Gareth Wilson
Newry and Armagh · Democratic Unionist Party · Northern Ireland
“At its core, this is a practical and proportionate step to strengthen animal welfare, improve public confidence and bring Northern Ireland into line with the rest of the United Kingdom. For some time now, there has been a gap in our regulatory framework.”
“This legislation creates consistency, putting all operators on the same footing and ensuring that there are clear, enforceable standards across the board. There is public and stakeholder backing for this approach.”
“In so doing, the regulations are not about creating an additional burden for the sake of it. Rather, they are about strengthening transparency, improving standards and giving regulators the tools that they need to enforce the high levels of animal welfare that the public rightly expect.”
“I thank the Minister for her answer. It is, however, disappointing that MLAs will not get sight of the updated strategy before recess. Given the importance of the issue to our constituents, will the Minister outline how the strategy will address the role of utility companies in degrading road surfaces?”
“Thank you for your answer, Minister. Do you agree that, for a mother who is about to give birth or who seeks medical attention from maternity staff for her unborn child, suspension of those vital services at short notice is the last thing that is needed in a time-pressured situation?”
“It is important that amendment No 32 be progressed, as not to have a review mechanism for this significant legislation would be highly regrettable and lead to important points that councils would raise being missed, because, by the time of the review, the councils would have built up a considerable weight of experience.”
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“I say to him: get cracking. <BR /> <BR />The Health Minister made those comments some weeks ago. However, the situation is not improving. It is getting worse, with care providers stating recently that they can no longer service some rural areas with care packages. That is a serious problem that demands very serious engagement. <BR /> <BR />The situation itself creates anxiety for vulnerable people, such as the elderly. The Commissioner for Older People, in a recent report entitled, 'Voices of Concern', stated so. The results of the commissioner's survey showed that deteriorating services for older people created a sense of anxiety. That is not helpful to our older population, who have worked hard all their lives and expect services to meet their needs. They want to feel cared for; they do not want to feel anxious.”
“Domiciliary care workers are arguably one of the backbones of our health and social care system, yet they are repeatedly overworked and underpaid. The folly of the entire situation is that the end product of the cuts will be more pressure on our hospitals and emergency departments and more stress placed on our older people. That costs everyone and benefits no one. <BR /> <BR />In my recent exchanges with the Health Minister, he referred to a situation last winter, in which 400 people were in A&Es awaiting admission to hospital. However, compounding the capacity situation, 500 people were awaiting discharge from hospital. They could not be discharged due to the very issues that we are debating today. <BR /> <BR />In answer to a question from me in the Chamber, the Minister stated:”
“Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I welcome the opportunity to support our party's amendment to the motion. It is not an exaggeration to say that we are staring down the barrel of a home care crisis. In fact, in the rural areas that I represent, that home care crisis is already starting to manifest itself. I have had many calls from, and conversations with, families who want their loved one home, but the necessary assistance is becoming so difficult to secure that their loved one is having to remain in hospital, with no clear timeline for their being discharged. <BR /> <BR />Last week, media coverage revealed what many have long suspected, which is that cuts are being made to the frequency and duration of home care visits in rural areas. That is truly a worrying situation, and one that has far-reaching consequences.”
“The Back in Business scheme plays an important role but the lack of strategy in what type of businesses build premises, and ongoing dereliction, still leaves many town centres run down. Does the Minister support the reinstatement of the high street task force?”
“Policies that make lawful participation harder or more expensive risk undermining that contribution. Rural families are the backbone of our economy and should not be targeted unfairly with additional taxes and costs. <BR /> <BR />Law-abiding firearms users deserve fairness, transparency and, of course, a system that works. I urge the Minister to listen carefully to the genuine concerns being raised and go back to the drawing board with the consultation.”
“Any move towards full cost recovery will be strongly resisted by the shooting representative organisations, especially as there remains a lack of efficiency, transparency and accountability. <BR /> <BR />There are also concerns about the proposed changes to the banded system, and many constituents believe that those changes add unnecessary complexity, mixing different types of firearms in ways that do not reflect how they are used in practice. Complexity increases the risk of administrative error, adds cost and places further strain on an already overstretched system without any clear benefit to public safety. <BR /> <BR />We must also consider the wider economic and social impact of the proposals. Shooting sports contribute significantly to rural economies and provide structured, responsible recreation for thousands of people.”
“Any policy that affects firearms licensing must start from that reality. The proposals currently out for consultation have caused real concern among constituents, many of whom have contacted me directly. <BR /> <BR />The most significant issue raised with me is the proposal for substantial fee increases of up to 153% at a time when the firearms licensing system is not delivering an acceptable level of service. Applicants are experiencing lengthy and unpredictable delays, often running well beyond a year, and confidence in the system remains low. It is, therefore, neither fair nor reasonable to ask law-abiding certificate holders to pay considerably more for a service that, many feel, is not living up to the standards expected.”
“I express my serious concerns about the Department of Justice's proposed changes to firearms licensing fees and the banded system. Like many across Northern Ireland, I participate in shooting, and I am familiar with the responsible role that shooting sports and lawful firearms ownership play in our society. Those activities are not confined to one background or one community; they are genuinely cross-community, bringing people together through sport, farming, conservation and rural life. They also support jobs through agriculture, gun shops, ranges, events and the wider rural economy. For many people in rural Northern Ireland, firearms are not a luxury or a hobby of convenience but an integral part of daily life used for pest control, livestock protection, land management and animal welfare.”
“I will. The Minister spoke at length. I apologise for not being able to cover all of it in my commentary. I commend the amendment.”
“He said that he was struck by the significance of the losses for the farmers concerned and that he welcomed any measures that effectively drive down disease incidence rates. Timothy Gaston said that the current statistics point to a failure of the Department and outlined the impacts on the farmer from a financial and mental health perspective. <BR /> <BR />The Minister referred to the realities of the cost of the disease. He spoke of the human TB —.”
“Daniel McCrossan spoke of the realities of the strain on farming families, the complexity of the disease and the fact that interventions need to be capable of delivering meaningful outcomes. Aoife Finnegan stated that it was a wide-ranging issue dealing with livestock, the health of our farming families and the economic realities of a £60 million bill for compensation. Deborah Erskine gave details on cattle infection rates in her Fermanagh and South Tyrone constituency. She spoke of the toll of bovine TB on the farming family and of its human cost due to the associated uncertainty that severely impacts on mental health. Andrew McMurray said that, whilst he is not a farmer, his empathy and sympathy are with the farmer.”
“Nobody denies the difficulties in delivering the effective eradication of the disease, especially given previous legal challenges, but it is the role of the Minister to work constructively with the relevant stakeholders to meet the challenges. Our rural communities deserve that. <BR /> <BR />I will spend some time reiterating some of the commentary made during the debate. Mr Blair agreed with comments on the severity of the impact of TB and its many impacts on farms and farmers. He outlined the AERA Minister's efforts and said that reports and recommendations needed actions and outcomes. He also said that the common enemy is bovine TB. Mr Butler urged avoidance of rinse-and-repeat treatments to such issues as bovine TB and the wildfires. He spoke of the immense burden on farmers.”
“<BR /> <BR />We welcome additional funding through the Shared Island initiative because cooperation can help, but the amendment is right to reflect UFU concerns that the pilot area is not representative of the Northern Ireland bovine TB picture as a whole. If we want farmer confidence, the Department must show how lessons from the pilot will translate to our higher-incidence areas and larger cattle populations. <BR /> <BR />Bovine TB is crushing confidence, draining profitability and damaging well-being. Farmers are not asking for sympathy; they are asking for decisions and delivery. The time for managing the disease indefinitely has passed.”
“Marts, such as Markethill mart in my constituency, are much more than just sales rings; they are crucial rural institutions that support competition, transparency, cash flow and community. When bTB restrictions choke movement, marts and the ecosystems around them — hauliers, local service providers, processors — feel the consequences. <BR /> <BR />It is clear that the current situation benefits neither taxpayers nor farmers. The obvious question then is this: what is the solution? The DUP's position has been consistent. We support robust and integrated eradication policies, but "integrated" must mean just that. It cannot be cattle measures alone while the wildlife aspect is left unaddressed. The Minister must look at all viable options, including the role of wildlife in the spread and persistence of the disease.”
“In addition to the cost and mental toll of the out-of-control TB crisis, we must consider the growing cost of TB compensation to the taxpayer. In my constituency, for example, the cost of TB compensation in 2021 sat at around £2·2 million for the Armagh DVO area. As of 2025, that cost had risen to £4·7 million — a staggering increase of more than 109%. That figure does not demonstrate the fact that the cost of compensation does not include the loss of future income for the farmer from milk production and genetics, for example. <BR /> <BR />The amendment rightly notes the wider economic impacts on agri-food supply chains, rural employment, domestic food security and export competitiveness, and it specifically includes local livestock marts.”
“Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I welcome the opportunity to make a winding-up speech on the amendment, which addresses an issue that is of real concern to many of my constituents. A TB outbreak can have a devastating impact on a farm, leading to uncertainty, sleepless nights and the obvious financial impacts. Earlier this month, as has been mentioned, the Ulster Farmers' Union, together with the Livestock and Meat Commission and the Northern Ireland Dairy Council, launched an independent report that revealed that TB costs farmers over £96 million a year. Those are eye-watering costs for an industry that is already at breaking point and has recently had to absorb the rising costs of fuel and fertiliser. It is simply not a cost that the sector can continue to absorb when profit margins are so tight.”
“<BR /> <BR />There is no meaningful assurance that the commission's concerns will be acted on, not just by the Minister but across Departments. Providing advice without a clear commitment to follow through risks becoming an exercise in what ultimately could be costly paperwork rather than a clearly thought-out road map with practical and, crucially, deliverable outcomes. For those reasons, we will not support the regulations.”
“After the minimum membership requirement is met, discretion to make additional appointments will remain. Without clear safeguards to ensure a proper balance across sectors, that invites queries and concern about representation, priorities and accountability, rather than providing a clear, focused mechanism for progress. Indeed, there are other bodies that will inevitably duplicate work on these matters. Sequencing also matters if we are serious about a transition that does not leave people behind. Key supports, especially where agriculture is affected, should be up and running before we constitute a commission that is tasked with advising on how those supports should operate. As I said, doing it the other way around suggests that the process is being built in reverse.”
“<BR /> <BR />The regulations are not a technical tidying-up exercise; they are tied to an overall direction of travel that risks locking the Province into commitments that cannot be met without major upheaval and significant cost. That is why we cannot support measures that promise that fairness will automatically follow when the policy does not demonstrate how that will actually be delivered. If expectations are raised and then, inevitably, disappointed, public trust will be the casualty, and that helps nobody. <BR /> <BR />There are also problems with the commission's proposed model. A minimum requirement of 15 core representatives risks creating a body that is simply too large and cumbersome to reach timely agreement, especially when the just transition principle is defined so broadly.”
“I rise to speak on the regulations with some concern. It feels as though the cart is being put before the horse. The Assembly has pushed on regardless with interim targets and carbon budgets, yet the detail on what a just transition means or, indeed, looks like in practice is still unclear. People and businesses need realism. They need confidence and support, not aspirations that outpace delivery. Let me state our position plainly: the DUP does not believe that net zero as currently set out for Northern Ireland is achievable, particularly at a time when our farming industry, our households and our employers are under real pressure and when the scale of investment that is required in our infrastructure is plain for all to see.”
“Those conversations are continued at Westminster.”
“You have said that you want to continue the conversation.”
“Farmers, hauliers and care workers are struggling to cope with the soaring costs of petrol and diesel, so the First Minister will be well aware that only the Government at Westminster have the financial power to cut fuel duty and scrap harmful net zero taxes, yet, unfortunately, the MP for Newry and Armagh — her Sinn Féin colleague — refuses to turn up to the House of Commons to debate those issues. First Minister, how can you stand over that blatant and repeated abdication of duty, and when will you end the "stay away, but take the pay" abstentionist policy?”
“Thank you, Minister. Given that the park is a DAERA asset, will you commit to encouraging and resourcing your Department to work in a collaborative way with stakeholders to conduct a technical study for the creation of a footbridge?”
“Yes. I will get to the question. <BR /> <BR />Minister, will you today commit to task every Department and arm's-length body with conducting a cost-benefit analysis of all net zero-related climate policies and funding streams within their remits?”
“Minister, you are aware of your wide-ranging role in the climate action plan and the fact that that work is cross-departmental, as you have stated. The climate action plan does not come without cost. In wider society, people are becoming more aware of the great expense associated with overambitious emissions targets. <BR /> <BR />I note that your colleague conveniently referred to the Climate Change Committee's reports. Sadly, those initial reports were, of course, rejected by the majority in the House.”
“Will you explain that incident and define "low severity"? Under your plans to strengthen enforcement and regulation of water pollution, how would your Department handle a similar incident, were one to occur?”
“Minister, you referred in your statement to:”
“On the back of that, does the Minister agree that having a responsive and reliable domiciliary care service in the rural community would greatly assist in reducing pressure on beds in our hospital system?”
“Like other Members, I welcome all efforts to protect our front-line healthcare staff from physical harm and harassment. Minister, in the circumstances that have been brought to you, is there evidence of violence being carried out in our healthcare settings of which the basis is substance misuse?”
“A number of small rural schools in my constituency continue to provide a vital and welcome service to the community. Will the Minister outline how he would identify such schools and subsequently support them with meaningful action?”
“The roof structure has fallen into some disrepair, hence the need for remedial action to allow the site to reopen to the public. I note from previous references to the site in questions for written answer that work is planned at the site, and my colleague Minister Lyons will no doubt update the House on progress to that end. I trust that work can be scheduled as soon as possible in order to allow the site to reopen to the public. The reopening of the site would, of course, be important for tourism in the area and the general amenity of the local people, who have been rightly concerned by the prolonged closure of the site. I look forward to progress being made on the issue.”
“I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the Adjournment debate this evening. At the outset, I thank the Member for her useful explanation of the site issues. I have never visited the site, and I may well have to plan a visit, given what I now know about it. I note that it is the highest surviving passage tomb in Ireland, which, in itself, is reason enough to maintain the site and repair the structure. Some years ago, I visited Newgrange with our local council to discuss issues relating to Navan Fort and its similarities, and I was struck by the history embedded in those types of structures and the importance of retaining and maintaining them for the generations to come. <BR /> <BR />The reports that I have read about the site at Slieve Gullion point to a structure that has been well explored and well used over the course of many years.”
“<BR /> <BR />Rather than adding to the bureaucracy, the delay, the cost, the inaction and the public's frustration, the focus should be firmly on improving the performances of existing bodies under the Minister's control. We should not be farming out responsibility to quangos. I do not support the motion.”
“The Minister and the Alliance Party want to further abdicate responsibility. A new quango, as they propose, would provide a useful diversionary shield for the Minister. That would weaken lines of communication and direct accountability and shift the focus away from the Department's remit and responsibilities. That should not be permitted. Consider the budgetary pressures in DAERA. The bovine tuberculosis bill is projected to exceed £60 million, as we discussed at the Committee last week. Do we need to put yet another quango into the Minister's portfolio, when his Department clearly struggles to tackle the costly problem of bovine TB?”
“That is OK; will do. I was just responding to the Minister and giving him his place. I will continue. <BR /> <BR />I disagree that the creation of another quango, as the Alliance Party motion suggests, will help in any way. We already have the Office for Environmental Protection. I quote from its website:”
“What I have seen from Minister Givan since I have come to the House is a bullet train of progress. That is what I would call it. We have seen a lot of progress from Minister Givan. It is relevant. People have come to me. I have been at schools, and they are very content with Minister Givan's progress. People do not have to lie to me about that. Teachers and members of the public come to me, saying, "We like what Minister Givan's doing". Unfortunately, the flip side of that is —.”
“<BR /> <BR />Moreover, Shared Environmental Services exists as a consultee organisation and also causes significant concern as a result of delays with consultee responses on planning. Indeed, it seems that that organisation enjoys a type of inaccessibility akin to that of a secret service. Will the creation of another quango, as the Alliance Party motion suggests, help in any way when resources are very clearly stretched?”
“Although the NIEA does do a lot of good work, it also fails to meet expectations on many issues. I think especially of the planning consultation function and the impact that delays with consultation responses are having on Northern Ireland's economic outlook. I would argue that resource and time should be focused on and targeted at that agency, with a clear view taken on improving it rather than on creating another new agency. It goes without saying that important projects, such as those on farms, that would see investment in new systems and ways of working, using new materials and new methods, are being held up. Such projects would ultimately benefit the environment, yet they are being held up.”
“I find the motion and, indeed, the entire issue of the creation of an independent environmental protection agency to be a distraction. It is a distraction from inaction. I say that because there is much to be concerned about in the Minister's Department, and I feel strongly that the creation of yet another quango will do little to improve the outlook for the rural economy and, indeed, for those who live in the countryside or who derive a living from the land. <BR /> <BR />It cannot be dismissed or downplayed that we already have the Northern Ireland Environment Agency. Unlike an independent environmental protection agency, the NIEA exists. From what I have understood over the past three months, that agency is the regular focus of criticism from the Committee for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs.”
“Minister, what protections exist for tenants in Northern Ireland?”
“The First Minister, in fact, would do well to endorse her colleague's words, instead of repeating the tired claim that there was "no alternative" to IRA violence. A far more honest assessment would simply be this: there was no justification for IRA bombing.”
“There was certainly no betterment for the families who lost loved ones to under-car booby-trap bombs planted to murder people as they left their home for an honest day's work or returned to their vehicle at the end of it. I think especially of the late Charles Armstrong, who was murdered in such a fashion as he left a meeting of Armagh City and District Council at the Palace in Armagh city. When I served as lord mayor, I regularly told his story as I hosted guests in the room that is named in his memory. There was no betterment. <BR /> <BR />Mr Carthy is correct in one respect: far from bringing improvement, those acts were cruel and bloodthirsty atrocities. They tore holes in families and communities, and the pain and trauma remain decades later.”
“I ask the House just to let that sink in. Mr Carthy appears to have forgotten which party he represents. In making that statement, he inadvertently exposes the hypocrisy at the heart of Sinn Féin. Through his lapse of memory, Mr Carthy highlights the folly of the IRA's bombing campaign across Northern Ireland and mainland Great Britain. <BR /> <BR />There was certainly no betterment from the Narrow Water bombing, in which 18 British soldiers were so callously murdered by the IRA, nor from the Corry Square police station mortar attack in Newry, when nine RUC officers were murdered and many others injured. No better situation emerged from the rubble of the countless town-centre bombs planted and detonated by the IRA during the Troubles, including attacks in Markethill and on the Glenanne army base.”
“Last week, Sinn Féin TD Matt Carthy claimed that there is not:”
“Thank you, Minister. You will agree that farmers have been, wrongly, in the firing line for the majority of the directed heat around water pollution. I am now concerned that rural households may be in the firing line, and I note with concern your comments about domestic septic tanks. What exactly are you proposing on septic tank consents, and will your proposals be retrospective?”
“Minister, will you outline the rationale behind your decision?”
“Thank you for your answer, Minister. Are you able to outline the plans that the Education Authority recently set out for SEN in Northern Ireland?”
“Thank you, Minister. Your report, rightly, looks at incentivising consumers to switch to low carbon forms of heating. With that in mind, and given the stories that we have heard about retrofits going wrong, I am keen to understand, from a homeowner's perspective, what types of finance will be available. We know that, in certain circumstances, those technologies can be expensive to install and run. First and foremost, homeowners are the ones who need to see the benefits of the financial support rather the companies that carry out the retrofits.”
“Like me, is the Minister surprised that Sinn Féin has not welcomed that proposal, given how often it talks about the provision of social housing being one of its political priorities?”