Áine Murphy
Fermanagh and South Tyrone · Sinn Féin · Northern Ireland
“<BR /> <BR />To those who are following today's debate, I say this: the wounds left by rejection, secrecy and institutional mistreatment run too deep for any statute to fully heal. What we can do, however, is to confront that history honestly.”
“As is the case with so many families across Ireland, the legacy of those institutions has echoed through our family history. I am delighted that she is in the Public Gallery to see the legislation reach its Final Stage.”
“<BR /> <BR />During Committee Stage, we worked constructively across party lines, because we recognised that survivors deserved legislation that reflected their experiences. When survivors highlighted ways in which the Bill could be strengthened, we took those seriously.”
“Many had experienced rape, abuse or exploitation even before arriving at those institutions, yet, too often, they were treated as though they were the ones who should carry shame. <BR /> <BR />Throughout Committee Stage, we listened to testimony that was difficult to hear but impossible to ignore.”
“For decades, many victims and survivors believed that nobody wanted to hear their story, and they often carried shame that was never theirs to bear, grief that society expected them to live with and secrets that were forced upon them by institutions that were supposed to care for and protect them with compassion.”
“<BR /> <BR />We heard the frustration of many survivors who spent years trying to obtain the most basic information about their lives. As one group said to the Committee, survivors were told that their records could re-traumatise them. It is worse not to know such vital information.”
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“First Minister, I welcome your comment that the future of the site remains a live issue. Do you agree with me that fully regenerating the site would be transformative socially and economically and that it is time to move forward on that without delay?”
“This is about environmental justice, public health and the right of communities to have a say on what happens where they live. We cannot talk about a just transition while leaving the door open to harmful practices from the past. <BR /> <BR />The Bill is an important step forward. It reflects the determination of communities who refuse to be ignored. It recognises the power of local campaigning and shows what can happen when people stand together. I commend my colleague Caoimhe Archibald for introducing the Bill. It sends a clear message to communities that the Assembly listens. I urge all Members to support the Bill.”
“I support the Bill and welcome its Second Stage. For many people in County Fermanagh, the legislation has been a long time coming. As Members may know, I introduced a private Member's Bill in the previous mandate to ban fracking. Unfortunately, we ran out of time to get it through Committee Stage. <BR /> <BR />For years, people in rural communities, especially in County Fermanagh and County Leitrim, have lived with the fear of what fracking could mean for their environment, for their health and for the future of communities that have been there for generations. Those communities, however, did not stay silent. Instead, they organised, campaigned and made it clear that they would not accept damage being inflicted on their area, and they were right to do so.”
“Thank you for the update, Minister. How can already hard-pressed households and families be protected from price gouging as a result of increasing energy costs?”
“If rural communities are to support the transition, they must benefit from it directly through local investment, improved infrastructure and fair access to the energy that is produced. Ultimately, it is about getting the balance right. Supporting agriculture, protecting our environment and strengthening energy resilience should not be about competing priorities. They have to go hand in hand. The motion recognises the need for a more joined-up approach. It is a step forward to delivering practical solutions for our rural communities. For that reason, I am pleased to support the motion.”
“I agree with Robbie. It is about using the knowledge and best practice that we have already built up. On Friday, I spoke with a local man about the motion. He made a number of valid points around that space, which I was unaware of, about the odours that emanate from AD plants. He said that if an odour is emanating from an AD plant, there is an issue with the plant infrastructure. I concur, Robbie. <BR /> <BR />It is paramount that rural communities see the benefit of biomethane and AD plants. Too often, they are asked to carry the burden of development without sharing fairly in the reward. Many of the areas that are expected to host the infrastructure still lack basic energy infrastructure, including access to the gas grid and network.”
“If systems were not properly managed, poorly regulated development would very quickly undermine confidence in those communities. That is why we need strong planning, robust environmental regulation and proper oversight in place.”
“<BR /> <BR />We cannot afford to repeat mistakes that have been seen elsewhere, where productive agricultural land has been diverted from food production to grow crops purely for energy production. In rural communities, food production is not optional: it is fundamental. Any biomethane strategy must be based on treating waste and by-products, not distorting our agricultural system. <BR /> <BR />There is also a need for consultation and co-production at local level. A lot of the time, consultation and co-production on a number of policy decisions taken here do not happen or properly bed down in grassroots rural communities. <BR /> <BR />Many rural people have a number of concerns about the risks associated with hosting infrastructure, especially about odour and planning issues.”
“Too often, those issues are treated in isolation, but for rural communities, they are connected. What are needed now are practical, joined-up solutions that work for rural areas, not against them. Biomethane has the potential to offer some of that solution. If developed properly, it can help farmers manage slurry, poultry litter and organic waste more effectively, which means reducing nutrient pressures and overload, whilst creating an additional income stream for rural areas. That is the opportunity that we have, but we have to be cognisant of the associated, and potential, risks. The last thing that any of us wants to see is a replay of the RHI and the unintended consequences that flowed from it.”
“I welcome the opportunity to speak in support of the motion and about what it means to our rural communities. As has been highlighted by many Members who have spoken in the debate, we face a convergence of pressures across our rural areas on farming incomes, our environment and our energy security. Farmers are under increasing pressure to adapt, whilst rural communities are always asked to absorb the additional pressures and impacts from environmental change and infrastructure demands.”
“Can you clarify what you mean by that and give us more detail on the changes that are possible in the coming weeks and months?”
“I thank the Minister for his statement. Minister, you referenced the need for:”
“While the T:BUC programme has supported a large number of programmes in rural areas, there is a concern about how accessible the projects are outside urban centres. What steps will the review take to ensure that the programmes are accessible to all, especially those in rural areas?”
“In that vein, we have the opportunity to deliver for our farm families, who have been overlooked for far too long. <BR /> <BR />With reference to comments that the Member opposite made, we will not take lectures from the DUP when it comes to developing policy. The Member talked about "playing fast and loose" with policy. That Member is from the party that delivered the renewable heat incentive (RHI) scheme and delivered Brexit, which has been detrimental to our farm communities. In that vein, it will not be lost on farm communities across Fermanagh, West Tyrone and East Derry that the DUP and the Alliance Party will go through the Lobbies this evening to vote against support for our farmers. My colleagues and I will stand up for our constituents who farm ANC land, and I ask others across the Chamber to do the same.”
“No, not at the minute. <BR /> <BR />The Bill is not only about providing additional financial support; it recognises the essential role that those farmers play in sustaining communities, protecting our environment and supporting the wider rural economy. Other regions understand that. In the Twenty-six Counties and in Scotland, support continues because representatives value farm communities and farm families. Continued failure to act will cause problems for our rural economies, for communities and for the long-term management of our land. At its heart, the Bill is about keeping people on the land not just today but in the future. It is about ensuring that rural families can continue to live and work in and contribute to the communities that they call "home".”
“Once that decline begins, it is extremely difficult to reverse. We also need to recognise the role that those farms play beyond food production. They are the custodians of our environment. Our upland biodiversity, carbon-rich soils and traditional landscapes exist because those farms remain active and manage that land. Without farmers, we often see scrub encroachment, increased fire risk and a loss of manageable habitats.”
“Their land is poor, the terrain is steeper and the costs are higher. Unlike more productive lowland farms, such holdings are limited by the land itself. That is what defines an ANC, and that is exactly why financial support is necessary. When a farm becomes unviable, the consequences do not stop at the farm gate. We risk weakening the entire agri-food chain from local marts to hauliers, processors and, of course, suppliers. Each farm may seem small on its own, but, together, they sustain a much wider rural economy. <BR /> <BR />Beyond economics, there is something even more important at stake, which is our rural communities and our rural life. If those farms disappear, families move away, our schools struggle, local services decline and communities that have existed for generations begin to fade.”
“I very much welcome the Bill that has been introduced by my party colleague. I want to focus not just on farming policy but on the broader sphere of rural communities. In County Fermanagh, 92% of land falls within areas of natural constraint. Farming in my county is not just another industry; it is the foundation on which entire communities and local economies are built and, indeed, sustained. Most of those farms are small, family-run operations, and many farmers work part-time, balancing full-time jobs with early mornings and late nights on the farm. They are working incredibly hard on tight margins, with little room to absorb rising costs, market pressures or policy change. <BR /> <BR />The reality is that farmers in ANCs face challenges that other farmers simply do not.”
“<BR /> <BR />It was agreed as part of NDNA that an EPA would be created. That commitment needs to be honoured, yet we have seen the creation of the agency blocked. That sends out the wrong signal, especially at a time when public confidence in environmental governance needs to be strengthened. It also weakens our ability as an Assembly to respond to environmental crises and to protect the natural assets that support regional economies such as the one in County Fermanagh. This is about protecting our waterways, protecting our rural economies and protecting the natural environment on which so many of our communities depend.”
“I absolutely agree with the Member. Residents of Killeeshil and Cabragh have been dealing with horrific experiences, so having an EPA would help with transparency, enforcement and monitoring. <BR /> <BR />When environmental protections fail, jobs are put at risk, livelihoods are put at risk and rural economies are put at risk. Recent years have shown how vulnerable our waterways can be. Lough Neagh has been mentioned, and I will mention it again, and Mobuoy is referenced in the motion. The crisis at Lough Neagh should be a stark warning of what can happen and what the economic consequences can be for local communities that surround the lough shore. What has happened has been detrimental. Indeed, reputational damage has been done to communities around the lough shore. That is why it matters that an EPA be established.”
“Those waterways are central to our identity, and they play a central role in our economy. Local tourism depends on them. Boat hire companies, angling guides, guest houses, hotels, restaurants and activity providers all rely on the health and, indeed, important reputation of those waterways. When environmental protections fail, that reputation is put at risk.”
“I welcome the opportunity to speak to the motion. Obviously, we will support the motion. The establishment of an independent environmental protection agency is about protecting the natural assets that sustain our communities, livelihoods and local economies. Few places in the North are as closely connected to water as my beloved county of Fermanagh, which is home to Lough Erne, a unique network of rivers and lakes that forms one of the most distinctive inland waterways anywhere across these islands.”
“Supporting the retention of ATMs helps local people, supports small businesses that rely on cash transactions and helps to sustain economic activity in rural areas. I hope that we will see further work in that area as we continue to look at how best to protect essential services in our rural communities.”
“Measures like the exemption recognise those challenges and help to ensure that residents in rural areas are not left behind. <BR /> <BR />Many of you will have heard me consistently wax lyrical in the Chamber about the need for a banking hub in Lisnaskea. A number of months ago, members of the Finance Committee and I met the Rural Community Network (RCN) in Cookstown to discuss the banking hub model. We all need to address the challenges that our rural towns and villages face, their unique circumstances and the criteria that LINK applies to those towns and villages, many of which find themselves out of the loop and unable to avail themselves of support. <BR /> <BR />The cost of the scheme to the public purse is relatively small, but the benefits are clear.”
“People in many rural areas struggle with connectivity, and some simply do not have the confidence or ability to move entirely to the online system. Therefore, access to cash remains a vital part of everyday life in many rural communities. That is why such schemes matter. <BR /> <BR />The rural ATM exemption may be modest in scale, but it plays an important role in helping to maintain access to cash that might otherwise disappear. It is important that policy reflects the reality of our rural life. Rural communities face unique challenges, such as longer travel distances, fewer services and fewer alternatives when services are withdrawn. That means that we often have to find targeted solutions and not take a one-size-fits-all approach.”
“I welcome the extension of the rural ATM rates exemption scheme for the 2026-27 rating year. I thank the Minister for bringing it to the Chamber. <BR /> <BR />In recent years, we have seen the steady loss of local banking services across many rural communities. Bank branch closures have become an all-too-familiar story in towns and villages across the North. For many people, that loss has created real and practical difficulties. Older residents often rely on in-person banking, owners of small businesses still depend on cash and many households use cash in their day-to-day budgeting activities. While digital banking is becoming more common, it is not a realistic substitute for everyone in our community.”
“Minister, you will be aware that NIEA officials briefed the Committee a number of weeks ago and that the issue of staffing arose during that meeting. In that vein, will the NIEA have the appropriate staffing and, indeed, resources to meet the need that may come with a rise in enforcement?”
“I put this question to you directly: have you requested that the Western Trust develop a fully costed business case to deliver a new EGS service at the South West Acute Hospital? The people of Fermanagh and Tyrone deserve answers.”
“People gathered at the front steps yesterday to call for emergency general surgery to be reinstated at the hospital. Those people are patients, families and healthcare workers, all of whom care deeply about their local hospital and about the safety of service in their area. They deserve honesty, transparency and respect, not the confusion and uncertainty that has been shown to date. <BR /> <BR />Minister, the trust has indicated that it has written to your Department to ask whether you wish to make the case for commissioning a new emergency general surgery service model. I recently submitted a question for written answer to you on that very issue, but, unfortunately, you have not answered it to date. Given the strength of public concern and the ongoing uncertainty, I ask you to provide clarity today.”
“<BR /> <BR />Minister, I will address the issue of the ongoing suspension of emergency general surgery at the South West Acute Hospital. Seven months ago, you asked the trust to pause the consultation on the permanent removal of EGS. Seven months later, the people of Fermanagh and Tyrone are still waiting for a way forward. That prolonged uncertainty is simply unacceptable, and soon we will be eight or nine months down the line. Yesterday, party colleagues and constituency colleagues stood with members of our local community and the local lobby group Save Our Acute Services (SOAS). I take the opportunity to welcome Helen and Jimmy, who have made it up the road two days on the bounce now, to the Public Gallery. They have clocked up a lot of miles to join us here today.”
“Repeated reviews, service changes and staffing challenges have created understandable anxiety in that community. We must now provide a clear strategic direction. The existing models of all-island service delivery show that it can be delivered safely and effectively and that world-class clinical outcomes can be delivered for citizens on both sides of the border. Importantly, this debate must be grounded in the needs and experiences of our rural population. Rural demographics must be considered when commissioning health and social care services. This is also about equality. Rural border communities are entitled to integrated solutions that reflect how they live their lives along the border region, while staff are entitled to stability, investment and long-term planning.”
“The Department of Health and the Western Trust, however, have done little to realise the commissioning intent, and, as a result, those important resources have remained not commissioned for their intended purposes. <BR /> <BR />It is well recognised that we can address the challenges with recruitment and retention of expert clinical staff through the delivery of an all-island service to a population of seven million. Continuing to provide services to five million people in the South and fewer than two million people in the North will remain a barrier to recruitment and retention of staff and must therefore be urgently addressed. Staff at the South West Acute Hospital are highly expert and committed professionals who deserve certainty about the hospital's future.”
“We must approach the issue with ambition and realism. Border communities have long endured the disadvantage of partition, with fragmented services, unnecessary duplication in some areas and glaring gaps in others. Healthcare should not be one of those gaps. We now have a genuine opportunity to develop the South West Acute Hospital as a cross-border centre of excellence that works in partnership with services in other border counties. Indeed, when the hospital was commissioned, it was always anticipated that services would be expanded on a cross-border basis. Approximately four theatres and two wards were to be commissioned for use on that basis.”
“I welcome the opportunity to speak in the Adjournment debate, which was secured by my party colleague, on the future of the South West Acute Hospital and, indeed, its future on a cross-border basis. <BR /> <BR />The South West Acute Hospital is a lifeline for people across Counties Tyrone and Fermanagh and the wider border region. It serves rural communities where patients already have to travel for hours to access emergency and specialist surgical care. For many families, it is the difference between timely treatment and dangerous delay. The clinical evidence is clear: there is a direct correlation between time delays for treatment and increased mortality rates.”
“I thank the Minister for her answer. Of course, I again welcome the inclusion of County Fermanagh in the Fáilte Ireland brand, which will be a game changer for Fermanagh's economy and, no doubt, the businesses that you mentioned. <BR /> <BR />Minister, we are just a stone's throw from County Donegal, which has the Wild Atlantic Way. Will you provide an update on funding from the Shared Island Fund for the Wild Atlantic Way and Causeway coastal route?”
“First Minister, you mentioned something very important in your response: a just and fair transition. What will that mean for farmers, families and workers?”
“I thank the Minister for reaffirming her commitment to the bypass, which will be welcomed by many across County Fermanagh. Does the Minister agree that Members in the Chamber and other elected reps need to take responsibility and that, instead of trying to create sound bites and unnecessary public concern, they should take the time to understand the budgetary process rather than mislead the public in an attempt to score party political points?”
“Minister, thank you for your statement this afternoon. Will you provide an update on the recent appointments made to Tourism Ireland?”
“Minister, will you expand on the origin of the Bill?”
“I thank the deputy First Minister for her substantial response. Notwithstanding the damage of years of underfunding and austerity by the British Government, the Executive now have an opportunity to set their first multi-year Budget in over a decade. Does the Minister agree that agreement on a multi-year Budget is key to providing Departments with long-term surety in spending, and will she commit to delivering that outcome?”
“Minister, can you give details of when safe leave will be introduced?”
“I thank the Minister for his answer. Minister, the changes to the Motability scheme that were recently announced by the British Government have been widely condemned by the disability community. Can you give some detail on how many people in the North will be affected by the changes?”
“I thank the Minister for his substantial answer. Minister, you have answered most of my supplementary question. Will you detail the further steps that your Department is taking to increase preventative measures and its engagement with people who use the waterway?”
“<BR /> <BR />The report rightly highlights that, on a small island with just over seven million people, running two entirely separate health systems makes little to no sense, particularly for our rural and border communities. Indeed, when the South West Acute Hospital was commissioned, it was always envisaged that the uncommissioned theatre and other clinical areas would be developed for use on a cross-border basis. An all-island approach to workforce planning, specialist service provision and rural health delivery would transform outcomes for communities such as ours, but only if is rooted in local communities and firmly focused on free public care. <BR /> <BR />I encourage Members and the wider public to engage with the report. The debate is about the future, but it is also about the here and now.”
“When access to primary care is limited, illness goes untreated, conditions worsen and more people end up in hospital. <BR /> <BR />Alongside that, we cannot ignore the crisis in our social care system. Across Fermanagh and Tyrone, families are doing extraordinary work in caring for their loved ones, often with minimal support. Home care packages are delayed or reduced, carers are underpaid and overstretched and, too often, people are left in hospital beds, not because they are unfit for discharge but simply because the care that they need at home is not available. That is unfair to patients, unfair to families and unsustainable for our health service.”
“We have seen the loss of services disproportionately impacting on our rural communities. Long journeys, poor transport links, the absence of adequate ambulance cover and delayed care can mean the difference between early intervention and crisis. If we are to be serious about equality of access to healthcare, the SWAH must be properly staffed, properly resourced and recognised as essential infrastructure for the entire region. However, the pressures do not stop at our hospital doors. In Fermanagh, we know all too well how difficult it has become to access GP services. Practices are struggling to recruit and retain doctors, patient lists are growing and appointment systems are not fit for purpose. For many people, particularly our older residents and those living with chronic illnesses, even getting an appointment can be a challenge.”
“Nowhere is that reality felt more clearly than at the South West Acute Hospital (SWAH). The SWAH is not just a hospital; it is a vital lifeline for the people and communities of Fermanagh, yet chronic challenges in workforce recruitment and retention, along with ongoing uncertainty about future provision, have left people anxious about whether the care and treatment that they need will be available.”
“I welcome the publication of the report 'Delivering Rural Health and Care in a New Ireland'. The report reflects the important discussion held in Enniskillen on the challenges faced by people in Enniskillen, Tyrone and across our border regions in accessing Health and Social Care services. For border communities, the conversation about healthcare is not abstract. It is shaped by distance, rural isolation and services that, too often, are stretched to breaking point.”
“During the site visit, I got to see at first hand the social and economic potential of the site and the regeneration that it could offer from a historical perspective, from economic opportunities and from sporting facilities. Does the First Minister agree that those benefits could be transformative and need to happen immediately?”
“I thank the deputy First Minister for her statement. She commented on the multi-year Budget, but does she agree that the Budget settlement from Westminster is grossly inadequate and falls far short of what we require in order to deliver high-quality public services for everyone?”