Analysis in progress: 88,493 of 97,621 records assessed (90.6%). 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.
Like the vast majority of people right across Northern Ireland, I was utterly appalled when I woke on Sunday morning to the news of this terrorist attack on Saturday night, an attack targeted at the PSNI. I utterly condemn these attacks: that of Saturday night and that in Lurgan a few weeks earlier. I also condemn all…
As the Member will be aware, we have a number of specific schemes to support refugees. Those are done at a UK-wide level, but, of course, Northern Ireland plays its part. We currently have the Syrian, Afghan and Ukrainian schemes. At this stage, we do not anticipate any particular refugee scheme related to the current…
I thank the Member for his question. As I said, all conflicts should be avoided if possible, but, unfortunately, there will always be global conflicts that are completely outside of our control or influence. In such situations, the United Kingdom, as a sovereign state, has responsibilities under the various…
As the Member will know, we have asked the UK Government to step up and to do so urgently. There is a significant amount of tax on fuel, for example. That is something about which the UK Government must do something, and urgently. We have also asked them to bring forward a package to support people who are struggling,…
That is an absolute mischaracterisation for the sake of political posturing. The reality is that the Iranian regime is an evil regime. There is no doubt about that. It murdered an estimated 30,000 of its own citizens because they had the audacity to protest. The regime is oppressive to women and all kinds of…
It is incredibly important that we get the information, and that is why I attend when I get an invitation to do so. It is incredibly important for us to know what will happen down the line. It is not just a snapshot of what has happened thus far; we can get a sense of what will happen from the people who monitor the…
I thank the Member for his question. Representation is incredibly important. The reality is that global events such as these have an impact on the people of Northern Ireland, and it is important that we know and are informed about what is happening. From a UK perspective, it is the right of the people of Northern…
Of course, the Member will clip the footage to show his question: he never shows my answers. His point is a nonsense: there is a big difference between dialogue and endorsement. The SDLP Member sits there, and he knows the difference. I engaged with the president of the United States, a person with huge global…
I thank the Member for his important and, indeed, timely question. It is an incredibly important issue for many people. I have already seen across the House some of the pantomime antics of Members who want to point fingers at others. Of course, it is important that we step up and do everything that we can to support…
The Member is likely aware that, after the issues that arose in Ballymena, we have invested over £500,000 through local councils to support resilience work right across Northern Ireland. We have also worked with partners, including the PSNI, the DOJ, local councils and others, to try to ensure that a range of actions…
Absolutely. It is important that we call out that hate, prejudice and criminal behaviour wherever we see it. I was in the Chamber for Members' statements and listened to my colleague Deborah Erskine talk about the attack on a Sunday school hall in her constituency and about the importance of people calling that out.…
I am not aware of the removal of specific funding. The Member will be aware that, due to the situation with the Budget, each Department is liaising with the organisations that they have funded to try to ensure that there is some certainty, while discussion of the overall issue continues. It is, of course, important…
We strongly condemn all forms of hate and prejudice; they have no place in our society. Through the development of our draft framework for race relations, we continue to work collaboratively with all Departments to support cohesive, thriving communities. While the framework’s focus is on addressing racism and race…
I thank the Member for his question. No doubt people can throw around political point-scoring on why delays happen, but, at the heart of all of this, it is about trying to identify how to improve the way in which we do capital investment. As I have said, in reality, the reason that Casement has not progressed is not…
I thank the Member for his question. Sport plays such a pivotal role throughout Northern Ireland. It is not just football, rugby and GAA, of course, but hockey, cricket and so many other sports. For young people, it is transformative. It is about health, child development, socialisation and all kinds of positive…
It is important to say clearly that the money allocated to Casement was agreed by the Executive. Casement did not proceed on the timeline of the other sporting groups not because of a lack of political agreement but because of a variety of other issues. The money ring-fenced by the Executive remains, but the costs of…
The redevelopment of Casement Park remains an Executive flagship capital project. Whilst responsibility for the redevelopment lies with the Minister for Communities, we have reiterated our commitment to making progress on the matter in the Programme for Government.
Absolutely. The delivery unit proposal is in the Programme for Government, and it is there because of some of issues that I have already mentioned. There is frustration that the way that we are doing things at the moment is not delivering in the way that we want. We have all heard the old adage that, if we continue to…
I thank the Member for her question. Like her, I have no doubt, I have heard very genuine representations about the challenges that many families and, indeed, young people face when they hit 19. I think that there is a shared desire to do more. We need to do more to support those families. I recognise, as I have…
Supporting young people with special educational needs is a priority for the Executive, and we all recognise the importance of clear, well-planned pathways into further training, education or employment and of providing access to appropriate health pathways. The delivery unit is overseeing a portfolio of…
The Member is no doubt aware that the functions of the SIB are set out. One of its core functions is to advise the Executive on the investment strategy and to try to tackle some of the barriers to progress. When we look back over the past 10 years, we see that the challenges to infrastructure delivery have not been…
I thank the Member for her important question. We all have responsibilities to our environment. There is no doubt that, across the House, there is a great deal of consensus that we must do what we can to protect our environment. A balance must always be struck with such things, however. As we have seen, the reality is…