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That is exactly why I have made the announcements that I have made today. The musical instruments fund is not focused on one area but spread across Northern Ireland; the funding for artists in residence is for every district and borough council in Northern Ireland; and the small grants scheme focuses on areas outside…
The Minister said that he will ensure a better balance of arts funding. What action will he take to address the obvious imbalance that last year saw 83% of the £13 million that was allocated for arts funding go to arts organisations based in Belfast and left artists and organisations based elsewhere fighting over the…
If I were to tell you now, I would not have anything to announce tomorrow. I am afraid that the Member will have to wait a little while longer. I can tell the House that we have had some good news. Officials have been working intensely with all the relevant stakeholders, including the council, over the past number of…
Progress on the Queen's Parade redevelopment is, of course, welcome. Can you give us any indication of what your announcement tomorrow will be about? When will work on the Queen's Parade development start? Many people in Bangor will not believe it until they see it.
I am more than happy to meet the Member there to see how we can help and make sure that they are given support. I agree with him that that is not an acceptable situation for the clubs to be in after all that time. I have met members of the community association there as well, and I understand the pressure that they…
I thank the Minister for allocating funding for the canopy over the play park for the Ballee community and the young people there. He will be much thanked for that. The Minister will know, because I have asked questions on this, that there are two anchor football clubs at Broughshane community centre and playing…
I welcome the statement. It is an excellent example of how the Minister and his party are delivering for people in Northern Ireland across a wide range of policy areas within a really tight budget. Minister, your statement was seven pages long. You will not be surprised to learn that I have picked up on the sentence…
I thank the Minister for his statement. Given the fact that over a third of the population live in rural areas, will there be opportunities for rural investment? How many jobs will be created as a result of the Budget allocations?
Thank you, Minister. The proposed funding for musical instruments and local arts venues is very much appreciated. How will those initiatives be sustained in the long term? With arts organisations still waiting for confirmation of their full allocation three months into the new financial year, how quickly after your…
Minister, in your statement, you refer to a community infrastructure grant. I welcome your commitment to that grant and to community halls in general. Is there an indicative budget for the grant and a timeline for when we can expect applications to open?
Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire as a ráiteas. Minister, you referenced reforms to fraud and error. Will you outline what those reforms will be and whether funding has been allocated in the budget to meet them?
The Minister provided an overview of the many areas that his Department covers, but his statement was limited insofar as it did not include extensive detail on tackling poverty. I appreciate that the anti-poverty strategy is to come forward, but will the Minister detail what further actions his Department will take,…
Good work has been done by my officials and officials in the Department of Finance to ensure that that issue can be progressed. It is important that we see a resolution and that the Treasury confirm what we all believe, which is that the Housing Executive should be treated the same as local authorities — councils — in…
Thank you, Minister. I pass on my thanks to your officials, who have worked with a difficult budget. I appreciate that you have not got everything that you were looking for, but I was disappointed to see that there is still no money for taking legal action against landowners who are letting our built heritage…
I commend the Minister for the statement and welcome the many positive announcements in it. In particular, I welcome the funding for Glencairn community hub and the public realm schemes in Glengormley and Shankill gateway. It is disappointing that the Minister has not been given additional resources to tackle welfare…
I am not sure why the Members across the way are clapping. Many people, including the 49,000 people who are on a housing waiting list and the 38,000 in housing stress, will be very concerned about parts of the statement. The Minister has declared it a crisis but funded it like an afterthought. Minister, you have…
I wish to make a statement to the Assembly regarding my Department's 2025-26 initial Budget allocations. The work that my Department does is transformational. It impacts on people across Northern Ireland and delivers positive outcomes, often to those who are in greatest need. Housing, the arts, culture; sport,…
Today, I present a petition that was created by Isla Gear, from Leven in Scotland, who tragically lost her brother, Tam, to pancreatic cancer just four weeks after his diagnosis. Isla launched a UK-wide petition from Tam's bedside on Christmas Day that calls for the targeted monitoring of high-risk individuals and for…
On a point of order, Mr Speaker. I wish to correct the record regarding a debate on Tuesday 20 May on the impact of illegal immigration on Northern Ireland. It has come to my attention that, during the debate, I said: "the annual cost of accommodating asylum seekers in Northern Ireland has exploded to £400 million." —…
Following a huge fire in Limavady town centre on the evening of 30 May 2024, I have raised the matter on two occasions in the Chamber. On the first occasion, I praised the Fire and Rescue Service, which had prevented an inferno at a former nightclub from destroying an entire street and, indeed, taking other buildings…
I wish to speak about the reappearance of blue-green algae in Lough Neagh. It was the subject of one of the first motions that I spoke on in the Chamber last year, and it is something for which there is no silver bullet. Instead, it is for all of us in the Chamber and Departments working cross-departmentally to…
I wish to congratulate a local football team. Braid United Football Club is based in the village of Broughshane, but its catchment area goes right through the picturesque Braid valley and further afield. Braid United won the final against Larne's Ruby's Rovers Football Club, picking up the Tullyglass Residence Cup to…
I pay tribute to two Tyrone GAA underage teams on their fantastic victories last week. Tyrone minors won the Ulster Championship against Cavan, and Tyrone under-20s won the All-Ireland Championship against Louth. I was present at both games, which were fantastic, edge-of-your-seat encounters and were played in the…
I pay tribute to Sir Kenneth Bloomfield following his passing at the weekend at the age of 94. Sir Kenneth, who was a North Down constituent, had a long and distinguished career and life, modelling for all of us what it means to hold a lifelong commitment to public service. Sir Kenneth served in a number of prominent…
I, too, pay tribute to the Junior Orange Association of Ireland as it celebrates its remarkable achievement of reaching its centenary. On Saturday, Lisburn, in the heart of my constituency of Lagan Valley, hosted junior lodges from all over Northern Ireland and, indeed, further afield for a truly special occasion of…