All of Mr Timothy Gaston’s imported questions, contributions and motions in this mandate, newest first, including those assessed as not flagged, uncertain or not yet analysed.
On a point of order, Mr Speaker. Yesterday, during the question for urgent oral answer on gender identity services, the Minister of Health stated that he was: "not aware of any costs for primary care or for general practitioners", and that GPs would simply: "refer into CAMHS as they do for ... other issues". —…
Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. I take this opportunity to reflect on the immense contribution that the loyal orders and the marching bands scene made to the cultural life of Northern Ireland over the summer months. Every year, the streets of Ulster resound to the music of marching bands that have spent the winter…
FlaggedSectarianism, hate crime and community relationsCriteria met: Identity framing, Cultural grievance politics, Dog-whistle messaging, Controversy escalation.
Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs to outline the criteria used to determine the membership of the new Nutrients Action Plan stakeholder forum.
Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs whether his Department has assessed the potential financial impact on the agri-food sector of proceeding with a Nutrients Action Plan developed without the direct involvement of organisations such as AgriSearch and the Northern Ireland Food and Drink…
Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs to detail any consideration given to including representation from the Department for the Economy on the Nutrients Action Plan stakeholder forum, given the potential economic consequences of new proposals.
Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs to detail why the Northern Ireland Food and Drink Association was excluded from membership of the Nutrients Action Plan stakeholder forum.
Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs to detail why AgriSearch was not offered full membership of the Nutrients Action Plan stakeholder forum, given its recognised role in agricultural research and analysis.
Thank you very much, Deputy Speaker. How do you follow that for a winding-up speech? I certainly welcome the warm words for and recognition of classroom assistants and the vital role that they play. Walking through the Lobbies to call for it is one thing, but delivering real change for the sector is another. The…
Thank you very much, Deputy Speaker. The Assembly has before it a motion highlighting the ongoing crisis in special educational needs provision, and I commend the Alliance Party for bringing it to the House. It is timely, given that it is the start of another school year. The issue has received quite a bit of focus in…
Well, it did not take long. On our first day back, we have already seen the sneering of the nationalist and republican alliance in the House. It has re-emerged after the summer break, all to hide their embarrassment at the decision and the call that they made for the rigorous implementation of the protocol. That is…
FlaggedConstitutional question, Brexit, the Windsor Framework and sovereigntyCriteria met: Identity framing, Dog-whistle messaging.
Will the Minister confirm that the cost of the gender identity service is not a one-off cost but an annual cost of over £800,000; that this is only phase 1 of that service and a second phase to involve GPs will result in additional costs to the public purse; and that there are currently no costings in the public…
The same crisis is affecting all sectors of the education system. The principal of a mainstream nursery in North Antrim that is taking part in the standardisation day is faced with a situation where a number of pupils who were referred to paediatrics by their health visitors have still not been seen prior to starting…
On 28 May, an official told the Executive Office Committee that regulatory divergence from GB was no longer an issue. Deputy First Minister, given the motion that your party colleagues have brought to the Chamber today, do you hold the same view as your official? What does it say about the Executive Office's desire to…
The Member talks about public confidence. When I made a complaint about a Chair, the previous commissioner said that she could not investigate said Chair. Will the Member ensure that, in order to instil confidence in the appointment, the new commissioner will not take the same view and that every MLA will be treated…
Thank you very much, Principal Deputy Speaker. As I was saying, the House, sadly, decided to look with importance to the interests of Members' wallets instead of seeking a higher standard of Member conduct. That does nothing for the standing of the Assembly in the eyes of the public. I trust that Mr McEwan will learn…
I preface my remarks by noting that the legislation under which we appoint Mr McEwan was only recently amended by the House. It was not, however, amended to tighten the rules on Members' conduct or to guarantee that the Commissioner for Standards would always investigate alleged misconduct — oh, no. It was amended to…
Head of Civil Service Salary Increase To ask the First Minister and deputy First Minister to outline how the Head of the Civil Service has received substantial salary and pension increases without any appraisal of her performance.
To ask the Minister of Health to outline why the Rainbow Project and Focus: The Identity Trust were permitted to assist in designing a new gender identity clinic.