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.
I stand by the comments that I made. That is absolutely my intention, and I hope that the application process will have opened by then. As I said, most importantly, letters of offer will be going out the door by the end of this financial year. I assure the Member that I am doing everything that I can and that my team…
Great progress has been made on the Northern Ireland Football Fund. We are finalising the application process, and, as I have said in the House and elsewhere, I hope that it will be open towards the end of this year or at the beginning of next year, with the first letters of offer being issued by the end of this…
The easiest thing that we can do to deal with the over-reliance on emergency accommodation is make sure that we have more housing in Northern Ireland, and I am absolutely committed to achieving that. There are a number of ways that we can do that. I will bring forward the housing supply strategy very soon to make sure…
Far too many people live in temporary accommodation. That is obviously not acceptable. It is not acceptable for anybody to be in temporary accommodation for any prolonged period. These are operational matters for the Housing Executive, and it is up to it to decide what meets the circumstances of the individuals who…
I am not a magician. I do not have a blank cheque whereby I can get money together and just say, "Yes, whatever it is going to cost, here is the money". To be fair, I have been crystal clear on the issue, and I have been honest about the funds that are available. I was not the one saying that things would be built and…
Let me repeat what I have said before: there is a commitment from the Executive that I stand by. The sum of £62·5 million was originally agreed in 2011. The grant was given to Windsor Park and to Ravenhill, and those stadiums were developed. As the Member will be aware, Casement Park has, for a variety of reasons, not…
I undertook a series of engagements in Washington DC, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and Toronto, Canada during my recent trip to the US and Canada. As I already mentioned, the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence presents us with a unique opportunity to promote the historical links between…
I certainly agree with the Member's comments about ensuring that people can play a full role in society and, most importantly, get access to basic public services that we so often take for granted. Permission to draft the Bill has received approval from the First Minister and the deputy First Minister. I hope that…
Given the sign language Bill's cross-cutting nature, I have received Executive approval for my officials to engage formally with the Office of the Legislative Counsel for the drafting of clauses for a Bill that will recognise and promote British Sign Language and Irish Sign Language. Engagement with the Office of the…
I certainly hope that people across Northern Ireland will take the opportunity to celebrate the contribution that people from here made to the founding and development of that nation. We are exploring funding. I hope that we will be able to secure funding from within our existing budgets, as well as support from…
The Member has made a critical error: he sees this only in language terms. That is a problem. It is more about the history and heritage, and the contribution that was made. That is what I want to emphasise. There is a unique Ulster-Scots tradition and heritage in the United States. You have to look only at the…
I absolutely will. The 'Safeguarding the Union' Command Paper of January 2024 set out a commitment to: "Support greater outreach and education in the United States to further strengthen understanding of the different traditions in Northern Ireland." I am determined to make sure that Northern Ireland has its place and…
I visited the United States two weeks ago. A major focus of the programme was the upcoming 250th anniversary of the signing of America's Declaration of Independence. To that end, I met the America250 commission, the National Archives, the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian Institution and the White House Historical…
That is absolutely right. It is important that we treat all languages equally. In the past, agreements were in place in that regard. Of course, one of the other things that I have been able to take forward is sign language legislation. We love to talk about diversity and inclusion, but that group has often felt left…
I am more than happy to consider all invites that come in. Depending on how the work progresses, I will determine whether it would be useful or necessary for me or my officials to have such a meeting.
We love to ask questions about meetings in this place. I do not have information on the exact number of meetings that have taken place, but I will happily provide that to the Member.
Work is progressing on the development of the Executive's Irish language strategy. Owing to the cross-cutting nature of the strategy, a cross-departmental working group of senior officials from Departments is considering the Irish language strategy co-design group's proposed strategy and action plan, which are being…
No, because I do not think that that would be a good use of time. I have given examples of why, sometimes, meetings cannot happen. With regard to some of the social inclusion strategies, I have made it clear that I wanted to set out my Department's way forward before we committed to different meetings. Remember, of…
Yes. So far, I have accepted 395 invitations from various organisations and individuals under the remit of my Department. It is important to put that on record, because there has been a lot of controversy about this over the past weeks. It is not possible for me to meet everybody. Sometimes there are diary clashes;…
I reiterate my opposition to any intimidation whatsoever, wherever it comes from. It is absolutely wrong and should not happen. My party and I have been categorical on that matter. If there is anything that I can do to assist, I will be happy to do so. I am more than happy to look again at the invitation. I do not…
I cannot answer questions on behalf of the Department of Education. Of course, if intimidation is happening, regardless of the situation, scenario or where it takes place, I will always condemn it. However, that issue was not raised with me during the meeting to which the Member refers, because it does not fall within…
Even if the building were to be listed, that would not mean that it could not be demolished. All planning applications relating to listed buildings are determined by the local council. It assesses the merits of the building's special architectural or historical interest against current planning policy. My Department…
I have been briefed by officials on the proposed listing of Marlborough House. They have shared with me the proposed listing report and its case for special interest in architectural and historical terms, which is the relevant statutory test. My officials have also advised that an independent report was commissioned…