Pádraig Delargy
Foyle · Sinn Féin · Northern Ireland
“I echo what other Members have said. Compassion is at the heart of the regulations, which are about understanding and ensuring that parents and families who have suffered the most heartbreaking and unimaginable grief are supported through one of the most difficult times in their lives.”
“The regulations have been extended to ensure that they also apply to parents who have lost a child through miscarriage and that parental bereavement leave is now a day-1 employment right.”
“Why are the public appointments and equality processes important in employment? They are particularly important here in the North, for one simple reason. It is because for so many years, even decades, the unionist Government stopped Catholics, nationalists and republicans from having any access to public appointments and jobs.”
“I start by going to the very heart of the motion and many of the comments that have been made around the Chamber today. The process for public appointments to Invest NI was fair, open, accountable and transparent. It was based on merit and ability.”
“It is a generation that is deeply proud of all those who ensured that we can enjoy the freedom that the unionist Government denied them. My generation will not lie down, will not acquiesce and will not allow regressive change. It will not return to the inequality, the suppression and all the other elements of the unionist state.”
“This is the same SDLP that voted to disbar any republican prisoners from the position of special adviser — the same SDLP that, when another nationalist or, God forbid, a republican, takes the office of First Minister, suddenly wants that title taken away.”
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“in my area that are all fantastic. They each have their unique attributes and unique ethos, but one of the things that they have in common is that they all punch well above their weight in sport, in music and in academia. That is one of the many reasons why so many parents have bought into them: parents have seen what they have done for their children, for their community and for our entire city. <BR /> <BR />One of the other things that they have in common is the fact that all three Gaelscoileanna in Derry continue to educate their children in Portakabins. That was not acceptable in 1980, it was not acceptable in 2000, and it certainly is not acceptable in 2024. There is an ethical reason why we need to do this, but there is also a financial reason.”
“I want to begin today by thanking the Education Minister for his speech yesterday and by taking this opportunity to engage with that. It was a very positive speech, and, for me, the key word that stood out was "opportunity". Each one of us in the Assembly has the opportunity to make a real change for Irish-medium education. That means working as an Education Committee, and it also means working with the Education Minister. I have three Gaelscoileanna”
“I ask the Minister, first, will he come to my constituency and visit some of those Gaelscoileanna, as his predecessor did? Secondly, what will he do to ensure that Irish-medium education is prioritised?”
“in my constituency where children are being taught in Portakabins each day. That is the case for 60% of Irish-medium education across the North.”
“I welcome the Minister to his role and look forward to working closely with him. I was disappointed, however, that he did not mention Irish-medium education in his statement. There are three Gaelscoileanna”
“What does she want us to do? She wants us to get back in here and form an Executive. I have listened to people across Derry and across the North, day in, day out, telling us that they are in dire straits, that they are struggling and that they need emergency financial support. Guess what they are telling us: to get back in here and get an Executive formed. <BR /> <BR />You can choose today not to listen to me, and you can choose not to listen to my party or any of the other parties in here, but do not sit there and ignore the people who elected you — the people who will go cold and hungry this winter. The refusal to go into government is an act of gross political and financial negligence, and it needs to end now.”
“No. <BR /> <BR />We also heard the DUP's five-point plan to invest an extra £1 billion in health, to give 30 hours of free childcare and to keep schools world-class. I would love to know how the DUP intends to do any of that without an Executive. <BR /> <BR />Last Friday, I sat at the Disabled People’s Parliament, and I heard from deaf and disabled people from across the North about how they are struggling day in, day out. I heard about their harrowing experiences and the plethora of practical solutions that we can help to make. What do they want us to do? They want us to get back in here and to get an Executive formed. I also listened to the Children's Commissioner, who stated:”
“That is our job. Weeks ago, the former Economy Minister promised people that they would get the payment in November, but now we find out that that had absolutely no basis.”
“Every household in the North will be £600 worse off this Christmas because one party refuses to go into government, do its job and end its boycott of the Assembly and Executive. One party refuses to accept the democratic will of the people of the North. It refuses to come back to work with a nationalist First Minister. It refuses to do its job and help the rest of us here to put money back into people's pockets. I refuse to stop standing up for ordinary people. I will continue to do that, as will my party and the other parties here. We will stand up for ordinary people. We will stand up for workers. We will stand up for families across the North. I say to that party that it should form an Executive today. Come back around the table with the rest of us and work together to give people that £600 payment. Let us deliver for people.”
“I thank the Minister for her answer. Children in the justice system face unique difficulties in accessing mental health support, despite mental health problems being higher in that group. However, where the Youth Justice Agency has funded those services, it has produced better outcomes. Will the Minister give a costed feasibility for a full roll-out of those services?”
“There is financial pressure, but there is also the worry about getting parked and arriving on time for their appointments. This will help to alleviate some of that burden. <BR /> <BR />One other really strong point about the Bill for me is, as some of my colleagues have mentioned, the cost of living and really putting money back into the pockets of workers and families. It is about making a substantial difference to front-line workers, including porters, cleaners, nurses, doctors and all of those who work in our health and social care system in our hospitals. I am proud to support the Bill, and I hope that others in the Chamber will do so.”
“I will keep my contribution quick. I begin by thanking my colleague Aisling Reilly and her predecessor Fra McCann for bringing the Bill before the House. I think that the House is united in seeing it as important legislation that will make a real impact on the lives of everyone across our society, particularly the front-line workers who have done so much always but especially in the past two years. <BR /> <BR />Aisling has talked a lot about the issue being important in her constituency. It is also important in my constituency and, as I mentioned, for people across the North. There are so many people in Derry and, indeed, across the North who travel regularly for healthcare. This is a way to take some of that burden off them.”
“I thank the Minister for his answer. As well as denying free school meals to children, can the Minister outline how many additional resources have been denied to the beleaguered health service and its overstretched workers by, again, the DUP's reckless and self-serving actions?”
“I thank the Minister for his answer. A greater role for the Executive in the Shared Prosperity Fund is welcome, but does the Minister agree that that still falls woefully short of the British Government's commitment to fully replace the EU funding that we have lost as a result of Brexit?”
“I welcome the announcement on the development of the A6. I welcome your work and that of the previous Minister, Chris Hazzard. Another key development that is needed in the north-west is better rail links between Derry and Belfast. Will you update us on where that is?”
“I thank the Member for her answer. Will the Member agree that it is important that Parliament Buildings, through its artefacts and symbols, reflects the diverse community that it represents?”
“Will the Minister agree that the demand from parents across the North for integrated education clearly is not being met and that provisions such as those in the Integrated Education Bill are necessary to meet it?”
“Minister, will you provide an update on the uptake of the COVID-19 charities fund, which was set up to help to protect that sector during the pandemic?”
“A possible amendment could be considered to give trade unions a set number of days each year on which they can enter the workforce and provide information on joining the union. I hope that that is something that you will look at. It is a bigger problem for trade unions. Trade union membership in the private sector is around 15%. They see growing their membership as a bigger priority than perhaps what is contained in the Bill.”
“One of the things that came up quite regularly in those discussions is that those employees feel let down, particularly by successive Economy Ministers. They feel that the Parental Bereavement (Leave and Pay) Bill represents an aberration, and that, in the grand scheme of things, their rights have not really been advanced in legislation. Additionally, we oppose any attempts by Edwin Poots to abolish the Agricultural Wages Board, which has put in place sectoral bargaining and higher starting pay rates for workers in that sector. <BR /> <BR />There are a few gaps in the Bill that have been mentioned, Mr Carroll. There is nothing in it that looks at giving existing trade unions the right to enter workplaces and unionise staff.”
“My own Bill on work-life balance, the right to disconnect and statutory pay for carers is due to come before the Assembly. <BR /> <BR />We hope that, in the new mandate, a landmark employment Bill can be introduced to strengthen the rights of workers. In the past number of weeks, I have met representatives from different sectors who have been on strike in my constituency: university lecturers, dockers and, in particular, education welfare officers, with whom we have worked closely. That emphasises the need for trade unions and the protection that they offer to workers.”
“My colleague Jemma Dolan has put on record very clearly our party position. I will elaborate on a few points to clarify them, and I will also bring in a few of my own points that I have raised previously. <BR /> <BR />Obviously, we support any Bill that advances workers' rights and enshrines them in legislation. Over the past number of months, I have been very pleased to stand alongside Jemma Dolan in backing and taking forward a number of things. There was Jemma's Bill on zero-hours contracts and putting banded hours in place; the Finance Minister, Conor Murphy, bringing in equal sick pay for agency workers; and, obviously, one that has been debated a lot in the Assembly about procurement processes and ensuring that employers pay the living wage.”
“The Minister will be well aware that, before the scheme went live, the Equality Commission raised concerns about how accessible and inclusive the telephone service was for those who are hard of hearing and deaf and about a lack of consultation with young people. Does the Minister accept that many of the remedies that he proposes would have been identified had an equality impact assessment been done before the scheme went live?”
“I thank the Minister for his statement. It is becoming increasingly apparent that workers want to either continue to work from home or to work closer to home. I note that Invest NI has 540 acres of land for which there is no specific strategy to develop and enable remote working. Is there a plan for Invest NI to develop remote working hubs over the coming months and years?”
“I thank the Minister for giving way. On that point of clarification, I am really glad that that will start in September. Can you confirm whether the parents of children who are currently in preschool or nursery will be able to apply for another paid year of preschool or nursery for their children?”
“Minister, I come back to a point that I wanted to raise earlier. A huge number of young people from my constituency cannot get to school or university or take on part-time jobs because they cannot get their test. I was therefore very pleased to hear that one innovative solution that was talked about was that additional testers would be put in place. I hope that, when that is done, there will be a guarantee that at least some of those testers will be deployed to Derry to make sure that the backlog, which seems to be more stark in my constituency than in others, is tackled.”
“Let us take a look at what introducing banded contracts would do for employers. It would offer them the opportunity to lower staff turnover rates and to increase consumer spending and productivity. Again, as the majority of Members have mentioned, it is a commitment in 'New Decade, New Approach'. <BR /> <BR />There are 11,000 people in the North who are currently on zero-hour contracts. That number is vastly underestimated, because a lot of other people are on contracts that are registered as irregular contracts. We have the opportunity to replace zero-hour contracts with a system that works for employers and employees. I support Jemma Dolan's Bill to remove zero-hour contracts.”
“<BR /> <BR />Last December, the Derry Trades Union Council found that 45% of workers on part-time or zero-hour contracts had faced harassment at work and did not have trade union representation. In response to that, the Department for the Economy stated that it was focused on delivering positive outcomes for all the people of the north-west. The Bill is an opportunity to do that. Supporting the Bill and ending zero-hour contracts would see that delivered. I encourage the Minister and his party to support it. <BR /> <BR />As I mentioned, I recognise that businesses need security. That was discussed with businesses in the passing of the Employment Act 2016. The majority of businesses do not use zero-hour contracts to maintain or to grow a successful business. The Bill ensures that all workers have the same opportunity to enjoy those rights.”
“As other Members have mentioned, they have a disproportionate impact on women when it comes to accessing full-time and secure employment. Crucially, they make owning your home difficult, if not impossible. That issue particularly impacts on young people, and, in creating a fairer society that offers affordable homes and makes them accessible, we should address one of the root causes of housing pressure, which is uncertainty in working arrangements. One issue that I recently raised with the Education Minister was around the lack of paid leave for substitute teachers. There is a broader problem around that, but, again, that is another issue that hugely impacts on workers on zero-hour contracts.”
“One of the reasons why I will support the Bill is that it is sensitive to the needs of employers and employees. In many economic debates, we hear acronyms such as GDP, GNP and GVA, but the Bill cuts straight to the economic reality faced by many people in our society. Like some other Members, I worked on zero-hour contracts throughout my time at university. I have gone between four-hour weeks and forty-hour weeks. I know the pressures that many of those workers face, the uncertainty that it leaves them in and the pressure to drop everything and say yes. We have heard a lot today about businesses needing certainty: I totally agree with that, but families need certainty to put food on their tables, to heat their homes and to live, not merely to survive. <BR /> <BR />Zero-hour contracts deny workers and families a guaranteed income.”
“I thank the Minister for his answer. One of the most distressing parts of this, particularly for people who need an appointment before they can access surgery or so that chronic illnesses can be diagnosed, is that they are contacting the surgery numerous times but only ever get as far as the reception desk. They do not get past the receptionist, and it is very frustrating. It only adds to the anxiety that patients are experiencing. Will you outline what specific measures you are taking to address the issue, particularly so that patients who need a GP appointment urgently can get one when they get through to their clinic?”
“<BR /> <BR />Jackie Duddy, aged 17; Michael Kelly, aged 17; John Young, aged 17; Kevin McElhinney, aged 17; Hugh Gilmour, aged 17; William Nash, aged 19; Michael McDaid, aged 20; Jim Wray, aged 22; William McKinney, aged 27; Patrick Doherty, aged 32; Gerald McKinney, aged 35; Barney McGuigan, aged 41; John Johnston, aged 59; and Gerald Donaghey, aged 17, who, along with all those who were killed and injured on 30 January 1972, was innocent.”
“The men, women and children who marched on that day marched for civil rights. They marched for democracy. They marched to ensure that future generations would never again be treated as second-class citizens, but 14 of them never got the opportunity to enjoy the equality that they helped to achieve. As a representative of a new generation, I say that we are forever indebted to them. We will remember them, and we will speak their names with pride.”
“The following words are etched on the monument in Rossville Street:”
“I am proud to be from the Bogside. I am proud to be from Derry. This weekend, more than ever, I was proud to represent Derry, to stand with the families of Bloody Sunday, whose dignity, courage and resolve reverberate in struggles across the world. <BR /> <BR />For 50 years, the Bloody Sunday families have marched, campaigned and demanded truth and justice. The people of Derry and Ireland have stood with them, but some of their demands remain unmet. The British Government are intent on preventing any prosecution, through an amnesty for the British soldiers who murdered 14 innocent men and boys on the streets of Derry, injuring another 17. Accountability also lies with the British Army generals and successive British Governments who oversaw the murders and denied opportunities for justice.”
“Can the joint First Minister confirm that any legal requirements of the protocol, including checks and associated infrastructure at local ports, are determined by Westminster and EU legislation and that any deviation from that would be a contravention of existing Executive policy and legal obligations?”
“I thank the Minister for her answer and her commitment to the project. It will be fantastic to see that in Derry, given the benefits for not just people's health and well-being but connectivity, which the Minister mentioned. I will be pleased to see it. The Minister highlighted the collaborative work between local government and the Assembly. Are there any other similar projects in the Foyle constituency?”
“I tell the Minister that the solution to lowering the transmission of COVID in our schools is simple. The message sent out by the Minister and the Department, however, is that they simply do not care. While the Minister has not made those decisions, our schools have remained open. The request has not been sprung on the Minister or the Department: Sinn Féin, along with other parties, has called for ventilation continuously for months. I have still heard no clear rationale or reason —”
“— in freezing cold conditions, you have sat on your hands —”
“What is frustrating and unjust is that, this year, air filtration systems are available but the Minister has made a conscious decision to deny them to our schools. <BR /> <BR />Everyone here wants our schools to remain open. We want children to have the best education available to them. Minister, the solution is simple. Ventilation is a simple but effective manner of curbing transmission of COVID in our schools. The message being sent out by you and the Department, however, is that you simply do not care. While children and teachers have sat in our classrooms —”
“I recognise that ventilation is one of a number of measures that must be taken together to reduce the risk of outbreaks in our schools. Ventilation forms an intrinsic part of the battle, particularly in primary schools and special needs environments, where children are not required to wear masks. As someone who worked in a school last year, I can tell you that this is not the best way for our children to learn. It does not present opportunities for our children to thrive. Last year, the lack of air filtration systems was due to a lack, or perceived lack, of availability. Schools remained open on the basis of the goodwill of teachers, school staff, parents and pupils and of rigorous planning by principals and school caretakers.”
“I have another piece of evidence that I heard from a pupil I met on Friday on a visit. She told me that she was petrified of bringing COVID home to her grandmother. Children in our schools have heightened anxiety and are in a state of worry. I was also contacted by several principals who noted that their heating costs have soared due to having to open windows and doors because of a lack of air filtration. That adds further pressure to already stretched budgets. <BR /> <BR />Minister, it would be remiss of me if I did not note that there are broader trends in that correspondence. There are trends of indecisiveness, lack of communication and lack of transparency. The failure to deliver proper ventilation compounds the pressure of the lack of substitute teachers and advice on exams and the contact-tracing queries that all remain unsolved.”
“Minister, in preparation for the debate, I decided to go through some of the correspondence that I have received from my constituents since taking up my role in September. There are 263 parents, teachers and classroom assistants who have contacted me with deep concerns about the lack of preventative strategies to curb the spread of COVID. As Members, our role is to convey the opinions and concerns of our constituents. In my constituency, as in many others across the North, there is alarm, worry and despair. <BR /> <BR />Most recently, the worries have focused on the lack of ventilation. I have heard several comments today and in the lead-up to the debate that have ranged from minimising the need for ventilation right up to dispelling it. Let me refer the Minister to evidence from a teacher in one of my local schools:”
“Minister, thank you for your statement. It is not too often that we agree on things to do with education, but this is definitely one such occasion. <BR /> <BR />Over the last number of weeks, scores of principals have contacted me. They are deeply concerned and are finding it extremely difficult to get substitute teachers. The whole House agrees that we need to keep schools open, but that simply cannot happen if substitute teachers are not available. On that basis, what contribution does the Minister think that the systemic failure of the GTCNI made to the lack of availability of substitute teachers?”
“Thank you for your answer so far. Clearly, the arts and heritage sector has an important role in the economic and social recovery, so thank you, Minister, for your commitment and for implementing the task force's recommendations. Will you also provide an update on the level of resource that is earmarked to support that work?”
“Minister, thank you for your answers so far. You have partly answered my question, which is about Lough Neagh. Obviously, we are all aware that Lough Neagh is the largest lough in Ireland. The Lough Neagh Partnership is keen to be brought under the integrated strategic management of the Assembly. Have you considered that? Secondly, was that raised at the meeting?”
“Members have mentioned what is unattractive about them; let us look at what we can do better and how we can work better, particularly with ESB on charging ports. I do not want to rehearse what has already been said about the need to develop and increase the number of ports across the North. ESB definitely has a lot of work to do, and I look forward, as part of the Committee, to meeting ESB and working together on the issue. <BR /> <BR />I commend the report.”
“We need longer-term solutions, and cycle lanes in particular, across the North. It is fantastic to see them in Belfast and in certain areas of Derry that are more built up, but, as my colleague Liz said, we need to see them across the North so that everybody has access to them. Some €360 million is going towards active travel this year in the South, but there is only £13 million in the North. The comparison is stark. We need a solution for our families and our young people in order to build a framework and, indeed, a mindset for active travel in the future. <BR /> <BR />My last point — it has been mentioned a lot by other Members, so I will touch on it only briefly — is on electric vehicles.”
“It is time to open up the west and, in particular, to deliver on the commitment to an all-Ireland rail service by working with the Government in the South. The Wild Atlantic Way, for instance, is a massive tourist attraction, but it is not serviced at all by rail. As a Committee and as an Assembly, we need to take that on board and look at it, because there is a real opportunity to change it. <BR /> <BR />My second point is on active travel. As a primary-school teacher, I was always very aware of and involved in Walk to School Week. Although it is a fantastic initiative that highlights and emphasises the importance of active travel, it happens only once a year and is perhaps forgotten about during the rest of the year. A number of people talked about education on active travel, and that needs to be a core tenet.”
“We really need to look at that. To start work in Belfast at 9.30 am, you have to leave Derry at 6.15 am. That is not feasible, and it is certainly not acceptable. <BR /> <BR />We need to improve the services that we have. We are willing and happy to work with the Minister to put in place, encourage and drive the changes that need to happen. We need to see the desire and commitment to deliver on the A5 and on the decarbonisation of the road network and, particularly, the rail network, because the rail network offers us an opportunity to open up the entire west. As Members well know, you can look at a map of the North and cut it in two: the west is completely neglected for rail. We really need to change that.”