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Mr Gordon Lyons: Assembly records
All of Mr Gordon Lyons’s imported questions, contributions and motions in this mandate, newest first, including those assessed as not flagged, uncertain or not yet analysed.
It is absolutely disgraceful to imply in any way that I have not condemned all the violence that has taken place. I have done that on multiple occasions in the House and in the media. It is outrageous for the Member to say what he just said. At a time when we should come together and take the opportunity to unite as…
My goodness, we have a positive Mr McNulty today. He is in good form. That is great to see. Of course, is it any wonder that he is in good form? We have a good announcement and a Minister who is driving forward investment in sport and looking at new and innovative ways to ensure that sport is funded in a way that…
Yes, I have engaged with Southern counterparts around possibilities for the Shared Island Fund to be used for sport. The Member will be aware, I hope, that, in the next few weeks, further announcements could be made about opportunities for Northern Ireland that have a cross-border element. He will have to wait and…
Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I wish to make a statement to provide the Assembly with information about my Department's Olympic legacy fund. Elite athletes inspire us all. They show us that, through talent, hard work and determination, it is possible to reach the very highest levels of achievement. In Northern…
I hope that I have made it clear how the process worked and part of the timeline. It was certainly It was certainly long before the discrimination and bigotry of the SDLP was clear for everybody to see. I have said that in the House. Decisions on this matter were made long before last week, long before the bigotry and…
FlaggedSectarianism, hate crime and community relationsCriteria met: Sectarian or communal antagonism, Dog-whistle messaging, Controversy escalation.
My goodness. Is the Member actually implying that, with two days to go before the announcement, everything was completely changed in order for that to be the outcome? Well, let me give you the clarity. I do not have the date on which the decision was made, but it was long before It was long before last week. It was…
FlaggedDecided on a second assessment.Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials
I understand the strength of feeling out there, and it is important to note first that there was a facility for those clubs to demonstrate footballing need, with separate scoring for those that had a ground and those that did not. There was an opportunity, which many clubs took up, to talk about their potential and…
I thank the Member for his approach to the issue, because I know that there is bitter disappointment about what has happened. I know the work that he has put in. Last year, he invited me up to meet the club. I saw that for myself. That is one of the reasons why I wanted to ensure that there was a level playing field…
Different options were presented to me. It is fair to say that I wanted to get as many of those moving forward as possible. That is why we have such an extensive list. My role in the process was to make sure that as many clubs were available as possible. I understand the concern that exists around the fact that so…
Unfortunately, the Member has got a number of things wrong. First of all, he is conflating — Well, he has. He clearly does not know the process that was in place, even though I have just outlined that process. If he had listened to the statement that I have just made, he would realise that it is not appropriate to…
I wish to make a statement to update the Assembly on the Northern Ireland Football Fund and, in particular, the performance programme strand of the fund. When I took office, I made it clear that one of my priorities would be to push forward the long-standing commitment to invest in our local footballing…
Obviously, there is review of all spend in the Department to ensure that it matches up with what we are trying to do. I know from having met the organisers at the launch last week that they want to make this more accessible and bring more people in. They should be congratulated and supported for that, and I hope that…
I have engaged with the Northern Ireland Housing Executive. I have not engaged directly as Minister with Mid and East Antrim Borough Council about those issues.
Mr McCrossan has called for an emergency fix to deal with the A5 issue: that will not be enough. That is why I wrote to the Agriculture Minister, Andrew Muir, and asked him to introduce legislation to amend the Climate Change Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 so that we can put in place policies that take account of the…
I have started to take legal advice on the court ruling and its implications, but I am deeply concerned about what it might mean for Northern Ireland and, in particular, housebuilding. We are in this position as a result of the mess in 2022, when rival Bills were introduced in the Assembly. Some parties, including…
I have met my sporting ministerial counterparts from the rest of the UK. I will continue to do that, and I will certainly be an advocate of Northern Ireland sport getting its fair share.
That is not particularly new news. I was at the launch, but, ultimately, it is up to the IFA and other partners to ensure that the funding is available for that. There are lots of things that we might like to do, but we need to make sure that the funding is in place. I am certainly happy to work with interested…
That is why it is so important that we ensure that the funding is aligned with our objectives. Sport NI in particular does a good job in taking a joined-up, coordinated approach to making sure that the funding that is available helps with the things that we are trying to achieve.
I have certainly seen the benefit that funding from National Lottery projects can have not just in my constituency but across Northern Ireland. The Member will not be surprised to hear that I have concerns about how prevalent gambling is, but, if we receive proceeds from the National Lottery that can be used for good…
I would rather not involve myself in such cases, but there is a reason why I have to do so. The Minister for Infrastructure has taken it upon herself to go against the law; that is the strong advice that I have received. Nobody is above the law — not the Infrastructure Minister, not Sinn Féin. If something is…
The Member makes the case for me. He rightly says that I am the Minister responsible for the development of the Irish language strategy: it is therefore a cross-cutting issue. Even Sinn Féin is now making the point for me that the issue is cross-cutting. It is important that, if something is significant, controversial…
The Member will be aware that it is for the GAA to identify its strategic need in relation to the Casement Park project. I have asked for that to be looked at again in the light of rising costs and the financial situation that we find ourselves in. After years of delay — delay for no apparent reason other than…