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.
I thank the Minister for his statement. It is important to reinforce the message about the threat to our farming sector. It is clear that biosecurity is key. There is a requirement for vigilance and a belt-and-braces approach from the Department and farm businesses. There will, however, be those who could spread…
Thank you for your statement, Minister. I see that a good bit of it is already on the website, almost verbatim. Will the Minister please comment on measures, particularly on animal health and welfare, being taken to ensure all-island security? Such measures worked previously. I represent an area where, unfortunately,…
Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker, for the opportunity to make a statement to the Assembly on the recent confirmation of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in Hungary. I also intend to use the statement to highlight recent developments and ongoing departmental actions with regards to the highly pathogenic avian influenza…
Thank you, Minister. Will the Minister explain the issue that led to immigration solicitors withdrawing their services? What subsequent engagement has she had with them?
I thank the Minister for her statement, which told us, amongst other things, that Judge Burgess is leading a working group on the issues that have been discussed today. Will the Minister give us any insight into Judge Burgess's views on her response to his recommendations and the Criminal Bar Association's response?
Minister, it feels to me that the 16-page statement can be summarised as saying, "It is not me, it is them". Given that you and your party have held the Department for the past 15 years, it is a very sorry position that you now appear to be at open war with the criminal Bar. Is bringing a statement like that to the…
I thank the Minister for her detailed statement. Will she elaborate on the types of victims and witnesses who are "particularly vulnerable"? I think that they are mentioned on page 7 of the statement. Also, is the Department in a position to offer any assistance to those people while they wait for legal redress?
There are two phases to the working group's work. We hope that its first report — the interim report — will be completed by the end of March. That should allow us to package any low-hanging fruit in any of the areas that could be reformed, as well as any uplift in fees that is required in those areas, for inclusion in…
I thank the Minister for her statement earlier. I am keen to hear the time frame, if indeed there is one, for the outworkings of the working group on wider reform, which Judge Burgess is chairing. Does the Minister feel on reflection that she could have done anything differently to avoid the delays that we now have in…
On a point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker. I ask the Speaker to reflect on the importance for a democracy of having an Opposition. Given the procedures that we have, is it proper order to silence the Opposition in the middle of their question and move on rather than allow the question put thus far to be answered? Saying…
This year, the Civil Service will complete a gender review to assess the gender composition of its workforce and applicant pools to inform a programme of outreach activity and strengthen existing links with the education sector to promote professions that are gender-dominated, such as science, engineering and…
As I have previously stated, the Civil Service is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion. Females made up 50·2% of the Civil Service workforce in 2024, closely matching the economically active population of 49·5%. The Civil Service has made progress on increasing its gender diversity, with the trend of…
I have been in post for only a few weeks. I have had no cross-departmental engagement on the high street task force in that time, but I am more than happy to write to the Member about any engagement that happened prior to my coming into office. As I said, I will meet the business sectors tomorrow, including…
I thank the Minister for his response, and I listened keenly to his answers to questions earlier. Given the importance of our high streets, what cross-departmental engagement has taken place since the publication of the report?
As I said, I will meet the business sector tomorrow, including representatives of the retail sector, to continue discussions about how we will support high streets. The rate relief schemes that we have in place are vital in that regard. The continuing business programme, Back in Business, the extension of which I…
Those are matters for the financial providers. The community and voluntary sector has done good work in spreading information, particularly to older people, about being aware of the potential for scams either online or by phone. As I said, we will continue to engage with the financial sector to ensure that it does…
I thank the Minister. What safeguards are being implemented to protect older people from digital fraud and scams as they increasingly access financial services online?
My predecessor engaged with the banking sector on a number of occasions, and I will do likewise. In fact, I think that we have set in place an annual meeting to discuss financial inclusion with the banking services to ensure that, to use your example, older people are not left behind.
One hundred and forty-one registered childcare providers receive rate relief through the small business rate relief scheme. That support has been extended by my Department for this rating year.