Every imported question, contribution and motion, with its classification. Unflagged, uncertain and not-yet-analysed records are all included so the analysis can be checked independently.
On a point of order, Mr Speaker. I raise a point under Standing Orders about the allocation of debate time. The Minister responded thoroughly to Members, which is fair enough, but, by my count, he used less than half the time that had been allotted to him. I had 10 minutes in which to cover Finance Committee issues…
I beg to introduce the Budget (No. 2) Bill [NIA 14/22-27], which is a Bill to authorise the use for the public service of certain resources for the year ending 31 March 2026 (including income); to authorise the issue out of the Consolidated Fund of certain sums for the service of that year; to authorise the use of…
I await a lectern, Mr Speaker. I am sure that one is heading in this direction. Supply resolution debates can often cover many aspects of public expenditure, not always directly relating to the subject being considered. I will, however, endeavour to address as many of the points raised during the debate as I can in…
Thank you, Stewart. I know that it is considering that seriously, as am I. The situation with waste water infrastructure and the pollution that it causes in our waterways are not acceptable. The status quo will not pertain. The issue needs to be addressed, because it is contributing to poor water quality not just in…
Thank you, Minister, for your answer. Is the Office for Environmental Protection considering the contribution of waste water to poor water quality in Northern Ireland?
If anyone has not watched the Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee meeting from last Thursday, I encourage them to tune in, because it is ably chaired and senior officials, including the chair, from the Office for Environmental Protection were there to outline their concerns. I fully — 100%, totally…
Thank you, Diane. I am engaging with the UK Government. I have asked for a meeting with the Minister who has direct responsibility for that in order to get more details, because I want to make sure that Northern Ireland gets its fair share. There are other issues arising from the deal, such as access to the 6-to-12…
I thank the Minister for his answer. The recent announcement of the £360 million Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund was very welcome. Will the Minister give an update on what that will mean for some of our costal towns and the fishing industry?
We have talked a wee bit about that today. I have made this very clear, but I will state again that the proposals are draft proposals, and it is a public consultation. It would be improper to close the public consultation and deny the public the opportunity to feed back. It is important that we give people an…
As I said, the draft green growth strategy was updated to reflect accuracy and relevance. It was shared with my Executive colleagues in December last year. Ministerial colleagues have come back with feedback, except for those from one party. I am still waiting for feedback from one partner in government. Once I…
I thank the Minister for his answer. Forgive me if I missed or misheard what you said. Will you make it clear that you have brought papers to the Executive for approval? What has caused the delay in approval? Has your Department caused the delay, or have the papers not been brought to the Executive?
Thank you, Nuala. The green growth strategy is an important issue that we talked about earlier when we linked it to climate change. My Department has been leading on the development of a green growth strategy on behalf of the Northern Ireland Executive, and it has collaborated with other Departments, local government,…
The fundamental issue is that the legislation needs to be changed so that it is made very clear that there is a requirement to update records and that there is an associated penalty. That is what has happened. We can send letters, and some councils are sending more than others, but, fundamentally, we want to make sure…
Thank you, Minister. I will raise this issue so that you can understand the depth of the problem. Your Department puts out guidance to say that councils should issue warning letters about dog licences. Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council has given out 11,000 such letters. Derry City and Strabane…
Thank you, Doug. The registration of dogs and the requirement to update records has been identified as a really important issue. It is part of the animal welfare pathway that we announced. That has 10 actions that will be taken forward between now and the end of the mandate. One such action is on the registration of…
There are a number of things that we must do in response to climate change. We have to take actions to mitigate and adapt. The fact that the institutions did not sit for two years is why we are behind on the climate action plan 2023-27. That is with the Executive for agreement, so, once we have that, we will consult…
I was pleased to see that a range of climate change-related questions were included in the most recent life and times survey, which is well established. A clear majority of respondents view climate change as a serious threat, support international cooperation and political action to address it and want local…
That is an important issue, Patsy. The DAERA Direct offices, for example, are really important. It is important that my departmental headquarters are in the north-west and that a number of staff are able to base themselves there whilst having the flexibility to work from home. It is important that we serve all our…
The assurance that I seek from you, Minister, is that there will be no diminution of services or depletion of access to services, especially for those of us who live in rural areas.
First, thank you for that, Patsy. I am thick-skinned enough to be able take some of the comments that were aimed at me. They were a bit shocking: I have not seen anything like that since the '90s. Some of the comments about foreign nationals who are working in our agri-food sector were beneath contempt, and it is…
The puppy-smuggling trade in Northern Ireland commonly involves rogue dog breeders and puppy traffickers attempting to transport low-welfare pups via the two main ferry ports in Northern Ireland to be offered for sale in Great Britain. My Department created the Paws for Thought multi-agency group in 2020 to coordinate…
Thank you very much for your question, and thank you for your kind comments. An independent resilience review was undertaken, and, as far as I am aware, it is on our website. Hopefully, it will outline a bit more on the evaluation of the importance of shows in Northern Ireland. The review was given full consideration,…