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 fully agree. The only issue that needs to be discussed with the LCC is ending paramilitarism and the anti-community criminality that criminal gangs engage in. The recent meetings between DUP Ministers and the LCC provide political cover and implicit justification to those groups. That is unacceptable.
Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire as an fhreagra sin. Does she agree that the only reason that anyone should meet those groups is to tell them to leave the stage?
No, I do not think that it is appropriate to meet the LCC to discuss issues of public policy. We are 26 years on from the Good Friday Agreement, so there is no place in this society for paramilitary groups. There is no role for paramilitary groups. There is no excuse for the continued existence of those groups.…
LPS is aware that the ongoing works in Foyle Street affect up to 29 properties and is dealing with applications from two businesses in relation to those works. We encourage businesses to engage with LPS. I am happy for my officials to work with council officials to see what the impact is.
I thank the Minister for her response and welcome her comments. Will the Minister commit to working closely with the council to see what can be done? One business has talked about there being a 40% reduction in footfall at weekends. That is not sustainable in the long term. Will the Minister commit to working closely…
I think that the Member has corresponded with me on the issue. I recognise that public realm works sometimes inconvenience businesses, so I will consider cases for relief on their individual merits. Members should be aware that that will always be done in the context that I outlined to Mr Donnelly: when we award…
I do not think that my officials or I said that. We said that we wanted to give Departments clarity on their funding allocations as quickly as possible so that they could make decisions or not make decisions that would be detrimental to the services that they deliver. That is why there was an urgency around June…
If I am to divine from that, Minister, that, in all likelihood, the monitoring round will not happen in October, two things flow from that: either you and your officials were wrong to say in June that monitoring rounds had to happen in the specified month and cannot be delayed for major things such as Budgets and…
I was going to say, "In October". When I met the Chief Secretary to the Treasury at the Financial Interministerial Standing Committee (FISC) the week before last, there was an indication that, rather than having to wait until January to get clear confirmation of Barnett consequentials for the year, as is usual,…
I have not been invited to go to London next week, but I would be happy to attend with them. As I said to Deborah, I will meet the Mid South West growth deal partners again this week. We all have avenues that we can use for lobbying, and I will use my relationship with Treasury.
Thank you, Minister. We appreciate the work that has gone into trying to get the deals back on track. The Mid South West deal was due to be signed with heads of agreement on Wednesday. That shows how far we were along the line with that. Will you accompany the councils to London next weekend to lobby parliamentarians…
The strong collective message that we have been able to send, as an Executive and as parties across the board, on the need to unpause the funding commitment to the growth deals has been a real strength. The deal partners have been engaging directly with the NIO — I think that they met the British Secretary of State…
I thank the Minister and the Executive for what they have been doing on the Mid South West growth deal and, indeed, the Causeway Coast and Glens growth deal. They are an economic game changer and catalyst. I appreciate that the Minister will have some vested interest in the issue for her area. What is her assessment…
With your permission, Mr Speaker, I will answer questions 7 and 12 together. I am continuing to push for the reversal of the British Government's pause on growth deal funding. My officials are working closely with the two growth deal teams to provide the necessary evidence for Treasury to consider as part of the…
Obviously, I do not agree with the Member's interpretation of the Budget sustainability plan. Appendix D is a list of proposals from Departments. The Executive will take a decision, and Ministers will take decisions in each of their Departments on which of those they will take forward.
Minister, with the greatest respect, the Budget sustainability plan is waffle. Most of the text simply summarises actions that were obvious anyway, such as seeking multi-year Budgets. Honestly, I say that with the greatest respect. At appendix D, however, there are some interesting tables on the options for…
I agree with the Member that addressing overcommitments and living within the budget should be the top priority for any Minister. All Ministers are autonomous within their Departments and have to take decisions to live responsibly, but the consequences of any Department overspending this year would be dire for the…
Minister, do you agree that any Department that is reporting an overcommitment should not be committing to additional discretionary spend? What steps can you take to ensure that that situation does not arise again?
I have certainly made no secret of how difficult the financial situation is, particularly for this year. It will still be a challenge for Departments to live within budget. As we have already outlined in contributions to the Assembly, we anticipate a significant amount of Barnett consequentials for the rest of this…
The Budget sustainability plan is based on the plan to have a balanced Budget for 2024-25. Given the Minister's recent announcement of £769 million of overcommitment for the year, and the fact that we are still waiting to hear the outcome of the monitoring round, is she confident that the 2024-25 Budget can be…
The Budget sustainability plan is not, and was never intended to be, a panacea for addressing all the fiscal issues that the Executive face. Rather, it is the first step in a financial sustainability journey, providing a strategic framework that will allow Departments to consider how they can deliver long-term,…
The Budget sustainability plan is a first step on the Executive's journey towards fulfilling our longer-term ambition of integrating sustainability discussions into the heart of our processes and decision-making. As part of the plan, the Executive have agreed to a work plan that includes the development and…
The Budget sustainability plan reflects the amounts that will have to be raised through the regional rate to meet our obligation to raise the £113 million that needs to be raised over two years. The decision that the Executive took last year to keep the increase in the regional rate in line with inflation was taken to…