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.
First Minister, the last time that you came before the Executive Committee, you told us that you did not see Michael McMonagle at an event in this Building on 14 February, even though photographs emerged a few days later showing that you were within feet of him. You told us that you did not engage with the British…
I am very happy to engage with the Committee. I know that the Committee is seeking legal advice. I look forward to seeing that. I am happy to clarify the record in terms of the questions that were put to me.
Minister, last week the Executive Office Committee issued an invitation to you to attend the Committee this week with regard to safeguarding and representation of victims and survivors. Will you be coming to the Committee this week?
I repeat that all child protection protocols were followed, with an immediate referral to the PSNI and also to social services. The protection of the young person was absolutely our primary concern. Niall Ó Donnghaile was held accountable and faced serious consequences for his totally unacceptable and inappropriate…
In the interests of transparency for victims and survivors, just last week, the First Minister's party leader, Mary Lou McDonald, faced calls to correct the record in the Dáil after she appeared to have misled the House in relation to the age of the victim of former Senator and former Sinn Féin Lord Mayor of Belfast…
Thank you for that. I commend the Member for the statement that she made earlier. Of course, we all send our heartfelt condolences to the families of each and every one of those women who have lost their lives because of violence against women and girls. Twenty-four women have been murdered since 2020. They were…
Following the further tragic news of yet more deaths of females in the North — indeed, I was on my feet earlier today in the Chamber to speak about that — can you outline your commitment to the ending violence against women and girls strategy on which your Department is leading?
On 13 September, in line with our child protection guidelines, and given that the complainant was under the age of 18, Niall Ó Donnghaile was suspended from the party and the issue was referred to the PSNI and social services in the North to investigate. At that point, I was made aware.
We are fully committed to protecting all children from harm and ensuring the highest standards of safeguarding and child protection. All staff in our Department must adhere to the NI Civil Service (NICS) child protection policy and guidance, and established procedures are in place for reporting concerns and…
The conference gave us an opportunity to set out our stall. I mentioned some of the selling points that we have, such as our strategic location. Dual market access is a unique selling point now and will attract investors. Look at some of the stats on our economic performance. In the past year, manufacturing exports to…
First Minister, what additional plans does the Executive Office have to promote Northern Ireland on the world stage and to help attract inward investment?
The purpose of the summit was to engage with international trading partners and demonstrate that we are very much open for business. We are confident that our positive engagement with stakeholders at the summit and the very clear message about our ability to support innovation and high-quality jobs will drive future…
I thank the First Minister for highlighting the North as a place for investment. Will the First Minister indicate the future benefit for the North as a result of the investment summit?
We are working our way through that. A previous submission was put out to consultation, and we will come back on that. I hope that it will be in the immediate period ahead. I cannot give you an exact date, but we want to bring it forward, because it is important that our investment strategy aligns with the Programme…
Last week, at the Executive Office Committee, we had some presentations on the draft investment strategy. Will you lay out the timescale for you and the deputy First Minister signing off on that?
It is unfortunate that the Member has decided to take away from that great opportunity for us to sell our wares and let people know that we are very much open for business. It was an investment summit that we turned out to and participated in. We had a great conversation on the Friday at the Council of the Nations and…
There was next to no media coverage of the First Minister and deputy First Minister's attendance at the international investment summit in London or, indeed, of the Council of the Nations and Regions last week in Edinburgh. Why were local media not given access to those events? Was it related to the First Minister…
The investment summit was an opportunity for us to make clear that our economy is very much open for investment. It allowed us to be visible to a wide range of global investment stakeholders and to engage directly with companies that might consider investing here, as well as those that already have a presence. We were…
I thank the Member very much indeed for giving way. I was on the Enterprise Committee when the RHI scheme was brought through, and I sat across the way for a good part of the inquiry. Members have talked about documents being inaccurate and misleading, consultations not being available to them, evidence being hidden,…
Thank you, Deputy Speaker. I want to set out my party's position. It is with regret that we debate this. The controversy around RHI alone warranted better engagement with the Committee and the groups that represent RHI boiler owners. "RHI": three letters that terrify some people, horrify others and, further, have left…
Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I intend to keep my remarks short. I welcome the Minister's proposal to close the scheme in order, as has been highlighted already, to be fair to participants and the public purse and so that there is no increased liability. It will obviously touch on the vast majority of participants,…
I and my party have deep concerns regarding the draft RHI scheme regulations 2024 and will therefore vote against them. The Northern Ireland (Regional Rates and Energy) Act 2019 outlined a commitment to a 12% average rate of return, yet the new tariff falls short. We know all too well the deficiencies of the RHI…
I beg to move I seek the Assembly's approval of the draft Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2024. The 'New Decade, New Approach' document, which was published in 2020, states: "RHI will be closed down and replaced by a scheme that effectively cuts carbon emissions." The current…
Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I thank Members for their contributions. The regulations mark a further step in the implementation of the Period Products (Free Provision) Act 2022. As I stated in my opening remarks, the regulations will sit alongside the Executive Office's separate duty under the 2022 Act to make period…