Colm Gildernew
Fermanagh and South Tyrone · Sinn Féin · Northern Ireland
“I thank the Minister for his statement. I have been working with Dungannon Chamber of Commerce and Industry. It will welcome this work, particularly in light of its concerns about vacancy and protecting the retail heart of towns such as Dungannon.”
“I thank the Minister for his answer. Minister, you said that there has been an improvement. However, recently, there were reports of over 1,400 patients waiting more than 28 days. How will you ensure that trusts consistently meet the targets for suspected cancer appointments in particular?”
“However, the Committee will want to examine carefully how any new or amended powers would operate in practice. Powers relating to information sharing, official warnings, directions, removal from office and disqualification can have significant, long-standing consequences for charities, trustees, staff, volunteers and, indeed, public confi…”
“<BR /> <BR />The regulations are consequential to the uprating order and provide the supporting technical changes needed to ensure that the revised benefit rates operate correctly. The regulations increase the earning limit for carer's allowance from £196 a week to £204 a week.”
“In response to those findings, Minister Hargey introduced the Charities Bill, which was enacted in 2022. The legislation put in place many of the review's priority recommendations in the limited time remaining in that mandate. The Charities (Amendment) Bill represents the next stage of that reform programme.”
“The Committee will wish to explore the implications of those changes, including for organisations operating across jurisdictions or delivering charitable activity in or from the North. Our charity sector includes a diverse range of bodies.”
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“I am proud to have sat beside my colleague today as she set out the reality of the situation and what she is going to do about it through a series of solutions and actions. Let us understand that what we need are solutions and not sound bites. Sin é.”
“Absolutely. People's driving should be in keeping with the road conditions; that is another factor that we need to consider. <BR /> <BR />In strategic terms, we need to develop the western economic corridor into the equivalent of what runs from Dublin to Belfast to allow businesses not only west of the Bann, as we say, but in the west of Ireland the equal opportunity that they need to trade and thrive in the way that we all want to see. We will not develop or deliver regional balance in the North unless we crack that nut and provide good roads. <BR /> <BR />The A5 project rightly remains an Executive priority, and there is massive social licence for it, for all the reasons that we have talked about today. No one should put that in jeopardy by playing politics for perceived short-term gain.”
“Thank you. Not that I will need it — not half.”
“Rather than cross the road, agency staff sometimes travel miles just to use a roundabout in order to come back. <BR /> <BR />My fourth point is a strategic one. <BR /> <BR />May I check whether I have an extra minute for the intervention?”
“<BR /> <BR />That is why — I am touching on the UUP amendment and Robbie's remarks — it is important to remember that the community needs a decent road. The single carriageway road that exists now should be for community use. The road has two purposes: strategic traffic and local traffic. Both need to be facilitated, and they have different needs. Community traffic needs exits off the road all along the way, and the strategic traffic needs to be able to continue. The danger and the cause of a lot of the accidents on the A5 are in the fact that there are so many turn-offs, including roads, lanes and gates, in every one of which is a potential hazard and a potential fatal accident. That is why a new dual carriageway has to be built offline. <BR /> <BR />The road is also important in the day-to-day delivery of social healthcare.”
“I thank the Minister, who came up to Aughnacloy over the summer months to look at the impact that the A5 is having on that town. Essentially, you cannot cross the main street in Aughnacloy at any time of the day or a large part of the night without the traffic on one of the main roads in Ireland having to stop in both directions to let you across. That is the impact. It cuts like a knife through the town of Aughnacloy and through Garvaghy and Glenchuil, dividing those communities. When the road was built, it served and was usable by the community. The traffic volumes that have built, with more strategic traffic on the road, are now a barrier to people crossing the road. Either they take the risk, literally risking their life, or simply put off their visit and do not bother.”
“Absolutely. Within 15 miles of where I live, there are businesses operating that are equivalent to five Bombardiers. They send materials all over the world, put in their own generators and build their own sheds. They do all that. They are entitled to have such a road. <BR /> <BR />Secondly, I want to touch on health. Do not doubt this for a second, but it will be impossible to deliver health transformation without delivering proper infrastructure. You simply cannot deliver health services to a rural geography without addressing the main way in which you move people around in an emergency and the timing of that. The A5 is critical for health transformation and access to health for all our people day and daily, and that includes emergency health and healthcare. <BR /> <BR />Thirdly, I want to touch on the social and community element.”
“First, on the economy, our businesses in the mid-Ulster and south Tyrone area are world-leading in engineering, food production and other forms of manufacturing and innovation. They deserve good connectivity to the rest of the world. They contribute massively to the economy here. They deserve a road that is sufficient to get their goods, workers and customers in and out — all that. Our people in that part of the country deserve to have roads that are as good as they are anywhere else. At this point in time, we do not have them.”
“I thank everyone for their contributions to the debate. From the outset, I set out the fact that my thoughts and feelings are with all those, including clubmates and family friends of mine, who have lost loved ones on that road over so many years and at a very young age. Every single one of those tragedies is an individual disaster for those families, that community and their friends. That has been well endorsed by everyone in the Chamber and should be central to everything that we do. <BR /> <BR />I want to focus some of my remarks, however, on the fact that the lack of an adequate, modern road in that part of the country — I mean up through Tyrone, Fermanagh and Derry, connecting to Donegal and Monaghan and right on down to Dublin — impacts completely on key economic, health, social and strategic imperatives.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle.”
“I thank the Minister for that explanation and his reference to having taken steps to ensure that no further such occurrence might take place. The Minister has answered that part of the question. What communication have his officials had with people whose data was leaked, in order to reassure them?”
“Minister, how will the installations be monitored?”
“<BR /> <BR />Moving forward, it is key that the strategy contains the elements that the sector has identified as being necessary to make a real difference. It has to have robust targets; it has to have a clear line of governance, given that it will be a cross-governmental and cross-departmental strategy; and it has to be resourced in a way that will make a difference. The Minister must now listen to the responses that he will have got in that consultation process, which, I have no doubt, he will have heard loud and clear. He must come back with a strategy that will make a real difference. He must get on with drafting and bringing forward the other strategies that are interlinked and interdependent: a gender strategy and an LGBTQ strategy.”
“I note the closure last Friday of the consultation period on the anti-poverty strategy. Poverty levels continue to rise, and poverty continues to be a real problem here. We are still addressing a lot of cost-of-living issues; we are coming off the back of many long years of Tory austerity; and we are still dealing with the impact and ramifications of partition and how that affects the economy on this island. <BR /> <BR />It has to be said that the Minister for Communities' draft strategy was met with dismay and rejected by many of the people who work in that sector and know what the problems and the solutions are. It is regrettable that the Minister disengaged from those with real expertise, who had engaged with the previous Minister, Deirdre Hargey, to draw up a substantive draft document.”
“I have to say, Minister, that I think that, at the time of the riots — the incidents in Larne in particular — you failed to speak out strongly and clearly in a way. Many people believe that. The Minister should reflect on the responsibility that he carries for communities and how his words matter. <BR /> <BR />The Minister also has responsibility for housing and therefore has a duty to support victims of intimidation in securing accommodation. Perhaps he can give us an update on any involvement or contact that he has had since with the victims of the recent intimidation and, importantly, tell us what he will do to ensure that those who seek to create a fully segregated housing system do not succeed.”
“Thank you. I would be keen to hear the Minister talk about a review of that decision, how its implementation is playing out and his thoughts on it. <BR /> <BR />We also need to see the PSNI step up its action and bring those responsible before the courts. The motion calls for political leaders to use their platforms to call out the attacks. It is disappointing that the Minister for Communities has not been overly vocal in condemning them. After what happened in Ballymena and Larne, the Minister should reflect —.”
“<BR /> <BR />I condemn the appalling ongoing situation in the lower Oldpark area of north Belfast, where sectarian and racist attacks have been carried out on the homes of Catholic and ethnic minority families, forcing them to flee the area. My thoughts are with all those who have been affected. It is widely believed that loyalist paramilitaries are coordinating those attacks. It is clear that those responsible see Catholics and ethnic minorities as legitimate targets for attack. We have seen windows smashed and cars damaged, and, unfortunately, death threats have been made against young families with children. That robs families and young children not only of their home but of the sense of safety, security and sanctuary that we all expect to experience and, indeed, take for granted.”
“figures released by the PSNI last month show that the number of recorded race hate crimes is at an all-time high, with 1,329 recorded incidents. That is an increase of 48% on the previous year. As someone who lives in a constituency with an ethnically diverse population, I know all too well the positive contribution and value that people from different backgrounds make to our communities every day. Many of our businesses benefit from the skills, experience, energy and commitment that people from overseas bring with them, and the same can be said of our health service. I also know that they and their children bring huge dynamism and energy to our schools, sports clubs and wider communities. We value all of that.”
“Racism and sectarianism have no place in our society, and we all have a duty to face down the individuals and organisations responsible for sowing the seeds of hatred and division. <BR /> <BR />A chairde,”
“I thank the Members who tabled the motion on such an important issue. <BR /> <BR />In June this year, racist intimidation took place on the streets of Ballymena, Larne and other places in some of the worst racially motivated riots that the North has ever seen. In the months since, there have been concerning sectarian and racist attacks in Belfast and other places that have left whole communities living in fear and driven some families from their homes. Let me be very clear: those attacks are unacceptable and disgraceful, and they must stop. We must be unequivocal in our condemnation of those attacks and do all that we can to support the families who were targeted.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle.”
“To be very brief, what Sinn Féin is asking for is the space for a mature and constructive conversation about the best way forward. It is as simple as that.”
“Unfortunately, none of those recommendations has been implemented. We have to ask ourselves why that is. All the unionist political parties have so far failed to show any of the political leadership that would create the space for a mature and constructive conversation about the best way forward. Finding a solution that meets the needs of all communities is in the best interests of everyone, and it is well past time that political unionism came to that realisation.”
“A small number of bonfires are made from materials such as tyres, which, when burned, are harmful to the health of the people who are gathered and to the environment. We all saw the unacceptable behaviour earlier this year when a bonfire in Belfast was burned in an area that had been confirmed as containing asbestos but the organisers refused to consider the health and safety of the attendees or the local residents. <BR /> <BR />We cannot continue to deal with the same problem year after year. It is long past time that we found a common-sense solution, and it is important that we start to discuss that now in advance of next year. The FICT report into flags, emblems and bonfires looked at the issue in great detail and made some recommendations on how to tackle problem bonfires.”
“I am sure that Members will have seen images from July this year of a bonfire in Moygashel in my constituency that displayed an effigy of refugees in a boat along with a disgusting racist message. That raised fear and anxiety among many people across my constituency and way beyond. It is also important to say that offensive bonfires are not confined solely to the unionist community, as there are also a small number of bonfires in nationalist areas of Derry during the month of August. <BR /> <BR />Each year, a small number of bonfires cause significant health and safety concerns. In the past, we have seen young people seriously injure themselves by falling off bonfires during the building process.”
“every summer, the issue of offensive and dangerous bonfires rears its head, and, this year, was, unfortunately, no different. From the outset, it is important to say that I recognise the importance of bonfires to unionist culture. The motion should not be seen as an attack on the practice of burning bonfires. Bonfires, when organised in a safe and inclusive manner, can be a positive vehicle for people from the unionist community who want to celebrate their Protestant heritage. The motion, however, is about what are known as "problem bonfires". Unfortunately, every year, a small number of bonfires become symbols of hate and division and display sectarian and racist messages.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle.”
“Why was a decision taken to proceed with launching the fund without prior scrutiny by the Committee despite the fund's cross-cutting significance for communities and sport? It is welcome that it is cross-cutting, but we would have loved to see it.”
“I welcome the Minister's statement. It is fantastic to see investment going into sport across all levels. I attended the event in the Odyssey. I would have been delighted to attend yesterday's event. I am starting to worry about the Minister hiding his light under a bushel. He did not let any of us know that it was going on. I am sure that lots of Committee members would have loved to be there. I should declare an interest and say that I attended St Patrick's Grammar School, Armagh, so I am delighted to see investment going there, although I have obviously not been as successful as Daniel on the sporting field. <BR /> <BR />Minister, what mechanisms will be put in place to ensure proper scrutiny and accountability of the £1 million investment, given that the Committee has not had any oversight of it up to this point?”
“I apologise to the Minister for having missed the start of his statement, but I was listening with interest as I made my way here, given the subject of it. This is a capital announcement and, by coincidence, in the past two weeks, I have spoken to two schools in my constituency, both of which have approached the Department offering to provide special education. In both cases they were refused: in one case, the school had even to follow up in order to get an acknowledgement. Is there potentially a mismatch between the need for places, the desire by great schools — those schools would be brilliant settings for any child — and the system that is used to bring those schools forward into providing special education?”
“I thank the Minister for his statement. Following the Minister's announcement last Thursday, there were certainly clubs, including Ballinamallard United and Dungannon Swifts in my constituency, that will have been overjoyed. However, many other clubs were left frustrated, disappointed and, potentially, angry. As Chair of the Committee for Communities, I look forward to further detailed scrutiny in relation to the programme. However, for now, can the Minister tell us who was responsible for determining the scoring criteria and ensuring their fairness? What role did external stakeholders or independent bodies play in validating the process?”
“<BR /> <BR />The Irish language has endured attacks before and survived. It will endure these attempts to undermine and suppress it as well.”
“The Minister for Communities has responsibility for developing an Irish language strategy. Although, to date, the Minister has failed to publish one, he clearly has his own strategy for the Irish language. It is a strategy to prevent the development of Irish and work against its ongoing growth on this island. It is a strategy to undermine and attack Irish at every opportunity. In his decision to remove trilingual letterheads from his Department, it is a strategy to make Irish invisible. Unfortunately, that is one of a number of interventions that the Minister and his party have made to thwart the development of Irish, including blocking additional funding from the Southern Government for North/South bodies including Foras na Gaeilge and opposing Irish-language signs at Grand Central station.”
“Beidh mé ag labhairt as Gaeilge ar dtús. Ar an drochuair, is gá dom aird a tharraingt arís ar chur chuige do-ghlactha an Aire Pobal i dtaca leis an Ghaeilge.”
“They are models that need to be built upon, at pace, across the island. <BR /> <BR />Finally, we now need to see a proper, respectful, inclusive and productive co-production and co-design process being put in place to allow the people of Fermanagh and Tyrone to engage on the basis of fairness and equality, to have a meaningful say in the health services that are being provided for the people of our constituency, and to ensure that those services are providing first-class health and emergency care for all. I will conclude my remarks there. I thank colleagues for taking part in the debate today.”
“<BR /> <BR />What we need to see now is a straightforward way in which we can ensure the future sustainability of the South West Acute Hospital for many years to come. We urgently need to see cross-border links being developed, as was initially planned for the South West Acute Hospital. We are constantly told that the population within the catchment of the hospital is not big enough to sustain the current level of front-line services, but those responsible for planning services continue to ignore and isolate the hospital from its natural hinterland counties of Cavan, Leitrim, Monaghan and Donegal. There are strong precedents for cross-border cooperation between North and South. For example, the North West Cancer Centre in Derry and the All-Ireland Paediatric Cardiology Service, which I have visited. Both have been a massive success.”
“Neither the Western Trust nor the Minister has taken responsibility for allowing the situation to develop in the first place or for providing solutions. The attitude of the Western Trust has been unhelpful. From day 1, it has taken a head-in-the-sand approach and has seemed unwilling to take seriously the concerns that have been raised by so many in our community. We saw that very clearly in its approach to the consultation over the summer, which was so poor that it had to be abandoned. The decision to hold only one consultation event, with a limited number of places available, was always bound to cause upset and outrage. The decision by the Minister — I welcome his attendance at the debate — to intervene and pause the consultation was very much the right one and very welcome.”
“The reality is that we are not tasked with providing services to that type of demographic, and we have to design services for the demographic that we have. It is as simple as that, and we have to make it fair, equal and world leading. <BR /> <BR />The hospital in Enniskillen was hard fought for, and I recall the battle to get that hospital there to serve the people of our area. It is undoubtedly one of the best healthcare facilities on this island. That is not disputed. However, it has never been allowed to reach its full potential. That is not a reflection in any way whatsoever on the excellent care that the staff provide at the SWAH, despite all the challenges. The staff deserve better also.”
“We all know the issues that are facing many of our EDs, with media reports regularly shining a spotlight on the grim reality of people languishing in pain for hours on end, sometimes without even the dignity of a hospital trolley, as well as pressure on healthcare staff and the moral hazard that they experience day and daily. <BR /> <BR />Patients in Fermanagh and the surrounding areas fully deserve to have equal access to life-saving healthcare, and the Minister should be doing everything in his power to make it a reality. I reflect on what Trevor said earlier, and I fully agree that we absolutely have to look at this in the bigger picture. I have heard, at times, reference to Manchester models and London models in relation to the South West Acute Hospital.”
“<BR /> <BR />I have met SOAS representatives on a number of occasions, and I acknowledge their dedication and commitment to seeing emergency general surgery restored to the South West Acute Hospital. I also thank and acknowledge the very many patients, community groups, business leaders and constituents who have contacted me and shared their experiences with me and other colleagues on this issue. <BR /> <BR />A very concerning picture has emerged of patients having to travel, sometimes up to and over two hours, to Altnagelvin in Derry, only to be told that they must join the back of the queue again, thereby enduring the notorious double wait.”
“It is great to see the strength of feeling in the people of Fermanagh and South Tyrone, as is reflected in the attendance of so many people who have travelled so far to be here. I would also like to join my colleagues in wishing Deborah, her husband and her new baby, all the very best in the time ahead, and our thoughts are certainly with them. <BR /> <BR />As local representatives, we can clearly see the strength of feeling that exists in our community about the ongoing issues at the SWAH. We are now approaching the three-year anniversary of the collapse of emergency general surgery, and it is important to reiterate that it was an unplanned collapse of a service, as opposed to any type of planned transformation.”
“Ba mhaith liom fáilte a chur roimh gach duine anseo anocht.”
“Minister, what steps are being taken to improve the alignment of Budget data with the Programme for Government?”
“The PSNI recently indicated clearly that it will investigate it as a hate crime. It is regrettable that, over recent weeks, we have seen numerous signs across the district vandalised once again. It needs to stop, and the PSNI needs to take serious and critical action to ensure that it stops and to send a message to those who are at it that it will not be tolerated.”
“Once again, regrettably, I rise to address the issue of the ongoing vandalism and destruction of dual language road signs in south Tyrone, with the Irish language being targeted. It is disappointing that it continues to be the case. It is a clear attack on our culture. <BR /> <BR />For many years, activists have campaigned to promote the Irish language, which is a language that is shared across these islands. It is a Gaelic language and an ancient language, and the vandalism is a slap in the face for those campaigning for that. However, it will not deter anyone from campaigning or continuing to promote the use and visibility of the Irish language. <BR /> <BR />I call on people to use their influence to stop the ongoing criminal and hate-driven damage to public property, which is what we see.”
“On a point of order, Mr Speaker. I was here yesterday when you made your remarks about announcing significant issues on the Floor of the Assembly. Following yesterday's sitting, it became clear that it was being reported that, in the Great Hall, the DUP leader indicated that the Minister for Communities will make "a significant announcement" on subregional stadia. Will the Speaker agree that, in keeping with his remarks yesterday, such a significant statement should be made in the House?”
“The Minister will know that many rural areas, particularly in my constituency, were badly affected by the most recent severe weather event. What were the findings of the previous consultation on the same issue?”
“Given that it is a new and innovative product, how will the Department ensure that the homes that are built will match need and be built where they are most needed?”
“I thank the deputy First Minister for the statement on this important area. You set out the opportunities that will come with AI. You also touched on the risks and challenges, but will you set out in more detail how they might be managed?”
“People from 18 to 22 years of age will still be removed arbitrarily from any support whatsoever based on their age. I call on people not to fall for any such deceit. <BR /> <BR />It is not lost on anyone that it is straight out of the Tory playbook. The Tories used that device, whereby although they appeared to row back on implementation, the measures still caught up with the people who needed the support. If money can be found for weapons of war and mass destruction, surely it can, and must, be found to help people into employment and to protect those who cannot work. Sinn Féin will continue to oppose the cuts and to call for proper investment in welfare support and public services.”