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 thank the Member for giving way. The point that I was simply trying to make was that it is not right that we have educational inequality to the extent that it impinges on life chances and that is what we need to get right. Yes, there is a regional imbalance, but I am sure that the Member will agree that we need to…
It has been an interesting debate. There has even been a little politics in it, which we got out of somewhere. It is great for a community when it has a number of jobs and the choice of employment, whether that is in the public sector or the private sector. You know that communities are thriving when you see people…
I thank the Member for giving way. Does the Member agree that careers advice in schools is critical and that it is appalling that some schools in Northern Ireland will not point their students in the direction of appropriate careers advice?
Alliance will support the motion and the amendment. You would be hard-pressed to find anybody who would stand up and say that they do not support more job creation. I echo some of what Sinéad McLaughlin, the Member for Foyle, said about the earlier debate on education and poverty when she was moving her amendment. Do…
The Economy Minister set out his economic vision a month ago today. That vision was based on creating good jobs, increasing productivity, tackling regional imbalances and transitioning to net zero. Therefore, Sinn Féin will support the motion and the amendment today. We can absolutely endorse the calls for an…
I welcome the motion and our amendment on the need for ambitious targets for job creation. It is often said that what you do not measure, you cannot achieve, and that is no truer than when considering the change that is needed in our economy. Whether that change is to our stubbornly high rate of economic inactivity,…
I beg to move As we embark on a new chapter in the Northern Ireland Assembly, we have an opportunity to make Northern Ireland an even better place in which to work, live and invest. The new Executive, working together, can make a positive difference to the economic and social well-being of so many across our society.…
The motion is about giving children and young people the best start in life. Approximately 100,000 children and young people in the North are entitled to free school meals. The free school meal programme is designed to support families on the lowest incomes. It takes away a significant expense for parents whilst…
I thank the Member for giving way and for his work on that campaign. Will he agree that we cannot just use the criteria of economics to count the importance of investing in universal free school meals? That is sometimes the approach that is taken by the Department and even officials.
As Members across the House have stated, there is widespread support for the motion and the amendment, and that is welcome. I thank the Members who tabled the motion. Holiday hunger is a critical issue that we, as an Assembly, need to try to address. I do not want to go through each contribution one by one. We can…
Thank you, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker. I welcome the opportunity to respond to the motion and engage on what is a very important issue. At the outset, I recognise the pressure on families, especially those with school-age children, from the rising cost of living and, in particular, increasing food costs.…
This is an important debate. Mrs Dodds was right to point out that the issue stretches far beyond the remit or responsibility of the Department of Education; there is a collective responsibility on the Executive to resolve the problem. Just last week, we saw a stark and hard-hitting report from the Northern Ireland…
First, I thank those who tabled the motion and the amendment. I also thank the groups that work so hard on tackling child poverty: Save the Children, Action for Children, Barnardo's and women's groups, to name just a few. They have continued to highlight child poverty and the impact of food poverty on young people.…
Is there anything more abhorrent than the fact that at least 100,000 children have gone hungry, thanks to the action and inaction of government parties here? Can you imagine the hardship and suffering faced by 100,000 children with empty bellies and their families? Despite the motion before us today, do the new…
I thank the Member for giving way. As a teacher, I saw at first hand the impact that children coming to school hungry has on their education and everything that they do in school. Does the Member agree that it is on all parties and all Departments to work together to collectively deliver on the policy?
Thank you, Madam Deputy Principal Speaker. Did I get that right? Is that the right order? Today we address an urgent issue that affects the very fabric of our society: children going hungry. It is a travesty that, in our supposedly advanced society, children and young people in Northern Ireland are still going hungry…
I add my support to the motion and the amendment. I will say a few words on this really important issue. We have all had to deal with high inflation and the cost-of-living crisis. The cost of food, particularly for families, has rocketed dramatically. In recent times, food inflation has peaked at 19·1%. That is a…
Families are already struggling with the rising costs of uniforms and childcare, never mind the rising costs of everyday bills and utilities. Food poverty can affect all of us at some point. I have seen that all too often with families in my constituency of South Down. The loss of a job, a reduction in earnings or a…
Thank you, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker, for allowing me to speak in this significant debate. It is absolutely right that the Assembly and, indeed, the Executive coalesce on issues relating to any child going hungry — something that should not happen in today's society in Northern Ireland or, indeed, anywhere else…
I support the motion and the amendment, and I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the debate. It is the job of a Government to protect the most vulnerable in society. Children, by their nature, are vulnerable. They cannot support themselves by getting a job and securing an income, so they must rely on others to…
I thank the proposers for tabling such an important motion. As an Assembly, we have so many issues and priorities that we need to address, but few are as important or urgent as poverty, specifically child poverty. As Danny said, our children deserve the best. When children have a good start in life, a safe and stable…
I beg to move Children and young people deserve the best start in life. As workers and families continue to face financial pressures, our most disadvantaged children are paying the price. Savage Tory cuts to vital programmes in schools, such as holiday hunger payments, Healthy Happy Minds, the Engage programme and…
On a point of order, Mr Speaker. For clarity on a question that I asked the Economy Minister earlier and to keep myself right, I declare an interest as I have a close family member who works in Spirit Aerosystems.