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Like other Members, I welcome the unpausing of the Causeway Coast and Glens and Mid South West growth deals. Minister, given the existing Welsh model, can you outline what discussions you have had with the Chancellor to ensure that Northern Ireland is funded to the level of need, as defined by Professor Gerry Holtham?…
I welcome the unpausing of the city deals, which is wonderful news for Armagh city and its environs. I also recognise that there are huge demands on health, education, infrastructure and housing, but will the Budget announcement and all the extra cash facilitate any progress from the Executive on Casement Park?
Given that the Budget was anything but austere and that there is some stability in the institutions here after a decade of chaos, will the Minister commit to working with the Department of Health to ring-fence funding for transformation so that we can address waiting lists, which have hundreds of thousands of people…
Thank you, Minister, for your statement. On a slightly related note, you spoke about the belief that inheritance tax will have an impact on only a small number of large farms and that most small farms will be protected. First, is there any indication of what criteria will be used to differentiate between the two?…
I add to the thanks expressed to the Minister for her statement. What is the Minister's assessment of the removal of ring-fencing from agriculture funding? Does the Minister believe that that funding should be protected, given the importance of that sector to the Northern Ireland economy?
In reply to my colleague Diane Forsythe, Minister, you clarified that you did not think that any further Treasury support would be able to be availed of by the voluntary and third sectors. Given the impact that the rise in employer rate National Insurance contributions will have on our businesses and employers, I also…
I thank the Minister for her statement. Like others, I welcome the unpausing of the city deal projects. Will the additional money allocated to the Executive in this Budget be sufficient for them to meet their match-funding obligations?
I agree with the Member. There is unanimity across the Executive on the need for additional funding for our waste water infrastructure. Obviously, the amount of additional funding that we have this year will not go a very long way towards meeting that. The Executive will have to take decisions on how to allocate the…
I thank the Minister for her statement. Like her, I welcome the fact that the Government have un-paused the Mid South West growth deal. The Minister is well aware that without capital and resource investment for our waste water treatment works, we will not be able to deliver on key Programme for Government…
I thank the Minister for her statement. The Budget is certainly a curate's egg: it has been good for working people but, perhaps, difficult for businesses and, particularly, for the Assembly. The Minister has acknowledged that the Department of Justice has been underfunded for a number of years. While the Budget…
I am happy to confirm that I am willing to work with Executive colleagues in relation to the other funding streams and to get clarity on them. My understanding is that the intention of what was DLUHC and is now the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, is to consult the Shore Road skills centre…
It is important that we recognise that, in this financial year, an extra £1·2 billion of in-year spending has been awarded to Northern Ireland by the Government. As the Finance Minister rightly says, the collective work of Members of this House and of other places has resulted in the un-pausing of two city deals. The…
Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire as ucht a ráitis. I also thank the Minister for the work that she has done in securing additional funds through the fiscal framework. Will the Minister outline when October monitoring will take place to allocate funds for the rest of this financial year and when we can expect to see a…
I thank the Minister for her remarks. She will be aware that the Chancellor, in her Budget statement last week, talked about the pressures on health and, in particular, about the fact that, across England and Wales, the health budget will be raised by 4·7% this year and 3·3% next year. That is above the general…
Minister, you will be aware that a number of public-sector pay deals are outstanding this year. Will you update the House on the timelines for negotiating and settling them?
I thank the Minister for her statement. Employer contributions and the increase in the minimum wage have rightly been highlighted as having significant impact on small businesses, but there will obviously be a huge impact on the delivery of our public services as well. The Minister outlined that the Treasury had…
I thank the Minister for the statement and acknowledge the significant work on the fiscal framework, albeit with the caveats that she outlined because of 14 years of austerity. I particularly welcome the un-pausing of the growth deals, given their impact in Fermanagh and South Tyrone, Mid Ulster, Armagh, Banbridge and…
I thank the Member for his question. In my commentary since the Budget was announced, I have acknowledged the additional funding for public services. It goes some way towards showing a different approach. However, as I have outlined, it does not meet the significant pressures that we face this year and that will…
Minister, we have all seen the impact of austerity from London and of chaos and collapse at Stormont, but now we have the opportunity to turn the page on both. This is not an austerity Budget and cannot be described as such. People want to hear about the decisions that you and your Executive colleagues are making,…
Go raibh maith agat, a Phríomh-Leas-Cheann Comhairle. Last Wednesday, the Chancellor presented the autumn Budget. I want to update Members today — the earliest opportunity after recess — on the implications of that Budget for our public finances. I have been clear that delivering quality public services and a strong…
Thank you very much. On a point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker. At the start of business today, the Speaker advised the House that he had written to Members to advise them of the so-called democratic consent vote on the continuing application of the protocol in Northern Ireland. Will the Speaker's Office confirm that…
FlaggedDecided on a second assessment.Constitutional question, Brexit, the Windsor Framework and sovereigntyCriteria met: Identity framing.
Minister, the legal aid crisis is an access to justice issue. The legal profession is telling us that it can no longer afford to take legal cases, which means that it simply will not, so those who are in need of legal representation will find it harder to get. I am also concerned about sole practitioners in rural…
It is a bit rich to attack workers who have every right to withdraw their labour and take strike action to defend access to justice for everyone. If criminal barristers are not being fairly remunerated for legal aid work or are experiencing delays, we will potentially lose them to more profitable fields of law.…
Can the Minister tell us when the Burgess report will be shared officially with all stakeholders, particularly the Bar Council and the Law Society? Furthermore, when will the report be published for members of the public to read?
I thank the Minister for her statement. Minister, it is extraordinary for you as Justice Minister to refer to the actions of the legal profession as "precipitous". To what degree does your Department's policy of payment delay impact on the legal aid system and access to justice for the most vulnerable and marginalised…