Debate contribution: Oakridge Social Education Centre, Dungannon.
Debate contribution by Ms Cara Hunter on .
- MLA
- Ms Cara Hunter
- Party at the time
- Social Democratic and Labour Party
- Date
- 13 October 2026
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Adjournment
- Heading
- Oakridge Social Education Centre, Dungannon.
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5790038
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I thank the proposer of the Adjournment topic. Dungannon is definitely not my area of expertise, but those who live with complex learning disabilities have been a huge part of the Education Committee's role, so I welcome the opportunity to speak briefly on the matter today. I want to begin by thinking about the people who attend Oakridge and the families who depend on it. Oakridge provides day care, therapeutic support and meaningful activities for adults who live with complex learning disabilities and wider physical care needs. Those people deserve the same dignity, opportunities and quality of life as anybody else. They deserve services that are properly supported and facilities that reflect the importance of the care that is provided to them every day. It really is, for many, infuriating that the project has not moved forward. In 2011, the business case was said to be already revised. In 2015, the then Health Minister stated that the project could not proceed because funding was unavailable. Earlier this year, the previous Health Minister was still unable to commit to a new build, despite the project having been identified as a priority for more than 20 years. I feel the pain of the families who want the project taken forward as an important hub for their community. In my constituency of East Derry, Artspace at Aspace2, which is based in Eglinton and is similar to Oakridge, has been life-changing for local families. However, I feel strongly — my colleague Diana is right — that resources for those who live with learning disabilities must be well funded. We have an obligation to them, and the responsibility to make sure that they have appropriate facilities and resources must be shared across Departments. We know that all Departments are subject to many financial obligations and are under stress when it comes to managing budgets, but we need to make sure that we have modern and accessible buildings that meet the needs of those who live with complex learning disabilities. I hope that the Minister can respond and that we can learn more about this important development for the community. I hope that we have a shared goal today, which is to get the right answers and learn more.
373 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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