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Mrs Emma Little-Pengelly: Assembly records
All of Mrs Emma Little-Pengelly’s imported questions, contributions and motions in this mandate, newest first, including those assessed as not qualifying, uncertain or not yet analysed.
Over the past number of months, I have had the opportunity to visit a number of factories, particularly in the engineering and manufacturing space. The support that new technologies are able to give to those companies is incredible not just in terms of efficiency but, of course, in making them sustainable for the…
As the Member is likely aware, there have been developments in the European Union and, of course, in the UK in relation to AI. There have been reports, including one published by the UK Government over the summer around AI's impact on the creative industries. This document does something slightly different. It is not…
It is incredibly important that there is discussion. A huge amount of the understanding of and apprehension about AI is fuelled by what people see. There have been key stories about that even over the summer. You referenced the creative industries: the voices of voice actors have been used without crediting them or…
I thank the Member. It is incredibly important that we are aware of not just the potential risks with AI but the potential opportunities that AI and further digitisation might provide and that we seize those opportunities. That is why we need a plan. It is why we moved quickly to establish the office of the Chief…
There are a lot of concerns about the future of AI and how it will be brought in and used. The Member is right that human oversight is critical. That is why, at the outset of the process, we made it clear that we wanted an ethical framework. We needed the principles of that to be embedded in and core to the strategy…
The public consultation on the draft Northern Ireland artificial intelligence (AI) strategy was launched on 12 August 2026 and will remain open until 7 October 2026. The consultation provides an opportunity for citizens, businesses, academia, public-sector organisations and the voluntary and community sector to help…
This week, I will travel to France to pay my respects to all those who fought and the many who fell at the Battle of the Somme as we mark its 110th anniversary. From across Northern Ireland, generations have served their country. They have stood against tyranny, defended democracy, provided humanitarian aid in times…
Suspension of Standing Order 39(2) That Standing Order 39(2) be suspended in respect of the passage of the Inquiry (Mother and Baby Institutions, Magdalene Laundries and Workhouses) and Redress Scheme Bill.
Last night, people in north Belfast witnessed horrific scenes that have absolutely sickened and appalled people across Northern Ireland. It was a shocking and barbaric act of violence that has left a victim fighting the consequences of a truly savage attack. Today, our thoughts, prayers and deepest concerns are with…
First, we have to recognise that the Northern Ireland economy is an economy transformed. There is no doubt about that. Even when I graduated from Queen's University as a young lawyer in the early 2000s, your options were somewhat limited. To get into some of the bigger companies, you would have had to go to London.…
I thank the Member for her question. We all know that we want this place to work, and we want it to work better. The DUP has, of course, set out its stall on a number of areas where, we believe, that should and could be the case. Real partnership working comes from relationships. As I stand here, I am a little bit…
— and getting Northern Ireland going. I condemn all terrorism. I have said that very clearly. It is all about distraction and deflection, and everybody can see through it.
Again, that is absolutely pathetic. A blind man on a galloping horse can see what Sinn Féin is all about. In past weeks, it has been all about repeatedly attacking me. I have put on the record my determination to move forward, to look to the future, to champion Northern Ireland and to support people from all…
Here we have, once again, personal attacks being directed at me. Would the Member call out her children and the children of her colleagues? To the Member, who was convicted of IRA criminal activity, I say this: I hope that when you look at your colleagues to your left and right on your side of the House — people who…
I will reiterate what I said earlier. What we hear from Sinn Féin when it comes to budgetary issues is, "Blame it on the Brits", but, when it comes to everything else, we hear, "Blame it on the DUP; blame it on Emma Little-Pengelly". We have all heard it. Over past weeks, we have seen coordinated posts from Sinn Féin,…
That is absolutely pathetic point-scoring. In reality, I have been clear on every occasion that, without reservation, I stand against thuggery; I stand against sectarianism; I stand against racism; I stand against paramilitarism; and I stand against terrorism. Unfortunately, you do not have to look very far around you…
It is shameful that you stand in this place and spin a narrative on the basis of a handful of photographs when people are telling you what happened on the ground. The protest was happening. The situation was volatile. Elected representatives from the DUP, the Ulster Unionist Party and the TUV were on the ground,…
The situation in Scarva was an incredibly challenging one. Elected representatives, including from the DUP, and the MP for Upper Bann, Carla Lockhart, were in Scarva and stepped up, trying to de-escalate the situation and liaising with the PSNI to resolve issues before they gave rise to violence. That is leadership.…
The shortfall in the Budget this year is at least £1 billion, and you can try to find that in only two ways — by slashing public services or raising £1 billion in revenue in this financial year. Each of those options would be devastating to the people whom we serve. That is why, as I have often said, I do not…
The Executive Office takes seriously the cost of segregation. I have been a special adviser or a Minister in this Department for almost 20 years. In that time, one of the policy areas that I have worked on is Together: Building a United Community (T:BUC). It is not just about taking down the physical structures of…
Thank you. Again, it is an exceptionally difficult issue. I do not think that anyone around the Executive table does not want to have an agreed Budget. However, we have to weigh up the implications of agreeing a Budget that would be woefully inadequate to support front-line services. The moment such a Budget was…
There is no doubt that that proposal has been welcomed by many people, but it goes only a small way towards supporting hard-pressed families. This is the reality that we face: the median income is lower in Northern Ireland than it is anywhere else across the UK. That means that our families, including working…
We have written to the Prime Minister outlining the scale of the pressures on public finances and the implications for service delivery. The Secretary of State responded on 28 April on the Prime Minister’s behalf, reaffirming his view that funding is sufficient overall. However, our view is that the current fiscal…
First, I thank all of the victims and survivors who have campaigned so hard for the inquiry and the redress scheme. Many of those people, as the Member has highlighted, are no longer with us and will not get the benefit of the scheme. Those who are will, and that is why the scheme is set up in the way that it is. It…