Alan Robinson
East Londonderry · Democratic Unionist Party · Northern Ireland
“As the school year comes to a close, 2026 will see the loss of two high-profile educators in Roe Valley. Those two individuals have given many valuable years of service to the education system.”
“<BR /> <BR />Marshall and Nicola, I hope that you begin your well-earned rest with immense pride in all that you have accomplished. Your schools will undoubtedly miss you, but your legacy will continue through every pupil whose life was enriched because of your years of service.”
“<BR /> <BR />While the two individuals led very different schools, they shared a calling: to provide the best education for young people and to inspire those around them. They have been a steady, reassuring presence for generations of children and trusted colleagues to their staff.”
“He has been an incredibly popular head of school and has the respect of many across the education system in the Province. I wish him well and trust that he will enjoy having more time for the sports that he is so deeply fond of, including rugby.”
“I thank the Member for that response. I very much welcome the addition of a padded protective area, which is something that I had lobbied for. I am keen to know whether there are any plans to increase the number of Changing Places facilities in Parliament Buildings in order to improve accessibility for staff and visitors.”
“Like others, I support the motion. For many individuals and couples across Northern Ireland, the dream of becoming parents is accompanied by years of emotional heartbreak. Couples who have undergone that journey will tell you that it is the uncertainty that kills them.”
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“That contributes to the reliance on private, rather than public, transport. <BR /> <BR />Northern Ireland has a less extensive rail network than many regions and nations of the UK. In addition to long-term planning and funding, people will need to feel that public transport options are fast, affordable, safe, modern and, more importantly, available for the journeys that they make. That will require the Executive to have a long-term transport infrastructure plan, with the backing of the UK Government to provide confidence that funding will be available to deliver it.”
“Over three million journeys were made on the Londonderry railway line in 2019, showing that there is a clear demand for good transport links to and from that region. <BR /> <BR />The motion's sponsors fail to mention in the body of the motion another important report: the Union connectivity review report. That report was published a while back, and it should be embraced by the Executive and the Minister. It highlighted the huge task at hand for public transport, and that, in 2017-18, local transport and rail received funding of £84 per head, which was the lowest amount of all the regions of the UK and 27% of the UK average expenditure. Public transport in Northern Ireland has experienced decades of underinvestment, leaving some elements of public transportation unable to adequately meet current and potential user needs.”
“In the rest of the United Kingdom, public transport is used by 18% of workers to travel to work, and just 68% of workers commute by car. I pay tribute to previous Ministers who had the foresight to save the Londonderry to Belfast line. In the not-too-distant past, there was pressure to close the line between Coleraine and Londonderry. I am very glad that that did not happen, and that, since then, we have seen an uptake in the number of people using the rail network. The fact that passengers can travel from Belfast to Dublin by train in just over two hours, while it takes around the same time to travel between Belfast and Londonderry, despite its being a significantly shorter distance, highlights the significant regional imbalance. It is almost twice as fast to travel by road between Belfast and Londonderry as it is by rail.”
“I very much welcome the opportunity to speak on what I and many others see as a vital public service. Our rail and bus networks throughout Northern Ireland are a lifeline to thousands of people, especially those who avail themselves of a SmartPass. As an MLA who represents the north-west, I know that we have been largely left behind in investment per head of population on public transport. Since the 1950s, the Northern Ireland rail network has been cut from 754 miles to 297 miles. Many areas have been cut off from the rail network since the closure of their local railway line or station more than five decades ago. <BR /> <BR />Some 6% of workers travel using public transport, whilst 82% travel to work by car, which is the highest number for any UK region.”
“I thank the Minister for his answer. Minister, are there also plans to meet the Scottish and Welsh Education Ministers?”
“We owe it to the thousands upon thousands of our constituents —.”
“— forge larger national and local partnerships with the NHS in other parts of the UK and independent providers to crack down on waiting lists.”
“The use of private hospitals and providers across the British Isles and further afield is critical and looks like the only short-term option. This should not be focused just on surgery but on the full suite of professional skills and services needed to reduce the current backlog. I accept that there have been gains in recent times with the ongoing development of dedicated elective sites, including regional day case and overnight stay centres. However, significant further expansion is required if we are to see better progress in dealing with waiting list backlogs. We must maximise outcomes from additional investment. Continuing with the same level of small contracts with independent providers cannot deliver the tangible progress that we crave. The Department of Health must be seizing opportunities to —”
“<BR /> <BR />That brings me to my personal experience with one such waiting list on which I was placed several years back, when my GP initially told me that I would have an 18-month wait. Eighteen months came and went, then 19 months, 20 months and 21 months. When I became aware that the consultant also carried out work in the private sector, I queried, merely out of interest, how soon I could be seen. The answer from the consultant's PA was, "Can you attend next Thursday?". The take-home message for me was that the wealthy can stay healthy while the rest of us just have to wait. The right to health should belong to everyone. <BR /> <BR />It also showed me that the capacity in the private sector should be grasped.”
“We also heard earlier that one quarter of all cancer diagnoses between 2012 and 2017 were made in emergency departments (EDs). A postcode lottery is being played out in cancer treatment waiting times, with the Western Trust seeing much better performance towards meeting targets than other areas. <BR /> <BR />I could go on and on, but I simply do not have the time. When it met last week, the new Health Committee heard the stark reality that we all must bear. The £34 million from the British Government to tackle waiting lists is nowhere near enough. Indeed, it would take hundreds of millions of pounds and many years to properly address the situation. Those are not my words, but those of senior health officials.”
“I mean this with the greatest of respect, but, while they part with money that they can ill afford, others cannot do that. Those people descend into greater ill health, which, ultimately, becomes more complex and expensive to treat. Some even die. That is the stark reality that we are dealing with. <BR /> <BR />While we could all fill today's business with examples of human suffering, we must also deal in the hard facts. We heard earlier that, as of September 2023, 429,000 people were waiting on a first outpatient appointment, of which half were waiting for a year. Some of those people will die; at best, their quality of life will be poor. Those waiting times are the worst in the UK and amongst the poorest outcomes in Western Europe.”
“That this is my maiden speech allows me to speak a little from a very personal perspective. It allows me to express my frustrations, as someone with long-standing health conditions who has been on multiple waiting lists and who has just recently been put on yet another. Today, we will all be able to share stories of constituents who have visited our offices seeking assistance in the hope of climbing a lengthy waiting list. All of us can give accounts of people whom we represent who have no other option but to part with their life savings or to borrow many thousands of pounds for urgent treatment, forcing themselves into a world of debt. These are good, decent, salt-of-the-earth people who may have worked themselves to the bone all their days and paid into the NHS only to be let down.”
“Unfortunately, having enjoyed only 11 months of retired life, he was struck down by ill health. Typical of the man that George is, however, he has fought his way back. He is living independently again, he is back driving and he is back enjoying following Irish League football. I am sure that the House, and especially those Members to my right, will extend good wishes to him as he returns to good health.”
“George served for 18 years in this place. He began his almost two-decade stint here at the very youthful age of 62.”
“Thank you, Principal Deputy Speaker. I congratulate you on your recent elevation in the House. <BR /> <BR />Before I begin my remarks on this very important topic, I will step back two years to offer my appreciation to those across East Londonderry who ensured that there would be two members of my party to represent their interests. I also pay tribute to George Robinson MBE, whom I replaced in the seat.”
“Thank you, Minister, for that response. Does the Minister agree that farming families and vets work long and late hours, have huge pressures regarding record-keeping and other requirements and that, therefore, every effort must be made as quickly as possible to resolve the issues with the new system?”