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I am agreeing. I understand why the accountability mechanisms are there; I totally get that. We absolutely should measure where government is delivering, but the difficulty is that we do not have a shortage of strategies and reports. What we do have is a shortage of delivery at the other end. My concern is that, five…
We were conscious, first, that there not should not be a strategy for strategy's sake and that there should not be reporting for reporting's sake. We built accountability into the Bill. Part 2 is about accountability and transparency. There is a level of reporting in it, but also a level of evaluation. Evaluating what…
I am not here to make DUP or Sinn Féin speeches. I am here to try to get better for ordinary people, and that is at the heart of what Sinéad is trying to do. You introduced a thought into my head about manufacturing. Central government in the South implemented a strategy to grow manufacturing. The outworking of that…
Thank you for giving way, and I agree with you regarding the amazing work being done in the industrial manufacturing sector in mid-Ulster. Does the Member agree that one great thing that it has benefited from is the manufacturing derating grant, which has ensured that mid-Ulster businesses have grown and continue to…
I thank the Member for taking an intervention. Success in mid-Ulster has been in spite of central government, not because its assistance. That is why I had to say repeatedly to Diane Dodds, when she was Minister, that it felt like Groundhog Day because I was repeatedly asking for support for those engineering…
I agree with everything that you are saying. Ultimately, the "why" is the social justice issue here: we have people not getting opportunities because of where they are from. That is the fundamental difficulty. On the other side of it, there are things that are working in areas. It is not as if it is uniform and…
I thank the Member for taking an intervention. I agree with what you are saying about diagnosing the issue and why it is happening. That is why I have listed a series of indices at clause 7. There is no one statistic that can tell you how you will achieve regional balance. There is a plethora of economic statistics…
On behalf of the Alliance Party, I welcome the Bill and thank Sinéad for bringing it to the House. Phillip mentioned that the Committee went to Derry on one of our first trips, and, every time that I have been up there, it has been brilliant. Sinéad, I was reminded of you, Pádraig and Gary, before Julie's time here.…
Thank you for that intervention, but I revert to my point that we are not going to get to a situation in which there is equilibrium in performance data across Northern Ireland. That does not happen in any other democratic country in the world, and it is not going to happen here in Northern Ireland. Ultimately, growth…
I thank the Member for taking an intervention. I will be very clear on this: we are not talking about taking investment away from Belfast. I do not accept that. We are not talking about taking investment away from anywhere. I want Belfast to continue to succeed, but Belfast doing well should not require any other…
I welcome that. As the Member rightly says, she has looked at local government districts in clause 7, but she also has "relevant data catchments", which is important. I was, however, simply responding to the Member who spoke previously. It is important to recognise, while not taking away from the merits of the Bill,…
Thank you very much, and thank you for the kind words at the beginning of your address. I know that we are drifting into other areas, but I looked at the definition of "regions" in clause 7 of my Bill and clearly indicated that we are looking at the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) and at…
I do not think that he is going to take me up on my offer. On the second point, the point that I was making was that, actually, the communities that the Department for the Economy is trying to claim are in Belfast are not in Belfast. Toomebridge and Portavogie — areas that are defined in the subregional economic plans…
Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. In fairness to Mr Delargy, it would place a duty on all Departments, including the Department for Communities. I would support a proposal, however. Perhaps, Mr Delargy, you and I could go jointly to your colleague the Finance Minister following the debate and say that the derating grant…
I thank the Member for giving way. I have two points to make. First, we are talking about Belfast in a very generic sense. I very much recognise that there are areas in Belfast that do not get the investment that they need and that have historically not got the investment that they need, particularly North Belfast,…
Indeed. Hopefully, your dulcet tones will be picked up as well, Mr Deputy Speaker. The point that I was making was that my first visits were to Foyle and Coleraine. As a proud unionist, I want all parts of Northern Ireland to benefit from our membership of the United Kingdom. I then visited Fermanagh and South Tyrone,…
As a proud Belfast man, I am going to use a Belfast phrase when speaking to a proud Derry woman: fair play to you, Sinéad, for introducing this Bill. There is no doubt that a huge amount of work and time has gone into it. Many people may criticise you, but one thing that cannot be criticised is your determination when…