Debate contribution: Assembly Business
Debate contribution by Mr Matthew O'Toole on .
- MLA
- Mr Matthew O'Toole
- Party at the time
- Social Democratic and Labour Party
- Date
- 15 October 2024
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Assembly Business
- Heading
- Assembly Business
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4592930
Read the official Assembly record
Text
On a point of order, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker. It pertains to the previous debate and, indeed, to other business yesterday and today. By my count, we are missing at least four Ministers at the minute. Minister Lyons was in America, unable to respond to today's debate; I welcome the Education Minister's stepping in. The deputy First Minister was not here today to participate in the debate on paramilitarism. Minister Long was not around yesterday for a question for urgent oral answer on the femicide crisis. I am aware that Minister Murphy is in Germany. I support the fact that he is getting jobs, and, thankfully, there is no business facing him. However, will the Speaker's Office examine, as a bare minimum, better joining-up with the Ministers' diaries. We sit in plenary only two days a week, and it is profoundly concerning that about half of the Executive can simply not be here when there is urgent business. I would flatter the constructive Opposition to think that it is simply because they are scared of responding to us
I am sure that it is not just that, but I would like a Speaker's ruling or some kind of examination of it.
201 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.11 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- No identity-based framing was identified (0.99).
- Subject area: Legacy of the Troubles, victims and paramilitarism.
- The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.03 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.04 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.02 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.05 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.08 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.17 | No |
| Overall judgement | 0.11 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 0.99 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.01 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.00 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Legacy of the Troubles, victims and paramilitarism | 0.69 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.23 |
| Gender, sexuality, abortion and related social issues | 0.04 |
| Sexism, misogyny, ageism and other equality groups | 0.03 |
| Sectarianism, hate crime and community relations | 0.01 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 11:26 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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