All of Ms Cara Hunter’s imported questions, contributions and motions in this mandate, newest first, including those assessed as not flagged, uncertain or not yet analysed.
To ask the Minister of Education to detail any plans his Department has to introduce, or expand, confidence-building and resilience programmes in schools, to counteract the negative effects of (i) screen use; (ii) social comparison; and (iii) unrealistic beauty standards on young people’s wellbeing.
To ask the Minister of Education whether his Department has conducted any assessment of the impact of (i) social media use; and (ii) screen time, on pupils’ (a) mental health; (b) self-image; and (c) concentration.
To ask the Minister of Education to detail any action his Department is taking to ensure that (i) body confidence; and (ii) self-esteem, education are embedded within the Learning for Life and Work module in secondary schools.
Minister, understandably, parents are distressed about the 20% increase, particularly in the lead-up to Christmas, where every penny counts. Will you consider revisiting the threshold for free school meals, recognising that, as you said, Minister, working parents who have multiple children are under significant…
Minister, you have been hailed by political commentators as a doer: a man who is getting things done. I begin by complimenting you, because I do think that you are a doer, but the problem is that you are not bringing anyone along with you. In the past number of weeks, you have been extremely and deliberately divisive,…
Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs whether local councils are required to submit annual figures on (i) dog breeding licences; (ii) inspection outcomes; and (iii) enforcement actions, to his Department.
To ask the Minister of Health, pursuant to AQW 33295/22-27, in light of the 30 per cent uplift in health service dental treatment fees in 2025-26, to detail any monitoring or evaluation mechanisms in place to ensure that this additional investment results in increased availability of NHS dental appointments for…
To ask the Minister of Health to detail (i) the timeline for the planned closure of the Ross Thomson Unit at Causeway Hospital, Coleraine; and (ii) any assessment made of the impact the closure of the Ross Thomson Unit will have on (a) patient health outcomes; (b) service accessibility; and (c) the regional provision…
To ask the Minister of Health to detail his Department’s engagement with the Northern Health and Social Care Trust regarding the decision to close the Ross Thomson Unit at Causeway Hospital, Coleraine.
To ask the Minister of Education to detail any assessment that has been made of the impact that increasing the price of school meals from January 2026 will have on (i) children’s health; (ii) nutrition; and (iii) learning outcomes, particularly for struggling families who do not qualify for Free School Meals.
To ask the Minister of Education why capital funding was not secured for a new, purpose-built site as part of the development plan for the new Causeway Academy.
To ask the Minister of Health to detail (i) the number of people diagnosed with (a) mouth or oral cavity cancers; and (b) throat, pharynx and larynx cancers; (ii) the number of deaths resulted from each of these diagnoses; and (iii) the five year survival rate for each category, in each of the last five years, broken…
To ask the Minister of Health to detail the number of (i) people detained under the Mental Health (Northern Ireland) Order 1986, broken down by Health and Social Care Trust; (ii) these detentions were reviewed by a (a) responsible medical officer or equivalent medical professional; and (b) social worker; and (iii)…
To ask the Minister of Education, pursuant of AQW 33407/22-27, to detail (i) any actions his Department has taken to ensure that all pupils, including those in schools that do not offer Irish as a subject, are guaranteed curriculum-based learning on the history and cultural significance of the Irish language; (ii)…
To ask the Minister for Communities to detail (i) his assessment of the impact of the growth in holiday homes and short-term lets on access to affordable housing in rural and coastal communities; and (ii) whether he has any plans to regulate, or limit such properties in areas where they are having a negative effect on…
To ask the Minister for Communities to outline any assessment that has been made of the impact that second homes and holiday lets are having on housing availability and affordability, particularly in coastal areas.
To ask the First Minister and deputy First Minister to detail (i) the number of British Army barracks that have been repurposed for public use; (ii) a breakdown of how they are now being used, to include (a) housing; (b) education; (c) industry; (d) public green spaces; (e) community facilities; (f) other; and (iii)…
To ask the First Minister and deputy First Minister to detail (i) any formal process, and required approvals, for a Northern Ireland Minister to travel abroad on a visit funded, in whole or in part, by a foreign government, including any use of Departmental staff time or resources; and (ii) whether such visits must be…
To ask the Minister of Education to detail (i) the number of schools that have a dedicated library; (ii) the number of these schools that have a full-time, qualified librarian; and (iii) the annual funding allocated to school libraries, broken down by type of school.
I beg to move Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I am raising this issue in the House yet again, and, if I am to be frank, I am sick, sore and tired of doing so. It is an issue that rightfully angers so many of my constituents. The rising number of second homes is pushing them out of the very towns that they were raised…
On the topic of widening criteria, we have heard that there are some challenges with students in further education applying for a student placement. Are you aware of that, and can you tell us more?