All of Mrs Emma Little-Pengelly’s imported questions, contributions and motions in this mandate, newest first, including those assessed as not flagged, uncertain or not yet analysed.
I thank the Member for giving way, because it saves me having to make a point of order. I am sure that the Alliance Member for South Belfast would not want to mislead the House, but earlier she responded to the allegation of rigorous implementing by saying that that was specifically in reference to the Internal Market…
I thank the Member for giving way. 'Safeguarding the Union' included a promise and a commitment on the establishment of Intertrade UK. That body was to be established not only to address real and practical issues but some of the misinformation that may lie with companies in Great Britain that believe that they cannot…
I hesitate to get into the detail of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement and the Northern Ireland Act 1998, but I am sure that the Member is fully aware that all key decisions — indeed, all decisions — of the House are subject to a petition of concern, and, ergo, a cross-community vote could have been triggered in…
I am glad to have the opportunity to speak from the Back Bench in this important debate. We are discussing a matter of fundamental import. It is a serious matter, and it has an impact, particularly on many thousands of businesses, throughout Northern Ireland. It affects trade and our economy but also the very…
That work is continuing against our action plan, and good progress is being made. We hope to be in a position to update the Committee on progress against all the action plan points very shortly.
Yes. There has been a commitment to bringing forward those social inclusion strategies. They will be tailored to those particular groups and are loosely based on each of the section 75 groups. The Department for Communities takes the lead on that, and I know that a significant amount of work is already under way. From…
Work is under way. A number of our equality areas of work, such as equality strategies for older people and people with disabilities and strategies on gender, have moved to the Department for Communities. That Department takes a lead on bringing forward most of our social inclusion strategies now, but, of course, at…
As outlined earlier, a key part of that will be our well-being framework and our well-being indicators. A significant number of indicators will be updated live in real time to show progress against the priorities. Some of those will report quarterly. It depends on how the baseline is measured, but there will be a…
We play a key role, because, as outlined during the consultation process, we made clear that the draft Programme for Government priorities were not the totality of what government would do. In each Department and, indeed, with cross-departmental work, a huge range of additional activities will take place. What is in…
I indicated in my response to that debate that a significant amount of the work had already commenced. The PSNI, for example, was also looking at what it could do. We have been working with community organisations on the ground. Some of the areas were within our Urban Villages areas under Together: Building a United…
The Member was present last week — I think it was last week — when I responded to the debate on that very important issue. I outlined a number of strands of work that were taking place, led not just by the Executive Office but by a number of Departments and agencies. After the debate, we had a discussion in the…
Absolutely. There are a number of elements, not least from the Minister of Justice's perspective, when it comes to speeding up justice, and the Education Minister's perspective on the really important preventative work that can happen in schools and the youth club sector. Of course, every Minister has a role to play.…
I thank the Member for her important question, particularly on this day. Today marks White Ribbon Day, known as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and the start of a period known as 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence. From the outset, the First Minister and I made…
I thank the Member for his question. It is incredibly important that we do everything that we can to ensure that our public-sector workers receive fair pay. When the Budget settlement was announced, I set it out clearly that we knew that it would be very difficult for all Ministers but particularly for Departments…
I thank the Member for his question. In trying to ensure that everyone in Northern Ireland can live a healthy and thriving life, the health of people throughout Northern Ireland is such a critical issue not just because of the pain that people suffer when they are on a health waiting list but because of the impact on…
I thank the Member for his question. The House passed legislation that sets down targets. Those targets are a legal requirement. Of course, everything that we say is said in that context. It is important to say that any of the proposals, including an independent environmental agency or body, will not be the silver…
I thank the Member for the question. Enhancing our reputation and relationships internationally has been and will continue to be of vital importance. That is at the core of our international work. However, we must stress that foreign policy is a reserved matter for the United Kingdom Government. Therefore, we have had…
I did not watch that evidence session, but the targets will be measured in two ways. First, they will be measured against the set of well-being indicators. That will involve measurement against a set baseline, and improvements against that indicator will then be monitored and reported continually. All of that will be…
Absolutely, there will be measurable targets in the Programme for Government. It is important to say that we know that the Budget at the moment is challenging. We are working hard with, for example, the Health Minister, the Minister of Education and others to ensure that there is a satisfactory outcome on…
The consultation on the draft Programme for Government closed on Monday 4 November. In total, 1,375 responses were received. Work is ongoing to analyse all the responses received and produce a consultation report for consideration by the Executive. Once that has been considered, we will finalise the Programme for…
I thank the Member for his question. It is incredibly important that people in every part of our society feel that they can play a positive role moving forward, no matter where they are from, what they believe, what their background is or what their identity is. That absolutely includes those from the loyalist…
I thank the Member for his question. There are similarities, no doubt. Very often, such sentiments are based on prejudice, bias and a lack of understanding. There are many similarities, but there are also a number of differences. It is important that any approach taken on the way forward be sufficiently nuanced to…
I thank the Member for her question. Sadly, we see instability globally. We see a lack of peace and how that has such a detrimental impact on any place. Indeed, it remains the case for here. We absolutely need there to be that underlying peace agenda in everything that we do. That is why we made the decision that, for…