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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“We have a workforce that has been massively overstretched and whose members deserve the Assembly to be focused on the resources that they need for recruitment and retention of staff in the healthcare services that we will need in the future. <BR /> <BR />Last night, in the Assembly, we passed an autism Bill to provide additional resource and supports to families, and I was delighted to be part of it. If we do not see a realistic Budget, those supports will come to nothing. They have to be resourced and planned for, and they have to be planned for over a longer time. I, therefore, urge the DUP to reflect carefully on its continuing decision to ensure that there is no Executive at this time. We are still dealing with a health and social care crisis. There is a responsibility on us to take our roles seriously and to get back to work.”
“<BR /> <BR />I will now make some brief remarks as the Sinn Féin health spokesperson. Members, it is abundantly clear that we face a crisis in our healthcare service. That crisis includes mental health, which was the subject of the meeting that I was in this morning; physical health; the workforce; retention and recruitment of the workforce; and transformation. All that is put at risk without a three-year Budget. While we are trying to create the basis for transformation, the DUP's decision to collapse the Executive is producing nothing but stagnation. There are people on waiting lists who need us to focus on developing the plans to address those waiting lists, but we are getting delay.”
“A complicated budgetary process in the Department of Health challenges scrutiny in following the money and measuring the outcomes. We have struggled to get clarity on total spend. Following briefings, we have had to write to the Department to get further detail. The Department needs, therefore, to undertake further work on its budgetary processes. <BR />Throughout the past two years, we have been advised by the Department that a multi-year Budget is required to provide some surety and allow planning to tackle some of the key issues. The time in this mandate is coming to an end, but I am sure that any incoming Committee will look closely at the Department's budgetary planning to ensure that it delivers the transformation that is needed to ensure better health outcomes for everyone in our community.”
“We have had ongoing engagement with the Department on its workforce planning. Unfortunately, we do not see that detailed planning. As has been emphasised by many of those who attended and gave evidence to the Committee, longer-term, three-year budgeting is absolutely essential to deal with the workforce. Workforce planning is a longer-term project. That should be reflected upon. <BR /> <BR />Throughout the past two years, I have taken the opportunity, on several occasions, to highlight the Committee's difficulty in identifying spread across streams. This morning, I took part in a meeting on mental health, where it was very clear that it is difficult to trace how much money is going into mental health and what the outcome is.”
“Workforce planning will be key to ensuring that services are provided to patients in a timely manner, and, as part of the transformation agenda, it can lead to a real reduction in waiting lists and the health inequalities that we see in our communities.”
“This year, the Department is spending close to £300 million on agency staffing costs. That is not sustainable. We are hearing many stories of staff who are leaving the trusts and moving to work for agencies. <BR /> <BR />The Committee has highlighted to the Department the need for it to review its recruitment and retention policies to ensure that terms and conditions allow flexibility in recruitment and working patterns. While we understand that there will always be a need for a level of agency spend, our over-reliance is unsustainable, and the £300 million that we spend on agency costs could go some way to addressing the issues facing the health system.”
“I welcome the opportunity to participate in today's debate as Chair of the Health Committee. In the past financial year, COVID has continued to make departmental and trust spending plans challenging, and a number of important priorities have been pushed back as the Department continues to deal with the pandemic. The Department of Health receives the largest proportion of the block grant, yet we are still seeing increasing waiting lists, overcrowded emergency departments and difficulties in providing care packages to free up beds in our hospitals. <BR />While we can acknowledge that the pandemic has caused many difficulties and challenges, especially with workforce planning, our health and care staff have been stretched. The Committee has constantly raised the issue of workforce planning.”
“My party colleague Cathal Boylan has been instrumental for many years in that all-party group, and its continuous work introduced a Bill that was brought to Committee Stage and worked on by the sector, the Committee, the Bill sponsor and all those who have an interest in ensuring that legislation will be effective, meaningful and make a real difference. I think, Members, that that is this Assembly at its very best. It is where we, inside this Building, are engaging with the people outside in our community who require support and require us to do our job as legislators. We then convert that information into real and substantial improvement. I welcome the Bill, and Sinn Féin is delighted to support it.”
“Just on Saturday, I met a constituent who, over the past short while, has had to spend over £2,000 to access assessment and on services to support her child. That, Members, challenges the very idea of a national health service free at the point of need. We absolutely need to address that and work on it. It is clear that workforce issues are a barrier to services, and we need to see those issues progressed. <BR /> <BR />In particular, I welcome the way in which the Bill has come to pass through the work of the all-party group.”
“I thank Committee members for their consideration of the Bill. The Committee tabled a number of amendments at Consideration Stage and Further Consideration Stage to strengthen the Bill, and I thank members for their engagement and consensus on the Bill's progression through the Committee process. I commend the Bill to the Assembly and look forward to seeing the real impacts and benefits that it will have for people with autism and their families and carers. <BR /> <BR />I will now make a few remarks as Sinn Féin health spokesperson. I am delighted that we are seeing a Bill that will further strengthen supports for all the people in our community who struggle with autism, with access to services, with waiting lists and with all that flows from that.”
“The Committee hopes that the Bill will provide help and support at the earliest opportunity. <BR /> <BR />We welcome that the strategy must set out how the needs of adults with autism will be addressed; in particular, their needs in respect of lifelong training, employment, support, recreation, physical health, emotional and mental well-being, supported living, and housing. We also welcome that the Bill will introduce the role of an autism reviewer. The Committee believes that that role can have a real impact in reviewing the work of the Department in delivering for children, young people and adults with autism. The Committee places on record its thanks to the organisations that provided written and oral evidence to the Committee.”
“The Committee welcomes the aim of strengthening the consultation process to include people with autism and their families and carers. We, as a Committee, have believed throughout the current mandate that co-design and co-production are absolutely key to seeing services improve and to people getting the help and support that they need. <BR /> <BR />We welcome that the autism strategy must set out how the Department is to make provision for an autism support and early intervention service and that the strategy must set out how the Department will reduce waiting times for assessment and treatment. We are all too aware of the stories of our constituents, who have outlined the difficulties that they are having with waiting for assessments to take place and the length of waiting lists.”
“Is mór an onóir domh bheith anseo anocht ar an Bhille seo. I am extremely pleased to be here tonight, debating this Bill. I welcome the Final Stage of the Autism (Amendment) Bill. I thank the Deputy Chairperson of the Committee, Pam Cameron MLA, for introducing it. I also thank the all-party group on autism and Autism NI for their support in bringing this legislation forward. I acknowledge that we are joined in the Chamber by Kerry Boyd and Arlene Cassidy and by very many people who are watching the debate to see how the Assembly can make a difference to real lives in real ways. <BR /> <BR />The Committee welcomes the Bill and its aims. It believes that the Bill can have a real impact and provide support and help to children, adults and young people with autism and to their families and carers.”
“Does the Minister agree that the Health Committee has heard that, without the Budget, there are not sufficient funds in the Department of Health to deliver the transformation and workforce strategies that are needed?”
“We need to see the recruitment of physiotherapists, occupational therapists and social workers to go into communities to support people's health and well-being and to support GPs. Today, in this Building, we heard about the impact that not having a properly funded Budget would have on dentistry. One person in four of our population is on a waiting list; we cannot ignore that. Addressing all those issues requires a Budget to be in place. It is therefore crucial that we see progress and that Members take on board the impact that losing out on that three-year Budget will have and is having on confidence out there, on planning and on the delivery of health and social care services.”
“It is important that any incoming Committee scrutinise the Health Department's budget in detail to ensure that those important priorities are progressed. <BR /> <BR />I will now make a few brief remarks on the issues arising. Clearly, Members, the issues are all well rehearsed and well understood in the Assembly. The health service is facing a crisis. I mentioned the workforce: over 6,000 — the number is growing — posts are vacant across the healthcare system, in a workforce that is already stretched and tired, that has been overly relied on throughout the pandemic and that was under severe pressure even before the pandemic. <BR /> <BR />The transformation agenda must be progressed. We need to see the roll-out of multidisciplinary teams.”
“There is no getting around how challenging the situation is. The difficulty, however, is that, without the Budget, we certainly will not make the type of progress that we need. Health, above all areas, requires a longer-term spend. You have to invest in your workforce. Without the workforce, we have no services. No staff: no services — it is as simple as that. Those are major commitments that will require longer-term thinking. There was certainly much interest in the plans that were set out. They required significant funding, and, in the Minister's approach to the Executive, he got consensus on the need for that. As a society, we need that to be progressed. We will include in our legacy report the view that the incoming Committee should keep an eye on that as a priority.”
“The Committee welcomes the introduction of a multi-year Budget. It has called for a multi-year Budget for a number of years, as it is only through that mechanism that the transformation agenda can be properly progressed. The Committee was briefed on transformation last week. The Committee sees the transformation agenda as key to addressing waiting lists and providing the best levels of care that we can. The Department needs to place transformation at the centre of all its budgetary considerations and to consider how funding can be directed and allocated into that crucial transformation of our health service. <BR /> <BR />The reduction of waiting lists and the funding of elective care is a priority for the Committee and will be an issue —”
“The Committee would have sought to drill further into those figures, because that has been a recurring feature of some of the difficulties that the Committee has had in tracking money through from where it is allocated to how it lands on the ground and, crucially, what impact it has on some of the key aims, including the reduction of health inequalities, which is a major issue, and transformation. <BR /> <BR />The Committee welcomes the comments made by the Minister of Finance in the Chamber on 13 December 2021, when he stated that:”
“<BR /> <BR />The Committee also welcomes the commitment from the Executive that Health would be the top priority and that the focus of the draft Budget has been on providing additional resources for transforming the health service and reducing waiting lists on a permanent basis.”
“However, due to pressures in relation to legislation, including the consideration of seven Bills, numerous COVID regulations and a number of legislative consent motions (LCMs) and statutory instruments, the Committee has not been able to spend as much time as it would have liked on scrutinising and taking evidence on the Department of Health's draft budget. <BR /> <BR />The draft budget for the next three years is an important priority for the Committee. Therefore, over the coming weeks, through to the end of the mandate, the Committee will continue to take briefings on a number of issues that will help members to come to a view on the draft budget. They will include briefings on transformation, the cancer strategy and recovery out of COVID and briefings from the Minister and the permanent secretary.”
“I welcome the opportunity to participate in today's debate as Chair of the Health Committee. I will make some very brief remarks as Chair of the Committee before making further remarks as my party's health spokesperson. <BR /> <BR />The Health Committee has not yet been able to come to a formal position on the 2022-25 draft Budget. The Committee received a briefing from the Department on the draft Budget in December and has raised the matter at a number of briefings with stakeholders and departmental officials.”
“It will improve the lives of people outside the Chamber and provide a framework that sees further improvements, development and support rolled out to the sector.”
“<BR /> <BR />I have mentioned previously — the Committee report included this — that there is a need to continue to see how we can support, promote and underpin North/South adoptions and work in that field more generally, given that we have many good kinship relationships in areas that would be to the benefit of the children and young people whom we are discussing. <BR /> <BR />I express my and my party's gratitude to all those who contributed, across an extended period, the very rich evidence, analysis and experience that has improved the Committee's ability to engage on the Bill and led to a better Bill coming out of the process. That is to the good. I look forward to the implementation of the Bill.”
“We have had significant engagement across the sectors that has made clear to us the importance of the Bill and the potential impact that it will have on children and young people and on the families who support, love, care for and adopt them. <BR /> <BR />I welcome the fact that we and the Department have worked throughout the passage of the Bill to increase the supports and the rigour and transparency of the implementation of the Bill. That will all be to the good, and I look forward to seeing it unfold.”
“I also thank members of the Committee for their input into the Bill. As ever, I extend the Committee's deep appreciation to the Clerk and the Committee staff for their work in assisting us with scrutiny and, I believe, in making significant improvements to the Bill. The Committee will support all of the amendments tabled for today. <BR /> <BR />I will make a few remarks as Sinn Féin health spokesperson. This is among the most significant and important legislation that the Assembly will consider and put through in this mandate. The Bill is for an extremely vulnerable sector of our community, and, in that sense, it is long overdue.”
“Therefore, we tabled amendment No 3, and I welcome the Minister's indication that he will not oppose it. <BR /> <BR />Amendment Nos 4 and 5 are amendments to a new clause agreed at Consideration Stage that would provide a duty on the Department of Health to report on the implementation of Parts 1 and 2 of the Bill. Amendment No 4 proposes that the Department will report every three years on implementation, which lines up with the duty on the Department to report on the Children Order every three years. Amendment No 5 provides a sunset clause in relation to the reporting provision. The duty to report on the implementation of the Bill will cease after 10 years. The Committee is content to support amendment Nos 4 and 5. <BR /> <BR />I thank the Minister and his officials for their work on the amendments.”
“Clause 52(1) enables the Department to make regulations applying with modifications or disapplying certain provisions of the Children Order in relation to a child whom an adoption authority is authorised to place for adoption or a child who is less than six weeks old and has been placed for adoption by an authority. Clause 77(3) provides that a person is not entitled to have a certified copy of an entry in the adopted children register relating to an adopted person who has not attained the age of 18 years unless prescribed particulars have been provided to the Registrar General. The Committee agrees that the clauses provide for regulations on significant issues and that it would be appropriate for regulations under the clauses to go through the draft affirmative procedure.”
“The Committee asked the Department to consider that, and we welcome the fact that the amendment before us today includes both terms. We feel that that strengthens the duty, and I thank the Minister for considering the request and revising the amendment in the short time that was available to him. The Committee will support amendment No 2. <BR /> <BR />The purpose of amendment No 3, which I will move on behalf of the Committee, is to bring regulations in clauses 24, 52 and 77 under the draft affirmative procedure. Clause 24 enables regulations to be made by the Department, setting out the steps required to be taken by an agency that has exercised its power under clause 24(2) to refuse to allow contact that would otherwise be required by virtue of a contact order under clause 23.”
“with "learning and development". That was on the basis that much of a child's learning and development can and, indeed, absolutely does take place outside of formal education settings. The Committee considered the rationale for the amendment and understood the intent behind it. However, we felt that better clarity could be achieved by including "learning and development" alongside:”
“When officials briefed the Committee last week, the proposed amendment was to replace:”
“Amendment No 1 provides greater clarity on the categories of person in relation to whom the duty to provide support services will apply and aligns that duty to the corresponding duty placed on trusts to undertake assessments of need for support services. The Committee agreed that the amendment provides further clarity and will therefore support it. <BR /> <BR />Amendment No 2 is to clause 12 and concerns the”
“I welcome the opportunity to speak on behalf of the Committee at Further Consideration Stage. I will outline the Committee's views on the amendments tabled by the Minister and provide further information on the Committee's amendment No 3. <BR /> <BR />At the outset, I thank the Minister and his officials for the way in which they have worked with the Committee on the Bill. The Committee is grateful that the Minister has listened to the Committee's views and has tabled amendments at this stage and at the previous stage that, we believe, strengthen and enhance the Bill. That is a good example of a Committee and a Department working together for the benefit of those whose lives legislation in this place is designed to improve. <BR /> <BR />The Committee was briefed by officials on the Minister's amendments last week.”
“<BR /> <BR />Very briefly, as Sinn Féin's health spokesperson, I will say that the scheme offers a small degree of flexibility to address unmet clinical need in rare cases or diseases by allowing access to potentially life-saving or life-changing medication. The small number of cases and the impact of costs should be relatively low. However, future widespread use will still need to be considered by the appropriate authority, which is the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) at this time. <BR /> <BR />The scheme will, hopefully, help those hard and rare cases to get help and support sooner, and I know that, as MLAs, we have all been involved in cases or campaigns where that has been an issue. Sinn Féin supports improving access to medicines.”
“Officials outlined to Committee members the processes that are in place to allow for early access to medicines, and they provided further detail on the consultation that has taken place on the new regulation. <BR /> <BR />The Committee sought further information on the number of patients here who have benefited from the scheme. The Department advised in writing that 45 patients from the North had applied to the scheme over the last three years. Officials advised the Committee that, by placing the scheme on a statutory footing, they would expect the number of applicants to increase as the scheme should simplify the process. I thank the officials for engaging with the Committee in relation to that. The Committee considered the statutory instrument, and members were content that it be approved by the Assembly.”
“I will make some brief remarks as Chair and then some comments as my party's health spokesperson. The early access to medicines scheme is important because it allows patients in the North of Ireland with a life-threatening or seriously debilitating condition to get access to a medicine before it has gained approval from the UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. <BR /> <BR />As the Minister has outlined, however, the early access scheme currently operates on a non-statutory basis. The new regulations seek to put the scheme on a statutory footing, and that is to be welcomed. The Committee was briefed by departmental officials on the regulation on 3 February 2022.”
“Vaccines have saved lives, and they will continue to do so, directly and indirectly, not only during the pandemic but throughout a number of instances of disease right across the world. Vaccines have played a key role in those. They also help to reduce pressure on all types of health services. As Sinn Féin's health spokesperson, I congratulate and thank everyone who has played their part in rolling out a very highly pressurised but very effective vaccination campaign here, right across the North. <BR /> <BR />COVID remains a threat to health and social care services. These changes will help to maintain a capacity to effectively respond. Therefore, Sinn Féin will support them.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Committee also sought clarity on whether there is a review date to consider making permanent changes to the register of healthcare professionals in order to take into account emerging roles and professions. The Department advised us that there is no formal review date at present but that that will be kept under review and that, if necessary, the register will be updated. The Committee considered the statutory instrument, and members agreed that they were content that it be approved by the Assembly. <BR /> <BR />I will make some very brief remarks as the Sinn Féin health spokesperson. The regulations make important changes to who can administer what medicines, and, very importantly, they extend the ability to move and share vaccine stock between locations.”
“The Committee asked how the Department is ensuring that applications to join the vaccination workforce are progressed in a timely manner. The Committee also sought a list of professions that could be utilised in the vaccination programme. The Department advised that the Public Health Agency was leading on the vaccination workforce appeal and outlined the process that it undertook to process applications in a timely manner. The Department also provided a list of professions that could be utilised and a breakdown by trust of those that have been utilised in the scheme. We pass on our thanks to all those who have been part of the vaccination roll-out, which has made such a significant change over the pandemic.”
“You will be glad, a LeasCheann Comhairle, that I will make some very brief remarks as Chair and then some even briefer comments as my party's health spokesperson. <BR /> <BR />The Committee welcomes these regulations, which seek to make permanent changes to the range of registered healthcare professionals who can administer flu and coronavirus vaccines, to allow flu and coronavirus vaccine stocks to be shared between locations to continue until 31 March 2024 and to continue to allow the final stages of coronavirus vaccine preparation to be completed without the need for additional marketing authorisations or manufacturing licences to be in place. <BR /> <BR />The Committee sought some further information on a few issues.”
“I will not give way again. <BR /> <BR />In moving protest away from the immediate vicinity of healthcare services, everyone's rights are protected. The protesters have their right to protest but not to humiliate or verbally assault their targets protected, and the women accessing treatment have their right to privacy and safe, accessible healthcare protected. It is time for the Department of Health to roll out the provision of safe and accessible services that women need, that they are entitled to and that they should be able to avail themselves of.”
“The Bill will create buffer zones wherein the rights of all will be respected: the right of women and girls and of workers to privacy; the right to access healthcare; and the right of protesters to protest and air their views, whatever they may be. That protest, however, should be respectful and free from the abuse that has repeatedly been reported to the Committee. The rights of one should not impair the rights of another.”
“Displaying graphic images, handing out leaflets and behaving aggressively towards women who are seeking treatment is unacceptable and should be unacceptable in any society. It is a violation of rights, and, indeed, it is indecent and disrespectful. Women who are accessing the services they need and the workers who provide those services have complained of campaigns of harassment and intimidation that have left them distressed at an already anxious and stressful time. It is unthinkable that a woman who is already in distressful and painful circumstances would face such a violation of her humanity.”
“<BR /> <BR />I thank the Bill sponsor for her engagement with the Committee on the Bill, and I thank Committee members for their work on the Bill over a sustained period. I also thank the Committee team and the Bill Clerk for supporting members through their scrutiny of the Bill. I thank the Department for working with the Bill sponsor and the Office of the Legislative Counsel for providing technical support. <BR /> <BR />I will now make a few brief remarks as a Sinn Féin MLA and as the party's spokesperson on health. Sinn Féin supports the Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) Bill, and we thank the sponsor for bringing it to the Chamber. <BR /> <BR />Blocking access to a healthcare clinic inhibits a woman's ability to access the healthcare that she might need and to which she is entitled.”
“The Committee supports amendment No 8, which seeks to provide clarity on the role of the Department in publishing information on safe access zones. <BR /> <BR />The Committee supports amendment No 10, which is needed as a consequence of the Bill sponsor's intention to oppose the Question that clause 9 stand part. The amendment removes reference to "the Convention" in clause 11. <BR /> <BR />The Committee supports amendment No 11, as it provides clarity on the specific offence of recording a protected person in a safe zone, as provided for in clause 6(3). <BR /> <BR />The Committee supports amendment No 12, which provides clarity on the meaning of "premises" and what attending premises means in the Bill. The vast majority of premises will be trust premises, and so the operators, in many cases, will be trusts.”
“Therefore, the Committee will support amendment No 1 on the understanding that the Committee's amendment to clause 2 will, as you outlined, Mr Deputy Speaker, not be moved. <BR /> <BR />The Committee is content to support amendment No 3 in the name of the Bill sponsor, which provides greater clarity on how the Department will make a determination. <BR /> <BR />The Committee also supports amendment No 4, which clarifies the process for when a safe access zone is required to be greater than 100 metres and ensures that it maintains compliance with human rights. <BR /> <BR />The Committee supports amendment No 5, which would remove subsection (4) of clause 6. That subsection states that it is a defence if a person can show that they”
“The Committee's advice is contained in the report and in the remarks that I am making, as the Member will know. <BR /> <BR />The commission advises that, in the case of safe access zones, there are legitimate aims, such as the protection of health. Where protests are preventing access to necessary healthcare, causing distress or possibly leading to the harassment of patients and staff, protecting their right to physical and psychological integrity under article 8 of the ECHR is a very important factor. <BR /> <BR />The Committee is content to support amendment No 1 in the name of the Bill sponsor. The amendment will ensure consistency with the language used in the Abortion (NI) (No. 2) Regulations 2020 and would ensure that the provisions remain workable in practice.”
“The Human Rights Commission advised the Committee that the Bill engages articles 8, 9, 10 and 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and that those require consideration. The commission advised that none of those rights are absolute and that they can be interfered with and limited in certain circumstances. The commission advised us that the European Court of Human Rights, in considering restrictions or limitations, has held that the restriction must be prescribed by law, must have a legitimate aim under the relevant article and must be necessary in a democratic society. To demonstrate that a restriction is necessary in a democratic society, it must also be proportionate. In light of that, the commission advises that, in the case of safe access zones, there are legitimate aims, such as the protection of health.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Committee sought the views of the Human Rights Commission on the balancing of competing human rights, particularly the right to privacy with the rights to expression, association and religion.”
“Some of the organisations pointed out that the actions and behaviours of protesters can cause distress to those who have suffered pregnancy loss and those who live with fertility issues. Many of the organisations that oppose the Bill also condemned situations in which women and staff are harassed or subjected to behaviours that would cause stress. They also stated that the behaviours that are described are not the norm and that protests that take place are often peaceful. However, all members of the Committee agreed that there is no place in our society for the harassment, abuse or intimidation of women and girls who are accessing health services and that patients, staff and visitors should be able to access health premises free from harassment, abuse and intimidation. I sincerely hope that everyone in the Chamber agrees with that.”