Sinéad Bradley: I, too, support the Bill, and I thank Pat Catney, my friend and colleague, for introducing it. As a Member who sat on the Justice Committee, I am all too aware of some of the harrowing circumstances that young women face every day. While the Bill was passing through the Assembly, at the back of my mind was always that young girl who might have no access to funds of her own and is dependent on...
Sinéad Bradley: I thank Members across the Chamber for their kind words. I suppose that all of us like to consider ourselves to be fair. I include myself in that. I am the first to shout when somebody tries to take credit for something that was not their doing, but I also like to think that I can acknowledge when somebody is persistent and does not let go of an issue and wants to see it delivered. I really...
Sinéad Bradley: I am privileged to support the motion on behalf of the SDLP. Like other Members of the House, I have heard at first hand about the horrendous and heinous acts that led to the Domestic Abuse and Civil Proceedings Act. Today's motion is a safeguarding piece that, quite rightly, ensures that those behaviours do not somehow become filtered out or lost. The motion will act, no doubt, to safeguard...
Sinéad Bradley: Mr Deputy Speaker, thank you for providing me with the opportunity to put on record my thanks to the outgoing C&AG, Kieran Donnelly, and associate my name with the many positive words that have been spoken about him in the House today. As a resident of the Newry, Mourne and Down District Council area, I also speak for Marie Ward, the chief executive, and her team in that, whilst they wish...
Sinéad Bradley: I, too, begin by thanking the staff in the Building, who have facilitated not just me but my party colleagues and all Members of the House during the mandate. I will also take a step back and thank all those who elected me to the House on two occasions. It has been one of the greatest privileges ever. I also want to take a moment to thank the people who assisted me in getting elected. I will...
Sinéad Bradley: 12. Ms S Bradley asked the Assembly Commission to outline the annual energy cost for Parliament Buildings. (AQO 3300/17-22)
Sinéad Bradley: I thank the Member for the answer. Let me say that £480,000 is a staggering amount, and it will, no doubt, increase. Will the Commission investigate why, on the hottest days of the year, the heating in the Building remains on? Can we find the "off" button, please?
Sinéad Bradley: Before I begin, I wish the Minister well. I believe that our Committee representative Doug Beattie from the UUP is also unwell, so I wish him well too. I welcome the representatives from CARE NI to the Public Gallery. On behalf of the SDLP I welcome the Final Stage of the Justice (Sexual Offences and Trafficking Victims) Bill. I commend the work of the Assembly Clerks, the departmental...
Sinéad Bradley: Thank you. At Final Stage, I particularly welcome the provisions on upskirting, downblousing and the sending of unwanted sexual images. We have heard from stakeholders about how those really invasive crimes have caused significant psychological and emotional harm to victims. It is, therefore, welcome that those offences are treated in a way that clearly underlines the severity of the crimes,...
Sinéad Bradley: I do indeed. I thank the Member for the intervention. The Chair and Committee members met the cybercrime unit. At times, it is, I believe, a harrowing job, but it is critical. The value of the Bill will depend heavily on how well resourced those officers are. It is absolutely correct to thank them, and I thank the Member for doing so. The Bill also makes it a legislative requirement that...
Sinéad Bradley: I thank the Member for his worthy intervention. That is true: the notion that trafficking is only about people coming to us is a myth that has to be completely busted. Exploitative people know that those young people perhaps come from vulnerable backgrounds, so they target them. It is happening on our doorstep. We all need to be alert to that, and we need to put in place legislation that...
Sinéad Bradley: On behalf of the SDLP, I thank the Chairperson of the Committee on Procedures for bringing forward the report. The SDLP is on record as having said often that LCMs are not the desired way in which to do business. However, we must all acknowledge that there are times when those methods are probably the only ones that will allow important legislation to pass and that it is therefore important...
Sinéad Bradley: 6. Ms S Bradley asked the Minister of Education to outline when her Department will review guidance for schools in relation to the use of restraint and seclusion. (AQO 3249/17-22)
Sinéad Bradley: I thank the Minister for answering the question because some of today's answers have not matched the questions in front of me. With regard to this question, it would be helpful to have a timeline for that review. Will the Minister give an assurance that school nurture rooms are not used merely as a place to go because there is an absence of tailored SEN provision for many children? Will he...
Sinéad Bradley: I thank the Chair for presenting the report to the House. I support it on behalf of the SDLP. It was a timely piece of work, given the unusual mandate that it has been. Quite a large amount of work has been done on private Members' Bills across the House. I thank all those Members who fed into the Committee by speaking of their experiences. Most Members will be alert to the fact that, as much...
Sinéad Bradley: On behalf of the SDLP, I welcome the fourth extension of the provisions. I thank the Clerks, of the Committee and elsewhere, who, under stressful circumstances, were tasked with drafting the amendments to Standing Orders. Time has proven them to be successful on many counts, for reasons that should be considered in any future review. There is value in retaining some of the substance of the...
Sinéad Bradley: On behalf of the SDLP, I support the motion. It is a reasonable adjustment that not just speaks to the times that we are working in but allows democracy to run its course. It is about designation, and it allows for a fair measure to be taken before any systems that are dependent on it can be run. The SDLP supports the motion.
Sinéad Bradley: I did not intend to speak to the LCM other than to say that the SDLP has very much led on its concerns on this in Westminster. With the heavy caveats that have been laid there, we support it coming through the House in this guise.
Sinéad Bradley: Today, on behalf of the SDLP, I stand in recognition of this Bill. I genuinely welcome the fact that it has reached Further Consideration Stage. I will take a moment place to on record our thanks to the Clerks and the departmental officials, who, it has to be said, have worked tirelessly to progress the passage of the Bill within the very limited window of time that this mandate has afforded,...
Sinéad Bradley: I thank the Chair of the Procedures Committee for outlining the work that was carried out by the Committee. It is worth noting that our Committee was tasked with making sure that the procedures in this place reflect the AERC report and New Decade, New Approach. It was not within our remit or gift to decide whether those documents go far enough; that was far outside the Committee's scope....
