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It was, of course, heartbreaking, to see so many family businesses and people who have built up their trade over generations lose so much after the recent floods. Those small and medium-sized businesses are the lifeblood of our local town centres. A number of steps have been taken to help them overcome the impacts of…
I thank the Member for his question. Yes, the high streets rely massively on local businesses and local footfall; we rely on people going on to the high streets. The Member mentioned the bigger companies. Unfortunately, that is where society is going, but, of course, we want to support town centres and to see more…
I thank the junior Minister very much for that answer. My town of Coleraine has lost Marks and Sparks to out-of-town shopping, and, since that, our footfall has dropped by 14%. Are there any plans for the high street task force to try to reverse the trend of shops in town centres going to out-of-town shopping centres?
High streets are at the heart of our society in more ways than one. Not only do they drive the economy but they create shared spaces where society thrives. The task force report was published in March 2022, and, at that time, former junior Ministers paid tribute to the work that the task force did and welcomed the…
I thank the deputy First Minister for giving way. Minister, do you agree that, while those programmes have been effective — my background is in community development as well, so I recognise the good work — the motion is about embedding good relations and a shared future in all our Departments, not just in a…
Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I will try to speak very quickly. I am grateful to be afforded the opportunity to respond to the motion. First, I offer my apologies for being late for the beginning of the debate and for missing Ms Bradshaw's contribution. I was at the North/South Ministerial Council. We tried to get…
I support the motion and commend those who tabled it. It has been a real privilege to listen to David's personal testimony, because that is where it all happens: it happens with love and with sharing our community. I also enjoyed the poem that Mike mentioned — I have just downloaded it. It is very good, and it teaches…
I thank the Member for giving way. Your story about your grandmother brings me back to our code of conduct. As MLAs, we are supposed to promote good relations. The motion gives us an opportunity to show the public that, as an Assembly, we are coming together in a way that is conducive to promoting good relations by…
I have said before in the Chamber that I probably would not be here were it not for my community involvement, particularly in local sports clubs in Lagan Valley. I stand as a proud development officer of Glenavy GAC. I do not come from a GAA background, nor does my wife or any of her family. Before Matthew O'Toole…
I support the motion, and I congratulate the Alliance Party on tabling it. It is a really important conversation, and, as Members have said, it is useful that we take stock of where we are in the North, as we are a post-colonial, post-conflict society. We have to acknowledge that sectarianism exists and that we will…
Does the Member agree that, if we were to address the cost of division, there would be more money for sustained services in the communities that she has just described?
I am glad to speak on the motion today, particularly as it calls for the development of a cross-departmental shared future strategy. My and my party's vision of a shared future is one where everyone can be safe, play their part and be treated fairly and with respect. We believe in a society for everyone that is…
A shared future for the people of Northern Ireland is something that, I trust, we are all committed to in the Assembly. Indeed, that is a key theme of the Executive. For example, the Executive Office has programmes such as Together: Building a United Community, Urban Villages and Communities in Transition. It is also…
First, the motion is useful to assess where we are and where we are going. I thank the Alliance Party for tabling the motion. I will touch specifically on a few elements and look at their practical impact in my constituency and at the space to develop and improve on them. Those are within the T:BUC strategy and around…
I and the SDLP will, of course, support today's motion, which I commend the Alliance Party for tabling. I will make a few points about the motion and on the broad theme of reconciliation and moving our society away from division. The work of ending division is core to my party. Mr Nesbitt mentioned our former leader.…
While it is on my mind — before I forget — Carál Ní Chuilín made reference to "middle-class sectarianism", which is an important issue to be debated. I am not sure whether she has read John Hewitt's fabulous poem 'The Coasters', but, if she has, she will know that it speaks very much to her theme. I have a spare copy…
Thank you for the opportunity. I thought that I had spelt quite a bit of it out, but an example is a new housing development in my constituency that went for shared housing funding and got turned down. There are practical examples of where funding has not been given when people wanted to progress good relations and a…