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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“<BR /> <BR />This year, the Department has committed £215 million in capital for NI Water, which is more than the funding of £178 million that the Utility Regulator identified as necessary this year.”
“<BR /> <BR />Derry is, sadly, no different, as the lack of investment in waste water infrastructure is preventing thousands of new homes and other developments being built in the Buncrana Road and Skeoge areas, as several capacity issues have been identified across the Derry City and Strabane District Council area. It is vital that those works are delivered as a matter of priority to allow people access to much-needed homes and to allow our city to grow and prosper. However, due to the scale of the issue, there are real concerns that some communities will get left behind while other areas will be prioritised for investment. It is absolutely vital that areas such as my constituency of Foyle get the investment they need to allow communities to prosper and to ensure that regional inequalities are not exacerbated by the waste water crisis.”
“It has led NI Water to warn that investment is going down the drain as our failing waste water infrastructure prohibits connections in new houses and businesses. It has also led to inadequate environmental protection through increased sewer flooding and pollution. <BR /> <BR />NI Water has repeatedly warned of its chronic and historical underinvestment. Take a look at NI Water's investment during Tory austerity. For its business plan for 2015 to 2021, it received only around half of what it actually needed. That is a far cry from sustainable development. Failure to provide long-term funding will lead to a worsening crisis, with widespread detrimental impacts for our community, local economy and natural environment.”
“Water and waste water infrastructure is an essential part of any functional society as it provides a vital service with many health, environmental and economic implications. From supplying us with safe, clean water to waste water treatment, it is a foundation for sustainable economic growth. It is unacceptable that our sewerage and waste water infrastructure has reached a crisis point across the North due to historical underinvestment. <BR /> <BR />Many sewerage networks and treatment plants are now operating at or beyond their capacity. That, in turn, has limited opportunities for new connections. That is having an impact on housing, development, business and promoting regional balance by restricting the development of over 100 areas across the North.”
“I am concerned that, while progress on the A6 is welcome, the public reopening of another vital stretch of road for the north-west — the A5 — has been delayed again. Will the Minister provide an update on what her Department is doing to ensure that there will be no further delays to the A5?”
“I urge all Members to join the conversation that helps us to build that.”
“It would be an Ireland where we were not subject to British Government cuts and the impact of a British Government Brexit. <BR /> <BR />The debate has been turbocharged by austerity, London's handling of the pandemic and its decision to leave the European Union. We can do better — better for our people. There is an alternative to Tories and to Brexit. Irish unification is a guaranteed path back into the European Union. It would give the people of the North a chance to steer our own destiny in a new Ireland, to enjoy the benefits of an all-Ireland economy and to rid ourselves of the austerity that we are discussing today. We can show political leadership by taking control of our destiny and protecting all of our citizens. That is what the people of Foyle want to see. That is what the future looks like.”
“The British Government have cut the block grant in the North year on year for a decade. Tory cuts have devastated our public services not just with regard to welfare but in health, education, infrastructure and, particularly, our public transport systems. It is in the Tory DNA to slash public services and attack the most vulnerable. That is why they are cutting the universal credit uplift. That is what Tories do. They simply do not care about the people of Derry, and they do not care about the people in the North. However, there is hope that more and more people are becoming aware of that and that more people see the connection between Westminster and the damage in their everyday lives. That is what a conversation about a new and united Ireland is about. In a new Ireland, we could make our own decisions.”
“They will impact people in Derry, people across the Foyle constituency and people across the North. If we are genuine about standing up for families and for those who are most vulnerable in our society, we must start to work together to tackle the cuts and present a united front against the Tory Government. We need to stand with other devolved institutions in Scotland and in Wales to counter the removal of the uplift. <BR /> <BR />Until we take full control of our fiscal destiny, we will always be vulnerable to austerity, to cuts and to policies imposed on us at Westminster by a Government who have very little empathy for the people of the North and less of a mandate in this area. To be clear, the decisions, as was the case with Brexit, have not come from the Executive. The decisions and choices were made by the British Government.”
“The removal of the £20 universal credit uplift is yet another assault by Boris Johnson and his Cabinet on struggling individuals and families in Derry and across the North, those who have borne the brunt of Tory austerity for almost a decade. The move by the British Government compounds the impact that will be felt from the hike in energy prices and will leave the most vulnerable in our society again facing the choice between putting food on the table and heating their home. That is the real-life impact. <BR /> <BR />I was proud to speak in the Chamber last week to oppose the cuts and to be part of a rare consensus across the Chamber demanding that the Tories scrap their plans. The significance of that cannot be overstated. There was a real recognition that the cuts transcend party political boundaries.”
“What is the value of the rates support that has been provided to town centres this year?”
“It is the beginning of addressing the mental health crisis in Derry and the beginning of removing the stigma around poor mental health, and I implore the Health Minister to act swiftly to save lives in our town.”
“<BR /> <BR />We are all very aware of the impact that COVID has had on our health service. I am sure that there is agreement across the Chamber that one of the enduring impacts of the pandemic will be its effect on mental health outcomes. That is already causing devastation to many families, and while I am acutely aware of the challenges facing the Health Minister, I ask him to prioritise putting in place the necessary resources to tackle poor mental health. <BR /> <BR />A detox centre represents an important first step in addressing that. It represents a pivotal piece of the puzzle. It represents one part of a bigger picture — one that shows joined-up strategic thinking and that supports all those in need of mental health support. However, we cannot stop there. A detox centre is not a tick box. It is not case closed.”
“Recently, the campaign for a detox centre in Derry has intensified. Having started in 2014, the campaign ebbed and flowed but was recently given a new lease of life by a young Derry woman called Tamzin White. Tamzin has campaigned vociferously for a detox centre in the north-west to cater for those in our city and area who are battling addiction. <BR /> <BR />Why does Derry need one? There is a dedicated detox centre in Omagh, and one third of the patients there are from Derry. The work done in Omagh is spectacular, and I want to take this opportunity to thank the staff for their dedication and commitment to each and every patient. Derry does, however, have a disproportionate number of admissions to the centre, reinforcing the need for an additional facility in the north-west.”
“After consultation with fellow teachers, families and pupils, I am deeply concerned that the PHA evidently does not have the capability to take on contact tracing. What steps has the Minister taken to rectify that? When will she provide our school communities with a solution?”
“Does the Minister agree that it is clearly unfair to exclude 16- and 17-year-olds from the scheme, given that so many of them work and pay tax? Will he consider extending the scheme to include them?”
“I challenge anyone in the Chamber to tell me that hardworking families in Derry should pick up the tab for the British Government, that Creggan should bail out the Cabinet, that Ballymagroarty should bail out Boris or that the Bogside should bail out billionaires. <BR /> <BR />All of us in the Chamber have a responsibility and a duty to ask ourselves, "Is that what we want for our children?". We do have a choice. I want to see a new Ireland, based on equality and fairness. In the interim, I want to see us taking control of our own economic destiny by transferring fiscal powers. We can do better ourselves: better for our workers, better for our families, better for our pensioners and better for our young people. I support the motion.”
“They should start by investing in health rather than in imperialist military adventures. They should start by taxing the wealthy, the big businesses and the billionaires who have done very well out of the pandemic. They are the people who should be shouldering that burden, not ordinary workers, families and pensioners. <BR /> <BR />While the rich have gotten richer under Boris Johnson, the number of children on free school meals has increased by 300,000 to 1·74 million. Inequality, deprivation and the number of children going hungry is increasing as a direct result of the policies being implemented by this Tory Government. As a young Derry man and as a teacher, I see the impact of that every day.”
“They ignored our wishes on Brexit, forcing it upon us against our will. Now, they are forcing ordinary workers, families and pensioners here to pay the price of the pandemic by hiking National Insurance contributions and reducing pension increases. <BR /> <BR />Of course, increased investment is needed in our health and social care systems, and I want to take this opportunity to thank the incredible staff within that system who continue to put themselves on the front line in the battle against COVID. What the Tories do not tell you is that our health and social services were already decimated by vicious austerity cuts that they ruthlessly imposed. If they want to invest in health and social care, they should start by restoring the millions that they have plundered from our block grant.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. I want to begin by saying how honoured I am to be addressing this debate on behalf of the constituents of Foyle. As a newly selected Sinn Féin MLA, I am determined to be a voice for the people of Foyle — a voice to demand first-class health services, particularly in regard to mental health; more affordable social housing; and job creation. <BR /> <BR />I will use my role as an MLA to encourage young people to play an active part in their communities and to help to create opportunities and futures for them. Today's debate underlines the importance of that work, because what future is there for our young people when any part of it remains under the influence of the British Government? <BR /> <BR />The Tory Administration have repeatedly demonstrated their disdain for the people who live here.”
“Given the increase in North/South trade, what work has the Minister done with his colleagues in the South to promote the consumption of local and seasonal produce in the border region and across the island?”
“As one of two new Sinn Féin MLAs for the Foyle constituency, I register my personal sympathies and the sympathies of Derry Sinn Féin on the death of Pat Hume. Pat was a next-door neighbour of ours for over 20 years. I will always remember her as a kind and generous person and a very good family friend.”