Al Pinkerton
Main Page: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)Department Debates - View all Al Pinkerton's debates with the Northern Ireland Office
(3 days, 10 hours ago)
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Dr Al Pinkerton (Surrey Heath) (LD)
A&E waiting times in Northern Ireland now exceed 12 hours in some hospitals, patients are being treated in the back of ambulances because of a lack of beds, and Dr Alan Stout, the chair of the British Medical Association’s Northern Ireland council, has told the Northern Ireland Committee today that Northern Ireland is in a particularly bad place when it comes to health services. What conversations have the Secretary of State and Minister had with the Northern Ireland Executive to ensure that they have the resources that they need to cope with this immediate crisis? Are Ministers convinced that the 124% fiscal floor is adequate for addressing this issue in the long term?
Fleur Anderson
I have met the Minister for Health, and I have been round and visited many of the healthcare provision services, all of which are feeling pressures at this time as a result of successive Executives not tackling reform and being absent along the way. That is why we set up the Public Service Transformation Board. The Executive face huge challenges, and this Government’s priority is to work with them. The funding is there, the Executive are committed, and they need to work together to deliver change urgently.