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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“Lough Neagh is a treasured gem of Ireland's natural landscape, but it faces significant challenges. Pollution, invasive species and the impact of climate change have all taken their toll on its once-vibrant ecosystem. However, amidst those challenges lies an opportunity for us to come together and protect the heart of our community. Establishing an independent environmental protection agency is not just a necessity but the right thing to do. The agency would serve as a guardian of the lough, ensuring that its health and vitality are safeguarded for generations to come. It would provide the oversight and accountability needed to hold those who harm our environment accountable and drive positive change. I agree with Mr McGlone: most farmers are very responsible. They love the land and want to look after it. We need to acknowledge that.”
“The cultural, historical, environmental, economic and public health importance of the lough cannot be overstated, and every effort must be made to restore and preserve it. While it is true that the lough cannot be fixed overnight, there are things that we can do now to aid its recovery. We need to see the creation of a new management authority that is multi-agency and cross-departmental in nature. Crucially, it must involve local stakeholders, communities and fishermen at every level. I declare an interest as the wife of a fly fisherman who has my heart broken on the issue. <BR /> <BR />For that body to work effectively and efficiently, it is also vital that the entirety of the lough, including its bed and shore, be brought into public ownership. We can save Lough Neagh, but it will require all of us to work together.”
“Declines in biodiversity are intrinsically linked to climate change, falls in food production and even our ability to fend off infectious diseases. The OECD has stated that safeguarding biodiversity is vital in avoiding the next pandemic. In addition to the declaration of an ecological and biodiversity crisis, we need to see the urgent development of an all-Ireland biodiversity strategy to help us to halt and reverse the decline of our island's unique flora and fauna. <BR /> <BR />Perhaps the most visible example of the ecological disaster that we face is Lough Neagh. Maybe, like Mr McGlone, I am being a wee bit parochial in ignoring Lough Erne, but parochial I am. The presence of toxic blue-green algae has been caused by a perfect storm of increased temperatures, invasive species and man-made pollution.”
“I will speak in support of the motion, and I thank its sponsors for bringing it to the Floor. <BR /> <BR />There is no doubt that we are in the midst of an ecological and biodiversity crisis. Ireland has suffered one of the worst biodiversity declines in Europe. The curlew and the great yellow bumblebee are on the verge of extinction. Entire species will have gone for ever. I acknowledge the ongoing hard work by the Lough Neagh Partnership and many individuals and community groups along the lough shore to protect both. Things are no better in our waters, where iconic fish such as the Atlantic salmon, the European eel and the angel shark have suffered catastrophic population declines. The freshwater pearl mussel, Ireland's longest living animal, faces extinction. <BR /> <BR />The loss of those species is more than just a pity.”
“I want to see a plan from the Minister for addressing unsafe staffing levels. He needs to come to the Committee and the Assembly with a plan for how he will address the matter, and he needs to do so urgently, because we cannot allow the current situation to go on for social workers, vulnerable children and families.”
“I hope that that will not be the starting point with social workers. I would like the Minister to take the matter extremely seriously and with the gravity that it should have. We are failing the most vulnerable children in our community and their families by not having the correct number of social workers and safe staffing levels, but we are also putting the social workers at risk by having them work in such conditions.”
“I hope that the Minister of Health's officials are listening today and that the strike action being taken by social workers across the North will be brought to the Minister's attention. The action is being taken not primarily on pay and conditions, although our social workers' pay and conditions are an issue, but on staffing issues. There are extremely unsafe staffing levels in some of our social work teams, particularly in children's services. One team that should be a team of 10 is working with two social workers. That is not acceptable. <BR /> <BR />I am concerned by comments that were made at the Health Committee meeting on Thursday by witnesses from the BMA, representing junior doctors and consultants. They said that the starting point of the negotiation with the Health Minister was "No", without any negotiation.”
“I welcome the Minister's statement, and I apologise that I was not in the Chamber for it. I particularly welcome the announcement on Sperrinview Special School. Will you confirm that you will engage directly with the local council, Mid Ulster District Council? It will want to be helpful to you in what will, I hope, be an ambitious project for Sperrinview Special School.”
“The irony in some of these cases is that the very Secretary of State who has blocked access to justice through the courts and the Coroners' Court is the same person who will decide whether those families get access to a public inquiry. That is not right. Public inquiries into some of the cases were recommended by the Coroners' Court itself. <BR /> <BR />I am asking for support from across the Chamber in continuing to fight the British Government on this issue and insist that they repeal the Legacy Act.”
“They want the truth about what happened to the people whom they loved, and they do not want the next generation of their families to have to carry the burden that is the fight for truth and justice. Be in no doubt, however, that while they do not want their families to have to carry that on, they will if they have to.”
“We believe that the Stormont House Agreement, whilst not perfect, at least offered families some access to truth and justice. The families themselves believe that, as shown by the number of responses to the consultation on the Stormont House Agreement Bill. Many of the 17,500 responses were from families who lost loved ones. Many of those people poured their hearts out in the consultation responses only for those to be scrapped, along with the Stormont House Agreement Bill, by the British Government. <BR /> <BR />I have spoken to many families from all sections of our community, and all they want is peace.”
“Tomorrow is 1 May. For some, that is the beginning of summer, but, for many families, tomorrow is a day that they have dreaded for some time because they lost loved ones in the conflict and, as a result of the British Government's Legacy Act, it is the day that numerous inquests will be halted and over 330 Troubles-related cases that are being investigated by the Office of the Police Ombudsman will be axed. Those families aptly named the Legacy Bill "the Bill of shame", because it will end all access to legal pursuit of their cases. <BR /> <BR />We may not always agree in the Chamber, particularly on sensitive matters such as legacy, but, on this, I believe, we are all agreed. The British Government Legacy Act is wrong and serves nobody. It serves no victims and no families.”
“You have met Birth Mothers and their Children for Justice and other groups over the past number of years, and I know that you met that group again recently. It has requested a meeting with the First Minister and deputy First Minister, and it would greatly appreciate being able to have that conversation. Will you assure us that all the victims and survivors of the mother-and-baby homes and Magdalene laundries will be given the information about timelines and the consultation on what will happen next before anyone else?”
“We need to see more early intervention for families and more Step Up Step Down supports to prevent children from going into care in the first place. Foster families play an important role in that.”
“We know — the Minister will be well aware of this — that some of our social work teams are running at 50% capacity. How can they possibly be expected to properly support families and properly support children into the right care settings?”
“There is a lot of overlap between the motion that we debated earlier on addiction and drug-related deaths and this motion, because children can end up in foster care because of alcohol and drug abuse in their homes and children who go through the care system can end up abusing alcohol and drugs. We need to look at how we can get a holistic approach, and that is something that we need to focus on. Money can be focused on the wrong things. We need to look at how we look after children from the very point that they are born because that is how we will — to put it bluntly — save money but also save lives and make lives better. That is where our focus needs to be. We certainly need to see a properly resourced recruitment programme, but, in addition to that, we need to see much more support for families. We need to see more social workers.”
“Sometimes, their going back to their families was a great outcome. They may have been going back after a short illness in the family, or sometimes, in very large families, after a period when the mother just could not cope with the younger children. Those were really good outcomes, but, sometimes, you were worried about what they were going back to and wondered for many years whether they were OK. Hopefully, they got the support and ended up in good positions. <BR /> <BR />We know that there is a lot of overlap and, when we talk about money and strategies, we need to think about that.”
“<BR /> <BR />Foster care families have, as I said, given stable and safe homes to children at some of the most difficult times in their lives. From speaking to those who have been foster carers for many years, that is what drives them. They also say that their own family often benefits from the experience of the children and young people being in their homes. When I was a child — many, many years ago — I had close family members who were foster carers. I used to stay with them for the entire summer through choice, which shows how good they were. It was very easy to become attached to the children and young people who came to stay with them, and we did. That was because we genuinely loved them: we cared about them and wanted to make sure that they had a good outcome in their lives. Sometimes, it was hard to see them going back.”
“It is an experience where, hopefully, they get the love and stability that they need for whatever time it is required. <BR /> <BR />Professor Ray Jones's independent review of children’s social care services, which has been mentioned by a number of Members, has highlighted the rise in the number of children and young people who are going into care at a time when there are real challenges in supporting more families to become foster carers. As the motion points out, and as has been related to us by many of our constituents, we need to see proper financial support for foster and kinship carers. We are well aware that, given the current cost-of-living crisis, families who would like to be foster families are concerned about being able to adequately provide for the children and young people who are in their care.”
“Very often, it is not just about the difference that they make to the life of the young person who stays with them; it is about the difference that they make to the lives of the entire family of the foster child because young people end up in foster care for myriad reasons. Sometimes, it is because of illness and temporary challenges in a family, and, very often, the foster carers are the vital cog that allows that family to remain together so that, when all is said and done, the child can go back home. We also know that children end up in foster care because they have experienced domestic violence, witnessed drug and alcohol misuse or been abused and neglected. For many children and young people, but certainly not all, fostering is their first positive experience of family life.”
“I thank the sponsors of the motion for bringing it to the House today. As has been said, in the North, we have over 3,800 children in care, just over 3,000 of whom are with foster families. Like others, I acknowledge the value of those foster families, what they give to those children and young people and what they give to us, as a society. If they were not there, what would happen to those children? Where would they be and what harm would they come to or, potentially, cause because of what they were going through? <BR /> <BR />Foster carers give value to every single one of us, and I want to acknowledge that.”
“I do not know how they could work in those conditions in those shift patterns and be mentally well; that is a credit to anybody who did so. It is important to note that the officers and the district commander were clear with all of us that the changes to policing under the south Armagh review have been positive. For that reason, I ask all in the Chamber to support the amendment as well as the motion.”
“The PSNI has been clear in reports to the Policing Board at every level that the changes under the south Armagh policing review have had an extremely positive impact on policing with the community. That has had good outcomes for PSNI officers and for the community. <BR /> <BR />Members of the Policing Board — I am sorry; I should have declared an interest as a member of the Policing Board — visited Crossmaglen and Newtownhamilton PSNI stations. We spoke to the district commander and to the community officers who work in those stations. It was helpful that Mike Nesbitt outlined the conditions in Crossmaglen barracks, because they are inhumane. Nobody should be working in those conditions in this day and age, and certainly not in the shift patterns that police officers were working.”
“It is extremely concerning to see any incident of police cars being rammed, and that must be treated as seriously as is appropriate for such a serious matter. As we know, and as Members have said, in a number of cases, it has caused serious injury to officers who were working on the ground to protect our communities. As Mark Durkan mentioned, on many occasions, the police officers on the ground are working with people who have mental ill health. They are protecting very vulnerable people. <BR /> <BR />The reason for our amendment is that the increase in incidents in south Armagh is lower than that in other areas in the North. That is supported by the PSNI's figures. One ramming incident is one too many, and we need to be clear that that is not acceptable anywhere across the North.”
“It is an unacceptable situation, and we need to ensure that it is addressed as a matter of urgency. Those families have to fight for everything that they get for their children and young people and for the most basic of rights for them. We need to support them to ensure that that does not remain the case.”
“We know that some of our social work teams are operating at 50% capacity. Those are the people who are in place to support those families. They are mothers, fathers, parents and caregivers who want to go out to work and provide for their families, but they are being prevented from doing so because there is not adequate childcare provision, particularly for children with additional needs.”
“I speak today about the challenges that face parents of children with additional needs. On Friday, Michelle O'Neill and I met two highly skilled and experienced nurses, one of whom is a specialist transplant nurse, who are struggling to stay in the workplace because they do not have childcare for their children with additional needs. That is unacceptable. We need to see work between Health and Education to ensure that we have a childcare strategy, with a particular focus on children with additional needs. We have said that that is a priority for the Executive, and we need to ensure that the focus is on that. We urgently need to see more support for parents of children and young people with additional needs. There is a lack of childcare provision, appropriate school places and support mechanisms.”
“It is important that, somehow, we find a way to have a service on this island for the families who need it, because it would be unbearable to put your child on a plane when all you want to do is take them home and bury them.”
“Had he not got through that day, there would be no official record that he ever existed. I hope that we will support this: everyone who wishes for it should have the opportunity to have a baby loss certificate. There should be a straightforward application process for all those who want it. <BR /> <BR />On the paediatric pathology, it is important that we have a service on this island so that families do not have to put their babies on a plane to go to England. It is very important. We have lost members of our family, and, thankfully — not that you would say "thankfully" — it was many years ago when we had paediatric pathology. I cannot imagine how they would have felt if they had to put their baby on a plane to England.”
“That happened 23 years ago, but he was and is very much part of their family and will never be forgotten. The Remember Me registry has a "Little Angels" page that provides a memorial space for babies, a baby loss certificate and a QR code for their memorial place, if they have one. It provides comfort in the absence of anything else. <BR /> <BR />When Shauna was pregnant with her last son, she went into pre-term labour and had a meeting at her bedside to advise her and Tony that, if labour continued that day and the baby was born before midnight, it would be a miscarriage: nothing. If born after midnight, birth and death would be registered. It was the most horrible night and will never be forgotten. Thankfully, Ross did survive. I know him, and he is a beautiful, healthy 15-year-old boy.”
“There are no words to describe how much it will mean to parents and families who have suffered the loss to have official recognition of their loss and official acknowledgement that the child existed and was and is a part of their family. It is important to recognise that many organisations and families have found ways to acknowledge and remember their children. I will specifically mention the Remember Me registry, and one of the babies on it is baby Peter Carberry from Coalisland. He is the firstborn son of Shauna and Tony Carberry. Because they lost him pre 24 weeks, there was no birth or death certificate. They had to ask for the remains of their precious son to be returned to them for burial, something that should happen naturally where there are remains.”
“I begin, like others, by thanking Kellie for sharing her very personal story about the loss of her babies. As others have mentioned, we are thinking of all the families who have suffered the loss of a child or children. <BR /> <BR />Over the past week, I have spoken to numerous people who have reached out to me to talk about the need for a baby loss certificate. I am pleased to hear that there is a large degree of consensus during the debate, and I hope that it means that the Finance Minister will be able to implement the certificate sooner rather than later. I thank the Minister for her positive response during Question Time last week to a question about the baby loss certificates.”
“The Minister will be aware that there is a motion coming to the Assembly today around the baby loss certificate and pathology services. Previously, when the Assembly was not in place, the permanent secretary said that an all-island pathology service would be considered. Will the Minister update the House on whether that is being looked at and on conversations that he has had with his counterpart in the Twenty-six Counties around an all-island paediatric pathology service?”
“Can you provide an overview of the successes and key deliverables of the CIT programme, please?”
“Over a number of years, I have met many families across the political spectrum who lost people whom they loved and still love, killed by people from all backgrounds. All those families, without exception, deserve to have the truth, to have justice and to have peace in their lives.”
“I am sorry for the lives lost at Kingsmills; for the loss of the O'Dowd and Reavey families, as referred to by Doug Beattie, during that awful time; and for all the families who lost loved ones in the conflict. The Kingsmills families are entitled to truth and justice. In recent weeks, a number of inquests, including Kingsmills, involving families — Sean Brown's family, Fergal McCusker's family, Seamus Dillon's family and the Coagh families — have clearly pointed to the need to tackle the legacy of the past to meet families' needs. In 2014, the two Governments and the main Assembly parties signed up to the Stormont House Agreement, which included mechanisms to ensure that families can access truth and justice. The British Government should repeal their shameful legacy Act and implement the Stormont House Agreement.”
“Thank you, Minister. As you said, this is a very sensitive issue for any family that has lost a child. It is really important to those parents and families that there is recognition of the loss of their child and of the fact that their child existed. Will you confirm that the responsibility for issuing baby loss certificates comes under your Department and that, if possible, you would issue them retrospectively for parents who have already suffered the loss of a child?”
“I welcome the work that has been done so far by departmental officials. They really have worked hard on the project. The school has high praise for them. Given that Gaelscoil Uí Néill is in contract, will the Minister give a commitment that, should he get any capital, it will be an absolute priority to be moved on? There will be serious implications if it is not.”
“I thank the First Minister for her responses so far. Will she provide an update on when a new chair and members will be appointed to the board of the Victims and Survivors Service (VSS)?”
“It is not our responsibility only to make sure that we, our daughters and sisters have a good life but to ensure that every woman has a decent standard of life; that every woman has equality; that every woman has hope; and that every woman has a chance of just having a good life. That means not suffering abuse, not suffering at the hands of oppressive regimes and not suffering at the hands of genocidal Governments.”
“I take the opportunity to acknowledge the women across the world who are suffering as the result of conflict, particularly, as Members have said, the women in Palestine. Today, we think of all the children who, yesterday, did not have their mummies to wish a happy Mother's Day and all the mothers who were not able to hug their children and enjoy being a mother. We think of them today. <BR /> <BR />There is a movement now that says, "Nothing about us without us". That means all women. All women need to be involved in conversations about what this place and every society across our world will look like. We need to ensure that women are heard here and everywhere else. That is our responsibility.”
“We keep saying, "No more". "No more" means no more silence. Support women: speak up, and report abuse.”
“For those who were lucky enough to meet them, often they were so traumatised that they were never able to build a relationship. Those are the women and girls that we must remember on International Women's Day. I record our acknowledgement and thanks to them. We want to see the progression of the legislation. We must all support the women and girls around us and speak up when something is not right, because people knew what was going on and did not speak up and support those women and girls. The silence of all those who do not speak up for women and girls suffering abuse — whether in their home, their place of education, their workplace or anywhere else — offers protection for and compliance with the abuser.”
“They went through mother-and-baby homes and Magdalene laundries, and they are still waiting for legislation to implement the recommendations of the truth recovery design panel. There can be no further delay. This must be implemented with urgency. <BR /> <BR />Those women and girls have laid bare the most horrendous abuses that they suffered. Those women speaking up has started a conversation that will ensure that all of the stigma and shame of what happened belongs to those who inflicted it, not those who suffered it. They were mothers. Yesterday, we celebrated Mother's Day. Those mothers did not get to celebrate with their children, because their children were ripped from them. Those children did not get to say "Happy Mother's Day", because they never knew that mother on many occasions; they never met them.”
“I appreciate the opportunity to support the motion. The motion celebrates the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. We must remember that much of what we celebrate was hard won and hard fought for. On many occasions, it was fought for and won by victims and survivors in the North, across this island and across the world. Many of those victims were victims of state and church. Women and girls have suffered unimaginable abuses and repression, often at the hand, as I said, of state and church across this island and across the world. They are not abuses that were suffered in our historical past; those women and girls are here today. They are still fighting for justice.”
“I wish the Minister well in her new, old post. Minister, I am glad to hear that your husband's health is improving. <BR /> <BR />This has come up repeatedly at the Policing Board, and I am sure that you are well aware of the issues involved. It is not appropriate for the matter to sit with the Policing Board. That is not the place for it to be. It should be with either DOJ or the PSNI. Will the Minister consider looking at the issues, because they are causing great consternation for officers and ex-officers and their families?”
“Let us see the work carried out so that Caolan and so many like him will leave the legacy of a safer road to travel. I think in particular of Caolan's brother, Niall, who plays for Tyrone and will have to travel that road almost daily to train for his county. <BR /> <BR />I finish by saying that I am sure that all our thoughts and prayers are with Gerard, Margaret, Niall, the wider family circle and all the friends who hold Caolan dearly in their hearts.”
“The A5 is a vital infrastructure project and flagship project for the Executive. The long-anticipated upgrade would put in place 85 kilometres of dual carriageway from the south of Derry, at Newbuildings, to Aughnacloy in County Tyrone. The A5 upgrade would save lives. It will be no good to families like the Devlins — nothing can bring back their beautiful boy — but let us move on with the project and make sure that no more families are left with a gap in their hearts that can never be filled. <BR /> <BR />I know that the Minister raised concerns again last week that there may be further legal challenges that could cause further delays to the road upgrade. I use this statement to appeal to those who have caused countless delays through their judicial reviews: please stop.”
“<BR /> <BR />We all know that the upgrade to the A5 should have happened many years ago, but no one knows it so acutely as the families of the more than 50 men, women and children who have lost their lives on that road since 2006. Those families will never get over their loss. Caolan will never come home again. He will never again lift a hurl for his beloved Naomh Colum Cille Hurling Club. Our community has been robbed — in the words of his club — of:”
“I speak again on an issue that has been raised in the Chamber far too many times: another life lost on the A5 road. As many of you will be aware, Caolan Devlin from the Bogside, Aughamullan, Coalisland was killed on Tuesday evening on that road. Caolan has left behind his mummy, Margaret, his father, Gerard, and his only brother, Niall. They have been left devastated by the loss of their son and brother. I pay tribute to the community of Coalisland and the wider community, particularly the GAA community, who have given great support to Caolan's family at this time. They told me in their home how much that meant to them, how much they appreciated it and that it showed them how much Caolan was loved.”