Members' Statements – in the Northern Ireland Assembly at 10:45 am on 23 April 2024.
Paul Frew
DUP
10:45,
23 April 2024
The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) has recorded, for week 15 of 2024, that we have breached over 500 excess deaths, with 502. To put that in context, we have been experiencing excess deaths for two years now, but, this time last year, for week 15 of 2023, it was recorded that there were 117 excess deaths. Last year, there were 117, but, this year, there are 502. It took us until the week ending 24 November 2023 to reach 503 excess deaths, yet the Health Minister refuses to call for an investigation of excess deaths The Chief Medical Officer and the Chief Scientific Adviser play down the figures, and the media continue to ignore the deaths.
I take the opportunity to again call on the Health Minister to make a statement to the House and to commence an investigation of excess deaths in this country.
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
