Debate contribution: Respite Provision: South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust
Debate contribution by Mr Robbie Butler on .
- MLA
- Mr Robbie Butler
- Party at the time
- Ulster Unionist Party
- Date
- 8 April 2025
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Adjournment
- Heading
- Respite Provision: South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4920036
Read the official Assembly record
Text
Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker, for allowing me in. I thank the Member for Lagan Valley for securing an Adjournment debate on such an important subject. Like the Members from Lagan Valley who have so eloquently made their case, I have represented constituents from across Lagan Valley who have found challenges, not just since COVID but probably from further back. I will not cover too much ground that has already been covered, other than, perhaps, to offer a challenge to all of us. As you know — I often talk about it — I chair the all-party group (APG) on disability. For quite a while, I have also been a member of the all-party group on learning disability. Having met officials, professionals and politicians, it strikes me that we all want the same thing, but there is something quite wrong in the system that we have developed over the years: our approach to how we share the ambition for people with disabilities and learning disability. We work with their families across every statutory agency, and, only a couple of years ago, we faced down the challenges faced by families who were waiting lengthy times for a statement or a report on their children so that they could access adequate education in our schools, and it is sad to see that played out in other spheres, including Health. To be fair to the Minister, he has already stepped up to the mark in that regard. That is what we can do in the intervention phase, guys. That is entirely appropriate, and I absolutely agree with some of the comments. We need to ensure that the families get that respite. We need, however, to achieve a massive culture shift when it comes to all things pertaining to learning disability and disability. What do I mean by that? I will set the tone, if you like, by referring to problems that we also face in getting respite care and homes for children who are looked after. It is not just in learning disability and disability where there is a backlog. There are almost 5,000 children in care. There is a shortage of the foster carers and respite homes needed to help all our children. As a society, we have become desperately busy, and, arguably, we maybe chase the wrong things at times instead of prioritising what will impact on us in the future right across Northern Ireland. The other thing that strikes me is that we have an ageing population, and we may face difficulties in the future because of the workforce pressures that come with that. As mentioned by Mr Honeyford, in particular, parents who are elderly may be looking after children who are quite elderly and facing challenges. We need a major shift in how we approach everything to do with disability and learning disability. Future debates on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), in particular, could be very useful in helping us to shape our legislative intent and ambition. I hope that, even after the debate tonight, we will be focused on bringing immediate respite to those who need it desperately.
527 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 (0.91).
- 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 | 0.02 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.02 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.02 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.91 | 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 12:22 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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