Cathy Mason
South Down · Sinn Féin · Northern Ireland
“The result is that pupils can still face barriers, whereas a straightforward legal entitlement would have resolved the issue once and for all. <BR /> <BR />Picture this: one of our daughters is sitting in a classroom during her period. She is worried about leaking through her skirt. She is anxious about standing up.”
“We have no new arts strategy in the North, while, in the South, serious efforts were made to rebuild the sector following COVID. Arts funding here has suffered real-terms cuts of around 40%, while funding per capita in the South is around four times higher.”
“I, too, welcome the fact that this important legislation has reached its Second Stage. Like the Chair of the Committee, I thank the Committee for its hard work, and I thank the Committee Clerk, the Bill Office and the legal team for getting us to this point.”
“I thank the Member for that, and, again, I could not agree more. Would any of us accept not being able to wear a coat in the pouring rain or the freezing cold when we walk in here? I do not think so. <BR /> <BR />A girl should not have to ask for permission to wear trousers.”
“When the Assembly returned, I had intended to introduce a private Member's Bill to make school uniforms more comfortable for pupils and more affordable for their families. The Minister, however, indicated that he planned to address the issue himself, so I was unable to progress that legislation.”
“Across the North, many girls still do not have the automatic right to wear trousers to school. Instead, they find themselves having to seek permission, request exemptions or rely on the goodwill of individual schools. I have heard the Minister use that as an excuse for why this legislation is not needed.”
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“Every family should be able to afford their child's school uniform and PE gear, no ifs, no buts. We can work together in the Assembly to ensure that, thus giving families the much-needed break that they deserve. I have with me in my hand today the responses from over 1,500 families to a recent party survey that we conducted. At the time, I gave a guarantee to each of those families that I would try to make their voice heard. With the Education Minister here today, I will take the opportunity to read out a few of their personal testimonies to him:”
“I thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker, for the opportunity to highlight the topic today.”
“We need interventions to protect the Quoile from bursting its banks again and to prevent further large-scale flooding. We also need to see the Quoile live up to its true potential ecologically and economically. We need the Department for Communities to commit to a regeneration plan for the town, one that focuses on future-proofing Downpatrick, on promoting sustainable tourism product and on long-term economic regeneration. We also need to see interventions for our local sports clubs, which were impacted on by the flooding as well. We want to see a more ambitious emergency flood payment scheme for residents in the likes of Newcastle who have been affected. <BR /> <BR />Along with my Sinn Féin team in South Down, I will continue to work with all parties on behalf of our local businesses to keep Downpatrick thriving.”
“Much more work needs to be done, however, to ensure that Downpatrick continues to thrive. <BR /> <BR />I take the opportunity to give credit to the Downpatrick regeneration working group. It has painstakingly created the 'Downpatrick Living High Streets Framework', which outlines a real vision for revitalising the town and the whole community. It is imperative that the council now work diligently and proactively to ensure that applications are processed efficiently and that the funding, worth up to £100,000, can go straight to helping repair damage from the flooding. <BR /> <BR />We also need to see a multi-agency approach to a flood mitigation strategy for Downpatrick town and a flood defence strategy to prevent such instances becoming a living reality.”
“Our small and family-run businesses have been under severe pressure because of the extensive damage done by the flooding. Despite the very limited interventions by the British Government, it is welcome that the Economy Minister has announced the flood support scheme that opened today. I wholeheartedly thank the Minister, Conor Murphy, who has listened to the voices of local businesses and acted quickly to ensure that they have access to proper funding and support after what has been a challenging time. The announcement comes as a huge relief to business owners in Downpatrick and will hopefully assist them to restore their businesses and continue to open their doors to the community. Our small and family-run traders are the heartbeat of Downpatrick. They have been there for decades, some for generations.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker. I welcome the opportunity to speak on the flooding in South Down: in Newcastle, Downpatrick, the Mournes and other rural areas. The flooding in Downpatrick was particularly devastating for the town. Despite extremely challenging circumstances, the resilience of our small and family-run local businesses and the community spirit in Downpatrick shone through. Everyone stood shoulder to shoulder and worked together to mitigate the worst effects of the flooding. <BR /> <BR />Sincere thanks must be delivered to those who went above and beyond their role in order to intervene: the Fire Service, council workers, business owners, volunteers and statutory agencies alike. They all came out, united in their efforts to support their town.”
“No, thank you. <BR /> <BR />If we work together to support local fishermen and coastal communities, promote sustainable fishing practice and develop our infrastructure, our fishing industry and local harbours can be the envy of Europe as well. I am happy to support the motion and the amendment.”
“No, thanks. <BR /> <BR />Those include reciprocal rights; access to waters; expediting the permit process; equal access to piers, harbours and ports for fishermen who are resident on the island; and working towards the harmonisation of fishery licensing and regulation on the island. <BR /> <BR />We must also present a united front in our efforts to have environmentally and economically destructive super-trawlers banned from Irish waters and to implement the strict monitoring of factory trawlers to eliminate destructive overfishing practices and the extremely damaging discards of small and juvenile fish species. Irish waters are the envy of Europe. If we work —”
“There is a reasonable balance to be found between marine conservation and maintaining a sustainable fishing resource. <BR /> <BR />One of the most crucial aspects of our fishing industry is the all-Ireland dimension. Our waters and marine life, just like our flora and fauna, do not abide by political boundaries. In order for our fishing industry to thrive and thrive sustainably, we must work as closely as possible with all Departments, as well as with fishing bodies and communities in the rest of Ireland, to maintain and strengthen ties —.”
“Something that is evident from our fishermen in Ardglass as they speak with passion about their struggles with skilled labour is that, in addition to financial and material support, greater recognition of fishing as a skilled profession is a must and a programme of training and learning for local fishing apprenticeships that can help future-proof the local industry is necessary. <BR /> <BR />I was also pleased to see the industry's potential for green growth singled out for mention. As we transition to net zero emissions and place a greater emphasis on conservation and biodiversity, our fishermen will have a key role to play in protecting our waters. Just as with agriculture and the environment, our fishing industry and our marine ecosystem are not adversarial; they are complementary and rely on one another.”
“Unfortunately, our fishing industry is still struggling to recover from the double blows of Brexit and COVID, both of which have had a profound effect on the livelihood of our fishermen and our coastal and island communities. <BR /> <BR />I commend those who tabled the motion for acknowledging the strain that rising costs are putting on the industry, and I echo their call for long-needed harbour infrastructure improvements at Ardglass, Kilkeel and Portavogie to ensure long-term sustainability and a bright future for our fishing industry and heritage.”
“I am pleased to speak on the motion and amendment today. As ours is an all-island nation, our fishing industry plays not just a vital economic role but an important cultural and historical one. From speaking to our local fishermen in Ardglass, it is clear to me that fishing is much more than a job — it is a way of life, an identity and, for many, the continuation of many long and proud family traditions. Irish seafood is renowned for its quality and is a significant driver of tourism and a key export around the world, being popular across Europe and as far away as China. It is not just a moral imperative but an economic necessity that we protect, support and promote our fisheries in South Down and across Ireland as best we can.”
“Adequate training must be made available for all those who are caring for our children. I know that each of our constituency offices are dealing with cases of exhausted parents who are fighting for the rights of their children to get the education that they deserve and are overcoming barriers day and daily. <BR /> <BR />To conclude, I commend the work of those who tabled the motion. It has my full support, and I look forward to working with everyone in the Chamber to deliver on the transformation that is required for special educational needs.”
“Time and again, the Department has refused to grapple with the EA's shortcomings on SEN policy. In fact, it was the work of whistle-blowers, frustrated system users and community and voluntary organisations that exposed the EA's failure on SEN policy implementation. In reality, those issues should have been picked up and dealt with by the relevant public authorities. <BR /> <BR />Recently, I have been working with St Brigid's Primary School in Downpatrick, which is fighting to get Team Teach training for its staff, who are educating and caring for children with the same level of need as those who attend Knockevin Special School, which is just a stone's throw up the road and where staff are entitled to Team Teach training. That does not seem fair or justified, and, for the sake of the staff and the needs of those children, it must change.”
“<BR /> <BR />In order to ensure that our young people in South Down receive the very best start in life, they must have access to the best possible education system. We were elected in May 2022, and, over the course of nearly two years, we were forced to stand by while the situation facing children and young people with special educational needs became increasingly difficult. We need to come together and work hard to secure and deliver the necessary resources to support those young people and their families. <BR /> <BR />There has been a systemic failure on the part of the Education Authority over a number of years, and we need to get to grips with the issues at hand. Of course, the case should and will be made for an enhanced funding package to be made available, but, first, we need to get things right at policy level.”
“In the time ahead, I want to build on the good work that was done by my predecessors, Chris Hazzard and Emma Rogan, to build a vision and a better future for our town. Downpatrick has faced devastation from the recent flooding events, but I have no doubt that it will come back bigger, better and stronger than ever. <BR /> <BR />A brighter future must begin with better access to healthcare and fighting for the restoration of services at Downe Hospital. Just a few weeks ago, sadly, I lost my hero, my big brother Peter. I witnessed at first hand the miracle that our healthcare system is, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the staff, nurses and doctors at the ICU in the Royal Victoria Hospital, who not only cared for Peter but lovingly wrapped their arms around us, his family.”
“I do so knowing the weight of responsibility that that brings, following in the footsteps of great Sinn Féin representatives like Mick Murphy, Caitríona Ruane and Willie Clarke, to name but a few. Anyone who knows me knows that I am a very proud County Down woman and that my heart lies in Drumaness, the village where I was born and reared. My children, husband and I now live in the small village of Loughinisland. Despite our Gaelic footballing differences, I am very proud to bring my children up in that close-knit community, which has itself, of course, dealt with a major tragedy but faced it with resilience. <BR /> <BR />When beginning my journey in the Assembly, it was very important to me that my office would be based in Downpatrick, Down's county town.”
“It is a privilege to be here for the first time, making my first speech, and it is important that I thank all those in South Down who placed their trust in me to represent them in the Chamber. I gave my word that I would work hard for the people of South Down and try to bring forward solutions to the issues that matter to them in their everyday lives. Those include making childcare affordable; providing better support for children with special educational needs; dealing with hospital waiting lists; and ensuring that people can access mental health services when they need them. <BR /> <BR />It is with great honour that I stand here today representing the people of South Down from Newcastle to Downpatrick, Kilcoo to Drumaness and all the places that lie in between.”
“Knowing the issues with the workforce in early years settings, has the Minister considered a workforce strategy as part of that engagement with childcare settings?”