Member's statement: Breast Cancer Waiting Times
Member's statement by Miss Nuala McAllister on .
- MLA
- Miss Nuala McAllister
- Party at the time
- Alliance Party
- Date
- 8 September 2025
- Type
- Member's statement
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- Breast Cancer Waiting Times
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5067963
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I highlight the unacceptably long waiting times that patients who need for red-flag cancer referrals face, but, today, I will talk specifically about breast cancer. Most people will be aware of this, but, if they are not, the target for starting treatment for any diagnosis of breast cancer is within 31 days of a decision to treat. The longer that a patient waits for a decision to treat, the worse that it is for that patient. I am talking not just about the cancer diagnosis but about the social and mental impact on the patient. Over the summer, we looked forward to hearing from the Department of Health and the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust (SEHSCT) about their tackling of the regional waiting list. After writing to the South Eastern Trust, we were told to go to the strategic planning and performance group (SPPG). After writing to the SPPG, we were told to go to the Minister. I had already been to the Minister, however. I had asked his Department about how exactly we were tackling the regional waiting list, only to be referred to the trust. It is a game of pass the parcel. It is a buck to be passed between the Department and trusts. Ultimately, at the end of the statistics are patients. My constituency office has been working with some of those patients. One in particular, instead of sitting in stress and anxiety, took it upon herself to contact all her elected reps. She is in such stress because she sees her symptoms every single day yet is having to wait.
I am grateful that she has now received an appointment, but it is outside the time frame. We need to ensure that no other patient has to wait more than nine weeks — more than six weeks — for a red-flag cancer referral. I hope that the Department and the Minister can come to the Chamber and address the issues without again passing the buck.
332 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 (0.95).
- No identity-based framing was identified (1.00).
- 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 | 0.02 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.02 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.01 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.02 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.02 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.95 | 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 |
|---|---|
| No identity-related subject | 0.67 |
| Sexism, misogyny, ageism and other equality groups | 0.14 |
| Disability (including neurodivergence and mental health), disabled people and disability or sickness benefits | 0.10 |
| Gender, sexuality, abortion and related social issues | 0.08 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 12:56 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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