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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“I thank the Member for his important question. Those are relevant global issues for every jurisdiction: for us, the rest of the UK and, indeed, these isles. The British-Irish Council is an opportunity to bring together not just the nations and regions and the central Government of the UK but all the isles around the British Isles and the Irish Government. It is a good opportunity to raise such issues. We had bilaterals not just with the Prime Minister but with the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (CDL) — I think that he goes by a different title at the moment, but, effectively, it is that role that he plays — at which we raised that issue. We also raised it with the Taoiseach, particularly in relation to underground and underwater cables and the threats to them in the context of global security.”
“That shows the benefit of having direct engagement with the Prime Minister on issues of importance to Northern Ireland.”
“I understand that a paper had been circulated to Cabinet Ministers and that it had not moved. Raising the issue with the Prime Minister directly will, hopefully, have helped to get movement on that decision.”
“One of the big benefits of the British-Irish Council is not just the plenary sessions and the topic of focus but the fact that we can have a series of political bilaterals not only with representatives from the other devolved regions and nations, such as Scotland and Wales, with whom we had bilaterals, but with the Prime Minister. That was an opportunity for the First Minister and me to raise a large number of issues. We took that opportunity, and I raised the issue of GB-registered cars with the Prime Minister. There was a commitment from him to look at the issue. The Member will be aware of further developments and considerations by the UK Government to try to deal with the issue. I believe that highlighting that issue directly to the Prime Minister in early December helped to try to get that moving.”
“I thank the Member for his important question. It is critical that every member of the Executive and every Member in this place takes every opportunity to champion our industries in Northern Ireland; that includes our creative industries, which includes Studio Ulster. That investment will be realised only if we can showcase and promote it so that there is an international awareness of it, and that we therefore secure incoming contracts. <BR /> <BR />The Member also pointed out, rightly, that there are a number of challenges to our economy, including some of the continued uncertainty and, indeed, barriers that continue to be put up by the Windsor framework.”
“We will, hopefully, use that, as we should, to attract big investments on a global scale. We do not, however, want to compete with other parts of these islands with the same facility. It is incredibly important that we continue to collaborate. The British-Irish Council and other such forums are ideal for that, not just during the plenary sessions but at all the bilaterals and other discussions.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Member raised an important point, which we raised at the plenary session of the British-Irish Council, about the need for us to collaborate, not compete. At a previous session of the British-Irish Council, we looked at renewable energy and green technologies. That sector is similar, in that it is one in which we should not be competing with each other by developing similar facilities across different parts of the UK, which will subsequently compete for work. Instead, we should look at taking a complementary, supplementary approach. <BR /> <BR />We highlighted Studio Ulster, which saw huge investment through the Belfast region city deal. That is unique across these isles; it is at the cutting edge of technology. I do not profess to understand all the details of what it can do, but its potential is huge.”
“The investment strategy is under active consideration. There have been a number of key developments, including the opportunity of a four-year capital Budget, which needs to be fed into that process. The Finance Minister put some proposals out for consultation. The Member will be aware that part of the challenge with capital investment is that the tail of delivery on capital projects is such that much of the capital that we have and will have over the next three to four years will be spent on projects that were announced five or 10 years ago. That is a challenge. As is the case with any Administration, the Executive have ambition. We have our priorities for what we want to do. It is key that we look at how we can best use that capital investment and maximise it.”
“It is an important pipeline for young people to come into those types of careers, which we really want and need them to come into.”
“I am aware of the particular challenges caused by the ending of the funding that the Member referenced. I have received correspondence about that. The key thing is to mainstream the sense of creativity and the arts focus by using not just Arts Council funds but the funds that we supply through Together: Building a United Community (T:BUC), Urban Villages, the Community Relations Council, race relations funding and, indeed, even the ending violence against women and girls strategy, because focusing on the activities and groups in that space can be really useful as well. <BR /> <BR />We see a good commonality across all our funds, but you are absolutely right that organisations need additional support. We want to sustain that support.”
“I thank the Member for her question. We have an incredible third sector — the community and social sector — in Northern Ireland. I have said it before from this position, but I truly believe that we have one of the best third sectors, if not the best one, anywhere on the globe. That has come about not by accident but because of sustained investment from the UK Government and the Northern Ireland Government and through some of the big international funds, be that PEACE funding or US funding. That has supported our third sector, but the sector would not be what it is without the incredible talent that exists and the hard work that is done in communities throughout Northern Ireland. At times, things can be fiscally difficult. The demand will, of course, always outstrip supply, and we try our best to support as many organisations as possible.”
“A lot of people do not realise how wide the industry is when it comes to the number of roles and different skills, and we have really developed that. It is a really interesting and exciting opportunity not just for Northern Ireland but for young people who want to get into the industry. When you get those skills, you do not just get the opportunity to work in Northern Ireland; people with those skills can travel to work on productions all over the world. The industry is incredibly important for us.”
“Thank you. Absolutely. The growth and development of our creative industries has been such a success story for Northern Ireland over the past 10 to 15 years. The fact that Northern Ireland could attract a big HBO production such as 'Game of Thrones' shows how well we are doing to attract investment in that global marketplace. We want to build on that. The money and investment that comes with those big productions has enabled the development of the sector, not just in studio space. Frankly, through the investment from region city deals, we have an absolutely world-leading studio space in Studio Ulster and other facilities in Northern Ireland, but we also have a lot of talent and experience in everything from set and clothes design and make-up for film and TV production to all the logistical aspects.”
“Finally, we spoke about the opportunities for collaboration between Governments on the delivery of key infrastructure and in areas such as cybersecurity and energy security. <BR /> <BR />The Council noted that the next BIC summit will be hosted by the States of Guernsey in July 2026.”
“However, we expressed concern about the decision to freeze income tax thresholds and stressed the need to support business and workers and their families. We also highlighted the pressures faced in particular by our business community . <BR /> <BR />We advised of the Executive's plans to set their first multi-year Budget in over a decade, providing our Departments with the certainty needed to plan on a longer-term, strategic basis and creating the conditions to drive transformative change in the delivery of public services. In addition, we highlighted the importance of economic growth in improving our public services — a challenge faced by all British-Irish Council members.”
“<BR /> <BR />We also discussed the importance of collaboration, citing the legacy project of Studio Ulster, which is also legendary, as a transformative investment and an exemplar of partnership working. The impact of innovation and technology was raised, particularly in the context of nurturing and developing talent, as was the need for Governments to work together to attract investment and address shared challenges, such as rising costs and market uncertainty. <BR /> <BR />Council members briefed colleagues on significant developments in their Administrations and reflected on a number of domestic and international topics of mutual interest. Addressing the recent Budget, we welcomed the removal of the two-child benefit cap and the increase to the minimum wage and the living wage.”
“<BR /> <BR />The discussion provided us with the opportunity to highlight the positive creative and economic impact that productions such as 'Derry Girls' — as I would call it, "Londonderry Girls" — 'Game of Thrones', 'How to Train your Dragon' and 'Blue Lights' have had, putting us on screens across the world, boosting tourism and our economy, inspiring pride and telling our story. We spoke about sustainability, well-being and diversity in the sector, highlighting initiatives such as NI Screen’s creative industries new entrants (CINE) programme, which widens access to the industry and has a strong focus on those from lower socio-economic backgrounds.”
“<BR /> <BR />The theme of the summit was, "A creative future: unlocking the potential of the creative industries across these islands". The plenary focused on discussion of the development of the screen sectors in each of the member Administrations. The Council discussed the importance of the sector to the creative industries culturally and economically, as well as the opportunities and challenges faced by the sector and the efforts by Administrations to support the industry and those working in it.”
“Thank you, Mr Speaker. I wish to make a statement on the forty-fourth summit of the British-Irish Council, which the First Minister and I attended on 4 and 5 December 2025. <BR /> <BR />The summit was hosted by the Welsh Government in the Vale Resort, South Glamorgan. Heads of delegation were welcomed by the First Minister, Eluned Morgan. The UK Government delegation was led by the Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer; the Irish Government delegation was led by the Taoiseach; and the Scottish Government were led by their First Minister. The Government of Guernsey were represented by the Chief Minister; the Government of Jersey by the Chief Minister; and the Isle of Man Government by their Chief Minister. A full list of the principal delegates is attached to the statement that has been provided to Members.”
“We talk about a minority and a majority, and I believe that there is a majority in the Executive to support an armed forces covenant being fully applied across all our Departments. In the meantime, individual Departments, such as the Department of Health, the Department for Communities and the Department of Education, can drive forward what they can do to really support those in our armed forces who did so much to defend and protect all of us in Northern Ireland and across the UK.”
“Unfortunately, there is not, nor has there been, political agreement in the Executive Office, because Sinn Féin takes a particular approach to the issue. I appeal to the Sinn Féin Ministers in the Executive to overcome their prejudice against our armed forces community and to recognise that it has objective needs. We often hear from the Sinn Féin Benches that things should be based on objective need. There are objective needs in our armed forces community, and Sinn Féin should overcome what it thinks politically about our armed forces in order to make sure that those needs are met. <BR /> <BR />I would like the Executive to agree the armed forces covenant.”
“<BR /> <BR />Our armed forces community has significant needs, and we need to do more to support it. I am pleased to say that, under the armed forces legislation, there are particular obligations for Education, Health and councils. Each relevant Department is examining those in order to push them forward, but I firmly believe that the Northern Ireland Executive should fully adopt the armed forces covenant. We should step up and support those who, like you, did so much to defend and to serve.”
“I thank the Member for his important question, which, as he will know, is about something that is close to my heart. Our veterans have not been treated and respected as they ought to have been. The needs of Northern Ireland veterans are just as important as those of veterans in any other part of the United Kingdom, if not more so. We contribute significantly more per head of the population to our armed forces, and many people were impacted on by the Troubles. <BR /> <BR />We have many people coming forward for the Troubles permanent disablement payment scheme who suffer from a range of mental health issues and, it is important to say, from post-traumatic stress disorder. It is clear from listening to people talk about that that it was not treated as it ought to have been at the time.”
“The UK, as a whole, voted to leave, and the UK as a whole, of course, ought to have abided by that referendum and to have left.”
“There was not consensus on the issue in Northern Ireland; there was a majority that voted in Northern Ireland, but there was also a majority across the United Kingdom that voted to leave. At the very heart of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement was an acceptance that Northern Ireland would remain, in its entirety, part of the United Kingdom until such time as the people of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland separately voted otherwise: the Member's party accepted that. Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom. By democratic referendum, the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union. Regardless of your view of it, that is a democratic decision that, of course, the UK Government ought to have abided by. It is not about how the constituent parts of the UK voted.”
“<BR /> <BR />From the point of view of a power-sharing Executive in a place where we are all here by consensus — we agreed on the terms of Executive formation and Assembly restoration — we need to be clear that, where there is no community consensus, the petition of concern is the mechanism to very clearly demonstrate that, and, on this issue, there is no community consensus.”
“I thank the Member for her question. The mechanisms set down by the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement and amended by the St Andrews Agreement recognised that significant sections in each community are represented in the Executive and in this place. In fact, it was her party and nationalist parties that pushed so hard to ensure that there were minority vetoes and consensus on the various voting blocs in this place. It is now the case that, every time that there is a majority, or there is a feeling that there may be a slight majority, on a particular issue, no matter how divisive that may be, that that should simply prevail. That is not how those mechanisms work. We have seen that play out in City Hall and in this place. There is no consensus on that issue.”
“Thank you. No, it does not impact on that at all. It does not take there to be a strategy for people to know that they need to go out and champion Northern Ireland and our businesses to try to attract inward investment. We have a strategic direction for that, which is set with Invest NI, in where our offices are. I support bringing forward a revised and refreshed international relations strategy that brings in all those threads, but I highlight the fact that, Michelle, the First Minister, and I raised the issue of human rights when we met the Chinese, and that I have asked for a look to be taken at what a human rights framework for the approach to international engagement would look like, particularly in our China office.”
“There are a number of moving parts in our international relationships. We want to make sure that what we come out with is fit for purpose and takes into account not just the way that we have done things in the past but the challenges that we have seen evolving over the past 12 months.”
“Thank you. As I indicated to the House previously, international relations is not a devolved issue, although we do, of course, engage internationally, which is why our international relations strategy will incorporate a range of work that we do through Invest NI and trade discussions, as well as through soft diplomacy of the type that we do around St Patrick's Day and incoming visits to Northern Ireland from a range of delegations. All those aspects of the strategy are very clear: we do that at the moment. <BR /> <BR />The Member will be aware, however, that a number of significant global issues have been happening. We have asked the international relations team to fully consider those, particularly how we engage on tariffs and the evolving nature of the UK-EU discussions on the substantive trade deal.”
“There are a number of annexes and attachments to it that indicate that such issues may be "considered" by the Assembly, but there were not political agreements across the parties on those. We have no plans to have a citizens' assembly.”
“Thank you. There is a tendency in this place, from the Ministers from the Member's party in particular, to try to devolve responsibility for decision-making from this place, should that be to arm's-length bodies, new bodies or new commissions. I do not know how many of those are coming through. Reform is an issue that should be discussed, but it should be discussed in this place, not put out to another body. <BR /> <BR />I also say to the Member that we need to be very careful when talking about 'New Decade, New Approach'. Members in this place talk, all the time, about so-called commitments in 'New Decade, New Approach'. I ask that everybody look at that document carefully.”
“The value of the likes of the Civic Forum is in bringing people in from the outside, partly as disruptor and partly to come with different ideas and new ways of doing things to try to better reach the outcome.”
“I thank the Member for her question. We are actively looking at that. We have looked at a range of ideas and proposals for what a civic forum would look like. The reconstituted Civic Forum will be smaller. The idea behind it is that people with particular expertise on an issue can be brought in to produce a report. We are actively looking at a range of issues, in line with other developments that we have been pushing forward in the Executive Office, including the delivery unit. It is about finding a way of adding value to the work that happens in Departments and other places to ensure that it amounts to value for money, and, perhaps, to bring a different way of looking at those issues.”
“I am absolutely committed to making Northern Ireland work. We must all work together constructively, drive forward transformation, drive forward efficiency and make sure that we deliver excellent public services. <BR /> <BR />We have a challenge at the moment in our big Departments. That is no laughing matter. It is not a joke. It is serious, and we will engage on that in the next days and weeks, because I fully support a multi-year Budget. There are challenges, looking across all the needs and demands in each Department, but I give an absolute commitment to work with everyone to drive forward the outcomes that we want to see.”
“The Minister of Education and the Minister of Health are up for that, but it is an important discussion to have, because, again, the heart of the matter is that we want excellent public services for the people whom we serve.”
“That was a rather laboured metaphor. The Budget is a serious matter, and we will deal with it seriously. The exchange of letters between the Finance Minister and the Education Minister outlined starkly the challenges that we face in our core public services. Throughout this year, Health and Education in particular have made clear the pressure that they are under. That is not new; we know that there are big challenges in those areas. Until we can get transformation, we will continue to run inefficient services that cost too much of what we have. Those are big issues for the Executive to take on. We must tackle transformation and inefficiency and ensure that the money that goes to Departments for our public services is maximised.”
“Regardless of the technicalities around whether attendance was within the guidance, the people who set the rules ought to have abided by them, in detail and in spirit. That incident really let us all down. We need to learn from that and move on. The people whom we serve must be at the heart of everything that we do.”
“Personally speaking, I agree with the Member: it sent absolutely the wrong message. I spoke to many people about it. I have friends who lost loved ones during the COVID pandemic. They could not have a proper funeral, and, if they had a large family, they could not have all of their family at the funeral. They sat at a funeral and could not be comforted by family members. That was absolutely heartbreaking. So many families across Northern Ireland did not get that closure, but they abided by the rules. It was so offensive for them to see what played out when thousands of people turned out at that funeral.”
“That is why we are taking time to improve the structures so that we have clear decision-making mechanisms and, importantly, get the right advice in a timely way.”
“I thank the Member for his question. Recently, we had Exercise Pegasus across the UK to see what improvements had been made to the systems. It was a mock exercise, but it was taken seriously. For example, there were a number of Executive meetings at which we considered the evidence that emerged. There is no doubt that, at the heart of it, there must be the right structure and the ability to get advice from the right people in a timely way. We in the Executive must ensure that we ask the right questions, take the advice and try to plot the way forward. Often, particularly with things such as pandemics, it will be an evolving situation when it comes to the issue itself and to the evidence and the scientific issues that come out about it. Should it happen again, we want and need to get it right.”
“I recognise how challenging it was, particularly because, as the report highlighted, there was no clear evidence to follow. Often, the mantra was "follow the evidence", but the evidence was not there. It was "follow the science", but the science was very unclear. In that sense, of course, there needs to be discussion, challenge and examination. I am pleased to say that we have already taken action on some of those recommendations, such as the appointment of the Chief Scientific and Technology Adviser (CSTA) and ensuring that we have by right a seat around the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) table, so that, if such things happen again, we are very much integrated with the medical and scientific evidence.”
“It is an incredibly important but sensitive issue. We have worked with the Northern Ireland COVID Bereaved Families for Justice, and there is no doubt that that group wants to see improvements in how we handle and deal with such situations. I take that responsibility hugely seriously. We have been working through all the recommendations. We will go back to the families and will publish that report every six months. Serious consideration is being given to how we can make meaningful differences. <BR /> <BR />Ours is not an easy system of government to operate at the best of times, but it is particularly difficult in challenging circumstances because four parties are around that table. I was a special adviser at the time.”
“The module 2 report sets out 19 key recommendations concerning governance and decision-making that we will now carefully consider. Our priority is to ensure that the Executive can respond swiftly and cohesively in any future emergency and that the governance arrangements support collaboration rather than division.”
“We worked closely with her then party colleague David Ford in the Department of Justice and others to push Departments to do everything that they could to remove them. Some really good work has been done in North Belfast to that end, but, importantly, it is about working with communities and ensuring that they feel safe and secure. It is not about doing things to communities but about working with them to make sure that there is community consensus.”
“I thank the Member for her question. She will be aware that I was heavily involved in the creation of the first T:BUC strategy, and I look forward to T:BUC 2, which will be the refreshed and revised strategy. However, it is also fair to say that the core aspects of that strategy remain as relevant today as they were when we first launched it. It is all about community cohesion and community resilience but also, importantly, working with communities. <BR /> <BR />There was a signature project as part of the first T:BUC strategy that was about the reduction of the barriers between communities. There has been some success from that, but it has not been as fast as we would have hoped. We set ambitious targets to remove all peace walls.”
“The scheme needs to be reviewed, and it certainly needs to be revised with more groups coming into that, but we are also looking at that in the context of the T:BUC review to see how best we can support the communities in North Belfast that the Member champions.”
“I thank the Member for his question. I also thank him for being a relentless champion for the groups in North Belfast and ensuring that the issues remain actively discussed and on the table. I am pleased to say that, just in this financial year, there are over 120 funding awards to North Belfast totalling somewhere around £2·6 million. That is a significant amount of support. <BR /> <BR />The Member is absolutely right: the scheme was developed some time ago, and it is fair to say that a number of the groups that historically benefited from the scheme are, for a range of reasons, no longer part of that scheme. That has meant that there is not a fair and equitable distribution of that funding in North Belfast, nor is it accurately and relevantly getting to the places that it needs to get to.”
“The North Belfast strategic good relations programme is managed by the Community Relations Council and delivered as part of the Together: Building a United Community (T:BUC) strategy. In 2024-25, 40 projects were delivered, engaging approximately 14,000 people, with local solutions being provided to local issues. The programme has been independently reviewed, most recently in 2022, and was found to be successful in meeting its intended aims. It is currently being considered as part of the T:BUC review, and we are currently working with officials on the development of a refreshed approach to good relations, including how to meet the ongoing needs of North Belfast.”
“While it is absolutely right to say that people have a right under the law not to cooperate with a police investigation, not to incriminate themselves and not to cooperate with whatever investigations are happening, it is not the right thing to do, not to cooperate. I appeal to Sinn Féin Members who were at that event — clearly, they were at that event — to say what they saw when they were there, to come forward and cooperate with all investigations and to tell the truth about what happened in what looks like an appalling sectarian attack that happened at that event that night.”