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.
Like my colleague Sinéad McLaughlin, I want to touch on yesterday's judgement on the A5, but I will not spend all my time talking about the A5, because that judgement is a symptom of a much deeper problem that is at the heart of our system of government and our politics: incompetence and a crisis of accountability.…
To ask the First Minister and deputy First Minister when they will answer (i) AQW 27565/22-27, (ii) AQW 26723/22-27, (iii) AQW 26217/22-27, and (iv) AQW 26583/22-27.
To ask the Minister for Communities to outline what actions his Department has taken to ensure artists have adequate facilities to work from, for example, studio spaces.
Thank you, Mr Speaker. Mr Speaker, will you advise on how we might proceed if a Minister makes what appear to be almost directly contradictory statements, one after the other? The Infrastructure Minister just said in answer to Gerry Kelly that there was no alternative funding model for NI Water other than water…
Public Disorder To ask the Minister of Justice to outline her Department’s response to the recent rioting, disorder and violence across Northern Ireland.
In light of the fact that the Justice Minister is not here, for which I understand that there are good health reasons, and the fact that this would be our second debate in a row for which the relevant Minister were not here to account to the Opposition —. Not moved. On a point of order, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker.…
Thank you, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker. I am slightly at a loss as to how to cover a few of the points that have been raised in the debate. It would obviously be helpful if the Minister for the Economy were here to respond, because we have just heard that she did not formally approve those mineral licences. Rather,…
I thank the Minister for giving way. An exercise is going on at the minute on five-year business planning. Is his Department specifically looking at the potential for a five-year arts strategy as part of that five-year business plan? If not, might that be something the Minister will take away with him?
Take it as read that we all care about the arts. Take it as read that the arts mean a lot to us. Take it as read that we all care about communities of all backgrounds being able to access culture in our constituencies. In my constituency, obviously, I have particular landmark cultural institutions, such as the Lyric…
Thank you, Mr Speaker. I will attempt to respond to several of the points that have come up in the debate, but I will not cover all of them, because I have a relatively brief period of time. First, I want to tackle the idea that, purely by the Opposition being an Opposition, we are somehow not being constructive. We…
This debate is about the Budget, and the Communities Minister was talking about his budget. I am afraid that it is all about what is in the Budget (No. 2) Bill, because we are authorising spending that will not be sufficient to deliver the social homes that the Communities Minister, the Finance Minister and all the…
On a point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker. Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker, for making those clarificatory points. It is important to put on the record that we appear to be in a bit of a running fiasco with legislative consent motions. I fear that we are at risk of placing our already somewhat compromised reputation for…
I appreciate the Member's giving way and his being willing to debate. Just to be clear and for the purpose of the record, given that the Member is clearly a passionate unionist, his position is that he does not want a UK Minister to be able to make regulation for Northern Ireland in relation to aligning with the EU.…
I am sorry, Mr Deputy Speaker, but, from earlier in the Minister's speech, I was not entirely clear whether she was specifically seeking legislative consent for the Bill or was agreeing with it. For the purposes of the Assembly, may I clarify that she is satisfied that we should grant legislative consent and that that…
Minister, the statement is substantive. It is long and detailed, and most people would expect no less from you; you are a substantive politician. However, it is not what the Caleb's Cause campaign asked for, and the campaigners are genuinely disappointed, to say the least, today. Do we have a problem in our politics…
Deputy First Minister, with respect, a vulnerable family listening today and hearing waffle, frankly, about moving beyond siloed working and greater collaboration would think that it is pathetic that the best that the heads of the Government can offer after an attempted pogrom on the streets of Northern Ireland is…
Minister, I am afraid that your response, just a minute ago, reinforced the sense that many of us have that, rather than take responsibility for your actions and a statutory agency for which you are responsible — the Housing Executive — or empathise with people who were put out of their homes, your instinct is to…
With respect, Minister, you have some neck asking the Opposition what their plan for NI Water is. For the past 15 months, you have been the Infrastructure Minister and then the Finance Minister. You have not brought forward a plan, Minister, so do not throw it back to the Opposition. Lough Neagh, which is our biggest…
The Fresh Start proposal talked about savings that are verified by the OBR. That does not appear to have been progressed over the past 10 years. Are you confident that we have not missed out on potential additional Barnett consequentials here from actions taken by the UK Government that have, in some cases, penalised…
I acknowledge and welcome the fact that the Minister offered no equivocation or context for the trauma that has been visited on children. In that context and given that his Department has been engaged in a review of the curriculum, will he look at the curriculum to ensure that children in Northern Ireland at both…
Will the Minister give an update on the schools that lost Fresh Start funding about 15 months ago when the Executive first returned? I declare an interest, as my child is a pupil at one of those schools. It would be helpful to have an update on what is happening.