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.
Go raibh maith agat, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle. , and thank you for that welcome. I thank the Member who secured the debate on what is an important issue. As one who lived in Belfast for over a decade and who, like Deborah Erskine, still enjoys a night out in it, I must say that it is a great city in which to go out. It…
Thank you. I had not planned to speak, but I sat in and listened to some of the contributions. Like many in the Chamber, I enjoy the Belfast nightlife — maybe a bit too much. Transport is a fundamental issue for people coming into the city centre. I know that I could not get a bus from Fermanagh to Belfast if I were…
I hope that the Member does not mind me making a few brief remarks. As he will understand, I am a strong advocate for the hospitality sector and someone who is not unfamiliar with the Belfast night-time economy. Not wishing to fall foul of your direction, Mr Deputy Speaker, I will focus my remarks on the Belfast…
Like colleagues, I have a speech prepared but I will try to paraphrase it and get through the key points. As my colleague from the SDLP said, the night-time economy in Belfast and across Northern Ireland contributes £2 billion to the local economy. It employs thousands of people, from hospitality staff and security…
The night-time economy and offering of any city is a vital indicator of its economic, social and cultural wealth. Whether one partakes of the night-time economy rarely or regularly, it is a measure of a thriving and enjoyable city. It is also an important source of employment through bars, restaurants, takeaways,…
I thank the Member for giving way, and giving me the opportunity to put something on the record. Will she agree that it might be helpful if the Minister could look back to her previous Department and suggest to the Finance Minister that the cost of doing business review should look specifically at the burden of rates…
I thank the Member who secured the Adjournment debate. There are so many reasons to be proud of Belfast and our evening and night-time economy. As Members have mentioned, it has really transformed in the past decades. I remember that, when we first moved here from Zimbabwe in 2000, the Cathedral Quarter was somewhere…
I am grateful to my party colleague for securing the Adjournment debate on this important issue, given that Belfast is our capital city. I am glad that the Minister for the Economy is here. I will draw on some wider matters of import relating to our night-time economy. Belfast must be able to compete as a tourist…
I will start by saying that there is hope out there. Some of you might be going to bed at 9.00 pm, but, when the kids get older, there is hope. I am of an age where I am going back around again I remember the Harp Bar from the first time round, and I know it now since it has reopened. There is life after 9.00 pm, and…
I am thrilled to speak about the Belfast night-time economy. I would like to claim some personal expertise on the subject, although, unfortunately, not as much these days as, perhaps, I had in the past. Like other people, I am getting older, and having young kids means that I do not get the opportunity to enjoy it as…
I thank the Member for securing the Adjournment debate. I will focus on the parts of the city centre that are in North Belfast, and my colleague will speak about the wider night-time economy issues. When I think of North Belfast and the night-time economy, I think immediately, as, I am sure, do many others, of the…
I welcome this important conversation. As with our daytime economy, we need to look at the issues in terms of the wider regeneration of our city centre in order to unlock its full potential at night-time and throughout the day. We all want a safe, connected, inclusive and vibrant city centre in which people can live,…
Thank you very much indeed, Mr Deputy Speaker. I start by thanking the Members who have come along here this evening and the stakeholders from across Belfast who have been in touch with me about the issue since it appeared in the Order Paper. The genuine interest from across the political spectrum and all sectors of…
Does the Member agree that we need a cultural change? We need to acknowledge those young people who do not go on to university in the same way. They should have the same acknowledgement and recognition and the same passing out process, whatever that might be. We need to have something that recognises the hard work…
Go raibh maith agat, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle. I do not intend to detain the House for any longer than is necessary, so I will not go over comments that Members made in their contributions to the debate. However, I thank all Members who contributed today. The discussion has made one thing clear. Our current per-pupil…
Thank you very much, Mr Deputy Speaker. I thank the signatories to the motion and all Members who have spoken in the debate. It has been a useful discussion, particularly with Apprenticeship Week, which was ably namechecked by Ms Nicholl this morning during Members' statements, beginning yesterday. It is an important…
Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. We could summarise what has happened in the debate by saying that there has been broad agreement in the Chamber, from the signatories to the motion — I thank them for tabling it — to the Members who spoke to the DUP amendment, as well as from the Minister. There is not a lot between…
That leads me on to my next point. The Member is right: pupils have to get the correct advice. The advice at school when I was there was, "Join the police", "Become a teacher" or, "Go into the health profession". It was not the kind of careers advice that we need to be providing to our young people. It is important…
I was going to say half-jokingly that the sixth form at Laurelhill has never been the same since the Minister was there. I agree with him on quite a bit of what he said about pathways, but we are talking about pathways for a child and how the focus should be on the child and what they are going to do. Our teaching…
Minister, thank you for your response. The collegiate approach is exactly what we want. It is just that, on this specific element, it is the Department of Education. We have touched on this already: we did not want to broaden it out so much, because there needs to be an enabler and a necessary prerequisite to taking…
Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I welcome the opportunity to respond to the motion, which: "recognises the fundamental importance of education in enabling our children and young people to reach their full potential, develop their skills, and prepare them for life" after school. I thank the Members who tabled the motion…
Thank you to those who tabled the motion. If we are serious about supporting the learning pathways of our children and young people, we have to be clear that there are so many options open to them for their future. The motion is a positive one, but, as our amendment sets out, we think that it would be more…