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 am glad to have the opportunity to make a winding-up speech on Alliance's amendment to the motion. While the original motion was highly critical of the RAISE programme's current approach to targeting and expressed no confidence that it would meet objective need, it seemed clear from the debate that there was some…
All of us want to see our town centres and shopping areas thriving. The difference that a bustling business can make to a once-empty property on the main thoroughfare of a town is very clear. The enhanced Back in Business scheme, which was reinstated in May, aims to bring vibrancy, footfall and investment back to our…
Members will be aware that, when I was last in the Chamber for Question Time on 14 October, I highlighted that my short-, medium- and long-term proposals for the rating system were with the Executive for consideration. That remains the case. I had hoped that, by now, I would have secured Executive agreement on my…
It is not fair to say that we have ignored unpaid rates. The Department has in place a range of measures to tackle and reduce rating debt. It is something that we have set targets against, and the Department is committed to addressing it. However, it can be quite difficult to recover rating debt. There are a number of…
Thank you, Minister, for your answer. You recently spoke about wanting to create a rates system that is fair and equitable. Is it fair to raise rates for residents who may be faithfully paying each year whilst ignoring the £175 million of unpaid rates in the past financial year ?
We have in place robust billing, collection and recovery processes to maximise rate collection and reduce rating debt. Those include issuing annual bills; issuing final demands for payments; recovery procedures, including formal written correspondence, emails and direct telephone contact with ratepayers; and legal…
The development and publication of the inclusive language guide was a commitment in the 2024-25 Civil Service diversity action plan. It is part of our wide-ranging work on equality, diversity and inclusion. It was developed to promote understanding of the important role that language plays in creating an inclusive…
I take it that the Minister supports that guide and has not taken any cognisance of others who may be offended by some of the new terminology. I am sure that colleagues to my left and right would much prefer to be addressed by their proper titles, as opposed to being addressed by some manufactured title that has been…
I do not agree with the Member's assessment that it is nonsensical. The Civil Service is committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace that reflects the society that we serve. I can confirm that there was no cost involved in developing the guide, which was developed by staff in-house in consultation with…
As I said in my previous answer, no decisions have been taken on specific measures. It would be for the Executive to take those decisions because something like that particular rate relief measure would be considered cross-cutting. Obviously, every single rate relief measure will have an impact on the organisations,…
I thank the Minister for her answer. Is she cognisant that, if that rate relief is removed, those institutions may be forced to pass on the cost directly to students?
I do not want to get into all the specific measures, but no decisions have been made on removing any particular rate relief. I want to ensure that the rate relief measures that we have in place continue to meet the policy objectives for which they were put in place. Obviously, there are proposals with the Executive,…
The Member and I have discussed rate relief for the childcare sector on a number of occasions. I am open to considering that if the Education Minister wants to bring forward proposals on that as part of the childcare strategy. That remains my position.
I thank the Minister for her response. The increase to the minimum wage will have a significant impact on workers in the childcare sector who are on lower pay. A huge concern that is coming from the sector is that the increase will have to be passed on to parents, so it would be great to see some sort of relief and an…
Obviously, it was good that the Executive were able to agree that £25 million to support the childcare sector. A number of measures underneath that, as you mentioned, were supported by that funding. I would be happy to engage with the Member and other Ministers to ensure that that funding is utilised. Perhaps, if you…
That is not the only thing that I talk about in the Chamber; I talk about quite a lot of things other than bad decisions made at Westminster, including how I negotiated an interim fiscal framework that has provided hundreds of millions of pounds, additional, for the Executive and Assembly to spend. I have recognised…
I acknowledge that bad decisions are made in London — it is important that I say that — but that cannot be all that we talk about in the Chamber. We have to talk about the power that you have to improve the lives of workers, families and businesses in the North. Let us be clear that you have the power to review the…
Since my statement to the Assembly yesterday, my officials have carried out further engagement with Treasury. They checked the figures for business rates, and, unfortunately, £80 million has been taken out of our funding for business rates next year. That means that, if there were a move to provide more support, that…
As I mentioned, I met industry bodies recently to express my concerns about the increases in insurance costs, which are adding further financial pressures to households, businesses and communities here, and to challenge them on what the sector is doing to contain costs. Industry bodies argue that the increases are…
Given the high cost of insurance in the North, will the opportunity be taken at the round table to discuss what steps can be taken to address the issue?
The issues of how need is assessed and the criteria that are used were raised at my previous round table, which included representatives from LINK and Cash Access UK, as well as other senior representatives of high street banks and building societies. I tested with the industry whether the assessment process to…
I thank the Minister for her answer and welcome the fact that the round table will be happening. The Minister will know that I have asked about the issue before, because banking facilities are vital in rural areas. I note that, since the rules were confirmed in July, LINK, which manages the UK's cash access and ATM…
Following my invitation, the chief executive of the Financial Conduct Authority will be travelling to Belfast to meet me and to attend the banking round table that I will host later this month. I will use that meeting to call on the chief executive to use all the powers at his disposal to ensure proper access to cash…