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Mr Trevor Clarke: Assembly records
All of Mr Trevor Clarke’s imported questions, contributions and motions in this mandate, newest first, including those assessed as not qualifying, uncertain or not yet analysed.
To ask the Minister for Communities to outline any consideration he has given to ensuring people who are already ordinarily resident in Northern Ireland, and who have an established local connection, are not disadvantaged in accessing social housing by the allocation of housing to people who have recently been granted…
Compassionate Temporary Release To ask the Minister of Justice, in light of the absconding of convicted murderer Gary Anderson, whether she will commission an independent review into the Northern Ireland Prison Service’s handling of requests for compassionate temporary release.
I put on record my appreciation to the Minister for that response. Indeed, most of that detail was unavailable when the PSNI released its statement, which was, to say the least, very vague on detail and caused a lot of concern among the public, given that the PSNI told people not to approach the individual but to…
Thank you, Minister, for that answer. I appreciate that it takes the valuers to do that. However, just like the write-offs, that money is important to the economy. Would it not be an investment to have LPS taking on more valuers to do that job? I could give you examples in my constituency where it has taken up to four…
As others have said, obviously, today is about Robert Hamill and his death, and we all remember him. Others may disagree, but, whilst we are remembering him, we cannot forget all the others who lost their lives in Northern Ireland having been brutally murdered. The inquiry report has not given to Sinn Féin the grounds…
Mr Clarke asked the Minister of Finance, after noting the response to his colleague from North Down on rate write-offs and stating that local councils generally advise Land and Property Services of properties, buildings or businesses that have had adaptations made to them, how long it takes then agency to go out and…
Prison Absconder To ask the Minister of Justice, in light of the Police Service of Northern Ireland appeal for help to locate a convicted murderer who absconded from HM Maghaberry Prison earlier this week, to outline any steps she will take to protect the public against abuse of day release schemes.
I thank the Member again. What he and the Member to my left have said actually points to what is happening here tonight. It is interesting that the Members who are speaking in the debate are mostly from this side of the House. I am sure that the Member will agree that it is probably the case that none of the Sinn Féin…
The Member makes a very good point, which has led me to think of another point. If that were to happen and a Minister made a decision, as my colleague mentioned, that decision would then be passed to DFI officials, the majority of whom will, most likely, belong to a union. Those officials would then be asked to take…
The Member is on a useful vein. Does he agree, however, that the Bill is not required, because currently the property belongs to DFI? DFI does not need a Bill to remove stuff from its own property? It could do that if it wished. We do not need to legislate for that or to have a costly policing operation to do that.…
I thank the Member for giving way again. We have seen an expression of that this year. In Moygashel, there was offensive material: the police moved in. There were offensive flags in Londonderry. The police went in at an early stage to remove a bonfire, but, until the day that that bonfire was lit, a flag on it said,…
I hear what you are saying about little helpers, and I probably agree, but where are the Members on the Benches opposite in their opposition to the Bill? I find it repulsive that the Irish tricolour flies in certain areas. Although the Bill stops that as well, those Members have remained silent tonight.
My reading of the Bill, unless I am wrong, is that there is no exemption for the place of worship or the school that decides to fly the flag, because clause 2(1) states: "The Department may regard the following as a sensitive place—". You can presume that to mean outside those places, but it is not specific, so a flag…
The other issue, and in the same vein, is that clause 2 refers to "a place of worship" or, indeed, a "school". Quite a number of our schools have flags flying inside. Are we therefore saying that, on the designated days when they are permitted by law to fly the flag, that now becomes an offence because somebody is…
Following from my colleague from North Antrim's intervention and the Member's reference to a bandstand, how can the Bill give legal power for DFI to go to land that is in third-party ownership and take a flag down? Are you as confused about that as I am?