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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.
Yes, I completely agree with the Member that this has affected many people. It has affected their educational attainment and their economic prospects. There are steps that we can take to ensure that we make that provision and improve those outcomes for people. Northern Ireland is, I suppose, unique in having users of…
I am grateful to the Member. I share her frustration at the time that it has taken to progress this. In the past number of years, we have seen sign language legislation introduced in the rest of the UK, and there is provision in the Republic of Ireland. I believe that the legislation could have a significantly…
I am committed to ensuring that members of the deaf community have the same rights and opportunities as those in the hearing community and are able to access services in their own language. I am aware that profoundly deaf people consider themselves part of a cultural and linguistic minority group rather than a…
There are, obviously, a number of issues to consider before we get to that stage. The Member will be aware that there are still outstanding issues in the quantum of funding that will be required and the quantum of funding that will be made available. Those are outstanding issues for the Department, and we look forward…
I do not think that anybody in here will be surprised by some of the issues that have affected Sport NI over the past number of years, particularly with regard to budget allocations. It is important that all those issues are addressed, and the review will look into them as well. We need an organisation that is able to…
I thank the Member for his warm words of welcome. I have a meeting in the diary to meet the UK Sports Minister very soon, as set out in the Government's Command Paper. I look forward to that meeting and to discussing some of the issues that have been raised, because all of us in the Chamber are aware of the…
First, Mr Speaker, I will endeavour to keep to the two minutes, because I am sure that when you were a Minister, you would never have dared to go over that limit. I will endeavour to do the same.
The Sports Council for Northern Ireland — Sport NI — is a statutory body that was set up under the Recreation and Youth Service (Northern Ireland) Order 1986. There are no plans to undertake a reform of Sport NI. However, the 'New Decade, New Approach' document stated: "There will be a review of Arm’s Length Bodies…
I am not aware of when that will be delivered. As the Member indicated, it is not a responsibility of my Department. If any responsibilities fall under the Department for Communities, I will, of course, look into them and see what can be done. I again place on record my sympathy with those who have been affected. The…
Yes, it is obvious that £1,000 will not, in the vast majority of cases, provide the assistance that is required. That is why everybody should have insurance. The payment is not meant to be a compensation scheme or to take the place of insurance. It is there to ensure that a one-off payment can be made within,…
I recognise that that is an issue of concern, especially for people whose homes have flooded in the past, and the difficulty that there can be in securing flood insurance. To that end, Flood Re is a joint initiative between the UK Government and insurers, which will run until 2039. That programme exists to improve, as…
I have not made a decision. I am simply reiterating the support that is available for householders. I completely understand the frustration that many of the Member's constituents and others feel as a result of the flooding issues in her constituency and others in recent months. Unfortunately, my Department and I can…
As the House will be aware, the scheme for emergency financial assistance was introduced by the Executive in 2007. Its purpose is to provide immediate financial support to households that have suffered from flooding. It is not a compensation scheme and does not purport to be one, nor is it intended to replace or…
I confirm that I am willing to take up the office of Minister for Communities, and I affirm the terms of the Pledge of Office as set out in schedule 4 to the Northern Ireland Act 1998.
I congratulate you, Mr Speaker, as you take up your new role. I know that you will do an excellent job on behalf of the House. Secondly, I thank Mr Allister for the reminder that we have had from him today. Every time he speaks, he reminds us why he is the sole TUV Member on that Bench. He has absolutely nothing to…
Before I begin my remarks, it would be remiss of me not to acknowledge the sad passing of our friend and colleague David Hilditch last year. David served his constituents in East Antrim with distinction for 25 years, and he is very much missed by them, by his friends, by all who knew him and, in particular, by his…
I thank the Member for giving way. He has spent quite a bit of money so far in what he has said, if only the Executive were back. The Member said that energy is a devolved issue: it absolutely is. If that is the case, however, why has the energy price guarantee been delivered in Northern Ireland? Does he accept that…
That has been well discussed. The Government said that they were going to deliver it. It is up to them to deliver it. We will continue to push the Government on that at Westminster, but what we will not do is say that we can deliver things that are not in our gift to deliver. We are not going to be like the SDLP,…
We believe that devolution needs a firm foundation to succeed. That foundation will never be in place as long as the issues around the protocol are unresolved. I recognise that the sitting has a special benefit for Sinn Féin as it provides a useful distraction from proceedings at the Special Criminal Court in Dublin,…
The recall of the Assembly is nothing more than a farce. We know that it is a stunt. The public know that it is a stunt. The other parties know that it is a stunt as well; many of their members have told us so privately. So it should come as no surprise to the House to hear that the DUP will not support either of the…
Let us be clear: this is not a serious attempt to elect a Speaker. It is not even an attempt to have a debate about how we can best help those who are in need. It is not even a debate about how we can sort out the problems that are preventing political stability and the ability to form an Executive. Rather, it is the…
The Member's time is coming to an end, so I wanted to take the opportunity to address some of the points that he made about me personally. The Member has never asked me for a meeting to discuss any of those issues, so I offer him the opportunity to have a briefing from me and my officials so that he can understand a…