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.
Thank you very much, Mr Frew. Do you agree that the Bill will put a burden on the law-abiding citizens who put a flag up and take it down, not on the people whom the Alliance Party claims that it wants to target? Those people will not apply via the portal; they will pay no attention to the law. That is why, at the end…
I agree that there is an issue in the community with people having to live, work, travel and commute under flags that they do not like or respect; I get that. What I am saying is that the Bill will not achieve the sponsor's desired outcomes. That is the issue. There is a perverseness with this. I know the sponsor does…
I thank the Member for giving way. I see it from the opposite side because, from my experience, the Department for Infrastructure is seen as the inactive element that does not remove flags. Every summer, I get hundreds of contacts from people asking me personally to remove flags and to go to the Department about it. I…
Thank you. That is exactly the point. My Bill places a duty on the Department to remove the flags because in the current legislation — whether public order or advertisements legislation — there is a reliance on the Department or a council to know who put the flags up. However, we do not know who is putting the flags…
Thank you very much, Mr Frew. The Bill sponsor cites examples of current legislation that is not being followed. Does that not just show the folly of this Bill in that we are trying to duplicate a process that is not being followed by certain Ministers? She chides the Member for not giving examples of an alternative…
No, let me finish. Under section 87 of the Roads (Northern Ireland) Order 1993, if the Department knows who affixes flags to a lighting column, it can issue a fine. You all said that there is existing legislation. That is existing legislation, so if you know who put the flags up, you should be giving that information…
First of all, I find it really offensive for the Member to say that I do not work in working-class communities. I spent 19 years of my life doing that. I have consulted widely on the Bill in my community, including in places such as Erinvale, where there are loads of flags and residents say that they were not put up…
I thank the Bill sponsor for her intervention. Again, I welcome it; I missed it when we spoke previously on this motion. I went to great lengths to say what I said, because the Bill puts a burden on the Department and states: "The Department must remove a flag or emblem that is attached to public street furniture", so…
I found your contribution to be entirely inflammatory. It was wrong. There is no way that I would like to see anybody be harmed in this process. That is why I have said that an outside contractor, who is trained in health and safety and all those aspects, should be involved, and that the police could come in and…
Many of your colleagues have spoken and tried to decimate the Bill, but not one of them has come up with a workable alternative. Your party has held the role of First Minister or deputy First Minister since the Commission on Flags, Identity, Culture and Tradition (FICT) report came out. You have had years to work on a…
Thank you, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker. I do not intend to speak for long, as I have already gone through the Bill at great length. Many's a time we see tattered flags on lamp posts, which we all want to see taken down, but having gone through the Bill and spoken on it, I feel that the Bill is in tatters. It is a…
As the House is aware, the call for evidence for the Committee Stage of the Renewable Electricity Generation Bill commenced before the summer recess and will conclude just before Halloween. This is a relatively simple Bill, with lots of regulation-making powers. It does complicated things in order to promote renewable…
I simply want to put on record that my party supports the motion. As a Member for Strangford, I look forward to the Bill's implications for regional balance, particularly on the Ards peninsula.
As the House is aware, the call for evidence for the Committee Stage of the Regional Balance Bill commenced before the summer recess and is about to conclude. The Committee has received around 25 responses, and more will likely follow. To allow the Committee time to conclude its scrutiny of other Bills and to take…
I join others in welcoming the Veterans Commissioner to the Public Gallery, and I thank the Minister for the work that he has been doing and that he continues to do for our veterans, who are so often left behind. Will the Minister provide further clarity on the role of the strategic lead?
I welcome the Minister's statement and his continued support for our veterans community. How many of the 95 contacts that have been made to date have resulted in a veteran receiving a benefit, obtaining accommodation or being referred to mental health services? Will the Minister commit to publishing those figures on…
Does the Minister agree that, given that we recruit men and women to put their lives on the line to protect our nation and that those men and women put planning their future welfare on hold until after finishing their service, at which time they may have sustained life-changing injuries, the community has a moral…
It comes as no surprise that the party that still eulogises terrorists cannot support our veterans. Does the Minister agree that our veterans suffer issues of homelessness and that there are particular issues in Northern Ireland in that they do not feel safe living in certain areas? How does the Minister propose to…
FlaggedDecided on a second assessment.Legacy of the Troubles, victims and paramilitarismCriteria met: Dog-whistle messaging.