Kieran McCarthy
Strangford · Alliance Party · Northern Ireland
“I am pleased to support the Final Stage and to pass on my thanks and congratulations to all those involved in getting us to where we are this evening. It is simple and straightforward legislation, but it offers those in social work additional recognition of their professional standards, and gives greater reassurance to the public.”
“Specialist training and raising public awareness will be essential. There is a much wider issue of ensuring that the Bill itself will be properly resourced. That is perhaps an issue for another day, and, at this stage, our priority must be to get the legislation onto the statute book.”
“It will also cover people who are vulnerable, as well as those, including people in the criminal justice system, who lack capacity. <BR /> <BR />The new legislation will require that, if a person has capacity, they can then make their own decision about their treatment and that all possible support in making that decision will be provided…”
“That includes our Committee staff, our Assembly Research and Information Service and everyone who contributed to making our Health Committee positive and getting us to where we are this evening.”
“<BR /> <BR />I also thank Alastair Ross for his work in steering the Ad Hoc Committee, which I must say was very heavy work for some of us, but we got through it. I thank Alastair for being there to direct and guide us. Of course, he has already paid tribute to the Clerks who serviced our Committee.”
“We thank Professor McClelland for his dedication and hard work in carrying on where Professor Bamford unfortunately left off. <BR /> <BR />I pay tribute to everyone — as has already been said in the Chamber, there were many — who worked hard and together to see this improvement for everyone with a mental health condition or a learning dis…”
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“As a member of the Health Committee, I fully support the comments made by the Chair and other members who have spoken on this very important issue. Again, however, I express disappointment — indeed, it is shameful — that no Health Minister is present in the Chamber to listen and, more importantly, take action on what is a very important topic. We should be really committed to the pathways outlined in the 'Transforming Your Care' document and backed up by the review commissioned by the Department and delivered by Sir Liam Donaldson. <BR /> <BR />Our health service is experiencing extreme difficulties, as the permanent secretary reported at the Health Committee last week. Some people say that we are in a crisis; I suggest that the health service, at this time, is in a total and absolute shambles, given the ever-increasing waiting lists.”
“I am grateful to the Member for giving way. Does he agree with me that we are now faced with added pressures in that a new contract is being talked about for our junior doctors, and they are most unhappy about its direction of travel?”
“Can the Minister give the Assembly a categorical assurance that there will be continuity of business and that no one will be affected by the move? Farmers, as we all know, are going through a dire situation at the minute, and they should not be affected by this move to Ballykelly.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. The Autism Act 2011 was very important but, at that time, the Department was against it. Do you agree that this would be an opportune time for the Department to do something about the speeches that were made today to prove that it is now on board with the Autism Act once and for all?”
“I commend the many autism groups set up across Northern Ireland to help local people find the way forward. Let the officials in all Departments and the Assembly get to work immediately to implement, at the earliest possible date, the contents of the 2011 Act for the betterment of everyone with autism and their families.”
“It is my understanding that, while schools, their principals and teachers, are totally committed to giving the best service to all children who have autism, they continue to be restricted because of the lack of funding and classroom support. That really must be tackled and answers provided as soon as possible. <BR /> <BR />I am again disgusted that no Health Minister has presented themselves in the Chamber today to hear the heartfelt appeals by all Assembly Members. It is exactly the same as it was last week on the disgusting waiting lists and yesterday on cancer treatment for so many sick people who continue to live in pain and agony. The Assembly, through its Health Minister, shirks its duty and leaves people to their suffering. The Autism Act (Northern Ireland) 2011 was hard-won by the efforts of so many people.”
“The one thing that really annoys me as an Assembly Member is that, when I listen to the cries for help from so many families when they are told that their child — in some cases more than one child — has autism, I am not in a position to give definitive answers as to what happens next. The Autism Act (Northern Ireland) 2011 should be the catalyst for directions to parents and guardians who need help and assistance at a very important time in the life of that child. <BR /> <BR />The autism strategy and action plan was introduced to the Assembly on 14 January 2014, and contained in that document were many positive ideas and pathways aimed at better awareness of the way forward for the child and its parents. I am not so sure, some 18 months later, that parents know where to go for help and assistance.”
“This anomaly applies to the Health Department and the Education Department and, indeed, other Departments and everyone in positions of authority. They must listen to the deliberations from the Assembly today and to the Members who have spoken and will speak, and they must pull out all the stops to ensure the delivery of a much-improved service.”
“It is most unfortunate but a sad reality of the situation with autism that the number of children with the condition continues to increase and that parents and guardians continue to be exasperated because of the long delay in getting a diagnosis and putting in place remedies to get the best possible result and outcomes for all concerned.”
“Where are the six steps to autism? Where is the autism awareness campaign? Where is the necessary extra funding for autism? What is happening to the ever-increasing waiting lists? Those are all questions that the Department needs to answer, and answer rather quickly, remembering that the Autism Act came into being way back in 2011.”
“I wholeheartedly congratulate the officers and volunteers from Autism NI, our all-party group on autism, led by its chair, Dominic Bradley, and others for their perseverance and success, despite opposition at the highest level right here in the Northern Ireland Assembly and in the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety. <BR /> <BR />The whole idea of the legislation was to ensure that people with autism had access to equality in the same way as everyone else in Northern Ireland. Unfortunately, to date, to the eternal shame of the Department of Education alongside the Department of Health, many aspects of the Autism Act have fallen far short of expectations. <BR /> <BR />It would appear that the Act has been breached in a number of areas, at which I have to express my total and absolute disgust. I have questions to ask.”
“I welcome the opportunity this afternoon to support the motion on the problems associated with autism and, indeed, to express my deep disappointment that, following the Autism Act (Northern Ireland) 2011, very little progress has been made. <BR /> <BR />I declare to the Assembly that I have been a long-standing member of the all-party group on autism and have a fair knowledge of the problems experienced by people with autism and their families. It has been a long and arduous campaign, which really started as far back as 2001 — some 14 years ago.”
“— the opportunities to spend it are, effectively, diminishing the longer that time goes on. I appeal to the Health Minister to get back to his work, sort out the problem and do what he is supposed to do, which is to look after the patients of Northern Ireland.”
“<BR /> <BR />While the present problems in the health service predate the welfare reform impasse, the current political deadlock is undermining the ability of the Executive to invest money in sorting out problems, even on a short-term basis. It is unfortunate that money is being handed back in welfare penalties that could be directed into the health service. There has not been any monitoring round recently; there was a request from the Department for £98 million from the June monitoring round, but not one penny has been redistributed, and we continue to have waiting lists and patients waiting for treatment. <BR /> <BR />Even if the money is found —”
“The Alliance Party fully accepts that there have been, and continue to be, many structural problems in the health service. With rising demands for services and pressure on public expenditure, the status quo is simply not sustainable. The Department and a succession of Ministers were supposed to be sorting all this out. <BR /> <BR />It is a sad reflection on that same Department that it could not even give a simple answer to a recent request from the Health Committee for an update on the implementation of the 99 recommendations contained in the Transforming Your Care document. We do not know what progress, if any, is being made on Transforming Your Care. There has been a succession of reports. Indeed, at one stage, I said that there were reports and reviews coming out of our ears. Yet, we continue to have the ongoing problems.”
“As has been said, cancer is a huge scourge on our society. All of us will have family members and friends who have suffered immensely or who have, indeed, passed away because of this terrible disease. As people live longer for many reasons, the risk and prevalence of cancer will become even greater. It is worth stressing that many cancers, if caught early enough, can be successfully managed or even eliminated. The deterioration in waiting times in general and specifically for cancer, really matters. It is something that has a very real impact on the quality of life, the well-being and the life chances of so many of our people. <BR /> <BR />The problems regarding cancer services are only one example of the crisis around waiting lists and the wider problems afflicting our health service.”
“Perhaps that is what is wrong here in Northern Ireland: no one accepts responsibility. The Minister leaves his post, the NHS continues to go down the tubes and no one is held accountable. What a shame.”
“It is no wonder that experienced voices from across the water have stated that, if there were such long waiting times in England, heads would roll.”
“It is such a pity that patients suffering from breast cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer, pancreatic cancer, ovarian cancer, oesophagus cancer and so on are being denied treatment at an early date. Despite not being able to provide the early treatment that is required, the Health and Social Care Board tells us over and over again that early detection is a priority. <BR /> <BR />Headlines such as the ones that we saw in the press last week are absolutely staggering and unacceptable, but still our Health Minister stays away from the Assembly and, more importantly, his desk, where important, if not vital, decisions should be taken. <BR /> <BR />Last week, the Assembly discussed excessive waiting lists in general. This week, we are discussing excessive waiting lists for our cancer patients.”
“The Alliance Party fully supports the motion today and thanks its mover for bringing it to the Assembly. It really is disgusting that it has come to this. Many of our constituents are really at their wits' end because they have been diagnosed with cancer and are being denied early treatment. The Assembly, however, has in its power the ability to prevent all that suffering. I appeal to the absentee Health Minister to listen to the voice of the people and that of the Assembly and to get back to work and stop playing games with people's lives. <BR /> <BR />It is recognised that Northern Ireland is leading the way in cancer research and so on. We have the best brains and consultants, and real progress is being made.”
“I appeal to the Minister to listen to what is said in the Assembly today and to get back to serving the constituents.”
“<BR /> <BR />I should also comment on those who tabled the motion and ask them to reflect on their contribution to the current problem in the health service. The financial difficulties in the health service predate the current impasse on welfare reform and the wider budgetary crisis.”
“<BR /> <BR />The message to the DUP and the Minister is loud and clear: end the hokey-cokey nightmare being waged against the population. Act responsibly and give leadership to the Department, and let the people see that the Assembly can work for the benefit of everyone. I ask the Health Minister, as did his constituent who made the appeal to his good nature, to please, please help that lady and the hundreds on the waiting lists. There is no more room for excuses. Drop the boycott of your Department, and prove that you are worth the office of Health Minister. Our Committee is going through the Mental Capacity Bill. It needs ministerial engagement: are you prepared to let that Bill slip through the net?”
“How can Mr Hamilton look people in the eye and say that he is working to provide them with a modern health service? It is simply not true, and the sooner Mr Hamilton and his party acknowledge the pain being suffered by our population and the expectations of the public, the sooner our health service can be improved. <BR /> <BR />Transforming Your Care is the journey that we are on, but, so far, not enough progress has been made and, certainly, funding has not followed the changes that need to be made. Only last week I chaired a conference dealing with Transforming Your Care, as indeed did the chair of the Health Committee. Speaker after speaker — pharmacists, Age NI, GPs and nurses — expressed the desire to get moving but said they were being hampered by the insufficient support coming from the top. That is you, Minister Hamilton.”
“Our community is crying out for help, and all you do is sulk in the corner. It is ridiculous and a total and absolute disgrace. What action have you taken as a result of the motion on waiting lists that was debated in the Chamber last week? Today's motion pleads with the Minister to get to grips with these excessive waiting times, workforce planning, the pay review and many other issues. What about Transforming Your Care and the Donaldson report and, indeed, the cry from everyone involved in the health service? <BR /> <BR />I am a member of the Health Committee, which was told that the Minister's officials had bid for £98 million from the June monitoring round to enable them to provide a better service. Not one pound of that money has been allocated as a result of the June monitoring round.”
“In this time of health crisis, it is shocking and shameful that the DUP chose to play games with the Assembly and to totally disregard the pain and suffering of so many patients across Northern Ireland. That includes the lack of mental health facilities for so many of our people. <BR /> <BR />Along with Simon Hamilton, I received an email from a constituent last week that was headed, "Appeal to your good nature". She asked for our help to get rid of the agony in her back, which had endured since the summer of 2012. She needs an operation and now an MRI scan, but she has been told to wait for yet another 38 weeks. I say, for God's sake, Mr Hamilton and the DUP, get back to your desks and help this lady and thousands like her. That is what you are being paid for. Have you no shame at all?”
“The motion gives me the opportunity to express my heartfelt anger and disgust at how the DUP has turned its back on so many of our constituents who continue to languish on long waiting lists and suffer pain and agony. This is a real bread-and-butter issue, because many of our constituents depend on the health service to provide them with the necessary medicines, scans and operations etc to ensure they get well again and to relieve them of aches and pains at the earliest possible moment. I pay tribute to all our hospitals, surgeries, medical staff and ambulance staff etc for the fantastic work that they do despite the shortage of funding that continues to hamper their work.”
“We cannot sit idly by and see local farmers go out of business. Experience has shown that the slowness of Brussels to react previously put many of our farm businesses in jeopardy. That must not be allowed to happen again. Introduce intervention prices now and save our entire farming industry. <BR /> <BR />I encourage our Minister to keep up the pressure to see a better future for our industry. The Alliance Party is happy to support the amendment this afternoon.”
“The biggest disappointment for everyone is, I think, the refusal of Commissioner Hogan to increase the intervention prices. Despite the Minister's best endeavours, the commissioner still does not accept the rationale for that request. Everyone on these islands has shown by their submissions and their protest campaigns up and down the country, and through the support from all elected representatives, the farmers and, hopefully, today, the unanimous agreement of all in the Assembly, that, despite our other differences, there is a willingness, when it comes to the livelihood of so many of our constituents, to stand shoulder to shoulder and, once again, make the plea to Brussels bureaucracy: our agriculture industry is on its knees; you have the means to help it survive and prosper.”
“At that meeting of the Assembly last week, I commended the Minister for her work on trying to get solutions to the serious gaps that exist throughout the entire agriculture industry. The latest support from Brussels was some €500 million. That funding was described as a robust and decisive response to meet cash flow difficulties, stabilise markets and address the functioning of the supply chain. The funding is welcome, but, when broken down and divided throughout the member states, large gaps will remain, and the misery will continue, unfortunately.”
“<BR /> <BR />The motion asks the Minister to get farmers paid in early December, to lobby Commissioner Hogan to raise the dairy intervention prices and to create a wider strategy to tackle the challenges facing the industry at this time. The Minister came to the House only last week and gave us a lengthy statement as to the things that she and her Department are doing and continue to do.”
“<BR /> <BR />We are all aware of the extreme difficulties faced by our dairy farmers in recent times. Those of us on the ARD Committee heard from many of those in the dairy industry on the real hardships now being experienced by so many. It is our wish that solutions can be found as soon as possible. I am delighted to see our Agriculture Minister present today in the Assembly to hear the debate. I am sure that Minister O'Neill is as anxious as everyone else to see improvements without delay to get not only the dairy farmer back into a profitable position but everyone engaged in farming and food throughout Northern Ireland, regardless of which sector the farmer is working in.”
“I welcome the opportunity to speak this afternoon on behalf of the Alliance Party and to support the very important motion before us today. For Northern Ireland, our agriculture industry is vital for many reasons. It is the lifeblood of our rural communities, employing thousands of people who, in the main, have to work in very trying circumstances all hours of the day and night. At the moment, they are very poorly rewarded. The produce of the Northern Irish farmer is world-class simply because those working on the farms are dedicated to the work that they are involved in and want to produce only the best. It is unfortunate that, all too often, the work of the farmer is taken for granted and very little appreciation is given to the time and effort put into ensuring that our reputation for first-class food production is maintained.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Assembly has a bounden duty to everyone in Northern Ireland to provide good health provision. I say to everyone, outside or inside the Assembly: let us get on with it.”
“<BR /> <BR />I have to congratulate assistant librarian Kristine Gillespie for her excellent information pack, which gives us all the information regarding the crisis in waiting times. The first few pages of that document contain news releases from the Health Department on waiting list statistics. The figures are very depressing indeed. Our Committee has expressed real concerns at the number of missed hospital appointments both by hospitals and by patients who simply fail to turn up for their appointments. The Department revealed that, in 2014-15, a total of 168,555 appointments were cancelled by hospitals in the five trusts, and a total of 147,536 patients failed to turn up, costing the health service £16 million. Those are staggering figures. Something has to be done to get on top of this totally unnecessary waste of time and money.”
“A few years back, we were presented with a document, 'Transforming Your Care'; our colleague Fearghal McKinney mentioned it. It was a plan for major improvements right across the health service. Why oh why has this not been delivered? The reality is that our constituents continue to experience very lengthy waiting times, even to get a first outpatient appointment. This is and must be totally unacceptable. Our Health Minister — probably the permanent secretary now — the board and the trusts simply have got to come up with something to implement those five recommendations from our Committee report. That would be a start. Look at the other regions that have introduced new measures that would ensure better waiting times for everyone in Northern Ireland.”
“<BR /> <BR />Our report was debated in the Chamber on 3 November 2014, with the Minister present, and it was unanimously agreed that the Minister should prioritise and tackle the issue. I have to say how disappointed I am that, despite all our efforts, the number of our constituents waiting for operations etc continues to rise. That means that such patients continue to live in pain and suffering, simply because our system falls far short of what is expected. As the Assembly mandate runs out at the end of March next year, or perhaps earlier, it is also a disgrace that those at the head of running the Assembly are already engaged in electioneering and point-scoring whilst our constituents continue to suffer. I say to those leaders, "Wise up. Accept your responsibilities and work for everyone in this community now".”
“<BR /> <BR />I am a member of the Health Committee, which, as the Chairman indicated, carried out a comprehensive review of waiting times to assess the effectiveness of the Department's approach to reducing waiting times, to see how other regions have successfully reduced their waiting times, and how that could be applied locally. The Committee heard from a number of important people from various places and produced five recommendations that we considered essential for our health service to implement to get on top of the problem of excessive waiting times for all our patients. A referral-to-treatment time target was one important recommendation, which our Chairperson mentioned.”
“On behalf of the Alliance Party, I support the motion and the amendment. At the outset, I have to say that the waiting time figures are a total and absolute disgrace and unacceptable, given that our Health Department preaches prevention and early detection. Yet, when patients adhere to these directions, they are subjected to inordinate delays in getting an early appointment with a consultant. This is surely shameful and must be put right immediately by our Heath Department. It is also shameful, as others have said, that Simon Hamilton, the former Health Minister, has thrown in the towel and left this very important Ministry, which will undoubtedly mean that more people will continue to suffer. I am disappointed that Simon Hamilton has given way to the pressures — the shenanigans — that have gone on in other places.”
“I am very grateful to the Member for giving way. As a member of the Health Committee, he will know that some time ago we were informed that a bid for £89 million had been put in to the Executive in the June monitoring round in order to overcome those problems. That June monitoring round has not even been spoken about and £89 million has not gone towards the health service, so, therefore, we are going further into the red as far as treatment is concerned.”
“I am grateful to the Member for giving way. Given the figures that you have just spoken about, has the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister given any reason why that deficit remains?”
“<BR /> <BR />In conclusion, I fully support the motion and call on the Minister to review the indicators used as soon as possible as we move into an uncertain and concerning 2016. Indeed, issues such as this should serve as a reminder of how essential the work of the Assembly is and why the Executive are so vital to the people of Northern Ireland. It is a real pity and shame that the Chamber is not full of Members, including the Minister, to discuss and debate fully the important issues in the motion. However, the Alliance Party is content to support it.”
“<BR /> <BR />Moreover, I would like to see an improvement in the indicators through the recognition of opportunity deprivation, which could be highly eye-opening, given that it could be argued that application of the current index does not accurately represent our rural communities and thus is leading to a vicious circle of poverty and migration from these areas. Access to public services, education and, therefore, the opportunity to improve oneself is vital. A 1000-mile journey begins with one step, and the current indicators should not be seen as failures in the struggle against poverty and deprivation. Rather, they should be seen as positive steps towards recognising a complex issue in our drive to realise our objective of defeating poverty and deprivation in rural areas.”
“Statistics show us that, in rural areas throughout Northern Ireland, food and fuel poverty rates are higher and access to employment and housing significantly more difficult than in urban areas. Despite that, rural areas are not ranked higher in the index table, even though affluent rural areas have been shown to contain those living in poverty or deprivation. Those individuals and their families are being overlooked when it comes to support from the Assembly because of the nature of the indicators as they stand, and it is one of the reasons why my party colleagues and I have called for their urgent review.”
“The 2010 report published by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) presented key indicators that it felt could best be used by Departments to tackle deprivation in Northern Ireland. However, tackling deprivation is complex, given the many interrelated forms that it can take, and the 2010 report attempted to recognise that through the seven general indicator areas that it chose. However, a key and recurring word throughout the 2010 report was "relative" — that is to say that it should not be taken as absolute and applicable to every context. <BR /> <BR />That brings us to the debate today on the challenges that rural areas are facing in tackling poverty and deprivation.”
“I welcome the opportunity to participate in the debate and fully support the motion to review the multiple deprivation indicators. However, it is worthwhile pointing out that, although I support the urgent review of the indicators, they have served a purpose over the past five years. <BR /> <BR />The 'Northern Ireland Multiple Deprivation Measure', as was mentioned by other Members, was published in May 2010 and replaced the 2005 report. Five years have passed, and the context that the people of Northern Ireland face is dramatically different from before. Accordingly, from the outset, it is clear that the indicators must be reviewed to update their effectiveness for the purpose that they were created for, namely, challenging poverty and deprivation right across Northern Ireland.”
“I also thank the Minister for her detailed statement. There is no doubt that she is fully committed to seeing our farmers fully rewarded for the work that they do. <BR /> <BR />I am concerned, however, that her statement says that unless "immediate" action is taken a number of our farmers will go out of business. That is the last thing we want to see. What is the difference between the €500 million package that has been on offer and the prospects of intervention if the commissioner was to go down that road? What is the difference between that €500m million and the intervention prices that we have been asking for so that the farming and agriculture industry is progressive and remains stable?”
“I thank the Minister for his response, and I totally agree. Will he agree with me that the refusal of those to sign up to or to agree to what they did agree to at Stormont House will affect the most vulnerable? We hear so much about the most vulnerable in our society, and those will be the people most directly affected. If things go as we do not want them to, does he agree that we will all end up being worse off and on the receiving end of the new Tory Government's wrath by them making sure that we accept welfare reform?”
“<BR /> <BR />The Chair has outlined some of the work that the Committee is now undertaking on innovation, and I have absolutely no doubt that, at the end of that process, much like the 'Inquiry into Victims and Witnesses of Crime', we will see the Committee help to shape some of the ideas. I am sure that the Minister will introduce more Bills to the Assembly and Committee. Certainly, we want to be part of the process of informing and ensuring that, whatever legislation goes through the Assembly from the justice end, we will be there to advise and support the Minister along the way. Those are my concluding remarks.”
“They informed us well on improvements that could be made to make the processes better for anyone who came into contact with the system. <BR /> <BR />The Bill, which was called "Faster, fairer justice" — it was called by a number of names — has to be effective and to underwrite the principle of ensuring access to justice. I think it does that. During its passage, the idea of the interests of justice predominated. We found a good balance for that in early guilty pleas and the role of the solicitor, and in PEs, PIs and mixed committals we created the proper balance. The Chair referred to how other people contributed to the debate around public protection. All in all, we have a very rounded Bill.”