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Dr Steve Aiken OBE: Assembly records
All of Dr Steve Aiken OBE’s imported questions, contributions and motions in this mandate, newest first, including those assessed as not flagged, uncertain or not yet analysed.
Thank you, Alex. On behalf of the Ulster Unionist Party, I wish you all the best for your well-earned retirement. Mr Speaker, the nice thing, when sitting in that Chair beside Alex, is when she looks across and gives that little, quizzical look. It reminds you that you need to keep on your toes. Thank you very much…
Of course, my party associates itself with the good work of the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service. What is the Minister doing to ensure that farmers who are affected by the fires are being supported, particularly as the situation seems to recur?
I thank the Minister for his statement. I welcome that £215 million is ring-fenced for health waiting lists. However, I note that £50 million of that is due to come from June monitoring, which is three and a half months away. Is there a risk that that monitoring money may not be available? What faith have you that we…
Today, the turmoil in the global stock markets continues and is heading into territory that has not been seen since the COVID pandemic. A 10% tariff on our exports to the USA kicked in this weekend. For our neighbours, that figure is 20%. While the pharma sector is yet to be sanctioned, the impact of tariffs on that…
Before I start, I make a declaration of interest as an ex-chief executive of the British Irish Chamber of Commerce. Members, 1 April is supposedly a day of humour, but it is no joke when Donald Trump says that he is going to call tomorrow "independence day" and impose swingeing tariffs — some between 20% and 25% — on…
It has been 24 days since our First Minister stated that she was "incredulous" that export credit scheme money would be used to help Thales to build air defence missiles for Ukraine in its fight against Putin. Last week, she said that UK defence spending was a "macho agenda of militarisation". In that 24-day period,…
Thank you very much, Minister. My question is about the Fiscal Council. I fully endorse the view that it has to remain independent. However, one way to make it independent and to move faster is to bring its statutory status to the fore quickly. Can the Minister expedite that, please? That is where we need to be.
Thank you very much indeed, Mr Deputy Speaker. I will return to the debate. For information, we will support the DUP amendment to the motion. The last Member to speak in the debate before Question Time was Declan Kearney. I think that you will give me latitude, Deputy Speaker, because of the amount of time that Declan…
Uncertain: weak signalSectarianism, hate crime and community relations
Thank you very much indeed, Minister. A lot of people in the farming community, particularly those in the sheep farming community, are on low incomes and have real concerns about getting access to the right treatments. Will your Department give them any support to deal with sheep scab, which is prevalent in the Antrim…
I thank the DUP for tabling the motion. The Ulster Unionist Party will support it. One of the most interesting things about green hydrogen and the move towards green hydrogen is that it shows a definite transition towards net zero. However, one of the issues that we will face in Northern Ireland is that, in fact, we…
I thank the Minister for her remarks. Minister, you will be well aware of the Water and Sewerage Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006 and the consolidated licence of 25 November 2024. As Minister, you have the ultimate legal responsibility for Northern Ireland Water because of its rather strange set-up as a form of…
First, I will make a declaration of interest as chair of the all-party groups on STEM and aerospace. Last Friday, I had the enjoyable opportunity to attend the Northern Ireland schools rocketry final at RLC Aerospace's historic site at Langford Lodge on the shores of Lough Neagh. The more than 90 schoolchildren who…
Dr Aiken asked the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, having said to him that the House should not get into a debate on a united Ireland, despite what Members on the other side of the Chamber may think, whether the prevalence of sheep scab in Northern Ireland is increasing.
To ask the Minister for the Economy to outline what date in February 2025 she was made aware of any concerns about her Department's Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended 31 March 2024.
The Minister will be aware that the reason why we have so many Ukrainian refugees is that Russia is attacking them. There are near-daily air attacks. Will the Minister reflect on her remark that she was incredulous that we would support the Ukrainians by giving them the opportunity to defend themselves? Does she not…
To ask the Minister of Finance to detail when he and his Department were made aware of the Comptroller and Auditor General’s disclaimed opinion on the Department for the Economy’s Annual Report and Accounts 2023-24.
To ask the Minister for the Economy whether any action has been taken against any civil servants in relation to the Comptroller and Auditor General's disclaimed opinion of her Department's Annual Report and Accounts for 2023-24.
To ask the Minister for the Economy to detail the rationale for not informing the Committee for the Economy nor the Committee for Finance of the Prior Period Adjustments valuing £1.01 billion, as highlighted in her Department's Annual Report and Accounts for 2023-24.
To ask the Minister for the Economy (i), in light of the recommendations of the RHI Inquiry on openness and accountability, to detail whether her Department is in breach of Managing Public Money NI; and (ii) to detail any action she plans to take following the Comptroller and Auditor General's disclaimed opinion of…
To ask the Minister for the Economy to detail when she and her Department were made aware of the Comptroller and Auditor General’s disclaimed opinion on the Department for the Economy’s Annual Report and Accounts 2023-24.
As a declaration of interest, I say that I am the vice chair of the board of governors at Kilbride Central Primary School — a school noted throughout south Antrim for its strong school leadership and great teaching staff, in one of the most friendly and nurturing rural environments. In many ways, it is a thriving…
Motion Amendment · Private Members' Motion · to “Paramilitary Groups Transition from Violence and Crime”
Paramilitary Groups Transition from Violence and Crime - Amendment 1 Leave out all after ‘Assembly’, and insert: ‘notes the UK and Irish Governments’ plans to appoint an independent expert to scope out a new process to bring about paramilitary group transition to disbandment; agrees that, more than 25 years after the…
I thank the Minister for his remarks. Minister, on page 10 of your statement, you state: "I will formally notify departments of their funding allocations, including conditions of approval, to enable spend to commence in 2024-25." Are the funds to be spent between now and the end of next month, or, in fact, are those…