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 17 of 32.
“<BR /> <BR />Thankfully, we have been able to build a successful peace process in Ireland, and it has become a model for other areas of conflict across the globe. Although I acknowledge that that does not remove the pain for any family that continue to grieve for the person whom they love, when we look at the horrors unfolding in other parts of world, we are fortunate that we can now say with confidence that the conflict here is part of our history, is not part of our present and can never be part of our future.”
“After the publication of the interim report on the Kenova investigation, my thoughts are, first and foremost, with all the families whose loved ones were killed, without exception, and whose loss and hurt continues to this day. <BR /> <BR />Our painful history of conflict has left a deep legacy of suffering and trauma in our society. That trauma and suffering has affected every section of our community. We have an urgent responsibility to recognise and acknowledge the hurt that the families feel and to help all those affected to heal. Let me be very clear in saying that we as a party are wholeheartedly committed to healing the wounds of the past and to playing our part in whatever way we can.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. Does she agree that all the apprenticeships and the skills that are required need to be led by the industries, whether that is nursing, health and social care or the engineering businesses in my constituency of Mid Ulster? The apprenticeships need to be led by the businesses. The businesses need to be listened to, because they know what skills they need and what training is required to deliver those skills.”
“We need to see something in our education system that teaches young women and girls about their bodies and about the fact that extremely painful periods are not normal. That is not normal, and you should not have to suffer it every month. If something is not right, it needs to be looked at, diagnosed and treated.”
“We need the Minister to take it seriously. We need the Department to take it seriously. I know that some work is ongoing, but it needs to be sped up. We need to have focused teams. We need to have protected services for not only diagnosis but surgical procedures, because they are happening much too late, which makes them much less effective. It affects people's kidneys and bowels, as well as causing all the gynaecological issues. However, people do not know about the other issues. They do not know about the impact on your bowels, kidneys or mobility. <BR /> <BR />I ask that the Department, the Minister and the trusts look at the issue and do some more work on awareness raising, for a start. Again, that is not just for the Health Minister; it is cross-departmental.”
“That is yet another indication of the neglect of women here and their health needs. It is also an indication of the neglect to trust women to know their own bodies and what is wrong with them. <BR /> <BR />People think that endometriosis is only a gynaecological problem, but it is also neurological, which is what affects people's mobility. That can result in women and girls ending up in a wheelchair and not living the full life that they could live if they were diagnosed and treated on time. That would not be acceptable if someone had cancer. If someone went to the doctor and said, "I think I might have cancer", late diagnosis and treatment would not be acceptable. It would limit their life and their chances in life, as does endometriosis. We cannot continue in that vein. <BR /> <BR />There needs to be serious focus on it.”
“I associate myself with Sian Mulholland's remarks. <BR /> <BR />I am speaking, in Endometriosis Awareness Month, on behalf of all women and girls in the North who suffer from endometriosis. In the words of Anne Donnelly from Donaghmore, what is happening is unforgivable, and she is right, because she has been left completely debilitated at 43 years of age. She had to retire from her teaching job. She may well end up in a wheelchair, because she has waited so long on treatment. She waited many years for a diagnosis, like so many other young women and girls. That was all down to the fact that there are not services, there is not the understanding, there is late diagnosis and there is extremely delayed treatment. The waiting lists for women and girls with endometriosis are among some of the longest in the North.”
“I reiterate the words of Cara Hunter: this is very, very welcome news. Like the Member, I met a number of people who are survivors of sexual violence and require the services of Nexus. Some of them did not get any services because there were none there, and we want to ensure that that never happens again. In the same vein as the question asked by Ms Sugden, I say that we need an understanding of how we will be kept updated on what will be put in place and whether Nexus is being given an opportunity to improve that performance or to deal with those performance issues, because we need to ensure that, at the end of this one-year contract, we are not in this position again.”
“Minister, in the same vein, will you give us an update on what you plan to do about junior doctors, and the challenges that they face, in the workforce plan and tell us how we are going to have a workforce if we do not pay it adequately?”
“Minister, I understand the extreme pressure that your budget is under, but can you give a commitment that the business case for the non-teaching staff pay and grading review will be with the Finance Department as soon as possible?”
“Let us take it on together and finally end violence against all women and girls across our society.”
“It is how that legislation is implemented and how the courts deal with perpetrators that matters. Bail conditions and delays in the judicial system must be improved in order to give women and girls the confidence to come forward. <BR /> <BR />I have a 15-year-old daughter, and I talk openly with her about what is appropriate behaviour and what is not. I talk to her about challenging misogyny among her friendship group, but I want to see age-appropriate relationships and sexuality education being standardised across all schools, so that I know that all our young people are being taught better than we were. Frankly, it is not good enough that that is not in place in 2024. <BR /> <BR />Ending violence against women and girls is the responsibility of all of us. Let us take that responsibility seriously.”
“Victims and perpetrators are doctors, teachers, shop assistants, nurses, police officers and elected representatives. The strategy to tackle violence against women and girls needs to include every element: education, support services, policing, the courts and much more. If we get this right, we can transform the lives of women and girls and transform our society. <BR /> <BR />We have seen the immeasurable pain that is caused to families when their mother or daughter is murdered, in most cases by a partner or an ex-partner, who is the very person who was supposed to love her, be good to her and protect her. We need to end the silence and see greater reporting and better support for those who take that brave step. We have seen a lot in the way of legislation, but legislation alone cannot protect women and girls.”
“A victim is not just the person who dies or who is abused: their children, who are witnesses to the violence and abuse, and their children's children will suffer because of it. All the information that we have tells us that violence and abuse of women and girls is mostly carried out by people whom they know and trust: partners, husbands, fathers, other family members and family friends. That needs to be a part of the conversation. We cannot keep it to stranger danger — those evil people who are out there somewhere whom you do not know — rather, they are the people whom you know and trust. They are the people who are supposed to love you. <BR /> <BR />Abuse and violence against women and girls knows no barriers. Victims and perpetrators come from all backgrounds.”
“Unfortunately, some children are as young as small babies when they are first abused, so we cannot wait until children are teenagers in secondary school. We need to have those conversations with them at a very young age. <BR /> <BR />Silence and shame are what perpetrators rely on. It is what shields them and allows them to carry out their horrific acts. I listened to Amanda Brown talk about her guilt at not speaking out sooner. She thought that her silence would protect her family. Silence makes the victim think that somehow it is their fault: that is what silence does. I think of women such as Caoimhe Morgan in north Belfast and Katrina Rainey in Knockloughrim, murdered in front of their children.”
“They need to know what is acceptable and unacceptable behaviour. We need age-appropriate sex education. One of the most valuable programmes that have been rolled out in recent years is the NSPCC's Talk PANTS. As a mother of a young child at the time, I would not have had the knowledge of how to have that conversation in an age-appropriate way. It was on the radio, however, and it taught me how to do that. That was extremely valuable, because it had the potential to protect my child. Everybody should have that conversation with their children, and it needs to be done in conjunction with organisations such as the NSPCC and Women's Aid, which fully understand the impact but also understand how to do it in the right way, at the right time, with the right people.”
“This is a difficult topic to speak to, because it is so real for so many women and girls every day of their life. It causes untold damage and trans-generational trauma. We in the Chamber have a responsibility to show leadership on the issue of violence against women and girls. There can be no level of tolerance of misogyny or abusive behaviour in our society. It will require a cultural change that will take many years and cannot be seen as solely a judicial problem, because the law alone cannot address the cultural change that is required. Change begins in our homes, schools, sporting organisations and clubs, and every one of us must be part of the solution. <BR /> <BR />To change the culture, we need a reset in our education system. Our young people — young women, girls and boys — need to know what a healthy relationship looks like.”
“I thank the Minister for his answers so far, particularly on reviewing the contract. That is a really important point. As well as pay, can you look at the conditions that some junior doctors are working in and, in some cases, living under in some of our trust facilities and hospitals? They are expected to work, sleep and live there, yet the conditions are absolutely disgraceful. There is a capital element to that as well. Can you give us some reassurance on that?”
“I thank the Minister for giving way. There is an issue, particularly in the Southern Trust, with MRI scans for paediatric patients. I am not aware of whether it is at the same level across the region, but will the Minister look at that issue, because it is serious? I am told that the wait time for a child who needs anaesthetic is 51 weeks. I know a family who have been told that it is 18 months. Those children are in their formative years, and their capacity and development is going backwards, because they are not getting the MRI scans that they badly need.”
“Minister, I wish you well going forward, and I hope to work closely with you, particularly on the issue around Lough Neagh. Can we get some indication, Minister, of what meetings you have had or what plans you have to bring the lough back into public ownership? We know that this is one of the greatest obstacles to moving forward with Lough Neagh.”
“I wish the Minister well in his role as our new Economy Minister. <BR /> <BR />I am glad to hear your comments and to see in your statement that notion of reorientation and a focus on other areas. I speak, in particular, of my area of mid-Ulster, where our engineering and manufacturing sector has been successful in spite of Invest NI and central government help, not because of it. Will your emphasis on clusters include local networks like Manufacturing and Engineering Growth and Advancement (MEGA) in mid-Ulster, which has been doing brilliant and transformative work? A focus on that from central government would be much appreciated.”
“This is about saving lives and giving people — the staff who work in that sector and the people whom they serve — a better quality of life. <BR /> <BR />I will not repeat all the points that other Members have made. The Minister has enough to respond to.”
“This falls outside the Northern Trust specifically, but I visited A&E in Craigavon Area Hospital, and many of the patients there will have come from the Northern Trust area. In that A&E, 68 people were on trolleys and 62 people on the wards were medically able to be discharged but did not have domiciliary care packages or anywhere to go. It really is important. That is the impact. It is the knock-on effect. People are dying in our A&Es. They are dying because people who are fit to be discharged cannot be discharged. People who are fit to be discharged, particularly those from the older population and those with dementia, are dying because they become more ill the longer they are in hospital. After a person spends 10 days in hospital, they deteriorate. This has to be a focus.”
“That is also an issue that we need to focus on, and I hope that the Department will take it seriously.”
“I have no possibility of further training to learn more about how I look after the people I have to look after". It is not about having high-flying jobs; it is about being the best at what you do. A lot of those people are the best, but that is not because of the training that they are getting; it is because they have a wish to be the best that they can be. They are not getting training and additional support.”
“These are the staff who went into homes during COVID. They did not abandon the people who they were looking after. They put themselves and their families at risk, with very little thanks from the community or the rest of the world. They just had to get on with it. However, the people who they went in to, and their families, were grateful, because that was their lifeline. That kept people at home and safe. It kept the families safe and enabled them to function as a family. We need to have that recognition. <BR /> <BR />The workforce is not there. I do not see a multitude of young people coming into that line of work. It is not just about pay. As has been mentioned, what progression can young people make in that sector? No one wants to go into a job thinking, "This is it. I have no possibility of progression.”
“At the end of the day, no matter which trust it is, very often, they cannot get a domiciliary care package, and that is because those are both extremely rural areas. We know that, overwhelmingly, the people who work in the sector are women of a certain age. Some have health problems themselves, because they are taking on more work than they should. As has been mentioned, they are not getting the proper pay or being afforded the proper working conditions. For me, that is the focus. We need to have a proper plan in place. I know, from meetings that I had with the permanent secretary before the Assembly got back up, that the Department is going to ask for a decent pay structure and decent working conditions for the staff in that sector — and rightly so. <BR /> <BR />I do not need to repeat the points that have been made.”
“Congratulations on your new role, Mr Deputy Speaker. I was remiss earlier in not congratulating the Minister on his new old role. I did not want to say "new old Minister" in case people thought that that was a personal reference. Congratulations. <BR /> <BR />I am not going to go over the points that have already been made. I am also a representative for the constituency of Mid Ulster, and the Northern Trust falls into my area. More importantly, two parts of my area fall between the Northern and Southern Trusts, and that is where the real complications happen. We have heard about families who have been sent from one trust to another and told that they are the responsibility of the other trust, and that is unacceptable.”
“Absolutely, and that is why I outlined that as the starting point of my speech. As I say, our MP, Francie Molloy, has worked on that over many, many years, and I know that others have been involved in that conversation too. We need to grasp that nettle and take it on. <BR /> <BR />It is clear that we all understand that there needs to be unity of purpose, and I am up for working with everyone who is genuinely interested, but, as the Member outlined, the key to unlocking all the issues on the lough is to, once and for all, deal with its ownership.”
“<BR /> <BR />I cannot talk about Lough Neagh and not mention its value to our local fishing industry; to the local fishing families who have fished on the lough for many, many generations; to the eel fishery; and to the local community for the purposes of leisure, including cold-water dipping, which has become a very popular leisure activity and is beneficial and of value to those with mental health issues.”
“<BR /> <BR />A group of local people has been campaigning for the Barmouth to be dredged to allow boats to travel freely from the River Blackwater into Lough Neagh so that Lough Neagh rescue services can get up the river to respond to emergencies, so that local people can take their boats out and, most importantly, so that we can unlock that vital tourism potential. Waterways Ireland needs to be a part of that conversation, and I hope that the North/South Ministerial Council (NSMC) will be used as a vehicle to look at that as a cross-border issue.”
“I want us to leave a legacy of a healthy lough and a good natural resource to the children who wrote to us, and that is the commitment that I want us to give to them today. I am not ashamed to admit that, given my proximity to the lough, I am absolutely biased and see this as an issue that must be prioritised in the Executive going forward. There is massive tourism potential right around the lough, but it is not being realised due to the lack of ownership and the lack of a cross-departmental plan and responsibility for that plan.”
“There needs to be a strong cross-departmental focus, and all those with an interest in the lough, particularly the local community, must be a part of the solution. <BR /> <BR />I know that there are representatives here today from the Lough Neagh Partnership, and many people in my constituency of Mid Ulster will be following the debate closely. We value the lough, and, like the Member who spoke previously, I live not far from the lough shore, just up from Washing Bay. The response to the concerns about the health of the lough last summer gives us some sense of how much local people love and value this amazing natural resource, which must be protected. Indeed, it was an issue that exercised many in my constituency, including children at local schools who wrote to me.”
“I appreciate the opportunity to speak on the motion. As we all know, the issues facing Lough Neagh may not be insurmountable, but they are not simple or quick fixes, as outlined by the previous contributor. The starting point needs to be bringing the lough back into public ownership. That motion was proposed by Francie Molloy, who was an MLA at the time and is now the MP for Mid Ulster, in this Chamber in 2011. Trying to bring the lough back into public ownership is something for which he has argued strongly and on which he has done quite a substantial amount of work. He has worked with others to do so, including Shaftesbury himself. We need to take that on seriously and to look at how it can be done. We need to work together to ensure that it is done.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. The point that I was going to make to the Minister is that that awareness raising needs to be done in conjunction with the community. Given that Community Foundation NI is here, it is important that we support it to support the community in order to ensure that we reach those people. There are not people who are hard to reach; there are services that are hard to access.”
“The right decisions will not be made for women unless women are in the rooms where the decisions are taken.”
“I have spoken with many health professionals who share our concerns about the inequality in women's healthcare and want to play their part in shaping better treatment and health outcomes for women and girls. As I said at the outset, we have waited much too long to see this, but I believe that we have in place a Health Minister who wants to work with us, and we certainly want to work with him. As Committee members, we will hold him to account on a women's health strategy. I hope that we will see that come forward in the very near future. <BR /> <BR />It is very appropriate that we have the Nothing About Us Without Us group here today. It is no coincidence that these issues are coming to light as there are more women on the Floor of the Chamber.”
“That is why it is so important that the Health Minister gives leadership on the issue, and that he works with health professionals, the community and voluntary sector, charities, support groups and women with lived experience to develop an action plan that is properly resourced, in order to ensure that it can be implemented fully and create the real change that is required. <BR /> <BR />We do not need to reinvent the wheel. An abundance of work has been done by many different sectors, and the answers are out there. We just need a formulated plan that is properly resourced. We can look at the other plans that have already been developed across these islands.”
“Just yesterday, I spoke with a strong, intelligent, motivated woman from my constituency. Anne, who had to be medically retired as a result of endometriosis, openly offered to help and support others who have been diagnosed or await diagnosis, and to speak to MLAs about her experience to help them understand how this terrible disease can impact on women and girls. She is determined to do what she can to ensure that services are improved. However, Anne should not have to fight. That is what we are here to do; that is what we were elected to do.”
“As the Member who spoke previously outlined, the education in relation to menstruation is, quite frankly, inadequate and, in many cases, too late. We need more age-appropriate education around women's health. We are almost entirely reliant on other women and the fantastic work being carried out by charities, like Menopause NI, to offer advice and support around the menopause. Unfortunately, our health service is sadly lacking. <BR /> <BR />It is likewise lacking in diagnosis and treatment for women and girls who suffer with endometriosis. Again, lack of awareness, delayed diagnosis and lack of access to appropriate treatment means that women suffer needlessly. This is an extremely painful and debilitating disease that can result in limited mobility, regular episodes of violent vomiting and extreme, life-altering pain.”
“Absolutely. That is one of the reasons why I decided to speak here about my experience. It is like anything else: if we do not talk about it, we will not educate our daughters and the other young women who come after us. It is important that we speak about it and normalise the conversation around it. I have talked about the support that women give women, but I have to say that men around us have given us great support. It is not that men did not want to be supportive; they just did not know how to be. That is why we need to talk about it. We need more education. <BR /> <BR />On that note, education around menopause needs to be included in our curriculum. My daughter is taught in school about periods and pregnancy, but not about menopause.”
“That tells us all that we need to know about the information and advice that are out there for women. <BR /> <BR />My big concern was that, although I knew that I had been through the hot flushes and three or four years of not being able to sleep, I did not know that the brain fog that I was experiencing was due to the menopause. I did not know that it was impacting on my bones. The first thing that I did the next morning was contact my GP about starting HRT. I am very glad that I did, because, as I said, I feel young. I want to feel as young as I can and be as mobile and independent as I can for as long as I can. We need to ensure —.”
“As a 47-year-old, post-menopausal woman — I am not afraid to say my age, because I still think that I am younger — I have experienced at first hand the gaps in services and treatment and the gaps in basic information and advice about how the menopause can affect you. I was only 40 when my menopause began. I decided that I would tough it out, get through the hot flushes and get to the other end of it and that I would do it without HRT. However, that was due to ignorance about what I was going through. It was due to a lack of understanding of and basic advice around the subject. Last year, I sat at an event in St Joseph's College in Coalisland and listened to Dr Declan Quinn speak. That presentation gave me more information in half an hour than I had had in my whole 47 years of life.”
“We can probably attribute that not only to social bias but to the lack of awareness, education and understanding among men and women and in our medical profession, because most of the research on the issue was done on men. We need to make sure that that changes. <BR /> <BR />Women are dying needlessly from heart disease because our health system has failed to recognise and address the lack of awareness, the misdiagnosis and the delays in getting appropriate treatment. The new Assembly and our new Health Minister have an opportunity to turn that around, to do better and to deliver for women who are being failed by the health system. <BR /> <BR />I will address some other areas in the motion around women's healthcare and the serious challenges in accessing services and treatment.”
“It kills twice as many women as breast cancer. In 2022, almost 2,000 women died from heart and circulatory diseases in the North, with 334 of those deaths resulting from heart attack. A heart attack is a medical emergency. As we all know, timely, effective treatment is critical. However, research that was funded by the British Heart Foundation has found that women are less likely to receive guideline-indicated care and that more women than men die following a heart attack. Women are 50% more likely than men to be misdiagnosed or to receive a delayed diagnosis following a heart attack, and they are more likely than men to exhibit longer delays in seeking medical care after the development of symptoms that are suggestive of a heart attack.”
“I am aware that, when we talk about women's health, people think that we are talking about gynaecological health. If we want to truly make a difference to the health outcomes for and the quality of life of women, we need to ensure that all areas of health where inequality exists are included. It is for that reason that we tabled the amendment. I am glad to hear that the proposer of the motion will support our amendment, and I hope that all MLAs across the Chamber will support it. <BR /> <BR />A reduction in the gender gap in cardiovascular outcomes must be included in any women's health strategy. There are significant gaps in awareness, diagnosis and treatment of heart disease in women. Heart disease is, in fact, the leading cause of death for women in the North. Approximately 26,000 women here are living with heart disease.”
“That support is very welcome, as inequalities in women's healthcare impact on us all. There is a cost to women, their families, society and our entire economy. It is everyone's responsibility to tackle those inequalities.”
“Órlaithí has hosted excellent events and speakers to give us the detailed information and the uncomfortable truths about the gaps in services for women in many areas of our health service. We have heard from health professionals, women with lived experience and the amazing charities that support women, including Menopause Support NI, endometriosis support groups and the Heart Failure Warriors group, which will be here next week for all MLAs to drop in and have a chat. <BR /> <BR />I thank our male colleagues across the Chamber who supported the recent event in the Long Gallery and for donning the MenoVest to highlight just some of the symptoms — I stress that they are just some of the symptoms — of the menopause.”
“I thank the Members for bringing the motion to the Assembly today, and I welcome the opportunity to speak to the issue. <BR /> <BR />The fact that we have to call for a women's health strategy in 2024 is far from ideal, but I am glad that we are finally getting to the point of having not only the conversation but, hopefully, the opportunity to implement a strategy. I know that the Department has already been doing work, even in the absence of the Assembly. I was given that reassurance by the permanent secretary in the meetings that I had with him prior to the Assembly being restored. <BR /> <BR />I thank our MLA Órlaithí Flynn, who is chairperson of the all-party group on women's health. She has kept a strong focus on the issues facing women and their health.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. You mentioned those with special educational needs, and I would like the Minister to consider that issue specifically. I have been contacted by a number of families who have children with special needs and are having real difficulty accessing any type of childcare. There is a reluctance and a fear among childcare providers because they are not getting the support that they need in order to give those children the attention and support that they need.”