Cara Hunter
East Londonderry · Social Democratic and Labour Party · Northern Ireland
“<BR /> <BR />At Committee, we heard such compelling evidence from young people about why girls should have the choice of wearing trousers in school. Outside of the young people themselves, the conversations that we had with Menstruation Matters, particularly on the dignity piece about young girls and periods, really resonated with me.”
“I am happy to be here. Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I fear that I will repeat a number of points that have been made this evening. As a relatively young woman — I am 30 now — I am absolutely baffled that we have to debate this issue. It is truly astonishing. If I did not have notes in front of me, I would have no words to say.”
“That is why it is so important to echo today that, despite the simplicity of this change, it will be so meaningful in protecting young girls and their dignity in a number of ways. We also often hear directly from young women that they simply want to be comfortable.”
“I thank the Member for his intervention. Ultimately, the Department of Education and the Minister will tell our young people, "Aspire to be the best that you can be. Get out into the world. You can do and be anything — but you cannot wear trousers". That is lunacy. It is lunacy and hypocrisy of the highest order.”
“<BR /> <BR />I find it extraordinary and depressing that this did not pass previously and that we have had to regroup. As the Chair of the Education Committee rightly said, this could be done at the stroke of a pen. It is nonsensical that we have to do it this way.”
“I thank the Member for his point, but, respectfully, I am not here to talk about other jurisdictions; I am here to talk about the rights of my constituents in East Derry and people right across the North.”
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“For too long, our children from the most deprived economic backgrounds have been failed by our education system. The reality of the divide between grammar schools and secondary schools means that those with the ability to give their children private tuition tend to do so. We already know from research at home and internationally that those at the lowest end of the socio-economic divide begin to lag behind their more affluent peers at an early age and that the gap in attainment only widens as their education progresses. <BR /> <BR />The RAISE programme proposes an intervention model to help lift those at risk of underachievement, and it is a most welcome scheme. I understand that the expert panel that drafted the proposal did so in good faith and sought to tackle the problem in this jurisdiction.”
“I cannot reiterate enough how serious this is. There have been four attacks in a short time. On the topic of prevention, in the immediate aftermath, Minister, what assurances can you give right now to women like me who live in the north-west so that we feel safe? What will that look like? Is it self-defence classes? Is it the provision of things like pepper spray? Is it providing public messaging or personal alarms? What can we do in the immediate aftermath so that women feel safe this week, right now?”
“Recently, at an all-party group (APG), women's groups voiced that they were saddened that they had not had the chance to meet you yet. I understand that, as a Minister, your diary is tight for time. Will you consider publishing the criteria by which you decide whether to accept a meeting?”
“The presence of the algae devastated businesses in my constituency to the point of closure. They are yet to receive any compensation. What enforcement action, if any, has been taken against the Departments and agencies responsible for the pollutants?”
“I urge the Agriculture Minister to urgently take this plea seriously and ensure that his Department provides the money that is necessary to protect animals in all our communities.”
“<BR /> <BR />We are blessed and lucky to have charities in my constituency and people like Mel from the Dog Leap Animal Charity in Limavady, Tara from Causeway Coast Dog Rescue, and the entire team at Rainbow Rehoming in Eglinton. They perform the work that the state utterly fails to provide. It is desperate to see the predicament that they are in. It is deeply unfair. They are under significant pressure, and it brings them significant personal stress. <BR /> <BR />We must recognise that the entire system is broken. Dog wardens are unable to reasonably manage the plight of animal welfare and charities are under significant pressure and operating beyond capacity while animal abusers walk free. It cannot continue.”
“I have called before for the establishment of an animal welfare commissioner, and I reiterate that call today. Until such a position is made a reality, I call for immediate intervention from the Agriculture Minister to ensure that all animal charities are given the resources that they so desperately need to perform neutering on the required scale. Pet owners have seen nothing but escalating costs. The cost of cat neutering has jumped from around £50 just a few years ago to around £100 today. Working people just cannot afford that. A pain relief injection for dogs costs £135. Dog neutering prices are now three times what they were around five years ago. It is crazy.”
“Naturally, that is distressing for many people across all our communities who value animals.”
“Sadly, they are overlooked and undervalued, and, crucially, they remain underfunded. <BR /> <BR />Today, I draw the Chamber's attention to the specific problem of dog neutering. Northern Ireland lacks a dog neutering strategy or scheme, which has led to a huge number of dogs across our region being neglected and maltreated and often feeling abandoned.”
“I will speak on significant issues to do with animal welfare. Too many animals are being abused. Too many people are not being held accountable for their crimes. We lack a clear and publicly shared register of offenders' names. Too many offenders are easily able to acquire animals again and again and commit further offences. <BR /> <BR />I receive messages every day about animal cruelty in my constituency. People are rightly outraged about the lack of urgency to protect utterly defenceless animals and about the sheer lack of Executive investment to do so. The current laws are not good enough. Neither is the current monitoring of animal abuse, which leaves room for bad people to do bad things to innocent animals. In stark contrast, animal welfare charities in my constituency perform vital work to protect animals as best they can.”
“I note that people I went to school with cannot afford a home because the price of houses has gone through the roof. Those people lose their sense of community and there is no craic because nobody can afford to live there. It is really important that we — the Executive and Members across the House — note that housing is the number-one issue. We desperately need investment in it. We definitely need to regard housing as an absolute priority.”
“We have no formal register of how those homes are being used and virtually no mechanisms to prevent them from ending up in the hands of the wealthy few to be used as holiday homes, while normal people — my constituents — struggle each and every day to find a place to raise their children. It is crazy, and not keeping data on it is a huge gap and loophole in our law. Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council estimates that up to 50% of properties in Portballintrae and 31% in Cushendun are second homes. Those figures give an understanding of how Airbnbs and holiday lets impact on local properties. Currently, there are over 1,000 properties listed as holiday homes, which eats into the availability of housing for parents, families and young professionals.”
“The committee has highlighted particular concerns about households with dependent children, many of whom are young children and infants, living with family in temporary accommodation. Whilst we are acutely conscious of the crisis facing our healthcare system, as was discussed during Question Time, and the environment, the truth is that our housing situation is equally as awful and must be prioritised immediately. I argue that if you do not have access to a home, it is very hard to have a stable life. <BR /> <BR />I will draw attention to a particular issue in my constituency, which includes the north coast. We have particular challenges with second-home ownership, which is spiralling out of control.”
“That is something that I really recall, and I am doing all that I can to find that lovely family a home. <BR /> <BR />To underline the rapidly deteriorating situation, data from PropertyPal shows that the average number of enquiries per rental property during the pandemic was just 19, but it has now rocketed to 89, and my constituents are no strangers to that fact, given that we are in the Causeway Coast and Glens council area. After years of chronic failure from the Executive to get a grip on the issue of housing in the North, there is no longer any time to waste. Indeed, the circumstances that we find ourselves in are so dire that homelessness and housing insecurity in Northern Ireland have been noted as an issue of concern by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child.”
“<BR /> <BR />I am sure that, like mine, all our constituency offices are inundated with immensely stressed people who are desperately trying to secure a home as they struggle with feelings of hopelessness and anxiety in their quest to find a place to live, and many of them have children. In my time as an MLA, I have come across many homeless people who have children with complex, special or physical needs. In one awful case in my constituency, there was an incredible single mother, who has two children with a variety of needs, and they live in their grandmother's living room. You can imagine the lived experience of those children: they cannot invite people back to their home, they cannot play in the home and there is no suitable garden. Those are the times when memories of your childhood are made.”
“Everyone in our society has a rightful expectation to have a home in which they can feel safe — a home that brings them stability and where they can grow while staying tethered to their community. <BR /> <BR />However, the writing is on the wall, and Northern Ireland is in the middle of a housing crisis. As of June this year, there were over 45,000 people across the North on the Housing Executive's waiting list. Research from Ulster University showed that private rental stock has shrunk by 50% over the past seven years. The Simon Community has also noted that a staggering 26,000 households are legally classified as homeless, with over 4,500 children, which I find heartbreaking. Thousands more people are deemed to be in housing stress: in other words, in desperate need of a home.”
“Most of us in the Chamber are fortunate enough to have a home of our own. It is the place where we feel safe, comfortable and grounded. It is the foundation on which we build our lives and raise our families and the place that embeds us in our community. Simply put, it is fundamental for a happy life and a life well lived. Yet for too many in Northern Ireland, and in my constituency of East Derry, a safe and affordable home is a dream. For them, it is out of reach, and as the dream slips out of reach, we risk breaching the social contract that we have in this place to provide for each and every constituent and offer them a good standard of living.”
“The SDLP recently met the families in the hard-hitting documentary about their lives and how lack of respite services has impacted on them. They referenced facilities that have capacity yet are not fully used. I was going to ask you, Minister, whether money was the simple issue here, but you referred to staffing issues. Will you talk us through a little more on that and where we go from here?”
“In a place as relatively wealthy as ours, providing first-class palliative care for children is an obligation to ensure that families — mothers, fathers and siblings — are afforded the emotional and psychological support that they require as they manage life in the most cruel and tragic circumstances. I note that the motion rightly mentions the financial pressures faced and the urgent need that we have behind every one of us to ensure that we have investment for the service. The Executive must find the money.”
“I am happy, therefore, to support the motion. I ask that the Minister endeavours to do everything in his power to ensure that his Department prioritises future funding for the Children's Hospice and recognises the fact that that deeply valuable work has been made all the harder because it has not received funding in line with inflation. <BR /> <BR />Everyone in the Chamber is conscious of the challenges that the Department faces. Hard choices have to be made, but children should never be made to pay the price for those choices. Every child deserves to have dignity in life and dignity in death. A hallmark of any civilised society is how it treats its most vulnerable citizens.”
“I hope that none of us in the Chamber ever find ourselves at the Children's Hospice, but its staff do exceptional work. I have spoken with some of its staff, and I know that it is a difficult job but it gives them a sense of fulfilment and purpose. It is crucial that we fund the service. <BR /> <BR />Few worse things can be imagined than for a parent to see their child suffer from a debilitating or life-threatening condition. There are few greater tragedies than for an infant to have had their childhood robbed from them due to illness, as they struggle to enjoy the quality of life and happiness that every child deserves. The work of the Northern Ireland Children's Hospice represents some of the most difficult work that can be done in our society and, surely, some of the most meaningful, helping parents to navigate or prepare for grief.”
“Thank you, Minister, for your detailed answer. We know that parents across our constituencies pay what is almost a second mortgage for childcare. Do you have a rough timeline for when we will see the childcare strategy?”
“Off the back of Mr Beattie's question, what role do the Minister's Department and the EA play in discussing with councils the formation of local development plans (LDPs)? I ask that because a fantastic new school — Mill Strand Integrated School and Nursery — has been built in Portrush, but there are ongoing road safety concerns due to its being in a built-up area.”
“<BR /> <BR />Minister, you have big challenges ahead when it comes to transforming services, but it is really important today that we do not forget the lived experience of vulnerable children and the parents and families who are wrapped around them and who rely on those services. The important thing is to ensure that vulnerable children are looked after by the state and live happy and healthy lives.”
“We must do more to ensure that our services for them are well connected, that communication in Departments becomes more fluid and more flexible, particularly when discussing matters related to our vulnerable children, and that they work closely together for the best possible outcome for our young people. <BR /> <BR />Outside of this topic, I must also raise the challenge faced by vulnerable children and parents in my constituency with respite services, which are really dire. I do not need to echo that across the House because other Members know about it. Recently, I met stressed parents who are fantastic people and wonderful parents but simply cannot cope. They are being left without a break and without answers and support.”
“<BR /> <BR />I also thank VOYPIC for giving a platform to our children and young people to share their journey and lived experience of life in care. On that topic, it links so closely with the fact that there are over 100,000 children in Northern Ireland living in poverty, with families who struggle to provide for their basic needs — a warm house, nutritious food and appropriate clothing — and to pay for childcare. With close to one in four children living in poverty in the North, I emphasise that that should be a priority for all Departments and our Executive. <BR /> <BR />Children living in poverty are twice as likely to leave school with fewer than five GCSEs and are twice as likely to receive a SEN diagnosis.”
“I welcome the comments of the Member who spoke previously. It is really important that we have this place up and running, seeking to deliver for our young people. <BR /> <BR />First, I thank Professor Ray Jones for his work on the issue and for his 53 recommendations. I will speak briefly in my capacity as my party's education spokesperson. <BR /> <BR />Our children's social care services are not fit for purpose, and our children are being failed. We have a responsibility to make this Government work for our people and deliver quality, functioning public services, and we have a responsibility to ensure the well-being and prosperity of our children here. Transformation is urgently needed to support our most vulnerable children, particularly those in care, who have faced some of life's greatest and most isolating challenges.”
“Although we are a devolved institution, I reiterate to all Members that we have a moral and ethical duty to call out those atrocities and put innocent children at the forefront of our minds when we are decision-making.”
“We must push for a diplomatic solution, call for an immediate ceasefire and join President Macron's call to stop selling weapons to Israel. That must be honoured. If not, I fear that the continued actions of Israel threaten an all-out major war in the Middle East. In addition, the failure of Western politicians to adequately condemn and call out that behaviour risks the complete collapse of humanitarian norms and the sanctity of international law. <BR /> <BR />I have to reiterate the anger and resentment that I feel towards the US and UK politicians who have stayed silent and abstained on the matter out of narcissistic aims and self-interest.”
“The terror inflicted on Lebanon through lethal bunker bombs has traumatised a population; ended children's education; destroyed roads, thereby preventing evacuation to Syria; killed emergency service workers; and displaced over one million innocent people, with ordinary families sleeping on the streets in fear for their lives. Now, the IDF is threatening the safety of our Irish soldiers and other UN peacekeepers. That is categorically unacceptable. Enough truly is enough. <BR /> <BR />Under international law, punitive action against civilians is forbidden. I am appealing to the humanity of all Members across the House to condemn the actions of Israel, stand with the people of Gaza and stand with the ordinary people of Lebanon.”
“Over 40,000 people are dead, which includes the slaughter of 16,000 innocent young children. It is a collective punishment on a population that has been demonised as "human animals". <BR /> <BR />Not satisfied with the misery that it has wreaked on the people of Gaza, Israel has opened up yet another war front. It has invaded the sovereign nation of Lebanon and now threatens an all-out war in the Middle East of biblical proportions. With over 1,000 rocket attacks a day, the bombing of densely populated civilian areas means that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have already claimed the lives of 2,000 people in the past week.”
“October 11 will mark the International Day of the Girl. So many children, girls and boys, in the Middle East do not have a childhood. They live every day in fear amid the ongoing conflict. Yesterday marked the one-year anniversary of the heinous atrocities on October 7 2023, when 1,200 people were violently murdered in utterly barbaric circumstances and 251 were taken hostage. Many of us across the House will stand in solidarity with those families who seek the immediate release of their loved ones. However, the scorched-earth strategy that has been unleashed by Israel since then is absolutely unforgivable, forcing Palestinians to run from death towards death in what is now a hopeless, post-apocalyptic landscape where the entire population has been displaced.”
“Minister, I recently heard the sad news that the Men's Action Network has been forced to close due to a lack of government funding. It supported a number of male victims of domestic violence. I am mindful that, in the North, we have very few safe places and refuges for men who have been victims of domestic violence. How can your Department help to change that?”
“Deputy First Minister, should Northern Ireland have a stand-alone hate crime Bill, and, if so, will you ask that the Justice Minister brings that forward?”
“I join the First Minister in thanking the incredible organisations and their staff who are here today. Without them, the strategic framework and the first delivery plan would not have been possible. It is a very positive and historic day for ending violence against women and girls. So many victims of sexual violence feel that an important aspect of violence that needs to be addressed is the retraumatisation that they experience in our court system. What has been included in the strategy to support victims and survivors who are going through our courts? Can the First Minister provide any detail of any conversations that she has had with the Justice Minister on the matter?”
“Minister, how does your Department monitor how well or not so well different council areas are looking into illegal breeding? I am aware that there is an animal rights abuse event next month in the Long Gallery. Will you attend that important event?”
“On reflection, the 2022 Assembly election was a prime example of what happens when misogyny meets the misuse of technology, so I welcome the Minister's answers. What conversations has she had with the Electoral Commission about social media abuse and how that can impact on getting more women into politics? Has she had discussions with the social media giants about that abuse?”
“I am aware that the South's first statutory agency for tackling domestic, sexual and gender-based violence will receive €50 million and have over 35 staff. As it stands, is the funding in the North of Ireland adequate or appropriate to the needs of victims of sexual and domestic violence?”
“That will encourage more young people to get into sport. <BR /> <BR />With regard to rowing in my constituency, I recently spoke with Glen, one of the coaches at the historic Bann Rowing Club, Coleraine. We talked about the importance of sport to young people and of ensuring that every child has equal opportunity to take part in sport. The importance of investment in sport is to ensure that every child, regardless of background or family income, has every right and opportunity to partake in sporting activities. <BR /> <BR />I say to our Olympians and Paralympians: thank you so much for going out there and doing us all proud. We have to ensure that we invest in our young people for tomorrow.”
“Dearbhaile made her Paralympic debut in swimming. She is a 16-year-old who is involved in Limavady Amateur Swimming Club. All who won are incredibly inspiring, but those two young women in particular show what can be achieved through hard work, dedication and commitment. They are two incredible women in sport, which is something that I love to see. They are two capable, fierce young ladies of my constituency, and they are truly inspiring. They show that anything is possible if you put your mind to it. <BR /> <BR />Some of the key points that have echoed around the Chamber today were about the dire need to invest in sport. You will often see online GoFundMe accounts being used to try to get our athletes to events: that is shameful. We should support and endorse them and do all we can to fund them.”
“I, too, rise to congratulate and share my admiration for all those members of Team GB and Team Ireland who have been at the Olympic and Paralympic Games from our shared home place, particularly Hannah Scott from Coleraine and Dearbhaile Brady from Feeny in my constituency.”
“It is important to raise that today, because I worry about how the Budget will impact on children and young people overall. We all share the same hope and desire to build a world-class education system and to safeguard the health and well-being of our young people, but more must be done if that is to be a reality. <BR /> <BR />As we approach the general election in the coming days, it is imperative that the Department engage with the new Government in Westminster. I urge the Minister to commit to securing the vital funds that are required to mend a system that is approaching collapse.”
“The Budget needs to ensure that we are doing what we can to prevent that from continuing and to ensure that we are building up our young people and providing them with counselling services inside and outside school campuses via investment in our health services. <BR /> <BR />Additionally, the axing of the holiday hunger food grant stands out as another serious blow to our most disadvantaged families, who are struggling to meet the cost of living this summer. My colleague Mr Durkan, who is sitting behind me, touched most eloquently on the importance of tackling poverty in Northern Ireland. We do not have an anti-poverty strategy, and we in the North need to prioritise that. The child poverty statistics are heartbreaking. It is a failure of each and every one of us if we do not make that an absolute priority.”
“We have talked in the Committee and the Chamber about the cutting of funding to Happy Healthy Minds. That has been the most devastating loss for young people across Northern Ireland. We are talking about a service for young people who were in the most harrowing and horrific of situations at home. They may not have had the language to communicate the abuse at home, but, through song, dance, play and conversation, they were enabled to open up and share what was going on. It is undeniable that that has been beneficial for their academic achievements and outcomes. We need to take the ending of that programme very seriously when we talk about a Budget. I have the most deep-rooted concern. There needs to be a serious conversation that recognises that Northern Ireland has the highest suicide rate across these islands.”
“They feel that there is a lack of investment in inclusive summer schemes that can ensure that a child, whether they have a physical disability or other kind of disability, can be included in play through summer schemes. Today, when we are talking about the Budget, it is vital that we be mindful of disability and the additional money and resource needed to ensure that every child has a good education and can be included in play, as is their right. It is vital that the Department take those concerns seriously and work to secure the capital needed to facilitate those schemes in the future. <BR /> <BR />Members will be happy to know that I am almost done. The Minister will be aware that there are serious concerns around the mental health and, most importantly, well-being of our young people.”
“We recognise the urgent demand and dire need for inclusive play facilities to allow children the human right of play. Currently, too many play facilities are designed without considering children with complex needs. In order to remedy that, it is important that the Department considers that when anything moves forward and that adequate funds are provided to ensure that young people, whether it be for their education or education through play, are adequately funded and that inclusive play is a priority. <BR /> <BR />The Committee also heard about an issue that is on the rise as we approach the summer months. I have spoken to a number of parents in the Claudy and Limavady areas who are rural based and have children with special, complex needs.”
“One thing that, I think, we all know is that, in our communities, we have incredibly bright and talented young people who have just qualified as teachers. We see that they have an appetite to go down South or to places such as Canada or Australia. We have touched on that in previous debates in the House. We want to do all that we can to keep them here. It is important to keep that in mind when we talk about future planning in the education system. <BR /> <BR />As recently as this morning, the Education Committee, in an informal briefing from PlayBoard NI and the Mae Murray Foundation, talked about the regrettable state of play areas in public parks and schools. We are aware that 22% of young people in Northern Ireland have special educational needs.”
“Currently, while great work is being done by the Education Committee to advocate for the changes that are required, there is an obvious limit to what can be achieved in the absence of those desperately needed funds. Whilst it is often said that schools manage well — exceptionally well in some circumstances — despite insufficient funding, the failings are really now impossible to hide and are having a direct impact on our ability to deliver a top-tier education service. <BR /> <BR />What does that look like? At the moment, the reality in Northern Ireland is that we are seeing increased class sizes, increased pupil:teacher ratios, decreased subject choice and, of course, a narrower curriculum, and acute shortage of available supply teachers.”
“Of course, we have seen the pressure that integrated schools were under after cuts to their funding. It caused severe anxiety. Schools were getting ready to, essentially, have work done and were told overnight that the money, which was initially ring-fenced, was being taken away from them. I will just echo the sentiment that schools can operate only with what they have. When we pull money from them, it is like pulling a rug from underneath them. They cannot plan ahead. That has a detrimental impact on schools, school communities and, of course, students. <BR /> <BR />The independent review of education panel stated bluntly that an educational crisis is looming. A staggering £291 million is needed each year if that crisis is to be averted.”
“We had the chance to meet the different representatives from the independent review of education panel, such as Dr Keir Bloomer. The panel said that Northern Ireland has the potential to be a 21st-century success, but only if it invests adequately in its education system. Regrettably, I feel that the Executive have failed to secure the funding that is necessary to build such a system. It also remains somewhat unclear now as to how we can make meaningful progress without such funds. <BR /> <BR />Each and every Member whom we have heard from across the House has genuine and good intent. We want to work with what we have. However, I fear for how schools will get on. I have spoken to teachers, principals and parents. Schools are really struggling. I will come to that later in my comments.”