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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“— so that the people here do not suffer —”
“I thank the Minister for his answer. Minister, given that you and your party were such great advocates of Brexit, which lost us — sorry, not "us" but local community groups and voluntary organisations — all European funding —. You can roll your eyes all you want, but those groups and organisations are the ones that you were talking about earlier when you talked about homelessness. They are the groups and organisations that hold our community together. What engagement are you having with the British Government to ensure that the promises that we were given on replacement EU funding are honoured —”
“Does the Member agree that it is good to hear about the reduction in ambulance handover times in some trusts? I am concerned that the Southern Trust is not mentioned in those figures. The Committee needs to understand what has led to those reductions and why they cannot be replicated across all the trusts or whether they have happened at the expense of carers at home. We need to understand whether it is a good news story and how it can be replicated elsewhere.”
“The Committee just needs to get more information to scrutinise and understand what is happening, why it is happening and how we can help you, Minister, to fix it.”
“We need to understand how the Department is going to address those issues and how we will change how services are delivered so that we can scrutinise that and consult properly with all the stakeholders and have honest conversations. <BR /> <BR />This is really important stuff. Speaking as somebody who spent most of Christmas in hospital with my father, I can tell you that the staff are doing outstanding work in very difficult circumstances. We need to look seriously at how we are delivering services and the pathways. I did see through that experience where pathways maybe could be improved. When people are going to EDs and repeatedly ending up back on the same ward for the same reason, is an ED the best way for that admission to happen? Maybe it is, but we do not know. We do not get the opportunity to understand why that is happening.”
“They protect dignity, improve flow through hospitals and ensure that those people are not ending up in EDs, which, quite honestly, are not suitable places for them, and we know all the reasons for that. That is why we need better use of community-based pathways, including dementia-specific support, to prevent avoidable admissions and support timely discharge. This is about patient dignity, system flow and staff safety. <BR /> <BR />I want to be clear about the role of scrutiny. The Health Committee has repeatedly raised concerns about transparency. We can scrutinise only the information we are given, so if we are serious about reform, we need to have honest conversations, not only about the scale of the challenge, as was outlined by the Member across the away, but about how, when and why service delivery will change.”
“Improving access to GPs needs investment — investing in community nursing, creating better pathways for access to the care needed and ensuring that domiciliary care packages are in place. <BR /> <BR />If we are serious about easing pressures on emergency departments, we must strengthen frailty pathways across the system. Older people living with frailty are among the most likely to present at A&E in crisis, often because the right support was not available earlier in the community. Frailty pathways, including rapid assessment, same-day emergency care and hospital-to-home services, allow people to be treated safely without unnecessary admission.”
“The situation is unacceptable. I was contacted by a family whilst in the Chamber last week because their mummy lay on the ground in the street in Dungannon, in the rain, for over seven hours waiting on an ambulance. The risk to her health and the absolute indignity for that lady was a horrendous experience for her and her family. <BR /> <BR />The Chamber and the public expect to see real outcomes in our hospitals, GP practices and in people's homes, regardless of when the planning began. The greatest difference that we know can be made is by keeping people out of hospital, and that must be a priority. We have talked much about the shift left, but that means strengthening primary care, and that means investment.”
“That is fact, and it is not just financial backing. That is real, genuine backing, and that does not remove the problems and challenges that face the Health Minister. The key question is not simply how much money is available but how it is being used. Are we doing things differently? Are we learning the lessons of previous winters? Rita Devlin, of the Royal College of Nursing, was clear this week when she said that the Department needs to change how it delivers services. Those are the nurses, the very people who are delivering the service, so we need to hear the Minister outline how he is taking on board what Rita and others are saying. <BR /> <BR />None of us wants to see a repeat of what happened last year: ambulances queued outside emergency departments, patients waiting for hours or days, and exhausted staff struggling to cope.”
“I welcome the opportunity to speak in the debate and to address the issues raised in the motion. No one in the Chamber denies the immense pressure being experienced by patients and staff in our emergency departments. Those pressures are real, visible and must be addressed. It is important that the debate reflects where we are now and not where we were last year. Health workers, nurses, doctors, paramedics, porters, care workers and admin staff are the backbone of our system. They work under extraordinary pressure, particularly through winter periods, and deserve recognition, respect and support. <BR /> <BR />The Department of Health now has a record budget of over £8·4 billion, supported by additional allocations through the monitoring rounds. No previous Health Minister has operated with that level of Executive backing.”
“I appreciate the Member's giving way. Does he agree that we need to put in place the real living wage for care workers as soon as possible in order to address some of the issues that he has just outlined?”
“I thank the Member for taking the intervention. It is on exactly that point about its being rooted in our communities. I am sure that you will agree that we should commend all the branches of Comhaltas across this island and further afield that feed into the fleadh. I specifically namecheck Coalisland Clonoe Comhaltas.”
“First Minister, in line with what you just said about victims, can you give us some details and provide an update on the victims' payments scheme and also provide some detail on the type of support that is available for victims in order to help them with the trauma that they suffered, including the victims whom the Member across the way mentioned?”
“Is it about making the starting point workforce planning and training and then ensuring that we have a resilient workforce to go forward so that we can deliver the service for families here? <BR /> <BR />I am sure that many in the Chamber will have been through the experience of losing a child in their wider family circle; I know that I have. That was pre-2019, so that decision did not have to be made, thank God. I would not want to see any member of my family or anybody I care about having to make such a decision. My heart is with the mummies who have been in that position and have had to make that decision, and I thank Sinéad for reflecting their specific words. It is important that their words are heard.”
“I thank the Member and the Minister for their interventions. I understand your point, Minister, but I would probably come at it from a different angle and say that the logic is this: let us look at what workforce we need and work from there. We know that the workforce does not exist and that, if we try to recruit, we will be competing against all the other places that cannot recruit either, so we need to look seriously at what our starting point is. Is it about working together to train people? I have raised other issues about many specialities with you, as you know, but we are talking about one speciality in particular today. We need the Ministers to have a really focused conversation about the best way to come at it.”
“I have offered the Minister the opportunity to intervene, but, from his reference to that issue at the end of his commentary, my understanding is that they are supported to travel with their children. <BR /> <BR />Does the Minister want to address that point?”
“<BR /> <BR />Again, I am happy to give way to the Minister if he wants to respond to this point: I appreciate that the scoping work is ongoing, but we are seven years down the line. I would really appreciate it if the Committee could have regular updates on the scoping work, with timelines, outcomes and recommendations, because that is where we need to be. I accept that there is no quick fix — I totally understand that — but we need to know what the fix is and how long it will take.”
“Colm identified that the combined population North and South is required to sustain the service, so, again, I am happy to let the Minister reference that issue around workforce planning. <BR /> <BR />I am glad to hear from the Minister's commentary that, on this occasion, the issue is not money but workforce, and it is about how we deliver the service in the best possible way; I acknowledge that. <BR /> <BR />The Minister said that his Department had worked closely with the Sands and Cruse bereavement services, and it is important that we acknowledge them, because, when families have to make the decisions, they absolutely need support from specialist services not only to cope with the trauma but to deal with the logistics. There are organisations out there that help them with that, and it is important that we acknowledge them.”
“It is not just about how we develop the service; it is about whether we have looked at it from the very beginning. Colm and others also referred to that, and it is important to acknowledge it. <BR /> <BR />Results are important for parents, particularly when planning future pregnancies. Both Diane and Sinéad referred to that. It is an extremely important issue. I thank other Members, including Alan, for their empathetic comments and understanding of what the motion is about. It is about delivering for families. It is about making sure that we — the Assembly, the legislature, the Health Department and the Minister — do not create additional trauma for families where it need not be the case.”
“It is clear from the figures that have been quoted that the option of using Alder Hey may not be open to us in the future, because, if there are serious workforce challenges in England, babies in England will be prioritised — I understand that — in the same way as we will prioritise our babies, children and families here, as is our responsibility. <BR /> <BR />I want to understand — Órlaithí spoke about it — about all-island workforce planning and training in specialities and not just in paediatric pathology services, although that is what we are talking to today. I would be happy to give way to the Minister, when I have finished my speech, if he wants to answer on whether discussions have been had with the Minister in the South around workforce planning and training for this speciality.”
“An all-island approach, if it delivers timely, high-quality care closer to home, is not a political statement but a humane one. We owe it to the children whose lives were too short; we owe it to the families, who deserve answers without added trauma; and we owe it to ourselves as legislators to ensure that our health system reflects not only clinical competence but basic, human decency. <BR /> <BR />Philip and others outlined the workforce challenges across these islands. If anything, that makes it even more important to look at how we create a sustainable, safe service on the island, wherever that may be, North or South.”
“<BR /> <BR />I want to address the issue of all-island collaboration directly, because I want to be absolutely clear: this is not about ideology or constitutional arguments; it is about what is practical, workable, compassionate and the right thing to do. If we can work together to create a resilient, sustainable, safe service, that is what we must do. If the expertise, capacity and sustainability of paediatric pathology services can best be achieved through cooperation across the island, it is our duty to pursue that and to support the Minister in doing so, not because of symbolism but because of service delivery and because of people. When a family have just lost a child, they ask, "Will our child be treated with dignity? Will we get answers? Will we be spared further suffering?".”
“No family should have to endure that on top of their loss. We often talk in the Chamber about trauma-informed services and about dignity and compassion in healthcare. We cannot accept a situation that adds avoidable distress to families at the worst moment of their lives. It is not good enough. <BR /> <BR />The motion rightly acknowledges that the Department of Health has commissioned an independent evaluation, accepted 21 recommendations and is exploring options, including all-island collaboration. That is welcome. However, acknowledgement is not action; exploration is not implementation; and families cannot be comforted by process alone. Families need certainty. They need to know that this essential service will be restored. They need to know when, how and on what basis it will be restored.”
“For far too long, we have had no paediatric pathology service here. That means that, when the unthinkable happens and a child dies in circumstances that require a post-mortem examination, families are told that their child must go to England. Let us be clear about what that means in real life. It means that families who are already shattered by grief are asked to consent to their child's body being transported to another country. It means delays in funeral arrangements. It means additional paperwork, additional waiting and additional uncertainty. For many families, it means additional trauma and the unbearable pain of knowing that their child is alone, far from home, at the very time that the family want to go through the grieving process and make funeral arrangements. They need to be close to their child.”
“There is little difference between what anybody in the Chamber has said. As I rise to wind on the motion, my sense of responsibility is much the same as everybody else's. This is not an abstract policy issue; it is about the children and the bereaved parents and families and about how we, as a society, respond at the very moment that families are at their most vulnerable.”
“I thank all the Members who have spoken to the motion today, and the Minister for responding. I reiterate his words about the tone of the debate.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle.”
“Based on the answer that you have just given, Minister, can we get more detail, possibly in writing, on why tests in the Southern Trust were not sent off? Am I correct in saying that GPs took samples but that those were not forwarded for testing and that women have since had to provide a second sample? I would like to get more detail on that, particularly given the Southern Trust's previous issues. <BR /> <BR />Given the real concerns that are being raised, not only about cervical smears but about women's health in general, can we also be given some sense of where we are at with the women's health action plan, please?”
“I thank the Minister for his statement. Minister, many in the Chamber have called for a multi-year Budget for many years. Another thing that everyone in the Chamber has called for consistently is the transformation that is needed for effective delivery of our public services. Therefore, can you give us some detail around the funding that is provided for transformation over the Budget period, please?”
“What does that say about us as a society? The easy narrative is failing women and girls every day, and we need to stop being part of it.”
“Those victims have paid a high price, and current-day victims of domestic and sexual abuse will carry that same trauma throughout their lifetime. <BR /> <BR />Although we have seen some changes in the courts through the Gillen review and recommendations and there has been legislative change in the area of domestic and sexual abuse, we need to see a genuine culture shift. That starts in the Chamber. There can be no tolerance of violence against women and girls. That needs to be real and should be reflected in everything that we say and do as elected representatives. Platitudes and lip service are not good enough. We must challenge ourselves to be part of the change that will make a real difference for victims. Right now, it is easier not to report domestic and sexual violence, because the additional trauma is overwhelming for many victims.”
“<BR /> <BR />If we want to combat the low reporting rates of domestic and sexual abuse, we need to change the culture in our society whereby the victim's credibility is often scrutinised more than that of the alleged perpetrator. That does not happen with any other crime. No other victims have their integrity and honesty scrutinised as though they have done something wrong by daring to report a crime. We have seen that all before when it comes to historical abuse in institutions and by religious orders and people in positions of power. They undermined the victims so that they would not be considered to be credible witnesses, even if they had had the courage to complain or report an incident at the time.”
“My statement is directly related to the previous one. It is not on AI, but it is related. <BR /> <BR />I will speak today about violence against women and girls and the easy narrative regarding that epidemic that the perpetrators are strangers, do not look or sound like us, are not our friends and family, do not play on our local sports teams and are not respected people in our community. When will people wise up? Those men are your friends, your family and your teammates; they do sound and look like you; and being respected in the community is exactly how they get away with violence against women and girls. They use their positions of trust in the community, and they use their positions of power.”
“<BR /> <BR />At the heart of my speech and the motion is a simple truth: people cannot wait any longer. Seven years after the review began, the Minister must now publish and fund an implementation plan that matches the urgency of the need. The Department estimates that £65 million will be required in the first five years, and that investment is not optional; it is essential if we are to rebuild trust, cut waiting lists and improve outcomes. <BR /> <BR />We fully endorse the FightForNeuro campaign, because it amplifies the voices of those who are living with neurological conditions, and they can no longer be ignored. On that basis, we support the motion and the amendment.”
“The establishment of an all-Ireland DBS service, with neurology services in the South working closely with neurosurgery in the Royal Victoria Hospital, would mean that people from Donegal to Fermanagh and from Tyrone to Monaghan could access specialist care without navigating fragmented pathways or waiting years for treatment. The same is true for rare neurological conditions, where expertise may exist only in Dublin or Belfast. Rural patients, in particular, stand to benefit. Too many people in the west, in border counties and in rural regions are disadvantaged by geography. An all-island framework would allow the closest and most appropriate centre, North or South, to become the default option. It would mean bringing services closer to people instead of forcing people to travel.”
“The development of all-Ireland pathways is a practical, urgent and clinically sensible approach to ensure that people, especially in rural and border communities, get timely diagnosis and treatment. We have long argued for cross-border collaboration, and we welcome the review's recognition that some services will only ever be sustainable on an all-Ireland-wide basis. It is common sense, and it is on page 75 of the ‘Regional Review of Neurology Services’ in section 5, "NEXT STEPS". <BR /> <BR />Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is the kind of life-changing treatment that can dramatically improve the quality of life for people with Parkinson's disease.”
“That is an absolute disgrace. People are using their benefits, such as the personal independence payment (PIP), to access private care and treatments, leaving themselves in financial hardship. We know that, due to mobility issues, they may need additional heating and support, but they cannot afford that because they are using the money for private care. <BR /> <BR />I will also speak about the all-island dimension of the crisis, because that is a vital part of the solution. The North does not exist in isolation. Neurology is a highly specialised field, the population here is small, and the expertise required for many neurological conditions is concentrated in a handful of centres across the island.”
“I have spoken to many in the allied health professions who are clear that if people who are impacted on by neurological disorders were to get the early intervention and support that should be available to them, they would have a better quality of life, improved mobility and independence and, in some cases, the ability to continue to work. We were given clear indications of that. We heard stories of people's lived experiences of being able to return to work when they got the interventions that they required. <BR /> <BR />The fact that three quarters of people surveyed experienced delays that actively worsened their health is not only a cause for shame but represents a significant cost to our health services and economy. The reality is that many are forced into private care because the system cannot meet the demand.”
“<BR /> <BR />Sinn Féin is clear that the waiting times are unacceptably long, that capacity is far below what is needed and that the absence of consistent services across trusts is leading to inequity and unnecessary suffering. When a person has to wait for five years for a first neurology appointment or cannot access the neuro-rehabilitation or psychological support that they desperately need, it is not simply a health service issue. It becomes a crisis that affects their family life, employment, mental well-being and independence. <BR /> <BR />Carers are exhausted and unsupported, and clinicians are working in impossible conditions, and they have outlined that they feel moral injury as a result of not being able to do the best for the people whom they serve.”
“I support of the motion and the amendment, because the crisis in neurology services in the North is not abstract or distant, and it is not something that can be ignored. These experiences are being lived every day by thousands of people who are living with Parkinson's, MS, epilepsy, stroke, brain injury and many other conditions and who are having to navigate a system that is fragmented, overstretched and incapable of meeting their needs. The Department's review and the experiences that have been shared through the FightForNeuro campaign paint a picture of delay, deterioration and distress that no person should have to face.”
“I thank the Minister for his answers so far. I also welcome the pay awards for our healthcare workers as well as for the PSNI. Will the Minister outline and expand on the capital funding being provided to Health, given that some of our health facilities are not fit for purpose and are actually in an unsafe condition?”
“I thank the Member for taking an intervention. Does he agree that, after the fact, the harm has already been done? Speaking as somebody who lost someone in a horrific road traffic accident, I can tell you that I am glad that we did not have to see that scene. I can also tell you that we will always remember how we were told that we had lost our loved one. Every family should be afforded the same dignity. After the fact is much too late. People need to take personal responsibility for the harm that they do.”
“It is to protect minority rights. There was consensus from the people of the North that they did not want to be removed from the European Union; I just make that clear. Do you now accept that Brexit, with everything that has resulted from it, has been an economic and political disaster that is supported by a shrinking minority in Britain, in the North and, indeed, in the Assembly and that the people of the North voted to remain in Europe?”
“I thank the Member for taking an intervention. I will keep it brief. I agree with the Minister. When you visit the Children's Hospice, you see joy. It is not what you expect to see, but that is what it looks like when you get the very best. That is what we want for everybody.”
“— and all of us MLAs should support the Minister in implementing the recommendations.”
“That simple truth lies at the heart of the report. The responsibility on all of us is to ensure that every person's journey is shaped by dignity, compassion and proper support — not fear. I absolutely concur: all of the Executive —”
“<BR /> <BR />As we reflect on what the report demands of us, I am reminded of the words of Ann Richardson, a writer whose work on hospice care captures the heart of the issue:”
“It needs proper workforce planning; investment in community teams; improved access to medicines; a single, 24/7 point of contact for families; better training across the system; and a new regional strategy that finally meets the growing needs of our population. The report points towards that direction of travel, and we support that. We want to see a system that gives people comfort, dignity and choice rather than fear, delay and bureaucracy. <BR /> <BR />I thank the Committee staff for all their work. Importantly, I also thank the families who shared their experiences with honesty and courage, and those who shared their lived experience, such as Christine Campbell, who was mentioned earlier in the debate. Their voices remind us that this is not an abstract policy debate: it is about people in their most vulnerable moments.”
“I thank the Member for the intervention. The report is explicit in recommendation 3: the Department must move to 100% funding for hospice services, standardised contracts and long-term financial certainty. That recommendation is welcome and long overdue. I understand that such action requires funding, but the people who are affected are ending up in our hospitals, where they should not be. <BR /> <BR />The inquiry makes it absolutely clear that palliative care must be treated as core health care and be fully funded, fully staffed, coordinated across trusts and backed by legislation.”
“Recommendation 21c calls on the Minister to examine cross-border cooperation to make access easier for rural communities. We fully support that direction. <BR /> <BR />The inquiry also highlighted something that we cannot ignore: the South has fully funded hospices, which has reduced the reliance on fundraising to deliver essential services. We need to move in that direction. I assure you that families in our community will continue to fundraise, which will allow our hospices to do what the likes of the St Francis Hospice have been able to do: improve their facilities where they have people —.”