Debate contribution: Cancer Treatment: Ambulance Transfer
Debate contribution by Mr Mike Nesbitt on .
- MLA
- Mr Mike Nesbitt
- Party at the time
- Ulster Unionist Party
- Date
- 3 November 2025
- Type
- Debate contribution (made as a minister)
- Business
- Oral Answers to Questions
- Heading
- Cancer Treatment: Ambulance Transfer
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5213234
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I thank the Member. I should have added in my opening remarks that we have a cancer support services directory and that, for those on low incomes, there is a hospital travel costs scheme that may provide financial assistance. On the broader point, the Member knows that I consulted on a strategy that would create a hospital network for better outcomes. I believe that many people, probably including me until relatively recently, wanted every procedure to be delivered at their nearest hospital, whether it was an acute hospital or not. That is neither possible nor particularly desirable, given the fact that we have the potential to move to create hospitals that are specialists in particular procedures. If you need a procedure, and your local facility does it once a week, but a facility 30 miles away does it 10 times a day, five days a week, I think that I know where you will go. However, the question is whether you can you get there and back, and, therefore, transport becomes particularly important. It is absolutely essential for a relatively small percentage of the population. I think that the larger percentage can get there and back one way or another, but, for those who cannot, transport becomes critical. We are looking at all those schemes. The Member may be aware that there are ongoing discussions between the Department of Health, the Department for Infrastructure and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs. A couple of months ago, we escalated that to being an inter-ministerial meeting, because we felt that there was not enough impetus. The focus will be on getting people to and from health and social care settings. It is very much on the radar.
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: 0.02 (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 (0.90).
- 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 | 0.01 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.01 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.02 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.02 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.90 | Yes |
| Overall judgement | 0.02 | 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 | 0.87 |
| Disability (including neurodivergence and mental health), disabled people and disability or sickness benefits | 0.10 |
| Another identity-related subject | 0.02 |
| Gender, sexuality, abortion and related social issues | 0.01 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 13:47 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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