All of Mr Mike Nesbitt’s imported questions, contributions and motions in this mandate, newest first, including those assessed as not flagged, uncertain or not yet analysed.
In partnership with DAERA and the Public Health Agency, we have supported the farm families health checks programme for a number of years. The overarching aim is to improve the health and social well-being of rural farmers and farm families; increase local access to health screening services; provide health-related…
The Member will be aware that I intend to bring forward a women's health action plan, hopefully sooner rather than later. We are in the last phase of the listening exercise, in which we are trying to hear the voices of harder-to-reach women, and that applies particularly to women who live in rural areas. When that…
As the Member is aware, we do rural needs impact assessments of all our policies. We liaise with the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs on future rural policy. A Department of Health Health and Social Care (HSC) forum was established to take forward work to address loneliness and social…
While, in general, rural populations tend to experience better health outcomes, that can mask issues faced by rural communities such as transport connectivity, access to services and isolation. Health inequalities are a key focus for me, as I have said, and we are working across government to tackle the wider social…
I respectfully say to the Member that she was not in the room when Alma White said that she did not understand. I am not misinterpreting her; I am quoting her. I will continue to work with other Ministers who have key roles to play in post-19 provision.
My point was that there is a mixed message, in that people say that there is no room for new legislation, yet the Chamber can rise at 4.00 pm on a Monday. As I said to Mr Baker, our resources for new legislation have been deployed for the rest of the mandate.
I understand that, if I were Alma White, I would see it as a mixed message. I can, however, commit to putting in place some building blocks to ensure that we — or you — can move forward in the next mandate.
Secondly, the Department of Health has already defined its legislative programme between now and purdah, so the question for us is not the availability of Chamber time but the availability of resources in the Department of Health and among those who would draft the legislation You can shout at me from a sedentary…
I met Alma White and Caleb, who came into the Building the week before last. It would be fair to say that she was upset and did not understand why, although we are still just over a year away from purdah, there is no time to legislate. She wanted an amendment to the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons (Northern…
The children and young people's emotional health and well-being framework proposes an inclusive, needs-based approach to neurodiversity, which, importantly, does not require a formal diagnosis as a prerequisite for support. The model aims to reduce stigma, promote earlier intervention and improve outcomes across…
I am not entirely sure what that has to do with the question that was asked by Mr Gildernew, which was about how social care needs are being addressed in Fermanagh and South Tyrone.
I can confirm to the Member that it is my plan to introduce the real living wage in this financial year. As the Member is aware, my budget has yet to be confirmed. Indeed, no Department or Minister has had their budget for 2026-27 confirmed yet. As soon as I have that, my two priorities are honouring the wage…
I thank the Member for the question. It might be better answered by the Member who asked the previous question, because that is his background. Absolutely, it is a worthwhile career. If you speak to any service user or their family and friends who observe what is happening with home care, they will tell you that…
I thank the Member for his supplementary question. The challenges in rural areas are distinct from those in urban areas, and I accept that. When I decided to tackle health inequalities with the Live Better initiative, we started with two urban district electoral areas (DEAs), because it is easier to club together…
I am aware that pockets of unmet need exist in respect of home care provision in parts of Fermanagh and South Tyrone, due to a combination of factors: increasing levels of demand; difficulties with recruitment; and difficulties with retention within the home care workforce. The Department has introduced a range of…
It was not on my agenda, but, obviously, it is now. If the Member would like to discuss it further, I would be happy to do that, even later this afternoon.
My Department is working closely with the trusts, progressing the development of a modernised, Northern Ireland-specific breast service model, and we are doing that at speed. However, it is important that we are clear that meaningful, sustainable improvement is not quick or easy to achieve. It cannot happen overnight.…
As of 8 May last year, Encompass has been rolled out across the five geographic trusts. The trusts are looking for a considerable period of time in which to embed Encompass. I find that a little bit frustrating, because I am not a technician or an IT expert. However, it is certainly moving in the right direction. I…
Work is under way with the trusts to define the requirements for what will be a modernised, consultant-led model for breast services. That includes expanding the multidisciplinary team and strengthening the skill mix across nursing and allied health professional staff. The objective is to increase capacity, resilience…
Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I thank Jemma Dolan for securing the Adjournment debate. I will always embrace an opportunity to talk about the SWAH. It is a gem. It is a wonderful facility: a great building and very modern. However, I go back to my normal formula: in order to deliver health and social care, you need…
As somebody who served on statutory Committees from 2011 until taking up this post in March 2024, I absolutely get the fact that Committees need the appropriate amount of time to scrutinise legislation, including LCMs. However, in defence of my departmental officials, I say that Mrs Dodds talked about the Bill going…
I beg to move The need for a legislative consent motion (LCM) has arisen as a result of the need to extend the provisions of the Medical Training (Prioritisation) Bill to Northern Ireland. The Bill was tabled in the House of Commons on 13 January 2026. It introduces a UK-wide duty on all providers of medical training…
Deputy Speaker, thank you. I thank the sponsors of the motion. Data has to be the fundamental foundation if we are going to deliver consistent, standardised, regional services. It is the key to planning best services, targeting resources, monitoring safety, measuring outcomes and learning what truly helps. Without it,…