All of Mr John Blair’s imported questions, contributions and motions in this mandate, newest first, including those assessed as not flagged, uncertain or not yet analysed.
Principal Deputy Speaker, thank you. With your permission, I will begin by addressing the issue of Members here being called "zealots" for daring to have a difference of opinion with a Member over there. I make it clear, through you, Principal Deputy Speaker, that having a different opinion does not make me a zealot.…
I thank the Minister for his answer. I will try to tease out more detail from him, either today or in the forthcoming information. Does the Minister accept that, if we are serious about reducing complications from diabetes and improving outcomes, we need not just activity data but an accreditable audit framework that…
I thank the Minister for that reply. On the subject of data, further to the question, given the BMA's warning that consultant vacancies may be significantly under-reported because only posts under active recruitment are counted, does he accept that decisions may be flawed if the data that he referenced previously…
Mr Blair asked the Minister of Health, given that Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK not participating in the National Diabetes Audit, whether his Department has a plan or timeline for implementing a bespoke diabetes audit in Northern Ireland.
I thank the Member for giving way. In addition to the fact that the financial memorandum tells us in paragraph 19 that the Bill will have no impact and then tells us that an £11·4 million commitment will be required, does the Member accept that, in relation to the environment, which Members from his party have…
I thank the Minister for her reply. I hope that she does not mind my asking for reassurance on the timelines. Given the significant range of policy area within the scope of the 'good jobs' Bill, what confidence can she give the House that there will be enough time in this mandate to introduce the Bill? Are there any…
I will not give way again so soon. I hope that Members understand that. Those factors lead to the next fundamental difficulty that Alliance has with the Bill: its complete lack of environmental safeguards. The Member's explanatory notes highlight the potential environmental benefits of upland and constrained farms,…
As I indicated at the start, I understand some of the principle behind the Bill and the challenges facing farmers in areas of constraint. In summary, a number of the points raised by the proposer of the Bill can be addressed by reference to or checking of the existing schemes and environmental initiatives that I…
I begin by recognising the effort and dedication of the Member who has introduced the private Member's Bill. I am going through the same process, so I fully understand how challenging it can be. I also acknowledge the real difficulties faced by farmers in upland and other constrained areas. Harsh winters, shorter…
I thank the Minister for his answer. Given that the Barnett consequentials announced last week largely cover the reserve claim, albeit they are short by £20 million, will Departments benefit from that money throughout the period, or will it simply be absorbed by covering the repayments?
I rise to mark Global Recycling Day, which is celebrated each year on 18 March. The Global Recycling Foundation established the day in 2018 to recognise recycling as the seventh resource, alongside water, oil, natural gas, coal, minerals and air. Since then, Global Recycling Day has grown into an international call to…
To ask the Minister of Health to outline any assessment that has been made to ensure his Department’s current data definitions provide an accurate understanding of pressures across health and social care.
Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. The Alliance position has been ably set out by my party colleagues, but, as the Alliance environment spokesperson, I will make some comments of my own before I reflect on the contributions that Members made during the debate. As I have stated before, to the Alliance Party, creating an…
I welcome the opportunity to speak on the draft Order, which aims to decarbonise the maritime sector. I thank the AERA Minister for presenting the Order and for his ongoing and significant engagement with the UK Government. I appreciate the support provided by departmental officials to the AERA Committee, and I thank…
To ask the Minister for Infrastructure, pursuant to AQW 41062/22-27, to detail any plans she has to reduce the cost of driving licence renewals to the same levels applied in Great Britain.
To ask the Minister for Infrastructure to detail (i) the reason why the trees on the M2 central reservation are being cut down, between the Rathbeg and Dunsilly Roundabouts, Antrim; and (ii) whether her Department has any plans to replace these trees.
To ask the Minister for Infrastructure whether she has (i) undertaken an assessment of her Department's current vesting scheme; and (ii) any plans to review the scheme.
I thank the Minister for his statement and for his determination that Northern Ireland must do better on water quality. Further to that, how will the proposals and actions outlined in his statement support existing commitments in the Programme for Government and the environmental improvement plan?
To ask the Minister of Education whether any monitoring will take place of the number of schools taking part in activities linked to World Wildlife Day, including how this information will be used.