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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 qualifying, uncertain or not yet analysed.
GRO has been expecting a significant initial demand for the service and has been preparing for it. I suspect that, as days go on, that demand will increase. We will continue to monitor the situation. Where necessary, we will bring in staff to ensure that demand is met.
At yesterday evening's launch, we had a number of charitable organisations with us that have been to the forefront of the project and have been crucial in ensuring that we engaged not only with them but with many parents on the make-up and delivery of the scheme. That engagement will continue with them because they…
I have asked my colleagues in the General Register Office to keep me updated on its progress. Given the scale of the numbers that will apply to the scheme, I suspect that there may be a number of glitches. In fairness to the GRO team, it put the system up very quickly, with support from across the Civil Service and…
Yes, I will follow that up with the Member. By way of an update, in the past 24 hours, there have been 1,800 applications. That demonstrates how many parents out there want to access the scheme and enter the process. I will certainly follow that up and see why that was the case with Antrim Area Hospital.
Well, I find it disgraceful. People try to find angles and do everything that they can think of to target and point at that community. They are our workers, they are civil servants, and they carry out duties on behalf of everyone every day. I commend them for that. My answer remains the same: HR is law, and anybody…
That is a HR matter for the Civil Service, and I do not intervene in HR matters. Any advice that will be shared with civil servants will come from my permanent secretary in consultation with other permanent secretaries and the head of the Civil Service.
I note the recent announcement about summer activities and some of the measures that were taken in relation to the cost-of-living crisis that people are feeling. I think that the Government should have gone much further. They had the ability to go much further, and, if they had done that, perhaps they would not be in…
That matter has been raised at practically every meeting, if not every meeting, that I have ever had with the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, and my officials raise it regularly with their counterparts in the Treasury. I know that it has been raised at the highest levels of government by the First Minister and deputy…
Austerity has been biting and consuming our public services for well over a decade. While other institutions are being funded above their level of need, the British Government have treated this place with utter contempt and disrespect. I have engaged with, and continue to engage with, the British Government about a…
I welcome the fact that the Member has confirmed that he has not published anything. It is now on the public record that the leader of the Opposition has not published an alternative Budget or any documents to create the momentum behind the changes that are required for our public services moving forward. It is on the…
I have set aside £135 million in my draft Budget because transformation is having a significant impact on the delivery of public services. It has also allowed our civil servants and others to come together to think about transformation in a meaningful way and look at the outputs. One of the challenges of austerity has…
It is clear to me that the transformation fund is having a positive impact on the delivery of public services here. In March 2025, I announced the first tranche of projects that will be supported under the fund. While it is relatively early days in the implementation of the projects, they are already starting to have…
As I said, I will come to the Chamber next week to make further announcements. The matter will go out to consultation, and I intend to put energy behind it. I want to see it happen. I believe that it is a meaningful policy change that would create real change in our towns and villages. It is up to others how they…
I have a number of rate relief policies currently with the Executive, and I would like to see decisions made on those. There are other areas that I would be prepared to look at, but we need to see movement on the policies that we have already reviewed and an indication from others that they are willing to create the…
I want to see it having the impact of reducing the prevalence of vacant units in our high streets, villages and town centres. It is a way of motivating investment. If fully implemented, it is estimated that the changes would have the potential to unlock a further £20 million of revenue to fund central and local…
I have already said in the Chamber and at the Finance Committee that I want to increase the level of liability for non-domestic vacant rating. It is my firm view that we need to challenge the blight of vacant properties in our villages, towns and city centres. My officials are providing me with advice in relation to…
I agree with the sentiment of the Member's question and her point about encouraging more young people into our Civil Service for all the reasons that she outlined. The student placement programme that we run is one of the most successful in the Civil Service. When I go into a room full of young students who are coming…
First, I put on record my condemnation of the recent racist rioting, disorder and attacks in our communities. I send my solidarity to our ethnic minority workforce, be they in the Civil Service or any other sector, public or private. They make a massive contribution to this society and create real and positive change.…
The Civil Service is committed to being an inclusive employer and providing a positive, supportive and diverse workplace that reflects the society that we serve. As one of the largest employers here, with over 24,000 staff, and as a public service provider, it is important that the Civil Service recognise and respect…
I do not necessarily agree with a number of the Member's points. As I have said, agency working suits some staff. That has to be acknowledged, and we have to keep that option open if we are to continue to react to increases in work programmes in certain areas. Over half our agency staff are recruited through the…
There is an ongoing programme of work across the Civil Service to move, as I said, to having a sustainable workforce that minimises the use of agency staff. It is about ensuring that we fill posts and have fewer agency workers, although there will always be a market for such workers. For a variety of reasons, it suits…
Less than half is a significant number in this case. That is an agency contract with DFC. It is set out in the DWP contract, as I understand it, it meets the needs of DWP and, in some instances, it meets the needs of staff, although I accept that that is not always the case. I want us to move to having a more…
As the Member said, a significant proportion of the increase in agency staff is a direct result of the Department for Work and Pensions contract with the Department for Communities.