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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“In some areas of women's healthcare, there are clear opportunities to strengthen cooperation on an all-Ireland basis in order to ensure that women have access to the expertise and specialist services that they need. <BR /> <BR />Women are dying due to missed or delayed diagnosis and a misunderstanding of symptoms, leaving behind devastated families. Those women are our sisters, mummies and daughters. They deserve to live a full life, and we need to see an end to the unnecessary deaths. We support developing a comprehensive, fully costed and time-bound women’s health strategy in consultation with women, healthcare professionals and stakeholders; taking a life-course approach to women's health; and, first and foremost, listening to women.”
“I know that the Minister will say that publicity campaigns cost money, and that is true. However, Liz Kimmins, the Infrastructure Minister, recognised the importance of publicity campaigns to saving lives on our roads. I ask the Minister to give the same priority to saving the lives of our women. <BR /> <BR />Other jurisdictions, including England, Scotland, Wales and the South of Ireland, have recognised the need for dedicated women's health strategies. Women here should not be left behind. Primary care will be central to improving women's health and ensuring that women can access care earlier and closer to home. At the same time, we have to recognise the challenges of delivering highly specialised services to a relatively small population and with a small workforce.”
“He is right: people need to recognise the seriousness of their symptoms, especially when we have a health system that does not prioritise women's health, because we need confidence and information to advocate for ourselves and on behalf of the women around us whom we love.”
“They are prescribed medications that they neither need nor want and that do not address their symptoms. <BR /> <BR />Women deserve to have their symptoms properly examined and correctly diagnosed. In recent years, trust in women's health services has been damaged, as Diane Dodds mentioned. The cervical screening scandal caused enormous distress for many women and their families. It caused deaths. <BR /> <BR />At this point, it is worth mentioning the need for awareness and education campaigns on women's health. I acknowledge the work of Stephen McCormick, who lost his precious wife, Julie. Stephen is campaigning for the Health Department to implement a public awareness campaign on the symptoms of ovarian cancer.”
“We see it in the failure to diagnose or effectively treat conditions such as endometriosis, which leaves women and girls living with severe, life-impacting pain that affects their education, work and fertility and, in many cases, causes lasting damage to their organs, bodies and mobility — their ability to move around freely. <BR /> <BR />Menopause is another example of how women's health concerns can be misunderstood or dismissed. With it, we see the two extremes. The first is that women are told that their symptoms are "just the menopause", and that they will just have to live with it. In some cases, that has meant serious underlying conditions being missed or diagnosed far too late. In other cases when women are experiencing menopause, they are misdiagnosed with anxiety or depression.”
“Members have referred to the British Heart Foundation report that states that women are more likely to experience delayed diagnosis following a heart attack, are less likely to receive treatment and, as a result, are more likely to needlessly die. We need to be clear about that: it is not just that women die but that they die needlessly. Their lives could be saved. Their families' trauma could be prevented. <BR /> <BR />The inequalities are not limited to heart disease but reflect a wider pattern across our health system, where women's symptoms are too often dismissed and minimised. We see that in the long waiting lists for red-flag referrals to breast services and gynaecology.”
“I will start by thanking the proposer of the motion. <BR /> <BR />Women and girls across the North are being failed by our health system. Women's symptoms, pain and experiences have been ignored, dismissed and minimised. Many women have had to fight simply to be heard, to be believed and to receive the care that they need. The absence of a comprehensive life-course approach to women's health exacerbates those disparities. The continued delay in delivering a women's health strategy or action plan, for that matter, means that the North remains the only jurisdiction across Ireland and Britain without a strategic funded plan to ensure that women and girls consistently receive appropriate care. <BR /> <BR />The impact of that inequality is becoming increasingly clear.”
“I thank the Minister for the update on the timeline. It is very important that parents who want to access a baby loss certificate can do so. Can you confirm that the baby loss certificates will be available retrospectively, with no time limit on the years to be included, given that we have been contacted by parents who lost babies 20 years ago and more but who want the existence of their child to be acknowledged?”
“I thank the First Minister. We are approaching the 16th anniversary of the transfer of policing and justice powers to the Assembly. First Minister, do you agree that a return to 50:50 recruitment and the appointment of the next Justice Minister by the d'Hondt process would go some way towards building community confidence in our policing and justice arrangements and that it is long past time that we used the d'Hondt process to allocate the Justice Ministry?”
“I thank the Member for taking an intervention. Does the Member agree that that is specifically highlighted by the number of drop-offs in cases of domestic and sexual violence against women and girls?”
“I thank the Member for taking an intervention. I take personal umbrage at being called sectarian. I have never said anything in the Chamber or outside the Chamber — in any setting — that was sectarian. I am not sectarian. I am not a member of a sectarian party. I will not be accused of being sectarian.”
“We have a role to make sure that they feel supported to be in the Chamber, in other Chambers and in positions of leadership right across our community. That includes the public sector and not just elected representatives, but members of boards and right across our public sector. <BR /> <BR />At our recent conference, 'Supporting Women in Public Life, we had the opportunity to engage with female leaders across the voluntary, public and private sectors. It is really important that we have that joined-up approach because we need to see women in every possible sector of life right across our communities. I am going to be cut off by the Principal Deputy Speaker, but I thank everybody who contributed today. It is important that we speak today in the lead up to International Women's Day and that we support each other every day as women.”
“Diana, you acknowledged that you are the sole female UUP MLA, but, in fairness, you acknowledged that you get support from women across the Chamber and from your male colleagues. That is only right. <BR /> <BR />We, as a caucus, aim to work collectively to create change to use our voices to empower one another and encourage other women to step forward into political life. Sometimes, that is difficult because you are trying to convince women to do something, but if you were to get the opportunity again, you wonder whether you would put yourself forward. However, I will say this: it is a difficult job; you need support from the people around you. That means us supporting other women coming into the Chamber, regardless of whether they are Members of our party or whether we agree with them politically.”
“It concerns me that every time that we talk about it, I feel that we are going backwards instead of forwards, and that is really concerning. It is an issue that people have a focus on, and while they have a focus on it, let us move it forward, but we need the cultural change that Emma spoke about right across our community. That change and that leadership need to start in the Chamber. How we talk about women and how we talk to women is where we will make the real change.”
“I hope that our Health Minister listens to the issues that have been raised in this debate to mark International Women's Day. <BR /> <BR />Paula mentioned the need for resource to tackle violence against women and girls. She said that we need to dismantle the structural barriers and that, whilst we have to celebrate, we also have to reflect. That reflection must include thinking about ending violence against women and girls. We talk about it a lot, and it is at the forefront of everybody's minds.”
“It should be acknowledged that many of the women in the Chamber have given leadership, supported by our male colleagues. <BR /> <BR />Pam Cameron rightly highlighted the need to improve childcare provision and provide better healthcare. A number of Members mentioned that. Women's healthcare, including endometriosis care, has been neglected, but for good reason: there were not enough women in leadership positions. Health was an entire area in which all research was done by men for men. That was the reality. Even research on menopause treatments was done by men on men, which is absolutely unbelievable. I noticed that the Health Minister made his way down here to support his female colleague when she was speaking, and that is really important.”
“Many contributors mentioned the women in Iran, Gaza, across the Middle East and across the world who, particularly at this time, are, as Gerry said of the women of West Belfast, "shock absorbers" in wars that, as Emma rightly said, they did not start. They do not want those wars, but unfortunately they suffer the most as a result of them <BR /> <BR />Emma talked about the need for a cultural shift and leadership. I will be a wee bit biased, because Emma is my colleague in Mid Ulster and I know her really well, but, like many other women in the Chamber, she is a shining example of a young woman who is willing to take on that leadership role. I look at people like Sian and our new female MLAs. It is really important that they are supported. They have given leadership in their communities and in the Assembly.”
“I thank all the Members who contributed to the debate. I thank our male colleagues who joined us, particularly those who spoke. Gerry has just finished, and he made a very welcome contribution about the women of West Belfast. It is the same for women across this place, but he is right: women in West Belfast probably suffered the most during our conflict and continue to do so now through deprivation. <BR /> <BR />Many contributors reiterated that progress on increasing women's representation, leadership and equality requires more than just words, and that is absolutely right. It requires concrete actions, resources and accountability — not just today or on International Women's Day, but every day.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Phríomh-Leas-Cheann Comhairle.”
“Does the Minister agree that the Member opposite, having been a Minister herself, should know exactly what a Finance Minister's remit and powers are over any other Minister or Department? Does he agree that it is necessary that the Health Minister and the Department are held to account in relation to all the issues that were outlined?”
“I appreciate the Member taking an intervention. I am sure that the Education Minister and the Communities Minister do not want to give up any of their budgets. Given her earlier commentary about not asking the British Government for any more money because, "How dare we?", does the Member agree, and might she like to put that agreement on record, that the British Government underfund us? Does the Member agree that they underfund Infrastructure, Education, Communities and every other Department here? They underfund our public services across the board.”
“I appreciate the Member's taking an intervention. Does he agree that, like every other Department, the Department of Justice has a responsibility to ensure that it saves money where it can? For almost seven years, I have been raising with the Minister the need to address ill-health retirement and injury-on-duty issues and to change legislation in order to save millions of pounds in her Department. That is money that is being paid to police officers who should not be getting it, so it is being lost to her Department. The Minister needs to take responsibility and bring forward legislation that will save her millions of pounds.”
“Does the Member agree that that same British Government care little for their own constituents — the people who actually elect them — so there is absolutely no chance that they will be concerned about the issues that are of concern to the people here in the North, who do not elect them?”
“Does the Minister agree that, when sexual abuse was reported to the RUC in the case of the Kincora boys' home, it was not properly investigated? How can people have faith and confidence in a service that allowed paedophiles to be embedded in a home for young boys?”
“Only legacy structures that are grounded in human rights principles and that command confidence will provide victims with reassurance that their voices will be heard and their experiences acknowledged. That goes across the board for everybody. <BR /> <BR />As the proposer of the motion said, sexual offences that were carried out against anyone in the past by anyone can and should be investigated by the PSNI. It does not need to wait for the legislation. However, we absolutely support the sentiment of the motion. Victims of rape or child abuse do not have to wait. I encourage anyone who has been a victim of abuse to come forward to the PSNI without delay, because they deserve justice, and those responsible deserve to be punished.”
“It carries with it an absolute duty on the state to investigate, provide accountability and ensure that victims have access to justice. That obligation does not fade with time. The women, peace and security framework, including UN Security Council resolution 1325 and its successors, demands that conflict-related sexual violence be recognised, investigated and addressed as a distinct and serious harm. Those commitments apply in full here. There is no room for ambiguity and no justification for exclusion. <BR /> <BR />I will conclude by making it clear that we are committed to ensuring that the rights of all victims are respected and upheld. No harm inflicted by anyone on anyone can be minimised. Sinn Féin believes that any credible legacy mechanism must explicitly examine all harms, including those of a sexual nature.”
“Under article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights, sexual violence is categorically understood as:”
“Answers are needed as to why the RUC did not act on information provided to it from 1973 to 1976.”
“Complaints that were made about the failure of police to investigate allegations of sexual abuse in the Belfast boys' home were legitimate and justified, as the Police Ombudsman highlighted in 2022. Clearly, had the RUC taken appropriate action at that time, many young boys would not have been abused.”
“Strip-searching in a prison environment is a tool of intimidation and domination. It was an intimate and brutal violation and was carried out on thousands of prisoners, including young prisoners who were under the age of 18. It was mainstream and constitutes a grave human rights violation in every credible legal framework that is available to us. It also means that those who were tortured and suffered harm of an intimate nature in interrogation centres must have their voices heard. <BR /> <BR />There needs to be a thorough investigation into the serious allegations of abuse of young boys in Kincora boys' home, where growing evidence shows that British state intelligence agencies embedded known paedophiles. Why were such practices covered up?”
“In 2026, we have a responsibility to ensure that the full range of those harmful and intrusive experiences of sexual abuse are acknowledged and that the proper support services are in place. <BR /> <BR />Turning to the present context of legacy and the ongoing Westminster legislative process, we genuinely need to ask ourselves whether, if we are serious about healing the wounds of the past, we are ready to lift the lid on all intimate and invasive harms that were suffered during the conflict period. Dealing with sexual abuse in a legacy context means that we also need to talk about abuse in institutional settings. The indignity and violations of strip-searching, forced washes, intimate searches and mirror searches were common practice in Long Kesh, Armagh Gaol, Maghaberry prison and other prisons on these islands.”
“I absolutely do agree with that. It has been said many times in the Chamber and needs to keep being repeated. <BR /> <BR />While we are concerned about the direction of travel with the legacy Bill and the prioritisation of the needs of British state forces over victims, my party and I will support the motion. I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the debate and discussion on overlooked crimes. We know that many victims were silenced by fear. We also know that many others were failed by the state institutions that should have protected them and did not. Many crimes also went unreported at a time when there was little confidence in state authorities and for fear that information would be used for other purposes; indeed, at a time when the state itself was carrying out abuses.”
“I begin by acknowledging the harm and trauma that was endured by all those who have suffered sexual violence, whether that was during the conflict or outside of it. Without exception, it was wrong, cruel and should not have happened. Crimes of rape, child sexual abuse, sexualised assault and many other intimate violations that were used to coerce, threaten or degrade anyone are among the most intrusive and devastating harms that anyone can endure. Where such allegations still exist, the PSNI should and must investigate. The impact of such abuse endures for a lifetime. For far too long, victims of sexual violence that happened during the conflict have been among the least heard in our society. That is not acceptable. We must support victims to break their silence.”
“On the back of the previous question, to which, I believe, the Minister answered that he would go out next week with those organisations, will he go out to meet the people who are homeless — people who come from our communities and are somebody's child, somebody's mother, somebody's brother — to get a better understanding of the challenges that they face and why they have ended up homeless? You talked about the resources that you are using: we need to understand whether that money is being best spent.”
“I thank the Member for taking an intervention. We have mentioned the PSNI and the justice system. I understand the point that may have been made earlier about capturing data, and if it is the PSNI intervening, it is not captured. It actually is captured but just at the wrong point because the PSNI will probably end up bringing those individuals to an emergency department, but that is not where they should be. It should be dealt with in the community.”
“<BR /> <BR />The motion should be seen as constructive. It is not about criticism for its own sake but about strengthening the foundations on which policy decisions are made. Transparency builds trust, evidence improves outcomes and accountability is essential if reform is to mean anything at all. For all those reasons, my party brought the motion to the House. <BR /> <BR />I pay particular tribute to Órlaithí Flynn, who has done an immense amount of work in the area. She works very closely with many organisations to understand what can make the greatest difference. The reason that I have the information is because Órlaithí ensures that we know what is happening in mental health services, where the problems are and what we can do, potentially, to resolve them.”
“Good data is not a luxury in a tight financial climate; it is an absolute necessity. Without accurate information on demand, capacity and outcomes, scarce resources risk being directed to the wrong places. Inefficiencies go unchallenged, and those with the greatest need can be the very people who are overlooked. <BR /> <BR />The call for a single, standardised mental health data system with regular public reporting across all trusts is not radical; it is basic good governance. If we are serious about parity of esteem between mental and physical health, mental health data must be treated with the same seriousness, visibility and rigour. If we are serious about suicide prevention, early intervention and tackling waiting lists, we must be prepared to measure what is happening, where it is happening, for whom and by whom.”
“It means that unmet need can remain hidden, inequalities between trust areas can go unchallenged, and decisions about service redesign and investment are made without a full picture of demand, capacity and effectiveness. Front-line staff continue to work under immense pressure, but the system around them lacks the basic tools that are needed to support strategic planning and accountability. Accountability is really important, particularly for the Health Committee. <BR /> <BR />We all know that the Minister is operating under severe budgetary constraints. Resources are tight, pressures are enormous and difficult choices have to be made every day. That is precisely why the motion matters. When funding is limited, it becomes even more important that every pound is spent where it will make the greatest difference.”
“We cannot reliably answer basic questions about how many people are waiting for assessment or therapy, how long they are waiting, where the gaps in provision lie, whether spending matches what was planned or whether services are actually improving people's outcomes. In too many cases, we simply do not know. That should concern everybody in the Chamber. <BR /> <BR />Without accurate and comparable data, we cannot plan services properly. Without transparent data, we cannot hold the system to account. Other jurisdictions routinely publish that information. Here, families, service users and even MLAs, too often, rely on freedom of information requests, partial snapshots or outdated figures. That is not how a modern, accountable health system should operate. <BR /> <BR />The data deficit has real consequences.”
“That is extremely important, and they absolutely should have that data. <BR /> <BR />Another problem is that they do not collect that information and do not make it easily available to those who need services.”
“As has been said, the object of the motion is not an abstract debate about data, systems or IT infrastructure. It is about whether the Assembly and the Minister's Department are serious about improving mental health services or whether we are content to continue to make policy in a vacuum without reliable data. I agree with what Colin McGrath said about there being many places to capture data, but we should certainly start with Encompass, which cost £360 million; that is a very important place to start. <BR /> <BR />At present, we do not have a clear, consistent or transparent picture of mental health services across our health and social care trusts. Such a picture should include all the organisations. Our trusts should understand what services are available in their trust area, whether they are trust-run or not.”
“It works both ways. You need to be conscious of that. <BR /> <BR />While Members in the Chamber cry about a billboard, there are people at home who are in genuine and real strife around the cost of living. That is what we need to address in the Chamber. I think that some of the leaders of other parties said that that was what they wanted to address in the Chamber.”
“— that has genuinely offended many families.”
“Do you agree that, while some people in the Chamber are obsessed with billboards — I could raise the issue of many a billboard, I assure you, that is up in mid-Ulster and many a poster —”
“I appreciate the Minister's taking a brief intervention, particularly given the time that he has left. Following on from Mr McGlone's point about access, we do not expect to have every service in every hospital, but we expect that people can access them. We need to address the ambulance issue if we are not going to address the location of the service.”
“Does the Member agree that people in the South of Ireland in the Twenty-six Counties are able to avail themselves of a 24/7 service? While it is in only Beaumont Hospital in Dublin and Cork University Hospital and you would certainly like to see more access, maybe the Minister could enlighten us on whether conversations have been had with the Minister in the South about how that has been delivered and how successful it has been?”
“Does the Member agree that the benefits are not just in health but in the fact that Clodagh has been able to return to her job. She works in public service and has been successful in her job. It is an extremely important issue, as there are economic benefits around ensuring that people get access to a 24/7 thrombectomy service.”
“It is time that we saw legislation around ill-health retirement and this issue being addressed once and for all.”
“I agree with the Minister's last comments. Those who need to get injury-on-duty and ill-health retirement should absolutely be able to do so. However, there are, clearly, many people who are taking advantage of the unique circumstances and legislation around ill-health retirement and injury-on-duty retirement for PSNI officers. In no other service across these islands can people avail themselves of that. Nobody else in the public service can avail themselves of it. It is absolutely unsustainable. I have been raising the issue for a number of years now. The Policing Board has written to you on a number of occasions about it.”
“On a point of order, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker. Will the Speaker please rule on whether it is in order for personal attacks to be made on an independent commissioner in this place? I think that it is entirely out of order, but I would like a ruling on that.”