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, Mr Deputy Speaker. It is a privilege to speak on this important issue, which matters so much to me and my constituents. We all feel strongly that the Riverside Theatre in Coleraine is a huge part of who we are and of our experience growing up on the north coast. For many of us, the Riverside Theatre is the…
Thank you very much, Mr Deputy Speaker. I thank everybody who has taken part in the debate. Time and time again, the Assembly has failed to face up to the issues that are supposedly addressed in the review report. Attempts to raise matters that relate to that scandal have been shut down in the Chamber and in…
Every MLA, Minister and political party has a duty to act with transparency and accountability in how they use public money. It is stating the obvious, but that includes being clear about who is employed for party political and constituency work. It should also include, as the motion calls for: "regular and robust…
I will speak relatively briefly on the motion, which we will support, should it go to a Division. It is important to acknowledge the gravity of the issues that we are discussing and the importance of us all taking seriously our responsibilities in the proper discharge of our duties on spending public money, using it…
I rise to speak to this important motion and to recognise and encourage the wider Assembly's ongoing commitment to transparency and accountability. The review of allowances became an essential and critical step in trying to restore public confidence in how taxpayers' money is spent by this institution. Let us be…
I intend to be relatively brief, given that many of the issues that we are discussing today are matters of public record and have been discussed many times, including the contents of the review report. It is, however, important to say that issues pertaining to the use of public money must be treated with the utmost…
First, let me stress the obvious: it is absolutely right that public money allocated to Members to pay allowances and provide central party research support is held to the highest standards of propriety, transparency and accountability. The DUP will engage constructively with the Assembly Commission and other parties…
I welcome the completion of the report on the review conducted by the Assembly Commission. It contained some positive recommendations that could further improve processes and provide greater clarity for Members when employing staff. It is important to state clearly that Members of the Assembly Commission had no role,…
I beg to move Thank you very much, Mr Deputy Speaker. All Members received a copy of the report of the review into the Sinn Féin scandal, and pinned to the front of the report was a letter from the Chief Executive of the Assembly. The letter sets the tone for how the powers that be in this Building would like the…
I will be brief. I do not disagree with anything that the Member has said. He is right that advertising is a reserved matter, but the Executive can take action. Does the Member agree that there should be legislation before the end of the mandate and that it should be in the PFG?
I thank the Member for giving way and for his absolute and very honest interest in the subject. On the matter that the Member is speaking about, does he agree that it is really disappointing to see comedians and some of our richest sports stars, among them former Liverpool and Spurs players, contributing to…
Thank you, Mr Speaker. I am taking part in the debate as a member of the APG on reducing harm related to gambling. First, I commend and pay tribute to my North Antrim MLA colleague Philip McGuigan for his candour today and in the past. I have no doubt that Philip McGuigan's actions in that regard have saved lives and…
We have certainly responded to the draft PFG. If we have not specifically included this matter, we will respond again. I trust that we will have the support of everyone in the Chamber on that.
I thank all the Members who have spoken in the debate. I pay particular thanks to members of the all-party group, not just for the work that they have done on the latest inquiry into public health approaches to tackling gambling but for all the work that they have done since the APG was formed. Previous inquiry…
I thank the Member who moved the motion for speaking out. I also thank the members of the APG for their work. There are clear winners and losers in the gambling industry. The winners are the multinational corporations that rake in the profits. The losers are the punters whose mental and physical health is destroyed by…
I cannot quite believe that we are here, debating this motion, just after the House, before lunch, voted to increase the gambling stakes and prizes of gambling machines, without even introducing any balancing protections. People will smell more than a whiff of hypocrisy as they consider our actions today, just as they…
I will speak to the motion because I spoke on the order earlier on changing some of the stakes and payouts for certain types of gambling. Given that I remarked on the interaction between the order and motion, it is important that I speak in the debate. I want to be constructive, because the APG does very important…
One of the perks of reaching my stage of life is that you have earned the privilege of freely using the phrase, "Back in the day". Back in the day, the opportunity to put a few bob on a horse meant a journey to the local bookies, and every town had at least one. The punter could gamble only the meagre hard cash that…
I applaud the Member for specifically referring to that. Is she also concerned about the games? With games such as 'Fortnite' and others — I am not familiar with them — you can purchase elements inside the game. Sorry if you were going to raise it down the line, but it is concerning, because the games are for kids,…
I support the motion, and I welcome the report of the all-party group on reducing the harm that is related to gambling. I pay tribute to the chair of the APG, Philip McGuigan, who has been so generous with his lived experience. I am sure that that is not a comfortable space to be in, so, thank you, Philip. The report…
I thank the APG on reducing harm related to gambling for tabling the cross-party motion. I will speak in my capacity as a Sinn Féin MLA. Some of my remarks will be informed by my role as Chair of the Committee for Communities. As the proposer of the motion set out in his remarks, the North has a higher prevalence of…
I also commend the work of the APG, of which I am a member. My attendance at its meetings has not been great lately. Justin McNulty does the lion's share of our work on it. Justin cannot be here today, as he is caught up with constituents who are still without power. I commend Mr McGuigan again on airing his own…
I have had a similar experience since becoming part of the APG. My timelines are now flooded with tweets and things about free spins. Does the Member agree that free spins seem to be an incredibly harmful thing to offer online? If we were handing out free shots of alcohol to alcoholics or free cigarettes to smokers in…