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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“I ask Members to stand with those women, support the motion and the amendment and send a clear message by calling on the Minister and the Department to bring forward a specialist service with targets for diagnosis and treatment; work with your counterparts in Dublin to build a joined-up, all-island approach that uses every ounce of the expertise that we have for better outcomes; and bring forward a women's health action plan as a matter of absolute urgency. <BR /> <BR />Women here have been ignored for far too long, and their pain has been written off. They have been made to feel invisible. Today, we have a chance to change that. The motion must be more than words on a page. I know that motions are non-binding, but, Minister, you can choose to be bound; you can choose to do something.”
“Their lives have been put on hold long enough. Every month that passes without action means more women and young girls suffering in agony, more women having fertility problems and more families broken by the silent suffering that the disease inflicts. I ask the Health Minister to listen and to act. Do not leave those women floundering, relying on Facebook pages to get advice on how to cope — not to thrive but just to cope.”
“The same challenges are faced. <BR /> <BR />I welcome the Alliance amendment on the women's health action plan; in fact, this is exactly the kind of case that proves why a women's health action plan is so desperately needed, not as a glossy document that gathers dust on a shelf — I appreciate that the Minister has outlined that that is why he wants it to be an action plan — but as a living plan with targets, timelines and accountability that delivers change for women. <BR /> <BR />Sinn Féin is fighting for action on endometriosis and women's health across the island. In the Dáil, we have taken the issue directly to the Minister for Health. We have stood with women outside Leinster House. We have forced the issue on to the agenda, and we will do the same here. <BR /> <BR />Women have waited long enough.”
“International best practice is crystal clear: the gold standard is specialist-led excision surgery delivered within a full multidisciplinary team (MDT). That means proper imaging, pain specialists, colorectal and urology care, fertility services and psychological support all working together. The women on this island deserve nothing less. <BR /> <BR />I understand that the Minister and his Department are under pressure not only financially but due to the number of specialist surgeons and specialist nurses who are required. The obvious answer is to work together, North and South and across these islands, to pool expertise, share infrastructure and make sure that, no matter where you live on this island, you get the same care. That is what an all-island health service should look like. It is not just sensible; it is urgent.”
“All those options are still offered as first- and second-line management of the condition. There are women who had no choice but to leave this island and spend thousands of pounds to undergo major surgery abroad because there was nowhere here for them to turn. That is the reality for thousands of women across the island today. <BR /> <BR />This is not just about endometriosis; it is about how women's health is treated across the board, how pain is minimised and symptoms are dismissed and the fact that there are no services, with women left to rot on waiting lists. It is about a health system that still treats women as an afterthought, and that needs to end. <BR /> <BR />The motion is a demand for justice and dignity and for women to no longer be left behind.”
“Women wait years just to get a diagnosis, and treatment plans are either non-existent or far from the recommended standard of best practice. That is not good healthcare; it is cruelty. <BR /> <BR />I have sat in rooms across this island with women who have told their stories of suffering with endometriosis through tears, anger and exhaustion. Girls are told to tough it out. Similar words were used recently on the issue of women's health by a certain US president. Women are forced on to the pill for years to mask the pain, not treat it, and undergo unnecessary surgeries. Expert evidence says that short-term treatment options — ablation surgery, chemical menopause and contraceptives — mask the disease and allow it to spread, often with significant damage to organs, including the bowel and bladder.”
“I propose the motion and accept the amendment that our Alliance colleagues have tabled. <BR /> <BR />I must be honest and say that the issue makes me really angry. I am angry on behalf of the many women and girls who have been disbelieved about their real and severe pain, which is minimised, discarded and ignored. Endometriosis is not rare; it is a serious, chronic disease that affects at least one in 10 women, and we know that it affects probably more than that. It tears lives apart and causes excruciating pain, infertility, internal scarring and damage to organs. The disease affects every element of life: education, employment, fertility and relationships. What is the response from our health systems?”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Phríomh-LeasCheann Comhairle.”
“I thank the Member across the way for asking the question. <BR /> <BR />Minister, do you agree that the transition process at whatever stage, whether it is going to primary school from nursery school or to secondary school, is really traumatic for parents, because it is so poorly managed? Have you had any conversations with the Health Minister about providing a health and care plan from birth to post-19 for children with additional needs to ensure that they all achieve the most that they can and that we remove that trauma for families?”
“I thank the Minister for his answer. I agree that working collaboratively and constructively is exactly the way to go. Having spoken to some farmers, I think that they feel that they are now being listened to, so I appreciate that. Will you confirm whether there has been a formal meeting of the nutrients action programme stakeholder group? Given that DAERA's 2019 review showed that nitrate loss was less of an issue in the North due to our soil profile, and that phosphorus run-off is a primary threat to water quality, will you commit to a more flexible approach to the 80%-grassland rule for derogated farms in the upcoming nutrients action programme, allowing farmers to grow crops such as clover or protein mixes to help to reduce phosphorus loss, improve water quality and cut reliance on imported feed?”
“I thank the Member for taking an intervention. Does he agree that, as well as not being disciplined or excluded, no child should be humiliated? If there is concern about a child's uniform, it is easy for a teacher to have a simple conversation with that child before or after class and not to humiliate them in front of their classmates.”
“I thank the Member for taking an intervention. Will the Member agree that responsibility for the Stormont House Agreement and introducing the legislation lay with the British Government? They agreed to do it in March 2017 and in October 2017. They said then that it would be 2018. The British Government failed to introduce the legislation. That was outwith our control.”
“It will be very brief. Does the Member agree that the Brown family did not seek an inquiry but tried every other process, and that the legal process told them that the only way in which they could get the truth was through a public inquiry?”
“I would like us all to accept that, move on and understand this: every single family that lost a loved one feels the same pain; every single family that lost a loved one deserves the same truth; and every single family that lost a loved one deserves the same justice. That is it. There is no equivocation and no nonsense. Every person who died is a loss, and every person who has gone is missed and loved by the people who lost them. Let us just stop this nonsense in the Chamber. I know that people in the Chamber have lost loved ones — right across the Chamber, from all backgrounds. We cannot ignore that. I am one of the very lucky people who did not. I understand that, so I do not speak for victims. That is why I listen to them.”
“I hope that we will get some of that, but it remains to be seen what will be in the legislative text following the announcement by the two Governments on Friday. <BR /> <BR />Let me be very clear: as a party, we will listen to all victims, as I have done over many years. From as far back as 2016 and 2017, I have been meeting victims and families from all backgrounds, who were killed and injured by all actors in the conflict, whether republicans, loyalists or state actors. They will decide on the process that meets their needs. <BR /> <BR />The DUP does not get to decide who a victim is. The definition of a victim is outlined in the Northern Ireland Act 2006. You do not get to decide it, I do not get to decide it, nobody in this Chamber gets to decide it. The definition of a victim is there.”
“I am asking that Members in the Chamber today support our amendment because, truthfully, I think that the original motion is political posturing and has little or no focus on the victims' needs or asks. Legacy is not about whataboutery; it is about families all across our community. I could name many, just as the Member across the Chamber did, but I do not think that they want us to name them; they want us to deliver for them. They lost mothers, sons, daughters, fathers, brothers and sisters during the conflict. They come from all backgrounds and lost their loved ones at the hands of those from all backgrounds. They all, without exception, deserve to know the truth and have the justice that they require for their loved ones.”
“I share concerns about the British Government's approach to the unilateral passage of the Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 and the amnesty provisions that have undermined confidence across the board, but the answer is not to walk away from engagement. The answer is to insist on a process that victims can trust, that compels disclosure, that has investigative powers and truth recovery processes, and that puts victims at the centre. <BR /> <BR />I ask that everybody in the Assembly works together to that end, not scoring political points but securing a process that commands confidence, deals with the past comprehensively and allows victims to finally get the answers that they have been denied for too long.”
“A process that fails to include cooperation from both Governments would fail all victims.”
“That is why any legacy framework must be victim-led and have broad support. It cannot be imposed by London or Dublin or even by the Assembly. As I said, it is worth remembering that we have been here before. We had the Stormont House Agreement, which had the endorsement of the Assembly. The DUP supported it, and both Governments were involved in it. The agreement envisaged a role for the Irish Government, who were very involved in the conversations around it.”
“No, I will not. Allow me to go on further. I will let you back in. <BR /> <BR />The DUP agreed to that. It was far from a perfect mechanism, but, at least, it had buy-in from many victims. At least, they had a say in it and had input to it and were consulted on it. Seventeen and a half thousand people responded to that consultation. There are not many consultations that we can say that about. <BR /> <BR />As I said, victims have told us that they want a process that they can trust. They need a process that commands their confidence and does not simply re-litigate old political arguments but seeks to meet their needs: truth recovery, justice, where possible, and recognition of the harm done. That is why any legacy —.”
“Absolutely not. <BR /> <BR />The motion highlights the need for answers, including answers from the Irish Government. I am clear that victims deserve the truth, wherever it leads. We must ensure that the approach to legacy is not about closing doors but about opening the door to truth, accountability and healing. <BR /> <BR />Victims — not "we" — have consistently told us that they need a process that they can trust. They almost had that in the Stormont House Agreement, which the DUP agreed to, by the way.”
“I noticed a lot of use of the word "we" in the speech of the previous Member to speak. This is not about "we". At the heart of any debate on legacy must be the victims and survivors of the conflict. Their pain, their voices and their right to truth and justice need to be the starting point and, to be perfectly honest, the finishing point.”
“Does the Member agree that included in that is the fact that, in instances of families being put out of their homes, such as those that we see regularly due to security alerts or electrical outages, leisure centres and community facilities are opened up to vulnerable families, but the furthest we could go here was to confirm that that was not where those families were: "Those vulnerable people who have been put out of their homes are not in this leisure facility"? They should have been there. It should have been opened up to them.”
“I appreciate the Member taking an intervention. Does the Member agree that, regardless of whether a person is legal or illegal — there are ways to deal with somebody who is illegal, and that has to be done — we are talking today about race hate. It does not matter whether you are legal or illegal: anybody who attacks you because of the colour of your skin or your ethnicity is wrong and should be held to account.”
“I have attended events in the areas that had the worst race-hate incidents and crime over the summer. Those events were held by women to talk about violence against women and girls. The irony is that I did not see one man in the room, even though it was men who were out attacking homes and frightening the life out of women and children in their —”
“<BR /> <BR />It is not about dressing up hate and intimidation as a cultural expression or false claims of concern about the safety of women and girls.”
“<BR /> <BR />It is important that we have adequate legislation to ensure that those who are perpetrators of hate crime or crime where hate is an aggravator are held fully accountable for their actions. We also need to acknowledge that, if we are serious about building safe, shared communities, we need to see societal change. It is for us in the Chamber to lead in our community and in everything that we say and do. We talk about victims a lot in the Chamber. These victims, like every other victim, must be prioritised. That means supporting families who are under attack, standing with them and ensuring that everybody knows that they are part of our community, that we support them all day, every day, and that we value them equally as part of our community, ensuring that they get the protection and support that they deserve.”
“That means that there needs to be a PSNI response. The police need to step up their investigations, make arrests and bring charges more quickly, decisively and visibly. Visibility is important, and, in fairness, some good work has been done on that, but it is really important for people to know that they are being listened to and that somebody out there cares about what is happening to them. <BR /> <BR />We also know that policing alone cannot fix this. We need to ensure that we work with communities to build trust with them and to work alongside the local community and stakeholders to prevent hate crime, as well as detecting and charging those who perpetrate it.”
“We need to listen to what those people say; what their fears are; how, they think, we can best address them; and how, they think, we should work with them. <BR /> <BR />We have a responsibility. As political leaders, we are just that: we are leaders in our community, and it is our job to support and look after every member of our community regardless of race or ethnicity. That responsibility extends to social media. Too often, we see false claims and inflammatory language online that pour petrol on the fire. All of us, as public representatives and community leaders, must be careful with our words and avoid feeding narratives that target minorities from whatever background they come. <BR /> <BR />Families who are targeted must see that there are consequences for those who carry out the attacks.”
“<BR /> <BR />Figures from the PSNI last month showed that recorded race hate crime is at an all-time high, something that we should be absolutely ashamed of to our core. Asking for additional resources is one element — the Policing Board is on the record on a number of occasions as saying that policing needs greater resources — but we also need to look at how we use the resources that we have. I agree with my colleague that prevention will always be much more cost-effective than cure. Let us look at what prevention measures we can take. Let us work with those communities and all those people and learn what the challenges are for them. What, do they think, would make a difference in their lives? I look around the Chamber, and there is nobody who reflects, almost to a man and a woman, the people whom we are talking about. Let us be honest.”
“I appreciate the motion, and we will support it. <BR /> <BR />In June, we saw racist intimidation in Ballymena, Larne, other areas across the North and, indeed, in my locality, Dungannon. We witnessed continued sectarian and racist attacks, again across the North, forcing families to flee their homes. To me, that is heartbreaking. It is reflective of a sectarian state that once forced many families to flee their homes. It is unacceptable and needs to be called out for what it is. Attacking family homes and intimidating women and children is criminal thuggery. We had confirmation from the PSNI — it has been referred to by Members who have spoken previously — that, at a recent public session of the Policing Board, there was evidence of the involvement of loyalist paramilitaries, including the UDA, in north Belfast.”
“I appreciate the intervention. I am not sure how much I agree with it. I have not agreed with a lot of what the Member has said over the airwaves before he came into the House. We will probably agree to disagree quite a bit, Mr Burrows.”
“I thank the Members who tabled the motion. I want to address one of the points that the previous Member to speak made, which was on out-of-court disposals. We absolutely need to look at where they are appropriate and necessary and at where they will speed up justice and ensure that cases that we need to go to court get through the courts more quickly. We need to listen to the PSNI, because we cannot keep saying that we need more money and more resources when we are not making best use of the resources that we have. We have had presentations —.”
“I appreciate the Member taking the intervention; I know that he has taken a number of interventions. As with anything that goes to court, you have to prove that there is an aggravator. You have to offer that proof. You could not just say, "I think that it is because of my sexuality or my race". You absolutely would have to prove that. If we were to go by that, we would just say, "We will not have any crime at all or not bother prosecuting anybody".”
“Does the Member agree that it would be a good idea to read the entire judgement? He would then see everything in context.”
“I thank the Member for taking an intervention. Given that Mid Ulster has the highest rate of GDP outside of Belfast city centre, does he agree that businesses there have been able to achieve that not because of but in spite of a lack of infrastructure and that that is another reason why that project is vital?”
“— of the review and all the detail that will come from that?”
“We need to understand how and when all those people will be accommodated. That means not only the 1,600 whom we know about but the knock-on effect that there will be for others. When will we get the detail on the time frame —”
“Thank you, Minister, for the written statement that we received, but, as with what we have heard today, that statement does not give us an understanding of why everything had to be cancelled on 18 September, given that the system was back up and running on 17 September by 5.00 pm. I appreciate that the Minister said that there will be a review, and that is important. Will the review give us some reassurances about the future resilience of the IT systems across our health service? Will we get detailed information on patients who were impacted beyond the 1,600 patients whom the Minister outlined? He said that work continues and that there will be an ongoing impact. How many more people do we not know about whose appointments, surgeries, red-flag referrals or diagnoses have been impacted?”
“I thank the Minister for her answer. Some parents are still very concerned that their young people will not be included and will therefore not be able to access post-19 SEN provision. Will you outline what conversations you are having with the Minister of Health specifically to ensure that young people can access provision and that they are getting sufficient help from the Department of Health as well as from your Department?”
“A bit like the previous questioner, I am selfishly interested in my area of mid-Ulster. I would like a sense of what types of projects are likely to be in the action plans. I agree that councils are best suited to decide on what action plans are best for their area.”
“I also offer my best wishes to Deborah and her family on the birth of their beautiful wee baby girl. I am delighted to see that everybody is safe and well. <BR /> <BR />First Minister, it is evident from your response that the Victims and Survivors Service is involved in a wide delivery of its portfolio. Do you agree that it is essential that VSS has a full board complement and that it is currently suboptimal, given that there has been a protracted delay in making board appointments to the service?”
“I thank the Member for giving way. Feel free, any day, to give that leadership. When people burn bonfires in my town, I am standing in the road, gathering tyres and asking the police and the council to come to collect them. That is showing leadership, and it prevents our young people from putting themselves and the people who live beside the bonfires in danger. That is leadership. Give it an attempt any day you feel like it.”
“I thank the Member for taking an intervention. Does the Member agree that it is all very well for all of us who do not have to live beside these bonfire sites to talk about them from an abstract point of view? I dealt with an elderly lady living on her own in Dungannon who, for a number of years, begged the people who were building a bonfire beside her home to stop it. For two weeks every summer, her windows were boarded up. That is how she lived: in a house with wooden boards on her windows. The tiles were melted off her bathroom walls, and the Housing Executive had to come back every year to fix it. That was a ridiculous situation.”
“I thank the Member for taking an intervention. It is not that long ago that, while there was guidance that allowed female police officers to wear trousers, they had to ask permission to wear them between September and April and their senior office could refuse permission. That is not a place where we want girls to be in our schools. The world did not fall down around us because female officers were allowed to wear trousers of their own volition.”
“The original question was about the plan to reduce waiting times. The target time for red-flag breast services is 14 days, and some women have waited for eight, nine, 10 and 11 weeks. It might be that, across the board, everybody has to wait, but that is no comfort to those women or their families. Some of the women have a family history of aggressive cancers that can deteriorate in a matter of days or weeks. What is the plan?”
“No, but she will clarify that the farmers whom she knows are pig farmers, sheep farmers and cattle farmers. They do not tell me their creed or their voting affiliation before they speak to me: they are farmers.”
“It provides livelihoods, sustains biodiversity and offers huge potential for economic opportunities.”
“The Member for West Tyrone who spoke earlier has an interest in that as well. <BR /> <BR />It is crucial that farmers are supported to make changes in a fair and realistic way. Just transition principles must be applied to ensure that the costs do not fall disproportionately on those who are potentially the least able to bear them. We need to bring everyone with us. Forcing through measures that are unworkable or unaffordable does no good for anyone and, ultimately, is counterproductive. <BR /> <BR />It is essential to remember that the lough is not just a body of water; it is the heart of many communities. It is the heart of my community.”
“We must take on board people's ideas and what they say. They know what they are talking about. We need to listen to them. <BR /> <BR />Progress has been made through additional funding secured by the Finance Minister, John O'Dowd, earlier this year to fund initiatives such as the small business research initiative, which harnesses innovative science-based and evidence-based solutions. We need to have a focus on those. I welcome the AERA Minister's commitment to a stakeholder task and finish group to bring the farmers, agri-food sector, environmental groups and government officials together to develop evidence-based and workable measures. It must include those who look after and protect rivers that run into the lough and, in particular — I again declare my interest — the angling groups that look after those rivers.”