Debate contribution: Adult Protection Bill: Second Stage

Debate contribution by Mr Danny Donnelly on 30 June 2025.

MLA

Mr Danny Donnelly

Party at the time

Alliance Party

Date

30 June 2025

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Executive Committee Business

Heading

Adult Protection Bill: Second Stage

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5043557

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I welcome the opportunity to speak at the Second Stage of the Adult Protection Bill. I support the principle behind the legislation: a stronger statutory framework to safeguard adults who are at risk of harm and abuse. That vulnerable adults deserve consistent and effective protection from neglect, exploitation and mistreatment is not in question. The Bill is long overdue, and, in that respect, its introduction is a positive and necessary step forward following the horrendous scandals at Dunmurry Manor care home and Muckamore Abbey Hospital. The Bill offers the potential to bring clarity to front-line professionals and consistency to health trusts on how to respond to risk and, crucially, to better protect vulnerable adults who are in need. It also seeks to rebuild trust among families, which has been damaged over recent years when their loved ones have been placed in such institutions. Support for that principle must come with scrutiny of its practical delivery. The Bill is substantial. It consists of 51 clauses, which cover legal powers for social workers, the creation of new criminal offences, regulation of CCTV in care settings and the establishment of a new adult protection board. We must ask, therefore, whether the legislation is realistic, enforceable and resourced. First, on funding, the Department's estimate is that the Bill's provisions will cost approximately £12 million per year, which is more than £120 million over a decade, yet, as others have highlighted, the Department has acknowledged that no funding has been secured for the Bill's implementation. That is a serious concern that risks turning this into a paper exercise, with legislation on the books that cannot meaningfully be delivered in practice. That is not fair on the professionals whom we expect to uphold it or the adults whom we claim it will protect. If the Bill is to have a real-world impact, funding must follow. Secondly, on workforce, the Bill assigns significant new responsibilities to social workers, including the responsibility to apply for court orders, to make protection assessments and to coordinate responses. We know, however, that social work teams across the system and across Northern Ireland are under immense pressure already. There are real and growing problems with recruitment, retention and burnout. Has the Department assessed whether the current workforce has the capacity to absorb the new statutory duties? The Health Committee has heard so many times about the pressures resulting from social work vacancy numbers, so will there be additional recruitment, training and support? We cannot simply legislate for new duties without resourcing the people who are tasked with carrying them out. Thirdly, on accountability and oversight, the Bill creates new criminal offences of ill treatment and neglect by carers and proposes to regulate CCTV use in settings where adults may be at risk. I appreciate that the Minister has highlighted the fact that there will be a full public consultation on the CCTV regulations. That should happen as soon as possible. Those are sensitive and important areas, and they require careful thought. We have heard multiple times today about how important the CCTV evidence was in exposing the abuse at Muckamore. Who will monitor compliance? What mechanisms will exist to challenge inappropriate use? How will the provisions interact with existing human rights and safeguarding duties? Those are the kinds of issues that the Committee will need to probe in depth. That brings me to the scrutiny process. Given the scope and significance of the Bill, the Committee has proposed to extend the reporting deadline to March 2026. I support that extension. We cannot afford to rush the process, and we must also appreciate that other legislation will come from the Department before the end of this shortened mandate. The legislation has the potential to make a real difference. It can provide protection where there are currently gaps. It can give professionals the tools that they need, and it can provide legal clarity and accountability. However, it will succeed only if it is properly funded, grounded in operational reality and developed in partnership with the people whom it affects the most. That is what we must now focus on. I look forward to working with colleagues to scrutinise the Bill in detail to ensure that it is as strong as it possibly can be and to ensure that we can protect this vulnerable group from harm and abuse.

724 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 13:06 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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