Pam Cameron: 9. Mrs Cameron asked the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to encourage biodiversity and habitat creation in urban settings, including in private gardens. (AQO 2112/17-22)
Pam Cameron: I thank the Minister for his very detailed answer. Obviously, there is a great renewed interest in biodiversity, especially given the last year. Can the Minister tell us a bit more about the actions that he is taking to increase overall biodiversity?
Pam Cameron: I will focus my remarks on our Health Department budget. If there was ever a year in which we have seen just how important funding for our health service is, the past 12 months have been it. Unprecedented demand has been met with unprecedented levels of financial support. It has been a time when the benefits of being part of the United Kingdom have been so clear. Although those who foolishly...
Pam Cameron: I commend my constituency colleague Dr Aiken on securing the debate. This is a matter on which we agree wholeheartedly; indeed, as the House will hear, there is a collective voice among those elected to this place to represent the people of Mallusk. The debate is very much an opportunity for us to represent the people of that area. It is their view that the waste monster is not needed and not...
Pam Cameron: I thank all the Members and the Minister for their contributions, some of which have been very personal. I greatly appreciate them. The debate has been a good opportunity to talk about mental health and to acknowledge that we all have mental health and that, at times, our mental health may go up or down. They key point is that we need to provide support to those who need it at the time that...
Pam Cameron: I welcome the continued progress that we enjoy towards restoring freedoms and normality and towards helping us to get all aspects of our lives back. I met the announcement of the provisions in SR2021/109 with particular joy. They mean the much-awaited return of my regular visit to the hairdresser. It was most certainly justified. I thank my good friend Emma at Sheer Madness in Antrim for...
Pam Cameron: I thank all the Members for their contributions, including the Minister of Health for his response. Without a doubt, this threat to Northern Ireland's medicine supply is an issue that should be debated openly and honestly. I welcome the opportunity that we have had to discuss it. I am sure that every one of us, when we talk to constituents, says that one of our highest priorities, if not the...
Pam Cameron: I will not, thank you. That affects the packaging of the medicines, but the same requirements will not apply to products marketed in GB. The fact that the EU calls it a "grace period" is in itself an insult. Medicines in Northern Ireland must comply with the European licence and with requirements set out by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), whilst those in Great Britain do not. GB...
Pam Cameron: I thank the Member for his intervention. Non-UK manufacturers are now required to appoint a UK responsible person or a Northern Ireland-authorised person, who, along with Northern Ireland manufacturers, must register devices with the MHRA before they are placed on the Northern Ireland market. Furthermore, medicines on clinical trial will follow EU regulations in NI but not in GB. With the...
Pam Cameron: I will not. Thanks. Firms may need to build extra warehousing and hire more staff to ensure that medicines comply with both EU and UK regulations, which simply is not viable in the longer term. Given the small margins, that will not be sustainable, and some GB manufacturers report that up to 90% of medicines could be at risk of being withdrawn. Sadly, the consequences of what the EU is...
Pam Cameron: I will not.
Pam Cameron: No, thank you. This is a stark example of how the EU, the Irish Government and others, even in this place, will stop at nothing to penalise the people of Northern Ireland. The invoking of article 16 of the protocol in January ended the facade that Northern Ireland would be treated as a full and equal member of the EU single market. As Brussels considers new export controls on COVID-19...
Pam Cameron: 13. Mrs Cameron asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister for an update on the work of the high street task force. (AQO 2045/17-22)
Pam Cameron: Mr Speaker, with your indulgence, I take the opportunity to put on record my thanks to my friend the First Minister for her love of and commitment to Northern Ireland and for her dedication and incredible work ethic, not least throughout the past very difficult year. Does the First Minister agree that the important work of the high street task force will need to continue well into the future,...
Pam Cameron: I beg to move the following amendment: Leave out all after the first "awaiting" and insert: "a diagnostic assessment for autism, with some reportedly waiting more than two years, which exceeds the autism assessment standard of 13 weeks from the point of the initial referral; recognises the distress and harm that this places on those awaiting diagnosis and tailored support services, as well...
Pam Cameron: At the outset, I thank the Members opposite for tabling today's motion. I trust that they and, hopefully, the whole House will be able to support the amendment, which seeks to build on and strengthen the original wording of the motion on such an important topic. As chair of the all-party group (APG) on autism, I am deeply concerned about the many issues that face the autism community today....
Pam Cameron: I thank the Member for his intervention. I completely agree. Without a doubt, it is a cross-departmental issue that needs much concentration across the entirety of government. It was recently reported that, owing to the pandemic, 63% of autistic young people have stated that their mental health has got worse. Some 79% of autistic adults have stated that they feel socially isolated because of...
Pam Cameron: I start by praising those who continue to achieve remarkable success with the progress and roll-out of the vaccination programme. Many friends and constituents have relayed to me directly just how impressive the programme is, whether in community pharmacy or centres such as the SSE Arena or Seven Towers leisure centre in Ballymena, in my case. I thank everyone involved in this life-saving...
Pam Cameron: I thank the Members who brought this most important issue to the Assembly Floor this morning. I particularly thank my colleague Joanne Bunting and, of course, Marie Curie for its campaign on the matter. Every day, thousands of people, sadly, lose their life due to chronic and terminal illness. While many of those illnesses, such as cancer, get a lot of publicity, one condition that continues...
Pam Cameron: I thank the Finance Minister for his statement to the House this morning. Can he confirm what funding will be allocated to the Department of Health in the June monitoring round? What additional funding can the Department of Health expect in the financial year to help with COVID recovery and to address the waiting lists?
