Tag Archives: Beggs

Roy Questions Minister and Officials on Care Homes at Stormont Health Committee

Posted on May 15, 2013 by rbeggs

The Stormont Committee on Health, Social Services and Public Safety received a briefing from Health Minister Edwin Poots and senior officials including John Compton- Chair of the Health and Social Care Board on “Residential Homes — Proposed Closures”. Ulster Unionist Party MLA Roy Beggs asked the following questions: Mr Beggs: I want to talk about this issue of being surprised at the speed at which the trusts wish to close residential care homes. Given that four or five years earlier some of the trusts wanted to close all the homes, why did it surprise you that some of them wanted to go to the max of their capability in TYC? Mr Compton: We thought that because we had process that had worked locally in the South Eastern and Belfast Trust areas, where we closed homes that tended to be very local and have a very local debate about the particular … Continue reading →

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New Ward Opens at Antrim. New A&E in June

Posted on April 29, 2013 by rbeggs

East Antrim MLA and Ulster Unionist spokesman on health Roy Beggs Jnr has welcomed the opening of a new 24 bed ward at Antrim Area hospital, and the imminent opening of a new Accident and Emergency unit at the crisis hit hospital. Mrs Beggs, in wake of continuing service failures and missed targets at Antrim A&E, placed an Assembly question to the Minister of Health, “Given that Antrim Area Hospital Accidents and Emergency Department was designed to deal with 30,000 patients per year but receives 72,000 patients per year, what additional resources have been made available to staff in the Accident and Emergency Department?” The Ministerial reply refers to the opening on 17th April of a new 24 bed ward and “a new £9M state of the art emergency has been constructed which will cater for up to 90,000 attendances a year. The new unit is expected to be operational … Continue reading →

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Residential Homes Closure Proposal Causing Uncertainty and Stress

Posted on April 29, 2013 by rbeggs

Speaking about the local implications of the current proposals to shut the all the remaining Northern Trust Residential Homes local Ulster Unionist MLA Roy Beggs commented: “This consultation has caused great short term uncertainty and stress for vulnerable residents and their families.” I have asked questions and made public comment at Stormont highlighting this issue since Transforming Your Care was published late in 2011. I also highlighted my concerns in my response to the consultation document.  In the background I have been working with relatives of residents in the Lisgarel in Larne helping to establish a Friends of Lisgarel support group. That work is on-going Sadly, rather than acknowledge and address these concerns, Health officials and the Minster appear to want to accelerate the closure programme. From personal family experience over the past year, I have seen how vital respite and rehabilitation services have been provided at these Trust Residential … Continue reading →

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Need for Two Separate Schools for Islandmagee and Ballycarry Highlighted

Posted on March 11, 2013 by rbeggs

Ulster Unionist MLA for East Antrim Roy Beggs Jnr has written to Minister for Education pointing out an historic underspend on new school buildings in East Antrim, and the continuing need for separate primary schools in Islandmagee and Ballycarry. In his correspondence the UUP MLA states: “Since 1999, my constituency has been very badly neglected at primary school level in terms of new/ replacement school buildings, with only 1 project built (St MacNissis Maintained Primary School, Larne) at a cost of £1.21M. This contrasts very unfavourably with the neighbouring constituency of North Antrim which has had 11 new build Primary Schools at a cost of £24.85M (AQW19810/11-15). The spend in East Antrim has been the lowest in the whole of Northern Ireland.” Mr Beggs said healthy birthrate in both the Ballycarry ward and Islandmagee wards support the case that two schools are sustainable in the area. “The figures for live … Continue reading →

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Roy Questions Food Standards Agency on Horse Meat Issue

Posted on February 15, 2013 by rbeggs

This week the Stormont Health committee received a briefing from the Food Standards Agency about the Horse Meant Scandal. Roy took the opportunity to question the officals:- Mr Beggs: It was touched on earlier that Northern Ireland has a very high level of traceability, perhaps the highest in the world. However, rogue traders and processors, whether in Europe or elsewhere, have put a bit of doubt in some minds at a cost to legitimate businesses. Do you agree that one of the ways of reducing risk factors is to keep the food chain as short as possible and that, to a degree, that means buying from a trusted local butcher? Ms Jennings: Mr Beggs, we have to look at the whole global food system, and we have to operate with what we have. We have to put checks and controls in place in that system to ensure that food can … Continue reading →

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