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.”
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“Beef, lamb and dairy produce account for roughly half of the food that is produced in the North, and I am acutely aware of the specifics of one of those sectors in particular. In January, I received a number of calls from blackface sheep farmers across the North. They had bought yoe lambs in Scotland before Christmas, only to find that they could not take them home when they had reached the appropriate age in January because they were not scrapie-monitored. That is a costly and stressful exercise for local farmers. It takes seven years to get the scrapie monitoring qualification, which imposes another cost on Scottish farmers who are trying to sell their lambs to the North. That is one example of how different standards between our two islands can have a real impact on our producers in counties Derry, Tyrone and Down.”
“We know how badly our processing plants are struggling because of a lack of workforce, again as a result of Brexit and the fact that so many of our migrant worker population left our shores in its wake. <BR /> <BR />Unionism is unhappy that, in some instances, North/South trade has replaced east-west trade. When I speak to constituents, local businesses and producers, I find that trade is trade, and we can always do with more of it. That is why we in Sinn Féin tabled the motion. We want to see practical, workable resolutions to the issues that have beset our farm businesses since the onset of Brexit. <BR /> <BR />I have spoken before about the fact that I am from a farming background.”
“<BR /> <BR />Britain left the EU and all the benefits that it had brought in order to try to re-establish itself as a superpower. I do not have a problem with that; wail away. The issue is that it brought the North out with it. We did not vote for Brexit. Community groups contact me every week about the Community Renewal Fund, and our £1 billion PEACE PLUS funding has been jeopardised by the DUP's refusal to attend meetings of the North/South Ministerial Council. It is not a mess of our making, but it affects us. We have to make the best of a bad situation, be innovative and creative and look for solutions for the people whom we all represent. <BR /> <BR />Aligning SPS checks makes sense for businesses in the North and in Britain. Our agri-food sector in the North makes up a massive proportion of our economy and employs 100,000 people.”
“We need to be responsible, dial down the rhetoric and support those whom we represent. <BR /> <BR />Today, we have more attempts by David Frost to appease unionists with talk of threats to trigger article 16. The British Government are talking about Brexit in the context of trade deals and doing business with the rest of the world, when we all know that, for the Tories and the other policy architects behind it, Brexit was about ego. It harks back to the good old days of empire when Britannia ruled the waves. Racism, xenophobia, scaremongering and hatred were at its very heart. Families who made their homes in the North, who worked here and contributed to our local communities, left en masse because of the rhetoric that surrounded the referendum.”
“I obviously support the motion, which is effectively about Brexit. Brexit is a product of an ideology that is having real-life implications for us and the people whom we represent. Presumably, ideology is what got us all into politics, but your ideology must complement delivery for constituents. If it does not, you need to question what you are doing. <BR /> <BR />The EU was and is not perfect, but EU membership was good for the North. It was good for our communities, local infrastructure, businesses and farmers. We all knew that Brexit would be bad for local businesses. We knew it in 2016, we knew it during the long nights of missed deadlines and drawn-out negotiations, and we know it now. However, we are where we are and the most sensible thing for us all to do is to set ideology aside and look for a resolution.”
“For that to work, they need to live nearby. <BR /> <BR />I ask the Minister to rescind the note immediately and to allow people to build in the communities that they call home.”
“Meanwhile, in our smaller towns, many of the much-needed houses are occupied by people who intend to build a forever home in the country but are waiting to have the finances and planning permission to enable them do so. The note will add financial pressure, time pressure and unnecessary stress to the process. It will serve to make building a home a more exclusive enterprise. <BR /> <BR />Many of the constituents who have contacted me are attempting to build on the family farm in order to ensure its continuation and to maintain the link with past generations, many of whom had to work hard to hold on to their fields. The pressures on our health and social care services mean that many families rely on elderly parents to care for their young children and on grown-up children to care for their elderly parents.”
“I have taken part in many site meetings with councillors from Mid Ulster District Council, during which we have urged people to amend their applications to ensure their successful passage and that the dwelling that they wish to build will not have an impact on the environment. Planning is already stringent, sustainable and measured. The last thing that we need is more restriction on who can build and where. The planning committee in Mid Ulster District Council is so worried about the note that it held a special meeting to discuss it and has pledged, with cross-party support, to write to the Minister about the issues that the note has thrown up. <BR /> <BR />We have a housing crisis in the North. The shortage of public and private rental stock means that landlords are able to get away with charging extortionate rents.”
“As someone who was reared on a farm, I know how impractical and, indeed, dangerous that is. The Ulster Farmers' Union has pointed out the many challenges that this presents to the sustainability of our family farms and, indeed, the risks to mortgages and to people's ability to build a house. <BR /> <BR />Since the issue came to light, I have been inundated with calls from young couples, planning agents and people living on family farms, all of whom are concerned about what it will mean for their future. Council planning officers already implement planning policy in a thorough and responsible manner, which is why so many applications take so long to be processed.”
“I want to raise the issue of rural housing, specifically the changes to planning permission that were brought in at the beginning of the summer via the Infrastructure Minister's planning advice note. The note was issued to councils at the beginning of the summer without any consultation, and it poses a threat to our rural communities. <BR /> <BR />It is a rights issue. Rural dwellers pay the same contributions, taxes and rates as anyone else, but they do not have the same access to services and infrastructure as our city and town dwellers. Now, they will not even be able to build on their own land in many instances. That will rule out what is called an infill or a cluster dwelling, and it will require houses that are built in connection with a farm to be built in the yard.”
“He told me that a recruitment process had just returned 12 new domiciliary care workers to the trust. That is a drop in the ocean. It is already on record that our domiciliary care workers have been at the front line during the pandemic; they are still at the front line on a lot of occasions. They were sent without proper PPE to care for elderly people in their homes; they were asked to identify, during a visit, whether a person had a new cough or symptoms; and they have been carrying the can. We need an increased effort to recognise those people's worth and their value to families in our constituencies, and we need to support the service properly.”
“I cannot count the number of times that I have sat in people's kitchens or living rooms with distressed daughters, sons, nieces and nephews who are on the verge of tears or have already cried and who are trying to advocate for their loved one to get a care package that they need so that they can remain at home. <BR /> <BR />The first person who rang me on Friday evening, before 5.00 pm, was someone with whom I have been working since July because their granny has still not got the care package to which she is entitled, owing to a resource issue. That is an indication of the problem. <BR /> <BR />I wrote to the Health Minister, Robin Swann, in July last year about the matter, asking what actions he was taking to increase capacity in the mid-Ulster area.”
“I have also spoken to the interim divisional director of community care in the Northern Trust, Roy Hamill, and the chief executive, Jennifer Welsh, both of whom have engaged extensively with me and have been great at keeping in touch and updating me. However, the reality is that this is just one symptom of a massive problem in our healthcare system, which I have been raising with the Health Minister for some time. <BR /> <BR />Problems receiving healthcare are, above and beyond, the biggest issue that I face as a community representative. Constituents constantly raise them with me. In rural areas, community care packages are vital for people who have elderly loved ones at home who need care but also need to remain in their home.”
“The issue has affected 39 families across Maghera and Ballinascreen. On Friday evening at about 5.00 pm, I began to receive phone calls from distressed relatives in a state of panic. They had just had a call to say that their loved one's care package was to be withdrawn, with no explanation of when or whether it would resume. Basically, they were being told that they had to make alternative arrangements for the care of their mother, mother-in-law, sister, aunt or whomever. <BR /> <BR />I commend the work of the local social work team in Magherafelt. I have spoken extensively to the management there, and they are working around the clock to try to find a resolution.”
“I have written to the Health Minister about it, and I submitted a question for urgent oral answer yesterday, but, given the scale of the problem and its impact on my constituents, I wanted to raise it in the House as well.”
“My statement relates to the sudden withdrawal of care packages throughout the Northern Trust area, specifically in south Derry in the Mid Ulster constituency that I represent.”
“I thank the joint First Minister for her statement. The BIC was COVID-focused, which created opportunities for discussion about its impact and the recovery, and a good platform for sharing information. Given the scale of the challenges facing our health and social care services, including the crisis with waiting lists, the problems facing families when they try to access packages of domiciliary care and the ongoing fight against COVID-19, does the joint First Minister agree that those issues transcend party politics and that a health summit involving all Executive parties should now be called to agree an urgent and joint response?”
“We have already heard that this locum has worked, or is currently working, in the UK. Do we know whether the locum had previously been employed in any cross-border work or in any other trust in the North?”
“I thank the joint First Minister for her answer. Does the Minister agree that it is entirely inappropriate for an organisation that purports to represent illegal criminal gangs to attempt to subvert that work by issuing threats and warnings and by telling people from the Irish Government that they are not welcome in the North?”
“Does the junior Minister agree that the teachers' exception is out of sync with modern equality legislation? Will he reaffirm his commitment to deliver rights, equality and respect across all aspects of society?”
“The European Commission has called for cattle farmers in the North to be included in the Irish grass-fed beef protected geographical indication (PGI) application, a move that would help to ensure that Ireland is recognised as producing the most environmentally friendly and climate-friendly beef in the world. Minister, do you agree that that provides us with another important opportunity — obviously, we heard the good news today about Dale Farm, which the protocol has brought about — to mitigate the disastrous consequences of Brexit for our farmers, such as those included in the trade deal with Australia, which you obviously oppose?”
“Minister, thank you for your comprehensive answer. You have referred to the fact that the scheme deadline is 30 June. From engagement with groups, we know that a vast number of people who require an application to the scheme to secure their future here have not yet applied. Can you advise whether your Department will do anything to support people who have not been represented? If there are circumstances in which people will be able to make a late application, will your Department make representations on their behalf?”
“Gabhaim buíochas leis an Chomhalta as a freagra. I thank the Member for her answer. Does she agree that Parliament Buildings should be reflective of all the people who are represented in this institution and that there is currently a massive imbalance that should be addressed?”
“Is there a difference in the waiting averages across the North, and is there is an imbalance there? Obviously, Cookstown serves a wide area, but I am just concerned at the number of young people —”
“Go raibh maith agat. Thank you, Minister, for your answer. This is one of the issues that I have received most correspondence about since the beginning of the pandemic. As a representative of a rural area in Mid Ulster with a lot of young people, who have borne the brunt of the restrictions, there is a lot of frustration. They depend on having a driving test to get to work, to study and, obviously, for socialising. <BR /> <BR />You referred to increased capacity at Cookstown becoming available at the end of this month and to limited availability between now and the end of August. I had a parent contact me on 29 May whose son had passed his theory test that day and went on to book his driving test, and the next practical test that he could get was for October, which is obviously over four months of a waiting time.”
“I thank the Minister for her statement. I put on record my thanks to the local division office. We have a lot of issues in south Derry with road surfaces, and it is a massive bugbear for constituents. <BR /> <BR />It is concerning that the six contracts were allocated to a single company that reportedly did not have the necessary resources to undertake the work. Can the Minister provide clarity as to whether the Department knew that fact at the time of making the decision? Is your Department now taking the required steps to ensure that firms have the resources to do the job?”
“The reality of climate change means that every sector — indeed, every individual — in this country will have to change certain habits and practices. However, if we base those changes on just-transition principles, we can ensure that nobody is left behind and that we all benefit from the opportunities that a carbon-neutral society can deliver. <BR /> <BR />I am very pleased and relieved to see the change in the Minister's attitude over the past number of months towards the need for climate action, and I trust that he will now begin to put action to his comments and work with industries and other parties to ensure that our farmers are supported in making environmental improvements while protecting their livelihoods and the generations of tradition. We will support the motion but not the amendment.”
“There are important lessons that we, as Members of the legislative Assembly, must learn from the pandemic, such as the dangers of our over-reliance on imports. Without our primary producers — our agriculture industry — we will not be in a position to just turn the tap back on if needed. If we ever experience another global crisis, of whatever description, proper, long-term, targeted support for our farmers is needed to help them meet climate change targets. <BR /> <BR />Whilst the aim of the agriculture industry should be to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions, agriculture should not be scaled back to lower greenhouse emissions, as this would lead to imports of food from other countries where farming systems have higher carbon footprints. We need to be careful that we do not inhibit production and offload the problem somewhere else.”
“That is an important point to make for a multitude of reasons, not least that we produce food for almost 10 million people and we have a tremendous place, on the island of Ireland, for doing so. <BR /> <BR />During the COVID-19 pandemic, we all witnessed the vulnerability of the short, just-in-time supply chain and the absolute importance of having our local producers. This is particularly true of the primary producers, who are essential for the production for local markets. Oftentimes, they farm with a low intensity, with small numbers of livestock over a lot of land and, therefore, big opportunities for carbon sequestration. People saw during the pandemic that high-quality food continued to be on their table, and the health benefits of eating locally produced meat and vegetables cannot be overstated.”
“As such, the reintroduction of the areas of natural constraint (ANC) payment would go a long way to make small-scale sustainable farming a viable and realistic option for local people, who cannot make a livelihood without government support, forcing them to look at less climate-friendly methods. <BR /> <BR />When you walk through the Sperrins, as I have done, you see the natural ecosystem aided and enhanced by the presence of livestock. The sheep and cattle that graze our mountains in small numbers make up a part, not just of our human food chain, but of the precariously balanced wildlife contributing to the growth of heather and other foliage that other, smaller animals rely on. Agriculture might be a small part of the problem in contributing to greenhouse gas emissions, but it is also a part of the solution.”
“It is somewhat ironic that farmers are tasked with responsibility when it comes to tackling the climate emergency, given that their livelihoods are probably the most affected by weather and that they are at the mercy of it. I say that as somebody who grew up watching the forecast religiously every evening when there was silage to be cut or hay to be saved, hoping for a spell of dry weather. <BR /> <BR />It is no surprise that, as a representative of Mid Ulster, 30% of which is considered to be severely disadvantaged, I have a particular interest in the naturally climate-friendly farming that we see in mountain areas. I wish to see the people that are engaged in hill farming supported in doing so.”
“I rise in support of the motion as written and, at the outset, I declare an interest as one who was raised in a farming family in the Sperrins. My background, growing up in a rural community, gives me a keen understanding of the challenges that face farmers, as well as the vital role that they play in society. I understand the economic value that our farmers bring, not just as local producers but as a driver for other industry, such as contractors, machinery dealers, vets and pharmaceutical agents. <BR /> <BR />Our farmers are the custodians of the countryside and, as such, whilst working the land to make a living, they are also in the front line in the fight against climate change.”
“As the Minister and others have outlined, all parties agree that the exemption to the fair employment legislation needs to be removed so that teachers can receive the protections that other workers receive. As an MLA, I engage with teachers from across Mid Ulster who all work hard and have done so particularly over the past year. Will the Minister say whether he is aware of any outside objection to the repeal?”
“We do not need to be told about how lasting impact its on communities is or the damage that it does to confidence in policing and government in general. We know that racism, like all forms of discrimination, is hugely damaging, not just for those who feel the very explicit brutality, such as that witnessed on the streets of Minneapolis last year, but in the subsequent prejudice and bigotry that are allowed to go unchallenged. When a community such as the black American population receives systemic abuse that goes unchallenged and is justified, it has lasting impacts on us all.”
“The PSNI should look at its training programme for officers to ensure that those mistakes are not repeated and that the ethnic minorities who have made their home in the North of Ireland are treated with the respect and dignity that they deserve. <BR /> <BR />In many regards, 2020 was a terrible year for us all, but the pandemic brought a sense of community to many of us. I sometimes felt that the challenges of COVID gave us all a spirit of goodwill and forgiveness towards each other, and people were looking out for everyone in their community. In that context, to see someone murdered in the street by the organisation that was supposed to protect him was all the more shocking. Obviously, it harked back to a darker time in our international memory. <BR /> <BR />We in Ireland do not need to be told how damaging police brutality is.”
“I thank the Member for bringing the Matter of the Day. Sinn Féin welcomes the recommendation by the PPS not to prosecute Black Lives Matter protesters for their attendance at anti-racism protests last year. The PPS rightfully recognised that the protests were organised in a manner to minimise risk of transmitting the virus at the time. The protests related to matters of increasingly important social concern. <BR /> <BR />The Police Ombudsman found that the PSNI's response to the protesters was "disproportionate". The Chief Constable has apologised, and the PPS has recognised that the prosecution should be dropped. The protesters have been unfairly treated, and the fines that they paid should be reimbursed. This case provides us with an opportunity to look at how the PSNI deals with human rights matters.”
“It would also mean that people would have the option of a walking route that they already use, but without the apprehension and anxiety that it currently produces.”
“Thank you, Minister. I understand all the issues that you have outlined about funding and the ramifications of extending the network. I also know that you referred to my request for it to be looked at on a case-by-case basis. However, particularly with the Straw to Draperstown example — I literally cannot count the number of requests that I have had about that — you could compare that stretch of road with a stretch of road at the top of the town that has lighting and does not have any more entrances coming off it. <BR /> <BR />Will you commit to a site visit, to come out and look at it? It would not mean increased urbanisation. I know what you said about increased costs, but you are literally talking about three street lights, I would say, for you to fulfil your requirement to improve safety.”
“I would like to see some adaptation to it that means that issues would be looked at on a case-by-case basis. Whilst we have to bear in mind light pollution and acknowledge and preserve the rural aspect of a particular place, as regards the places that I have listed, particularly the likes of between Straw and Draperstown, locals in Ballinascreen do not see that area as rural compared with the rural road that I live on. It is an extension of the town, and people regard it and use it as such. That lighting would not be a barrier for people; they would welcome it. We could adapt it, look at it on a more sensible, case-by-case basis and look at the number of people who use the road daily to see whether safety could be enhanced if there were lighting. That is all from me.”
“Councillor Donal McPeake and I have had Martin Curran out in Ballymaguigan to the stretch of the Shore Road from St Trea's Primary School up to the houses, where there is no street lighting. Again, it is a break, and it means that there is a barrier to safety for people who want to use the facility. Having worked with departmental officials, I know that they are doing their best. The last time we had a debate in the Chamber about road safety in Mid Ulster — I am sure that this could apply across the North — we found that those issues are being brought to us time and time again because they affect people's everyday lives. It is a source of massive frustration, but I know that the officials we work with are doing the best that they can. It is the policy that needs to change. <BR /> <BR />Obviously, that policy has been in place since 2012.”
“Basically, there is a great circle in Maghera that, this year during lockdown, people used every day. There is just one small section of the road that has no street lighting. That is the break in the chain. People come down the Station Road and out on to the Crew Road, but they cannot use that section in the evening time for most of the year because there is no street lighting.”
“It would provide people with an outside amenity that currently cannot be used because of the lack of street lighting and the safety issue that that presents. <BR /> <BR />Another example is provided by the Ballyneill Road in The Loup, where the football club is located. It is a walking route for people from the village, the houses and, basically, the centre of The Loup out to football club, but they cannot use it for most of the year because there is no street lighting, and it is not safe. You have cars flying past, and, if people want to walk their children to training and to dander back, they cannot do that for a big portion of the year. <BR /> <BR />We have the Crew Road in Maghera. My colleague councillor Brian McGuigan has worked hard to get that road designated as a Highway to Health route.”
“It is a very small patch of road that is not lit up, but there is a safety issue. <BR /> <BR />Other examples include the Magherafelt Road, as it is called, which is the road coming out of Castledawson and heading towards the Castledawson roundabout. Again, I have been working with local officials about it. There is a dedicated walking and cycle track, which is brilliant and which has been recently resurfaced. There are bollards along the middle of the path, and people collide with those bollards, because there is no lighting whatsoever. It does not meet the criteria, but it would be a link route, and it would allow people who are coming from Castledawson to go in over the roundabout and into Magherafelt.”
“Our football club is located in Straw, which is about a mile or less from the town. There is a good enough population in the town of Draperstown, and the route is a link to there. It is a walking and cycling route for people. We have a great new walking route around two of the pitches in the club, and people use that walking route all year round. As we live in Ireland, darkness falls at 5.00 pm or 6.00 pm for half the year, and, therefore, the route is not fit for purpose in the evening for most of the year. I use that walking route. During COVID, people relied on getting out and about for their mental health, and, obviously, we know the benefit of physical health for our own mental well-being. You meet people coming with wee headlamps on, because that is the safest way to get about. I have had countless requests for street lighting.”
“However, the current policy is not fit for purpose and is not best serving the rural populations that we represent. The criteria to get street lighting in a rural area is difficult, as you need 10 properties which all have an independent entrance onto the road within 200 metres. I have a lot of examples, and I have written to the Minister about the criteria and the policy. I have also been working locally with Martin Curran from our local division, who has been at various site meetings with me, and I think that he is exasperated an awful lot of the time. <BR /> <BR />One example that I have raised on countless occasions is the patch of road between Straw and Draperstown. It is almost in my own back garden, as it is very local to me. It is a walking route for the population of Ballinascreen.”
“I put on record my appreciation to the Minister for being here and my apologies for taking so long to get here. I thank the Speaker for allowing the debate on this matter. <BR /> <BR />I have often said that, as a rural representative, issues of connectivity are the things that are brought to us most often by constituents. The issues that our constituents face in trying to access things such as health, roads, broader infrastructure and telecommunications services are brought to us incredibly often, and those are what matter most to the people that we represent. <BR /> <BR />Street lighting is one of the issues that I have brought to the Minister on many occasions, and we work a lot with the local DFI officials, who are brilliant.”
“I thank the Minister for her clear commitment to Irish language legislation. Does she agree that it needs to be implemented before the end of the mandate?”
“The Minister did not give a clear answer to Mrs Barton, who asked whether the Dublin Government will still part-fund the A5 scheme and noted how important that scheme is for the entire region west of the Bann. That region has lacked investment for decades. We can see how much frustration this final obstruction has caused residents in the north-west. Do you have a time frame of when we can expect it to be delivered?”
“Minister, you will remember that, in November 2020, I asked if your Department kept a record of the number of people who sadly passed away whilst on the waiting list for a domiciliary care package. I am thinking particularly of the emotional stress that that causes for families, particularly when loved ones have a family member who is in a palliative care situation or is unwell, and they are going into the house with a responsibility as opposed to spending precious time with the member of their family. In November, you committed to looking at that. Do you have an update on that?”
“Members around the Chamber have just talked about the victims of the Ballymurphy massacre and the long fight for the truth. We, in the North of Ireland, know what colonialism does to people and what human rights abuses do to communities, but you do not have to know that to know right from wrong. We all must stand against the war crimes of the Israeli state.”