Minister of Health, Robin Swann answers Members questions on 26 April 2021.
Read the Official Report (Hansard) – https://lk.nia.fyi/4CNp
Each of the questions answered have been chaptered in the video to help you find them more easily.
Chapters / Questions
00:00 – Paediatric Ankle Foot Orthoses
1. Dr Archibald asked the Minister of Health for his assessment of the quality of paediatric ankle foot orthoses provided by health and social care trusts. (AQO 1919/17-22)
07:26 Lisburn Primary and Community Care Centre
2. Mr Butler asked the Minister of Health for an update on the development of the Lisburn Primary and Community Care Centre. (AQO 1920/17-22)
11:58 GPs: Multidisciplinary Team Support
3. Mr O’Dowd asked the Minister of Health for an update on the roll-out of multidisciplinary teams to support GPs. (AQO 1921/17-22)
22:17 Addiction Support Service: North-west
4. Ms Mullan asked the Minister of Health for an update on the provision of an addiction support service in the north-west. (AQO 1922/17-22)
12. Mr Durkan asked the Minister of Health for his assessment of addiction services in the north-west. (AQO 1930/17-22)
Topical Questions
30:29 Abortion Services: Western Trust
T1. Miss Woods asked the Minister of Health to clarify to whom the conscientious objection provisions in the Abortion (Northern Ireland) (No. 2) Regulations 2020 apply, given that he will be aware that early medical abortion (EMA) services in the Western Trust were suspended on Friday 23 April. (AQT 1221/17-22)
32:27 Abortion Services: Western Trust
T2. Mr T Buchanan asked the Minister of Health, after stating that he wholeheartedly welcomes the suspension of abortion services in the Western Trust, which he believes is an answer to prayers and about which he will continue to pray in the hope that the service remains suspended and does not resume, to outline the extent of the resource issue that his Department will face should it be compelled to commission such services across the health and social care system. (AQT 1222/17-22)
34:53 Victims’ Pension: Health Budget
T3. Mr Chambers asked the Minister of Health to confirm that his budget is under threat of being top-sliced by the Finance Minister in an effort to fund the Northern Ireland victims’ pension. (AQT 1223/17-22)
37:34 Face Masks: Post-primary Schools
T4. Mr Givan asked the Minister of Health, in light of the very impressive reduction in transmission and hospitalisation rates, when the guidance from the Chief Medical Officer and the Department of Health on the wearing of face masks in post-primary education settings will be changed, which is something about which he has spoken to the Minister of Education and the Children’s Commissioner, and he and others have received complaints from parents whose children are experiencing headaches and exhaustion as a result of wearing the masks for six hours a day, five days a week. (AQT 1224/17-22)
40:49 Mother-and-baby Homes: Support for Victims
T5. Ms Bradshaw asked the Minister of Health to outline how the services and support that his Department is providing to the birth mothers who were involved in the mother-and-baby homes is being monitored and to state how he is ensuring that the people who were retraumatised by the launch of the report on the mother-and-baby homes are getting the support that they have asked for, given that, as Members may recall, when the report was published, she did not share in their enthusiasm, in that she was frustrated that, after many years of banging on the door of his Department with the birth mothers and their children who were looking for justice, when, finally, it appeared that they were getting a bit of attention, she was very upset last week to meet with some birth mothers and hear that social workers who were meant to reply to them over a month ago regarding the family tracing service had not done so and that, although the victims had reached out for counselling a month or six weeks ago, they had received no response. (AQT 1225/17-22)
43:49 Autism Strategy
T8. Mr G Kelly asked the Minister of Health for an update on the development of a long-term autism strategy. (AQT 1228/17-22)