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.
With your permission, Mr Speaker, I will answer questions 6 and 10 together. As of 2 September, more than £55 million has been paid out by the Victims' Payments Board to eligible applicants since the scheme opened for applications on 31 August 2021. The payments recognise the suffering of those living with permanent…
First, if I may, I will explain that, when the First Minister and I took office, we agreed to provide the Committee with a copy of the first-day brief that officials had prepared before we were appointed. That brief contained references to decisions that, officials anticipated, would be put to Ministers in the first…
I thank the Member for her question. Absolutely, we want to deliver for everyone throughout Northern Ireland. In the draft Programme for Government, we want to deliver through that prioritisation, recognising that we cannot do everything in the time frame that we have and with the Budget that we have, but we believe…
I thank the Member for her important question about this really critical industry for Northern Ireland. We have a really strong farming community that we all ought to be very proud of in Northern Ireland. Our agri-food products are world-leading and world-class, and that comes from, of course, the application and hard…
We are delighted that, earlier today, we launched the consultation on the draft Programme for Government. We are pleased to say that it will plan to support our agri-food sector. The industry is vital to our economy and our rural communities. We will work with our agri sector to support primary production and ensure…
I thank the Member for his question. I mentioned the 13 capital projects, but, of course, the revenue schemes have proven to be very successful, with a very healthy uptake. Since the inception of the Urban Villages programme in 2016, over 34,000 people from the North Belfast community have engaged with or benefited…
I thank the Member for his follow-up question. Yes, absolutely. I recall speaking to local representatives and the community group, back in the social investment fund days, about the new community centre. There is a real need there and a drive to secure that new building, so I am very pleased that we have confirmation…
Executive Office officials have developed a range of options on the future of the Urban Villages programme, along with the proposed inclusion of a small number of additional projects to the current capital plan. In total, 58 capital projects are now complete, including 13 in North Belfast. A further 13 projects are…
I thank the Member for her question. Of course, we want to listen to children and young people. Sometimes, we say that we must listen to them because they are our future. They will point out, quite rightly, that they are our now and that the issues in the Programme for Government impact on them right now, therefore…
I thank the Member for his question. It is an important one that provides a good opportunity to clarify the process. At the moment, this is a draft that is asking people what their view is of the prioritisation. Following the finalisation of that prioritisation, a set of measurements will, of course, be put in place…
Absolutely. We cannot continue to work in silos, not least because that can cause duplication and resources to be wasted at a time when we cannot afford that. This has to be collaborative, cross-departmental and cross-agency, but it has to be done hand in hand with the organisations that roll out the programmes. It…
We are delighted that, earlier today, we launched our consultation on the draft Programme for Government (PFG). The draft programme sets out our proposed collective priorities for the mandate. A public consultation on the draft Programme for Government will run for eight weeks, and we invite everyone to have their say…
I thank the Member for her question. Absolutely. We will say more about that next week when we officially launch the strategy. It has been a number of years in the making, but it could not have been done without more than 50 partners working in a genuinely collaborative design process. It is the first fully…
I thank the Member for his question. We were able to secure over £1 million for the immediate actions. Two of the key actions will be around the change fund and the challenge fund and will involve work with the community and voluntary sector in the first instance. We are very aware that great organisations that work…
There will be a range of actions under the Department of Health and the Department of Justice's joint strategy, which was agreed by the Executive so it becomes the Executive's strategy. There will be a range of key actions that involve working with the PSNI and other organisations and through those Departments. The…
I thank the Member for her question on this important issue. I know that there has been a lot of anticipation in the sector as it looks forward to the Ending Violence Against Women and Girls strategy being agreed, released and, importantly, implemented. I welcome the fact that the Executive have considered and agreed…
With your permission, Mr Speaker, I will answer questions 1, 8 and 13 together. Ending violence against women and girls remains a key priority. We are delighted to say that the Executive approved the strategic framework at their meeting on 5 September. We will provide further information on the framework when it is…
I thank the Member for his question. As I have said, I am standing beside the Communities Minister who has primary responsibility for that issue. Of course, I jointly lead the Executive, along with the First Minister, and our duty, first and foremost, is to try to ensure that what we do has, at its heart, the issues…
I thank the Member for his question. The affordability of public transport is a really important issue — it is critical to many people, particularly those who do not drive — and cost is a big factor in trying to encourage people to use more sustainable transport. Investment in our public infrastructure and public…
I thank the Member for his question. Even in the past week or so, we have seen how challenging it is for parents and children to get, in a timely way, the special educational needs support that they deserve and absolutely need. Special educational needs statistics are stark. From 2017-18 to this financial year, there…
I thank the Member for her question. Of course, tackling poverty is important. She will see that, throughout the Programme for Government, we have the aspiration to ensure that everyone can reach their full potential, and that must, of course, mean supporting people and tackling poverty, should that be financial…
I thank the Member for his question. Absolutely, we want to deliver not just for people who live in and around Belfast but everyone, no matter where they live in Northern Ireland. We recognise that, if we are to grow our economy and have good jobs and foreign direct investment and if we are to encourage companies to…
I thank the Member for her important question. Childcare has been a priority from day 1. I was really pleased that, because of its urgency and importance, we were able to get childcare on the agenda of the very first Executive meeting. We know that the cost of childcare puts a huge burden on families, but I really…
I thank the Member for his question. Of course, Executive business is confidential. However, I agree with the Member that having an environmental improvement plan is important. I welcome the fact that, in the Executive, we were able to produce and agree the Lough Neagh plan to look at some of those urgent issues. On…