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Members of the anti-poverty co-design group have publicly stated that, in their view, their time has been wasted and their participation in the co-design process has counted for nothing. Will you confirm whether any of the policies proposed by the co-design group have made it into the final draft of the anti-poverty…
I can speak only for myself. I certainly do not feel that those relationships are damaged. They were given a task; they have carried out that task; and they have done it well. As was communicated to those groups by the previous Minister, that portion of their work has been completed. We now need to take the…
We want to hear all perspectives, and I have no doubt that the America250 Commission will ensure that all stories are told. My focus, however, is on making sure that the story of people from here is told. That is a good-news story. The spirit of those who left here and all that they took with them contributed to what…
I remind the Minister that it was slave revolts that ended slavery in the primary sense. Former slave and abolitionist Frederick Douglass, who toured this island and whose statute is in Belfast, stated: "The sunlight that brought light and healing to you, has brought stripes and death to me. This Fourth July is yours,…
My focus is on promoting Northern Ireland and doing everything that we can to tell the stories of those who came from here, but I am happy to make sure that we tell the story of slavery, in particular how slavery ended in the British Empire and how the UK Parliament was one of the first to take action to make sure…
I stick by my commitment, which was the funding envelope of £62·5 million. I have asked for a meeting with Jarlath Burns, the president of the GAA, to update him and to find out the GAA's latest position. I believe that that meeting will take place in the next couple of weeks.
I met the Secretary of State recently, and I asked him about the contribution that the UK Government might make. He said that any contribution, if there is to be any at all, is not known at this time and that it will be June before he will be in a position to confirm whether any additional funding is available.
I thank the Minister for his answer and for the references that he made to the type of activity to which I referred in my question. I suggest to the Minister that any review of existing community arts programmes or forward planning that may be put in place also include looking at the better utilisation of public…
It is something that is of concern to me. On Saturday evening a week ago, I had the opportunity to attend the Young Farmers' Clubs of Ulster arts gala, which was a fantastic example of what local arts organisations that operate outside Belfast, outside the other big cities and outside areas where there is…
It is something that I am happy to look at. The Member is not the first to raise the issue with me, and there are places in my constituency that fall into that category as well. The Member has been consistent and persistent on the issue, and I will keep it in mind.
The Minister will understand that, apart from the fact that we do not have regeneration schemes at the moment, the criterion to have a population of fewer than 5,000 people is having a detrimental impact on rural towns and villages. Is the Minister minded to take a look at that threshold?
I think that that is the third topical question that the Member has asked and the third time that he has raised the issue, so I should have been prepared for that one. I do not have an update at this time, but I will furnish him with one as soon as I have it.
We were already operating in a difficult environment. Although we were not aware of some of the specific changes that were coming, the strategy has been drafted in such a way that means that we are dealing with the root causes of poverty and are not just looking at the benefit and welfare system, as important as that…
I thank the Minister for his response. Minister, given the Labour Party's recent policy direction, have you had to make any changes to the anti-poverty strategy?
The anti-poverty strategy will certainly deal with that. As I said, we will also bring forward a disability strategy and disability work strategy. I believe that there is a joined-up approach from the Executive on that matter, and I hope that it continues.
It is important that the strategy be flexible. Although different action plans will come out of it and can be refreshed, first and foremost, the strategy provides a framework for the way forward. It is right that we have that, but we need to be agile and make sure that we actually put measures in place that will make…
Thanks to the Minister. Given the latest looming cuts that are coming from Westminster, is he confident that the strategy will be able to react and be adequately resourced to protect people here?
I can confirm that I will send the draft anti-poverty strategy to Executive colleagues today. I hope to see its impact as soon as possible, but, ultimately, that will depend on its getting Executive approval.
Absolutely. You have to show up and be in the room. I took some criticism for going there in October, but the fact that I was able to go at that time, make those initial connections and build on them over the past six months led to what we now have in place. That is important. It will produce dividends for Northern…
Minister, when you were in Washington, did you recognise how important it is to create face-to-face relationships and build trust in order to eventually exploit more business opportunities?
The memorandum of understanding is going to be important because it will set the framework for how the story of this place is told. I am pleased that there was a genuinely open door from the America250 commission, which was excited about the stories that we had to tell, and the possibilities that that created for…
I thank the Minister for his answer. Indeed, he had a busy few days in Washington DC. I thank him for his personal interest in promoting our international connections with North America. What benefits can the memorandum of understanding bring to Northern Ireland?
I had a busy programme, planned to enhance existing relationships and to establish long-term collaborations with a key partner for Northern Ireland. I was able to promote Northern Ireland at the very highest levels through a series of important engagements. The semiquincentennial of the signing of the Declaration of…