Debate contribution: Age Discrimination (Goods, Facilities and Services) Bill: Second Stage
Debate contribution by Ms Carál Ní Chuilín on .
- MLA
- Ms Carál Ní Chuilín
- Party at the time
- Sinn Féin
- Date
- 20 October 2026
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Private Members' Business
- Heading
- Age Discrimination (Goods, Facilities and Services) Bill: Second Stage
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5798731
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I did not want to get into the clause-by-clause stuff, but I raised that issue because there are differences here, and there have been for some time. Equally, as you and Paula have mentioned, nobody wants to put young people against older people or older people against young people. That is not what we are about.
Given that we have had difficulties in trying to get, for example, a bill of rights forward, potentially leaving an age group of 16 and below out just does not sit, so I look forward to seeing what else we can do and work around it.
I finish on this. I was particularly delighted to hear about the draft affirmative approach, because it means that it all has to come back to the Assembly. We all know and understand that there is legislation sitting in TEO and that the First Minister is happy for it to go out, but it has been blocked. It has been blocked because it is racial equality strategies. It is forward-thinking on equality and access, but that is why it has been blocked. Draft affirmative will make sure that it comes back to the Assembly so that we all have a say. I would favour draft affirmative legislation regulations anyway; we did it for the mother-and-baby Bill. I apologise in advance for having to leave to make a few urgent phone calls. I do not want to appear bad-mannered or rude. Well done, again. It is a massive Bill with a lot of work put into it, and I look forward to scrutinising it in the Executive Office Committee. Thank you.
272 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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