All of Ms Michelle O'Neill’s imported questions, contributions and motions in this mandate, newest first, including those assessed as not flagged, uncertain or not yet analysed.
One might fear that the Member is trying to curry favour with the Speaker with that comment. In general, yes, it is crucial that more young people come forward into public life to shape the bodies and how we design policy. Again, the best example that I have of that is the role that young people played in the ending…
You are right that each Department has its own remit, legislatively, to set up bodies. In some ways, that is important. However, as an Executive, if we want to look at being efficient and transforming how we do things, we have to look at the issue in the round. That is an Executive discussion for a bit further down…
Thank you for that question. To state the obvious, yes, I do. However, more than a decade of Tory austerity, which is being followed through by a Labour Government, has caused huge challenges for our public finances. We see the detriment of that every day across our health system, education system and all public…
You referenced a number of bodies that are within TEO's remit. There are 12 bodies under TEO, some of which we have reviewed. That includes the Commissioner for Survivors of Institutional Childhood Abuse (COSICA). The Strategic Investment Board (SIB) also recently had a review, which we are working our way through. A…
Arm's-length bodies, including non-departmental public bodies, are established to deliver public services, provide expert advice or regulate sectors at arm's length from Ministers. Whilst they operate with a degree of independence from Departments, they are accountable to them. Those that fall under the remit of the…
We have a role through the Executive Office delivery unit. That could be a focus through which we might align a lot of the strategies and ensure that everything is looked at in the round. You only have to look at the ending violence against women and girls strategy or the domestic and sexual abuse strategy to see that…
Thank you for that. We had a wide-ranging discussion with Keir Starmer on Friday. The deputy First Minister and I raised the funding issue, more generally, of the need for properly funded public services. We made a case strongly, as we do on each occasion. I also raised the issue of Casement Park, once again, and the…
I concur with the Member: we need to ensure that we do everything efficiently, that we align where we can and that we break down the silo mentality that has always existed. There are some really good examples across all the Departments of how to do that, and, obviously, there are lessons to be learned as well. We have…
Our focus is on delivering meaningful and impactful strategies that will result in delivery across the community and sectors in need. In developing and delivering our strategies, our work aligns with best practice, including co-design and co-production. The focus in the Programme for Government has reform and…
I welcome the fact that legacy was on the agenda of last week's meeting of the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference (BIIC). It is very much for the two Governments to work together on that area. I welcome their joint commitment to establishing legacy institutions that are fully human-rights compliant and within…
Thank you for that. I have been at Bridie's side and will continue to be at the family's side. Bridie Brown is such a strong woman and has held herself with grace, courage and dignity. She stood outside the court earlier this month and made a direct plea to the British Government not to have her travel to London. No…
I want to see the legislation progressed as quickly as possible. As I said, I look forward to the debate in the Assembly, but it is a game-changing possibility. That is how I embrace it. The possibility that the proposals could begin to be rolled out is game-changing. I am sure that there will be differences of…
The Minister will initiate lots of discussion in the Chamber over the next number of years, particularly in relation to her 'good jobs' employment rights Bill. I look forward to the debate on that Bill. There is no doubt that it is one of the most significant pieces of workers' rights legislation ever to be introduced…
Yes. My personal view is that it is time to prepare, plan, engage and have the conversations. It is work that clearly both Governments, as co-guarantors of the agreement, need to put their minds to. I would like to have a more formal process where we can all engage around what the potential is, and I believe that…
In the vein of the conversation that we had earlier, there is no joint office opinion on the issue. I very much welcome his intervention, however; it is a very helpful intervention. I wish that more people had the maturity and ability to enter into the conversation and embrace it in a way where we could have one…
I concur with the Member in calling out those people who are responsible for intimidating communities and trying to claim space within communities by erecting flags, symbols and emblems. That is not acceptable. I am determined to build a better future for everybody, and that includes tackling some of those issues that…
They are two elements of the same thing for sure, given the conversation that we have just had about how unacceptable it is that paramilitaries still exist. Everybody should use their elected office to call it out for what it is and tell them to desist. If we are going to build a more inclusive society, we have to…
I have not pledged support for anybody's interlocutor; I have acknowledged that they are moving to that juncture. I have been clear in saying that those groups should not exist. They should not be given financial reward to leave the stage. They should just cease to exist. People should not engage with them on that…
Yes, I absolutely can. It was absolutely disgraceful. Dissident republican groups or any such group should not exist. They should leave the stage. We are here because we are trying to build a shared and inclusive society. That is the work that we are all committed to doing. The scenes that we witnessed in Derry were…
I have no idea of what star rating of hotel I have stayed in. I do not interfere in any of that business. Somebody in our office will do the logistics, and that is fine. I will say that I am very conscious of being prudent with public money. When Ministers have a job to do — they have a job to do to travel the world,…
Yes, I know you do. That is why you signed the letter that we sent collectively to the British Government when we first formed the Executive. Austerity has hurt us badly. We are dealing with a difficult financial climate as a direct result, and we continue to do so under the new Labour Government. People should always…
Yes. As I said, the competitions to recruit the commissioners launched on 10 March and closed on 28 March. I am pleased to say that two of the panels have already completed their sift of applications: on 11 April for the Irish language commissioner and on 16 April for the Ulster-Scots and British tradition…