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.”
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“I join everyone else in wishing the team massive congratulations in qualifying for Euro 2022. I am incredibly proud, not least as two of my constituents, Lauren Wade and Chloe McCarron, made the squad. I have watched these young women grow up and travel the world improving their soccer skills. They are an example to many young women across the world, as are all the squad. This really was their greatest achievement and the win that we all needed, particularly given recent events. This is Northern Ireland; this is what we celebrate and how we move forward. They are not only inspiring this generation but future generations. They are role models — really incredible young women. <BR /> <BR />Kenny Shiels has instilled belief and confidence.”
“I forgot to declare an interest: my husband is a college lecturer. I am not asking on his behalf; rather, I am asking on behalf of a concerned constituent whose daughter chose an FE pathway instead of going into sixth form. She is worried that FE students will be disadvantaged, because sixth-formers are now back at school but FE students are not. I look forward to hearing about dates on Thursday, hopefully. It is important that no one be disadvantaged in our school system.”
“I agree with the Minister. Businesses need to open as soon as possible. In her responses, there are suggestions that others in the Executive are tentative about reopening. Given that the rate of infection is going down significantly, what reasons are being given by her Executive colleagues to continue staying closed?”
“I appreciate that the Minister and others do not wish to recognise the centenary, but is this not a lost opportunity to look forward for all in Northern Ireland by perhaps investing in youth and doing so in the name of NI100? For me, the centenary is about looking forward, and there is a real opportunity to do that. For all the issues that the Minister has raised, I think that we have to look at how we unite Northern Ireland moving forward. There is an opportunity to do that through NI100.”
“I know that some do not understand my appreciation and affection for the royal family, but those words reflect what they mean to me. They have been a "strength and stay" for me all these years. They have been part of my life, and I recognise that Prince Philip was part of that. May he rest in peace. He will be sorely missed.”
“Wherever he is, I am sure that he is delighted, because he had a life well lived. Since his passing on Friday, there have been a number of quotes. The one that has stuck with me and that others have mentioned is from the Queen. Describing Prince Philip, she said:”
“He was her hero, and he was her man — and what a man he was. He sacrificed so much to serve his Queen, to love his wife unconditionally and to fulfil his duty to country and Commonwealth. Physically, he walked two steps behind, but he was never really behind; he was his own man, and he carved his own path. That is particularly so in relation to young people, in whom he invested so much. Given the difficult past weekend and the images that we saw across Northern Ireland, we can learn from his example of investing in young people not just by giving them schemes and jobs but by understanding and listening to what interests them and how we can provide them with opportunities. <BR /> <BR />I watched a documentary about Prince Philip at the weekend and was so impressed by his sense of duty and his service to people. He said:”
“He questioned whether my life experience — in 2014, I was a very fresh 27-year-old MLA — qualified me to be an elected representative. I wish that I had been as quick in responding to him, but I stood there with my mouth open, so I suppose that, in some ways, he was right. Seven years later, with more experience and more life, I reflect on Prince Philip's work throughout his 99 years, and I do not think that any of us, even if we are fortunate enough to live as long as he did, will have the life experience that he had, because his life was truly remarkable. <BR /> <BR />Since learning of the Duke's death, I have been most affected by the end of the partnership of the Queen and her prince. Theirs really is the greatest partnership in British history, a love story that lasted a lifetime and inspired generations. I am so sad for Her Majesty.”
“Mr Speaker, thank you for your kind and respectful comments at the outset. As I am someone who will always consider herself British as well as Irish, they are much appreciated. <BR /> <BR />On behalf of East Londonderry, I offer my condolences to Her Majesty The Queen, the royal family, the United Kingdom and to all those who knew and loved His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Prince Philip visited my constituency many times. On probably his final visit to the area, I had the pleasure of meeting him; indeed, he was the first royal that I met in my role as MLA. He was interested, he gave his time, and he was witty. I am delighted to say that I have my own story of his wonderful sense of humour.”
“They accepted things that no person should have to accept, but they did that for the sake of peace and a better future. Last July, we saw thousands of people in uniform on the streets of Belfast. I do not think that that goes to the spirit of the Good Friday Agreement nor is it conducive to an inclusive society or a peace that those people made sacrifices for. <BR /> <BR />It is the sacrifices of the last year that we have to be acutely aware of today. I appeal to all leaders of the House, even those who broke the rules. I appreciate Mr Nesbitt's contribution. He broke the rules, but he said sorry for breaking the rules and took action that was symbolic of that apology. I want to see that from the deputy First Minister.”
“<BR /> <BR />I also share in other Members' comments about policing and confidence in policing. I feel very sorry for police officers on the ground. I feel particularly sorry for them in my constituency, where we are expecting people to descend on the north coast. Not just that, but we are expecting people to come and break the rules because they feel that there will be no consequences. That gives rise to fears of a very uncertain summer in Northern Ireland, and that worries me. I make this appeal to everyone in Northern Ireland: you are better for following the rules, and you are saving lives by doing so. Do not let the bad example of others discourage you in that. <BR /> <BR />On 10 April, it will be 23 years since the Good Friday Agreement. That agreement was a significant leap for all people from all sides in Northern Ireland.”
“It is not an excuse for you to say that you did not know. If there was any doubt, you should not have been there. You intentionally flirted with the rules hoping that it would not be noticed — but it was. It was noticed by every person in Northern Ireland, particularly those grieving families. <BR /> <BR />I could say a lot about what happened this week. Ultimately, it was the result of poor political leadership. To an extent, it was also the result of poor legislation and an inconsistent application of said legislation. I agree with the Justice Minister, insofar as the justice system is there to seek to prove alleged crimes, and that can be difficult to an extent. However, I have significant concerns that the police did not even seek to gather evidence, which is a critical part of that system.”
“Thank you. I thank the Member for his contribution. I will summarise by saying that I do not believe that there was any political leadership. Members on this side of the House have as much responsibility to everyone in Northern Ireland, not least the people who they would have vote for them. It is disappointing that that was put above the people of Northern Ireland last year. <BR /> <BR />Whether or not you believe that you knew the regulations, you acted against the spirit of the regulations. Further, it is your job to know the regulations, so if you are claiming ignorance, you are also admitting to incompetence. As political leaders, as the deputy First Minister, as the Finance Minister, as members of the Policing Board and as Members of the House, we are held to a higher standard because people look to us as an example.”
“I am so disappointed in the deputy First Minister and others, not least because they have yet to give a full apology for their actions, not apologising for someone's hurt. You do not own their hurt to apologise for it: you own the actions that led to their hurt. If anything meaningful can come out of today's session, deputy First Minister, it is that you apologise for what you did. It leads me to believe that, if this circumstance were to happen again and you had a choice to make about attending another funeral in similar circumstances, you would do it again. Sadly, the people of Northern Ireland believe the same. People are so angry. They have been angry since last July. The messaging around the COVID regulations was diminished at the point at which you appeared at that funeral.”
“I begin by thanking all those who have kept to the rules over the past year. It has been a difficult year, and it has been a significant sacrifice. Every day, I hear stories from people crying to me on the telephone about missed appointments for critical surgery or about not being able to see their loved ones and pleading with me to give them permission to travel to see someone whom they have not seen in years, because that is all that they have. I also pay tribute to all those whose lives have been lost over the past year. I am sorry that, as an Assembly, we had to take measures that saved more lives. I am sorry that we stopped people mourning in the way that they would have expected. <BR /> <BR />I will begin this where it should end, and that is with political leadership.”
“People say that we have to support women more. Maybe that is where we need to start. It is not a choice when society gives you no choice. If we are truly pro-life, we fix society if we can take this forward.”
“I want to say that abortion is not a binary choice between pro-life and pro-choice. It is an incredibly complicated issue in the context of an imperfect world and years of bad governance. Perhaps we should be providing better public services that support women and families, tackle societal attitudes, strengthen communities and address mental health. My goodness, we are a post-conflict society that has suffered years of trauma, yet we do not even scratch the surface of mental health.”
“That is something that we are not sure about, so whilst we can point to discrimination, what do we mean by that? <BR /> <BR />To labour the point around the law, what about women? Is it a form of discrimination — indirect discrimination — to prevent access to public health services that affect only women? I am not a legally trained barrister or solicitor to consider this law on the way, but the Bill throws up so many uncertainties for me. If the Bill makes its full passage through the House, I expect to find it going to the courts, and then it will not be implemented. So, what was the point of all this? <BR /> <BR />I want to let the House know that I take this issue very seriously. I spend hours speaking with people on all sides of the issue because it is really important, not least because of my conflict around abortion.”
“In advising them, I refer them to the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and section 75, my point being that discrimination is very specific in law. People may feel discriminated against, but our discriminations are not explicit enough to address those concerns. I am curious about that, because I genuinely do not know. Is the discrimination described as a principle of the Bill? Is it discrimination in law or is it Mr Givan's interpretation of discrimination? <BR /> <BR />Some legislation has been mentioned in relation to the issue at hand, but I do not know whether it applies, given that the person being discriminated in this instance is an unborn child. I would welcome it if any learned Members, for example, would intervene in order to enlighten me. Does our disability discrimination legislation apply to an unborn child?”
“Depending on the doctor's subjective diagnosis, and whether they diagnose as "severe" or "fatal", you might potentially accept their decision. So, what is the issue here? It is one of interpretation. I have concerns about abortion law as it stands. My biggest concern comes from abortions up to term for a range of circumstances. If the Bill has the scope to address that element, then I might consider supporting it. I would be keen to hear what the proposer says in relation to that. Term limits require legislative change but interpretation of legislation does not. <BR /> <BR />The proposer has leaned heavily on disability discrimination. Members will know that constituents regularly tell us that they have suffered discrimination.”
“Upon diagnosis, she treated it almost like a miscarriage and assumed that the health service in Northern Ireland would help her, but she was wrong. She journeyed to England for an abortion, and she told me that while she felt so much guilt, she equally knew the joy of being pregnant and how people responded to her as a pregnant woman, her pregnant belly and her glow. Understandably, she did not want to spend 10 weeks explaining why her feelings did not match theirs. Rather than provide her with healthcare and support at the time, government's failure scarred her. <BR /> <BR />My biggest concern about this legislation is that we are going to create a similar situation again. It is not about Down's syndrome or cleft palate or club foot; it is about severe impairment.”
“Mr Lunn pointed to that when he said that people do not want to make a decision about the matter so they want to keep the definition as loose as "severe fetal impairment" in order that they will not, potentially, have a lawsuit against them. Maybe that is something that we need to consider in relation to protecting doctors, particularly if we are still content to leave fatal fetal abnormality in the legislation. I do not judge the choices of parents in those circumstances because I have compassion to know that the decision to terminate is probably the most difficult decision that they will take, and I will never undermine anyone for saying that it is less than that. <BR /> <BR />Another constituent had a diagnosis of fatal fetal abnormality, and she very much wanted her baby so that her son could have a brother or a sister.”
“Surely, it is shortly after birth or within 28 days, as defined in the Republic of Ireland. I have a constituent who was diagnosed with a fatal fetal abnormality, and she chose to carry that child to term. She gave birth. The baby was beautiful, as all babies are, but was severely disabled and died at 13 days old. Is that an experience of severe fetal impairment or fatal fetal abnormality? <BR /> <BR />It seems that the term "fetal impairment" has developed because of the uncertainty around the definition of fatal fetal abnormality. Poor guidance and interpretation have meant that doctors do not want to be responsible for those decisions, and that is the fault of government.”
“However, I am sure that there are examples of severe fetal impairment where most of us would accept, not necessarily agree with, the choice. <BR /> <BR />I recall, from the discussion about fatal fetal abnormalities in 2016, that some Members did not agree or accept it as a reason then, but, interestingly, they are inadvertently accepting it now. That is not a criticism, because opinions change and more information becomes available, but it is a fundamental difficulty of this debate. Furthermore, definitions of both severe fetal impairment and fatal fetal abnormality are ambiguous and subject to interpretation. It remains a point of debate about fatal fetal abnormalities, and I do not intend to cause distress in asking this: at what point is it fatal?”
“I cannot see anywhere that suggests that Northern Ireland cannot develop its own interpretation, especially as the GB interpretation is outdated. It was interpreted at a point when there was less information and is not reflective of views in the UK today. <BR /> <BR />To be fair, it suggests that people with those specific conditions cannot lead fulsome lives, which is entirely wrong. My nephew had a quite severe club foot. He is now 11 years old and can run rings around me. He has a fulsome life. Maybe our focus needs to be on interpretation rather than legislation. I have concerns about the Bill because, in some severe cases — I do not mean Down's syndrome or club foot; I mean severe cases of fetal impairment — it may be a reasonable medical choice for parents. I am not an expert; no Member of the Assembly is.”
“Mr Givan's Bill seeks to amend only one element of the Abortion (Northern Ireland) (No. 2) Regulations 2020 — 7(1)(b) — to remove or repeal the regulation that allows termination of pregnancy up to term in cases of severe fetal impairment. Can I, therefore, assume that, as the Bill does not attempt to address any other elements of the abortion legislation, in particular, fatal fetal abnormalities, the proponent of the Bill accepts those types of cases? I say "accept" rather than "agree" because I understand the Member's personal view on the issue more generally. <BR /> <BR />There seems to be much focus in the debate on the interpretation of regulation 7, in that it mirrors the law in GB, which allows abortion up to term for conditions such as Down's syndrome, cleft palate and club foot, but does it have to?”
“I call on every man in the Assembly; I call on every man in the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland and every man across the world to recognise this for what it is. Women are disproportionately victims of this type of violence. Violence that happens against men is disproportionately perpetrated by men. We need to get on top of it now if we genuinely want to address the issue. Otherwise, we will have to edit our comments. Otherwise, even smaller parts of the issue do not get heard. It worries me that we are not focusing on the right issue. That is a really important message to come from the Assembly today and across the UK.”
“I call on the Minister of Justice immediately to bring forward a strategy to address violence against women and girls; indeed, I call on the First Minister and deputy First Minister to do it, because it is a gendered issue, and that falls within the remit of their Department. <BR /> <BR />I was pleased to hear the First Minister talk about this last week. We really need to shine a light on it. Yes, I appreciate what people say about the need to protect ourselves, but we need to get to the root cause of the problem so that that does not need to be our first consideration. We need to understand why it happens, and we need to address it in that way. <BR /> <BR />I was triggered by some of the commentary at the weekend. I was really saddened when I thought that this would never change until we genuinely recognise where the issue is.”
“I offer my condolences to the family and friends of Sarah Everard. My thoughts are also with every woman who has felt fear because she is vulnerable in a way that she should not be. <BR /> <BR />On Friday, I spoke out about the incident. I deliberately edited my comments, knowing that people would come back on me and say that this is not just about women. We need to face the fact that this is disproportionately about women. When we talk about violence against women, we should also look at violence against men. Do you know what the common factor is? Men tend to commit these crimes against both men and women. We need to call that out. I ask every man in the Chamber to stand up for this issue and recognise it for what it is. Of course we know that it is not all men. That is not the point. The point is that it is a disproportionate issue.”
“There are a lot of opportunities. I am pleased that the Minister is looking at this and trying to develop something new. That is good for everyone in Northern Ireland.”
“I organised a call with the Minister prior to the debate, and we talked about young women and the businesses that they are taking forward, businesses that fit into their lives and their family lives but give them the opportunities to be successful. In 2021, they utilise social media and other opportunities to ensure that their business is a success. We cannot look at the economy in the traditional way that we did before, particularly in a post-COVID era. COVID seems to have pushed us forward”
“That will require improved infrastructure, and we see a broadband roll-out across Northern Ireland that will help with that. However, there might be other things that we need to do. How do we support people working from home, particularly if they live in rural areas? It is not enough to say that you get in front of your laptop, behind your desk, as I am doing now. Social interaction is important, and important relationships need to be built. How do we feed that into a skills strategy that considers a new, post-COVID world? <BR /> <BR />We also have to look at the issue in light of it being 2021. What does the economy look like? Today is International Women's Day.”
“It is important that we look at that. <BR /> <BR />The Department for Communities should also have an input, as others have said. I remain disappointed that Job Start has not been progressed in Northern Ireland, despite assurances that we would get it last November. There are jobs and opportunities there. Northern Ireland is at a disadvantage because we are not progressing that scheme. We need to ensure that there is cross-departmental working on that type of scheme in any future skills strategy and ensure that we can take the opportunities when we find them. We will be left behind, and that serves no one in Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />We also have to look at the situation in a post-COVID era and what that means when we work from home.”
“We need to look at our system of education, the career pathways and the advice that is given to young people when they get to the point in their life when they decide what they want to do. It is not enough to say that people should go down a certain pathway because of who they are or because of their background. Today, I heard that some young women were not being encouraged to go down the STEM route, for example. That might be simply because of their gender or, perhaps, because their school has not encouraged that route previously and there is no legacy of that. We need to look at how we develop that. We need to ensure that the advice given in a school is in line with the advice given in all other schools across Northern Ireland. Someone in rural east Londonderry should not have different opportunities from someone in Belfast or Derry.”
“As other Members have said, not everybody needs to go to university or have a full, formal education to get to where they want to be. I was on a call with the Minister prior to the debate, and we talked about the value of all jobs and all skilled work, whether it is that of an electrician, an architect or in other areas. It is really important that we put the same value on that and ensure that we work towards a strategy that also considers people's passions. People will want to work if it is an area in which they are interested. It is not good enough to say that people should just get a job; it is about investing in them as individuals, and they in turn will invest in their communities. <BR /> <BR />Others spoke about cross-departmental working, which is key.”
“They want to come to Northern Ireland because they believe that we have a very good skills offer. That is something that we must continue to build on. For example, one of the great policies taken forward by the Department for the Economy is the Assured Skills programme. I understand that the Minister continually announces new opportunities in that respect. What is great about such policies is that they look at industry and at the skills that are required and then enable individuals through on-the-job experience, and, hopefully, they get a job at the end of it. They invest in the individuals themselves, insofar as they will take an interest and decide whether it is for them. That is really important. <BR /> <BR />The same could be said for apprenticeships.”
“It is my pleasure to contribute to the debate as an independent Member for East Londonderry and as a member of the Committee for the Economy. <BR /> <BR />I associate myself with many of the comments made by other Members, in particular those of my colleagues on the Economy Committee. The micro inquiry is important work that sought the views of many stakeholders, who have a valuable input in developing a new skills strategy for Northern Ireland. I hope that their input will be considered. <BR /> <BR />I want to talk about the skills strategy in general, and my first comment is on previous success. I speak to many businesses across Northern Ireland, and I ask them why they wanted to come to Northern Ireland when other regions were open to them.”
“<BR /> <BR />I support the focus on maintaining good health during the pandemic. Good health, however, includes good mental health. At what point do we realise that the reaction to COVID-19 is creating another pandemic, an illness that has long infected Northern Ireland because of trauma suffered? Every year, government inaction creates a new variant, and, sadly, for too many people, including young people, that variant is deadly. <BR /> <BR />I appreciate that there is a bottom line. I appreciate that Departments need to ease internal pressures in order to ensure day-to-day operations. However, we are in the business of public services serving the people of Northern Ireland. We need to serve them, we need to serve them well and we need to do better.”
“I really understand, but Job Start will help people to get back into work in a meaningful way that considers young people's interests, talents and skills and actually keeps them in work. It is investment to save, investment to innovate and investment in our young people. <BR /> <BR />To labour the point, those young people are already accessing income-related benefits because there are no jobs for them in the midst of a pandemic. Why not provide income-related benefits via a workplace that is willing to give them experience and training and, potentially, a job at the end of the programme? Young people do not want to be at home. They want to work. They want to build a life for themselves, and it really baffles me why our Executive are not helping them to do that at this juncture.”
“Given that the Kickstart scheme in GB launched several months ago, our young people who want to live and work at home now because of the pandemic will reluctantly move away from Northern Ireland towards other aspirations and jobs. <BR /> <BR />The Northern Ireland Executive's inaction is actively contributing to our brain drain and to our loss of skills, impacting on our economic investment opportunities and, most concerning, telling our young people that they are not valued. I wrote to the Minister about Job Start, and he responded outlining the challenges of the previous year, the ongoing effect of the pandemic and the impact on the number of individuals requiring support, particularly from the Department for Communities in helping people get back to work to earn an income.”
“To be fair, I would understand if a better and more flexible variation were launched in Northern Ireland, but it does not feature in the Bill, which makes no sense. The Job Start scheme is an income-based scheme that is delivered by the Department for Communities, not the Department for the Economy. It ensures income as well as providing people with valuable work experience that will eventually lead them into jobs. <BR /> <BR />The Minister highlighted the necessity for income support, particularly during the pandemic. Job Start sitting in the Department for Communities is income support with added value, so why is it not in the Budget? Every day that the Northern Ireland Executive do not launch the scheme, another young person will seek opportunities elsewhere.”
“<BR /> <BR />I intend to speak at length to only one omission in the Budget, as other Members raised many of my other concerns, and I am grateful to all of them. They raised important concerns about mental health; special educational needs; an economy stimulus regionally and more locally on the high street; rural needs, including improvements of infrastructure; and access to services. <BR /> <BR />I remain disappointed by and represent the concerns of young people and employers that labour market interventions have not appeared in the Bill. Given that under-25s make up the biggest proportion of those people who have been made unemployed, it is short-sighted at this point to shelve schemes that would help young people into work. <BR /> <BR />The Job Start scheme, for example, is a variation of Westminster's Kickstart scheme.”
“Every year since 2016, there has been a crisis, and, every year, crises are given as a reason not to govern. I accept that we cannot control some of those events, but we can control how we react, and, to an extent, we can control our environment. It is all of our jobs to improve public services for everyone in Northern Ireland, but somehow that stopped. It stopped four years ago and it stopped last March. <BR /> <BR />Again, I do not underestimate the challenges of the past year. It has been unprecedented, but we need to get a grip on our public services, because undoubtedly while the pandemic has made public services difficult, public services as they are have made the pandemic even more difficult.”
“We must get back to an outcomes-based approach that focuses on public services rather than on public spend. However, alongside any approach, we need leadership, responsibility and courage from those who are delivering. Otherwise, the strategy is just words on paper. <BR /> <BR />We must also find a better way of responding to unexpected events and circumstances and find a way to address the immediate issues in parallel with solutions to our long-established problems, such as waiting lists, which were as much an issue last year as they are today.”
“I appreciate the opportunity to contribute to today's Second Stage of the Budget Bill. Given the stage of the debate and the time of the evening, I promise you that I will make this brief. <BR /> <BR />I understand the pressures of the previous year. I understand the pressures of creating a Budget in the final year of a mandate with no discernible Programme for Government other than a political document dubbed 'New Decade, New Approach'. Sadly, it was not a new approach. We still have parties competing with each other in and out of government; we still have Ministers working in their siloed Departments; and we still have one-year Budgets, which provide no opportunities for long-term planning, stability and good governance. <BR /> <BR />Many Members have spoken today of the necessity of a strategy, and I agree.”
“I thank the First Minister and deputy First Minister for their statement. It is clear that the virus is responding to the vaccination programme, but I also expect that it is responding to the change in season. Autumn and winter will come again, and, due to variants, as the deputy First Minister said, there could be a spike towards the end of the year. I think that it was you, deputy First Minister — perhaps it was the First Minister — who said in November that we need to learn to live with the virus. How do we do that? We cannot keep finding ourselves in restrictions and lockdown, and we cannot keep shutting down our economy and our society.”
“The Minister talks about outcomes-based accountability and cross-departmental working. You would think that it was 2016, albeit without the five years still ahead of us. Minister, I welcome the review. Out of the context of a Programme for Government, however, I wonder how cross-departmental and outcomes-based the review can be. To truly affect outcomes, it has to dovetail with other reviews and policy across all Departments in areas such as childcare, social disadvantage, justice, trauma and civil responsibility. We could stand here all day and talk about the opportunities that education can create in those various areas. How realistic is it that a substantial and worthwhile review can be progressed without a Programme for Government, which realistically will not happen until after the next election?”
“Thank you, Minister. Given the process that you have outlined, can we assume that students will perform better than would have been expected? How will this affect admissions to FE and HE, particularly for competitive courses? Does it also open up options for students who did not think that they would perform as well to apply to different courses? I ask that in the midst of the university admissions process. Lastly, how are we supporting teachers? This seems quite chaotic, and I understand that today's statement may be news to them. How will we support teachers through the next six months?”
“Thank you, Minister, and please pass on my best wishes to Minister Poots for a speedy recovery. It is quite fortunate that the Minister for the Economy is answering these questions. If the Principal Deputy Speaker will indulge me, can I ask the Minister for the Economy to give her assessment of farm-gate prices in Northern Ireland given that agriculture is one of the largest industries in Northern Ireland and underpins our local economy?”
“I think that because that political dynamic is something that is expected, and it is not necessarily appropriate that a civil servant almost takes on that role of holding me to account as a Member of the House. By all means, he has a direct relationship with the Minister, but he does not have that relationship with Members of the legislature.”