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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“Go raibh maith agat, a Phríomh-Leas-Cheann Comhairle.”
“I am glad to hear of the intention for a wider programme. First Minister, will you detail how you will ensure that the voices of victims and survivors are heard and that they are engaged throughout the widening of the programme?”
“I thank the Member for taking an intervention. Like her, I am a farmer's daughter, and my mother was a farmer's wife. I absolutely agree about the support that is required. The Minister should consider what work can be done with schools and in other education settings to encourage young women to enter the sector and to ensure that they know that, when they do so, they will be given the appropriate support.”
“Thank you, Minister. Minister, will you outline the similarities in the approaches to decarbonisation, North and South, please?”
“<BR /> <BR />I ask the Minister and the strategic planning and performance group to look at what services are currently commissioned and what can be commissioned. Let us be innovative and deliver for those families and children. In some cases, they have life-limiting conditions. Let us ensure that the life that they live is a good life.”
“There are a number of other services: we know that children are often unable to access the percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) feeding surgery. All those issues feed into serious concerns about the health services that our children receive. <BR /> <BR />I welcome the Minister's announcement on the new children's hospital. It is positive, a good thing and much-needed. We visited the children's hospital in the Twenty-six Counties, and I hope that excellent services will be delivered there for children right across this island. However, I want to know what will be delivered when we have our hospital and what will be delivered for children and their families before we have the hospital.”
“However, at this time, there is absolutely no service. We need multidisciplinary teams so that, when the children are diagnosed, all their needs are looked at. The lack of a service will have an impact not only on the children's health but on their education, socialisation and every element of their life. I pay tribute to the parents and carers, because they are fighting for everything that those children have, and they receive nothing in return. <BR /> <BR />I ask the Minister to look seriously at our children's services and to look not only at that one condition. We heard yesterday about givinostat, which is used to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy. We need to look seriously at what services are available for those children as well. The same multidisciplinary team approach should be applied.”
“I rise to speak about a number of children's healthcare issues. I recently met two families who have children with achondroplasia, which is a form of dwarfism. At the moment, there is no clear pathway for those children when they are diagnosed. Not only that but there are no services for them. They may be lucky enough to get on to clinical trials in England or in the South, but that is the only type of service that is provided for those children. <BR /> <BR />The families understand that the condition is rare and that they therefore may not be able to have a dedicated service just for such children in the North. They ask the Minister to look at other opportunities, such as whether there is potential for an all-island service or a service that is linked with one in England, where something might be done remotely.”
“Will the Minister outline whether it is possible to look at it under that guidance?”
“I thank the Member for sharing his personal experience. Unfortunately, a number of families in my area of Coalisland also have children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. <BR /> <BR />There is a pathway to bring in medication prior to NICE —.”
“<BR /> <BR />I think of all the women and girls who went through the mother-and-baby homes in particular. Those women went through the most difficult times, but some of them are the strongest women in our community, so I want to mention them especially today.”
“<BR /> <BR />I call on the Assembly to "Accelerate action" by reaffirming its commitment to and support for gender equality. I like the word "accelerate" because it means to go faster. Let us go faster. Let us make this happen faster. Let us make the place that we leave a much better place for our daughters, our nieces and, hopefully, our granddaughters. I certainly do not want it to be the place that it was for our mothers and grandmothers, because it was a difficult place to be. However, I will say, and I think that this was mentioned, that we are the woman we are today because of those women. I am certainly the woman I am today because of my mother, my grandmother, their mothers and the women who fought in the most difficult times here.”
“Thank you very much for coming here and supporting your female colleagues. It is very much welcomed. <BR /> <BR />I know that I speak for all my caucus colleagues when I say that I will leave the Chamber this evening feeling uplifted and with a renewed commitment to ensure that we, as elected representatives, keep extending the ladder of participation as we strive for a truly representative political landscape. This International Women's Day is a worldwide call to acknowledge strategies, resources and activity that will have a positive impact on women's advancement, including CEDAW — Kellie Armstrong mentioned looking at CEDAW and ensuring that that is brought into much more of what we do in this place — and to support and elevate their implementation.”
“We were delighted to recently engage with so many other women in public life and the women's sector. We discussed how we can stand strong in our power and how we can represent and lead without having to break down unnecessary barriers. The feedback from those events will help us to pave the way for change. <BR /> <BR />We want to promote gender equality in political representation as essential and as being achievable with the correct, targeted action. I know that quotas are not for everybody, but it worked for our party. I ask Members to consider it, because, if you are looking around you and everyone around you is male, something is wrong. You have to ask what it is that you can do. That does not mean that those males are bad; we have a lot of time for them. Actually, I welcome the males who have been in the Chamber for the debate.”
“Obviously, now, our male colleagues will potentially get paternity leave and provision will be made for those with long-term health problems. It was really important to have proxy voting to facilitate maternity leave for women, because we have female colleagues who get pregnant — Kate Nicholl is pregnant at the moment. I cannot think of anybody else at the moment, but there may be someone whom we do not know about. It is really important. We cannot say that we want more young women in politics but do absolutely nothing to encourage them. <BR /> <BR />As a caucus, we know the power of listening, engaging and discussing. I described how hearing from Lilian Seenoi-Barr at our most recent event was an education for me. We aim to work collectively to create change and use our voices to empower one another.”
“I wondered whether we could have proxy voting so that women could have maternity leave, but I was told, "Absolutely not"; it could not be done. It might look like self-preservation, but I was a woman in my 40s with one child, so I was pretty sure that I was not having any more. It was nothing to do with self-preservation, but I thought that it was important. If we want to encourage young women to enter politics, we need to make it possible for them to do so. When COVID hit, however, and proxy voting was required for everybody, it was possible to introduce it straight away; it was not a problem. <BR /> <BR />Thankfully, proxy voting is now available, but that is what it took for us to be able to start the journey of getting it.”
“Cheryl Brownlee mentioned inspirational women in sport and science, and I am glad that she mentioned that jockey. I back her at every opportunity that I get because I want to see her win. It is really important to see women in those leadership roles and showing people that they can do it. We all know that they had greater challenges getting to those positions than any of their male counterparts. Again, however, in many circumstances, they did that with the support of their male colleagues and their friends. <BR /> <BR />I wanted gender quotas when I was first elected to this place, but I was told that it could not be done. I looked at other things that we could consider to urge more women into politics in this place.”
“She talked to me about the advancement of women in politics in Kenya and what they have done over many, many years, long before anybody else was doing it. That was in what people consider to be a developing country. Well, let me tell you this: Kenya is well developed and ahead of all the "developed" countries in how to promote women in politics. I thank Lilian for speaking to me that day. It was an education in itself.”
“<BR /> <BR />Gerry Carroll mentioned the women of Palestine, and Cara dedicated her speech to the women of Palestine. That was really poignant for us to hear, particularly today when meetings are happening in Cairo to address what will happen in Palestine in the future. Let us hope that they consider the women of Palestine. <BR /> <BR />I am not sure whether it was Cara or Sinéad who mentioned Lilian Seenoi-Barr. Lilian gave us an education at the Women's Caucus event that was held upstairs. I could not stay for the entire event, but Lilian was at the table that I sat at.”
“Aoife is determined to raise her voice for the people of Newry and Armagh. She spoke about the transformative impact of strong female leadership and about gender equality as a societal issue. <BR /> <BR />Kellie Armstrong spoke of the need for women to ask other women to stand for election and to support each other in that. I absolutely agree with Kellie, because I have done it. I have approached women and asked them whether they would consider standing for election. Recently, two such women agreed to stand in the council elections, and they were both elected. They are outstanding women, and I am really proud. I have to say that the men around them supported them too, which is really important. A number of those who spoke in the debate referred to support from men. It is really important.”
“We know that the most dangerous place in western Europe for a woman is their own home in the North of Ireland, where they may experience violence at the hands of somebody who is supposed to love them. Diana Armstrong outlined the importance of women being in leadership roles and of women's voices being heard. Sinéad McLaughlin spoke about the importance of the APG on UNSCR 1325, Women, Peace and Security in raising gender equality issues. We can be in no doubt that the APG is doing a good job and that it is important that that continues. I thank Sinéad and all those on the APG for their contribution. <BR /> <BR />Aoife Finnegan spoke about being a proud south Armagh woman, and I join her in that. I am also a proud south Armagh woman who is proud now to represent women, men and everybody across Mid Ulster.”
“As a member of the Women's Caucus, it is my privilege to wind on the debate. I thank everyone who contributed to it. We give special thanks to Aoife, who made her maiden speech in the Chamber. We will all agree, I think, that it was a very strong speech. It just shows the strength of the women in the Chamber, which is a really good place for us to be. <BR /> <BR />Aisling mentioned the need for us to have a women's health strategy. That is really important. We have heard from the Health Minister that there will be a women's health action plan. That is really appreciated, but we need to see it come forward soon. We have only to listen to Cara Hunter's contribution about all the struggles to do with women's health to know how badly the action plan is needed. <BR /> <BR />Connie Egan talked about the threat of gender-based violence.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle.”
“You know that I have very personal reasons for having an interest in the A5 and how it is progressed. When do you expect to receive a judgement following the hearing?”
“I thank the Minister for the statement; it is much appreciated. It is interesting that Mr O'Toole thinks that transformation is about reducing waiting lists. Reducing waiting lists is what the Minister has said that he will do with the money that he has got to do exactly that. Transformation is about transforming how we deliver health, and multidisciplinary teams are one way to do that. That is about early intervention and ensuring that people get treatment where and when they need it. Can the Minister give us some more information about the primary care multidisciplinary teams, please?”
“Can you outline what engagement you or your Department had with the councils in the development of the co-design of the football fund? Forty per cent seems quite substantial.”
“I thank the First Minister for committing to work with the board to maximise the benefit for everybody across our community. First Minister, will you confirm that the regeneration of the site remains a key priority for the Executive?”
“I thank the Member for taking an intervention. Does he agree that those immigrants are the people who are working in our hospitals and our healthcare systems and that some of them, due to inflammatory language, had their homes attacked recently? We need to be careful about what we say and about the leadership that we give in the House.”
“Thank you, Minister, for your answer. Operation Encompass, as you outlined, came in under the Domestic Abuse Act, and it has been valuable. Do you see merit in broadening it out in its referrals to children who go into school?”
“I look forward to hearing your response, Minister, and I am sure that my colleague Emma Sheerin, all representatives across the House and I will support you in anything that you can do to review the process.”
“Thank you. The Member has read my mind. I was going to say to the Minister, "You could lead the way here. Other Departments use similar procurement processes that are equally inefficient, so you have an opportunity to work with our schools and show other Departments that it can be done". It can be done with proper oversight and accountability, which I do not want to be removed — we have to be responsible. <BR /> <BR />I urge the Minister to take on board the concerns that are being raised with us by school representatives across Mid Ulster and review the procurement process as a matter of urgency. Whilst the debate is specifically about Mid Ulster, the issue impacts on all school communities across the North.”
“We expect schools to make efficiencies and savings, but we ask them to do so with not one hand but, often, both hands tied behind their back.”
“<BR /> <BR />I have heard examples of the current procurement process costing anything up to three to four times what schools are quoted for maintenance works. In one case, a school was quoted £860 for new flooring; that was for the work and everything, all in. When the school had to go through the EA process, it ended up paying £2,400 for the same company to put the flooring in. The company showed the school its invoice. It did not charge the EA one penny more than the quote that it gave the school. That is seriously concerning. We could give many examples like that, as others have done — we do not need to give more — that show the importance of the issue and the savings that there could be for schools.”
“Simplifying the procurement procedures for lower-value contracts can alleviate administrative burdens. Streamlined processes would enable rural schools to respond swiftly to pressing maintenance needs, ensuring that essential repairs were not delayed by bureaucratic hurdles. <BR /> <BR />In essence, while centralised procurement aims to ensure consistency and fairness, flexibility, with appropriate oversight and accountability mechanisms, is crucial, because that will allow significant savings in our schools' seriously stretched budgets. By striking a balance between good practice and cost-saving measures, essential works can be carried out in our schools without imposing undue financial strain. Other Members have described how that can be done in our school family and by the people who want to support our schools.”
“I thank my colleague Emma Sheerin for bringing the Adjournment debate to the House. The Member who spoke before me referred to the fact that this could save the Government money. It actually could save schools money. Procurement costs come out of the school budget, and we know how difficult schools are having it and how much they are struggling to save money in their budgets. We need a balanced approach to the challenges that have been outlined; that is essential. We need an approach that maintains robust procurement practices whilst being mindful of cost efficiencies. Empowering our rural schools across Mid Ulster with greater autonomy over procurement decisions could be very beneficial for the schools — pupils, staff and principals — and all the people who are trying to deliver the best education for our children.”
“Minister, with regard to Mrs Guy's questions about the protocols, are you saying that something has changed and that something new has been implemented to ensure that the PHA has that overarching responsibility to ensure that what happens in the trusts' screening programmes is being done effectively and properly and that there are no issues? Also, will you give us some reassurance on the accreditation status of the HPV screening services in the Belfast Trust that are currently in place? I would encourage every woman to have her screening and smear test done.”
“We must also ensure that women do not continue to bear the financial and career cost of caring and that no one is forced into poverty simply because they care for someone whom they love. <BR /> <BR />Let this be the day that we stop failing our carers and start delivering the support that they deserve by working cross-departmentally in a genuinely joined-up approach to support the people who need us most.”
“Studies have shown that increasing access to paid social care services would help carers to return to employment, boosting household incomes and reducing the risk of long-term dependency on benefits, yet we continue to expect carers to simply cope without those essential supports. It is just not fair. It is economically short-sighted. <BR /> <BR />I commend my colleague Dr Caoimhe Archibald for her instrumental role in introducing the Civil Service guide, 'Supporting Carers'. That initiative is a significant step towards acknowledging and supporting carers in our workforce. We need a cross-departmental approach to carer support. We must ensure that rural carers are not left behind. Integral to that is focused work by the Health Minister to address the recruitment and retention of those who provide social care in our communities.”
“Rural carers are isolated, often living miles from hospitals, GP surgeries and support services. Public transport is unreliable or non-existent in many areas, and broadband black spots mean that carers are often locked out of the digital services that could provide support. They have higher costs, greater travel burdens and fewer opportunities for respite care. If we are serious about supporting unpaid carers, we must address rural inequalities. <BR /> <BR />We also need to rethink employment policy for carers. Paid carer's leave and flexible working policies could transform lives, allowing carers to stay in work while continuing to support the people whom they love. As we all know, there is an inextricable link between support for carers and the failure to address the massive gaps in social care provision.”
“The evidence is clear that unpaid caring is one of the biggest drivers of poverty, especially for women. The reality is stark: the current system forces carers into a financial trap. If they work too many hours, they risk losing their carer's allowance; yet, if they do not work, they face poverty. That is why a carer's allowance supplement is so important. It would provide a financial lifeline to carers who are currently being penalised simply for caring. We have seen from economic modelling that supporting carers to remain in work reduces poverty, improves economic growth and leads to long-term savings for the Government. That means long-term savings for everybody who lives here. <BR /> <BR />While all unpaid carers face hardship, those in rural communities, such as in my constituency, Mid Ulster, suffer even more.”
“Her words are a powerful reminder that this is not an issue that affects a small section of our society. It will touch every one of us and our families at some point in our life; for many of us, that has probably already happened. Whether we care for a parent, a child with additional needs or a partner with long-term illness or we are receiving care, we all have a stake in ensuring that carers are supported, valued and treated with dignity. <BR /> <BR />Across the North, 220,000 unpaid carers provide support that the Government and our health system could not function without — as we have heard, nearly 60% are women — yet they remain an invisible workforce, undervalued and undersupported. According to WPI Economics, 130,000 people have been forced to leave work or reduce their hours because of their caring responsibilities.”
“I associate myself with most if not all of the commentary that has been made. You could not put a sheet of paper between what any of us are saying, to be fair. That is because there really is an agreed approach. As the Member who spoke previously just said, we need to show that we care about our carers. I thank the proposer of the motion, Gerry Carroll, and the Alliance Party for its amendment. I will support both. <BR /> <BR />We know that, behind every statistic on unpaid carers, there is a real person — someone who has sacrificed. We have listened to some of the personal stories today. They have sacrificed their financial security, their health and sometimes even their future to care for someone whom they love. The former US First Lady Rosalynn Carter said:”
“The British Secretary of State would decide what findings or information would be released to families: I think that we know what they would get. This ruling will strengthen the resolve of all those families to have their truth.”
“They deserve the truth. They will decide with their legal teams whether they want to pursue justice for the murder of their father, sons, brothers and uncles. We on these Benches must support all families — when I say "all", I mean all — to have access to truth and justice. <BR /> <BR />The British Government must proceed to fully repeal and replace the Legacy Act. That includes the full reinstatement of all inquests. There are so many other families who have never had access to a human rights-compliant inquest, which is the very minimum standard in a civilised and democratic society. These findings lay bare the rationale behind the British Government's determination to subsume all inquests within the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR).”
“The evidence shows that Peter was shot while he was on his knees with his arms in the air. That is not defence; it is execution. <BR /> <BR />Some have also referred to the fact that the inquest came 33 years after the killings, but what they have failed to acknowledge is that, had it not been for the courageous and difficult fight by the families, there would have been no inquest at all. The families of those four young men have campaigned at a huge personal cost that none of us could ever begin to understand to reveal the truth and debunk the false accusations spread by state agencies. There was no gun battle. Five hundred rounds were fired by the SAS. They shot the men in the back and whilst they were on the ground. They shot two of them in the face. Those are the details that the families have had to endure. They deserved that ruling.”
“"Shoot to kill" was a policy decision taken in Westminster at the highest echelons of the British Government. In response to the hypocrisy of some on these Benches and those who sit in other Parliaments who attempt to convince us that the law does not apply to the very people who are supposed to uphold it, let me be clear: the law applies to us all. The irony of some of the commentary that Peter, Barry, Sean and Patrick were not held accountable for their actions on the night in question is not lost on any of us either. The fact is that there was an opportunity to arrest them and bring them before the courts to face due process under the rule of law, but, as we all know now, all four were shot. Two were shot while they were running away and then executed while they were incapacitated on the ground.”
“Last Thursday, at the High Court in Belfast, the coroner, Mr Justice Michael Humphreys, made a ruling finding that, in each of the killings of the four young men in Clonoe chapel car park on 16 February 1992, the use of lethal force by SAS soldiers was unjustified. In simple terms, that means that their actions constituted the murder of Irish citizens by the British state.”
“Does the Member agree that we need a cultural change? We need to acknowledge those young people who do not go on to university in the same way. They should have the same acknowledgement and recognition and the same passing out process, whatever that might be. We need to have something that recognises the hard work that they put in to achieve their potential.”
“It is going to your GP, returning to your GP, going back to your GP, going somewhere else and going back to your GP. We are finding that there are not clear pathways. Again, that is often a resource issue or not being able to get people off a waiting list. We need to look at innovative ways of reviewing the situation. Some patients on waiting lists should no longer be on them. We are not having the type of review to make sure that people are not on waiting lists that they should not be on.”
“It is our job to support that work and to look at where we can offer solutions. I would like to see the implementation of a targeted recruitment and retention strategy. That is important, because we know that we are failing miserably in recruiting and retaining, particularly in the social care aspect of our health service. We need to look at how we will improve that. We need to address the staffing shortages across our health service. That is everything from social workers to doctors, GPs, nurses and domiciliary care — all healthcare workers across the piece. We need to ensure that we have a better recruitment and retention strategy. <BR /> <BR />We need to introduce measures to streamline patient pathways. When I speak to people, it seems that that is a really difficult part of the health service for them. It is clunky.”