Debate contribution: Education (Holiday Meal Payments) Bill: Second Stage
Debate contribution by Mr Danny Baker on .
- MLA
- Mr Danny Baker
- Party at the time
- Sinn Féin
- Date
- 13 April 2026
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Private Members' Business
- Heading
- Education (Holiday Meal Payments) Bill: Second Stage
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5483746
Read the official Assembly record
Text
Thank you. Again, the Bill is only one piece of the puzzle. As I have said many times, it does not go far enough, so it is the least that the Executive could do. When it comes to amendments, I need to remind the House that 11 amendments that were tabled to a piece of legislation that went through the Education Committee previously were not accepted by the Speaker. We were given guidelines for Members' Bills that stated that they were to be narrow in their policy intent. We have already heard today about people just missing thresholds — 100% — but if we were to start to get into that, would we be widening the Bills scope? I am up for having conversations with everyone, but I have no idea whether the Speaker will accept any proposed amendments. What I know is that this is the best example of a narrow policy that I can introduce by way of legislation. The Bill would help 90,000 children, and that is the best place for us to start.
177 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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