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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.
One thing I know for sure is who the SDLP flirted with: Starmer's Labour Party. Not only did you praise and highlight time and time again the fact that it is your sister party — it is not just a flirtation; it is a marriage — you crossed the floor of the House to sit with that party. It is, frankly, embarrassing that,…
The reality is that they are democratic processes, and we will respect their outcome. I will work constructively with whomever the public democratically puts up, which is all about championing what is best for Northern Ireland. As I have said many times, I see my role as standing up and speaking up for Northern…
You asked me whether I have concerns. I know who has concerns: the people of Ukraine when they see Russia roll tanks over their border and try to kill their citizens; the people of Ukraine when they see drones trying to kill them; the people of Poland; and the people of Latvia. Every single day, those countries feel…
You are absolutely right. Given the global instability and conflicts, spend on defence is increasing. It is increasing in NATO countries and, as I said, on the eastern front of the European Union. It is increasing in every country that is trying to protect against cyberattacks and to protect its citizens. There will…
Absolutely. That sector employs thousands of people and brings a huge amount of funding to Northern Ireland. It is full of innovation, skill and depth, and I am deeply proud of it. The sector defends the lives of people in Ukraine and beyond, and it brings security to a very unstable world. I will always turn up,…
As I outlined in a previous answer, economic growth is incredibly important. It is what brings in the taxes that enable any Government to invest in their public services, creates the jobs for young people who are coming through and creates the robustness in our economy that keeps young people here rather than having…
With your permission, Mr Speaker, I will answer questions 5, 6 and 8 together. The £50 million defence growth deal has the potential to deliver a wide range of economic benefits. I was pleased to join the Defence Minister, Luke Pollard, and the NIO Minister, Matthew Patrick, at the defence growth deal's launch on 22…
Thank you. As the Member will be aware from his time on the Committee, the central good relations fund is an in-year fund that is designed to support flexibility for organisations to identify particular needs and to apply for funding for an in-year project. It is not core funding. I acknowledge, however, that…
I thank the Member for his question, which is, of course, important but also timely. There is no doubt that, following the elections just last week, we have seen growing frustration with the Prime Minister across Great Britain. We have raised that issue with the Prime Minister since he came into office two years ago.…
As the Member is undoubtedly aware, his party colleague in the Department of Finance has produced a draft Budget but has acknowledged the difficulties with it and the significant gap in funding. That means that we have not secured a Budget for this year, which makes it difficult for any Departments to give onward…
The central good relations fund provides support to groups in the community and voluntary sector to deliver good relations projects where there is evidence of identified good relations need. Since 2016, we have provided over £30 million in funding to support more than 950 projects, impacting on 320,000 people. The…
It is an exceptionally important issue. I commend the Member for all the work that she is doing on the Finance Committee to drive the agenda of transformation, efficiency and reform across our Civil Service and public sector. As I said, we cannot continue to do things as we have done them. We have to have fundamental…
As I have already said, things take much too long, and people are deeply frustrated by a lack of delivery. At times, I am deeply frustrated by how long things take. We cannot continue to do things as we have been doing them. We have to have change. We have to place a focus on delivery. That is why, at an early stage,…
Absolutely, in an ideal world, we would increase funding. However, this is the challenge that we have always faced and will continue to face. Bringing about transformation requires investment. However, keeping front-line services going requires funding. At a time when we are fiscally constrained, it is exceptionally…
Transforming public services is an Executive priority, which is why, in March 2025, £129 million was allocated to six significant transformation projects to tackle some of the highest-profile challenges facing our public services, including in Health, Education, Justice and Infrastructure. The delivery unit is…
That is not the case at all. Let us take a look at the record of agreement. We have agreed a Programme for Government and nine key priorities: everything from tackling health waiting lists to affordable childcare for families to growing our economy. Yes, there will always be some things that we do not agree on.…
A lot can be done. My party, the DUP, has ambitious plans for transformation and reform. People out there are deeply frustrated by what they see as a lack of delivery, and that is not because of the structures but because of the processes that we have in each and every Department. I have the privilege of working with…
The investment strategy is an important aspect of what we are trying to do, and I commend all who undoubtedly put a huge amount of work into the draft strategy. I want a strategy that sets out for the people whom we serve across Northern Ireland what we are going to do on the big issues. We have been constrained time…
As the Member will be aware, it is incredibly important that we get the right people when appointments are being made. With regard to the initial question, I was referencing the SIB appointments. The review highlighted a significant amount of valuable work that the Strategic Investment Board does. However, I do not…
The review of SIB recognised the value of the organisation for the Northern Ireland Civil Service and the wider public sector. However, it also suggested that there is a need to consider its ongoing strategic role and made recommendations in that respect. We are clear that SIB has a key role to play in providing…
I thank the Member for his important question. We saw significant disruption last summer in his constituency, in the Ballymena area. It is incredibly important that we get out and speak to people who live and work in those communities about their issues and concerns. I believe that people are sick, sick, sick of not…
Thank you. It is really important that this House stands together and sends that clear message against all of those things. We know that racism, sectarianism and that type of prejudice blight lives and ruin communities. There are social cohesion issues. Communities need support, and we must be there to support them in…
I thank the Member for his question. Yes, that has been circulated to all Ministers, who have scrutinised it. It is complex, and there are a significant number of technical amendments to it. The idea behind it was to make sure that we were not going to continue to fall behind some of the legislative changes elsewhere…
As an Executive, we are committed to delivering what matters most to communities, including tackling racial inequality, eradicating racism and promoting good race relations. As part of that, a comprehensive review of the Race Relations (Northern Ireland) Order 1997 has been completed, alongside a public consultation.…