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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 qualifying, uncertain or not yet analysed.
It is not an attack, Kellie. Here we go again: people take language to mean what it does not mean. I am simply highlighting the fallacy of your argument. Let us base this not on emotion but on the text that is in front of us. I do not know whether this is Mr Tennyson's intention, but nowhere in the Bill does it…
Yes, I do. It is wrong for others to trivialise or belittle people's views on that when they are based on the very text of a Bill that is before us. I see that Kellie Armstrong is shaking her head. Kellie, I remind you that you said in Committee that you were a bit of a nerd and an expert on some things and then had…
First and foremost, I hope that that will be done through the delivery of an arts policy that ticks all of the boxes that need to be ticked, so that we have continued sustainability, innovation and collaboration. I hope that that will be a significant legacy for the arts. A focus of mine during my time in office has…
As the Member will be aware, money is unfortunately not ring-fenced when it comes to us as a Barnett consequential. I would love it if it were, because, in so many areas of my Department, we are one of the biggest losers when it comes to Barnett consequentials, be that in employability programmes, work to tackle fraud…
I am grateful to the Member for highlighting the issue again. I will say what I said before, which is that we find ourselves in a constrained environment. I am looking for the best budget settlement for my Department so that I can fund all the areas that are so critical, including the arts. Again, I put it on record…
First, that was a slightly better quip than normal. The Member is improving. I said "slightly". Well done to him. I wonder how long it took him to think that up. I say this very clearly: the arts policy is following the timelines and timescales that were originally set out. We have completed the framework. The first…
Most broadly, the answer to the Member's questions is that I will not rule anything out in considering what we can do to make sure that we provide the help that is necessary. The different forms of support will include help to make homes more resilient and better insulated and, where we can, to ensure that people can…
Absolutely. That is something that we need to tackle and work together on. I am looking for support from Executive colleagues to make sure that we can put the fund in place and start spending the money and making a difference. The £100 home heating oil scheme will open tomorrow, but I want more strategic interventions…
I thank the Member for that question. I encourage everybody to look into that issue. I met representatives of a particular group that is involved in fantastic work to take renewable energy at a time when it cannot otherwise be used. As a result, a trial is ongoing, and that has been of great benefit to households that…
While responsibility for the regulation of gas tariffs rests with the independent Utility Regulator and energy policy is the responsibility of the Department for the Economy, I remain committed to supporting households experiencing fuel poverty and wider financial hardship. Through the warm healthy homes strategy, I…
Yes, I am Minister for Communities, and you should read what the judge actually said. I know that it is a meaty judgement and will take a bit of time, but I encourage him to read it, because, in there, he will find the truth. It will not be nice reading for him, but I encourage him to actually read it: it is there in…
Yes, that is absolutely the case. This is a good opportunity to raise the issue of the recent court judgement on the Irish language strategy. Sinn Féin Members have been blaming me for a long, long time for holding up the strategy, but the judge was clear: DFC has been progressing the language strategies. So where did…
First, I have met the new commissioner on a number of occasions. We have had at least one formal meeting, and I have no doubt that we will continue to meet on those issues. It is important and right that those standards, which will have to be approved by the First Minister and deputy First Minister, are applied in…
It is the same old Sinn Féin: it thinks that the law does not apply to it. I want to be clear: I will use the law, and I will use the courts to make sure that the law is upheld. The Minister for Infrastructure has the same responsibilities as every other Minister who operates in the Executive. We are all equally…
If the Member is referring to the judicial review of Irish language signage at Grand Central station, that remains ongoing, and therefore I am unable to confirm costs at this stage.
First, I recognise the fact that the arts are not funded to the level that we want to see them funded to. That stands out when you look at where the budget was 15 years ago compared with where it is today. I understand and fully appreciate people's concerns in relation to that. However, I have made it a priority. For…
Yes, absolutely. I congratulate the organisers of the fleadh for the way in which they went about their work and how they tried to make it inclusive and representative not just of Belfast but of Northern Ireland as a whole. There were great opportunities for people to feel welcome and involved. The Member is…
Yes, of course, the fleadh would not have been what it was had it not been for the many people who contributed, took part and displayed their talents, all of which were enjoyed by everybody. The Member asked specifically about legacy and what I am doing to ensure that we have a legacy for the arts in Northern Ireland,…
Yes, it was a successful event, and I was happy to attend a number of the events in August. It brought people together and was good for the city and beyond. I was not asked to provide any funding for the fleadh. I met the organisers over a year before the event. There are lots of other people who ask me for money and…
With your permission, Mr Speaker, I intend to answer questions 4 and 15 together. My Department did not provide any direct funding to the fleadh. However, my officials and several arm's-length bodies (ALBs) of my Department engaged with partners to support and promote the fleadh, and my Department provided important…
Yes, absolutely. I have been working on that and most recently raised it with the other UK sports Ministers when we met in Glasgow in July. It is absolutely right that those pathways are there and that people are aware of them. I give my commitment that I will continue to raise the issue and push for the change that…
I can provide that assurance to the Member. I have no interest in putting together a panel and ensuring that its report is published only for it to sit there and not do what needs to be done, such as highlighting some of the difficult and challenging issues for other people. I give the Member my commitment that the…
I thank my colleague Phillip Brett for all the work that he has done to put the issue on the public agenda. He has played a significant role in ensuring that the issue was not hidden in the shadows and that anti-Protestantism in boxing will not be allowed to continue. As a result, I announced the panel. Sport NI has…
I am grateful to the Member for raising that issue, because I want the focus to be kept on housing and what we need to do. We have taken steps. That is one of the reasons why we had a 17% increase year-on-year in the number of social homes that are being built. It is not enough — there is still more to do — but we are…