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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“I thank the Member for giving way, and I will clarify some of his points. We made the motion intentionally narrow because we feel that there are several stages to the broader careers conversation. The intention of this is to change the funding model so that, with the specific element that currently lies with schools, a more collaborative approach is taken. We see this as a necessary prerequisite to the broader conversation around careers moving forward on a collaborative approach.”
“Does the deputy First Minister agree that the Ebrington site is a key driver to the social and economic regeneration of Derry and the entire north-west?”
“Minister, I have taken your advice: I have championed many schools in my constituency, as you know. We were recently on a visit there. I have championed Bunscoil Cholmcille, Gaelscoil Éadain Mhóir, Holy Child Primary School, Lumen Christi College, St Brigid's Primary School, Carnhill and many others. Those schools have questions around why they have not been prioritised and one school has. Will you explain how that project has been funded, when many other projects that have pressing health and safety concerns have not?”
“The Assembly must properly scrutinise the reports and all the circumstances of this allocation.”
“The photos that Members just saw of black mould are from just one school. It has been told to lodge a planning application, with the caveat that, when it does so, funding may not be available. It is a school in which three Portakabins have been knocked down due to black mould, students are taught in an IT room that is half the size of a DE-approved classroom and in which there is no staff room. I know that because I taught there. <BR /> <BR />Let me be clear: I welcome all investment in our schools, but the allocation of scarce public funds must always follow processes that are fair, open and transparent and for which there is accountability. Parents, teachers and school leaders need assurance that schools have equal access to funding opportunities and that decisions are made fairly and consistently.”
“I will discuss a matter that is of significant public concern in Derry and, I suspect, well beyond our city. Over the weekend, I was inundated, as, I am sure, many others in the Chamber were, with calls from school principals, teachers and parents who are dismayed that their schools are being denied basic funding to tackle the most urgent repairs. I have visited schools in Derry with the Minister where walls are falling down and temporary accommodation has been permanent since the 1990s and have been told that no significant funding is open to those schools. <BR /> <BR />I have brought these photos to show —.”
“Minister, what steps have you taken to lobby the British Chancellor to support businesses that have been impacted on by the increases in National Insurance contributions?”
“I thank the Ministers for their answers so far. My question has already been answered in part, but I would be grateful if the Ministers were to provide more detail on the Executive's engagement with schools and, in particular, on how to communicate that to parents and families.”
“Our city stood with the Bloody Sunday families in their lengthy campaign, during which they showed such dignity and courage. <BR /> <BR />Internationally, "Bloody Sunday" became a byword for state murder and the denial of justice. The British state continues in its efforts to deny any opportunity for families to seek justice for their loved ones through its abhorrent Legacy Act, which is opposed by parties across the Chamber. We will continue to stand with the Bloody Sunday families and with families across the North in their pursuit of truth and justice.”
“This week is the 53rd anniversary of Bloody Sunday, when British soldiers murdered 14 civilians on the streets of Derry and seriously wounded 13 more. Growing up in Derry, as a young man, I was told stories by my grandparents of how they had marched for civil rights and a better future for my generation to enjoy. They were part of a generation that stood up and said, "No more": no more to second-class citizenship, no more to inferior housing and no more to being denied the right to vote. When I think of them, I think of those who marched and never came home, whose memory the British state tried so hard to erase. <BR /> <BR />The people of Derry knew that they were innocent. They knew that they had marched for civil rights and had been shot down on their own streets by an army that purported to be protecting them.”
“Minister, for clarification, I mentioned Altnagelvin, but I intended to say "the Western Trust", so it was a comparison between trusts.”
“Today, I ask the Health Minister to commission more inpatient beds in Altnagelvin; to look at a recruitment strategy that mirrors the demographic trends and meets the guidelines for tackling health inequality that the Department of Health has published; and to ensure that there are clear pathways for patients who need nursing home and domiciliary care packages. I thank the Minister for being here today and sincerely hope that we can work together to deliver.”
“We will be your voice in Stormont and in every other political Chamber to ensure that a fit-for-purpose emergency department is delivered for Altnagelvin." To the patients who have shared their experiences with us I say, "Thank you. Thank you for putting your trust in us to represent you. We will stand with you and with every person in Derry and across the north-west to demand equality in access to healthcare." <BR /> <BR />Building a new emergency department in Altnagelvin will not happen overnight, but we need to work together to get the business case agreed and fast-tracked. We cannot stand still until that happens.”
“We know that nursing home beds and domiciliary care are scarce in all areas, but it is particularly pertinent and most acute in the Western Health and Social Care Trust. Patients face prolonged stays due to insufficient community care options. A lack of sufficient capacity in domiciliary care means that beds are used for longer, even though patients have been deemed medically fit to leave hospital. <BR /> <BR />I ask the Minister to press ahead at pace to pay domiciliary care staff and social care staff adequately — I acknowledge the fact that he is already working to do so — and to implement a specific recruitment strategy in the broader social care sector. <BR /> <BR />I say this to the staff in Altnagelvin A&E: "We have your backs.”
“Why would they work in Altnagelvin when they would have to work every three or four weekends, while their friends in other trust areas and other specialities sometimes have to work only two weekends per year? As with strand 1, what metrics does the Department use to allocate junior doctors across trust areas. <BR /> <BR />On nursing home beds and domiciliary care, a colleague mentioned in the Chamber yesterday that there are hundreds waiting to get into hospital and hundreds waiting to get out. Last weekend, 532 people across the trust areas were fit to be discharged. Implementing a more efficient triage process and patient management system to ensure faster assessments and healthcare would help to tackle that.”
“People in my constituency are as entitled to that as anyone in any other part of the North. <BR /> <BR />The number of doctors trained in Altnagelvin is also lower. Why does that matter? It matters because fewer trainee staff get experience in Altnagelvin, fewer get experience outside Belfast and fewer get experience in the areas in which, we know, they are needed. We need to bring in more locum staff at junior and middle levels, because that would have a positive impact on the number who stay and train here before they become consultants. <BR /> <BR />We spoke to numerous junior doctors during their strike who mentioned friends in Belfast, talent leaving our area and never getting the chance to gain employment in our trust area.”
“In addition, while Altnagelvin does between 60% and 70% of the cardiology work that Belfast does, we have two cardiology registrars when Belfast has 14. That accentuates the higher poverty and deprivation stats as well as the health inequalities, which the Department of Health has acknowledged. <BR /> <BR />This is not a zero-sum game. It is not about removing staff from other areas. I acknowledge that specialist services are reserved for certain hospitals to ensure that patients receive the best life-saving treatment, but a 7:1 staffing ratio does not stack up. That is significantly higher, even with an allowance for specialist provision. Our objective today is about equity and adherence to the Department of Health's commitments to regional balance, tackling health inequalities and removing barriers to healthcare.”
“On the issue of commissioning inpatient beds, it is difficult to get a bed in the emergency department, but it is also difficult to get beds across our hospital. We heard from a patient who was triaged at 7.00 pm. They were on an IV drip and had to sit on a plastic chair in a corridor overnight. Inpatient beds can be commissioned for Altnagelvin today. I would love to hear from the Department on whether it has looked at demand and capacity, whether there has been an assessment of how appropriate the bed numbers are for the population and what metrics are used to do that assessment. <BR /> <BR />When it comes to staff training and consultants, Altnagelvin's numbers reflect neither the local population nor the need. The Belfast Health and Social Care Trust has 2·8 times as many consultants as Altnagelvin.”
“We in the Chamber have the power to begin to change things in Altnagelvin. We can upgrade support for healthcare staff to reduce burnout and introduce flexible staffing solutions and incentives, along with targeted recruitment drives, to increase workforce numbers. None of that will happen overnight, but getting a business case signed off and fast-tracked would be a good start. <BR /> <BR />There are immediate solutions that the Health Minister could implement today. He could commission inpatient beds in Altnagelvin; look at the number of consultants and junior doctors who serve their placements in Altnagelvin and work in Altnagelvin; and increase the number of nursing home beds and access to domiciliary care.”
“<BR /> <BR />We have heard from Ambulance Service staff, who have told us that they are tied up, sometimes for 16 hours, at A&E, preventing them from getting to other emergencies. Faster processing times at A&E would mean that ambulances could return to service much more quickly. <BR /> <BR />All the staff we spoke to mentioned feeling burnt out and having extremely low morale that has been exacerbated by an inadequately resourced A&E. They mentioned assaults — verbal and physical — and leaving due to the lack of consistency and training. I thank the Minister for his recent visit to the A&E at Altnagelvin, during which he thanked the medical staff for the:”
“We have heard from the mother of a child aged seven with a broken arm who, because of the lack of beds in the paediatric ward, waited for eight hours until her child passed out from the pain. There are two beds in what needs to be a five-bed department. Dozens of older people have contacted us to tell us that they feel afraid in A&E. We have also heard numerous times about the lack of physical infrastructure. There is one toilet in a waiting room. That is one toilet for upwards of 100 sick people; one toilet for people suffering with Crohn's, kidney stones or many other issues; one toilet in which there have been multiple reports of drug-taking; one toilet for clinically unwell patients. Where is the infection control? Where is the dignity and safety for patients?”
“We have been contacted by scores of people who have been there themselves or with a loved one in extreme despair or distress but have no separate facility to go to. They often feel stigma when sitting in A&E, sometimes accompanied by police officers, and are afraid of knowing someone there and of the judgement that comes with that. There is one consultation room for patients who are undergoing a mental health assessment. Staff have told us that they need at least three. <BR /> <BR />There is another side to that. A lack of consultation rooms also means a lack of privacy to deliver bad news to families or a loved one or to inform patients who have a terminal or life-changing illness.”
“Those figures do not accurately reflect the reality, because some coronary care incidents, strokes and accidents are admitted straight away or referred to Belfast, which distorts the figures. <BR /> <BR />In achieving a new emergency department at Altnagelvin, we need to future-proof it to ensure that we do not face the same problems in years to come. We need a flexible plan to cope with population growth and increased demand. It is about the impact that that has on individuals, however. It is about those in mental health crisis, children, older people, those with chronic conditions and those with dementia. <BR /> <BR />We have received dozens of testimonies from staff and patients in Altnagelvin.”
“They include the removal of general and emergency services and general emergency surgery at the South West Acute Hospital (SWAH); the reduction in orthopaedic and neurology consultancy at Antrim Hospital; and no max-facs care in Sligo. In addition, Altnagelvin has been the trauma centre for the north-west and the point for coastguard referrals. We need an adequately sized and adequately resourced emergency department. <BR /> <BR />Altnagelvin has reported the longest waiting times of any emergency department in the North. From arrival to admission, Derry's accident and emergency waiting time was 19 hours and 52 minutes in 2021, while it was 19 hours and 58 minutes in 2023.”
“Altnagelvin Hospital has the oldest emergency department in the North. It was built to see 40,000 patients a year, and it now sees between 70,000 and 80,000. Derry is the heart of the north-west region. We have seen what can be achieved when we deliver healthcare on a joined-up, all-Ireland basis. We have seen the change that the North West Cancer Centre (NWCC) and coronary care services deliver when we look at provision in that context. It has significantly enhanced the lives of people in our area and, as the evidence shows, delivers more effective health outcomes. <BR /> <BR />Recent changes in circumstances have added to Altnagelvin's workload.”
“The focus of the debate is on highlighting the transformative impact that a new, adequately sized and adequately resourced emergency department would have on the people of Derry and the north-west. Today, I will focus on the voices and experiences of our healthcare staff, ambulance crews and patients. I will focus on two strands: the need for a new department and for immediate solutions.”
“We have heard much in the media and in our constituency offices about winter pressures. Addressing those pressures requires a coordinated response involving the Department, trusts, community organisations and others to ensure that the emergency services remain effective during the challenging winter months. That involves expanding access to primary care and community health services in order to manage non-emergency cases outside emergency departments, which can help to alleviate the pressures. In Altnagelvin, those pressures are faced all year round. There is a clear and demonstrable need for a new fit-for-purpose emergency department at Altnagelvin. <BR /> <BR />Our role is to highlight issues that our constituents are facing and to be the voice of our community and every single person whom we represent.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle.”
“who have worked for years to make that dream a reality. Their dedication to promoting and sustaining the Irish language has borne fruit in that historic milestone. <BR /> <BR />Last week, a BBC report highlighted the growth of the language in the north-west. The Education Authority has also noted the need for two additional Irish-medium post-primary schools in the North. What an achievement to now have four Irish-medium education settings in Derry. What an opportunity to have a meánscoil”
“That is fantastic news not just for pupils and their families but for our city as we witness the growing demand for Irish-medium education. That achievement is testament to the tireless efforts of so many teachers, parents and gaeilgeoirí”
“Ba lá stairiúil é an Luan seo caite: osclaíodh Naíscoil an Phiarsaigh, Doire Trasna, den chéad uair, agus anois tá an Gaeloideachas ar fáil i gCluain Í.”
“I intend to deliver elements of my speech as Gaeilge”
“I thank the Minister for that comprehensive answer. What impact will the British Government's decision to increase National Insurance contributions for small business have? Will it make it more difficult for small businesses in particular to bring people into employment?”
“I thank the Minister for his commitment to ensuring that further and higher education colleges are supported. What is his assessment of the Department's performance in increasing student numbers in further education?”
“Will the junior Minister outline what ongoing Executive work there is to bring young people from across our communities together in order to build a better understanding of each other and of all that they have in common?”
“In common with many families in Derry, my family is forever indebted to Foyle Search and Rescue after losing our amazing aunt Patricia. With those other families, we have stood, and will continue to stand, shoulder to shoulder with the courageous volunteers of Foyle Search and Rescue. Derry people are known for their generosity, passion and love for their community. I thank the volunteers of Foyle Search and Rescue for their tireless work for our city, community and families through the most difficult times.”
“I rise to note the work of Foyle Search and Rescue, a voluntary organisation in Derry. Many Members will be aware of the pivotal work that Foyle Search and Rescue does to assist people who are in distress and despair in Derry and neighbouring areas along the Foyle. Recently, Foyle Search and Rescue published its incident reports for 2024, noting that it provided support during 237 incidents. What is at the core of Foyle Search and Rescue's work is that those are not just statistics; they are lives. They represent people who have been saved and families who have been supported. <BR /> <BR />Unfortunately, Foyle Search and Rescue also has to support many families through bereavement and the loss of a loved one.”
“I thank the Minister for his statement. Minister, I want to touch on the point that you made about dentistry. A number of dentists are in touch with us regularly, and I stress that the fact that they do private work is about sustainability, because they find that the funding model does not sustain their dental practice. You mentioned radical reform. Will you commit to reviewing the funding model, so that patients who access NHS dentistry are able to do so in a timely and efficient manner?”
“Will the Minister elaborate on her plans for non-domestic vacant rating?”
“I thank the Minister for his statement. I very much welcome it. Minister, we all know the importance of moving away from temporary accommodation and towards ensuring that there is more sustainable housing. Will you provide more specific detail on how your Department will deliver that element?”
“Minister, what is the rationale behind DFI's airport powers transferring to DFE?”
“I thank the Minister for his answer. What will be the impact of the additional £6 million in Tourism Ireland's 2024 business plan?”
“I thank the Minister for his answers so far. Minister, are there currently any vacancies on the InterTradeIreland board?”
“I note the hugely positive work that has come out of Urban Villages, particularly in my constituency in Derry. I appreciate that the junior Minister has already answered this in part, but can she outline specifically the next steps for the project? Also, what thought has been given to Urban Villages phase 2?”
“Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I intend to keep my remarks short. <BR /> <BR />I welcome the Minister's proposal to close the scheme in order, as has been highlighted already, to be fair to participants and the public purse and so that there is no increased liability. It will obviously touch on the vast majority of participants, and I am conscious that it is to benefit people this winter.”
“I thank the Minister for his statement. I welcome a number of the recommendations that you have brought forward. I appreciate that the issue has been touched on, but I want to go into a wee bit more detail on your recommendation for an additional managing authority. I would like a better understanding of that. You flagged up some of your concerns. I am keen to understand why those could not have been dealt with by the Education Authority. Surely, attempts to deal with those concerns within the Education Authority would have been the preliminary step and, if they did not work, then progress to other steps. Will you provide more detail on that?”
“Minister, thank you for your answer. I appreciate that you have already dealt with the SEP in quite a lot of detail. I declare an interest as a member of the board of governors and a former teacher at Holy Child Primary School. <BR /> <BR />The board of governors condemned several huts this summer and previously because of black mould. Many of your colleagues touched on the point about how quickly the EA reacts to that. If you could provide me with any more detail on that, I would greatly appreciate it.”
“Minister, how much funding has been committed to the Magee expansion so far?”
“I thank the Minister for his answer. A lot of my constituents, particularly homeowners, have contacted me, saying that they want to make their homes more sustainable and energy-efficient but the schemes are simply not there for them to access. I appreciate that the Minister has provided some update, but will he provide an update on any potential schemes that he hopes to run and who would be eligible for them?”
“Minister, a huge amount of damaging sewage has been put into that stretch of the River Foyle. I am really concerned about the biodiversity impacts of that, particularly the health risks that it potentially poses. Has your Department done any inquiries into the scale of that risk?”