Debate contribution: Women’s Health Action Plan
Debate contribution by Mr Mike Nesbitt on .
- MLA
- Mr Mike Nesbitt
- Party at the time
- Ulster Unionist Party
- Date
- 18 November 2024
- Type
- Debate contribution (made as a minister)
- Business
- Oral Answers to Questions
- Heading
- Women’s Health Action Plan
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4656124
Read the official Assembly record
Text
The purpose of the plan is to highlight the wide range of policy and service development initiatives that are in progress and outline the actions and improvements that can be delivered over the next three years to improve health outcomes for women. At this stage, the focus is on mapping the work that is already under way across the health and social care system, including, for example, improving maternity, gynae and menopause services, cervical screening and breast cancer services and planning for a mother-and-baby unit, as well as identifying areas where further action is needed, for example, improving public health awareness around women's health; providing more training and education for healthcare professionals on those issues; and promoting healthy lifestyles and tackling health inequalities. My Department will be running a number of engagement events from January, listening to women and further informing the development of the action plan. The pace and extent of delivery will be determined by our available capacity and resources, which remain under extreme pressure, which is well documented. With regard to the budget required, clearly what is desirable exceeds what is available for the foreseeable future. However, many initiatives are under way that have received investment or that can be delivered at low cost or at no additional cost within current budgets: for example, in 2024, the introduction of primary HPV screening for cervical cancer and the delivery of menopause training to many healthcare professionals.
238 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.02 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- Assessed as legitimate policy scrutiny (0.73).
- No identity-based framing was identified (1.00).
- Subject area: Gender, sexuality, abortion and related social issues.
- The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.03 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.01 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.01 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.01 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.02 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.73 | Yes |
| Overall judgement | 0.02 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 1.00 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.00 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Gender, sexuality, abortion and related social issues | 0.59 |
| Sexism, misogyny, ageism and other equality groups | 0.40 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.01 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 11:31 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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