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.
I have taken the decision as First Minister not to attend events at the White House this year. That is my decision. It was a decision that I did not take lightly, but it was a decision that I took as a principled stance because I believed that it was the right thing to do at this time. There are times when there is a…
As I have publicly stated, as First Minister, I have taken the decision not to travel to Washington DC over the St Patrick’s Day period this year. Junior Minister Reilly will also not be travelling to Washington, but, along with junior Minister Cameron, she will be travelling to Brussels to engage in St Patrick’s Day…
I beg to move Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. I also take the opportunity to welcome Verona Murphy, Ceann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann, to the Assembly on such a significant day. It is significant because today is a significant milestone for the Executive as we introduce the finalised Programme for Government…
International Women’s Day 2025 That this Assembly welcomes the theme of Accelerate Action for International Women’s Day 2025; recognises that focusing on the need to accelerate action emphasises the importance of taking swift and decisive steps to achieve gender equality; and supports increased momentum and urgency in…
We are acutely aware of the significant impact that the storm is having on all households, particularly people who are still to be connected. I have set out for the House everything that is being done, not least the fact that the multi-agency approach continues, we are very much moving into recovery mode, we are…
We can all accept that these events that we call "unprecedented" will happen more often, so we have to be able to respond and we have to meet the evolving situation. We have tried-and-tested civil contingency arrangements here. I imagine that they have already been published, but I am happy to share them with you if…
All our agencies worked together in advance of the red warning. All the preparatory work was in place. All our messaging and information was ramped up as soon as we were aware that there was going to be a red warning, which the Met Office confirmed early on Thursday morning. We were already working behind the scenes…
I assume that it comes under the Department of Infrastructure. As you will appreciate, it was an emerging situation. We had just come out of a red alert period, and it was not safe for staff to be out between 6.00 am and 2.00 pm. They then moved at pace to alert people. I imagine that it was imperfect, but the staff…
I cannot give a date for the water connection. All I can say is that we are working to push them to ensure that everybody is connected as quickly as possible. That is why we are looking at the provision of generators, for example, to try to get water connected to the last approximately 2,000 people who are still…
I will have to check with our strategic contingency group about any messaging in that regard. To be blunt, I do not know whether there is any such messaging, but, obviously, you would want people to discard any food that is not safe to eat and not to make themselves ill. I will take that away as a point to see whether…
Insurance companies should do the right thing and pay out. That is a question that should not have to be answered. It is not acceptable for an insurance company to run for cover when people find themselves in crisis. I send a very strong message from the House that we want all insurance companies to cooperate with the…
There has been significant damage, and the most recent figure that I read was that 154 schools have reported some level of damage. That, however, can mean everything from damage to ridge tiles to more significant damage. I might have said "up to 20 schools" earlier, but 10 schools did not open today for a combination…
I will answer in reverse order. We will have to work out the financial implications. Our priority is to get the work done to get the response out there, and we will then have to deal with the cost. There was, however, no question whatsoever of our not responding in the way in which we have. There will be local…
Yes. Some people had a triple whammy: no electricity, no water and no mobile service. I had no mobile service for a while on Friday. It is causing huge challenges for people. I assure you that we are engaging with every agency responsible to get people reconnected as quickly as possible. The storm has caused…
The purpose of the cell — the group that is looking at the issue of vulnerability — is to look at everything in the round: exactly what we need and where we need it. In Scotland, the power company has chosen to make the goodwill payment, including supporting people to get accommodation. We have also asked for that…
Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. I thank you and your staff for facilitating this important strategic statement on the back of the unprecedented events over the weekend. I apologise to Members that we got the statement delivered to them only in the past short while. We are in live play and are actively…
We have started that work. Unfortunately, it has taken us a bit longer than we all would have wanted. In June 2024, Ministers agreed to run a new competition to appoint a Commissioner for Public Appointments. Preparations are well progressed. Since the previous commissioner stepped down from her role, the day-to-day…
I have answered the question. As I have said before in the House — I said it when I took up post as First Minister — I am sorry for every lost life, without exception. That is my position. We need to be a bit more sensitive. If Members look at the trauma-informed strategy for victims and survivors that we produced,…
I have made the point that we should be sensitive to the fact that, when we talk about individuals who were killed in the course of the conflict, regardless of how or by whom, it is important to be respectful of the fact that they are individuals with a family: a mother and a father, siblings and perhaps children. We…
We were a long time in a period of uncertainty. It then took us a long time to get to the point at which we had the Windsor framework. The mechanisms that have been agreed are agreed. They are the democratic mechanisms through which to deal with the issues. The Stormont brake will not be pulled on this occasion, but…
When issues are identified, we should find pragmatic and reasonable ways in which to deal with them. The Secretary of State has made his call, as he can, on the Stormont brake. We now need to find ways to make things work. Where pragmatism is required, let us find ways to do that. Let us not have stop-start; let us…
We have had over 70 public engagements and 1,400 consultation responses. That is a lot to get through. We have been working our way through those, analysing them as they have come in as opposed to waiting to the end. That, hopefully, will allow us to move to the next stage. The final document will, in the main,…