Deborah Erskine
Fermanagh and South Tyrone · Democratic Unionist Party · Northern Ireland
“Minister, you did not mention the removal of the zero-detriment policy, which is a concern that I have. That is worrying for anybody who sits in the Chamber, and for the construction industry in particular.”
“I thank the Minister for his comments about the Western Trust's chair. I, too, pass on my sympathies to his family. <BR /> <BR />Minister, we had the pause to the emergency general surgery consultation process last July. You asked the trust to provide a vision plan.”
“Quality assurance is really important when looking at roads. A number of us in the Chamber could take you to potholes that we have raised with the Department that have been fixed but have then reopened within a matter of days, meaning that we have had to go back into the portal to raise it with DFI staff again.”
“I thank the Minister for her statement and hope that she enjoyed her visit to Enniskillen. The statement mentions moorings. I want to focus on the Fermanagh end of the Ulster canal. I have received communication about accessible jetties and ensuring that jetties and moorings are up to standard.”
“<BR /> <BR />That was laid bare last Wednesday when representatives from the ICRIR said that they had written to the Irish Government 11 or 12 times without receiving any form of reply from them. That is shameful.”
“<BR /> <BR />It is interesting that, for years, Sinn Féin has called on the UK Government to provide information, yet its silence on the Irish Government is deafening. There are people who sit in the Chamber who know exactly the truth about what happened, yet they are prepared to lie about their involvement in the IRA.”
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“On D-Day, scores of men went from these shores to Normandy to fight the tyranny of Nazi occupation. The debt that we owe to those men is immeasurable. Those from these shores who fought against Nazi occupation did not care about the religion of their fellow soldiers. Across Northern Ireland, it was poignant that all sections of the community came together to pay our respects to those who made the ultimate sacrifice for the civil and religious freedoms that we have today. The Royal Ulster Rifles played a critical role on D-Day, with soldiers from across the island of Ireland volunteering to play their part in the war effort. In my constituency, the Royal Air Force, which had bases at St Angelo airport, Enniskillen and at Castle Archdale also played a significant role. Their sacrifice must never be forgotten.”
“Will he engage with Members from rural constituencies to talk about those aspects?”
“I welcome the Minister to his new role. I will be a critical friend to the Minister, and I look forward to working with him in the weeks, months and years ahead. <BR /> <BR />I represent a rural constituency, and the Minister mentioned the Western and Southern Trusts. My constituency does not even have a dual carriageway to bring patients from the South West Acute Hospital (SWAH) to the Ballygawley roundabout. It is imperative to make road improvements while we look at transformational pieces in our health system. For example, when we look at moving services, we need to make sure that patients can use public transport and incentivise that to ensure that they can get to their appointments. What work is the Minister doing on that with the Infrastructure Minister?”
“I thank the Member for giving way. I find it unbelievable that he says it will not damage Departments. It may not do that, but it will damage community groups. I know the number of people who are in contact with my office. I am sure that people are in contact with his office and the Ulster Unionist Party offices. There is no wriggle room for us to wait in carrying out our legal responsibilities to make sure that Departments are funded and can spend money.”
“I thank the Member for making that point about the deployment of fear. I could do that with waste water treatment. Earlier, I made the point that people turning on their taps and getting good-quality water is a bedrock service. If we do not fund that properly, we will see more problems in our health centres and things like that.”
“The Member makes a valid point, and she will be aware that waiting lists are very important. An awful lot of people who are on waiting lists contact us regularly, and we have seen zero plans for how we will spend the money that has been given. Surely, that should be the focus of whoever is going to take the Health Ministry, rather than playing politics with people's lives on this.”
“— in our already stretched and pressured emergency departments (EDs). This is not about just one Department; it is cross-departmental.”
“I remind the Health Minister that, if we do not fund roads and do not fund our water system, that will mean problems in our health service: more people in hospital due to poor drinking water and more traffic incidents, which cause problems —”
“The Committee has written to the Minister to express its disappointment and to seek assurance that engagement for future Budget cycles will be timely, so as not to diminish our advisory and scrutiny roles. <BR /> <BR />I will now speak very briefly in my capacity as an MLA. We have heard a lot today about parties not voting on the Budget. That is mainly down to Health and its not receiving the full Budget allocation that it bid for. Every Department is in a similar situation.”
“<BR /> <BR />Having reviewed the capital and resource allocation of the draft Budget, I note that the Department, subject to Budget approval today, will receive £820·1 million capital and £559·5 million resource, which falls significantly short of the bid that was submitted. It is extremely disappointing that the Department advised that officials would not be in a position to give evidence to the Committee on how it intends to prioritise and allocate its funding until tomorrow. While a paper, which sets out indicative high-level resource and capital allocations, has now been received, it would have been beneficial had members had the opportunity to discuss those allocations with officials before today's debate and vote.”
“Over recent years, it has not received sufficient funding, and, as a result, only the highest-priority repairs can be undertaken, and temporary fixes have become more common. <BR /> <BR />Constrained funding has also led to a reduced winter service, leading to some roads not being gritted, particularly during cold weather. These factors all contribute to road safety on our network and are of particular concern to the Committee and all Members of the House. We have all heard about the tragic and unnecessary loss of life on our roads that has left too many families, friends and communities devastated at the loss of a loved one. Over the coming weeks, the Committee will be considering the road safety strategy and how it aims to deliver improved outcomes. It will seek to ensure that necessary resources are allocated to deliver those outcomes.”
“That investment will allow Translink to meet the demand for services, but it should be across Northern Ireland and take account of need to ensure the provision of accessible and timely services. <BR /> <BR />In addition, we need to offer a reliable and viable incentive for road users to switch to public transport for accessibility to greener forms of transport, which could also help grow our economy. Perhaps, unsurprisingly, I want to mention the recurring issue of the state of our road network, to which, I am sure, every Member can attest. The deterioration of our roads is a consequence of having an insufficient budget to maintain them at a normal level. The Committee recognises that the Department requires some £60 million per annum to maintain the road network.”
“Sorry, I have a lot to get through. <BR /> <BR />Turning to Translink and its funding requirements, the Committee recognises the vital role that our public transport services play in helping users go about their daily life, with some 80 million passenger journeys each year. The Committee is looking forward to tomorrow's combined external meeting and site visit to the new Grand Central station transport hub, which represents a large investment and is expected to be able to accommodate more than 20 million passenger journeys each year. Such investment is absolutely necessary to ensure that Translink can modernise its 14,000-strong bus fleet and play its part in reducing emissions from harmful greenhouse gases, if we are to achieve the commitments under the Climate Change Act.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Committee also heard from the Utility Regulator about its price control determination for NI Water for 2021-2027, or PC21, which looks at the capital investment required to meet need. It advised that we will find ourselves in a difficult situation with the lack of funding from DFI to achieve the PC21 goals. The Committee accepts that all Departments are operating under severe budgetary pressures. However, it is clear that, when setting policy, the Department needs to consider whether the funding it allocates to Northern Ireland Water is sufficient to deliver the intended policy outcomes.”
“From oral evidence taken on 21 February, the Committee learned that the water network lacks capacity in certain areas to facilitate new connections, meaning that new homes and businesses cannot be accommodated. Not only does that impact on our construction sector but it constrains businesses seeking to invest in Northern Ireland and is a barrier to those who are in desperate need of housing. Northern Ireland Water has highlighted that some 19,000 homes and 55 commercial developments are very unlikely to be built or progressed. Reduced investment over the next three years will exhaust capacity in the system, and it anticipates that, by 2030, large parts of Northern Ireland will be unable to meet the demand for connection to the network for homes, public buildings and businesses.”
“On the capital side, the Department forecast that £1·4 billion would be required, but, given the capital funding available to the Executive, the bids submitted totalled £1·12 billion. <BR /> <BR />A high proportion of the resource and capital funding that the Department receives is allocated to Northern Ireland Water (NIW) and Translink. Both organisations were therefore invited to present oral evidence in order to allow the Committee to get a sense of the budgetary pressures that they are facing. The Committee gained a useful if somewhat worrying insight into the historical underfunding of Northern Ireland Water and the potential impact that that underinvestment is having on our economy to this day.”
“I welcome the opportunity to speak — if I am able to — as Chairperson of the Committee for Infrastructure in today's debate. The Committee has undertaken significant engagement with the Department for Infrastructure to gain a broad overview of its role and functions and to get a sense of its financial position. Departmental officials provided an introductory high-level financial briefing on 20 March, at which they outlined the Department's capital and resource requirements for this financial year. The Committee heard that the Department's forecast resource requirement was £676·6 million, which comprised the rolled-forward baseline of £520·1 million and additional bids of £156·5 million.”
“The draft statutory rule was subsequently considered at the Committee's meeting on 8 May, when it was noted that the Examiner of Statutory Rules had raised no concerns regarding the technical aspects of the rule. The Committee agreed to recommend that the Assembly approve the draft statutory rule. I therefore support the motion on behalf of the Committee for Infrastructure.”
“<BR /> <BR />As the Minister indicated, the Act requires the Northern Ireland Civil Service Departments to specify public bodies within their remit that will be required to establish and maintain arrangements to ensure that period products are obtainable free of charge on their premises. The rule will specify the provision by the Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company — Translink — and Northern Ireland Water of the products in all of their administrative accommodation and in all staff buildings that are used for the delivery of services to the public and are open to the public. <BR /> <BR />On 10 April, the Committee agreed that it was content with the proposal for the statutory rule.”
“I welcome the opportunity to speak on behalf of the Committee for Infrastructure. As we have heard during similar debates over recent weeks, the regulations before us seek to deliver on the requirements of the Period Products (Free Provision) Act (Northern Ireland) 2022. Initially, the Committee, at its first meeting, on 14 February, considered a statutory rule on the matter that had been laid by the Department for Infrastructure in June 2023. However, the Department informed the Committee that it was necessary to update the rule to correct the year and to address some typographical errors. The policy proposals reflecting those changes were subsequently considered at the Committee meeting on 10 April.”
“I have listened intently to what the Minister has said. It is important that we do not throw some of these elements, like the duty of candour and one thing or another, into process. It is important that we act on the issues that have come out of these inquiries — in particular, the cultural issues. How does the Minister intend to resolve those cultural issues, which are deeply embedded and particularly so in Northern Ireland given our small healthcare system?”
“I sound as though I need a GP at the moment. The Minister referred to telephone services. One of the recurring themes that we hear is constituents needing to get through to their GP on the telephone. In the previous mandate, the Minister announced £1·7 million for telephone service improvements. I have not been able to find out exactly where that money has gone. Can he provide a breakdown of the GP federations to which that £1·7 million went?”
“However, we are resolute people in Fermanagh and South Tyrone, and I know that our fight will now turn towards creating jobs and drawing down investment in our area. <BR /> <BR />I pay tribute to all in the community who stood side by side in the fight to retain jobs, and there was political support across the spectrum in that fight. I will continue my fight for the area. I call on the Economy Minister to bring forward urgently a plan for my area and a plan for economic regional balance.”
“We urgently need to see a plan for jobs and investment that holds fast to the idea of regional balance that was set out by Minister Murphy and that, I hope, the interim Economy Minister will also work towards. <BR /> <BR />I pay tribute to the work of Invest NI, which has kept in touch with me and engaged with the BT/EE group to try to save the jobs. The chief executive continues to engage with me to find a way forward in supporting the people in Fermanagh and South Tyrone who have lost their jobs and to create options for them. That includes a number of people who did not sign up to the voluntary scheme and who need to find out what their options are. It will not be easy for the 300 people who have lost their jobs.”
“I rise again to speak about job losses in my constituency. Last Tuesday, 300 workers were told that the BT/EE site will close in October. That is devastating news for the entire constituency, but it is felt most acutely by that global company's employees and their families and friends. As time moves towards October, there can be no doubt that the closure of the site will have an impact on businesses on the high street in Enniskillen and in rural towns and villages across Fermanagh and South Tyrone. That concerns me greatly. <BR /> <BR />Whilst my fight since February has been to retain those jobs, I have always been keen to ensure that my constituency gets a fair share of investment and jobs. I make that plea again today.”
“I appreciate that the Minister is taking views from other sectors. Will he confirm that, in any consideration of the matter, he will ensure that the rights to freedom of speech and freedom of religion are protected?”
“Therefore, I thank my colleagues for tabling the motion. We will support it and the amendment.”
“Cutting ties with the equality and outcomes framework in the current GMS contract has raised concern in that regard, particularly given that the new Northern Ireland assurance framework does not seem to have been finalised ahead of agreement being reached between the BMA and the Department on this year's settlement. Can the public be confident that all practices are operating services at the same standard when those outcomes are not being recorded? <BR /> <BR />For too long, "Budget issues" and "Pressures" have been the cry and the reason behind not moving to a sustainable solution. "Stabilisation should come first", is what I have heard, but waiting around for stabilisation is clearly not working, and failure to act will see the complete collapse of our primary care, with a domino effect across the health service.”
“I thank the Member for his intervention. I agree. This is a huge issue that all our constituency offices deal with. It is regrettable that it was not brought to the Chamber in order for us to look at it fully. <BR /> <BR />Progress towards addressing the long-standing lack of indemnity provision for GPs is welcome. However, the uplift in funding between practices is linked to annual contractual arrangements, and there is still a need to pursue and agree a long-term solution. Furthermore, we understand the desire for GP practices to have certainty on cash flow. Equally, that needs to be balanced with ensuring that GPs are accountable for their performance against clinical indicators for the various illnesses and conditions that they manage.”
“The Department of Health needs to do more to incentivise newly trained GPs, and, indeed, those with experience who are considering walking away from the profession, to stay. That is particularly true when you look at rural areas and the need to incentivise young trainees and GPs to stay in the likes of Fermanagh and South Tyrone. <BR /> <BR />I welcome the Department of Health's announcement of an agreement on the general medical services contract with GPs for 2024-25. However, I heard more detail on that through the media, as I travelled to Stormont, than I did from the Minister, either through a written ministerial statement or in the Chamber.”
“Contracts for GP services still do not contain performance targets. A large cohort of trained GPs are choosing not to work in primary care, because of the stress involved and a lack of support. The list goes on. <BR /> <BR />Those problems will not be addressed overnight. However, the importance of delivering real change cannot be overstated. Previous evidence shows that over 90% of NHS contracts are with GPs, yet they account for only 5·4% of the health and social care spend in Northern Ireland. Training more GPs is a key pillar of the DUP's five-point plan, but so too is ensuring that those who qualify remain here and forge a career in primary care across Northern Ireland. The drain of expertise to other jurisdictions needs to be stemmed. Recruitment and retention are two sides of the same coin.”
“We have already seen practices in my constituency close their doors. Rosslea surgery, for example, closed a number of years ago. <BR /> <BR />How is that sustainable? In Northern Ireland, as of March 2023, there were 317 active GP practices — a reduction of 33, equating to 9%, since 2014. Yet, the average number of registered patients per practice has increased by around 17% since 2014. It is clear that primary care in Northern Ireland has reached crisis point. We now have fewer GP practices than we did 10 years ago. The practices that are operating are not evenly distributed across the Province. GP contracts are being handed back with increasing frequency. The roll-out of multidisciplinary teams has stalled. Many patients are frustrated with the phone triage service and have been unable to secure timely access to care.”
“Hardly a week goes by in which someone does not get in touch with me or my constituency office to talk about GP services. The common refrain is that it is difficult to get through on the phone to get an appointment. That is perhaps symptomatic of the pressure and problems behind the scenes, which are the cause and what we need to deal with. <BR /> <BR />It is important that we pay tribute to the vast contribution made by our GP and primary care staff across Northern Ireland. I pay tribute to my GP practice and thank it for all the work that it does alongside the excellent community pharmacy provision in my area. My practice, Brookeborough and Tempo Primary Care Services, was one of 13 practices that had to hand back its contract in 2022-23. The Western Trust stepped in to provide a service for the some 8,000 patients on the books.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. I agree with him about MDTs. As a representative of a rural constituency, the Member knows the importance of having access to the full complement of healthcare staff in a primary care setting. It is disappointing that we have not had the full roll-out, despite some previous announcements about MDT allocations.”
“I thank the Minister for this really positive statement and for putting working families at the heart of his decision-making. He will know that I am very keen to see the housing estate and options improved in rural areas, such as in my constituency of Fermanagh and West Tyrone. Can he indicate how the initiative will help in rural areas in particular?”
“Dementia is a difficult illness, but timely diagnosis, the right intervention and support can make all the difference. Dementia diagnosis should not be the end of the story. I know what it has been like for my family. The person is still there and deserves to have the right to care, particularly when they cannot use their own voice to articulate what they need. We do not know how many of us in the Chamber may be in the same position one day. It is not just an old person's illness, and it is not just somebody who is doting. We need to act. We need to put this right for people who have dementia and put in place the right support for them in the here and now.”
“More than 24,000 people are living with the condition in Northern Ireland, yet it is estimated that one third of people affected have not received a diagnosis. The charity reports that an ageing population means that dementia in the UK population will increase by 43% by 2040, with the biggest increase in Northern Ireland.”
“The new research revealed that the cost of dementia care in Northern Ireland has hit almost £1 billion per year and could soar to more than £2 billion by 2040. Across the UK, just 1·4% of the money spent on dementia healthcare goes towards diagnosis and treatment. The majority of costs come from social care, which is 40%, and unpaid care, which represents 50%.”
“Yesterday, in Parliament Buildings, we had a powerful event organised by the Alzheimer's Society in Northern Ireland to mark the start of Dementia Action Week. During the event, we saw a new video telling the stories of six people, which was launched to highlight what it is like to care for somebody who is living with dementia. Those stories were beautifully portrayed and shone a light on the realities. It really resonated with someone who has family members living with dementia. <BR /> <BR />As part of the launch of Dementia Action Week, the Alzheimer's Society unveiled new research. That research puts a light on the financial and emotional toll on families but also emphasises the importance of early and accurate diagnosis, whilst calling on the Northern Ireland Assembly to urgently prioritise dementia diagnosis to help families.”
“Work is happening in the Executive on a number of matters, and, even in the absence of a Programme for Government, the Executive have taken a number of important decisions. Will the deputy First Minister outline some of those?”
“I thank my colleagues John Blair and Mike Nesbitt and other Members across the Chamber. Hopefully, we can all work together for a better Northern Ireland for everybody who chooses to live and work here.”
“They have added to our social and cultural tapestry and are the largest ethnic minority group here, with Polish the second most-spoken language in Northern Ireland after English. Poland is the only European country with a full-time diplomatic mission in Northern Ireland. A perhaps little-known fact is that, during the Second World War, Polish airmen were based here in a defence role, and Polish Second World War graves are located in several parts of the country. As a local representative, I have really appreciated the attendance of the Honorary Consul of the Republic of Poland, Jerome Mullan, at Remembrance Sunday events in Enniskillen through the years. His faithful attendance is a recognition and a symbol of the bonds and ties that bring our communities together. <BR /> <BR />I look forward to today's events.”
“The group will aim to increase awareness of the Polish community and its contribution to Northern Irish culture, economy and daily life. It is hoped that, through the group, Polish communities living in Northern Ireland will feel more connected to political life and able to contribute more to society through political means. The Friends of Poland group has been supported by the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Belfast and many other Polish groups. I put on record the work carried out by Maciek Bator, who many in the Chamber will know. Maciek has been a voice for the Polish community in Northern Ireland and has done excellent work in communities. <BR /> <BR />In the past 20 years, the Polish community has established itself in Northern Ireland, and over 25,000 Polish people now live here.”
“Today is a very exciting day as we mark 20 years of the Polish community's coming to Northern Ireland to make this beautiful part of the world their home. We say, "Thank you" to many of those people for the contribution that they have made. As has been outlined, later today in Parliament Buildings there will be an event to launch the Friends of Poland cross-party group, which will have the aim of maintaining the relationship between the Polish community in Northern Ireland and elected Members of the Northern Ireland Assembly.”
“I thank the Minister for her answer. The Minister will be acutely aware that our hospitality industry and, indeed, small businesses on the high street are suffering. One of the issues is high rates. Has the Minister looked at any ways in which we can combat that for those who are in the most dire of circumstances?”
“I thank the Minister for giving way. I am wholly disappointed with that. It is a small pot of funding to have somebody who will oversee the autism strategies and policies that come out of the Department, and it should save money in the long run by looking at the services in the round. I am wholly disappointed by that decision. There was cross-party agreement on putting in place an autism reviewer. It is essential, Minister. I urge you to look again, because we agreed it as part of the legislation.”
“I have noted that some of the deadline dates in the autism strategy were in March 2024. What has happened with the March 2024 deadlines? I have not seen any outcomes from the strategy, and we are past that deadline.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. That is a point that I made in my opening remarks about advocacy. We have advocates, and the independence of the reviewer was important. We spent a significant amount of time debating that in the Health Committee. The Member was a part of that, so I thank him for making that point.”
“I thank the Member for making that point. With regard to the budget position that we always hear about, we specifically made sure that there would not be any barriers in place in order to try to ensure that it was brought through, because it is a fundamental part of the legislation that needs to be implemented in order to ensure that the targets are met.”
“Given that the autism strategy is a live document, can we be assured that the measurable targets that are required by legislation will be developed and included in the strategy as a matter of urgency? <BR /> <BR />Today, I want the Assembly to reaffirm its commitment, which was agreed across the Benches in 2022 when we debated the Bill, to full implementation of the Autism (Amendment) Act (Northern Ireland) 2022. Again, it is about action and delivery.”