Member's statement: Tinnitus Week
Member's statement by Ms Kellie Armstrong on .
- MLA
- Ms Kellie Armstrong
- Party at the time
- Alliance Party
- Date
- 3 February 2025
- Type
- Member's statement
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- Tinnitus Week
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4773643
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I wish to highlight Tinnitus Week. This year's theme is the title of Tinnitus UK's report, 'Ringing the alarm: The tinnitus care crisis', and this week seeks to raise awareness of that crisis. Tinnitus is the name for the hearing of noises that are not caused by an outside source. It is common: around one in seven adults has such ringing all the time or regularly. Most often, tinnitus is linked to hearing loss or other ear conditions. Thankfully, it is rarely a sign of a serious condition, but it is a condition that can be debilitating. The persistent noise causes headaches and exhaustion. It feels like your brain never quietens. Help for people with tinnitus is provided in Northern Ireland by RNID and AdaptNI, which provide vital services for deaf, hearing loss and tinnitus communities across Northern Ireland. AdaptNI was formed to provide specialist employment, pre-employment and training support for people who are deaf or have tinnitus. Despite the need for that type of support, support for deaf people is under threat, as funding to enable specialist help has not been made available. With the imminent introduction of a sign language Bill, for which I am very grateful, there is a unique and pressing opportunity to ensure that sustainable service delivery is provided. That landmark legislation will increase the demand for accessible workplaces, career opportunities and training services. To that end, I call on the Minister of Health and the Minister for Communities to lead the charge to provide stable funding to provide support for individuals and organisations to meet those new standards. There is an opportunity to secure a sustainable future for people who are deaf or hard of hearing and those who have tinnitus.
287 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: 0.03 (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 (0.93).
- No identity-based framing was identified (1.00).
- Subject area: Disability (including neurodivergence and mental health), disabled people and disability or sickness benefits.
- 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 | 0.04 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.02 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.03 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.02 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.03 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.93 | Yes |
| Overall judgement | 0.03 | 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 |
|---|---|
| Disability (including neurodivergence and mental health), disabled people and disability or sickness benefits | 1.00 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.00 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.00 |
| Irish language, Ulster-Scots and language policy | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 11:51 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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