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.
There was consideration given at the Assembly Commission to doing the whole Building. Consensus was reached on doing the east and west ends. The Building is not in such disrepair that it is causing much negativity other than among Members like yourself and others. However, doing the rest of the Building is under…
I thank the Member for his answer. I am a bit perplexed as to why we would only clean the east and west ends. We are the custodians of this Building and the Commission is charged with that. Is the Commission not being penny wise and pound foolish in that regard? In a number of years, will one of the lines on the tour…
I thank the Member for his question. The Assembly Commission takes its responsibility to maintain this historic Building extremely seriously. As Parliament Buildings is a grade A listed building, there are strict guidelines governing how cleaning, repairs and other maintenance works are carried out. The first step in…
I thank the Member for his question. As he will know, issues relating to that are under investigation. The Assembly Commission has already said that it will not be providing a running commentary on that investigation.
Will the Member detail or advise what changes have been made by the Commission in the light of the fact that a Sinn Féin employee, who stood accused of child sex offences, was given the run of this Building for months because of Philip McGuigan's failure to cancel his pass? When will we see the publication of the…
Not that I am aware of. The Assembly Commission will keep that under constant review. We will assess how well security arrangements are working, and if there are any incidents, or if there is any need to make any changes to that, any Member can write to the Assembly Commission on that and we will consider it.
Thank you for the answer. You mentioned that security arrangements are reviewed as and when. Is there a particular time frame within which that happens? Does it happen on a regular basis?
I thank the Member for her question. While it would be unwise to discuss the detail of security arrangements in a public forum, the Assembly Commission takes security seriously. Arrangements are kept under review by Assembly management and are revisited and amended, as required. Access by visitors to Parliament…
We are scoping future plans to understand what those costs will be, for the public sector and more widely. We are continuing our engagement with Treasury, as I have articulated. Given the budgetary pressures that we face and the fact that we do not believe that the Barnett consequentials will be enough to cover the…
I appreciate the Minister's response. I assume that the plan B option is being explored, given that, ultimately, the burden from the change will add to pressures on ratepayers. I am curious to see what other plans and options the Minister is exploring.
As I said to the Member's colleague, we are concerned that the Barnett consequentials that we got on employer National Insurance contributions for the public sector will not cover the additional cost. As the Member will be well aware, we face significant budgetary pressures in our general Budget. Therefore, we are…
The short answer is, "No, I haven't". That issue has not been specifically brought to my attention. In some respects, it would be within the remit of the responsibilities of the Education and Communities Ministers. I am happy for the Member to communicate with officials on the issue to understand what the implications…
Minister, thank you for your answer. Clearly, laws that will be introduced in the future affect people now. For example, in 2030, EU legislation will ban rubber infill on all 3G and 4G pitches. There will be a huge cost in setting up 3G and 4G synthetic pitches for that and in maintaining them post 2030. Have you had…
Work has been undertaken on behalf of the Executive on new EU laws. There is obviously the work under the Windsor framework. On specific laws, departmental officials keep abreast of what is developing in Britain and in the EU to ensure that we are kept apprised.
Yes is the short answer. I am deeply concerned that increasing insurance premiums are adding further financial pressure on households, businesses and communities. My officials and I have been engaging with the insurance sector and the regulatory authorities to identify what is behind the rises and what can be done to…
No Barnett consequentials are ring-fenced. It is for the Executive to decide how they spend their money, which is, obviously, an important aspect of having an Executive and Ministers locally. One of my concerns about the Barnett consequentials that we will get from the change in public-sector employers' National…
I thank the Minister for her answer. There has been a lot of chat about doctors' surgeries in the rest of the UK saying that they cannot afford to pay the contributions. If Treasury were to change what it has said about the issue to date and make a positive decision, would we see Barnett consequentials from that, and,…
That issue has been raised with me on a considerable number of occasions, as, I am sure, it has been raised with other Members. I have had correspondence from public-sector partners and community and voluntary organisations that deliver in partnership with or on behalf of government and from our business sector.…
That matter has been raised with me on a number of occasions. Guidance for Departments on how to do that is already in place. One concern that I have about making regulations is that it may hinder Departments in coming forward with more innovative solutions for working together to tackle particular issues. As it…
Minister, the Act confers powers on your Department to make regulations to determine how Departments come together to pool resources. Do you intend to make such regulations?
We actively encourage the pooling of budgets as part of the budgetary process, and we did so for Budget 2025-26. I am not sure that we record every instance of that, but we encourage it. If the Member wishes to ask for further information, I would be happy for her to engage with officials on that.
I very much encourage that. As I said to Andy a few moments ago, it is important that, as one of the largest employers here, we ensure that we lead by example and set best practice. I actively encourage officials to look at how we can do exactly that.