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Mr John O'Dowd: Assembly records
All of Mr John O'Dowd’s imported questions, contributions and motions in this mandate, newest first, including those assessed as not flagged, uncertain or not yet analysed.
I beg to move Go raibh maith agat, a Phríomh-Leas-Cheann Comhairle. I thank you for your help with progressing the Budget Bill. Standing Order 39(2) requires: "No date may be determined for the Final Stage of a Bill until- (a) the Speaker has considered the Bill in accordance with section 10 of the" 1998 Act "and…
I assure the Member that I take an interest in the matter and share her frustration at the costs and delays. It is not only about the costs and delays but about the very fact that patients and staff are not getting into the premises to enjoy the modern facilities. I am just pointing out that I do not have any direct…
Just one second. — our funding, but we can still do things. However, the strategy that is known as shroud-waving does exist and can colour and cloud a debate about setting budgets. My role as Minister, and that of my officials, is to try to get underneath that. There is certainly a role for scrutiny Committees. I am…
There has been a practice in the past, which continues, in relation to how budget challenges are presented. No Department comes forward and says, "I need less money". That is maybe unfair to Departments, because who is going to do that in the current climate? This is where Ministers, Committees and individual…
Go raibh maith agat, a Phríomh-Leas-Cheann Comhairle. I thank the Members, Chairs and Deputy Chairs who have contributed to the Second Stage debate on the Budget Bill. In yesterday's Supply resolution debate, I said that, while the Executive faced many challenges, it was important to note the achievements since…
The Member may not have been in the Chamber yesterday when I made the point that NI Water and the Department for Infrastructure have unlocked 5,300 homes as part of the programme of work that he says is failing. That is more than the Utility Regulator's price control period would have unlocked.
I am engaging with my officials on the matter, and I am satisfied that actions are afoot to delve into the level of sickness absence; to put support in place, where necessary, for staff on sickness leave; and to ensure that managers at all levels in the Civil Service understand their role and are there to support…
The matter has been the subject of yet another Audit Office report, and my Department is analysing that report. It covers a range of issues in the Civil Service, sickness levels being one of them. We will respond in due course. It is a very complex area. We are a huge employer with over 25,000 staff. Sickness levels…
Local businesses have similarly been in contact with me to raise concerns about the matter. I will ask my officials to engage with the Treasury to ensure that it is fully aware of the new challenges that the scheme brings to small businesses.
I will supply the Member with the details so that he receives accurate information. However, in my engagement on the matter and my pursuit of the cause, I have been hugely frustrated with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government in Whitehall. It has been completely dismissive of this place and has…
I do not have in front of me information about the exact number of meetings, but I must give credit to the members of my team who have been working on the local growth fund. They have been extremely proactive in their engagement not only with the sector but with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local…
Over 2,300 small businesses in the Derry City and Strabane District Council area already benefit from the small business rate relief scheme, with over £2 million of support being delivered. Through the Back in Business scheme, six businesses in the same council area have been granted support of over £102,000 to bring…
The consultation is now closed, and my officials have presented me with a report on the way forward. There is a huge opportunity for us to broaden the amount of support and to increase the number of businesses that receive it. Additional finance will be required, but it will be finance well invested. I set aside…
Yes. It is a new pilot programme from Civil Service colleagues who recognised the frustration that there was across the Executive and among MLAs at the length of time that it was taking to recruit into posts. They implemented a new process that has significantly sped up the time from advertising to placement. It is…
I am very keen on achieving regional balance and am proactive in supporting it through engagement with my Executive colleagues on where and how they invest their budgets. A standout example is the recent recruitment process in the north-west. It was hugely successful. There were around 900 applicants, with 200 posts…
The Budget is not the place to devolve more fiscal powers; it is about setting your financial priorities for the years ahead. In tandem with that, I will engage with the Treasury around devolution of more fiscal powers and make recommendations to the Executive as those discussions proceed. However, the Member has to…
My colleague will understand that I do not deal well with finger-wagging, and so he will also understand that I will not sit somewhere if someone wagging their finger at me. What has or has not changed over the past two years? That is the fundamental question that is at play here. Despite the Executive's best efforts…
The open-book process is not a formal process. There is not a document sitting on a shelf in Treasury or in the Department of Finance that says, "This is an open-book process". The exact nature of the process is open to interpretation, and we, with the Treasury, will set the terms of reference. There may have been…
There is already an agreement with the Government, as part of ongoing discussions in relation to the full fiscal framework, that the Holtham report will remain on the table and that further investigation into its findings will continue in relation to our level of need.
I can give that assurance. I have been clear in my responses to the Treasury and others on this matter that that is non-negotiable. There will be no undermining of the institutions, the authority of Ministers or the authority of the Executive in relation to how we govern this place. That is how the process will be…
While the reserve claim is very welcome and allows us some breathing space, the reality is that we have to pay it back: £80 million in 2026-27, then £120 million in each of the subsequent two years. That places further pressure on future-year Budgets, and when the Executive come to finalise those Budgets, that will…
To strengthen our case for fair funding for public services, the Executive will work with Treasury to review the Executive's spending and pressures through an open-book review of departmental spending. That will support a fuller understanding of the significant challenges that we are facing. Locally, the demands being…
My Department has a dedicated digital inclusion outreach team, which promotes the use of online government services and provides free tailored training in libraries and community centres. Those sessions help individuals to build the digital skills, confidence and trust needed to engage effectively in today's digital…