Claire Sugden
East Londonderry · Independent · Northern Ireland
“That is, gosh, almost 35 years ago, yet we are still having the conversation in 2026. If I were to speak to that eight-year-old girl, I would tell her, "When you are 40, Claire, this will not even be a consideration for you". Sadly, however, it still is. It is deeply disappointing that, when we had an opportunity, it was not taken.”
“Indeed, I tabled an amendment to that Bill to achieve the desired outcome, but, sadly, the opportunity was not taken. One of the strengths of the Assembly is that Committees can identify where Executive legislation has fallen short and produce their own practical, targeted solutions.”
“Frankly, we should be listening. Sometimes, we talk about equality in broad terms, but the Bill reminds us that equality is often about practical things. It is about removing unnecessary barriers from everyday life and ensuring that opportunities and choices do not depend on arbitrary differences between schools.”
“That is ridiculous. The point that we should all pay attention to is that of girls feeling less exposed. We should focus on that even if there were no other reasons to pass the legislation. Girls simply want to get on with their school day without having to think about something that most boys take for granted.”
“That meeting was a reminder that issues that can appear small to adults — there have been adults who have asked why the Assembly is legislating on this — can be issues on which we need to legislate. When people do not behave appropriately, we as a legislature have a responsibility to legislate.”
“Around one in seven couples in Northern Ireland experiences fertility problems, yet Northern Ireland continues to offer one of the most limited publicly funded fertility services anywhere in the United Kingdom. Couples face lengthy waits, restricted eligibility criteria and fewer publicly funded IVF opportunities than elsewhere.”
The complete record
Every one of 2,208 lines we hold for Claire Sugden, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 15 of 45.
“I congratulate the Minister on his new post. Minister, your statement referenced energy efficiency. Do you have any plans to introduce energy efficiency grants similar to what we see in GB with the green deal for commercial and residential properties?”
“I congratulate the Minister on his reappointment. A notorious road in the Riverside retail park in Coleraine has fallen into serious disrepair. Thousands of cars use that road daily. The issue is that it is not owned by anyone and redress for the individuals affected therefore cannot happen. There is legislation that enables the road to be adopted, but it requires the road to be brought up to standard first. Is the Minister willing to look at that, so that the burden does not fall on the general public but lies with his Department?”
“It is their lives, the lives of their families and the life of my baby girl, Indy, that we are responsible for changing for the better. I look forward to working with you all.”
“We need to reconcile, and we need to do that by not remaining apart and hiding who we collectively and individually are. We do it through integration, commonality, acceptance and respect — always respect. All of the above is an acknowledgement of who we are, but this institution needs to get on with the business of improving public services, hospital waiting lists, childcare, trust in our police force and preparing infrastructure, our skills and our economy for the opportunities that will now come our way. By focusing on these issues, we will give confidence back to the public, who desperately want this place to work. The numbers who marched for fair pay in Belfast city centre last month and those standing outside today calling for restoration far exceed the numbers who opposed it.”
“Sadly, we are formally doing that again today by not putting the Department of Justice into the d'Hondt process. My appointment, a number of years ago, was not a failure. It was progress, and I welcomed and appreciated Martin McGuinness doing that. If a unionist can be a Justice Minister, that paves the way for a nationalist to be a Justice Minister. However, today, it seems that it can be neither. Apparently, the courage that was displayed in 2016 is gone. <BR /> <BR />I respect that Michelle O'Neill, the leader of nationalism, is our First Minister. I am pleased for her and for the people whom she represents, because, as a confident unionist, they are my people too. I love Northern Ireland, and it breaks my heart to see us not reaching our potential, but we can change that, starting today.”
“Indeed, I encourage you all to work towards that goal, because today is not about one person or one political party; it is about the people of Northern Ireland, and we need to start serving them. <BR /> <BR />The constitutional question is important and will remain so. It is absolutely valid to be a unionist, nationalist or not to have made your mind up. Having an opinion on the context in which we deliver our public services is absolutely relevant. It is fundamental. Let us stop conflating this issue with orange and green. That is cultural, which is also important to many, but it is certainly not sectarian. We are not neutral. We are wonderful and varied people. Let us embrace that instead of tearing lumps out of each other. Let us stop excluding people because of their constitutional preference.”
“Thank you, Mr Speaker, and congratulations on your appointment. I wish to pay tribute to your predecessor. I always felt that he was fair in giving smaller parties and independent Members their rightful voice, and I hope that you will continue in that vein. <BR /> <BR />I congratulate Michelle O'Neill on becoming First Minister and Emma Little-Pengelly on becoming deputy First Minister. I am pleased for Michelle and Emma: both are capable, strong women who have worked in politics for a long time, and they will, despite the misogyny, continue that work. I wish all new Ministers success in their roles, because we need you to step up. We have heard our First Minister describe herself as the First Minister for all, and I welcome that.”
“I appeal to the Minister for Infrastructure, in the next few hours, to look at trying to fund that. Community transport picks up the pieces of the Ambulance Service. The Ambulance Service cannot even take people to hospital; patients wait for hours outside. Those are the issues that matter to people, and those are the issues that, I hope, the electorate will ask you about on the doorsteps. <BR /> <BR />Please, do what you can. There is not much time left, but I appeal to everyone to take responsibility for the power that they hold. If those are my last words as an MLA, they will echo the words that I spoke in my maiden speech.”
“Every week in my office, a constituent cries to me because they cannot get a house, they cannot put food on their table or they cannot heat their home. That will only get worse. What can we do? It is more than money. We could insulate homes. We could give free school meals to every family in Northern Ireland to take the pressure off. We could defer rates. There is so much that the Assembly could do, so, please, in the next number of weeks, do not tell people on the doorsteps that we can do nothing. If you are going to say that, what is this place about? It is certainly not about the issues that you say. <BR /> <BR />This morning, I attended a community transport meeting. Community transport takes elderly people out of their homes when our public services fail.”
“I genuinely appeal to the Democratic Unionist Party to demonstrate that you care about the issues. I know that you do, because your constituents submit questions as much as mine do. Do what you did in January 2022, when you withdrew your First Minister but allowed the Assembly to function. Demonstrate that you are willing to work towards fixing the issues that we are capable of and responsible for fixing. Maybe that could be an olive branch to the Secretary of State so that he could take some action and recognise that you will work if you are given the chance. <BR /> <BR />There are those who say that the Assembly and Executive are not capable of anything: we are. This day a week ago, I spoke at a cost-of-living crisis event.”
“Indeed, in recent weeks, the Northern Ireland Office, the Secretary of State and the Minister of State have talked about the momentum that is building around talks. I look forward to that, which is why it is disappointing that the Secretary of State saw fit to implement the law. He will have to change the law next week, because we are coming to a cliff edge at one minute past midnight tomorrow, when Ministers will vacate their offices. Normally, during a period of purdah, we have caretaker Ministers in place to enact the decisions that enable Departments to work on a day-to-day basis. We will not have that from tomorrow, so the Secretary of State will have to legislate. There is hypocrisy in that regard: a precedent was set previously. <BR /> <BR />Fixing the protocol, however, does not need to happen in the absence of an Assembly.”
“If we pull the rug from beneath them, we pull the rug from beneath our entire economy. I spoke to the Ulster Farmers' Union last week, and it outlined the issues that the protocol continues to cause. <BR /> <BR />It disappoints me that this has become a unionist-and-nationalist issue. I assure you that my issues with the protocol are not constitutional; they are trade issues and issues that affect my constituents. It saddens me that people no longer come forward because they see it as a green-and-orange issue. We cannot truly have a debate unless we outline the issues. I appeal to all in the House to stop talking and listen. <BR /> <BR />The protocol needs to be fixed. It can be fixed, and I truly believe that it will be fixed.”
“I support the election of a Speaker. I have no difficulty in supporting Patsy McGlone or Mike Nesbitt; both would do a great job. If anything, I would probably lean more towards Patsy McGlone: his service and sense of community is exactly what the Assembly needs. <BR /> <BR />I understand the issue, but I really do not understand the approach. From the outset of the protocol, I was prepared to see the opportunities that came with it, but, as it stands, I cannot support it because, within days and weeks of it coming into effect, I was contacted by farms, businesses and people who were affected by it. The protocol benefits some businesses, but they tend to be large businesses. We have to remember that, in Northern Ireland, we have a small- and medium-enterprise economy. The businesses most affected by the protocol are those businesses.”
“It is those people whom we will have to tell that we are not going to work next week. I really hope that we find a way through this situation, because Northern Ireland deserves better. I know that that is a phrase that is often used and almost misused, but Northern Ireland deserves better. That means fixing the protocol, but we need to do that together.”
“<BR /> <BR />It is important that we send a clear message that we, as Members of the Northern Ireland Assembly, need to fix the issues that matter to people in Northern Ireland. It is disappointing that we are unlikely to elect a Speaker today. To me, the Northern Ireland Assembly is more important than the Northern Ireland Executive. It provides accountability. It provides a voice. It is representation for every member of Northern Ireland. I do not stand here to bring my views and baggage to the table. I stand here representing the constituents of East Londonderry, and each of you sits in your seat representing your constituency.”
“The Northern Ireland Assembly is directly elected by the people of Northern Ireland. It is the people who have given you power, and the people want you to do a job. They want us to lead. They want us to take forward issues that matter to them and their families. <BR /> <BR />The protocol is such an issue. It deeply saddens me that the protocol has become an orange and green issue, because the protocol affects everyone in Northern Ireland. The issues relating to the protocol are not insurmountable, but they require a cross-community approach or an approach from every Member to try to fix those issues. We will not do that by not sitting here. We are not a voice by not sitting here.”
“The fact that you saw it through and managed to get our numbers back to where they need to be — we are not there yet, but we are making steps towards that — is remarkable, so I congratulate you all. That was despite the abuse that some of you faced, which was unacceptable, and we should very much stand against that. <BR /> <BR />I am now the longest-serving independent in Northern Ireland Assembly history, and that is a great honour for me. You may not recall it, because it is nearly eight years ago, but, in my maiden speech, I reminded Members to take responsibility for the power that they held. I will revise that to say this: take responsibility for the power that you have been gifted. There is a difference between the Northern Ireland Assembly and the Northern Ireland Executive.”
“Like others, Mr Speaker, I join in wishing you well in your retirement, whenever that may happen. You have been a fair Speaker, particularly in relation to smaller parties and independents, and, as someone who sits in this back corner, I appreciate the voice that you have given us. I certainly hope that your successor will also be mindful of those smaller voices, which, on their own, can sometimes be quite loud. <BR /> <BR />Good afternoon, Members, and congratulations to each of you on getting elected last week. It is my pleasure to sit amongst you in the Chamber, and it is regrettable that it may be one of the last opportunities for a while to do that. I congratulate in particular the women MLAs who were elected. For me, the election campaign felt particularly brutal towards women.”
“Minister, that is an unacceptable answer. It is your responsibility to speak to your Executive colleagues where issues are affecting everyone in Northern Ireland, including businesses, which, again, are under your direct remit. How are you working with your Government colleagues to address those issues? Investors are saying that they do not want to bring hundreds of millions of pounds to Northern Ireland, yet you say that that is not within your remit. That is not acceptable, Minister.”
“I will ask you a hard question, given that this is probably your last Question Time: is the shortage of GPs due to your Department's poor workforce planning over 10 years?”
“I thank the Minister for his response. That was really helpful. A misunderstanding exists about how GPs are managed, in that they are, essentially, private organisations that deliver an NHS contract. Minister, I am sure that you appreciate that accessing GP services across Northern Ireland is an issue about which we, as MLAs, are regularly contacted. The fact that the issue is so widespread leads me to believe that it is systemic.”
“I will ask the Minister this question: is that possible, and could she or her successor reform that definition so that we have integrated education not just in label but in ethos right across Northern Ireland? <BR /> <BR />I fully support integrated education, and I am so impressed by all the schools that have taken giant leaps in their environments while these institutions have struggled to get on their feet with the issue. Ultimately, I do not believe that the issue is about integrated education; it is about the wider system, and, in my experience, parents just want good schools with good facilities, good education and an environment where their children can grow to reach their potential and more.”
“I ask the Bill's sponsor and the Minister this question: is there an opportunity to build on the Bill and look at the definition of "integrated education" so that schools that describe themselves as "organically integrated" could be seen in that vein? That is where we eventually have to get to: a single education system that is entirely integrated. It would then not be one that we would have to put labels on. <BR /> <BR />A number of weeks ago, I looked at amending the Bill so that it would include those schools. Although unofficial, that could demonstrate that their integrated ethos is in line with the spirit of the Bill, and, again, I was told that that was not possible because of the Education Reform Order.”
“To give credit to all to whom I have spoken who oppose the Bill, they, too, support integrated education. They have shown me the work in their schools where they have created an inclusive environment that promotes an ethos of diversity, respect and understanding between those of religious beliefs and none in the same school every day. I am deliberately picking the words from clause 1. I understand their frustration that, due to the definition of "integrated school" under the Education Reform Order, they are not officially considered to be integrated. Rather, they are considered to be organically integrated.”
“It is not about removing faith or any other belief; it is about sharing it. It is not about being neutral; it is about respecting difference and learning from one another. <BR /> <BR />I recognise that the Bill has unintended consequences, and we should seek to mitigate them. I feel strongly about integrated education, so I am not prepared to directly vote against the Bill. That, in itself, sends a concerning message to the people of Northern Ireland. People want integration. They want consistency, from birth to preschool, to primary, to post-primary, to FE, to higher education and in their lives. They want Northern Ireland to reconcile, and that begins at the earliest opportunity. I will record an abstention because I have taken time to listen to the concerns about the unintended consequences. In fairness, the issues are valid.”
“Maybe it will motivate future Ministers to finally fix it. I appreciate that there is an ongoing review, as Mr Allister pointed out, but we need to get there more quickly. Forgive me, Mr Speaker, for not trusting that the Assembly in the next mandate will be any more successful at doing the job that we were elected to do. Mr Nesbitt said earlier that he has been waiting patiently for education reform and was prepared to wait for a little while longer. I am not, because a generation segregated is a lifetime divided. We know and live that today. <BR /> <BR />Ultimately, like others have said, I, too, would prefer a single education system in which faith, no-faith and all backgrounds that make Northern Ireland so richly diverse are equally embraced, respected and understood under one roof.”
“I will address that later in my contribution. I appreciate what the Member says. <BR /> <BR />The inability of successive Ministers to take forward this type of legislation to protect the integrated sector and others has led a private Member to seek legislative provisions for integrated education to fill a void and provide for those who choose official integrated education. I am also sympathetic to that aim. <BR /> <BR />I do not believe that the Bill's sponsor, as others suggested, was motivated to elevate the integrated education sector above others. Rather, she sought to address something that government had not addressed. If it creates a statutory supremacy for the integrated sector, surely we need to have a conversation about the broken education system, rather than the conversation that we are having about each sector.”
“I declare an interest: I am a governor of an integrated primary school in my constituency. I believe that our children should grow, develop and become the people whom they want to be in an environment that does not discourage who they are or facilitate one way of life above others. <BR /> <BR />Mr Allister and others described the Bill as creating supremacy for the integrated education sector because it puts integrated education on to a statutory footing that is not available to other sectors. I am sympathetic to that argument, but do he and others recognise that that is consequential to the inability of successive Education Ministers not to protect the integrated sector in line with other sectors?”
“I will record an abstention on the Final Stage of the Integrated Education Bill, and I hope that my contribution will go some way to explaining why. <BR /> <BR />It is important to note that my understanding of the publicised concerns around the Bill is that they are not necessarily related to the principle of whether we support integrated education but to how the Bill will sit in the context of other sectors as part of the wider education system. I think that, if this were a binary debate about being for or against integrated education, the Assembly, in 2022, would be broadly supportive. I am not here too long — eight years this May — but I remember when that would not have been the case, and integrated education would never have been entertained by the House. For the record, I support integrated education as a concept.”
“In Limavady, in my constituency, we are experiencing a difficult antisocial behaviour issue. Colleagues from across the constituency have asked for it to stop. Operationally, it is a responsibility of the PSNI, but the PSNI tells me that the legislation does not support it to take it through the full criminal justice system. Antisocial behaviour is a pattern of behaviour. Are there any plans to capture in legislation that pattern of behaviour so that we can bring people to justice, and, hopefully, deter anyone else from carrying it out?”
“My constituents and constituency colleagues will be familiar with a road in East Londonderry that causes considerable anxiety for constituents when they drive down it. For — gosh — nearly five years, I have been working with stakeholders on that road to try to bring it up to an adoptable standard, but the level of disrepair has become so severe that it is causing other issues, namely with the footpaths and street signs. Does the Department have any discretion in extenuating circumstances, such as when roads are dangerous, to potentially take that work on and adopt the road itself?”
“I thank the Minister for her response. The Minister and I met recently to discuss that issue. During that meeting, I expressed my frustration on behalf of not only local applicants but significant investors in Northern Ireland, who tell me that they are taking their multimillion-pound investments elsewhere. I appreciate that the Minister has talked about this being a cross-departmental piece of work, which I entirely agree with, but will she give us more detail of what it will entail and how we can genuinely put forward aims and objectives so that we can fix the issue once and for all?”
“On the scheme as a business stimulus scheme, I say, "Well done". I received a lot of good feedback from businesses in my constituency. However, as regards access, the Member knows that I have had issues with access to the scheme, particularly for older people. He referred to people who are aged 50-plus, but that is getting a wee bit young. I would be keen to see figures for people who are aged 60 to 65-plus to see where the potential access issues were. <BR /> <BR />I also note that his statement said that the council areas with the least spend were typically rural and tended to have an older population. Does the Minister see any correlation between the fact that those who were unable to access the scheme were from those areas and were perhaps older?”
“<BR /> <BR />I also hope that the UK will offer a home to those fleeing the conflict. I hope that the Northern Ireland Executive are preparing for that potential outcome or, at least, empowering civil servants to do so as we move towards dissolution. It is heartening to see efforts across Northern Ireland to support the Ukrainian people as they seek refuge from the conflict in nearby countries. People in my constituency are already collecting for humanitarian aid, and I will offer my office as a drop-off point. <BR /> <BR />I stand with Ukraine. My heart goes out to those who have lost loved ones in recent days, and I only hope that there is no more bloodshed. I also stand with those in Russia who do not want this, because they, too, will be caught up in Putin's reckless chaos.”
“<BR /> <BR />I will not attempt to make sense of Russia's motivation, other than to say that it seems that a man who has more money than is currently valuable to him is choosing power at the expense of lives, businesses and the democratic will of the Ukrainian people. We must unite in resisting his ego and supporting those who suffer because of it. As an Assembly, we need to show our support for international sanctions against Russia. We need to send a clear message that the situation is unacceptable and that there will be consequences. I recognise, however, that there will also be consequences for UK businesses, including those in Northern Ireland. The Department for the Economy and the wider Northern Ireland Executive must review the situation and provide support to those who will be affected by it.”
“I appreciate the opportunity to record my solidarity with Ukraine. As a regional Assembly of the United Kingdom, we are somewhat limited in what we can directly contribute other than leadership, influence and humanitarian support. It feels surreal that, in 2022, Ukraine finds itself under such vicious attack. Babies are being treated in closets instead of hospitals; people are fleeing their homes and businesses; and others are taking a fatal risk because they do not have a choice. The Ukrainian president has confirmed that 16 Ukrainian children have been killed and 45 injured. I fear that that is only the beginning, and I hope that the planned negotiations will, at least, ensure a ceasefire. I am sceptical, however, because the war began long before the recent conflict, and Mr Putin has an aim.”
“Politics aside and moving forward, does the Minister believe that we should review how we allocate preschool places to the statutory and non-statutory sectors as part of the childcare strategy?”
“Rest in peace, dear Christopher, and God bless all who knew and loved him.”
“However, I hope that the raw feelings of grief that they are experiencing now will eventually fade to beautiful memories of a devoted father, a loving husband, a committed public representative and so much more. I am not sure that their pain will ever go away, but his family will find ways of moving forward with him inside each one of them.”
“<BR /> <BR />Christopher loved Her Majesty The Queen, Margaret Thatcher, the British Establishment and all the traditional character and dry humour that goes with it. I once sent him a link to a Christmas jumper that was for sale in the House of Commons. It was extravagant, it was British and it was Christopher. He loved it. Christopher was incredibly funny and full of wit, more than he was given public credit for. I always enjoyed seeing him approach me and hoped that he would tell me about something that he disapproved of. He was an absolute joy. <BR /> <BR />Christopher was so very young — only a few years older than me — but, my goodness, look at what he achieved in his short life. Of course, the hardest part for his family will be not having him in their lives any more.”
“He was the epitome of public service. South Belfast has lost a dedicated servant and a strong voice that was full of conviction. He believed everything that he said, and anyone listening to him saw and felt that too. <BR /> <BR />It is clear to all of us that Christopher truly enjoyed his role as Principal Deputy Speaker. He enjoyed the procedure, the ceremony and telling off the hecklers. We all enjoyed his telling us off too. I have no doubt that, had the role come with full ceremonial regalia, he would have worn it every time. It would have been pressed, the buttons would have shone and the collar would have been fluffed. In recent days, Mr Donaldson said that Christopher was likely to be the Speaker of the House one day; it is greatly to be regretted that none of us will see that day.”
“I, too, express my heartfelt condolences to Christopher's wife Laura, their four beautiful children, his family, including his mother, and his DUP colleagues. Christopher's passing is truly devastating for all who knew him. I have no doubt that every MLA — indeed, every public representative — felt the shock and deep sadness of Christopher's death yesterday. I felt numb. I still do. It feels so close, I suppose, because Christopher was one of us. We have lost one of our own. I know how divided the House often is, but, if we silence the noise and set aside the varying perspectives, through all of it, we are individuals who are trying to do a difficult job to help others and improve our ways of life. We give ourselves to public service and make many personal sacrifices in that vein. So, yes, Christopher was one of us.”
“I know that we often have to view that action in the form of tactile outcomes and targets, but really it is about influence and pressure, and I think that we have achieved that. Although there is a lot of negativity around the Chamber, the most important thing is that we get climate change legislation enacted in this mandate.”
“I will pose a question to the Minister. There are targets here that he disagrees with and is likely to vote against. If that is the case, and those targets are passed, is the Minister unlikely to move subsequent stages of the Bill? If that is the case, will we end up by the dissolution date with no climate change legislation in place? That is an important consideration, because we need to act now, not after the election or next year, when we can develop more legislation. We need to act now. <BR /> <BR />To bring my comments full circle, this did not start with Clare Bailey. It started with people outside this Building telling us that we needed to take action on climate change.”
“That does not mean that we should not set an ambition, but perhaps we need to look at it in the context and reality of how we apply it. <BR /> <BR />Either climate change Bill will be better for Northern Ireland, because, right now, we have nothing. Either one will be a positive step in how we move forward in our global effort to affect climate change, so I want to see at least one Bill passed in this mandate. I would like to see a more ambitious Bill and to think that the Government could support it. Sadly, my experience of nearly eight years as an MLA tells me that they cannot. Perhaps we should devise better government in the next mandate, and then we would be able to put more ambitious targets in place.”
“Small and medium-sized enterprises — farms — underpin agriculture and the Northern Ireland economy. It worries me that many people, not just the Ulster Farmers' Union but others, including processors, people across the supply chain and those who get their jobs from that supply chain, have contacted me in recent days, weeks and months to say that they are deeply concerned about the Bill. It is my job — our job — to listen to those concerns. <BR /> <BR />When we talk of targets, it is almost as though we need to just meet them. We can surpass the targets despite what is set in legislation. To an extent, it gives me comfort to think that, if we are working towards a 50% target, we can go past it and review it. The target is a long time away.”
“I have no confidence that the Bill's application will be anything other than a cut of the herd, as we have heard from the agri-food sector. I have asked the Minister a series of questions over the past number of months, seeking or suggesting various interpretations of data to ensure that agri-food is not disproportionately and negatively affected and is recognised for the work that it does on countryside management and in other ways. I am sure that the Minister knows more about that than I do. I do not think that the sector is being listened to or that the information is understood. Perhaps it cannot be understood at this point, but that gives me cause for concern about the application of the Bill and its targets. It concerns me, primarily, as a representative of rural communities and as a member of the Economy Committee.”
“They pass the buck; they say, "That is your remit, not ours". They do not think creatively or work consistently towards innovative solutions that could surpass the targets that Ms Bailey would have us vote for today. Therefore, while I support the ambition and the targets in principle, I really lack confidence about their application. <BR /> <BR />Sadly, given the current figures for agri-food emissions, I suspect that that sector will be the low-hanging fruit for that objective. The current debate, which is on a Bill and amendments that, I remind Members, do not specify a sector, is focusing on the agri-food sector. That leads me to believe that the Department and other Departments will focus their application and targets on the agri-food sector.”
“An important feature of any legislative process is that it should allow various views to be heard and considered, with the aim of shaping the Bill so that we end up with the right law. <BR /> <BR />The targets in the first Bill, which have since found themselves as amendments to this Bill, are ambitious and rightly so. We are in a climate emergency. We should overstretch ourselves in that ambition to, at minimum, stop the decline of our environment and, preferably, reverse it to give generations after us a safe and healthy future. I am unsure, however, that we have capacity in Northern Ireland to meet those targets without significant damage and/or unintended consequences. The lack of capacity that I talk about is actually a criticism of government. We do not have joined-up government. Departments do not work together; they work in silos.”
“Northern Ireland is a small region of the United Kingdom, of these islands, of Europe and of the world, so our practical impact on climate change will be limited. It is leadership, however, that can have a greater impact, and Ms Bailey has demonstrated that. She, as a Back-Bench MLA, has compelled a Government to do something that they were unlikely to do. She has unified most parties of the House in recognising the need for action now. I have listened to criticisms of Ms Bailey today that are unfair. We should see her work in the wider context of getting climate change legislation into the Northern Ireland Assembly. <BR /> <BR />It was my pleasure to sign up as a co-sponsor of the Climate Change Bill. I did so with no preconditions that the Bill could not change, develop or take recognition of our context.”