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.
The petition is from traders in Dungannon. It contains 130 signatures, which is a large sample from what is quite a small cohort. The Dungannon traders are raising the issue of the one-hour parking restriction in Dungannon town centre. They make the case, correctly so, that that is very restrictive to people who want…
Growing up, many of us learned that the pen is mightier than the sword. That remains true today, especially when it comes to social media. Social media can be a powerful tool that helps us all communicate useful information to our constituents and wider society. Local and national media outlets use it, as do churches,…
My father passed away on 1 November 2021. Earlier that year, he had been diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. His cancer was likely a consequence of many years of smoking, and, sadly, he realised that. However, he began smoking at a time when it was encouraged and people even suggested that smoking was good for you.…
I take the opportunity to make Members aware that this is the start of Safer Ageing Week. Safer Ageing Week is an initiative run by the charity Hourglass, which is the only UK-wide charity dedicated to calling time on harm and abuse of older people. Through its helpline, casework service and awareness-raising, it…
I congratulate President-elect Donald Trump and his Vice President-elect JD Vance on their remarkable election victory in the United States. There is a spectrum of political views in this place. It is no surprise that there are differences of opinion on international affairs. Just as I congratulated the incumbent…
FlaggedIrish language, Ulster-Scots and language policyCriteria met: Identity framing, Dog-whistle messaging, Controversy escalation.
This afternoon, I raise the issue of the arts sector here. Last week, Equity, the actors' union, addressed a number of MLAs in room 115. What was clear from the testimony of those artists and actors and the people who work with them was the lack of support that they receive and how difficult it is to be a full-time…
My statement is on remembrance, exactly 106 years after the end of World War I. However people choose to remember and reflect, it is important that we do so. We remember the sacrifice of so many during two world wars and other conflicts. We recall also the loss of civilian lives in conflict, and we reflect on the…
Today is an important day of remembrance, when we remember all those who fought and died for our freedoms. It is also a day to remember Winston Cross. Winston was only 18 years old and was from the Glen estate on the city side of Londonderry. His family described him as a "happy-go-lucky" teenage boy who was funny,…
Tá deis againn an tseachtain seo díriú isteach ar an mhaistíneacht agus Seachtain na Frithmhaistíneachta ar siúl. Is minic a phléitear an mhaistíneacht sa Tionól, agus rinne muid an tAcht um Aghaidh a Thabhairt ar an Mhaistíneacht i Scoileanna (TÉ) 2016 a chur i gcrích agus a chur chun feidhme le blianta beaga anuas.…
Today in the Assembly, we solemnly gathered to remember those who gave their all so that we may have the freedoms that we have today. We often forget that those who made the ultimate sacrifice in the defence of our nation and the wider democratic way of life that we cherish did so not for some base ideology but…
In Anti-bullying Week, the first thing that I want to do is to speak out to anyone who is experiencing bullying. It is an absolutely shattering thing to go through, and I want to encourage anyone who is experiencing it to reach out to a parent, their school or an organisation like Childline to get the support that…
Delivering more affordable childcare has long been a priority for the DUP. Within seven months of devolution being restored, our Education Minister designed a scheme to slash childcare bills by 15%. The latest figures that I have received show that 13,294 children have been registered for the Northern Ireland…
Sinn Féin leaders have consistently sought to heal divisions through efforts to build trust and foster reconciliation, and that has often meant stepping beyond traditional comfort zones. The participation in yesterday's Remembrance Sunday ceremony by Michelle O'Neill as a First Minister for all, who is also an Irish…
Today, as we mourn the passing of Anna, I want to give thanks for a life of public service, and that has been outlined by many today. That public service included her role as head of the Chinese Welfare Association then as an MLA for South Belfast and Chair of the Environment Committee. We are so lucky that Anna chose…
My thoughts are with those who knew Anna Lo and those who loved her. I had only one interaction with her, and that was in this place. I was a politics student at Belfast Royal Academy in 2009. Our class was very diverse, and we could not agree on a single thing. Our teacher, trying to get us to agree and not argue…
I came to the House in 2016, after Anna had left, but that does not mean to say that I did not know Anna in her role as a politician. I remember that, in 2014, as part of the European election campaign, she came to Portaferry to look at the SeaGen turbine that was in Strangford lough at the time. It was an absolutely…
It is with great pride but huge sadness that I pay tribute to the late Anna Lo. Others have spoken of Anna's role as a trailblazer and pathfinder. She showed what could be done and how it could be done well. Anna served with distinction and determination as an MLA and in the role of Chairperson of the Environment…
I first met Anna before I knew of her involvement in the politics of the Alliance Party in Northern Ireland. I met her when she was working for the Chinese Welfare Association and I was providing employment documentation support on behalf of the Labour Relations Agency to that organisation. There was definitely a ray…
I rise to pay tribute to Ms Anna Lo and to pass on my condolences, as an MLA, to Anna's partner, Robert, her sons, her wider family and friends and, of course, to Anna's Alliance family circle on Anna's very sad passing. I had the pleasure of serving on the Environment Committee for a number of years as Deputy Chair…
I first met Anna Lo when I joined her office as a work experience student 12 years ago. She was the first person for whom I ever voted, and the more I got to know her, the more I respected her. She talked about issues that others were often too afraid to talk about. As Claire said, she wore a leather jacket. She…
I, too, offer my sincere condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Anna Lo. It was a pleasure to have known and worked with her. Many have said this, because, simply, it is true: she was a trailblazer, and she did it with style. No one rocked a leather jacket in the Chamber as well as Anna Lo She did it…
I extend my sympathies to Anna's family, friends and all her Alliance Party colleagues on her very sad passing. There is no doubt that Anna was a tenacious trailblazer. She had many barriers in her way that were put in place by a society that makes life harder for women, particularly women from a racialised minority.…
I start by expressing my condolences to the family and friends of Anna on her passing. I first met Anna Lo in her capacity as director of the Chinese Welfare Association in 1997, which was the year that I started working in the voluntary sector. Our paths crossed many times, so I saw at first hand how she championed…
I join everyone else who has paid sincere and fulsome tribute to Anna Lo on her passing. I extend the condolences of the SDLP and me to her family, including her partner, Robert, her two sons and her grandchildren, and to her colleagues in the Alliance Party, who will be feeling her loss most acutely, having stood…
As we create this tapestry of tributes to Anna Lo, it is difficult, at times, to avoid repetition. However, repetition is not necessarily a bad thing; not when it focuses on Anna Lo's values and the great contribution that she made, not just in the Chamber but to society in general. Before she was here, Anna spent…