Analysis in progress: 67,910 of 97,616 records assessed (69.6%). Totals and rankings will change until it finishes. Progress details
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.
I absolutely recognise that it is challenging for our mainstream health service to pick that up. At the moment, the services are not fit for purpose to get people the help and support that they need when they need it. The waiting lists are too long. I know that the Health Minister is looking particularly at that…
I have always made it clear that, no matter what the circumstance, I will always stand on the side of victims. Victims and survivors across Northern Ireland, including those whom the Member has referenced, have been denied justice for much too long. I speak to many victims and survivors, including many victims of…
I thank the Member for Mid Ulster for that important question. He is a great advocate for the victims and survivors' sector, particularly on this issue. There is not a week that goes by in which he does not raise the issue with me. He recognises the huge demand that there is on victims and survivors' groups,…
The provision of funding for victims and survivors' groups remains a key element of the Executive strategy for victims and survivors. We are committed to ensuring that victims and survivors receive the support that they need. We also recognise and greatly value the vital role that those groups play in delivering…
Since receiving the Bill, I have taken time to go through it, line by line and clause by clause. Last week, I had a useful meeting on it with officials from the Department for the Economy. It is absolutely clear that Members across the House support a number of things in the Bill, such as neonatal parental leave.…
Absolutely. That is such an important issue and goes to the heart of the fact that we in Northern Ireland are the custodians of each Department. I have often said that it is not just about how much money we get; it is about what we do with it. People out there are really frustrated when they see some political parties…
Members can be assured of our commitment to making devolution work. We have an agreed Programme for Government and have committed over £230 million pounds over the next five years to a range of innovative projects to support and drive transformation across our public services. It will make a real difference, but much…
The Member is absolutely right, but it is important that we do not punish success. The towns and villages that are doing well have put in a huge amount of effort, but there is no doubt that they still require additional support. The way that we shop is changing — we are all guilty of it — and that is having an impact.…
Absolutely. Tackling dereliction and dilapidation on our high streets is important. There is no doubt that that causes a sense of decay and decline in our villages and town centres. It puts people off from coming to sit outside a cafe — mind you, you will not sit outside a cafe in this weather — or visiting the…
Absolutely. Week in and week out, we see some of our favourite coffee shops, cafes, restaurants and bars closing because of the immense pressure that they are under. The cost of doing business is much too high in Northern Ireland and across the UK. We need the Chancellor to step up and ensure that there is a Budget…
Thank you. Again, we have to be particularly vigilant about that. We are aware that global events that are utterly outside our control impact on energy prices. We have been doing a significant amount of work — I think of the group that the head of the Civil Service set up — and regular monitoring to look at what is…
The Member raises an important issue about the challenges that we know are faced by our high streets. Many units on our high streets are now occupied by small businesses, and they are really struggling. Those small businesses are particularly hit by the rising costs of food and energy, as I indicated. Very often,…
The high street task force concluded its work when it published its report in March 2022. It made a number of recommendations, which have been taken forward by ministerial colleagues in the Department for Communities, Department for the Economy, Department of Finance and Department for Infrastructure. We recognise the…
As outlined, in the Executive Office, the First Minister and I have different views on this. However, I will mention a number of key things. First of all, as outlined, Northern Ireland is led by a coequal First Minister and deputy First Minister. I am a unionist, and Michelle is a republican. We are not led by a…
What Northern Ireland really needs is a First Minister and deputy First Minister for Northern Ireland, not a First Minister for the abolition of Northern Ireland. We should be unashamedly proud of this place: I am. I will always turn up, stand up and speak up for Northern Ireland. I count it as a huge honour and…
As I indicated earlier in Question Time, we have tasked the new permanent secretary of the Executive Office to work with the particular branches on all those funding schemes. I know that some other Departments have been able to give out letters of offer to give some form of comfort, even for an interim two-month…
That is a really serious issue. We do not want to see young people partaking in that type of activity on the streets of Belfast or elsewhere. Over recent years, we have seen it flare up from time to time, and I am conscious of videos of incidents in Bangor, for example. This time, it was in east Belfast. It is fuelled…
It is disappointing that we hear the attempt time and time again to stir up issues from the past to paint a particular picture. It is distraction and deflection from the fact that, for Ministers in the Member's party, there is a real struggle when it comes to delivery in some Departments. I will take the example of…
As I understand it, discussions are ongoing on the issue with the Economy Minister, if I read the public statement correctly. I understand that it was originally funded by the Department of Finance, that funding came to an end and that it had been embedded within the Department for Communities. It is an issue for…
It is an area that requires significant investment and will do so in the years ahead. However, there is also an important balance to be achieved between having a stand-alone unit that will drive some of that progress and monitor the implementation and, on the other side, recognising the importance of AI being…
I recognise the importance of that agenda; indeed, it was my proposal to set up an Office of AI and Digital. When our Chief Scientific and Technology Adviser (CSTA) came into place, she was tasked with bringing forward that strategy. They are key and new initiatives by the Executive, contained in our Programme for…
I will reiterate: a strong pro-Union majority voted in Scotland, and a strong pro-Union majority voted in Wales. There is a strong pro-Union majority across this United Kingdom. Unionism is the largest designation in this place, and Northern Ireland is led by a joint and co-equal First Minister who is also a strong…
I was pleased to see that there were clear pro-union majorities in Scotland and Wales. Of course, the First Minister and I have very different views on this. However, instead of listening to the spin, spin, spin, which is all about putting momentum behind destroying and pulling apart the United Kingdom, we should look…
If anybody should talk about flirtations with political parties, it should not be the Member. His relationship with the Labour Party has brought about precisely nothing for Northern Ireland. All he has been able to achieve is Starmer's stagnation of the economy, and, instead of standing in the Chamber and lambasting…