Analysis in progress: 72,443 of 97,621 records assessed (74.2%). Totals and rankings will change until it finishes. Progress details
Mr Robin Swann: Assembly records
All of Mr Robin Swann’s imported questions, contributions and motions in this mandate, newest first, including those assessed as not qualifying, uncertain or not yet analysed.
Thank you for the opportunity to respond to the amendments tabled to the Hospital Parking Charges Bill. The amendments tabled by Mr McGrath would result in the postponement of the introduction of free parking for one year instead of the two years outlined in the Bill. The amendment tabled by Mr Carroll would result in…
Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. I thank Members for their comments, and I will refer to some of the queries and issues that a number of Members raised rather than name specific Members. I thank the Chair and members of the Health Committee for taking forward the Bill at pace. The Opposition spokesperson indicated…
I beg to move Thanks for the opportunity to open the debate on the Hospital Parking Charges Bill. First, I thank the Health Committee, which ceded Committee Stage so that the Bill can progress in a shorter time frame. As Members will recall, the Hospital Parking Charges Act (Northern Ireland) 2022, which was passed by…
I thank Members for their contributions, and I thank the Chair of the Health Committee for her comments about the discussion at the Committee. I can assure Members that every effort was made to explore the expedition of the traffic management contract. Given the ongoing work between my officials and the health and…
I beg to move I am grateful for the opportunity to address Members on this critical issue. I seek agreement today to progress, by accelerated passage, the Hospital Parking Charges Bill, which will postpone the ban on charging money for parking vehicles in hospital car parks, as contained in the Hospital Parking…
I thank the Member. Maybe I did not make myself clear. Although the Education Minister and I have not engaged, our teams are deeply engaged and deeply embedded as we work out how both Departments can support young people with special educational needs. We acknowledge the significant numbers who need assessment and…
I have not had any meetings directly with the Education Minister, but he and I spoke about that matter recently, on the edge of an Executive meeting. We need to work in partnership in that area. The Education Minister has expressed his admiration for the healthcare workers who work in a school setting, especially in…
I thank the Member for his point. I think that he refers specifically to Encompass. The advantage of rolling it out initially in the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust is that it has allowed us to identify challenging areas in the communication framework and in how we notify, through letters and different…
On the roll-out of the Encompass system, I am aware of some delays to certain procedures, but I am assured by the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust that those are being worked through. On the wider process of accessing red-flag breast cancer assessments, a regional approach is being taken across Northern…
I thank the Member. I do not think that Brexit had any direct implications in that area. The medicines supply notification was issued for specific products on 13 February. That means that there will be periods when certain strengths may not be available, but that is not down directly to the Brexit negotiations or any…
I thank the Member for his question. While disruptions to the supply of some attention deficit hyperactivity disorder treatments have now been resolved, my Department is aware of ongoing supply distribution issues involving various strengths and preparations of other ADHD treatments across the UK, which have been…
I thank the Member for his point. I will continue to engage with ministerial colleagues. As I am sure the Member is aware, the regulation also falls under the remit of his party colleague the AERA Minister because it is an environmental issue. I will continue to work with him as a ministerial colleague and engage with…
I thank the Member. I am aware of the developments regarding EU regulations on mercury, which includes dental amalgam, and they are a cause of significant concern. The changes would significantly restrict dentists from replacing amalgam fillings, which would increase costs for patients and taxpayers and have a…
I thank the Member. I can supply him with more detail in writing if he wishes. My announcement of the additional package for dentistry included £1 million that was specifically earmarked for NHS dentists to work with unregistered children. I can get that detail to the Member in writing.
I thank the Member for his point. He will know that I recently announced additional funding for dentistry to see what we can do regarding access for children, an increase in the provision of the urgent dental care to unregistered patients and asylum seekers (PUPAS) scheme, and ensuring that there is more access to…
I will say to the Member that currently, as he knows, I have no budget available. For 2024-25, however, I have approved the front-loading of the Doctors' and Dentists' Remuneration Body (DDRB) uplifts in recognition of the national minimum wage uplifts in April 2024. That will be paid forward by £1 million a quarter,…
I thank the Member for his point. As he knows, community pharmacies continue to play a pivotal role in delivering health services to communities in Northern Ireland. They have been, and continue to be, some of our most accessible healthcare professionals, and they were on the front line of community health during the…
I have not put in a specific bid for MDTs at this point. I have made a wider bid for the health service within the Department of Health budget. The Member is right to identify MDTs in relation to receiving special funding. He will be aware that under New Decade, New Approach, MDTs were funded under transformation. The…
I have not had an assessment in writing, but I am aware of the current pressures that GPs and primary care are currently under. That is why we are working through that review of the GP contract and what we need to go forward. We have a good working relationship with Dr Stout and his colleagues to make sure that we…
I thank the Member for his question. He will be aware that I visited Downe Hospital a while ago, when I was last in office. I agree that it is a fantastic facility. As I have made clear in the Chamber many times, I need to utilise every square foot of all hospital facilities. I hope that, when I later publish the…