All of Mr Matthew O'Toole’s imported questions, contributions and motions in this mandate, newest first, including those assessed as not flagged, uncertain or not yet analysed.
On a point of order, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker. I will make two brief points of order. First, I mentioned earlier that the House had debated a very similar motion and indicated that the House had supported it: it did not, as some Members abstained. I wanted to correct the record in that regard. I am happy to do…
If you will indulge me, Mr Speaker: this place is some craic. Sinn Féin asks this question today, but it opposed the review that I secured in law four years ago. It did not vote for it. The Minister and his party, who are now not doing anything about it, did vote for it. This place is bonkers. I am proud to have been…
Deputy First Minister, there is nothing laboured about holding you to account for what your party does. Today, you have failed to give me a commitment on a multi-year Budget and on institutional reform, both of which are essential. Your party claims to want to make Northern Ireland work, but your actions suggest…
Speaking of collaboration rather than division, deputy First Minister, the Hallett inquiry/COVID inquiry was scathing about the two big parties, particularly your party's use of cross-community vetoes to block public health measures. You were a special adviser in TEO at that point: were you involved? Did you support…
I appreciate the Member's giving way, and, in the spirit of debate, I will be brief. He points out that the UK is outperforming some eurozone countries, and that is true. Will he also acknowledge that Northern Ireland is outperforming the UK, despite what his party would deem to be the imposition of the appalling sea…
Thank you, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker. That was not a short intervention. Clearly nothing is happening in the Northern Ireland education system if the Education Minister can afford to come in here to debate our European motion. That is fine. I will respond, because I believe in responding in debates. There were…
Thank you, Mr Speaker. I am pleased to speak to the motion, with which we enthusiastically agree. We are so much in agreement with it that we pre-empted it by six months by putting down basically the same motion, albeit today's motion is updated with the reference to a letter calling for observer status — Sinn Féin…
On a point of order, Mr Speaker. Thank you, Mr Speaker, for granting my point of order, which is pursuant to the ruling that you just gave us on the petition of concern. What import does a petition of concern have on what is a non-binding private Member's motion? Further, will you confirm that, even if the petition of…
Mr O'Toole asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister, after noting that panto season has begun with the Education Minister and the Finance Minister engaging in a "Oh no they didn't" episode over the Budget and that Budget dysfunction has been going on, frankly, nearly as long as May McFettridge at the Grand…
Executive Budget To ask the Minister of Finance for an urgent update on his efforts to balance the NI Executive’s budget ahead of the planned multi-year budget, following media reports of a £288 million overspend in the Department of Education.
To ask the Minister for the Economy to detail any action she is taking to support the uptake in electric cars, given the disparity in electricity costs between GB and NI.
Motion Amendment · Private Members' Motion · to “Observer Status in the European Parliament”
Observer Status in the European Parliament - Amendment 1 At end insert: ‘and its support for the establishment of a European Commission office in Belfast.'
Motion Amendment · Private Members' Motion · to “Institutional Reform following the UK Covid-19 Inquiry Findings”
Institutional Reform following the UK Covid-19 Inquiry Findings - Amendment 1 After ‘to ransom;’ insert: ‘laments the failure by Executive parties to adopt institutional reform as a priority within the Programme for Government; accepts that this missed opportunity has contributed to continued political instability and…
To ask the Minister of Health (i) for an update on his Department’s work in monitoring the effectiveness of the Welsh pathway for hypermobility disorders; and (ii) whether he has given further consideration to introducing a healthcare pathway for hypermobility spectrum disorders, including hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos…
To ask the Minister of Education to detail any actions he is taking to support families of year 7 children born between 1 July and 30 August, who would otherwise be eligible for Tax-Free Childcare, and the Northern Ireland Childcare Subsidy Scheme.
To ask the Minister for the Economy to detail any conversations she has had with the Minister for Communities, regarding the importance of the arts in our night-time economy, over the last 12 months.
Minister, it is clear that, in the UK Government, there just is not a basic understanding of how patterns of land ownership, multigenerational family farms and higher land values affect here differentially. You say that you have written to the NIO and DEFRA, and I appreciate that. Has a clear, worked example been…
I appreciate the Minister's giving way. I have a specific question. Earlier, he referred to the options paper and business case that he got from officials. Is he willing to either publish that business case or, at least, share it with the Committee, so that it can be examined and unpacked by its members?
Yes, absolutely. Of course, that is what the Committee is there to do. I was not undercutting the Committee's work. I am simply saying that these are questions that need to be asked. There is no harm in putting them in Hansard in the Second Stage debate. I have no shyness about being an effective Opposition and…