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Ms Michelle O'Neill: Assembly records
All of Ms Michelle O'Neill’s imported questions, contributions and motions in this mandate, newest first, including those assessed as not qualifying, uncertain or not yet analysed.
The current board's second term ended on 31 March 2024. Along with a board member, officials are considering interim arrangements should the chair position be vacant for a period of time. A competition to fill the vacancies was launched on 15 January and closed to applications on 2 February. Although the VSS is not a…
Ensuring that the needs of victims and survivors continue to be met in the most effective and appropriate manner remains a key priority for the Executive. The role of the commissioner is critical in supporting that work, by ensuring that victims and survivors have a strong and independent voice and contributing to the…
Given that it has not come into full effect yet, we are still working out the implications for here. We have to continue that work with the Home Office as more of what the legislation means for our responsibilities and what falls to us becomes clearer. Certainly, even though the Act came into effect in July of last…
Yes, absolutely. We continue to play our part in supporting Ukrainians who are fleeing war. There have been over 3,100 arrivals here so far, and more than £620,000 has been paid in immediate cash support to help people to get established. We have coordinated work across Departments to support arrivals and facilitated…
I concur with the issues that the Member has raised. It is really important for governance that we listen to people who are living through that experience, especially to those on the ground who are helping them every day. I welcome the work that is being done, but I also recognise that there is more to be done. While…
The provision of housing, including for those granted refugee status, is the responsibility of the Housing Executive. Following the introduction of the Home Office's streamlined asylum process, the pace and volume of asylum decisions has increased significantly. Whilst we welcome work to reduce the backlog and…
To confirm and maybe correct the record for the Member, the Executive have been formed for nine or 10 weeks now. That is how long we have been having the official conversation on the Programme for Government. I am glad to say that work continues apace to develop that Programme for Government. I am more interested in…
As I said in the aftermath of the Kenova report and on taking up the office of First Minister, I regret every single loss of life. I regret that people were born into a society in which conflict was all around them. Our job, as political leaders, is to try to help to heal the wounds of the past. Our job, as political…
Absolutely. I am pleased to say that, collectively, the four parties around the Executive table have prioritised the issue of affordable childcare. Whilst we all might have slightly different approaches to policy, work is under way to find an agreed way forward. As the Member reflected, childcare costs are far too…
We have spoken previously about our key priorities, including childcare, reducing hospital waiting lists, tackling violence against women and girls, special educational needs, Lough Neagh, housing and developing a globally competitive economy. A considerable amount of other work is also under way. The Executive's most…
I absolutely concur with the Member about what is happening to the people of Palestine. The genocide must end, and it must end now. Six months on, it is harrowing to watch the scenes. The people in that region need support, an urgent ceasefire, humanitarian aid and a political solution. I, personally, took the…
Yes. The opportunity that we had six or seven weeks into a re-formed Executive was huge. As I said, the positivity was fantastic, not just from investors. We were there to say that we are open for business. I believe that there will be a lot more to come in the pipeline. The investment did not come just as a result of…
The Member referenced one of the companies that has chosen to invest here, which is really positive. I can tell the House that the whole four to five days that we were there were hugely beneficial for us. There was huge goodwill. The Chair of the Executive Office Committee was there also, as were the Education…
The deputy First Minister and I travelled to Washington DC for a series of St Patrick's Day engagements. We travelled from 13 to 17 March. We represented the four-party coalition of the Executive and their shared objectives as part of that engagement. It was our first international visit and an important opportunity…
International Women’s Day 2024 That this Assembly recognises that International Women’s Day is a global celebration of the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women; believes that this day both serves as a powerful reminder of the progress made towards gender equality and highlights the work that…
Go raibh maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle; I thank you for your latitude in extending the debate, given the significance of the issue and the fact that so many Members wanted to contribute. I am really grateful for that, and I am really grateful for the collegial approach that everybody took and the tone that was…
Yes. I hope that the work can start very soon, now that we have our Executive back up and running and a Minister at the helm in the Department. We all have to maximise all the funding that is available to us and get the work started as quickly as possible. I commend everybody who has been working, for example, on the…
Yes, absolutely. I know that the Member is a huge advocate for the A5 and understands the necessity of it and the benefits that it will bring. I very much welcome the Taoiseach's recent commitment in the Dáil. That is a positive step, and the upgrade of the A5 is vital for the people in the north-west. The upgrade is…
This is far too serious for petty games. It is far, far too serious for petty games. What is happening in Palestine and the Middle East requires a ceasefire, requires dialogue and requires all of us to lift our voice to call for an end to it. All sides — everybody in the Middle East — need it to stop. The bombardment…
This all speaks to why we need to properly deal with the past, why we have to have a proper reconciliation process and why we have to properly deal with what was agreed by all parties way back in the Stormont House Agreement, because what the British Government are doing about dealing with the legacy of the past does…
I think that the Member and I have discussed areas like this before. It is so, so important. I said two weeks ago, when I accepted the position of First Minister, that I regret every loss of life, without exception. That is everybody out there who has been hurt in our society. It is our job, together, to try to build…
I will write to the Member. Do you mean in relation to how everybody is working in their respective Departments? I will talk to you afterwards, perhaps, to get more clarification of what you are asking.