Arlene Foster
The Diplomat
People, composure and the difficult conversation held well.
Arlene Foster is a seasoned political leader who has navigated the intricacies of Northern Ireland's governance and the challenges of Brexit. This interview highlights her focus on collaboration and her commitment to maintaining stability and peace in a historically divided region.
“As I said, we hope to have the Programme for Government consulted on and coming forward by the end of April. That is the target date, and we very much hope to meet that. We accept that, given the COVID restrictions, that is somewhat difficult, but that is the target at present.”
“I thank the Member for her question. We have set up a task-and-finish group in the Executive Office to deal with that very issue. The Department of Health, the Department for the Economy, the Department for Infrastructure and the Department of Justice also attend, along with the Central Procurement Directorate.”
“As I indicated, the Department of Finance leads on the PEACE PLUS programme. The deputy First Minister and I take a great interest in it, because it often augments other programmes. When we are trying to help a community, it is a cocktail of funding that comes forward but SEUPB is sometimes the largest funder.”
“I have not heard Professor Scally's comments, and I am sure that he would not be surprised by that. It is important that we have plans in place to deal with the issues in front of us. I join the Member in paying tribute to our health and social care staff, all those who have put themselves in harm's way for the community.”
Political Thinking with Nick Robinson — The Arlene Foster One
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