Alasdair McDonnell
South Belfast · Social Democratic and Labour Party · Northern Ireland
“As someone who may be leaving you in the not-too-distant future, I would like to take this opportunity to commend the Commission and the Education Service for the outstanding work they have done in my time here.”
“We have been, and continue to be, extremely concerned at the budgetary pressure faced by the Executive and the impact that that has had on front-line services.”
“<BR /> <BR />We have a long-standing viewpoint on the 2015-16 Budget. Others — the DUP, Alliance and Sinn Féin — voted for that Budget. We voted against it at its Final Stage in February, and, given that we learnt of £38 million of cuts in the Chancellor's in-year announcement a few weeks ago, as well as further cuts that are expected on…”
“No, I am going to try to make some progress at this stage. I have given way to a number of people. <BR /> <BR />Northern Ireland cannot afford to accept the fact that our economy will shrink or that the permanent politics of austerity that come with it will be allowed free rein.”
“While I welcome the opportunity to speak in this debate, I must say that I do not welcome the situation that we have arrived at. I take no joy in telling the House that I cannot, at this stage, envisage a situation where we could support this Bill.”
“The Member, as a former Minister, always has a simplistic view of the world. The point is this: for four years, we have argued that there were flaws and weaknesses in our budgetary process. We tried to draw attention to these but we did not get anybody much interested in them.”
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“I would just like to draw attention to the fact that the previous speaker is no Maud Gonne or Countess Markievicz. Any reference to”
“No. I want to draw attention to the fact that —”
“I want to mention our previous speaker's speech, which somebody had obviously written for her. I draw attention to the fact —”
“We need to move in our society into a situation where we actively promote reconciliation, and that will not be achieved in any shape or form by glorying in violence or by being selective about some violence.”
“It is for this reason that the SDLP believes that no public space should be named after any person involved in state or paramilitary violence. It is imperative that, if we are to put conflict behind us and advance together as a shared society, we face up to that. <BR /> <BR />We regret the pain that this issue has caused to all victims and survivors, and we also recognise the hurt experienced by the McCreesh family. They too are victims; they lost a son, a valued son. This protracted situation will have caused them immense pain, and we do not want in any way to add to that pain. Party politics are being played out around these issues, and they are used continually to open wounds, wounds that we should all be working to repair.”
“My party, the SDLP, fully recognises the hurt, pain and distress that this issue and similar issues can cause however and wherever they present themselves. Pain has no politics, no religion, no shape and no form. We all suffer pain, and we all bleed when we are cut. <BR /> <BR />The naming of public spaces after individuals or groups involved in state or paramilitary violence can cause, and is often intended to cause, so much further hurt and distress to victims and survivors and their families. It becomes yet another barrier for us to overcome in dealing with the past, and the reconciliation of the past in our society is a core principle of the SDLP, against which we measure what we do and what we say. It is for this reason that the SDLP believes that violence must not be endorsed or glorified, even retrospectively.”
“I am very glad to be able to speak on the motion. I believe that it focuses primarily on the controversy surrounding the McCreesh play park in Newry, but the issues involved extend far beyond that. <BR /> <BR />We believe that today's debate is as much about reconciliation in our society as it is about anything else. It is about this Assembly and about the Northern Ireland Executive and how we conduct ourselves, how we advance healing and actively promote reconciliation in a traumatised and post-conflict society. Quite frankly, it is about whether we care about the others or whether we just want to pay lip service to reconciliation. <BR /> <BR />The absence of violence alone is by no means an indication of peace.”
“Some of us believe that termination should be avoided if at all possible, while others take a more flexible approach, but no purpose is ever achieved by any of us grossly misrepresenting another.”
“On a point of order, Mr Principal Deputy Speaker. Is it in order that I have been misrepresented and misquoted in recent times? I want to put it clearly on the record that I never insinuated or implied that the doctors always get it wrong. I happened to be in another part of the Building, heard myself being misquoted in that way and felt it appropriate to challenge that. There was a reference to a radio programme during which the question of the termination of pregnancy or abortion was raised. The circumstances in which a woman has to consider a termination of pregnancy are stressful and difficult enough, and the subject deserves to be treated with sensitivity and compassion.”
“On a point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker. Is it in order for me to make a profound apology for my absence last week when I had a question down? I got tied up in an earlier meeting. I was not attentive enough to the clock and did not realise. I offer my profound apologies to you and the rest of the House.”
“I thank the Minister for her comments so far. I, too, recognise the importance of transatlantic flights. What recent discussions has she had, if any, with the British Government in London on reducing APD rates on short-haul flights? While long-haul flights are important, short-haul flights are doubly so, as a lot more people use them, and the cost of those flights is prohibitive in some cases.”
“Minister, your comments will be noted and remembered. <BR /> <BR />We started off by talking about Transforming Your Care in this question. Minister, to what extent are the health trusts involved in the decision-making to close nursing homes such as Orchard House in Belfast? What assurances can be given to residents affected by those decisions that they will be provided with suitable alternative accommodation or provision in the community?”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, can I take this opportunity to congratulate the Minister on his earlier warm comments about GPs? They are outstanding people dedicated to serving the community at a level that is far beyond the norm that is expected.”
“Has the Minister moved in any way to facilitate talks or promote a better or stronger partnership or working relationship between St Mary's and Stranmillis?”
“— or third-level education places. There is much to be achieved. Shutting it down is not a sensible option in my view.”
“I thank the Minister for his answer. I remind him that St Mary's has produced a very high standard of education for generations. Many of us believe that St Mary's and Stranmillis, or an institution of that sort, can provide a significant contribution. We do not have enough university —”
“In the light of those side deals and secret deals, and at a time when public confidence in the Assembly is at an all-time low, it is even more crucial to have someone of the calibre of John Dallat as Speaker. It is time that we moved to an open and transparent system of government here without back-door or side deals designed to shut out full inclusion and full democracy.”
“John has further shown his ability and capacity to take on the role of Speaker as and when required. In October, I pointed out — it is worth repeating now — that John Dallat's long and dedicated service to the Assembly has given him wide and comprehensive experience of all the procedural and corporate functions of that office. At that time, I was disappointed that other parties allowed narrow party political self-interest to stand in the way of John's election. It seems that little has changed. It appears that the DUP and Sinn Féin have re-concocted their secret arrangements. This secret arrangement is designed to exclude the rest of us in the Assembly.”
“I too pay tribute to the former Speaker, Willie Hay, for the tremendous job he did. He was fair, impartial, dignified and inclusive. He certainly took the role of Speaker and placed it outside party politics and in an independent space. <BR /> <BR />On the 13 October last, I was privileged to speak on the nomination of John Dallat as Speaker of the Assembly. It was very clear then — and I am very clear now — that John is an outstanding choice for Speaker. That is why we have put his name forward. As a Deputy Speaker, he has given this Assembly and its Members exemplary service over the past seven years, showing leadership, integrity, impartiality and good judgement at all times.”
“That is positive and very hopeful when we see how they all gathered together with great respect and dignity. Indeed, we had our own small demonstration outside the City Hall at the end of last week. That was useful and positive, and I congratulate all those who took part. <BR /> <BR />The support that has been shown by world leaders, with 44 of them standing together linking arms, is unprecedented. It goes some way to showing support for the victims of this brutal attack. Terrorism has failed, and it will continue to fail. The people of Paris, France and Europe will stand up against it, and we should stand solidly in solidarity with them.”
“I must pay tribute to a young Muslim man in the kosher supermarket who managed to hide a number of possible hostages or, worse still, probable victims. He managed to hide them in the basement, away from those who would kill or maim them. That, to me, presents a true face of the Muslim community and is more valuable and more significant than those who were doing the attacks in the name of the Muslim community. <BR /> <BR />We hope that the tragic event that happened last week can unite people in France, people across Europe and, indeed, the people of the world in solidarity against terrorism and violence. There have been estimates that more than 1·5 million people united in Paris over the weekend for the march against hatred and for history.”
“People in Northern Ireland can share the pain of the people of Paris and France. The people of Northern Ireland stand in solidarity with, and in support of, the victims of this awful tragedy. We here have known our fair share of suffering and, indeed, in the context of free speech and attacks on journalism. Many of our own journalists were attacked over the years, none more so than Martin O'Hagan who was brutally murdered basically for calling it as he saw it. In the context of empathy with people, we can stand shoulder to shoulder and in total solidarity with those who were killed and injured, as well as their friends and families. <BR /> <BR />Something caught my eye in the reports on this awful situation.”
“On behalf of me and my party, the SDLP, I express solidarity with the victims and survivors of the Paris tragedy. <BR /> <BR />The tragedy that struck the city of Paris, and France as a whole, last week was absolutely awful and unimaginable. Its impact has been felt across Europe and the wider world, and it is compounded by the fact that it was not an act of God or something that was outside our control. It was man-made, planned and absolutely ruthlessly carried out. Seventeen lives were lost in those brutal attacks: 11 people who worked for 'Charlie Hebdo'; four innocent individuals who were shopping in a kosher supermarket; and two police officers.”
“Thank you. Following the Chancellor's recent announcement of additional funds, will the Minister now undertake a fundamental review of contingency plans in the various trusts?”
“I ask the deputy First Minister for his assessment of whether the Prime Minister and the Taoiseach are in a position to help us over the line, come Thursday, or will it take a bit more time?”
“I appeal to the Minister to recognise the reduced cost of Dalriada and how it would help to save money.”
“Benefits could be gained from many other options. I talked about all-island options for saving money. We are aware that the cost of health-care provision has risen.”
“While savings and efficiencies are necessary, patient care needs to be protected as well.”
“<BR /> <BR />As far as I am concerned, it is a cut too far, and I appeal to the Minister, as my colleague suggested, to find some other option on this occasion and reverse the decision of the Northern Trust. He would unite the community. <BR /> <BR />I commend my colleague, the chairman of Moyle District Council, Donal Cunningham, and others around him, for the tremendous campaign that he has led and orchestrated along with the broader community. They have my full and unequivocal support, and indeed the support of much of north Antrim. <BR /> <BR />I am gravely concerned that we will have other occasions like this. The draft Budget has a very detrimental effect on front-line services. I think that we will have to move and take every effort to protect front-line health-care services.”
“Thank you, Mr Principal Deputy Speaker. I thank the Member for his intervention. As someone who grew up not very far away and who is familiar with the Dalriada Hospital, I certainly agree with him. The passion, emotion and commitment that I felt from the deputation that was here last week was palpable. It knew neither political nor religious boundaries, nor any others. People were united, and I feel that the community campaign has made it very clear how detrimental this cut will be, not just to Ballycastle but to a much wider area in terms of MS respite. They must all bear the brunt of the situation that the closure of the Dalriada Hospital would bring about.”
“Yet, all my information is that the Northern Trust strangled and smothered it; the trust did not want to sell it or promote the project. Social workers, medical and paramedical people who could have encouraged and promoted the facility were told to keep quiet and turn a blind eye. <BR /> <BR />For many with whom I talked last week the question is: where will the patients go for respite? MS patients have a difficult enough struggle and life without making it any more difficult. Where will patients who require intermediate-care beds go? Will they remain in high-cost beds in the Causeway Hospital or wherever else? This is a flawed, knee-jerk decision by the Northern Health and Social Care Trust that will have a massive impact on patient care.”
“It did an excellent job as a community hospital. In recent years, influenced by changing trends and demands, it became a vital resource, both as a respite space for MS patients from a wide area and as a step-down or intermediate-care facility — a halfway house, if you like — for those who did not need to be in a high-cost acute hospital bed but who still needed some degree of low-intensity hospital care. Much of that was appropriate for people recovering from orthopaedic surgery. <BR /> <BR />It was always, and still is, a great example of how Transforming Your Care could work and should have been allowed to work; it was a great pilot project launched with great gusto as a flagship for Transforming Your Care and its ethos.”
“I am delighted to be able to take a few moments to discuss the temporary closure of the Dalriada Hospital. I must say that this is a habit that has happened repeatedly. We have temporary closures, without consultation, that become permanent; that trick has been used right across the health service. <BR /> <BR />I do not condemn or attack the Minister or his predecessor. We have to be very clear about this; we must be united. I reflect on the very wise and sensible speech that our colleague seated across the Chamber, Paul Frew, made on the issue. The Assembly needs to be united in resisting the closure and the plans of the Northern Trust. <BR /> <BR />Dalriada Hospital has served the Ballycastle and district community very well in many shapes and forms over 50 years. I remember it opening with great aplomb when I was a child.”
“— of any one or even two political parties?”
“— Irish language community is much wider and deeper than the membership —”
“Although I warmly welcome the First Minister and the junior Minister's commitment to equality, how can the First Minister possibly reconcile the Executive's commitment to equality with the disgraceful, hurtful and insulting comments of his colleague Gregory Campbell at the DUP conference regarding the Irish language, and is he not aware that the —”
“Does that imply that he does not have as much confidence in the current Minister?”
“One is the health quangos, and, whilst I acknowledge that those organisations play a valuable role, it is imperative that they are required to keep administrative and management costs to a minimum.”
“There has to be a better performance in dealing with the administrative burden, because the administration has to help and support the clinical end to deliver. There may be room for efficiency savings among the senior management, but it is essential that front-line services are not affected by efficiency savings. There are areas of non-front-line service delivery where administrative savings could be found.”
“Equally, it is cheaper if people's problems and difficulties can be dealt with at community level or primary care level. <BR /> <BR />I want to go on with the points that I was making earlier. There is an increased cost in administration, and there needs to be a greater focus on bringing the resources to bear on the clinical need at the front end.”
“Yes, I would broadly agree. We had serious concerns, which I referred to earlier, about that Budget at that time. The difficulty is that, if you have a badly constructed Budget and you add bits to it or subtract bits from it, you still have a badly constructed Budget. There was tremendous opportunity in the health service when, some time ago, there were new GP contracts and a lot of changes around primary care. This was just before Transforming Your Care came in. Suddenly, the plug was pulled on all the innovation and transformation that was happening at primary care level, and it was all scrapped. One of the best opportunities is to shift health care back to primary care. As was indicated earlier, it is cheaper to go into Dalriada Hospital than it is to go into the Causeway Hospital.”
“<BR /> <BR />The second point that I want to acknowledge is that the cost of health-care provision has risen so that the cost of associated management and administration —”
“<BR /> <BR />There are significant benefits to be gained from an all-island approach to health. I will compliment the previous Minister — oh God, he has disappeared; oh no, he is down on the front Bench now — on his efforts around paediatric congenital cardiac surgery, but that is only one example of space. There are many other opportunities for cooperation and cost savings, particularly in Altnagelvin and the north-west around Derry and Donegal. There are major opportunities in health on a North/South basis that could provide substantial savings, including procurement, health promotion, acute care and general service provision in the border areas. As I have said, we welcome the move on congenital cardiac care. Mr Poots's efforts there were followed through by Minister Wells, and I hope that we can continue to pursue that agenda.”
“We do so because we believe that a Budget must serve the public's interest, particularly in relation to the health service. <BR /> <BR />Much as I would like to, I will not go into the Dalriada situation. I feel very strongly about that. I feel, as others have said, that it provides very good value for money in step-down beds, MS care and all the rest. The point has been made. If any of us were in any doubt, it was well made by the protestors outside today, some of whom are in the Gallery with us now. <BR /> <BR />That is not to say that there are not opportunities to make savings in the health service. We published a paper, 'Partnership and Economic Recovery', some time prior to the last Budget. We proposed options for savings that included three main areas.”
“I was going to say that it was an honour to follow Mr Poots, but, after that outburst, I hesitate in case I am perceived as endorsing him. <BR /> <BR />The SDLP is attempting to amend this motion to highlight our grave concerns about the impact that the draft Budget will have on front-line health services. We have been very clear that the draft Budget is flawed. The SDLP has in the past, and indeed in the past few minutes, been unfairly accused of being uncooperative in relation to the Budget process. In reality, we have cooperated in every discussion and at every opportunity that we were allowed to. Cooperation, though, does not equate to subservience. I, therefore, make no apology for our stance in opposition to the Budget so far and our intention to scrutinise this Budget and other Budgets going forward.”
“I thank the Minister for his answers so far. My concern is the 3% cut to the Prison Service — I think that that is the figure that he mentioned. What impact will that have on prison reform? We all know that prison reform is urgently needed, and my concern is that that cut will further delay, block or slow down — however you want to describe it — the reform of our prisons.”
“I thank the Minister. Minister, I refer you to the previous question, the discussion around Dalriada and the concerns there. In that context, there is a deep concern that decisions taken by one trust will have a knock-on effect on the trust next door. While, on the surface and on paper, it might appear that money could be saved, in fact the cost will just be pushed sideways. Can you give us some assurance and evidence that that will not happen?”
“I thank the Minister for her answers, particularly regarding flooding in East Antrim. What initiatives are being undertaken to deal with the watercourses in south Belfast that lead to persistent flooding in Finaghy, Lisburn Road and across south Belfast in general?”
“<BR /> <BR />At a time when the Assembly and Executive are in crisis, as we head into talks to determine our future, it is even more crucial to have someone of the calibre of John Dallat as Speaker of the Assembly; someone who is not only eminently qualified for the role but who, as a nationalist representative, would ensure that both traditions in Northern Ireland —”
“<BR /> <BR />When considering who would be best placed to represent the Assembly overall as Speaker, as leader of the SDLP, I am very clear that the outstanding choice is our nominee, John Dallat, MLA for East Derry. As a Deputy Speaker, John has served the Assembly and its Members well over the past seven years, showing leadership, integrity, impartiality and good judgement in all that time, and displaying the ability and capacity to take on the role of Speaker, as and when required. His long and dedicated service to the Assembly has given John Dallat wide and comprehensive experience of all the procedural and corporate functions of the office, which he would now fulfil with ease.”