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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“Whilst what he has is not enough — this is not the first time that I have said this — what is important is how it is spent and how we use those limited resources. <BR /> <BR />I totally understand that the Minister needs an increase in the Health budget in order to recruit more staff and to modernise facilities and technology to improve our health service. Whilst the Health budget has had a funding uplift and inflationary increases, the increased service cost and significant increases in demand have placed pressures on our resources. How do we spend what we have? We have talked about winter pressures, but they are no longer winter pressures; they are all-year-round pressures. <BR /> <BR />Social care needs to be seriously looked at and invested in. I know that there is a lot of work going on in that space.”
“I thank the proposers of the motion and those who tabled the amendment for bringing the issue to the Floor. <BR /> <BR />We need to be solution-focused. As the proposer of the motion said, let us take the politicking out of this. I do not think that anybody in the Chamber has ever said, at any point, that the Health Minister has more than enough. I can absolutely stand over that. I start almost every debate by telling him that I understand that he does not have enough. That is clear and has been made clear in the Chamber by all who speak on health. He does not have enough. Yes, he has a significant budget — over half of the Budget — but it is still not enough. What is important is how we spend what we have.”
“Minister, I congratulate you on your new post and wish you the very best. <BR /> <BR />In Coalisland, in my constituency, a number of businesses and GP surgeries lost connectivity. Thankfully, we were able to speak with engineers fairly quickly and get them reconnected, but it was a worrying time, particularly for the GP surgeries and chemists. Will you check whether the broadband companies are able to provide interim solutions, such as dongles and other things that may be available to them, so that people can be connected in the interim?”
“I thank the Minister for her answer. Minister, can you confirm that the review will go wider than the justice bodies? I understand that it is your review, but there were failings across the piece, including in Health. Can you confirm that that will be the case and that there will be a North/South element to the review?”
“I begin by offering my apologies. I understand that I was called for a question last week. It was my understanding that the question had been withdrawn, so apologies. I am not sure where the confusion was, but I was not here due to a family emergency. <BR /> <BR />I want to put on the record the really valuable contribution that the Communities in Transition programme offers in building communities free from paramilitarism and coercive control. Does the deputy First Minister agree that building resilient and empowered communities with true co-design at grassroots level is key to the building blocks in tackling paramilitarism and organised crime in our communities?”
“I thank the Minister for his answers so far. Minister, you referred to the independent review on a number of occasions. The independent review recommended that we look at simplifying things and having a single management authority for schools. Was that part of your considerations? Why are you pressing on with your approach, rather than looking at that simplification process?”
“I thank the Member for giving way. Does the Member agree that, for all the reasons that he has outlined, it is vital that the Minister stays loyal to his commitment to tackle inequalities in health? It is absolutely one of the biggest issues. The Member for Foyle Mark Durkan referred earlier to the issue of addiction to drugs and alcohol. We absolutely need to tackle that, because it is where the stigma lies. The Member is absolutely right.”
“I thank the Minister for his answer. Minister, as you will be well aware, the pay issue goes much wider than just our teachers. Our classroom assistants are very frustrated by their pay increase. Have you met classroom assistants and engaged with them directly? They are among the lowest-paid workers across society, yet they do vital work by supporting our young children, including our most vulnerable children.”
“Minister, you mentioned the fact that you met MEGA just before Christmas. It was a good meeting, and anybody would attest to the work that MEGA has done. Will you confirm that MEGA, which is the organisation that I know most about as it is in Mid Ulster, and other organisations are taking a leading role? Industry needs to be central to developing the skills that are needed and how we teach them. Will you give us some detail on what training is provided by the skills fund?”
“Minister, on the point that you have just made, it is necessary for us to see a plan for the winter pressures and a plan to fix the health service as a whole, with a time frame for that plan. Is that what we need to see now? As an Assembly, we have been clear that we want to support the Health Minister and work with him, but we need to see that plan in order to know what we are supporting.”
“Will the Minister outline what approach his Department has taken on flood risk management specifically on Kings Row in Coalisland, which has flooded on numerous occasions, most recently during the heavy rain on 23 November, causing devastation to those homes.”
“I thank the Minister for his statement. Minister, there is much in the statement that will be beneficial to all genders in our community, but I am a bit concerned that there is no specific mention of women's healthcare. We know that we lag way behind in actioning women's healthcare. I would like a bit more detail on that. <BR /> <BR />Is the single management structure for pathology services a recommendation that came out of the serious scandal in my area — the Southern Trust area — where 17,500 women had to be recalled for smears? Will doing that give confidence to women that, when they go for a smear — I encourage everybody to go for one — they will get the right result at the other end?”
“Does the Member agree that it is important that we understand the prevalence of abuse in order to deal with it and to have the right services in place at the right time and delivered by the right people?”
“<BR /> <BR />I commend the remarkable efforts of Nexus over the past 40 years, and, most importantly, I think of all the victims and survivors who have used Nexus's services. I hope that it has helped them to have much better outcomes in their lives, the lives of their families and the lives of all those who come after them, because we know that this is a trans-generational issue.”
“That includes advocating funding models that are not only adequate but stable and reflective of the profound impact of trauma on individuals and communities. That is why we must continue to push forward the strategic framework to end violence against women and girls, which focuses on prevention, early intervention and support for victims. That aligns with the mission of organisations such as Nexus. <BR /> <BR />The most dangerous place in western Europe for women and children is in the North, in their home, at the hands of a male family member: not a stranger; not somebody who came from somewhere else. It is somebody whom you know and who, you thought, loved you. By ensuring consistent funding and support for these initiatives, we can work towards a safer and more equitable society for all.”
“The disruptions highlight the critical need for a consistent and reliable funding model that truly understands and addresses the trauma experienced by survivors. The withdrawal and subsequent reinstatement of funds not only hinder the delivery of essential services but exacerbate the distress of those seeking support. It is imperative that we establish a funding framework that ensures uninterrupted access to specialised services and enables organisations such as Nexus to focus on their vital work without the constant threat of funding being withdrawn. <BR /> <BR />In reaffirming our commitment to combating all forms of sexual abuse and abusive relationships, we must also pledge to support the sustainability of services that aid survivors.”
“Additionally, in December 2023, funding constraints forced Nexus to halt support for children aged four to seven and to pause services for more than 60 young people aged eight to 16. Behind all those statistics is a victim — a human being — and, in that case, it means more than 60 children who are victims of abuse. If we do not ensure support for those children at the right time, when they need and want it, the chances of good life outcomes for them reduce significantly, and that is a cost to all of us. It is a cost, first, to that child and their life. It is a cost to their family, and it is a cost to society. We will pay the price for that further down the line. <BR /> <BR />We must support those who want to support our most vulnerable children.”
“Over the past four decades, Nexus has grown from being a small, volunteer-led initiative in south Belfast to a regional organisation that offers specialised counselling and educational services for adults, children and young people throughout our community. Nexus's unwavering commitment to early intervention and prevention through educational training and workshops has been instrumental in fostering awareness and understanding of those deeply challenging issues. <BR /> <BR />Despite its invaluable contributions, as has been outlined by the previous Member who spoke, Nexus has faced significant challenges, particularly with funding. In March 2024, the charity announced the cessation of its free specialist adult counselling service due to funding cuts, which impacted over 800 individuals on its waiting list.”
“First, I am proud to be one of those who tabled the motion. I thank the chairperson of the Women's Caucus for proposing it. It is an important motion, and it is well worth discussing here today. I hope that we do not have to appeal to Members in the Chamber to support the motion. Given the conversations and debates that have taken place over the past while, it should be a given, but we can take nothing as a given. <BR /> <BR />We are here to acknowledge and thank all those who have volunteered and worked with Nexus over the past 40 years. Since its inception in 1984, Nexus has been a source of hope and healing for countless individuals across the North and has provided essential individual support to those affected by sexual abuse and abusive relationships.”
“It was not my intention to get you, to be fair. If you can come back to us with an update, it will be appreciated. Givinostat has not yet been approved for licensing in the UK, but there is an early access programme, and access to it would be gratefully appreciated by the parents here. Children with DMD have an extremely life-limiting condition, which means that those children will not live to reach a very old age or, in many cases, even a young age. They really need access to whatever treatments are out there. If you could give us a written update, we would appreciate it. I think that the Chair of the Health Committee has written to you about the matter.”
“First Minister, I welcome your answer in response to the question about the collaboration approach. I do not wish to be parochial, but no council is better at that than Mid Ulster District Council. Does the First Minister agree that addressing regional imbalance is a really important part of moving our economy forward?”
“Those issues are not only in gynae health but in heart health and many other areas where we do not have the services that we should have.”
“It is long past time that a proper women's health strategy was in place to protect us from all the health issues that face us.”
“I am talking about there being a well woman clinic in Newry town over 30 years ago. I was able to access that well woman clinic, which had all the services that a young woman might need, whether around their menstrual cycle, access to contraception or access to advice. Whatever you needed, you could get it in those well woman clinics. They also helped women dealing with the prenatal and postnatal stages of pregnancy and women going through the menopause. They offered many services, and the well woman clinic in Derry continues to do that to this day. <BR /> <BR />I am glad that the Health Minister is working with the well woman clinic to do a survey and get information on what we need in relation to women's health. We all know, however, that women have been underserved, undervalued and neglected over many years when it comes to our health.”
“The medical professional who you speak to should believe that you know your body better than anybody else and listen to you. <BR /> <BR />I heard a piece on women's health by Marie-Louise Connolly on 'Good Morning Ulster' this morning. It was about women's health and the women's health hubs that are being developed in England under its women's health strategy. It is worth acknowledging that we have been well ahead of the game here: not because of our health service but because of women in the North. The first well woman centre was set up by a group of friends in Derry: a group of women who said that services and information for women were not good enough. There were a number of well woman clinics across the North. When I was a young woman and growing up, there was one in my nearest major town.”
“I am concerned about ovarian cancer. I am particularly concerned about the misunderstanding of the symptoms of ovarian cancer and the failure, by many, to acknowledge the fact that women's health has been ignored over many years. We do not promote it in the way that it should be promoted, and we urgently need a women's health strategy from the Department of Health. <BR /> <BR />In case there are women who do not know that they may have the symptoms of ovarian cancer, I will highlight those symptoms. The most common symptoms are having a swollen tummy, feeling full quickly when eating, feeling bloated or having a painful tummy or pelvic area. If you have any of those symptoms, you should contact your GP. You should trust yourself and believe that you know your body better than anybody else.”
“Minister, will you outline the collaboration that you have been involved in with your counterpart in the Twenty-six Counties, given that there is quite a gap between the rates of bTB there and the rates here? Is there best practice in the South that we can learn from? I am glad to hear you say that you are worried about the mental health of farmers, because there is a devastating impact on affected farm families.”
“Thank you. Are you confident that other Ministers, such as our Education Minister, Health Minister, Communities Minister and AERA Minister, have all bought in to the strategy and are investing where they can to ensure that the scourge of violence against women and girls is not only ended but prevented at the other end?”
“Does the deputy First Minister believe that the commission is still beneficial and required, going forward?”
“Particular regard goes to those residents, and my thoughts are with all the families who had to leave their home.”
“<BR /> <BR />I call on all those responsible, particularly the housing association that owns a number of the homes, to ensure that all work is carried out with urgency to allow the families to return to their homes before Christmas. A lot of work has happened on the ground, and elected representatives were out helping residents this morning, as they were on Saturday morning. I commend the elected representatives who were on the ground on Saturday from early morning until late afternoon to help the residents.”
“They need to be able to live in their homes and know that, when it rains, they do not have to panic or call their local elected reps and say, "Please, help us to get sandbags. Help us to get the agencies out here". <BR /> <BR />In that vein, I spoke to the Infrastructure Minister this morning, and he said that, if there is anything that his Department needs to do or has not done, he will ensure that it is addressed. He has asked for urgent updates from his officials on the matter but also for solutions going forward. We will have an inter-agency meeting facilitated, I believe, by the Mid Ulster District Council, but it must be pulled together urgently so that families are not in fear that their homes will be flooded again.”
“The family were burying her this morning, and my thoughts are with them. The dignity with which the services carried out their work and helped the family to remove the remains was very much appreciated by them. I acknowledge that here. <BR /> <BR />Going forward, we need to ensure that no family living in Kings Row has to face that again. People are out of their homes in the mouth of Christmas, and their homes are destroyed. There is nothing more devastating than seeing your home destroyed, and trying to repair a water-damaged home is a horrific experience for anybody. We need to ensure that those families do not experience flooding again and can live in their homes. They are unable to get insurance because of the previous flooding.”
“I wish to speak about the flooding at the weekend. First, my thoughts are with all those whose homes or businesses were flooded, but I particularly reference the flooding in Coalisland and the Clonoe area, particularly the Kings Row area of Coalisland town. <BR /> <BR />Flooding has, unfortunately, been an ongoing issue in Kings Row over many years. People's homes have flooded when there have been serious storms or heavy rainfall. Work was done a few years ago to address the flooding. It did address it over several storms and periods of heavy rain, but, unfortunately, the rain on Friday night and Saturday morning brought serious issues for the residents of Kings Row in Coalisland. In particular, my thoughts are with a family who had to remove the remains of their mother from her home, which was a traumatic experience.”
“Minister, you will be well aware that many of those who are homeless on leaving prison are homeless because of addiction and mental health issues, so what are you doing to ensure that those prisoners, when they are sentenced and are in prison, get the assistance and intervention that they need around mental health and addiction? Can we be given reassurance that every sentenced prisoner with those issues gets the intervention and help that they need?”
“— so can you give us some assurances around that —.”
“Thank you, Minister. I welcome your answer. It fleshed out a wee bit what we had been told about the funding. <BR /> <BR />Will you give an assurance that accountability mechanisms have been put in place to ensure that the funding makes a real difference to young people with additional needs and their families, particularly given that this Thursday is Carers Rights Day? We know how much pressure there is on carers, and we have a responsibility to those individuals —”
“I thank the Minister for her statement. Minister, I know that you are well aware of the hurt, pain and loss experienced by so many women and girls who were in mother-and-baby institutions, Magdalene laundries and workhouses and their children. Can you give us detail of any conversations about both Governments working together to deliver truth and justice, which is so important, particularly given that we know that women and girls and their babies were moved across the jurisdictions in what was human trafficking?”
“I thank the Minister for taking my intervention. Will you agree, Minister, that being open is one part of it but that staff seeing the changes that need to be made when they are open, visible and in front of them is what will encourage them to be open? It can be disheartening when you tell the truth about something that is happening and nothing changes.”
“I thank the Minister for her answers so far. I welcome the follow-through on the commitment to prioritise Health, because you have prioritised it in the allocations. I welcome that, and I look forward to finding out how that money is going to be spent and prioritised. You outlined some of the consequences if the level of overcommitments was to remain. My question follows on from the previous question: have Ministers given you a commitment that they will do everything in their power to ensure that that does not happen? We all need to understand the consequences of those overcommitments remaining.”
“The call for answers is about more than a single report; it is about recognising the rights of all families seeking the truth. The path towards truth and justice is essential for genuine reconciliation. Let us ensure that no family, including the Kingsmills families and Alan Black, is left behind in our collective pursuit of reconciliation and healing.”
“Those outstanding reports include the findings of the investigation of the Kingsmills killings in January 1976, and we fully support the urgent need to address the matter. <BR /> <BR />It is imperative that all outstanding reports be released prior to the cut-off date in April next year, otherwise the incomplete reports could be transferred to the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR), which was established under the legacy Act. It is a matter of public record that the majority of families have already rejected that alternative route and that many of their concerns about that body have been validated in recent legal challenges. <BR /> <BR />Survivors and their loved ones deserve answers, not as a privilege but as a right.”
“That Act has been clearly rejected by all political parties and, more importantly, by victims, survivors and their families, who have once again been let down and feel that the legislation is just another obstacle to prevent the truth and justice that they have fought for decades to achieve. <BR /> <BR />Historical investigations have currently been removed from the Office of the Police Ombudsman's remit as a result of the commencement of the legacy Act. Ninety-five investigation reports by the Police Ombudsman remain outstanding, however. All those investigations must be brought to a conclusion and their findings communicated by 30 April next year. I agree with the proposer of the motion that we do not have to wait until 30 April, which is 12 months on from the commencement of the legacy Act.”
“I support the motion. We have repeatedly called for a human rights-compliant approach to legacy cases and issues for all conflict-related incidents. Our focus has been and remains on creating a suite of options to meet the varied needs of all victims, survivors and families that is human rights-compliant and victim-centred. All victims and survivors and their families are entitled to receive truth and justice, irrespective of the circumstances surrounding the death or serious injury, of their political or religious persuasion and of which organisation or individual was responsible. <BR /> <BR />Truth and/or justice at present can be delivered through a number of mechanisms, some of which have been closed down under the British Government's cruel legacy Act.”
“When we talk about violence against women and girls, we need to be clear that it is by men. When we talk about it in the domestic setting of men and boys, it is mostly by men. We need to be honest about that. For those on remand, who are mostly, in these cases, men, what can we do to put something in place? Very often, they are released from prison because they have served their time on remand. We need to make sure that they are getting counselling, anger management or whatever needs to be put in place to protect the women, girls and children who will be around them when they are released.”
“I thank the Minister for taking an intervention and apologise for asking for one so early in his response. Can we ensure that the consultation process is easy and accessible for carers? We know that they have a lot on their plate, so, the easier the process can be, the better, even if it is actually a personal engagement consultation.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. I should have said that we will support the amendment. <BR /> <BR />Will the Member agree that, where the PSNI is being called to a child, that is often a failure of our health system to deal with that and that the PSNI is not the right response for a child with a learning difficulty and complex needs?”
“Unpaid carers in our communities need to know that we see them, that we value them and that we are committed to fighting for the support that they so desperately need. We will support the Minister in calls that he makes for additional funding, and we will support all of our Ministers when they go to the British Government asking for additional funding, because we know that that is needed. However, we really need to look at what respite services are in place and how we protect them now, today.”
“It is the front-line staff who have to face those families, and they should not be put in the middle of this because of a failure to protect respite care. <BR /> <BR />We must ask ourselves what kind of society we want to be. Do we want to be a society that values carers and those whom they care for or one that leaves them to fend for themselves? I believe that the answer is clear, and Sinn Féin will not allow carers to be forgotten. They need to know that we have their backs. <BR /> <BR />I call on the Minister to urgently develop a comprehensive plan that addresses the lack of respite provision for adults and children. The plan must include planning, additional investment and the ring-fencing of funds to ensure that services are protected and expanded.”
“<BR /> <BR />The learning disability staff who work with adults and children are committed to and passionate about ensuring that they give the best care and opportunities to those whom they look after and their families. We witnessed that at the learning disability nursing careers event in the Long Gallery this morning. "Well done" to all who were involved in the organising of that event and all who participated in it. It is really important that we have enough staff and that they are well trained, well looked after and well supported. <BR /> <BR />The staff cannot do this with one hand tied behind their back. Trust between staff, families and carers is essential. However, when respite provision breaks down, that trust is damaged, because families feel that they have been failed.”