Danny Donnelly
East Antrim · Alliance Party · Northern Ireland
“I thank the Minister for that answer. It will not satisfy the people of the area. The completion of the 3 km distributor road was planned to be a key part of the development, linking hundreds of houses to the wider road network, but, due to a planning issue by her Department in the 1990s, it never happened.”
“I thank the Minister for his statement. Minister, as you mentioned in your statement, the inquiry was highly critical of what it describes as "an adversarial and oppositional approach" by the Belfast Trust to the inquiry.”
“The Minister mentioned the need to reform the health service. In light of the recent startling figures that show that half a billion pounds was spent on locums over the past three years, does he agree that investment in attracting permanent doctors may be a more prudent use of Department of Health resource?”
“<BR /> <BR />As a nurse, I condemn the attacks in the strongest possible terms and highlight the specific impact that they have had on people who care for us when we are at our most vulnerable.”
“Every day, they treat patients with skill, compassion and professionalism. Let us be absolutely clear: when a nurse is intimidated on her way to work and chased by masked men into the Ulster Hospital, that is an attack on our health service.”
“I will speak today about the attacks on our international healthcare staff. I begin by saying that my thoughts are with the victim of the brutal attack in north Belfast and his family. I hope that he recovers well. <BR /> <BR />Violence has no place in our society.”
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“As mentioned, we should be aware of the fact that these are people's lives and families. The percentage of suicides in 2022 was three times higher in Northern Ireland's most deprived areas than in the least deprived areas. We need a more urgent response from the Department of Health to address the crisis. <BR /> <BR />The mental health strategy was a welcome step towards reform and transformation of our mental health services, and we need to see its full implementation. Some progress has been made on its 35 actions, but not enough. We also need an update on the implementation of the Department's Protect Life 2 suicide prevention strategy, which was extended last year to the end of 2027.”
“To give an example, the Programme for Government refers to the importance of sport to both physical and mental health and the development of local sports facilities, which is a responsibility for the Minister for Communities. <BR /> <BR />We need to address the causes of poor mental health and its overlap with deprivation and the legacy of the Troubles. In 2023, one in five adults in Northern Ireland was prescribed an antidepressant. The highest uptake — 27% — was in the poorest areas of Northern Ireland, which are, largely, the same areas that were most heavily impacted on by the conflict. That represents a fourfold rise in the prescribing of antidepressants in the past 20 years. There has also been a rise in the provisional figures for deaths by suicide, as mentioned by Órlaithí, from 203 in 2022 to 221 in 2023.”
“I thank the SDLP for tabling this motion. As one of my party's spokespersons on health, I welcome the focus on health and especially mental health in these Opposition day motions. <BR /> <BR />We have a mental health crisis in Northern Ireland, as has been pointed out. It is extremely concerning that the number of people whom we have lost to suicide is now higher than the number of people who lost their lives in the Troubles. Tackling poor mental health and suicide prevention must be a priority for the Minister of Health and the Executive as a whole. It is welcome that the draft Programme for Government references mental health in reference to other Departments.”
“I thank the Minister for his answer. Is the Minister satisfied that the budget is sufficient to match the uplift in pay elsewhere in the public sector, while enabling InterTradeIreland to carry on and, indeed, enhance existing projects?”
“<BR /> <BR />For those reasons, I encourage all Members to support our amendment, which improves the motion and states that the Assembly will provide political leadership to deliver the best outcomes for our health service, work with relevant local sectors and seek to progress agreed multi-year Budgets.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Minister said that the health service should be effective and timely for all, and it absolutely should. The gap between funded capacity and demand that we see is being exacerbated by problems in the health service, and we see things getting worse in some areas. There are areas where things are improving and people are getting more treatments. That is to be welcomed, and we want to support the roll-out of things such as multidisciplinary team (MDT) services in GP practices across Northern Ireland. While they are not a silver bullet for GP practices, they ease the burden on those practices. I know that GP practices have been happy to hear of the extended roll-out of that and of the surgical hubs.”
“<BR /> <BR />Órlaithí Flynn talked about the health inequalities that women face and the shocking statistic that some women can expect to live 14 fewer years in good health than those in more prosperous areas. That is a very shocking statement, and she made the point strongly. Thank you, Órlaithí. <BR /> <BR />Timothy Gaston referred to the growth of the waiting lists during the years of stop-start government, and he is right. Timothy is not here, but he is right that we have gone on and off. We should be aware in the Chamber that on-off government makes delivery of transformation in the health service impossible. If the Assembly is not functioning, we cannot deliver transformation, and we certainly cannot deliver multi-year Budgets.”
“Thank you, Principal Deputy Speaker. I certainly agree with that, and it is something that we can work together on. <BR /> <BR />Alan Robinson reiterated the failure to meet treatment targets, and it is appalling. I think Mrs Dodds referred to it as "obscene", and I agree. Mr Robinson highlighted the fact that the people to whom we refer in the targets are not just numbers but our constituents. I have personal experience of constituents who are spending their life savings and borrowing money to pay for surgery. They are being forced into the independent sector to buy surgery that they should get on a timely basis in our health service. That was a well-made point.”
“We are starting to see waiting lists come down in certain areas of care delivery in Northern Ireland because of the implementation of those. Alan also mentioned the inability of the Assembly to deliver a multi-year Budget, and I was encouraged by the Minister's comments about his hopes for a multi-year Budget in, I think, 2026-27. I hope that those ambitions will be realised, and we will do what we can to support the Minister in that. <BR /> <BR />Linda Dillon mentioned shared services on the island of Ireland. Linda will be aware that the Health Committee had a meeting with the Health Committee from the Oireachtas — I think you were there, Linda — and discussed a lot of the shared services that are available, particularly around cancer, and that is something that we are working together on. It is very good to see that.”
“We do have to focus on quality over geography. That is very important. Our services are provided by specialist units, and one hospital will deliver higher-quality outcomes. We know that, and that prevents unnecessary duplication. We will see that going forward. <BR /> <BR />Liz Kimmins referenced Professor Bengoa's burning platform analogy from 2016. It is notable that Professor Bengoa will return to the Northern Ireland Assembly in a couple of weeks, so it will be interesting to see what his consideration of our current situation is eight years on. Obviously, there are still a lot of challenges, and the platform has burned significantly since then. That is where we are, unfortunately. <BR /> <BR />Alan Chambers referenced the elective care framework, which, obviously, has begun to show some success.”
“That was referred to by Mark H Durkan as he alluded to Northern Ireland's not being a big place, saying that you could”
“The first addition in our amendment was to agree:”
“Thank you, Principal Deputy Speaker. I thank all Members who contributed to the debate. The tone of the debate was quite right. I thank my DUP Health Committee colleagues Mrs Dodds and Mr Robinson for tabling the motion. We proposed the amendment for the reasons that were outlined by my party colleague Nuala McAllister. In my winding-up speech, I will refer to some of those and to some comments that we heard during the debate.”
“There needs to be a usable solution that provides long-term, high-quality surfaces where young people's teams and members of the community can use pitches for exercise and competitions.”
“Shale pitches are not very common any more, and it is not hard to see why. The surface is covered with small stones like sand, and, in fact, it is more akin to walking on a beach than on a sports playing surface. It is for this reason — to prevent injuries to the players — that the schools had to pull the use of this pitch. I know that this is far from the only issue affecting school estates, even school estates in east Antrim, and I know of schools that have areas closed off to students, but I am asking that the Education Authority come and visit the school with me to see the state of the pitch and whether anything can be done to reinstate it and make it safe for people to play and run on. <BR /> <BR />Schemes where schools and communities can share resources are a great idea, but, in this case, attention is needed.”
“That is clearly very disappointing for the teams and young people involved.”
“Last week, I was contacted about such a pitch in east Antrim. It is a large shale playing surface that is used for sports such as hockey and athletics, shared between two local schools: Carrick Academy and Carrickfergus Grammar School. It is also used by the local community. Unfortunately, the quality of the pitch, which has been the main playing surface for decades, has deteriorated badly over the years despite recent repairs, and now, due to health and safety concerns, it is completely unusable for competitive sports, meaning that hockey games have been cancelled.”
“We all know that being able to access leisure facilities to exercise and take part in sporting activities has huge benefits for mental and physical health and general well-being. That is especially important for young people as sport can help to create friendships, grow self-confidence and tackle loneliness and social isolation. These days, when many children reach for their screens, we should provide high-quality sports facilities to encourage them to get out and play. Just this summer, we saw inspirational performances from local athletes at the Olympic and Paralympic Games, and we know that Northern Ireland can deliver on the international sporting stage. <BR /> <BR />Sadly, it is the case that many school and community facilities are in disrepair and are ageing, with no obvious solutions.”
“Thank you for your answer, Minister. I am sure that the Minister will agree that the rates are far too high, even though the work is ongoing, and I am glad to hear that it is. Will he join me in encouraging people who are experiencing suicidal thoughts to reach out to someone, be it a GP, Lifeline or the Samaritans?”
“I am glad to hear that the Minister is out and about these days and has gone to Larne. That is great. Can I ask for a bit more detail on how puppy smuggling is being tackled?”
“Political stability is necessary for reforming and addressing the challenges in the health service. It should not be lost on any of us that the Assembly is currently as stable as it was the day before the last collapse. As the chair of the all-party group on climate action, it would be remiss of me not to mention the need for the UK Government to invest if we are not only to tackle the climate crisis but benefit from the opportunities that transitioning to a greener economy will bring. <BR /> <BR />As a member of the Health Committee, I look forward to working constructively with the Health Minister and to seeing his plan to deliver the transformation that our health service desperately needs in order to begin to address the huge waiting lists and the service's internal pressures.”
“Another reason for the crisis in our health service, as well as in other Departments, is the complete absence of political leadership for the last two years and three of the last five years in the previous mandate. The Bengoa report is eight years old, and, in that time, we have had five years of no government. Both the two main parties, Sinn Féin and the DUP, have walked away from the Executive and the Assembly, leaving the rest of us locked out from delivering any change. Until we reform the institutions so that no one party can collapse them and prevent them functioning again, we will not be able to deliver the long-term reforms that are needed for the health service. <BR /> <BR />For example, we cannot plan for the future through multi-year Budgets if there is no certainty that an Executive will be in place.”
“If we were to adopt the additional funding that the Health Minister requested, it would result in substantial cuts to other Departments' budgets. As we heard in yesterday's debate on policing resources, the Health Minister's party was critical of what it perceived to be the absence of progress from the Justice Minister on police funding and police officer numbers, yet it has not acknowledged the impact of the repeated underfunding of the Department of Justice relative to other Departments. <BR /> <BR />That is yet another reason why we need to address the broader under-functioning of the Executive. One issue that we cannot ignore is the need for political reform.”
“We still have certain parties opposing changes that contradict the principles that are required for transformation. That is disappointing, and we cannot resolve the challenges that face our health service until that is addressed. We know that Professor Bengoa will return to Northern Ireland later this autumn, and I cannot help but wonder what he will make of the situation eight years on. <BR /> <BR />We also need to acknowledge that we cannot exclusively fund Health to the detriment of other Departments. Health takes up around half of the block grant. That amounts to £7·6 billion in this year's Budget, which the then Health Minister said was still not enough. Notably, that has increased from £4·6 billion in 2015-16, when the Bengoa report was written.”
“We need to discuss why that is. The problem is not exclusively a lack of funding; if anything, the fundamental problem is a lack of reform and transformation. <BR /> <BR />As the Bengoa report of 2016 stated, the options that we face are to see services deteriorate to the point of collapse or to embrace transformation and create a modern, sustainable service that is properly equipped to help everyone who needs care. However, while parties signed up to Bengoa in principle, that has not always been reflected by action. It has been nearly eight years since Bengoa was published, yet we have seen almost none of the transformation that is required, in part because of the resistance to change in the delivery of services, which may be controversial in the short term but which will deliver better outcomes in the long term.”
“We welcome the interim fiscal framework, which was agreed with the UK Government, as an important first step, but the 124% relative need factor is not sufficient for our needs, especially those of the Department of Justice, as my party colleagues and independent analysis have outlined. <BR /> <BR />Our health service is in crisis, which the Chair of the Health Committee mentioned, and the funding has a role in that. However, we must be honest and acknowledge the fact that additional funding to Health will not solve the many challenges that we face. Per capita, health spending in Northern Ireland has been significantly higher than that in the rest of the UK and has increased at a higher rate than in the rest of the UK, yet we have by far the longest waiting lists in western Europe, as mentioned, and the worst outcomes.”
“I support the motion, following on from the contributions of my party colleagues from Upper Bann and Strangford. In particular, as one of the Alliance spokespersons on health, I want to discuss the pressures that are facing our health service. There is no question that Northern Ireland has been underfunded by successive UK Governments, and the 14-year term of the previous Conservative Government has had a particularly devastating impact on public services across the UK. Unfortunately, we will continue to be affected by the long-term impacts of austerity, Brexit and the disastrous mini Budget of 2022.”
“Families and children decked out in Larne gear cheer on the team for the duration of the matches. There is a real buzz about the town on match days. <BR /> <BR />The team is involved in many local issues around the town. It inspires young people to become involved in sport through its full-time scholarship programme and youth teams. I congratulate Larne owner, Kenny Bruce; chairman, Gareth Clements; manager, Tiernan Lynch; and all the staff and players who have brought so much excitement and joy to the town and fans over the past few years, especially with this summer's historic achievement. The team is very much for the town.”
“I rise to congratulate Larne Football Club. You will be aware that it recently became the first team from Northern Ireland to qualify for the knockout stages of a European tournament. That is an historic achievement for the town club and for football in Northern Ireland. Over the last few years, Larne has not only won the Irish League title but retained it, and it is now a contender in the knockout stages of a European competition. The club has a huge dream ahead. Those are huge achievements in the club's 130-plus years' history. <BR /> <BR />As anyone who knows me will attest, I am not much of a football fan, but I have attended several matches with people who are fans, and I can say that the atmosphere is fantastic. There is a real sense of pride in the team and hope for the future.”
“Will the Minister meet the Centre for Independent Living to discuss its priorities around self-directed support?”
“<BR /> <BR />There are many opportunities for potential cross-border cooperation, particularly in relation to healthcare, but, in order to realise those, we need to confront the challenges and barriers posed by Brexit, and we will need political stability here to deliver the long-term reforms and to establish the long-term relationships needed, North/South, to improve our health service for the benefit of patients across the island of Ireland.”
“For example, in last month's debate on the motion on junior doctors' pay, it was acknowledged that junior doctors work very long hours and face the longest waiting lists in Europe for the lowest pay in the UK. It is well known that the Republic of Ireland both higher pay and fairer working conditions compared with here. As such, many healthcare workers are working in the South as opposed to working in their local health service. That is obviously not an issue in England, Scotland and Wales, and it is important that the Minister considers the specific circumstances here in Northern Ireland when addressing pay issues in any discussion of future pay settlements.”
“The loss of EU regulations and directives providing benefits in respect of cross-border healthcare is also of significance, not only on this island but across the EU. The temporary reinstatement of the cross-border healthcare directive in 2021, for one year, was a welcome step by former Minister Swann to help reduce the waiting lists. However, we need a more proactive and permanent approach to reduce waiting lists, and cross-border healthcare cooperation should be considered as a part of that approach. <BR /> <BR />As mentioned, pay rates, compared with the rest of the UK and with the rest of Ireland, remain an important issue here in Northern Ireland. We have discussed in previous debates how pay is much lower here compared with other jurisdictions.”
“On the other hand, there has been an increase in the number of children from Northern Ireland receiving heart surgery in Dublin, since heart surgery services in the Royal Victoria Hospital ended in 2015. That vital network continues through cooperation with Our Lady's Children's Hospital in Dublin, which is very accessible for people in Northern Ireland. It is only a few hours in a car, bus or train. <BR /> <BR />It is important to recognise that one of the main challenges to cross-border health cooperation is the challenge posed by Brexit. Some of that relates to funding. In the short term, much of our current funding continues through PEACE PLUS, but, in the coming years, it will become increasingly uncertain as to whether equivalent UK funding is available.”
“Outside this specific debate, we need fundamental reform of the Assembly and its structures so that it cannot collapse again through the actions of one party, otherwise we can never commit to the required long-term planning and multi-year budgets needed for transformation. <BR /> <BR />We discussed all-Ireland cooperation yesterday in relation to cancer research, but I want to discuss such cooperation more broadly. It makes sense, from a geographical perspective, for example, that, at the North West Cancer Centre at Altnagelvin, which is partially funded by the Irish Government, approximately one third of its yearly patients are from the Republic of Ireland, mainly Donegal, which is just a few miles from Derry; otherwise, such patients would have to travel to Galway or Dublin.”
“Anything that can be done to reduce those waiting lists must be done. <BR /> <BR />One aspect of the motion that is particularly encouraging is the recognition that the transformation of our health service will not be achieved solely through increased funding but that fundamental reform is also needed. That will require difficult decisions and, more importantly, political leadership from all Members of the Assembly and the Department of Health. As mentioned, we have had the Bengoa report, 'Systems, not Structures', effectively sitting on a shelf for the past eight years due to years of prolonged political instability.”
“I thank the SDLP Members for tabling this motion as one of the Opposition day debates. It is good that two important health motions have come before the Assembly this week that recognise the many challenges our health service faces. We will support the motion. <BR /> <BR />It is unacceptable that we have the longest waiting lists on these islands and some of the longest in Europe. In particular, our waiting lists are significantly longer than those in the Republic of Ireland. Based on official figures from last year, twice as many people in Northern Ireland were on a waiting list for an appointment, despite having approximately a third of the population. The disparity was much larger for people waiting over 12 months: approximately four times as many people in Northern Ireland.”
“We should shift our focus from polluting fossil fuel schemes such as that proposed project and concentrate on seizing the huge economic benefits and security of supply that will come from developing sources of clean renewable energy here in Northern Ireland. In the words of the campaign spokesperson, Lisa Dobbie:”
“It was a long struggle for the campaigners, but they fought tirelessly, overcoming the odds and getting back up after knock-backs. They are a very persistent bunch. The decision could have far-reaching consequences for future fossil fuel projects across Northern Ireland. It is a real David and Goliath story, and it shows that, when a dedicated group of people organise together to oppose a damaging proposal in their area, they can win. <BR /> <BR />The Assembly declared a climate emergency in 2020 and passed the Climate Change Act in 2022, which set legal targets for reducing emissions.”
“I rise to congratulate the No Gas Caverns campaign in Islandmagee on its legal victory yesterday at the Court of Appeal. The campaign has been working for many years to oppose having seven skyscraper-sized caverns constructed under Larne lough to store natural gas. It would have created a dead zone in the sea off the coast of Islandmagee and locked Northern Ireland into fossil fuel dependency for decades at a time when we have legally binding targets to reduce emissions to net zero by 2050. <BR /> <BR />The No Gas Caverns campaign is made up of local residents who are absolutely committed to protecting that beautiful area for future generations. They fundraised for many years, arranging events such as coffee mornings, local gigs and freezing swims at Brown's Bay, and they have huge support in the local community.”
“<BR /> <BR />For those reasons, we are content to support the Sinn Féin motion and the DUP's amendment. They have a similar objective: improving cooperation between us and other jurisdictions in the UK and Ireland for the important purpose of improving and developing cancer research.”
“As the Chair of the Health Committee mentioned, we have a joint visit with the Oireachtas Health Committee to the Queen's University Centre for Cancer Research next week. I look forward to that. <BR /> <BR />I will now address the amendment. We welcome any cooperation and meaningful engagement with the intention of advancing research into cancer prevention and treatment across these islands. Cooperation on an east-west basis should be promoted, not least because of the necessary funding that Westminster must provide. It should be a priority for not just the Minister of Health but the MPs who will represent Northern Ireland in the next Parliament. The report that we are discussing today specifically relates to North/South cooperation, and equivalent research on east-west cooperation would be welcome.”
“<BR /> <BR />The report also calls for increased research and development funding, which is important, given that both parts of Ireland lag behind the rest of Europe in R&D funding. Potential funding sources include the EU's PEACE PLUS programme and the Irish Government's Shared Island Fund and Project Ireland 2040. <BR /> <BR />As the motion states, much of that depends on direct engagement between the Departments of Health here and in Dublin, and the mechanisms are already in place for cross-border cooperation, including the North/South Ministerial Council (NSMC). As a member of the Health Committee, I reiterate the motion's call for the Minister to update the Assembly and, in particular, the Health Committee on his engagement with the Irish Government on advancing the report's recommendations.”
“<BR /> <BR />The report's main recommendation is for an all-island oncology innovation cluster, taking in experts in various fields from both sides of the border for them to play a key role in further developing oncology research and development. That could harness both countries' strengths. As the report highlights, Northern Ireland has strengths in its indigenous companies and in digital health and diagnostics, while the Republic of Ireland has strengths in digital infrastructure and drug manufacturing. The cluster would need to be accompanied by supportive infrastructure, such as national biobanking infrastructure, building on the Northern Ireland Biobank model.”
“I welcome his comments about his commitment to the issue of cancer. <BR /> <BR />The motion asks us to note the recent All-Island Cancer Research Institute report, and I recommend it to all Members. The report calls for a number of actions, and its recommendations are largely based on greater all-Ireland cooperation. In many respects, closer cooperation between the two jurisdictions on this island makes sense, and there is already a desire for cooperation outside the political sphere, including with academics from various further education institutions and with many industries that are based on the island, particularly in the Republic.”
“I welcome today's debate, and I thank the Sinn Féin Members for tabling the motion and the DUP Members for tabling the amendment. We will support both. <BR /> <BR />In Northern Ireland, almost 10,000 people are diagnosed with cancer every year, which is over 20 people every day. With our growing and ageing population, more of us will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in our life. It is particularly concerning that, according to research from Queen's University and the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry (NICR), there was, between 1993 and 2019, a 20% increase in cancers diagnosed in people aged 18 to 49. In addition to that frequency, a greater number of cancers are being diagnosed at an early age. With that in mind, the new Health Minister's urgent priority must be the full implementation of the cancer strategy and all its objectives.”
“Is the Minister aware of yet another pollution incident, this one at the Loop river?”
“Does the Minister see any merit in an all-Ireland ban on the use of shock collars?”
“What has the Minister done to try to address the backlog in independent medical referee (IMR) appointments?”
“No problem. I agree with the Member who secured the debate that we have great potential and that we must do what we can to harness it for the benefit of our businesses.”