Debate contribution: Executive: Devolved Functions
Debate contribution by Mrs Emma Little-Pengelly on .
- MLA
- Mrs Emma Little-Pengelly
- Party at the time
- Democratic Unionist Party
- Date
- 8 June 2026
- Type
- Debate contribution (made as a minister)
- Business
- Oral Answers to Questions
- Heading
- Executive: Devolved Functions
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5600456
Read the official Assembly record
Text
Since receiving the Bill, I have taken time to go through it, line by line and clause by clause. Last week, I had a useful meeting on it with officials from the Department for the Economy. It is absolutely clear that Members across the House support a number of things in the Bill, such as neonatal parental leave. However, it is absolutely wrong for some in Sinn Féin and on the Benches opposite to use the issues on which, they know, there is consensus to try to bully and bounce the DUP, and me in particular, into supporting other ideas in the Bill that are, frankly, half-baked. For example, the clauses on trade union access are the most aggressive and expansionist not just across the UK, Ireland and the European Union but across the globe. The Minister had to go to New Zealand to find such a regime to put forward. It is also clear that there is not a single business in Northern Ireland that supports the Minister's proposals. There are many questions that the Minister cannot answer. She says that everything will go into a code of conduct. That code of conduct has not even been started, never mind being available for us to look at. I advise the Member to look at some of the detailed proposals, and I say this to the Minister for the Economy: if you want to introduce clauses on neonatal care, do so. Put them in a separate piece of legislation, and I promise the House today that I will clear it by urgent procedure so that it can come to the Chamber and get going. The Minister knows that there is no consensus on some of the clauses. She can introduce a trade union Bill if she wishes, but do not use important issues such as neonatal care to manipulate anybody.
310 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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