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 welcome the opportunity to speak as a DUP member of the Infrastructure Committee on the important issue of the spring Supplementary Estimates. There is no doubt that infrastructure is a vital economic driver and social enabler across our country. It is the foundation that underpins the economic and social fabric of…
I congratulate the Minister on his new role and wish him well in it. I will make a few short remarks on the Supply resolutions in my capacity as the Alliance Party's spokesperson on justice. From the beginning, this financial year was marked as challenging — a time for tough decisions, stringent, sustainable spending…
I rise as the DUP's health spokesperson to make a few remarks on the 2024-25 budget for Health. The Health budget of 2024-25 saw huge pressures in Health but also significant in-year allocations. That allowed the Minister to meet the pay requirements for HSC staff. We should say that and congratulate the Minister when…
To be very clear: the Committee has asked for a review of the system for allocating minor works capital funding, so that will clearly take in more than one school. I do not underestimate the scale of the challenge facing the Education Minister. He has set out many times the financial pressures that his Department…
I thank the Member for giving way. Is it just one project that he is looking for clarity on, or will he provide a list to the House of all the projects and schools that he wants to go through with regard to the money that has been spent in the past financial year?
I support the Supply resolutions for the spring Supplementary Estimates, the Vote on Account and the Excess Vote. I intend to speak relatively briefly, as we will have an opportunity to rehearse many of these issues and themes again during the passage of the Budget Bill. At the outset, I welcome the return to the…
On a point of order, Mr Speaker. I want to correct the record in relation to the debate on the Second Stage of the Assembly Members (Remuneration Board) Bill that was held earlier this afternoon. Mr Carroll made an intervention to ask me whether the Assembly Commission had discussed the names of who might serve on the…
Will the Minister outline whether any financial support will be made available to proactively increase biosecurity measures at entrances to poultry farms and related businesses to prevent the disease spreading and reduce the likelihood of future cross-contamination?
With the arrival of this highly pathogenic avian disease in County Tyrone and the devastating impact that it has had, the Minister said that his heart goes out to the farmers involved. Will he please outline the extent of his interactions with the farmers involved and with the Chief Veterinary Officer, Brian Dooher?
Minister, what steps is your Department taking to inform domestic flock keepers about how to comply with the advice and guidance issued by your Department?
Minister, I come back to the point that my colleague from Mid Ulster made about compensation. You touched on lost birds. What about litter removal? The houses will obviously need to be disinfected, which will involve a massive cost because the litter is, technically, contaminated. How far beyond the cost of the birds…
I thank the Minister for his acknowledgement of the family in my constituency who are at the centre of this. When it comes to wider human impact, Minister, can you assure us that the way in which it will be managed will not be detrimental to human health?
Minister, what potential sources of funding have you been seeking or sourcing for loss of income, particularly for some of the farmers involved? It is a devastating blow for any farm of any type to have such an outbreak inflicted upon it, so could you advise us about that. Secondly, with the Speaker's forbearance,…
I thank the Minister for engaging late yesterday evening on the matter. I am looking at the dates around the outbreak. The housing order was issued on Wednesday 12 February, I believe, with measures being put in place at the farm on 14 February. What confidence can poultry farmers have that the Department is…
I thank the Minister for liaising with the Chair of the Committee and I last night on the matter. Minister, I understand that a closed flock of birds was involved. Have you any assessment at this stage of how the contamination came in in the first place?
First, I thank the officials in my Department, who were working all weekend on site until late last night to deal with the issue. I spoke to the Chief Veterinary Officer late last night, and he outlined the efforts that are being undertaken to deal with the issue. I prioritised being on site to deal with the issue,…
It is fair to say that the issue has caused significant concern and distress to many poultry farmers across Northern Ireland. The poultry industry is worth hundreds of millions of pounds to the Northern Ireland economy. It is regrettable, Minister, that you are here talking about the issue via a question for urgent…
An investigation was instigated on Friday 14 February at premises near Dungannon, County Tyrone, after a number of mortalities in a commercial poultry flock. Preliminary results have indicated the presence of the highly pathogenic avian influenza, H5N1. The unit is a family run farm, so my thoughts are with the family…
I am far from an expert on the matter, but it is one of those policies that, when it works, it works. However, if you are an individual who believes that you have not been treated with dignity at work, it has not worked for you. There are always lessons to be learned in any policy, and the real-life experiences of…
Given the significant expenditure of our Departments, we have to ensure that that investment does not create further adverse impacts on the climate and that we take measures that support the objectives of the Climate Change Act 2022 and the strategies that have been brought forward by various Departments, particularly…
Minister, you referenced climate change in response to my question and, indeed, in response to the previous question. How can social value help to mitigate the impact of climate change?