Health Minister Mike Nesbitt has appeared to pour cold water on calls from MLAs for him to "prioritise" a new addiction treatment and recovery centre in the North West.
MLAs backed a motion put forward at the Assembly on Tuesday by the SDLP MLA Cara Hunter calling for a "fully funded, purpose built" centre to be built.
But the Minister said MLAs must be "realistic about what is possible" with the "capital and resource" needed unlikely to become available.
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Kicking off the Stormont debate on Tuesday evening, Ms Hunter said: "The north-west has an acute need when it comes to addiction, going from my constituency of East Derry to Foyle and wider west Tyrone."
She continued: "Addiction is, sadly and wrongly, often perceived as a class-based issue. That could not be further from the truth. Addiction impacts all in our society, regardless of class, colour or creed. Some are better at hiding it than others. Work on policy issues such as addiction must be done on a cross-party, cross-community basis. That is key to highlighting to the public that health comes above politics and that we will always do our best to serve our constituents on issues that matter to them, such as addiction."
Foyle MLA Ciara Ferguson said: "Behind every statistic that we have mentioned today is a human life and a family. Sometimes, loved ones and children are left behind. We should treat every death as preventable and agree across the Chamber on the need to redouble our effort, focus on adequate funding and look to international best practice. The research has been done.
"I acknowledge the Department's work in introducing the substance use strategic commissioning and implementation plan, which was launched in November 2024; the substance use needs assessment in the Western Trust area, which was launched in November 2024; and the review of tier 4 detoxification and rehabilitation services, the consultation on which has just finished. We have had enough reports and research. The evidence is there now, and it is for the Department and the Minister to invest in the services and support our organisations."
But the Minister said: "Nobody has yet suggested what I should deprioritise in order to make that happen. Should I deprioritise the building of the children's hospital at the Royal so that we have the capital for the centre in the north-west? Should I deprioritise nurses' pay so that we have the resource to fund the operation of a centre annually?
"That is part of the problem. If we are to do this, we need capital and resource, and I do not see them becoming available."
He added: "I therefore reaffirm my commitment to doing what I can to help those who are subject to substance use and abuse, but we have to be realistic about what is possible."
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