Timothy Gaston
North Antrim · Traditional Unionist Voice · Northern Ireland
“I begin my remarks by putting on record, once again, my thanks to the victims and survivors who have campaigned for many years to bring us to this point today, where the Bill will pass its Final Stage.”
“There is an onus on the Assembly in the next mandate to ensure that the work continues, with a second phase of redress that will consider individualised acknowledgement of the harm and trauma that the birth mothers and adult adoptees experienced.”
“I trust that those who have worked diligently in the background on the terms of reference will reflect the requests of the Committee and those who have given evidence to ensure that they are victim-centred and that truth and justice will be pursued.”
“Throughout the process, the Committee has taken steps to ensure that victims and survivors of religious institutions, state homes and private homes see themselves reflected in the Bill.”
“At a recent meeting of the Committee for the Executive Office, the Migrants' Rights Network complained that, in the second half of 2025, the UK Government increased raids focused on illegal working. When raids increased by 76%, arrests increased by 169%.”
“The revelations that have come to light since dirty Donaldson's conviction and the red flags that his colleagues ignored raise profound and troubling questions for the DUP, but for Sinn Féin generally and Deirdre Hargey in particular to come to the Chamber and pontificate about safeguarding is utter hypocrisy.”
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“— forever enshrined in law. I am happy to give way.”
“It is a wide-reaching Bill. There are no guard rails for how the money is to be spent. It would go to parents whose children are in receipt of free school meals, but who is to say how that would be spent? There is to be no training in food preparation and no life skills gained through a scheme akin to that in England, just more free money for parents —”
“In my view — no disrespect to the Bill sponsor — that scheme is superior to the one in front of us today. I will set out why that is. Among other things, it ensures that children and parents are involved in the preparation of food, and they get support that is appropriate to their circumstances. None of that is addressed in the Bill before us today, which merely proposes, in clause 1:”
“However, on closer inspection, the legislation was found to have financial ramifications that were not properly thought through. I believe that this Bill is in a similar position and, once again, could create that danger and a major problem in years to come. <BR /> <BR />The Bill takes a discretionary scheme that was introduced during an extraordinary time — the COVID pandemic — and says that the state should fund meals during school holidays. There is nothing to suggest how that should be paid for. However, the interesting point comes when one contrasts the Bill and the situation in Northern Ireland with that in the rest of the United Kingdom. England has the holiday activities and food programme (HAF). Before the debate, I read the government briefing on what that scheme does. It says:”
“Everyone in the Chamber wants to do all that they can to ensure that no child goes hungry, but we must get issues like this right from the beginning. As legislators, we must ask the hard questions, not duck them. That includes asking what exactly is going on in the Executive with their spending priorities. At the end of the previous mandate, the Assembly rushed through a number of pieces of legislation that, as the Speaker has rightly pointed out and as others have acknowledged, were not properly thought through. <BR /> <BR />To put that into context, there was the Hospital Parking Charges Act, which has already been mentioned a number of times in the Assembly. Who would object to free car parking for those who are attending appointments and visiting those who find themselves ill?”
“Will you review Hansard to see whether Mrs Dillon's comments fell foul of that ruling?”
“Thank you very much, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker. During Matters of the Day, the Member for Upper Bann referred to Mr Buckley as "stupid". The parliamentary bible, Erskine May, notes:”
“On a point order, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker.”
“Otherwise, they will not be here to open their doors for next year's intake, come September.”
“I understand that the Minister has received a letter on behalf of 46 individuals from preschools requesting an urgent meeting to discuss the issue. The Minister needs to take the issue on board and either fund the shortfall in many of those non-statutory preschools or increase their PAN.”
“The 2025-26 intake for Taylorstown Cross-Community Pre-school dropped to 14 due to a low birth rate, and it survived last year by using its reserves. The playgroup has 19 first preference applications this year, and, without immediate intervention, it will not be able to reopen its doors in September due to a five-place shortfall. Cloughmills Early Years has only 10 allocated places, and 19 pupils have listed it as their first preference. We have a scenario where although parents who want their children to attend that setting are paying for them to attend pre-preschool, they cannot then get an EA-funded preschool place.”
“On 7 April 2025, during Members' statements, I appealed to the Education Minister to review the pupil allocation numbers (PAN) for non-statutory playgroups in North Antrim. Some 12 months later, the issue has not been dealt with. Many non-statutory preschools across Northern Ireland had to use their reserves last year. The future of non-statutory preschools is being put at risk due to the Education Authority's (EA) policy of basing pupil allocation numbers on the previous year’s intake. That has created a hamster wheel whereby if any non-statutory playgroup has a low intake year, there is no pathway for it to rebuild its numbers back to a sustainable level, regardless of its five or 10-year average intake. The policy is reckless, and it is putting the non-statutory playgroups at risk. <BR /> <BR />What does that mean in real terms?”
“<BR /> <BR />More than half the price of fuel is tax. The Chancellor can do something about that today. If the Government are serious about helping households, the solution is simple: reduce the tax that they take before they create food shortages across the United Kingdom. As they enter the crucial planting phase, we need to ensure that our farmers are given support so that, when their crops are being harvested at the other end, they are affordable. Now is the time to act. The Government must step forward and reduce the level of VAT, and they must do so today.”
“That cannot be right. It is therefore entirely logical that they reduce duty on petrol, diesel and home heating oil in order to ease the burden. <BR /> <BR />What we have is a tax system that is completely out of kilter. It punishes motorists and drives up costs across the entire economy. Higher fuel costs do not stop at the pump. Rather, they feed directly into the price of our food, our goods and our services. Too much of our energy policy is driven by ideology, particularly by the mad environmentalists who are well represented in the House. For far too long, the approach has been one that treats fuel not as an essential resource but as something to be taxed out of existence. People need to heat their homes, get to work and run their businesses, so let us deal with the reality that is in front of us.”
“Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. The ongoing situation in the Middle East is having real and immediate consequences for people here at home. Families right across Northern Ireland were already under pressure, and they are now facing rising costs for home heating oil and transport fuel. That is money coming out of people's pockets every single day. <BR /> <BR />We cannot control events in the Middle East, but we can control how we respond to them. Every increase in fuel prices delivers a windfall to the Treasury through increased VAT. More than 50% of the price of a litre of petrol goes straight to the Exchequer in tax, so while households are squeezed, while farmers face rising costs at this very important time of year as they move to plant crops and while businesses struggle to absorb higher transport costs, the Government profit.”
“<BR /> <BR />It is a special moment for Rory McIlroy and his family. I send him warm congratulations and look forward to his further success on the green for many more years to come, and, more importantly, his continuing to inspire the next generation of home-grown golfers. Well done, Rory McIlroy.”
“There used to be talk about the challenge that the US Masters was for him, as it was the elusive title that had denied him a career grand slam. That was put to bed last year, and, last night, he became the fourth ever back-to-back champion, which is a legacy-defining moment for him. To do it in front of his parents, his wife, Erica, and his young daughter, Poppy, is a moment that I have no doubt will live long in the memory of our proud Ulsterman, and he will cherish it forever. <BR /> <BR />I noticed in the press that Rory said that he had waited for a victory in the Masters for many years. When someone says that, you could be forgiven for thinking that he is in the twilight of his golfing career, but not Rory McIlroy. At the tender age of 36, he has many more years of golf ahead of him in what has already been an inspirational career.”
“Rory McIlroy's win in Augusta last night is another feather in Northern Ireland's cap on the world sporting stage. Rory's success in the Masters, not once, but twice in a row, has cemented his place as one of the all-time greats, not just in golf but in the world of sport.”
“Let us see what you do with the £380 million when it comes here from Whitehall.”
“We have heard many warm words from each side of the Chamber, but the proof of the pudding will be in the eating. When the £380 million comes to the Executive, what will it be spent on? The £380 million is coming here over three years because of special educational needs provision funding in England. Will the Executive prioritise that funding for SEN provision in Northern Ireland? I certainly hope that they will. Let us put the words into actions. We have heard the warm words today.”
“The Ministers responsible must set out clearly, here today, how the situation arose, what options were considered and why it took public pressure to secure a reversal. Did the Ministers not know? If they did not, well, what else is going on in their Departments, under their noses, that they have not noticed? Alternatively, did they simply not care? If it is the latter, all the platitudes that we have heard today are hollow. The blunt truth of the matter for Mr Nesbitt and Mr Givan is that the answer to why we are here today is contained in the affirmative response to one of those two questions.”
“It has been a shameful episode, and each one of us in the House must ensure that vulnerable children will never again be used to sort out a political disagreement. <BR /> <BR />Yes, I welcome the U-turn and the relief that it has brought to many families, but that must not obscure the question that hangs over the entire episode. How did we get to this point in the first place? How did the proposal emerge? My goodness, it removed such a vital service when, as we are now told, the resources could be found, and they were found when the political pressure was put on. That points to something deeper than one single decision; it points to a failure to prioritise. <BR /> <BR />Earlier, Mr Martin referred to the decision as being "a piece of history". No, no, no, that will not save the blushes of the Education Minister or the Minister of Health.”
“I wonder whether, here today, either Department will actually take responsibility for cancelling the summer schemes for the most vulnerable children in our society. <BR /> <BR />The EA tried to drop the announcement when the Assembly was going on holiday, so do not try to tell me that the whole thing does not stink. The whole sorry episode boils down to nothing more than a political game, with the most vulnerable children in our society and their families being used, shamelessly, as pawns. <BR /> <BR />Political calculations were made. The Department of Health does not believe that there is a need for nursing provision in SEN schools. The EA believes otherwise. A year out from the election, with the uproar and distress that this was always going to cause, the generals in the shadows decided to draw their battle lines.”
“Thank you very much for the intervention, Mr Butler.”
“— the anxiety of many families who are represented today by those in the Public Gallery. I am happy to give way.”
“The announcement was made even worse by the crass procession of each Minister's party faithful, and others who prop up the Departments, wringing their hands and declaring their unconditional support for the very schemes that their Ministers should never have allowed to be cancelled in the first place. As one parent put it, "It won't be forgotten". <BR /> <BR />Let us recap what we have witnessed over the past week. The Ulster Unionists said that they could not wait to meet the EA. The DUP said that it wanted to meet Health officials. Instead of lifting the phone to each other, the two Ministers would rather play to the gallery. Their parties wanted the social media hits, rather than the Ministers lifting the phone to each other to sort this mess out before an announcement was made —”
“Summer schemes for children with special educational needs are not an optional extra; they are, for many families, a lifeline. They are not something for which families should have to take to the airwaves and plead; they are not something on which an announcement should be made just before the Assembly goes into recess; and they are not something about which those families should have to embarrass MLAs into coming back to the Chamber to discuss. <BR /> <BR />My goodness, the Education and Health Ministers are both keen enough to appear before the House when they think that they have something to take credit for.”
“In my 21 months as an MLA, I have witnessed some shameless hand-wringing in the Chamber, but what we have seen since we last sat in the Chamber, one week ago, has taken that to another level. <BR /> <BR />Cancelling the SEN summer schemes was not simply an administrative misstep but a failure of the most vulnerable children in our society — a failure created in the Department of Health and the Department of Education.”
“The late Willy Darragh passed away at the side of the road on 21 December 2024 after suffering a heart attack. The initial 999 call from his wife Caroline was classed as a category 2 call, and, due to the action short of strike, it was not passed to the crew in the local Ballymena ambulance station. Minister, will you commit today to meeting the Darragh family and to ensuring that the action short of strike is brought to an end so that no other family is left in the same position as the Darragh family?”
“Towns and villages across Northern Ireland have long and proud historical links with the United States. Many will mark the semiquincentennial signing of the Declaration of Independence this July. Minister, will you outline to the House what your Department is doing to recognise and strengthen those connections and, in particular, to support the development of a trail between communities in North Antrim, such as Dervock and Cullybackey, and those in other parts of Northern Ireland, such as Coagh in Mid Ulster and Carrickfergus in East Antrim? Will you outline what plans you have to create a lasting trail between those towns and villages?”
“Will the Minister detail how much public money has been spent to date on developing the minimum unit pricing of alcohol in Northern Ireland, given that the 2021 Act created a legal duty to introduce legislation, which, five years later, the Executive have again failed to deliver?”
“Around 17,700 people in the UK die from the disease every year, but, if it is caught early, people have a much better chance of survival. Screening saves lives. That is why we must expand the screening service in Northern Ireland.”
“The charity Bowel Cancer UK has spoken out about the disparity and called on Stormont to act now to help those most in need. <BR /> <BR />We already know that the drug that can help sufferers of early-stage prostate cancer has not been made available in Northern Ireland but is available in the rest of the UK. Compared with those living in the rest of our Union, Northern Ireland is once again giving its citizens a raw deal. I therefore call on the Health Minister to put in place a screening programme for that younger age group urgently. <BR /> <BR />Bowel cancer is the UK's fourth most common cancer. It causes the second-highest number of deaths of any cancer, and cases are rising among younger people year-on-year.”
“Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. April is Bowel Cancer Awareness Month. As we approach the start of the month, I urge everyone to take part in the bowel cancer screening programme. Northern Ireland is the only country in the UK that does not offer screening to people under the age of 60, so I take the opportunity to call on the Minister of Health, who is sitting in front of me, to redress that imbalance. <BR /> <BR />Bowel cancer screening in Northern Ireland is currently offered only to people aged 60 to 74. The rest of the UK offers screening to people aged 50 to 74 in line with the UK National Screening Committee's recommendations. As a result, people in Northern Ireland have fewer opportunities for early detection of bowel cancer than those elsewhere in the UK.”
“Think about the bloated Civil Service, and I do not leave councils out of that. There is plenty of money for back-room officials and office workers yet limited money for foot soldiers to deliver on the ground, which is what people see. <BR /> <BR />I welcome the motion. I trust that it is only the start of the energy that we will see now that MLAs have successfully got their £14,000. If we want to talk about waste in government or in the public sector, let us talk about how Members have just awarded themselves £14,200 each. The Assembly should be the last place to lecture anybody out there.”
“While I welcome the motion before the House, I would extend it a warmer welcome if its logic were being followed by Emma Little-Pengelly's office. I also add that, during the winding-up speech, the DUP should outline the steps that it is taking to ensure that the Assembly Commission stops the trans invaders from being able to use whatever toilet they want to in this Building. <BR /> <BR />For far too long, a blind eye has been turned to how taxpayers' money is spent. For far too long, Members in here have taken for granted the people out there. It is good to see the spotlight being shone on the issues. Think about the waste in hospitality, travel and procurement. Think about the amount of "North/Southery". We have bodies that produce nothing for the people of Northern Ireland.”
“<BR /> <BR />Thankfully, my colleague on Belfast City Council, Councillor Ron McDowell, had more success in getting clarity on some of the issues, and he established that some of the groups receiving funding under that flagship scheme include in their number trans women. Put more clearly, money for ending violence against women and girls is going to men who want access to female toilets. Money is going to groups that include men who are pretending to be women. Let that sink in. Female-only spaces exist for a reason, and granting men access to female-only spaces is certainly not a step towards equality. That is being supported, however, and not just by the Sinn Féin side of the Executive Office. Remember that TEO is jointly headed by a DUP deputy First Minister.”
“<BR /> <BR />A number of months ago, I asked officials working with the First Minister and deputy First Minister on ending violence against women and girls to list the genders to which money from that scheme goes. They told me that it was awarded to groups including men, women and other. Oh? When I pressed them on what that meant, they could not give me a definition. Likewise, a couple of weeks ago at the Committee, when we were talking about the feedback forms from events that have taken place in the community, they told me that the data was captured from men, women, neither — there is a new one — and people who prefer not to say.”
“The wokery that has captured this place is a matter of deep concern to many members of the public. I think about the Civil Service inclusive language guide. On page 16, civil servants are advised that, instead of using words such as "Mum" or "Dad", they should use "Parents", "Adult" or "Caregiver". Think of it: Parents' Day? Adults' Day? Caregivers' Day? Are those the depths that this place has sunk to, where civil servants should not talk about "husband", "wife", "boyfriend" or "girlfriend" but, instead, "partner" or "spouse"? While the document was produced on the watch of a Sinn Féin Finance Minister, how did it get past the Executive on the watch of the DUP and Ulster Unionists?”
“I have certainly enjoyed the Executive parties cutting the tripe out of one another. It is going to be a long year, and, my goodness, it looks as though it will be enjoyable, with plenty of hurty words exchanged throughout the proceedings. <BR /> <BR />I will concentrate on one aspect of the motion to start with. The motion:”
“I would like some clarity, because I am sitting here confused. Who is the Opposition, and who is in the Executive? It looks like the Opposition has morphed into the Ulster Unionists and the SDLP has taken its position in the Executive, propping them up and encouraging them to spend, spend, spend.”
“Hopefully, when we get to 2029, the next Government will ensure that there are no such limitations and no such meddling in our internal market by the EU. That is where my mind is firmly focused. <BR /> <BR />Those in the industry to whom I talk want legislation that will give and guarantee fair farm gate prices, not legislation that will take money from one pot and put it in another. I firmly support all sectors and family farms. Indeed, there are plenty of men and women throughout this country who put food on our tables. It is important that we acknowledge and support them in everything that we do. <BR /> <BR />If the Bill passes its Second Stage today, I hope that, by the time it gets to the Committee, we will have some of the answers, because, to be honest, they are not forthcoming today.”
“If the Bill passes its Second Stage today and before it gets to Committee Stage, a massive piece of work needs to be done to bottom that out between the Bill sponsor and his Finance Minister and, indeed, between the Bill sponsor and the Agriculture Minister. I certainly have concerns that, without that clarity, the Bill will never come out of Committee Stage. I say this to the Bill sponsor: a better way forward would have been for the Member to engage more widely with the agri sector in order to deliver a Bill that was much closer in content to that of the UK farm welfare Bill. That would have come at no cost to the Executive.”
“On a number of occasions, the explanatory and financial memorandum states that the Bill sponsor”
“I have some clarity, but it is certainly not enough to alleviate some of my concerns.”
“I am happy to give way to the sponsor of the legislation. If he wants to clarify any of those points, I open the Floor to him.”
“If it is not new money, will it impact on other funding schemes? Will payments be based on stock numbers? If a hill farmer currently receives money from another scheme, will they be penalised through ensuring that they do not receive payments from both schemes?”
“That is the obvious pot of money to look at to subsidise the £11·4 million. We know that the Minister cares more for badgers than he does for cows, but, by getting the TB crisis under control, that money could easily be found, while protecting money that is going to the current schemes. We can rid Rathlin of ferrets, but we cannot do anything to control TB in Northern Ireland. Let me put it in perspective. In the projected spend for this year — the 2025-26 estimates — the total cost of the TB programme is £75 million, and £56 million of that is compensation that is paid to farmers. As I have said, I am content to see the Bill go to the next stage, but, before it comes back to the House, the Committee must bottom out a number of queries. We have to get to the bottom of whether it is new money.”
“The Bill says that the money is to come from within the Department, even though it is being widely reported to the industry that it will be new money. If it has to come from within the Department, however, there needs to be clear guidance in the Bill that states that any future Minister must protect the money that goes to farmers who already enjoy money through other schemes and use revenue from elsewhere in the Department. I trust that the Minister will take this opportunity to update the House on the long-awaited and much-promised sheep scheme. <BR /> <BR />If the money has to come from within the Department, may I suggest that there is an obvious pot of money that is set aside every year from which to take it? It is about time that the Minister really got to grips with TB.”
“While I support the intention of the Bill, more clarity is needed on what it means for the industry as a whole. There is no point in taking money from lowland farmers to give it to hill farmers. The projected £11·4 million must be new money given to farmers, not simply money taken from a dairy man or a beef man to give to a hillman. From the Ulster Farmers' Union's support for the Bill, we have seen its understanding that this must be new money. That needs to be bottomed out before we go too much further. It is not fair to take from existing pots. In many cases, doing so will leave farmers not much better off, because what they stand to lose from one pot they might get put into the other hand, and vice versa. That is not the way that this place should do business: taking money off somebody to give it to another person.”