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Mr Mike Nesbitt: Assembly records
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.
The draft Period Products (Department of Health Specified Public Service Bodies) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2024 That the draft Period Products (Department of Health Specified Public Service Bodies) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2024 be approved.
It was a very emotive start, and I certainly join the Member in expressing sympathy for the loss of Jody Gormley. When we think about the dignity of Sir Chris Hoy, who now faces a terminal illness, it is remarkable how some of our sportspeople give examples to all of us to follow. As to the Member's substantive point,…
Some of the waiting times have improved. I emphasise again that, overall, the picture is not acceptable and needs a lot more work. However, when we talk about specific numbers and we say that the total number of people who are waiting for an appointment is x, that is not necessarily accurate, in that I could be on…
I thank the Member for bringing up the subject, because it is raised with me daily, not least by Members on behalf of their constituents. She will be aware that my predecessor, Robin Swann, put several million pounds into dental treatment, but we still have a problem with dentists deciding that they will focus on…
I thank the Member for the questions that she poses. Is having a single authority a product of that? To an extent, yes, it is. As the Member alluded to, it is very important that, among women, we restore confidence in the service and in its ability to deliver. She will be aware that there has been a move from cytology…
I thank the Member for her question and comments, but I see no contradiction. You need to do both. As I said in my first comments here as Health Minister, if you took a blank map of Northern Ireland and asked yourself, "Do you want to design a health and social care system?", the answer would, I think, be yes, but…
Mr Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to make a statement today on the publication of the health and social care three-year plan. When Professor Bengoa visited Northern Ireland in October, I was clear that I intended to publish a plan setting out my ambitions until the end of this mandate. The publication today of…
I am not aware of its being advised not to take the handover. I think that there was a contractual board that advised the contractor and the Belfast Trust and that the advice was, figuratively speaking, to accept the keys. It was only afterwards, when the trust went into the solid state of water testing, which applies…
I will more than happily take that away, and I ask the Member to write to me on it. As a matter of broad principle, we follow the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines. If NICE has approved something, we will certainly check its applicability in Northern Ireland. If NICE has not approved…
On the first point, I am not aware that that is the case. I have a sense that demand for the service is growing, but I will take that away, check it out and get back to the Member. On the second part of the question, I have no vires over the productivity of the private sector.
I sympathise with the Member and his constituents. I am afraid that it is a question of resource. That is a technical medical procedure and is carried out at the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children. There is a validation: in other words, a consultant goes through the list to make sure that people are in the right…
As I said to the Member, I do not condone anything that is considered illegal, but we have free speech in this country. We have no contractual arrangement with the organisation that he referenced on its communications, marketing, advertising or website.
The Department of Health has no vires over what organisations place on their websites. In my experience, the Rainbow Project delivers valuable services to the LGBTQ+ community. I do not condone illegal activities in any way. The Member may wish to write to the Rainbow Project to highlight the issues that he has raised.
I thank the Member for his follow-up question. That is an area of detail that I want to take away. I will make a general comment: moving from the National Health Service or Health and Social Care (HSC) to the private sector and coming back again poses problems across the board, as far as I can see. The Member…
I thank the Member for his question. As he is aware, there are no commissioned ADHD services in Northern Ireland, but services are being made available by the geographic trusts. Provision has grown across those trusts in response to population demand. That means that a level of provision is available, but that has…
I thank the Member for his follow-up question. It is always dangerous to make up policy on the hoof, but I am on record at an event in the Long Gallery as saying that it is public health issue. I am happy to concur with the Member.
I have no difficulty in saying that I agree. I know that Mr McGuigan has a particular interest in that area. There has been a tripartite approach from the Northern Ireland Executive, involving the Minister for Communities, the Minister of Education and me, to try to get more resource from the UK Government to tackle…
As the Member is aware, we have been recruiting, I think, 48 new paramedics to join the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS). NIAS has reviewed the data, so the Member will know that, in his area, it has come to the conclusion that it can adjust their rotas. The number of crews on duty between, say, 2.00 am and…
I agree with the Member. A lot of work is being done to try to be more efficient. The Member is aware of that, because he rightly highlights the time that ambulance crews spend outside and in emergency departments waiting to discharge their patients. The same goes for the Police Service of Northern Ireland. The Member…
I thank the Member for his question. As he is aware, there are many, many charitable organisations and organisations in the community and voluntary sector involved in health delivery, whether for physical or mental health. As I said, I have engaged through the umbrella body, NICVA. I could not tell you how many times…
I thank the Member for his question. He will know that I have campaigned on the issue of mental health and well-being since coming to the House in 2011. In October monitoring, there was no provision for nor any invitation to make specific bids. While I rejoice in the fact that we have a mental health champion in…
I thank the Member for her follow-up question. As I think I have already made clear, I have been working with the Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action (NICVA) on the specific of the core-grant scheme in order to make sure that it is opened up for the first time in some 20 years and, therefore, is available to…
A total of around £130 million of funding is provided to the trusts through the mental health programme of care route for the provision of front-line services in mental health. That does not include the funding for the important role provided by the primary care sector. In addition, mental health strategy funding of…
I thank the Member for his question. I am more than happy to engage with the Minister of Education on that specific. I have engaged with the Minister of Education on a number of specifics. Most recently, we met four principals of special schools to discuss the health — the physical and mental well-being — of pupils,…