Karen Mullan
Foyle · Sinn Féin · Northern Ireland
“I support the motion but would like it to have gone further. Damp and mould do not exist only in Housing Executive properties, so it is important for us to address and identify solutions for all homeowners. The right to a high-quality, safe and secure place to call home is one of the most basic and fundamental rights in any society.”
“<BR /> <BR />For the purpose of today's debate, I will focus on Creggan in my constituency, where hundreds of homes have been affected for many years by damp and mould because of lack of ventilation and poor insulation. Following the SERC report, surveys were carried out of properties in Creggan in 2015 and 2016.”
“I also carried out an online survey of residents who lived in Housing Executive and housing association properties affected by damp. Respondents outlined timelines of their experiences of damp and mould, with one resident reporting having experienced it for 33 years — absolutely shocking.”
“<BR /> <BR />The extent of the issues facing tenants was initially brought to light by the research carried out by the South Eastern Regional College in 2014. The research found that many homes suffered poor and inadequate levels of thermal protection, resulting in unnecessary energy losses and assumed high heating costs.”
“<BR /> <BR />As I said at the beginning, the Housing Executive is not the only housing provider that needs to act. I want to see the housing associations putting plans in place immediately to address the same defects in their homes, with grants made more widely available to homeowners and those in the private rented sector, so that everyo…”
“Occupational therapy is one of the most important areas of health about which constituents contact my office. I am sure that that is the same for many Members. You have given us an answer, but I want to highlight that, as of December 2020, there were at least 120 occupational therapy staff vacancies.”
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“In addition, the number of schools in surplus has fallen from 817 to 562. Members are well aware of the real impact that budget cuts have on school communities. The Minister of Finance and the Executive have indicated that they intend to move towards multi-annual Budgets, and I welcome that. However, education, teachers and pupils cannot wait. The work of properly resourcing and reforming our education system has to begin now. As the Chair of the Education Committee highlighted, despite the Department receiving funding from in-year monitoring of £90 million, it is expected that the Education Authority will still have a £20 million overspend.”
“I will speak as our party's education spokesperson. We are discussing the Second Stage of the Budget Bill, which will allow finances to flow to our vital public services while providing the space for the Minister of Finance to seek further resources and work with the Executive and Assembly to finalise the Budget for the incoming year. That said, it cannot be ignored that, for close to a decade, public services here have been under attack from Tory Governments in London. Our children and education system have borne the brunt of the Conservative Party's crusade of cuts. That relentless austerity agenda has stripped well over £200 million from the education budget over the last 10 years. If we look at the last five years, we will see that the situation speaks for itself. The number of schools in deficit has risen from 217 to 442.”
“I thank the Minister for his answer and the continued support that he provided for the project when he was the leader of his party. I invite the Minister to Derry to meet with the stakeholders involved.”
“I thank the Minister for her response. Given the Minister's earlier answer on the centenary, she will understand that, in looking to the future and developing skills, these are important projects for Derry, Strabane and the wider north-west. In keeping with the commitments to target resources on the basis of objective need and to tackle regional disparities laid out in both the Programme for Government and 'New Decade, New Approach', I urge the Minister to give a time frame for a decision on the proposals.”
“My question has been partly answered. I just want a timeline for the opening of applications.”
“I thank the Minister for her answer and her understanding of the issues. The creation of an interface barriers support package was identified as a key action. An aftercare support package was presented to the interface programme board in June 2019. As of February 2020, it appears that that has still not been signed off, and no delivery schedule is yet available. Will the Minister comment on why that package is still not available to local communities that are impacted? When is it likely to be in place?”
“I appeal to the Minister to work as quickly as possible to full implementation of NICE guidance, which will change the lives of so many affected by infertility.”
“As was raised, there are issues with funding and capacity to deliver on the commitments in New Decade, New Approach. <BR /> <BR />Again, I thank the Minister for being present for the debate, and for his understanding of those going through infertility. I welcome the setting up of the operational group and how quickly you have turned that around, Minister. That will give much comfort to people watching the debate, because, as Members said, there is a lot of interest. As part of that, Minister, I ask that you consider the amendment from Mark Durkan and Sinead Bradley to look at a short-term measure related to age profile. <BR /> <BR />I call on Members to support the motion and both amendments.”
“<BR /> <BR />Kellie outlined the importance of the three cycles. I join Members in thanking Kellie for sharing her personal experience, which she has done on many occasions. Pam Cameron and Paula Bradley mentioned the importance of education. I thank them for tabling their amendment. Jemma Dolan highlighted the limited fertility counselling support available. That is an issue that also needs to be addressed. <BR /> <BR />Over the past number of weeks, I and a number of MLAs have queried details on the Department's plans, timeline and capacity to commence and deliver. That shows the overwhelming level of support that exists in the Assembly and across our constituencies. <BR /> <BR />The Regional Fertility Centre at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast is the only centre in the North to provide publicly funded IVF cycles.”
“<BR /> <BR />The group's activities include lobbying, raising awareness, advocacy, emotional well-being, support and information. I have attended many events organised by the group and heard about the personal and financial stress and the emotional and mental impact that it has on women and men. I have heard of the pain of their family never being complete and of the pain of missing out: missing out on the joy of that baby announcement, many family celebrations and many first days. <BR /> <BR />Like others, I commend the work of Fairness (IN) Fertility and other support groups that have continued to ensure that this long-standing inequality is kept on the agenda. In particular, I thank Deborah Cross and the members of Fairness (IN) Fertility who shared their personal and painful stories to improve service provision.”
“<BR /> <BR />As was outlined, couples and individuals experiencing fertility problems do not need the extra financial burden and stress. For those experiencing infertility, the commitment given to prioritise three funded cycles of IVF in the 'New Decade, New Approach' document was very much welcomed. <BR /> <BR />In October 2018, local group Fairness (IN) Fertility handed over a petition with over 10,000 signatures to the Department of Health calling for equal access to fertility. Fairness (IN) Fertility was established by Derry woman Deborah Cross along with her husband, Stephen. Deborah wanted to break the silence, highlight the inequality in provision across these isles and the unjust financial burden, and provide support to women and couples going through IVF.”
“I thank everyone who took part in the debate, and I thank the Minister for being present for its entirety. <BR /> <BR />I am pleased to wind on the motion on this extremely sensitive issue. Many will be listening and hoping for a positive outcome and full implementation of NICE guidance on fertility as a matter of urgency. As acknowledged by Members, infertility is a medical and social condition that can cause considerable social, emotional and psychological distress. The psychological and emotional repercussions of infertility cannot be overstated. In some instances, infertile women can experience severe or clinically significant distress. That can manifest in depression, anxiety, sexual anxiety and difficulty, relationship problems with partner, family and friends, and an increased sense of self-blame and guilt.”
“Given the concerns raised and the sensitive information about children that is recorded in special educational needs assessments, how will the Minister ensure that any introduction of electronic record-keeping is compliant with data protection safeguards?”
“<BR /> <BR />Today's motion and debate is the start of what is required, but we now need action. Parents and young people and our teaching staff need action from all of us. The Autism Act was brought in in 2011, and yet we continue to see an increased number of children and young people in particular waiting years for diagnosis and support services. I call on the Minister to acknowledge that there is a crisis in special education needs provision and that many teachers actively seek this training. By supporting the motion and amendment No 1, we would send a positive message to the sector as well as to families.”
“The role of the teacher is evolving; they are, increasingly, working with children with complex needs, and introducing this training at the start of their journey will, no doubt, serve them well throughout their career. For that reason, our amendment would strengthen the motion to include a compulsory module during teacher training. Introducing that in teacher training colleges is a pragmatic step that could be taken and would have an impact for a relatively low cost. <BR /> <BR />In October last year, I met the Department and asked them to look at options, including costs. One such option to be explored is assigning one of the allocated teacher training days, which would reduce the cost of teacher cover. Widening out the training to include compulsory disability training should also be included.”
“The vast majority of those children are educated in a mainstream setting, which shows the need for autism training for teachers and classroom assistants. In my city of Derry, Derry City and Strabane District Council and our two main shopping centres have led the way in making our public venues inclusive for all. Part of that has been training all front-line staff in autism awareness. If we can do that in our public and private sectors, why are we not providing that training to our teaching staff, who have our children in their care anywhere up to 30 hours a week? <BR /> <BR />Our teaching staff want to be supported to provide the best care and education to our young people and to be more equipped to do so.”
“I speak in favour of the motion and amendment No 1. I believe that our amendment strengthens the motion but also that we should show a united front today. <BR /> <BR />As my party's education spokesperson and a member of the all-party group on autism, I have heard from many in the education sector, parents, young people and the wider community who are calling for greater autism awareness and training. The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities recognises the right to inclusive education for all persons with disabilities. If we are to go about realising that, making autism-specific training mandatory for our teachers is a step in the right direction. <BR /> <BR />In the North, one in 30 children has a diagnosis of autism.”
“I speak in support the motion and in favour —.”
“I congratulate the Minister on his new role. I also welcome today's statement, particularly the commitment on special education needs. The number of children with special education needs is increasing year-on-year, which puts an already under-resourced budget at crisis point. It is estimated that, in order to stand still, £110 million is required for the provision of special education needs over the next four years. Will the Minister outline whether there are any plans to engage with the British Government on the issue and to ensure that they provide sustainable funding for future special education needs provision?”
“At the end of the year, regardless of a trade deal, that option will be gone. The ERASMUS programme has been acknowledged as a tremendous success for many young people, and I strongly argue that its benefits will be very difficult to replicate. Its loss will impact most on those from disadvantaged backgrounds and those with medical needs or disabilities. <BR /> <BR />I urge Members to send a strong message to the British Government that they do not have our consent to remove our citizens from the European Union.”
“Last Wednesday in the House of Commons, 344 MPs voted against a clause that would have required the British Government to negotiate continuing full membership of the ERASMUS programme after Brexit. The ERASMUS scheme is an EU programme that afforded our students the opportunity to study in other countries. The impact of Brexit on education will remove that option and will mean that people from the North will have to pay higher tuition fees if they wish to attend university in the EU. Such changes could put university attendance out of the financial reach of many of our young people. <BR /> <BR />Among students, young people, those in training and staff who work in the education sector, there is no doubt that the ERASMUS scheme has been appreciated and is seen as beneficial for those who have availed themselves of it.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. I speak in support of the motion. <BR /> <BR />The EU/British Brexit deal undoubtedly contains essential protections for the island of Ireland, preventing any hardening of the border, but, in reality, it is the least worst option because there is no good Brexit. The majority of people here voted to remain in the EU. We do not support Brexit, and we do not consent to Brexit. In addition, although the Brexit mitigations for Ireland in the withdrawal agreement are essential, we still need greater protections for young people and, indeed, all of us who are EU citizens. <BR /> <BR />I want to focus on education and the implications of Brexit for our young people.”
“First, I congratulate the Minister on his appointment. I look forward to working alongside him and other members of the Committee on progressing the work that we have been doing all along. <BR /> <BR />I welcome today's announcement of much-needed capital investment, particularly for Holy Child Primary School in Creggan in Derry, a school in my constituency that is over 60 years old and in much need of improved accommodation. <BR /> <BR />Given the crisis in the education budget, is it the Minister's intention to advance the programme of major capital builds and other works across the school estate?”