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MLA Culture Wars

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.

1,596 records match, page 30 of 64.

  3. Debate contribution: Israeli War Bonds

    • Oral Answers to Questions
    • As a minister

    Gerry, there is no doubt in my mind that you are fully aware that I have no authority over banking in this society — no doubt whatever. You and I have a lot of differences, but we have one thing in common: we stand in solidarity with Palestine. Let us not use party differences and party political niggling — wee digs…

    Not flagged

    Assessment details Official Assembly record

  4. Debate contribution: Transgender Guidance

    • Oral Answers to Questions
    • As a minister

    The Civil Service has a rigorous and detailed policy in relation to treating all of its staff with fairness, equality and respect. There are processes in that for anyone who feels that they have not been treated with fairness, equality and respect to have those matters looked into in further detail. I have renewed my…

    Not flagged

    Assessment details Official Assembly record

  5. Debate contribution: Transgender Guidance

    • Oral Answers to Questions
    • As a minister

    We all have to approach the issue with great sensitivity, particularly in relation to schools, where we are talking about young people and children. We should all measure our tones around such matters. I await the outcome of the Equality Commission's review of those matters. It is then best that the Executive discuss…

    Not flagged

    Assessment details Official Assembly record

  6. Debate contribution: A5 Capital Allocation

    • Oral Answers to Questions
    • As a minister

    Not as yet, because the appeal is pending, and we will have to wait for the outcome of that. We are progressing our way through engagement with officials in all Departments about preparation for the three-year Budget. It is clearly something that we have to be alert to. There are timescales that are outside our…

    Not flagged

    Assessment details Official Assembly record

  7. Debate contribution: A5 Capital Allocation

    • Oral Answers to Questions
    • As a minister

    It is not a case of having to direct any Department in that regard. The funding for the A5 is from an Executive funding pot, so any underspends will have to be returned to the centre. My officials have engaged with DFI officials, asking them to estimate as quickly as possible how much capital will be returned in this…

    Not flagged

    Assessment details Official Assembly record

  8. Debate contribution: 'Transforming Business Rates'

    • Oral Answers to Questions
    • As a minister

    We would want to assure ourselves that they are applicable. The grass is not always greener on the other side. Just because one jurisdiction is making a change, it does not necessarily mean that it is the right change of path or direction. As I said, I am aware of the proposals, and we are monitoring them. If that…

    Not flagged

    Assessment details Official Assembly record

  9. Debate contribution: 'Transforming Business Rates'

    • Oral Answers to Questions
    • As a minister

    I am aware of the proposals for England and Wales. The Member will be aware that we have a totally different rating system from that in England and Wales. Here, we have the regional rate, and then each local council sets its rate. In England, I understand that there is a set rate across all local authorities, which is…

    Not flagged

    Assessment details Official Assembly record

  10. Debate contribution: Local Growth Fund

    • Oral Answers to Questions
    • As a minister

    Without question. It is in the Labour Party's manifesto that it will respect the devolved institutions and, with regard to this matter, local growth funds should be sent back to the devolved institutions. Nobody knows better the needs of our society than its elected representatives. The Assembly and the Executive are…

    Not flagged

    Assessment details Official Assembly record

  11. Debate contribution: Local Growth Fund

    • Oral Answers to Questions
    • As a minister

    I had a meeting yesterday morning with the Secretary of State, which was to be a pre-meeting for that which we were going to have with the then Housing Minister, Alex Norris. However, as a result of the reshuffles in Whitehall, Mr Norris is no longer in that post, and the meeting planned for today has been postponed…

    Not flagged

    Assessment details Official Assembly record

  12. Debate contribution: Casement Park

    • Oral Answers to Questions
    • As a minister

    Uachtarán Shinn Féin produces alternative policy documents, alternative Budgets and alternative Programmes for Government. I am the Minister of Finance. My responsibility is to engage with the Treasury on the release of the £50 million in FTC funding. I have actively and productively followed that through. The…

    Not flagged

    Assessment details Official Assembly record

  13. Debate contribution: Casement Park

    • Oral Answers to Questions
    • As a minister

    Mmm. When the Member completes his homework, I will tick the boxes in his test for him. I am still waiting for his homework on a wide range of issues. I believe that Casement Park will be built. Commitment is required from the Executive and the Assembly to deliver on that and many other areas of the Programme for…

    Not flagged

    Assessment details Official Assembly record

  14. Debate contribution: Casement Park

    • Oral Answers to Questions
    • As a minister

    For the record, there was no underspend in financial transactions capital for the previous year, as the Member knows, because we have this conversation every time we have Question Time or a ministerial statement. I and my officials have engaged directly with the NIO and the Treasury on how that much welcomed…

    Not flagged

    Assessment details Official Assembly record

  15. Debate contribution: Strategic Rating Review 2025-26

    • Oral Answers to Questions
    • As a minister

    I am pleased to say that good progress has been made by my Department in bringing that work forward. In line with my intention to act at pace to make progressive and positive changes to the rating system, I submitted an Executive paper prior to recess on the next steps regarding the maximum capital value and the early…

    Not flagged

    Assessment details Official Assembly record

  16. Debate contribution: Green Growth

    • Oral Answers to Questions
    • As a minister

    That piece of work has started and will have to continue. Obviously, we prioritise our Budget against our Programme for Government. Therefore, as part of the Budget sustainability plan, the Executive committed to the development of a future work plan. My officials recently completed an initial analytical exercise to…

    Not flagged

    Assessment details Official Assembly record

  17. Debate contribution: Green Growth

    • Oral Answers to Questions
    • As a minister

    As I said to one of your colleagues, my job as Finance Minister is to present a Budget to the Executive and the Assembly. If and when it is agreed, it is up to each Minister to use that Budget as has been agreed and outlined and to certainly do so in line with all the policies that govern us as Ministers, particularly…

    Not flagged

    Assessment details Official Assembly record

  18. Debate contribution: Green Growth

    • Oral Answers to Questions
    • As a minister

    Green growth contributes to the priorities in the Programme for Government to: "Grow a Globally Competitive and Sustainable Economy", and on: "Protecting Lough Neagh and the Environment". In recognition of the importance of those priorities, the Executive earmarked allocations of £15 million and £17 million…

    Not flagged

    Assessment details Official Assembly record

  19. Debate contribution: NICS Estate

    • Oral Answers to Questions
    • As a minister

    That goes back to Mr Kingston's concerns about Belfast and how, in some people's view, the hybrid working policy may have a detrimental impact on Belfast. The people who are not in Belfast on set days are working elsewhere, and, as I said to Ciara, given the nature of our society, many of those people are in rural…

    Not flagged

    Assessment details Official Assembly record

  20. Debate contribution: NICS Estate

    • Oral Answers to Questions
    • As a minister

    Civil Service staff are posted in accommodation across the region, including in the Department of Finance's estate and buildings that other Departments own or lease. Six Connect2 hubs opened in August 2022 to allow staff to work remotely at six regional locations in Ballykelly, Ballymena, Bangor, Craigavon,…

    Not flagged

    Assessment details Official Assembly record

  22. Debate contribution: NICS Estate

    • Oral Answers to Questions
    • As a minister

    My officials met you at the end of August to provide an update on the Department’s planning considerations in the Coleraine area, which includes County Hall. It is important we have a modern, fit for purpose and correctly sized office estate that is a welcoming environment for people to work collaboratively in. The…

    Not flagged

    Assessment details Official Assembly record

  23. Debate contribution: Public-sector Transformation Board: Call for Projects

    • Oral Answers to Questions
    • As a minister

    As I outlined in my substantive answer, experts are in place to monitor each of the projects and to report back to the transformation board. I have no difficulty with providing information, whether that is to the Committee or, maybe more formally, to the Assembly. Whichever way is most appropriate under the protocols…

    Not flagged

    Assessment details Official Assembly record

  24. Debate contribution: Public-sector Transformation Board: Call for Projects

    • Oral Answers to Questions
    • As a minister

    Appointments to the board's membership will bring an additional set of skills. The addition of Professor McCarthy and Gareth Hetherington will broaden the skills and expertise that are available to the board and complement those of existing members. The terms of reference for the transformation board have been…

    Not flagged

    Assessment details Official Assembly record

  25. Debate contribution: Public-sector Transformation Board: Call for Projects

    • Oral Answers to Questions
    • As a minister

    That is crucial, and a continuous monitoring process is in place. The public transformation board will monitor the projects on an ongoing basis. That will include experts, who have been put in place for each of the projects, providing feedback on the projects' implementation. Funding for the projects is also…

    Not flagged

    Assessment details Official Assembly record

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