Emma Sheerin
Mid Ulster · Sinn Féin · Northern Ireland
“Given what we have seen unfold across the North in recent weeks, it is important that we acknowledge that they are people with particular vulnerabilities who are particularly sensitive and, with that in mind, consider our language.”
“No, I will not give way. You have rambled on for long enough in this place. <BR /> <BR />When it comes to the early clauses of the Bill, I, like others, put on the record our appreciation of the work of Geraldine Hanna and our support for the intent of Part 1 of the Bill, which puts the role that she has been carrying out impeccably thus…”
“I thank the Minister for clarifying that immigration is an excepted matter, which means that it is the responsibility of the British Government and nothing to do with the House.”
“On a point of order, Mr Speaker. Members will be aware that the DUP and some of its lackeys in the UUP cynically used petitions of concern, two weeks ago, to block rights for children.”
“I welcome the opportunity to speak at the Second Stage of the Victims and Witnesses of Crime Bill. I am proud to be from a party that consistently supports the best available human rights advice on all matters.”
“For many years, Donaldson used his position of power to abuse and to escape justice. He presented himself as a role model. We now know that that was bogus and that his public persona was a deception.”
The complete record
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“Minister, I recently raised an issue that was brought to me by constituents who are would-be driving instructors. They experienced problems completing the theory test that is necessary for their qualification because of a technical issue with the computer system. Have you looked into that? Can you provide an update?”
“<BR /> <BR />On the other side of that, we have domiciliary care workers, many in the independent sector, who are yet to receive the £500 bonus that they were promised at the beginning of the year. They are not even getting a fuel allowance. They are running from pillar to post, trying to cover rotas, and they are being asked to work for weeks on the trot without a break. The role that they carry out is a vocational one, and it is incredibly mentally, emotionally and physically draining. I call on the Health Minister to properly recognise that, to properly resource this service, to give our care workers a fair day's pay for the work that they do and to ensure that we have a community care service that works for rural dwellers.”
“We have siblings creating and then covering shifts on their own rotas, coming in and out and passing each other like ships in the night. There are no social visits with their loved ones, and they are unable to spontaneously call in for a cup of tea or spend quality time with them. Instead, they have a burden added to their daily lives. There are young people who are trying to hold down a job, pay a mortgage, maintain a house and a marriage and rear a family of their own, and, on top of that, they have the responsibility of caring for a loved one and carrying out personal care visits that should be coming from the NHS. People who have worked all their lives and contributed to the system feel like a burden on the system because they cannot get the care that they need.”
“I am contacted all the time by sons, daughters, nieces, nephews, in-laws and even grandchildren who are in total distress because of their family situation. We have people who are trapped for longer than they need to be in hospitals and care homes, perhaps recovering from a stroke or another debilitating illness, trying to deal emotionally with the overnight loss of their independence and mobility, and having this compounded by an unnecessary stay in an institution. That is mentally devastating for them and for their family members, who are worried about them and know the impact that it is having on their mental health. <BR /> <BR />For people who are trying to manage at home, there is the stress for them as well as their family, and that is unbearable.”
“At the outset, I want to address the allegations made by Mr Buchanan against Bellaghy Wolfe Tones GAC in his Member's statement. On 9 September, Bellaghy Wolfe Tones released a statement in which they stated unequivocally that they had not granted permission to Saoradh to hold a commemoration on their grounds. It is important that that is clarified. <BR /> <BR />This afternoon, I want to raise the issue of care provision, specifically in rural Mid Ulster. I have been raising this issue with the Department, the Minister and the Northern Trust consistently since I became an MLA, because it is brought to me every week by the constituents whom I represent. At the minute, the ramifications of what I would call a crisis in our community care are extensive.”
“I encourage open and honest feedback on planning issues to make sure that planning is working for rural dwellers. I commend the motion to the House.”
“It has also made many think that living near to their home place, as opposed to living somewhere that they would rather not be just for the sake of their work, would be a better choice for life. <BR /> <BR />As remote working becomes the norm, and there are fewer requirements to be in city office spaces, we need to ensure that people have the option of building where they would like to live. So, I am relieved to hear that the Minister has listened to our voices and is going to consult with councils and planning officials about any change to guidance, which is what was missing from the first attempt of the PAN.”
“Rural isolation, on the other hand, is a massive barrier to emotional well-being. If people can have family members living nearby who are able to drop in for a cup of tea of an evening without formal plans, or, as we would say in south Derry, "Call in on your céilí", their mental health will naturally be stronger. <BR /> <BR />If COVID-19 has brought us one positive, it is the introduction of widespread working from home and flexible working arrangements. For many rural dwellers, the ability to work from home meant the escape from a two- or three-hour daily commute, extra time with family, more daylight hours to enjoy, more opportunities for exercise and, overall, better standards of living.”
“Every single week, without fail, I am contacted by at least one family, but usually several, about care packages. A total breakdown in the delivery of community care and the rising costs of childcare have colluded to create a situation where daughters and sons are picking up the slack when it comes to care for elderly or sick parents. Grannies and grandas are babysitting a couple of days a week. Pick-ups and drop-offs are being done by whoever is available. If people cannot build homes near their families, that ad hoc arrangement becomes impossible, ultimately adding further strain to the health and social care system. <BR /> <BR />Aside from the practicalities from a necessary care perspective, we all know the importance of human connections and how beneficial conversation and relationships are for people's mental health.”
“The change to the definition of buildings that would constitute an infill and the tightening of criteria around clusters would have ruled out many of the homes that we see dotted around our countryside. <BR /> <BR />Our planning policy needs to be sustainable, environmentally friendly and in line with the natural Irish landscape that we occupy. Sinn Féin is clear on that. It also needs to deliver homes for rural dwellers. People from small countryside communities should have the option of building a forever home and raising a family, if that is what they wish to do, in the community that they come from.”
“<BR /> <BR />On top of that, it is almost impossible to get any lender to offer a mortgage for a new building within the confines of a working farm, meaning that the guidance was totally unworkable for farming families. That would have had far-reaching and obvious implications for our rural economies in that it was removing the viability of family farms going forward, preventing people's ability to live close to their livelihood and, therefore, acting as a barrier to young people carrying on the farm. <BR /> <BR />Some 100,000 people are employed in agriculture across the North. If you prevent them from having homes, how will that be maintained? It is not just active farmers that would have been impacted on by the guidance.”
“As somebody who is from a farm and is familiar with the realities of any working yard and how much that fluctuates over the year between lambing, calving, saving fodder and all the other seasonal tasks that must be completed, I know that the impracticalities of that need not be spelled out. <BR /> <BR />Furthermore, as pointed out by the Ulster Farmers' Union, the hazards on a farmyard are many, and it would be incredibly dangerous to expect a family to dwell within the yard. We can probably all think of examples of tragedies that have happened as a result of an incident with slurry, livestock or heavy machinery, and, as tractors and yards get bigger, those risks only increase.”
“I agree with him on the point that he raised, and I have worked with constituents who have the same problems with waste water. It is something that we deal with all the time. <BR /> <BR />When you refer to the doubling down in barriers that this note would have led to, the change that would have been implemented around dwelling houses built in connection with farms is one of the biggest problems that it posed. The new requirement was going to mean that, in most instances, the only place that would satisfy the guidance would have been in the actual yard.”
“The PAN would have added an immeasurable burden to an already difficult, expensive and stressful process.”
“Before they have even had the first fight with their partner about where best to put a wall socket or which colour of kitchen cupboard will date soonest, they have to go through the planning process. That means months and months of waiting, perhaps redrawn plans, conversations with architects and DFI Roads staff and a new understanding of the word "splay". <BR /> <BR />Having been involved in constituency work and activism for years, I have been aware of those issues for some time. I have frequently taken part in site meetings with would-be homeowners, who are stressed to the max trying to find a suitable spot for their forever homes while working out solutions to problems between their idea of a house and the planning policy to which planners and councillors strictly adhere.”
“We do not have enough social or affordable housing in our rural communities, and, oftentimes, people pay extortionate rents that they cannot afford on houses that they would rather not live in. Saving for a mortgage deposit is a massive burden on many of our hard-working young people, and the cost of short-term renting lengthens the time that it takes to buy or build a home that they want to spend forever in. <BR /> <BR />I am 29. I am at the age when random nights out rarely happen, but they have been replaced with a full schedule of baby showers, hen parties, weddings and house-warming parties. Many of my closest friends are in the process of building their own homes, or have built them, and I have seen at first hand the stress that that incurs.”
“<BR /> <BR />As soon as the PAN was issued in the summer and the ramifications of what it would mean for those who were attempting to build homes in their communities become clear, our Sinn Féin team sprang into action. In Mid Ulster, the constituency that I represent, Councillor Sean McPeake took the lead for us. As a member of the planning committee in Mid Ulster District Council, he called for a special one-item meeting, out of which came a cross-party letter calling for the Minister to rescind the note. <BR /> <BR />I cannot overstate the amount of communication that I have received about this one issue. As we all know, rural housing is in short supply.”
“I should say that we tabled the motion a number of weeks ago in a bid to encourage the Minister to listen to our concerns, which reflected the huge amount of anguish and stress that her PAN had caused in our rural communities across the North. On Friday evening, I was, of course, delighted to hear that she had made the right call and rescinded the advice note. At the outset, I sincerely thank the Minister for that change of heart, because her prior insistence that the note would not change anything was deeply concerning, coming as it did in direct contradiction to the feedback that we had received from planning agents, planning committee members and senior planners across the North.”
“<BR /> <BR />We know that academics are looking at outside-the-box thinking to find ways in which Irish citizens here can continue to have a say. The discussions on potential voting rights are particularly interesting. We can see from last week's announcements that the EU is willing to find solutions to any outstanding provisions that have real-life impacts for the people of the North. It is important that that can-do approach continues and that we all find sensible ways of delivering for our constituents. The rigorous implementation of democracy is something that we should strive for at all times.”
“I thank the Member for his intervention. I am not able to give you a figure. However, I have constituents who come to me about a number of issues and problems that have arisen because of Brexit, and I have constituents telling me that business is as good as it has ever been. I have farmers contacting me to say that trade is up as a result of the protocol and the protections that we have and that North/South trade is increasing and improving. I cannot give you statistics off the top of my head, but I have constituents coming to me saying that they are glad that we have the protocol to protect us from the worst impacts of Brexit. Definitely. <BR /> <BR />The point that I was making is that the Donegal neighbours of farmers we represent in County Tyrone have more security and stability in their income, and they are grateful for that.”
“No, thank you. <BR /> <BR />To ramp up tensions, get involved in dangerous rhetoric or make mountains out of molehills is ill-advised. There has not been any constitutional change — yet. <BR /> <BR />Many Irish citizens in the North are thankful for their retained European citizenship rights, as evidenced, of course, by the flurry of Irish passport applications in the wake of the referendum decision in 2016. Many of us would like to explore our options as we go forward. Students here, who may have older siblings who took part in the ERASMUS programme, are wondering whether something similar will be made available to them. Farmers in Tyrone are wondering what single farm payment they will see in the coming years, whilst their neighbours in Donegal —.”
“In conversation with the EU, we need to represent our constituents, because the House of Commons does not possess the emotional bandwidth to do so. It does not care about the North of Ireland or the people here, be they unionist, nationalist, republican or loyalist.”
“Regardless of your position on the Brexit debate or the future of Ireland, why anyone would want to rule out discussion and, indeed, a dedicated channel for such discussion baffles me. At the minute, we have Brexiteers jumping on the continued role of the European Court of Justice as their latest problem with the EU, but who else will provide oversight? The Tory party told us explicitly a fortnight ago that it wants to make significant changes to the Human Rights Act 1998. That party is implementing legacy proposals that no parties here have approved. We still do not have single equality legislation in the North, and we have a rights deficit that has yet to be worked out. The British Government cannot be trusted.”
“Dialogue about the impact of Brexit on Ireland, the need to avoid the reimposition of a hard border and the importance of protecting the Good Friday Agreement ensured that the 27 member states kept our small island high on the list of priorities when it came to negotiating what we now know as "the protocol".”
“I support this sensible motion and oppose the amendment, which has been driven by fear, short-sightedness and the prioritisation of insular ideology over the interests of businesses, community groups and farmers and the rights of the citizens whom all here represent. <BR /> <BR />Halloween is approaching, but we do not need to rehash the horror story of how Brexit happened. We all know that a big-money propaganda machine lied to people, that wealthy Tories funded the ideas of English nationalists and that the North ended up being dragged out of the EU against the will of the people. <BR /> <BR />The motion calls for exactly what we did not have during the conversations that led to the Brexit referendum but that protected us from the worst ravages in the aftermath.”
“— I have to ask the question — they would have been able to get help. Are you likely to change that policy?”
“— who was not able to get transport assistance to their chosen school of St Mary's Grammar School, but had they been going to St Pius X College in the town —”
“Minister, thank you for your answer. You will know that I have written to you about that matter, because I want an assessment of how likely you are to change the current policy that sees primary-school children who live just underneath the threshold of 2 miles from their school and high-school children who live just underneath the 3-mile threshold unable to access any transport assistance. I had a situation in my constituency with a child in Castledawson —”
“<BR /> <BR />We need further extensions on theory certificates so that people who were not able to book their practical test will not have to go to the extra expense of a second test unnecessarily. Similarly, the Minister needs to look into the issue with the computer system as a priority.”
“Nervous learner drivers will not be able to do their test in a town with which they are unfamiliar. The instruction just to keep trying for a cancellation leaves people under pressure, frantically checking an online system while they may be working or holding down studies and other things. <BR /> <BR />At the other end of the scale, I have been contacted by a constituent who is trying to become an instructor. He told me that he has not been able to sit the required theory test, despite being ready for it since the summer, because of an issue with the computer system. At the beginning of October, there were reportedly over 60 potential instructors in the same position. That is incredibly worrying and needs to be addressed urgently.”
“Young people are relying on others to take them to college and work, which means that they are often out of pocket. That creates a further barrier to their ability to take more lessons and pay for another test. I know of one teenager who was applying to a university course to become a paramedic and needed a valid licence as a prerequisite. At a difficult time for any young person, the stress that that young woman was experiencing, through no fault of her own, was awful to watch. <BR /> <BR />People have contacted me to tell me that they have tried to book a test and have been given a next available date in five or six months' time. That is totally disheartening and means further time and money has to be spent and, indeed, wasted. The Department's advice to look at other test centres is totally impractical.”
“However, with the pandemic bringing a stop to physical lessons and a backlog when things started to open up again, many who were able to avail themselves of the theory test extension still had not had an opportunity to complete their physical driving test in time. A gap of months after the lessons might have meant that refreshers were needed. Given that test waiting times are reaching five or six months, people are being forced to pay for a second theory test when, had we not been in the middle of a global pandemic, they would probably have been on the road and out of their "R"s this long time. <BR /> <BR />The anxiety and frustration that it causes for people who have not been able to get on the road are unparalleled. Job opportunities have been missed because of it.”
“I raise the problem of the driving test backlog, something that has been brought to my attention by countless constituents since the onset of the pandemic last year. It still poses issues, particularly for rural dwellers in Mid Ulster, the area that I represent, and, more specifically, for our young people in country areas. I understand and appreciate that the Department for Infrastructure introduced measures early on to alleviate the pressures, including extra temporary testing sites, Sunday driving tests and extensions on theory tests, but I ask that more measures be taken or that those extensions be reintroduced or extended further. <BR /> <BR />A constituent who had had their original theory certificate extended for eight months contacted my office recently. That extension was helpful and very much appreciated by them at the time.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. I refer to his earlier comments. He has just outlined a particular situation or circumstance. He took umbrage with Members referring to the fact that it is Baby Loss Awareness Week. I ask him this again: can he say categorically that he understands the circumstances of every woman in the North of Ireland who seeks a termination? I do not think that he can. Therefore, how dare he criticise those women or suggest that some of them have not experienced loss?”
“I thank the Member for giving way. I ask the Member to consider what he has just said and to think about whether he understands for one second the circumstances of any woman who finds herself in the position of needing a termination. I also ask him to consider whether it is appropriate to comment as he has just done.”
“What must it be like for children walking to school or the shops or going into a clinic for a totally unrelated procedure; for teenagers accessing contraception for the first time, trying to be responsible but afraid of the consequences and unsure of themselves; and perhaps, most of all, for all the women out there, our friends, sisters, cousins and aunts who need or have needed a termination? The abuse is directed at them. It seeks to vilify and demonise them, and it is wrong. I commend the Bill to the House.”
“Imagine the heartbreak those placards and loudspeakers cause to the women who have been told that they will never conceive, who have suffered ectopic pregnancies, who have been there before but are pregnant again and are just waiting for the telltale cramp, terrified that they will lose another life. Imagine the prospective fathers who never got to live out their dreams of bedtime stories or walks in the park, worrying about their partners and the impact that a fertility battle is having.”
“To go through that and then be exposed to a giant poster of a fetus in the womb, accompanied by a throng of people chanting slurs, is cruelty. That is for women who are safe in the knowledge that they would not or could not be criminalised and that there are no repercussions for them if seen accessing healthcare. <BR /> <BR />The so-called protesters have no regard for people's personal circumstances or the struggles that they have faced on their reproductive journeys. They openly target and attempt to shame women who need abortions, which is reprehensible, and their lack of compassion is further demonstrated by the fact that they do not care who else is caught in the crossfire. You cannot claim to care for the unborn while harassing expectant mothers.”
“It is said that one in four women will experience miscarriage, but it is still taboo and is still not spoken about openly. Many of those women will live their life without telling anyone or will tell someone and have their experience dismissed by a heartless comparison or a minimising of their loss. They will get a letter notifying them of their next scan appointment and have to ring a receptionist to explain that they do not need it any more. At family gatherings, they have to dodge questions from well-meaning but ignorant relatives about when they plan to start a family. They will get up and get on with it, acting as if everything is fine, feeling silly for feeling sad and choking back tears at advertisements for nappies.”
“We support the fundamental right to protest and recognise that people should be free to take to the streets and have their point heard. However, to dismiss or trivialise the harm caused by those groups or justify their actions by describing them as "protest" is a huge disservice. Their campaigns amount to the intimidation and bullying of people in vulnerable positions without any concern for their well-being. <BR /> <BR />This is Baby Loss Awareness Week, which is an opportunity for many to share stories that, perhaps, they have not spoken about before. Some may take comfort from the knowledge that they are not alone in their experience of miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy or stillbirth, losses that impact on everyone differently.”
“It is a phenomenon that will for ever remain one of the darkest stains on Irish history and a stark reminder of how not to treat women, girls and children. The abuse to which people are subjected outside clinics while accessing the healthcare to which they are entitled is another element of the same misogyny and judgement that brought us those so-called homes. It is the same ignorance and stigma that sent women to England for decades and that still sends women to England. <BR /> <BR />What is it about other people's pregnancies that offers such fascination to so many? What is it that compels people to stand outside a health clinic and intimidate women whose stories they will never know or understand? Sinn Féin is a party of protest.”
“I support the Bill. I congratulate Clare Bailey for bringing it before the Assembly and acknowledge the work of Alliance for Choice, Informing Choices and others who have campaigned on the issue. I acknowledge my party colleague Senator Paul Gavan, who has worked with other parties on the Together for Safety campaign in the Twenty-six Counties. He is in the process of introducing a similar Bill in that jurisdiction. <BR /> <BR />The Bill is simple. It is about compassion and empathy. It is about supporting women, protecting their right to access health and shielding people from abuse. Just last Tuesday, we had the recommendations from the truth recovery design panel, emanating from the report on mother-and-baby institutions in the North.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. Does the Member agree that there is nothing Christian or religious about shouting abuse at women or calling them murderers when you do not know their circumstances or what they have been through?”
“Given that New Decade, New Approach was the basis on which these institutions were restored, does the Minister agree that the public have a right to expect it all to be delivered?”
“I thank the Minister for her statement. Will the joint First Minister agree that the DUP ministerial boycott of North/South Ministerial Council meetings is hampering the progress of government?”
“Further to Mrs Kelly's question, does the Minister agree that an all-island animal cruelty register would be the most effective way of preventing repeat offenders — those who have been convicted in one but not both jurisdictions?”
“I thank the Minister for his answer. At the outset, I commend Informing Choices for the sterling work it has done over the past 18 months since abortion was legislated for. We have had 18 months of individual clinicians stepping up. In that time, three of our five trusts have had to pause services. In the Western Trust, the service has not been resumed since April this year. We have had individuals suffering without a local service, and we had Informing Choices providing the service over the phone for local women in crisis. <BR /> <BR />The Minister just outlined that BPAS will now provide that interim service, so there is no local service for women, many of whom will be in crisis situations with no support system around them. Will he advise what local service they will be able to avail themselves of in the interim?”
“I thank the Member for giving way. The Member on the Bench opposite would not let me back in after he asked what my constituents said to me when we talked about the scrapie monitoring issue. I did not have to tell any of my constituents what had caused the issue, because they were all able to identify Brexit as the problem. Furthermore, while it was a huge inconvenience last year for people who had bought sheep in Scotland to not be able to take them home, this year, trade has never been so good, and there is great demand for yoe lambs that are reared here.”
“Go raibh maith agat. I thank the Member for his intervention. I remind him that that is the result of Brexit. I will also say that the milk that I get from down the road is, in most instances, better than the milk that has air miles added to it. I have not had that complaint from constituents. <BR /> <BR />I was going on to say that aligned SPS checks might allow even more trade, which we should all welcome.”
“We have seen increased trade North and South, which is so beneficial and, in many instances, makes sense from an environmental and efficiency viewpoint.”