Debate contribution: Legislation Programme 2025-26

Debate contribution by Mr Alan Chambers on 13 October 2025.

MLA: Mr Alan Chambers
Party at the time: Ulster Unionist Party
Date: 13 October 2025
Type: Debate contribution
Business: Executive Committee Business
Heading: Legislation Programme 2025-26
Assembly identifier: Official Report component 5176093

Text

With a reduced mandate, the Assembly and the Executive, right from the restoration in February 2024, were on the back foot with the time available to consider and pass legislation. Nevertheless, I welcome today's publication of the legislative programme. The list is likely to be accompanied by a range of Members' Bills. As a Back-Bench MLA, I respectfully suggest that it would be helpful if Members were to receive a written update at some point as to the range of Members' Bills that are being considered and the indicative timescales of some that are coming forward. I speak primarily to support two critical Bills in the Executive programme: the safe and effective staffing Bill and the HSC control of data processing Bill. Taken together, the two Bills will strengthen the safety of health and social care services and the integrity and trustworthiness of how we use and protect healthcare data. As Members, many of us are well aware of the background to what was previously referred to as the safe staffing Bill. It was a key element of the framework agreement that led to the suspension of the industrial dispute that was secured by my party colleague Robin Swann in 2020. We cannot expect excellence in patient care if our workforce is under-resourced and unsupported. Passing the Bill will send a clear signal that patient safety and dignity, staff well-being and service integrity are not discretionary but statutory. I am therefore pleased to see Minister Nesbitt deliver on that. However, we also need to be clear that, while legislation will help, what would most help and reassure members of our workforce right now would be to give them the pay award that we all know that they fully deserve. Whilst the Chamber has the ear of the First Minister and deputy First Minister, I will say that it is most regrettable that we are still waiting for the Executive to consider and agree the Health Minister's ministerial direction request to deliver this year's pay award. With every day that passes without a resolution being found, our workforce becomes increasingly demoralised and frustrated. We are staring down the barrel of widespread industrial action that is likely to be much more significant than the 2020 action that spurred the development of the Bill. The HSC control of data processing Bill is about ensuring trust, accountability and lawful use of deeply personal health information in an era of digital care. It also presents Northern Ireland with a further important opportunity to align with wider legislative frameworks, such as United Kingdom data protection law and, importantly, ethical frameworks for AI and digital. Both Department of Health Bills are essential if we are to modernise Health and Social Care in a safe, transparent and effective way. I look forward to their coming to the Chamber and the Committee.

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

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