Marshalled list of amendments
20 March 2025
Item 4: Order Paper 91/22-27 – Monday 24 March 2025
Motion: Ambulance Handovers
Proposed:
That this Assembly recognises that emergency services play a critical role in providing care to those in urgent need; expresses deep concern at the findings of the Northern Ireland Audit Office March 2025 report on ambulance handovers which outlines how severe delays are putting patient safety at risk and wasting significant resources; notes that only 7 per cent of handovers meet the 15 minute target, with some exceeding 10 hours; further notes the impact of delays on emergency response times, hospital capacity, and frontline staff; and calls on the Minister of Health, with the support of Executive colleagues, to urgently introduce the recommendations set out in the SDLP policy, Help Can’t Wait, including the introduction of the W45 policy used by the London Ambulance Service, the standardisation of guidance across all Health and Social Care Trusts, a commitment to increase medical capacity, improve processes to reduce ambulance handover delays and improve patient flow across the health system.
Leader of the Opposition
Amendment 1
Leave out all after ‘'emergency response times,' and insert:
'and frontline staff; calls on the Minister of Health, with the support of Executive colleagues, to urgently pursue additional care capacity in the community to tackle the bottleneck created by delayed discharge from hospital and improve patient flow across the health system; and further calls on the Minister to improve processes to reduce ambulance handover delays by exploring the potential introduction of the W45 policy used by the London Ambulance Service, providing access to same-day emergency care for patients not requiring admission, improving coordination between all Health and Social Care Trusts in relation to emergency care, and delivering on commitments to increase medical capacity and enact a 10-year workforce plan for the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service.'
[Mrs Diane Dodds]
[Mr Alan Robinson]
Amendment 2 (mutually exclusive to amendment 1)
Leave out all after ‘Executive collegues,’ and insert:
‘to adopt a whole-system approach to tackling handover delays by increasing medical capacity, including the recruitment of additional healthcare professionals, investing in primary and community care to reduce hospital admissions, engage meaningfully with the Minister for Health in Dublin to explore opportunities for all-island and cross-border health services to improve efficiency and patient outcomes, and to explore digital health initiatives with the potential to enhance coordination, streamline processes, and improve patient flow across the healthcare system.’
[Mr Philip McGuigan]
[Mrs Linda Dillon]
[Miss Órlaithí Flynn]
Motion: Funding for Childcare
Proposed:
That this Assembly recognises the significant financial strain that high childcare costs continue to place on families across Northern Ireland; acknowledges that the delivery of affordable childcare is a priority in the Programme for Government; expresses concern on the speed of the roll-out of the Northern Ireland Childcare Subsidy Scheme (NICSS) with only 20 per cent of allocated funding being spent to date; expresses regret that in many instances, rising costs have outweighed the potential savings for parents provided by the NICSS; notes the disparity between ring-fenced funding for childcare and the £400 million needed to deliver an early learning and childcare strategy; and calls on the Minister of Finance to commit to fully fund amulti-year early learning and childcare strategy which provides affordable, quality childcare for parents alongside long-term sustainability for providers.
Leader of the Opposition
Amendment 1
Leave out all after ‘Programme for Government’ and insert:
‘welcomes the speed of the roll-out of the Northern Ireland Childcare Subsidy Scheme (NICSS) with an estimated uptake from over 90% of those eligible, over £6.5 million in savings delivered to families to date, and 100 percent of allocated funding on track to be spent by the end of this financial year; notes fears that in some instances rising costs could outweigh potential savings for parents provided by the NICSS; commends, therefore, the decision to increase the maximum subsidy cap per child by 10% from 1 April 2025; accepts that the cost of implementing a comprehensive and ambitious early learning and childcare strategy as called for by the Education Minister will be significant; and calls on the Minister of Finance to commit to fully fund a multi-year early learning and childcare strategy which provides affordable, quality childcare for parents alongside long-term sustainability for providers.’
[Mr Peter Martin]
[Mr David Brooks]
Amendment 2 (mutually exclusive to amendment 1)
Leave out all after ‘Programme for Government’ and insert:
‘welcomes the introduction of the Northern Ireland Childcare Subsidy Scheme (NICSS), but expresses regret that in many instances, rising costs have outweighed the potential savings for parents provided by the NICSS; believes the scheme cap and contribution should be increased and the eligibility expanded to include school-aged children; calls on the Minister of Education to deliver a fully costed early learning and childcare strategy, with clear actions and delivery timeline; and further calls on the Minister to work with the Minister of Finance to ensure the strategy is fully implemented.’
[Mrs Michelle Guy]
[Mr Nick Mathison]
[Mr Eoin Tennyson]
[Ms Sian Mulholland]
Motion: The Green Energy Transition
Proposed:
That this Assembly notes several commitments in the Programme for Government to upscale renewable energy production; expresses concern that renewable energy generation has fallen annually since 2022; recognises that insufficient renewable energy infrastructure and ineffective planning policy are significant barriers to renewable energy expansion; affirms that unless addressed, Northern Ireland will fail to meet statutory climate targets; calls on the Minister for the Economy to introduce a new renewable energy support scheme to upscale onshore and offshore renewable energy production; and further calls on the Minister to work with the Minister for Infrastructure on a reform of planning policy to facilitate the development of renewable energy technology.
Leader of the Opposition
Amendment 1
Leave out all after ‘upscale renewable energy production;’ and insert:
‘whilst protecting consumers from cost shocks; notes that renewable energy generation has increased significantly since 2013; recognises that alongside concerns around insufficient infrastructure and ineffective planning policy, the absence of proposals to support the cost of a just transition, is a significant barrier to renewable energy expansion; affirms that unless addressed, Northern Ireland will fail to pursue statutory climate targets in a way that is fair and affordable for local communities; calls on the Minister for the Economy to introduce a new renewable energy support scheme to upscale onshore and offshore renewable energy production, as well as provide financial assistance to increase energy efficiency and small-scale energy generation among businesses and households; and further calls on the Minister to work with the Minister for Infrastructure, and the Executive as a whole, on a reform of planning policy which facilitates the development of renewable energy technology and meets the current energy needs of consumers at the lowest possible cost.’
[Mr Gary Middleton]
[Mrs Deborah Erskine]
\Amendment 2 (mutually exclusive to amendment 1)
Leave out all after ‘Minister for the Economy’ and insert:
‘to work with her counterpart in the Irish Government to accelerate delivery of the North-South Interconnector; and further calls on the Minister to introduce a new renewable energy support scheme to upscale onshore and offshore renewable energy production, and to work with the Minister for Infrastructure on a reform of planning policy to facilitate the development of renewable energy technology.’
[Mr David Honeyford]
[Mr Andrew McMurray]
[Mr Peter McReynolds]
[Mr Nick Mathison]
