Every imported question, contribution and motion, with its classification. Unflagged, uncertain and not-yet-analysed records are all included so the analysis can be checked independently.
Minister, it appears that, since the centralisation of services — that is what it has been — there has, in fact, been a deterioration of those services for many women who are deeply concerned about their health. What additional resources are being allocated to trusts and health services in order that people who are…
I absolutely agree with the Member. He will be aware that, during my time as Minister of Health, one of my objectives is to ensure that, whatever the condition or process or entry point for a patient or service user into our Health and Social Care (HSC) system anywhere in Northern Ireland, the patient receives a…
I welcome the fact that action has now been taken to end the sheer inequity and postcode lottery for patients with suspected breast cancer. Does the Minister agree that, in a region as small as Northern Ireland, with a population of fewer than two million people, there should be no tolerance of such varying patient…
An eight-, nine-, 10- or 11-week wait is not acceptable to me, patients or their families: I get it. However, the postcode lottery that was in place before I introduced the regional booking service was equally unacceptable. You could have been living a mile away from a trust that was seeing all or nearly all its…
The original question was about the plan to reduce waiting times. The target time for red-flag breast services is 14 days, and some women have waited for eight, nine, 10 and 11 weeks. It might be that, across the board, everybody has to wait, but that is no comfort to those women or their families. Some of the women…
As I said to the Member, £5 million has been allocated through the elective care framework implementation plan. That will strengthen long-term resilience and reduce reliance on temporary measures. We must get rid of temporary measures and install resilience. On my actions to deal with the immediate pressures, the…
I am grateful to the Minister for the answer. I am sure that he will be aware that this causes great distress not just to the women involved but to their families. What reassurances does the Minister plan to give women across Northern Ireland that they will, indeed, be seen within the target time for red-flag breast…
I am most exercised by the fact that, for far too long, patients have faced unequal access to timely breast cancer assessments. In one geographic part of the country, we were consistently meeting the 14-day target, while, in others, fewer than 10% of patients were seen within that time frame. The regional system was…
I thank the Member for giving way. I was due to say a few words before we break for Question Time and resume the debate at 3.30 pm. I will elaborate later on some of the substantive points that Members have made, but I will make one point now. The Bill was not introduced by me alone but was approved by the Executive.…
Thank you to the Member for giving way. Will he not share my frustration and disappointment that the majority of the amendments put forward by the Committee have not made it today for debate? Will he not question why, given that they are well within the scope of the Bill yet are not there?
I was not planning to speak at this stage — my colleague and I have separated out the groups — but I thought that I would pick up on a couple of things that have been said so far. The Member for West Tyrone Mr McCrossan is not in his seat. He said that the success of the Bill will be judged by the pounds and pennies…
It is good to have legislation before us today. Delivering and scrutinising legislation is what we are here for, and I appreciate the opportunity to debate the selected proposed amendments to the School Uniforms Bill. I thank the Committee for its careful work on scrutinising the Bill in a very compressed time frame,…
The amendments are about ensuring that whatever guidance, when we finally get to see it, comes out of the Bill is not only written but enforced and monitored. I will speak briefly in support of amendment Nos 1, 4, 8, 9, 11 and 12. I will not support the Minister's amendment No 10. Amendment No 1 would ensure that the…
Thank you for giving way. In relation to the issue of publishing directions that are made, do you agree that that would deliver a more effective deterrent and that schools would be much more likely to roll the dice around whether to comply with the guidelines if they knew that there was a sanction that could impact on…
The legislation should not greatly divide the House. There were several times during the Bill's Committee Stage when some were distracted from the Bill's original intent and the core promise that we and a number of other parties in the House laid out as our overriding aim: to bring down the cost of school uniforms for…
I thank the Member for giving way. Does he agree that any attempt to dilute the amendments that the Committee has tabled on the enforceability of the directions and on openness and transparency around them will not inspire confidence in how serious the Department or the Minister is about ensuring that the guidelines…
I would like to be able to get up and say that I welcome the Bill as far as it goes. Unfortunately, it does not go very far at all, and that is the difficulty with it. We on the Committee had a very productive Committee Stage. The Committee heard evidence from many witnesses, including from schools, teachers, parents,…
I speak in support of the Bill and the amendments in group 1. Those amendments, which cover regular review, reporting, enforcement and transparency, are about making sure that the legislation delivers real relief to parents rather than gathers dust on a shelf. Let me be clear that, although schools may close their…
With your permission, I will make some comment on the Committee Stage of the School Uniforms (Guidelines and Allowances) Bill before speaking directly to the first group of amendments. The Committee ran a robust scrutiny stage despite the constrained timescales imposed on it, and I will give a brief overview of how…
I present the petition on behalf of over 3,300 citizens, parents and taxpayers who are deeply concerned about the Health Minister's decision to fund a so-called lifespan gender identity service. The scheme commits to spending £806,000 every year: money that our struggling health service cannot spare. While cancer…
FlaggedGender, sexuality, abortion and related social issuesCriteria met: Sectarian or communal antagonism, Dog-whistle messaging.
Today, on Lymphoma Awareness Day, I will speak about a young mother from my constituency Catherine Sherry, whose story must compel the Executive parties to act. Catherine was undergoing chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy in London when she tragically passed away in May. The treatment was working, but her…
The president of the United States will arrive tomorrow for his historic second state visit to our nation. Not only should that be warmly welcomed but it comes as the Bank of America is setting up a centre of excellence for financial technology and security operations and Citibank continues to announce further…
I rise to celebrate a phenomenal victory and a moment that echoed across boxing circles and in the heart of everyone in Northern Ireland and beyond. Lewis Crocker, "The Croc", has done what few believed he could and claimed the IBF welterweight world title against Paddy Donovan in front of a roaring crowd at Windsor…
This morning, we stood with the Bloody Sunday families, as the trial of Soldier F began in a court in Belfast. For over five decades, they have been denied truth and justice. I take the opportunity to acknowledge their dedication, determination and support and the inspiration that they provide to other families in a…
Today, I welcome the investment in 1,000 new jobs. That good news shows the value of investing in our people. Three years ago, funding went into college training programmes. The weekend's announcement proves that supporting skills and backing our young people delivers real opportunities. That is why it is essential…