Debate contribution: North/South Ministerial Council: Health and Food Safety

Debate contribution by Mr Mike Nesbitt on 27 January 2026.

MLA

Mr Mike Nesbitt

Party at the time

Ulster Unionist Party

Date

27 January 2026

Type

Debate contribution (made as a minister)

Business

Ministerial Statement

Heading

North/South Ministerial Council: Health and Food Safety

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5344994

Read the official Assembly record

Text

In compliance with section 52 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, I wish to make the following statement on the twenty-seventh North/South Ministerial Council (NSMC) health and food safety sectoral meeting, which was held in Armagh on Wednesday 14 January 2026. I chaired the meeting, and was joined by junior Minister Aisling Reilly MLA, who attended as the accompanying Minister. Jennifer Carroll MacNeill TD, Minister for Health, represented the Government of Ireland. The statement has been agreed with junior Minister Reilly, and I make it on behalf of both of us. I will begin by addressing the issue of health. The Council welcomed the cooperation of officials from the Northern Ireland Department of Health, the Department of Children, Disability and Equality in Ireland and the other relevant Departments in the area of disability. Ministers noted the commitment of the Northern Ireland Department of Health and the Department of Children, Disability and Equality in Ireland to upholding the rights of people with disabilities in line with the principles set out by the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Ministers agreed that officials should explore potential options for collaboration and knowledge exchange and provide an update at a future meeting. The Council welcomed the progress made to date on implementing its work programme in the health sector and noted that both Departments of Health have identified additional areas where there is potential for further development and collaboration between the health authorities in both jurisdictions. The Council agreed the proposed revisions to the work programme and noted that work to ensure that the work programme reflects the priorities of each Administration will continue. In receiving an update on ongoing cooperation between the two Health Departments, the Council noted that the all-island paediatric cardiology training scheme qualification has been added to the General Medical Council's list of recognised specialist qualifications, which will enhance workforce mobility and cross-border collaboration. The NSMC noted that the potential for future cooperation on perinatal and paediatric services continues to be explored. The Council was advised of ongoing work between the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service and the National Ambulance Service and of the fact that work is progressing on harmonising clinical and operational procedures, updating the memorandum of understanding on mutual aid and improving control room interoperability. The Council noted that 10 cross-border healthcare PEACE PLUS-funded projects have launched and are in their start-up phase. The consideration of an eleventh health project is under way. The NSMC noted the ongoing work on Exercise Pegasus, which concerns UK pandemic preparedness and in which representatives from Ireland have participated as observers. Cooperation on cancer care is a long-standing element of the health work programme. The Council received updates on recent developments in that area. The Council noted the ongoing work by the North/South cancer policy and strategy group, which most recently met in October 2025, on progressing the delivery of cross-border cancer services. Ministers noted the benefits, for patients, of the ongoing cooperation on and expansion of radiotherapy services at Altnagelvin Area Hospital and welcomed further cooperation on services provided through the North West Cancer Centre. The Council noted that the inaugural all-island paediatric oncology conference was held on 16 and 17 October 2025. Ministers welcomed the development of a project shortlist of areas of cooperation to be considered further, with the aim being to improve cancer services for patients across both jurisdictions. The Council noted the prevalence of rare diseases on the island of Ireland, the benefits of cooperation on rare diseases and the commitment to promoting and strengthening that cooperation. The NSMC noted that the ongoing consideration of opportunities to collaborate on efforts to support those from across the island who live with rare diseases will continue, and Ministers welcomed the ongoing work in both jurisdictions to improve the lives of those who live with rare diseases, including the work of the all-Ireland rare diseases interdisciplinary research network. The Council noted a presentation on obesity, which provided an overview of diet and nutrition, physical activity and health weight-related outcomes in Ireland and Northern Ireland, and the existing cooperation on initiatives to address obesity, including the all-island obesity action forum and the all-island healthier food environment forum. I turn to food safety. The Council considered a progress report outlining Safefood's high-level achievements since the previous health and food safety sectoral meeting. Those included Safefood's roll-out of a further iteration of its food environment multimedia campaign, with the broader goal of encouraging societal change for a healthier food environment for children's future health and ultimately driving potential policy change; and Safefood's Clean As You Go campaign to remind people about the need to wash hands, work surfaces and utensils, especially when preparing raw meat, with the aim of reducing the risk of food poisoning from cross-contamination in people's homes. Next, the Council noted the collaborative approach undertaken by Safefood to deliver its remit, including working with partners such as the Irish Football Association, the Gaelic Athletic Association, Northern Ireland local authorities and public-sector organisations; the launch of Safefood's new, free healthy eating resource, 'Fuel Your Game', in Croke Park; Safefood's support of the launch of newly revised nutritional standards applying to all facilities that serve food and beverages in Health and Social Care settings in Northern Ireland; and Safefood's continued work with the district and borough councils in Northern Ireland to provide free food safety training for small businesses in their respective areas. Penultimately, the Council noted the ongoing roll-out of the 2025-28 community food initiatives programme, which aims to positively influence healthy eating habits, especially those of low-income families, through promoting greater access to and availability of healthy and safe food using a community development approach. Finally, we noted the research carried out by Safefood on a range of topics, including obesity, food poverty and health inequalities. The Council considered various governance matters relating to Safefood, noting its revised business plan for 2025 and that the 2024 annual report and accounts were being audited. The NSMC approved Safefood's business plan for 2026 and recommended the associated budget grant provision. The Council also approved Safefood's corporate plan for 2026-28 and a post regrading in the body. The Council acknowledged the retirement of Dr Gary Kearney as chief executive officer of the Food Safety Promotion Board/Safefood and the valuable contribution that he had made to the work of the body in various roles since 2002. The Council also noted that the outgoing CEO, Dr Kearney, had designated Ms Patricia Fitzgerald, Safefood director of corporate operations, to carry out the functions of the CEO from 1 January 2026 until the new CEO is in place. Ministers approved the appointment of Dr Joanne Uí Chrualaoich as the new chief executive officer of the Food Safety Promotion Board/Safefood with effect from 19 January 2026. Finally, the Council agreed that the next NSMC health and food safety sectoral meeting will be held in the autumn of 2026.

I can confirm that there is ongoing cooperation between the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service and the National Ambulance Service. I direct the Member to look at ambulance handover times over the additional winter pressure periods, particularly in the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust area, where the target time of two hours was met more often than it was failed.

I do not have that number, but I will certainly write to the Member when I have ascertained the figure. As a matter of principle, I am keen to look at all-island training cooperation.

I agree with the Member: the North West Cancer Centre is an exemplar of good practice and of cross-border cooperation. As I have said many times, the border does not demark health and social care needs; it highlights the fact that we have common goals and common purposes to treat common problems. The Member will be aware that there is a huge deficit in the Department of Health's budget for this year. In order to avoid a strike and make sure that the workforce got their pay entitlements this year — I will not say "pay rises", because staff would dispute that it is a pay rise, given the rate of inflation — we will have a big problem next year. The idea of expanding services is therefore not on my agenda, I am afraid. I would love it to be, but it is not. My agenda is to shift left into the neighbourhood programme.

I did indeed bring up CAR T-cell therapy, because I wanted to confirm with the Minister for Health in the Irish Government and her officials that what I have been telling the House is accurate, which it is, but I say once again that a very specific clinical environment is needed to carry out CAR-T. That certainly does not exist in ward 10 north at Belfast City Hospital, which is the current haematology ward. The new ward will not come on stream until perhaps 2031, but the plan is to have a new ward that will be compatible with the exercise of CAR-T. In the meantime, we have asked officials from the Department of Health in Dublin whether they could increase their capacity to include patients from Northern Ireland. Their current capacity is maxed out from dealing with their own patients in the jurisdiction. Even if their capacity were to expand, we would get there with our new ward before they would be able to service us.

In my first address to the House as Minister of Health, one of the points that I made was that I had no political or ideological objection to sensible cross-border cooperation on health and social care — in fact, quite the opposite — so, as a matter of principle, I will always look at ways in which to expand cooperation. The Member will be aware that, at the South West Acute Hospital, there were, for a long time, two uncommissioned theatres and wards, although one has now been commissioned and is being used extremely successfully for orthopaedics: hips and joint replacements. Over 75% of people are going in, getting their new knee or hip and getting home on the same day. There is more potential, however. On that visit, as the Member will be aware, not only did we see magnificent things being done but we got a real sense from the workforce that they want to do more. They said, "Please, let us do more", and I am keen to try to facilitate that. We need to stop putting an exclusive emphasis on the one thing that is not happening in the SWAH and start celebrating all the wonderful things that are happening there.

Yes, there was a discussion about paediatric pathology. The issue has not budged: there is a global shortage of paediatric pathologists. The two authorities are scoping out what they need for the two jurisdictions. Once we have done that, we will come together to see whether it is possible to have an all-island solution. Given the global shortage in that workforce, it seems ambitious to try to get an all-island solution and overambitious to try to get two solutions. We are in that process, and it is taking time, but that is the way it is. One of the themes was rare diseases. Individually, they are rare, but, collectively, they are common and affect over 400,000 people on this island. We have made good progress on implementing the Northern Ireland rare disease action plan, but more can and will be done. We are exploring possibilities for collaboration. Most recently, we looked at a Shared Island proposal to establish an all-island metabolic network that would bring equitable care from robust services as close to home as clinically possible. Those conversations continue between officials. It is not as though the issue only comes up on the rare occasion when there is a sectoral meeting.

We are in the foothills of those discussions. There will be another sectoral meeting — that is the plan — in either the autumn or, at the very latest, early January. The Government of Ireland take on the presidency of the European Union on 1 June, which may shift their focus to some extent. Either way, before the end of our mandate, there will be another sectoral meeting. At that meeting, I expect officials to detail where those additional areas for potential cooperation are. However, I am not in a position to say to the Member, "This is where I want us to go".

Again, there were no specifics mentioned at the sectoral meeting, but I will certainly take that question away, because, in fairness, it is important, and come back to the Member with something a bit more substantive.

The Member makes a good point about population size, because, as I said, rare diseases may be individually rare, but, collectively, they are common, with about 410,000 people on the island suffering from some sort of rare disease. To be able to do proper research and design proper and effective pathways, you always need a minimum population size. In neither Northern Ireland nor the Republic is the population big enough to crack that for some rare diseases, but, on an all-island basis, we cross the line into what is possible. In order to achieve what we want to achieve, we try to adhere to four principles: improving diagnosis; increasing awareness among healthcare professionals; enhancing the coordination of care; and boosting access to specialist services and treatments.

There was not a specific discussion about the issue, which, I know, is important to the Member. The two services continue to make steady progress in strengthening joint arrangements for cross-border emergency responses under the North/South specialist ambulance response programme. Work is progressing on harmonising clinical and operational procedures, updating the memorandum of understanding on mutual aid and improving control room interoperability.

I am sorry for the loss that the Member refers to. As I have said previously, you need a specific, clinically secure environment for CAR-T. Ward 10 north at Belfast City Hospital does not cut it. I have visited 10 north. Let me put it this way: if a visitor asked to see how well we look after patients and how good our facilities are in secondary care, you would not take them to 10 north in Belfast City Hospital. There will be a new haematology ward in Belfast City Hospital. Speaking off the top of my head, I think that the current delivery date is 2031, so it is a number of years away. Once we have it, we will be able to do CAR-T. I have told the Member before that we have spoken to the Department of Health in Dublin. It is maxed out in capacity, and increasing the capacity there to service us would take longer than it will take us to open our new haematology ward and deliver CAR-T in Belfast, according to our current schedule.

I thank the Member for his question. As I said in my statement, the all-island paediatric cardiology training programme qualification has been added to the General Medical Council's list of recognised specialist qualifications. That will enhance workforce mobility and cross-border collaboration. That is something that Jennifer Carroll MacNeill and I went on to discuss. The barrier of asymmetrical qualifications — qualifications that do not migrate or are not recognised in both jurisdictions — is an impediment. As the two Ministers, we tasked officials with scoping out the qualifications that do not apply equally in the two jurisdictions and bringing us the list at the next sectoral meeting, where we will take action. When I talk about action, I mean that we are both prepared to write jointly to the appropriate professional bodies, if that is necessary, to try to ensure symmetrical qualifications that are recognised in both jurisdictions.

2,633 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 14:21 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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