Emma Pengelly
South Belfast · Democratic Unionist Party · Northern Ireland
“This week, I will travel to France to pay my respects to all those who fought and the many who fell at the Battle of the Somme as we mark its 110th anniversary. <BR /> <BR />From across Northern Ireland, generations have served their country.”
“One of the men who fought was James Sandford, my great-grandfather. He fought, he survived, he went on to fight again, and he was seriously injured in another battle. I am deeply proud of him, and I am proud of all those who stepped forward with such honour in the face of the horror of that war.”
“When I stand there this week, looking at the gravestones of so many who made the ultimate sacrifice to defend our freedom, I will also remember — we must always remember — the responsibility that we carry forward. Remembrance is not only about honouring the past; it is about shaping the future.”
“Last night, people in north Belfast witnessed horrific scenes that have absolutely sickened and appalled people across Northern Ireland. It was a shocking and barbaric act of violence that has left a victim fighting the consequences of a truly savage attack.”
“Every person has the right to walk their streets, live in their community and feel safe in their own neighbourhood. This type of brutality has no place in Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />This morning, I spoke with the Chief Constable and the Justice Minister.”
“<BR /> <BR />I have also been in contact with the Prime Minister, because the PSNI has confirmed that the 30-year-old male who has been arrested is believed to be of Somalian heritage.”
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“That is why there is a commitment. We know that, for example, the cost of childcare takes a huge amount of money from hard-pressed families. A scheme has already been rolled out to implement key actions in that area. That will be enhanced to provide improved support.”
“I thank the Member for the opportunity to make it clear that the absence of a strategy does not mean that there is not a significant amount of work occurring throughout every Department to tackle poverty. I know that from speaking to my colleague Gordon Lyons, who supports everything from Sure Start to neighbourhood renewal. There are schemes being run in every Department; for example, the Department of Education is running the uniform financial support scheme. There are many, many hundreds of schemes throughout government that support those in poverty. Just days ago, I was glad to see the Joseph Rowntree Foundation report that said that, across the United Kingdom, Northern Ireland has the lowest levels of poverty among children and young people. However, the levels are still too high, and we want to reduce them further.”
“Those include additional support for families that are struggling with the cost of childcare; support for people affected by fuel poverty; investment in new homes; and improved support for people who want to build skills and work in better jobs. What is more, the Department for Communities is in the process of developing the anti-poverty strategy, which will minimise the risks and impact of poverty and help all in our communities, including our children and young people.”
“The Programme for Government (PFG) will represent the shared vision of the Executive. It is important, therefore, that all members of the Executive are given the opportunity to consider and agree any new commitments to be included in the PFG before they are announced to the Assembly. That having been said, the draft Programme for Government sets out a number of commitments that are aimed at reducing poverty for people of all ages, including children and young people. The commitments in the Programme for Government include key areas such as health, housing and growing the economy, all of which will help reduce poverty.”
“With your permission, Mr Speaker, I will ask junior Minister Cameron to answer that question.”
“<BR /> <BR />As the Member will also be aware, we have endeavoured throughout the period to publicise the scheme, including by putting a leaflet through every single door in Northern Ireland and by working with the commissioner on online campaigns and international campaigns. We are therefore satisfied that we have done a significant job of publicising the scheme. We will, however, continue to monitor the situation to assess whether there is further need to do so.”
“I thank the Member for her question. In her role as Chair of the Executive Office Committee, she will know that we are aware of the issue and of the communication on it. We are advised that the submission of applications to the scheme has slowed down significantly and that there is no indication as this stage that there is demand out there for an extension to the date by which applications must be submitted. We anticipate that, as we head towards 2 April 2025, there will be a small increase in the number of applications, and understandably so, perhaps because those yet remaining to apply will, in light of the closure date, be motivated to put in their application in and around then. Year-on-year, the number of applications has decreased significantly. In 2024-25, we were down to 472 applications.”
“I therefore appeal to anybody who feels that they need help in that area to approach either the commissioner or the Victims and Survivors Service to get such help and support.”
“I thank the Member for his question. The Executive Office deals with many areas that are incredibly sensitive. We have adopted what is often referred to as a trauma-informed response and approach to the issues. I am disappointed to hear that that has been the experience of some victims. Of course, the recounting of such experiences is, in itself, hugely traumatic. I pay tribute to those victims and survivors who came forward and put themselves through the process. There is, however, a safety net in place through the support that is given. That is provided not just through training — all the panel members are trained in trauma-informed response and its techniques — but through the funding that goes to the Victims and Survivors Service to support victims and survivors who are going through the process.”
“<BR /> <BR />I want to take the opportunity to pay tribute to the huge amount of work that those organisations have done for many years not only in fighting to get the inquiry but in working with victims and survivors and communicating that sector's needs to the First Minister, me and others.”
“I thank the Member for his question. It is on an issue that not only have we been working on for some time but, indeed, you, Mr Speaker, have been engaged in this important matter. It was a recommendation in Judge Hart's report and one that we are very keen to see implemented as quickly as we can. We know that there is a range of different views across the sector on what the memorial should look like. We have met and had a very good engagement with those groups and are, hopefully, moving forward at pace to find a resolution and to ensure that the memorialisation can happen in this Building and, of course, elsewhere as well.”
“<BR /> <BR />As the final date for applications — 2 April 2025 — is fast approaching, we encourage all victims and survivors who have not yet applied to contact the Commissioner for Survivors of Institutional Childhood Abuse as soon as possible for information and advice.”
“As of 31 January 2025, the HIA Redress Board had received 4,904 compliant applications and made determinations totalling over £100 million. A total of 56 applications are still to be determined by a panel. The turnaround time for validated applications is 7·5 weeks, with a success rate of over 88% for applications that fall within the board’s jurisdiction. <BR /> <BR />The Executive Office has engaged closely with victims and survivors’ representatives on enhancements to the wider redress process, including providing additional resources to the Victims and Survivors Service to ensure that applicants can be supported in a trauma-informed way with their statements of experience.”
“It is amazing how those conversations can lead to the development of programmes that genuinely bring a real difference to people's lives. The investment of many millions of pounds means that that work is taking place to the benefit of the citizens of that city.”
“I thank the Member for his question. The Department remains committed to investment in the Londonderry area, with some £72 million invested in the area since 2016-17. That includes over £37 million to transform and regenerate Ebrington, which is now a hub of creative industries, cafes, restaurants, a hotel, a microbrewery, hairdressers, healthcare and commercial offices. However, we have also invested an additional £34 million in a range of other programmes, including Urban Villages and projects to promote good relations. Indeed, the Member will recall that, right back at the time of the development of the Urban Villages scheme, we had that conversation when I visited the city as a junior Minister. He was a great champion for the Fountain area and the city at that time.”
“Absolutely. From the outset and over the past year, we have made clear how important it is that the entirety of Northern Ireland is a place that can thrive. That does not mean just the greater Belfast area. We will ensure that it means every part of Northern Ireland, from Fermanagh to the north-west and throughout. Ebrington is a key economic driver of that. It is looking very well and seems to have been a great success thus far. We will continue to work on and invest in the site to ensure that it can maximise its potential.”
“As the Member rightly recognised, the number of those who visit, enjoy and use the site has increased year-on-year. That is welcome.”
“I thank the Member for his question. We have received correspondence from a number of Members, including his colleagues and mine, on the issue. When this was put in place, we did not have the same infrastructure. I am really pleased that £37 million has been invested in the Ebrington site. Anybody who goes up there can see the transformation that has taken place. That includes businesses with their own security. The security that was paid for centrally by the Executive Office was being passed on to the residents and lessees on the site, who were already taking their own measures. <BR /> <BR />My understanding is that there was a strong sense that the security was not needed, as the site was monitored by CCTV. I emphasise that all the evidence that we have suggests that it is a very safe site.”
“Further integration of Ebrington with the city will ensure that it continues to play its part in the future growth of the city and region.”
“Guard security and CCTV were put in place at Ebrington when the site was largely vacant and under development. Today, Ebrington is a thriving hub of activity, much like the city centre, with a wide range of daytime and night-time businesses. In the coming months, we will see the arrival of a number of different businesses, including Ernst and Young, at the site. In 2026, the exciting launch of the Derry/Londonderry North Atlantic Museum will take place. The Department remains committed to ensuring that Ebrington continues to be a safe and shared space for everyone to enjoy. The site will continue to be monitored 24 hours a day via the 34 CCTV cameras on site. That is in line with the city centre arrangements.”
“I thank the Member for his question. It is an important one. When we look back over the decades of the Troubles in Northern Ireland, we see that there was violence towards and the targeting and harassment of women. We also have to remember the young people and children who were indiscriminately targeted by bombings and those who were subjected to child abuse through punishment beatings by paramilitary organisations. I pay tribute to the many women who were murdered by paramilitary and terrorist organisations as well. That was all abuse and violence towards women and girls. It was entirely unacceptable. I can stand and say clearly that I condemn all of that activity and all terrorist activity. There was never any justification for it, and there still is not. There was always an alternative.”
“I thank the Member for her question. I have not heard that proposal before. We will certainly look at it. I will perhaps liaise with the Member about the detail of her proposal.”
“That was very much about setting out two challenges and asking businesses and small organisations to consider what could meet the challenge and how the outcomes that we desired could be best met through a different type of initiative from a grant-funding scheme. We also launched the local change fund with councils to allocate £2 million to support local grassroots groups, and we launched the regional change fund. Just recently, we supported the local Power to Change campaign by the Department of Justice and the PSNI to promote bystander awareness and intervention.”
“I thank the Member for that kind acknowledgement of the work that we have been carrying out. As I indicated in the earlier answer, a significant amount of work has been done. I pay tribute to the co-production team, which sits within the Executive Office but, of course, works across a number of Departments, for the research that it has carried out and all of the incredible hard work that it has done. Most of all, I pay tribute to the co-design partners who often volunteered their time to make the strategy and delivery plan what they are. <BR /> <BR />We have launched that strategy and the delivery plan. We also launched the small business research initiative (SBRI) challenge fund.”
“They are the organisations that are designated to be experts in the field, and we believe that they are the right organisations to help and support us to deliver on that key initiative.”
“I thank the Member for her supplementary question. From the outset, when, this time last year, Michelle and I took up these positions, we made it clear that the issue was a key priority for us. The level of violence against women and girls in Northern Ireland is appalling, and we need to tackle it and, indeed, eliminate all violence against women and girls. I am pleased that it has been a key aspect of the delivery from our Department throughout the past year. Not only has the strategy been produced; we have also seen the important delivery plan and the important funds get out on the ground. <BR /> <BR />We are working with the eight delivery partners. They were very much the organisations that advised us throughout the process. It was a collaborative co-design process and one that has worked extremely well.”
“The regional change fund is in addition to the local change fund that will see £2 million shared across all 11 council areas to support community networks and grassroots organisations and provide opportunities for all to play their part in tackling violence, harm and abuse against women and girls.”
“As part of the wider £3·2 million investment, £1·2 million has been allocated to the regional change fund to support organisations with the expertise to lead on driving society-wide action. The eight community and voluntary sector organisations funded will bring years of experience and expertise that will ensure that the projects delivered will make a difference. The regional change fund will enable the organisations to expand prevention work across the whole of society and in all types of settings, including schools, communities, youth groups, sports clubs, prisons and beyond. That will help to ensure that everyone understands what violence against women and girls is and how to prevent it, so that, together, we can deliver meaningful change.”
“Certainly, if they have been, it has not been drawn to my attention. As the Member knows, the Department has been looking at all of the issues that gave rise to and impacted on the race disorder and violence of last summer. We are absolutely determined that we do not see a repeat of that. That means working in communities to identify what went wrong, what the attitudes were, where they were coming from and how they can be tackled.”
“I thank the Member for her question. Absolutely: over the last 20-odd years that I have worked in politics, I have seen a big change when it comes to this type of policy development and, indeed, even project and initiative development. It is now much more towards that collaborative design and co-production approach, and the projects are much the stronger and much the better for that. We know that those who are on the ground are often in the best position to identify the problems and the barriers to success and to find the types of initiatives and interventions that will work best in the areas that they serve and live in. <BR /> <BR />Absolutely, that co-design process should be mainstreamed in all programmes, but it has particularly helped and supported the development of the projects under the CIT.”
“It is very much a programme that focuses on prevention and community resilience and, in particular, working with young people who are at risk to ensure that they do not end up going down that pathway. That includes mental health programmes, training programmes and different types of community-based programmes, which are all based on that best practice.”
“I thank the Member for her supplementary question. Let us be very clear: there is absolutely no place for paramilitarism in 2025; indeed, in my view, there was never any place for paramilitarism or paramilitary activity. Of course, the PSNI takes the lead on the criminal aspects of that and must do everything in its power to ensure that those who continue to be involved in such behaviour are brought to justice. <BR /> <BR />On the community aspects of that, yes, there are many programmes throughout government in many Departments that deal with the very issues that the Member rightly highlights. Of course, all Ministers would want to do more of that, but the Communities in Transition programme particularly looks at those who may be vulnerable to being dragged into that type of behaviour.”
“I thank the Member for her question. Communities in Transition is part of the Executive programme on paramilitarism and organised crime, and, since 2019, it has delivered over £26 million of support across eight areas where there has been a significant history of activity and coercive control. The CIT areas were identified by independent research commissioned by the tackling paramilitarism programme board and completed in 2017. Researchers identified areas that were at particular risk from ongoing paramilitary activity by analysing a range of data sources, including the media, datasets, academic literature, research reports and stakeholder meetings. Areas were scored against a number of indicators of paramilitary activity, including verified and claimed incidents of paramilitary intimidation and paramilitary assaults and shootings.”
“It is critical that companies know that they can send their goods to Northern Ireland, that Northern Ireland is open for business and that those consumer lines are still protected to ensure that we have consumer choice in Northern Ireland. Intertrade UK will play a pivotal and good role in that. The UK Government need to step up and get on with establishing it so that it can fully engage in its work.”
“We are pleased that the UK Government accepted that proposal and are moving forward with it. Would we like it to be moving forward faster? Of course we would. We welcome the fact that a chairperson has been appointed and understand that we are to have further discussions shortly with the UK Government on the setting up of the body. <BR /> <BR />I have emphasised, in this role, through a number of the bodies that we sit on — the inter-ministerial councils and the UK-wide bodies — the importance of having Intertrade UK, because we know that there are many businesses in Great Britain that do not understand the current set of systems and are pre-emptively withdrawing from the Northern Ireland market when there is no need to do so.”
“I thank the Member for his question. He may not be aware of this, but the statement was on the British-Irish Council summit. That is entirely different from the Intertrade UK structure and, indeed, the many structures to enhance collaboration that we have throughout the United Kingdom and beyond. All those structures are important, because greater and wider collaboration across this United Kingdom is important. As a unionist, that is my priority, but it is also key for Northern Ireland. We are a small place, and we should be listening to and learning from elsewhere, taking what we can to ensure that we can roll that out with our public services. <BR /> <BR />Speaking in a personal capacity, Intertrade UK was very much a proposal of my party, the DUP.”
“Work will continue on that. It has also been flagged as an important issue for grid security. Hopefully, we will be able to update the Member on that very shortly.”
“Due to the length of time that they take, we see the initial projected costs rising. We see problems arising with the roll-out of some of those projects because it tends to take place over many years. We are looking at that situation through the Strategic Investment Board (SIB), with a real focus on how we improve it. Very few jurisdictions do public-sector capital programmes well. However, everybody is striving to do them better. That economic growth is so important in what we need to do to support our public services and our private sector. <BR /> <BR />The Member is absolutely right. It is a specialist area. We will, of course, continue to talk to experts in that field about what we need to do. There will probably also be lessons learned about the resilience of the network following the storm that we saw last weekend.”
“We are working on the investment strategy for Northern Ireland (ISNI). That is where the focus on capital investment will be. The Programme for Government deals with priorities, and the investment strategy will sit alongside it. Taking a longer-term approach is key to capital investment, because, sadly, such projects take a significant amount of time. Public-sector capital projects take a terribly long time.”
“We are working on all those issues and hope, shortly, to be able to make some announcements about what the focus will be on and about other aspects of the summit.”
“I thank the Member for her question. Yes, I will. Work on the preparations for the British-Irish Council summit in Northern Ireland in June 2025 continues. It is a really good opportunity for us to pick the issue that we want to discuss at it, which, in my view, should be connected to our Programme for Government and should be an issue on which we can have genuinely good engagement on what we need to do, what learning we can take away and what collaborations we can continue to have that will benefit the people of Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />A huge amount of preparation goes into such events. It is a good opportunity for us to showcase Northern Ireland and what we do here and to showcase the food and other produce of Northern Ireland, as well as our wonderful scenery.”
“They know best what needs to be done to tackle that scourge. <BR /> <BR />It is also important that we send out a clear message that violence against women and girls is absolutely unacceptable. We are appalled by the level of it in Northern Ireland and are determined to do everything that we can to reduce and eliminate it.”
“It is such an important issue. In the first couple of days, around this time last year, the First Minister and I set out clearly that tackling it was key for us. Each death is an absolute tragedy and should have been avoided. We will do everything that we can through the strategy and implementation plan that we have delivered to ensure that everything possible is being done to tackle the scourge of violence against women and girls. We recognise, however, that we cannot do that alone: the Government cannot do it alone, and the Department cannot do it alone. We must work with partners in the community, in schools and in councils. That is why the schemes were rolled out to councils and why some of the funding from them will go to community groups that work directly with those women and girls.”
“We need to look at what we can do better with the money that we already have before we have the audacity to say to the ordinary working people of Northern Ireland, "Pay us even more money so that we can take it and not use it in the way in which we ought to be using it". That is a challenge to all our Executive members. <BR /> <BR />I say strongly that the Executive will not simply take what I see as the easy route of heaping additional bills on the ordinary working families of Northern Ireland. We will look first at the funds that we have, how we spend them and how we can get greater efficiency and do more with what we have.”
“I thank the Member for his question and for raising the important issue of opportunities that are presented to us that may not yet have been taken up or have not been taken up and rolled out at the speed that we would wish to see. He is absolutely right. When I listen to people talk about our public services and about transformation, what they say always seems to be prefaced with a hunger or desire by some outside this place to push a significant additional cost on to the citizens of Northern Ireland. I say clearly that, before we contemplate doing that, we must look at every Department and agency to see what opportunities exist to maximise spend and to tackle inefficiency or waste.”
“Some of those issues have been touched on in the Chamber this morning, including transformation of our public services; tackling high waiting lists, which are not unique to us; transformation in the health service; providing affordable childcare; tackling poverty; and trying to achieve economic growth. There is a wide range of issues that we could choose to focus on in our summit. It is good that we have a body that has the flexibility to discuss emerging issues, as it has done over the past 25 years.”
“I thank the Member for his question. The British-Irish Council currently covers 10 work sectors: transport; housing; energy; early years; environment; indigenous, minority and lesser-used languages; drugs and alcohol; planning and places; social inclusion; and creative industries. The summit is reasonably flexible with its agendas. The last few summits have focused on a wide range of issues relating to green growth and the just transition. At the moment, we are discussing what our summit should look at. A number of key challenges face not just us in Northern Ireland and across the United Kingdom but these isles.”
“I thank the Member for her question. A number of questions and issues have been raised around that proposal. Establishing a Climate Commissioner is a legal requirement on the Executive Office, but I am sure that, in the Member's role as Chair of the Committee, she will be aware of the challenges that we have faced because of the drafting of that legislation. It is not without its problems. We have outlined the problems, but we are trying to move forward as best we can within the limitations. The current legislation is not adequate for us to do what we need to do in order to have a fully functioning Climate Commissioner's office, but we are working through that with our lawyers to see what we can do within the parameters of what was drafted and passed by this place.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Member is absolutely right: as we move forward with this agenda, it is critical that we do so in collaboration with farmers, recognising that there ought not to be a disproportionate burden on those who are trying their best and playing such a pivotal role in our food security and our economy.”
“I thank the Member for his important question. Our farming and business communities are the backbone of Northern Ireland's economy. I pay tribute to all those who work so hard day in, day out to hold up our economy and provide employment and many other essential things. I also pay tribute to all those who were out working throughout the period of difficult weather. Farmers do not get the luxury of staying at home and staying safe. They are out every day in every type of weather to provide the food and produce that not only feed Northern Ireland but make the sector a net contributor to the rest of the United Kingdom.”