Before Christmas, the Minister brought back Professor Bengoa — he was right to do so — who reminded us all that, without major change within the next 15 years, the Department of Health will consume the entire Budget of the Executive; now, that means within the next 14 years. He is not wrong, but transformation has to be done properly: it has to be strategic, well thought through and properly consulted on in an open and transparent manner, and it then needs to be implemented. <BR /> <BR />It is time to look not just at how much is being spent but at where and how it is being spent. Minister, as our leader in Health, you are ultimately responsible. We need to see strong leadership and well-thought-through plans.”
“<BR /> <BR />We are well aware of the excess deaths that occurred in the Southern Trust during the COVID outbreak due to the lack of suitable facilities. As the Member who spoke previously outlined, those were due to the lack of isolation facilities and to poor ventilation. That is some reflection on us as a First World country. <BR /> <BR />Minister, this is not just about Craigavon Area Hospital. It speaks to a bigger issue with planning and investment across the entire health service. When services are added or transformed, the facilities must follow; in fact, if we were doing it right, the facilities would be there first. We cannot separate transformation from infrastructure. Reconfiguration plans must go hand in glove with development and capital planning. <BR /> <BR />We, in this Building, have said much about transformation.”
“I have dealt with cases of patients with open wounds, at serious risk of infection and, if they were to contract infection, death, being cared for in open wards because of extremely limited access to single or isolated rooms. You cannot have someone come out of surgery, vulnerable and in recovery, only to put them in an outdated, overcrowded ward with high infection risk; that is not how a modern health service should work. We have heard from the trust that there is simply not enough suitable space for people to recover in a safe environment. Even basic facilities such as toilets and showers are stretched. That is not just inconvenient; it is dangerous. Infection risk is heightened, staff are under constant pressure and patients do not get the experience or the outcomes that they deserve.”
“That is no reflection on the staff — I make that clear — or on their efforts in working in the confined space that they have.”
“What matters are the outcomes and the care that people get when they are in those buildings. We know that the care and outcomes for people have been affected in Craigavon Area Hospital by the state of the hospital.”
“I thank the proposer of the motion for bringing it before the House. <BR /> <BR />To be honest, this is a conversation that we should not still be having, 10 years after the master plan was developed. Craigavon Area Hospital had been crying out for redevelopment for many years before that. As we know, the master plan was finished in 2016, and, since then, we have had report after report and warning after warning but no action. I have raised this with the Department over the past three years. Even when we did not have a sitting Assembly, I raised with the permanent secretary at that time the issue that Craigavon hospital was in dire need of development. <BR /> <BR />The state of the hospital estate affects the care and outcomes for patients. That is the most important part of this. A hospital is only a building, at the end of the day.”
“It is about doing what is right: ensuring that we look after those with a terminal diagnosis, their families and the people whom they love. It is about ensuring that people spend their final months not in stress, fear and poverty but in peace, dignity and security. <BR /> <BR />Let us call on the British Government to show real compassion and act on that compassion. I urge the Minister to take that message directly to the British Government. I acknowledge that it is not something that you are able to do within your budget, which is why Marie Curie is carrying out its campaign across these islands and has brought it to Westminster. I ask you, Minister, to do the same.”
“The Health Committee inquiry into palliative care has already highlighted significant gaps between the policy approach to palliative care in the Twenty-six Counties and the lack of policy, strategy and funding for people with palliative care and end-of-life needs in the North. <BR /> <BR />The British Government have an opportunity to narrow the poverty gap for people at the end of life. Today, I call on the Minister for Communities to engage directly with the Department for Work and Pensions to press the British Government to make the necessary legislative and administrative changes to allow early access to the state pension for those with a terminal diagnosis. We must speak with one voice in support of those who are too often unheard.”
“Her work showed what is possible when a Government put people first. It is our responsibility to continue that work and to go further in ensuring that terminally ill people are treated with dignity and have the financial security that they deserve right to the end. <BR /> <BR />As the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu once said, we talk about the right to live, but we must also talk about the "right to die with dignity". That dignity is found not in spreadsheets or statistics but in how we treat people when they are at their most vulnerable. It is in whether we choose to stand by them or turn away, and, right now, too many are being failed by a British Government who have little in the way of a moral and compassionate approach to people anywhere across these islands.”
“For that reason, the motion asks the Communities Minister to engage directly with the British Government to support the Marie Curie campaign. At a time when the British Government are attacking access to benefits for those who are sick and disabled, we need them to take the lead on the issue. We cannot excuse inaction, and it must not prevent us from raising our voices and advocating change. <BR /> <BR />I acknowledge the important work of my colleague, former Minister for Communities Deirdre Hargey, who took decisive action during her time in office to extend access to the personal independence payment (PIP) for people diagnosed with a terminal illness. That significant and compassionate intervention made a real difference in people's lives. We need to build on the foundations laid by Deirdre.”
“Let me be clear: it is a political choice. If the British Government can find billions for bombs and weapons, they can find the relatively small amount needed to ensure that terminally ill people do not die in poverty but can access the pension that they have worked for all their life. Marie Curie has shown that allowing terminally ill people early access to the state pension would cost just 0·1% of the state pension budget; in other words, it is entirely affordable. Not only is it affordable, but it is happening elsewhere. Similar schemes exist in France, Germany and Italy, and, in the rest of Ireland, a disability pension can be accessed. Those Governments recognise that people at the end of life should not be punished by bureaucracy but protected by it.”
“It reveals that, every year, about 2,500 people across the North die in poverty, with one in four terminally ill people of working age dying below the poverty line. Behind those numbers are human beings — mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, children — who should spend their final months surrounded by family, not worrying about how to heat their homes or put food on the table.”
“<BR /> <BR />People with terminal illness and their families should not be forced to endure the added burden of financial hardship as they approach the end of their lives. The system needs to support them, not abandon them. Across these islands, we like to think of ourselves as a compassionate society that cares for people in their final days, but, right now, the reality is far from that. People who have worked all their lives, paid into the system, raised families and paid taxes are being told that, despite facing a terminal diagnosis, they must wait until pension age to access the very support that they have contributed to. That is indefensible and is why we are proposing the motion today. <BR /> <BR />Marie Curie's recent report 'Dying in Poverty' paints a harrowing picture.”
“I thank the Minister for being here. The motion has a straightforward ask, which is that our Communities Minister supports the campaign that Marie Curie has led to ask the British Government to legislate to allow those with terminal diagnoses to have early access to their state pension. The motion speaks to the heart of compassion and dignity for people who have been given a terminal diagnosis. Earlier, upstairs in room 115, Marie Curie held an event with pharmacists to discuss "daffodil standards" for pharmacy, which relate to palliative care patients. If our community pharmacists, GPs and front-line workers can give those who are potentially in the last months of life some dignity and look after them, the least that we can expect from the British Government is to do likewise.”
“Mid Ulster District Council introduced an Irish language street-sign policy when I was a councillor over 10 years ago. It is lovely to see many residents across my district of Mid Ulster embracing the bilingual signage, which illustrates an important part of the culture of all of us. Whether our background is Irish Scots, Gaeilge or whatever, it is really important and tells us something about the place from where we came. <BR /> <BR />I welcome the Education Minister's confirmation that work on the new build for Gaelscoil Úi Néill will begin in the coming months. Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire, Paul Givan, as a chuairt ar an scoil le pleananna na scoile nua a fheiceáil agus le blaiseadh a fháil ar a fháiltí atá na daoine óga agus foireann Ghaelscoil Uí Néill.”
“I am grateful to the small group of volunteers in Coalisland who fundraised for and founded Gaelscoil Uí Néill. I thank them for the opportunity that they gave my child, and hundreds of other children, to be educated through the medium of Irish. Gaelscoil Uí Néill is a thriving bilingual nursery and primary school that serves all the families in Coalisland and the surrounding area who want their children to be taught through the medium of Irish. <BR /> <BR />Tá an t-ádh orainn go bhfuil pobal Gaeilge faoi bhláth ar fud mo thoghcheantair, Lár Uladh. Tá a fhios agam gur céim cheart é coimisinéir teanga a cheapadh lena chinntiú go gcuirfear an teanga chun cinn mar is ceart agus go dtabharfar an tacaíocht cheart di.”
“Cuirim fáilte roimh an fhógra gur ghlac an Coiste Feidhmiúcháin an cinneadh stairiúil le coimisinéir Gaeilge agus coimisinéir Ultaise a cheapadh. Gabhaim buíochas le pobal na Gaeilge as a gcuid oibre le blianta fada leis an Ghaeilge a chur chun cinn.”
“Minister, do you agree that other factors affect the number of Catholics and Catholic representation, importantly, at every level. Do you agree that we need to see better representation not just in the numbers and percentages but at every level in the PSNI?”
“I thank the Member for giving way. Your point, which is that you are asking for one thing and one thing only, takes away from what Mr Durkan said, which was that we are not asking for one thing and one thing only but are accepting that a whole-system approach is needed. You know this, Colin, because you are on the Health Committee with me: we cannot fix what is happening in our emergency departments if we do not fix the flow through our hospitals.”
“I thank the Minister for giving way. I am sure that, if the Minister was not able to watch the Health Committee meeting on Thursday, officials will have listened to what was said. Will the Minister commit to meeting those who are involved in palliative care provision in order to ensure that people who receive palliative care, as was mentioned earlier, do not unnecessarily end up in hospital when there are services that could look after them much better in their home?”
“I will not go through all the statistics, but one vital one is that the number of people who self-present at a hospital has increased from 5% to 12% in the last five years. That is concerning, and it means that, potentially, people have worse outcomes. Everything that we have discussed in Committee and with the Minister in the Chamber is about what we will do to ensure better outcomes. We can ensure better outcomes only by having a whole-system approach. Therefore, I ask Members to support our amendment.”
“We need a joined-up, system-wide approach that is not only reactive but proactive. As I have said before — we need to say it again — all five heads of our trusts have said that we need a focus on social care. We will not fix the problem in our emergency departments and the Ambulance Service — more people dying who should not die and families being left with trauma — if we do not fix the flow-through and fix our social care system. <BR /> <BR />I support the motion. I ask Members to support our amendment. I ask again that our social care system be fixed to ensure that we do not end up with a crisis in emergency care and in order that our ambulance staff can get out to those who absolutely need them. <BR /> <BR />It is important to highlight some information that I was given by the British Heart Foundation.”
“That means making sure that we have the right workforce in place — I support what the Member said — from paramedics and ED staff to home-care providers and community and primary care staff. <BR /> <BR />Our ambulance crews do incredible work under immense pressure. The delays that we see are no reflection on them: they are the result of a system that is at and beyond breaking point. However, when paramedics are left waiting for hours outside hospitals unable to respond to new emergencies, we all lose. They lose the chance to rest and recover on what are already demanding shifts. <BR /> <BR />We cannot lose sight of the fact that behind every statistic is a person — someone who is waiting in pain and distress, often with a distraught family — and healthcare workers who are doing their best under impossible conditions.”
“It is important to look at the flow through hospitals first. My reason for saying that is this, and I have given the example before: when I visited the ED in Craigavon, there were 68 people in beds in the emergency department, and there were 62 people upstairs who were medically fit for discharge but were unable to be discharged for a number of reasons. That is not an acceptable position. The lead clinician on the day said to me, "Please do not allow them to extend our EDs. That is not the answer, and we will not have a resolution". Whilst I accept the motion and ask Members to support our amendment, I say that we need to focus on the flow through hospitals.”
“Having spoken with health professionals who work in our EDs, I do not believe that that is the way to address the issue. I have given the example before, but it is important to say it again.”
“Those are not just political talking points; they are practical opportunities that could make a real difference to patient outcomes. A truly effective approach must span the entire health system, and that means strengthening primary and community care so that fewer people end up in hospital in the first place. It means ensuring timely discharges with care packages, where needed, so that people are not stuck in beds that they no longer need and, frankly, no longer want. They want to be at home with their family, where they can get better in the way that they want to. <BR /> <BR />The Member for Foyle, Mark Durkan, made the point that the Ambulance Service can be fixed in isolation without the flow through our hospitals being addressed.”
“As I have outlined, community care is vital, and we should not ignore that when we look at how we can work better together on a cross-border basis.”
“We need to look at things such as the Getting It Right First Time review of emergency medicine, but any strategy must be rooted in the realities of the North: our rurality, our infrastructure gaps and our stretched capacity across the board. The NHS in the North is broken. <BR /> <BR />The Minister must work across Departments and borders. There is real potential for deeper cooperation with the Minister for Health in Dublin to improve how we coordinate the emergency response in border areas and make efficient use of cross-border health infrastructure, not just in our emergency response but across the board.”
“That is not where they should be. That is because of a failure to diagnose early enough and to have proper services in primary care and community care, and we need to seriously address both. <BR /> <BR />We need to see solutions that are locally tailored, particularly when you consider the added challenge of delivering timely emergency care in rural and dispersed communities such as those that I mentioned in my constituency. That must be recognised and reflected in how resources are allocated, how services are designed and how we, as an Executive, work together across the board to ensure that we deliver for rural communities. We need to look outwards in order to learn from best practice models elsewhere. I absolutely accept that, but we need to ensure that those are tailored for communities and people here.”
“They are a vital part of our entire health system, but they are not the answer to everything. When a handover stalls, it creates a domino effect, and we all have far too many examples of that. Ambulance availability drops, patients wait longer for help and staff are left stuck between hospital corridors and back-to-back shifts. That is not sustainable, and it is not fair on patients or staff. The problem is not unique to the North, but emergency department attendance here is notably higher than it is elsewhere. Some hospitals are clearly under more pressure than others. We need to understand why emergency department attendance is higher here. At the Health Committee, we have heard in evidence session after evidence session that many people who could and should be cared for in the community end up in our emergency departments.”
“We want to support the Health Minister and ensure that we have a better health service for all our people. Whilst I recognise the significant challenges facing the Minister, people across the North need to see meaningful action, especially in rural areas such as those in my constituency, which stretches from Clonoe to Swatragh. As a resident of Clonoe, I am in the very fortunate position of being 15 minutes up the motorway from Craigavon Area Hospital. However, there are many in Pomeroy, Kildress and Galbally who are much further away from their closest hospital and, therefore, their closest emergency department. Our people need to know that the crisis is being tackled, not just talked about. <BR /> <BR />We are well aware that ambulances are not a stand-alone service.”
“We all know that ambulance waiting times across the North have worsened significantly. That, alongside the growing delays in ambulance handovers at emergency departments, paints a deeply concerning picture of how patient safety is at risk and the wider health system is being undermined. The recent report from the Audit Office laid that out clearly and highlighted not only the human cost to patients and their families but the serious pressure that is being placed on Ambulance Service staff and resources. We need to hear directly from the Health Minister on how he intends to respond. Recommendations have been made: we need to see their delivery. <BR /> <BR />I welcome the fact that health has been made a priority by the Executive and, I hope, the entire Assembly.”