Kate Nicholl
South Belfast · Alliance Party · Northern Ireland
“I thank the Minister for her humanity and her leadership. Many of the asylum seekers with whom I work do not fit into the illegal immigrant narrative; indeed, one woman with whom I worked was sold as a Daesh bride and was prostituted every day for two years, with her child often present.”
“It is a local number, and it has a chat function that people can use if they do not feel comfortable speaking directly. There is also an amazing charity called the National Association for People Abused in Childhood (NAPAC).”
“On behalf of the Alliance Party, I recognise the extraordinary and remarkable bravery and courage of the two victims. Yesterday's verdict will not undo the harm that was done to them, but, hopefully, it sends a clear recognition that what happened was wrong and that Jeffrey Donaldson will feel the full weight of the law.”
“I thank the Member for that answer. Recently, we held the national allergy strategy launch in the Long Gallery. I thank the catering team, led by Alan, for how well they dealt with that.”
“They have done so much for so many people in Northern Ireland, and we wish them well. They have gone through a difficult period. We hope that there is healing from this as they go forward.”
“The comments were violent and at a different level from anything that I have seen before. <BR /> <BR />We are in a difficult place right now. This destabilises our democracy. It is easy to believe lies when you are angry, and I am not sure what we do about it.”
The complete record
Every one of 677 lines we hold for Kate Nicholl, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 2 of 14.
“Not that long ago, a swim school in my constituency of South Belfast closed down overnight. I was surprised by the number of parents who were impacted on by the closure, and I have been working with them for the past couple of months to get compensation. One constituent who contacted me said that they could not really afford the swimming lessons as it was but recognised that swimming was a life skill for their child. They had been asked to pay cash upfront, but their being out of pocket meant that their child probably would not be able to go to swimming lessons, as they had really had to scrimp for to pay for it. <BR /> <BR />That started me on a piece of work with Greenwich Leisure Ltd (GLL) on making swimming accessible for every child.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. Does he agree that parents spend so much time fighting the system and that that energy would be much better put into their children and their families?”
“We know that we have less than a year left, but policy work can be done to make sure that they get answers. It is great that we are having this discussion, but what happens next? Those parents have to fight every single day, and it is not good enough. They should be top of the list and our priority. There are plenty of other things that I was going to say, but my main message is that those parents and children deserve so much more. Please, can we get on with it, rather than just having more conversations and more selfies?”
“We can have more rallies and more debates on the issue, but what they need is concrete action. It is terrifying for them. They fight so hard. "Nothing about us without us": we need to listen to what they are telling us. What they are saying is that the Economy Minister has started the policy work, but it is the Health Minister who needs to complete that part. <BR /> <BR />It is a pity that we have only an hour for the motion; it would have been preferable to have longer. This is such an important issue, and there is so much in it. There is not much more that I can say other than that a great deal of hurt has been passed on to those families through some of the things that have been said in the Chamber and the way in which they have been treated. They are just doing what every other parent is doing: fighting for their children.”
“I see her, in a blue T-shirt, sitting in the Great Hall more than I see some Members of the Assembly. She is always here. She is always fighting for her son. Just like every other parent of a child with special educational needs, she is always fighting. <BR /> <BR />It is not enough to say that we are running out of time. I welcome the fact that the Economy Minister is here. She has done her work. It should be the Health Minister who is here. I welcome the motion. It is important that we have this discussion, but we need to listen. We need to hear what those parents are telling us. They do not want their cause promoted; they want action. They want to know that their children will have a future when they are gone. At the moment, they do not have that from us. We are failing them.”
“My office is just round the corner from Mencap, so I have the privilege of working with so many of the families. Since becoming an MLA, I have been horrified to learn how much those parents have to fight every day to, for example, get their child into a nursery school or a primary school; make sure that their child is in the right primary school; get a statement for their child; make sure that the secondary school is the right fit for their child; or make sure that their child has the right wrap-around care or the right access to services. It is not just about education; if the child has complex needs, it is about the right health support. They fight the whole time while the clock ticks down to when their child turns 19, and then they do not know what will happen next. I pay tribute to Alma White.”
“I give credit to Libraries NI, which does fantastic work. It has been working with the National Literacy Trust. However, there is a lack of data. The National Literacy Trust has come up with the statistic of 41% of primary schools not having libraries, but that is a conservative guess. The Education Authority needs to record that data. It would be simple to do, and we would be able to understand where the gaps are and how we can support them. The National Year of Reading is important because it is a time to reflect on the importance of reading, but it is also a time for us to focus minds and see how we can make sure that every primary school has a library. They really should.”
“If we as an Assembly want to create confident, curious, literate young people, we have to make sure that they have libraries in their schools.”
“One in five adults has very poor literacy, and, if they cannot support their children with reading, the cycle will continue. Reading is so important, not just for literacy and understanding, but because it allows for imagination. If you can imagine yourself as someone else, that allows you to visit different worlds and widen your experience as a human being. Crucially, it creates empathy: it allows us to imagine what it is like to be another person.”
“It is the National Year of Reading, and it was wonderful to see in the news St Bride's Primary School in south Belfast open its new library. Principal Cathy Hunter, students, parents and local bookshops all came together to create a wonderful library in the school. I loved the interview with the student librarian Saskia who said that it felt really good because all the staff and kids have put so much work and thought into the library, and it is amazing to see how it turned out. It is amazing to see the library. <BR /> <BR />When I met the National Literacy Trust last week, I was told that 41% of our primary schools do not have a dedicated library space, which is shocking. We know that fewer than three in 10 children aged between eight and 18 enjoy reading — seven out of 10 do not. We know that we have very poor adult literacy rates.”
“We all want our airport to grow. We want businesses, families and visitors to come here easily and often and with good reason, but we also need to be honest about major transformations to our airport landscape and, indeed, generally. Look at some of the hold-ups in general: we want ambition, but we need to be able to deliver it. That needs to sit within a framework that sets clear goals for our route network. That is so important. Skills are a massive issue for our environmental obligations and for the kind of Northern Ireland that we are trying to build. The strategy has been delayed for far too long, but we are here now, so let us make sure that we do it properly.”
“I thank the Member for his intervention. Yes, that is why it is disappointing that there is that policy gap and that we do not have the strategy that we should have had. Any development of that size needs to fit within the rules, and I do not think that there should be exceptions just because we want it. Certainly, we need to deliver more. We think that economic development, environmental protection and decarbonisation go hand in hand, not as competing priorities but as a joined-up plan. That requires Economy and Infrastructure to work together, so it is welcome that the Infrastructure Minister is here. There needs to be clarity of purpose. In reply to the Member's point, it requires urgency on the strategy that should have been in place years ago. <BR /> <BR />We all want Belfast to thrive. We all want greater connectivity.”
“We are asking that it sits within the wider comprehensive aviation strategy.”
“Sustainable growth is not a constraint on ambition; it is the condition that we need for growth to last. That is why we tried to amend the motion, but, obviously, that was not accepted for the debate. We do not oppose the master plan. We just ask that it be developed in line with planning rules and statutory regulations.”
“I agree very much with the Chair of the Economy Committee on that. Where I differ with him — it is a really important point, in line with what Sinéad has said — is that development of our airport infrastructure must go hand in hand with our commitment to the environment. It is not always a popular thing to say, and, sometimes, people frame it as a choice between green and growth — between economy and environment. Alliance rejects that framing completely, not because we are naive about the tension that can exist, but because it is economically illiterate to pit those things against each other. The businesses that will fill the planes that leave the airport, the tourists who will visit the city and the investors who will consider Northern Ireland will look at how we manage our future, not just our present.”
“Whether it is families visiting, businesses bringing investment, students coming here for placements or tourists discovering the joys of Northern Ireland, it is important to remember that connections are a necessity. They are the lifeblood of our economy. Living on an island, we understand that better than most, so we welcome the ambition behind the master plan. <BR /> <BR />It is also important to be honest with the people who are watching. Many Members have mentioned that we have a significant policy gap. The draft aviation strategy is now out for consultation, but it took far too long to get here. Once that consultation closes on 22 May, we need pace. We need the assessment to be done and the final strategy to be published, because the strategy should be setting the direction for the airport industry, not chasing it.”
“I will start on a point on which we all agree: welcoming ambition. As a former Lord Mayor of Belfast, I know all too well that Belfast is a city that has earned its right to be ambitious. We have grown, rebuilt and proved people wrong in so many ways, so, when an institution like Belfast City Airport produces a master plan to double its workforce, welcome seven million passengers and pursue the first direct rail link of any airport on the island, that is the correct tone, and it is right that we say it. Belfast has so much to offer. Our city — our region — has such extraordinary things going for it, but, sometimes, we lose sight of how important connectivity is.”
“I thank the deputy First Minister for her answer. I agree that the CSTA has done impressive work. What is the deputy First Minister's assessment of how that office is resourced and of whether it has enough people and resources, given that the South is on its second iteration of the strategy, Scotland is on its third and we still do not have ours published? Do we have enough resources going into the office?”
“This morning, my party's thoughts are very much with the families who have fought for so long, as well as with the families who are still waiting for their answers.”
“On behalf of the Alliance Party, I commend the families of Margaret Gargan, John Dougal, David McCafferty, Patrick Butler and Father Noel Fitzpatrick for their bravery and dignity, and make the point that all victims have the right to pursue justice and truth. When we discuss the awful atrocities and things that happened, it is in our human nature to reflect on other examples and other hurts that we may hold. I am lucky that I do not hold those, but I am so conscious that there is so much of that in our society. If we are truly going to create a shared society, the way that we approach legacy will have a real impact on our ability to do so on the basis of truth, justice and reconciliation.”
“One of the amazing privileges of not having grown up here is that I have been shielded from so much hurt that so many people in the Chamber have experienced. I think about that quite often. When the news coverage of the inquest was going on, I kept thinking about the three teenagers. Five people were killed, but three of them were teenagers. As a mother, the idea of anything happening to my child is incomprehensible, but for your child to have been murdered and for you to then have to spend 54 years trying to find truth, answers and justice is really extraordinary. <BR /> <BR />The Springhill/Westrock families are extraordinary.”
“I thank the Minister for his statement. He spoke about generative AI, and I think that the fact that Departments now have to develop policy in the absence of an Executive strategy is due to the Executive Office's negligence. However, my question is specifically around the curriculum and the move from skills to knowledge in the development of AI. How does he see that squaring with children being able to develop what they need to be future teachers who are able to deal with the workload and the workforce in general? Knowledge and AI are often interchangeable: how is that squared with the move away from skills?”
“Recently, at the Economy Committee, we had presentations from Community Energy Northern Ireland, and it struck me that, at this time of cost-of-living crisis, with the need for greater emphasis on energy security, what is happening in communities is not just about energy security; it is about anti-poverty and what is better for the environment. First Minister, could your Department take a more active role in supporting community energy in Northern Ireland?”
“It is not political, and the strength of the campaign lies in residents speaking with one voice. I appeal to elected representatives in the area to get behind the community-led effort, rather than fragment it. At the recent community meeting, it was agreed that parties would work together on this, and it is important that they do so. When we work together across party lines, we are more effective, but, when we put politics first, it is the community that loses out. The people who have signed the petition are not asking for anything unreasonable; they are asking for a leisure centre that will meet their needs, with a dedicated swimming pool at its heart. I urge the council to listen to those voices, act on the petition and commit to proper investment in Castlereagh South.”
“There is only one in the entire council area, and that is wholly inadequate for a growing and active population. I passionately believe that swimming is a life skill. I have been doing work on this, and I believe that every child should have the opportunity to learn to swim, not as a luxury but as a basic part of growing up safe and healthy. When families in Castlereagh South have to travel significant distances to access a pool, we are putting unnecessary barriers in their way. We should be making it easier for families, not harder. <BR /> <BR />The residents whom I represent contribute a significant amount in rates, and they deserve to see the investment reflected in the facilities available to them, yet Castlereagh South continues to be underserved. This a community issue.”
“I draw the House's attention to a petition that has recently been launched in Carryduff, calling on Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council to deliver a new and modern Lough Moss leisure centre. Residents across Carryduff, Newtownbreda and the Four Winds have come together to make it clear that the current facility is no longer fit for purpose. The demand has simply outgrown the capacity, and people are being turned away from classes and the gym due to oversubscription. Earlier, I talked to my colleague, Councillor Jamie Harpur, and he said that there is often a queue of people waiting in the reception to use the gym equipment. The classes come online at 8.00 am, and they have all gone by 8.01 am because there is a serious demand. <BR /> <BR />The situation is made particularly pressing by the absence of a local swimming pool.”
“I hope that the Minister is feeling better. She will know that one of the biggest issues with the 'good jobs' Bill is that the consultation was viewed by many as an options paper. At this late stage, how does that sit with the scrutiny of the Bill, given that, for example, Committee scrutiny of the Justice Bill took 18 months? I want us to fix the Bill so that it works for everyone in the Assembly, but I am really concerned about the time frame to do that properly. What reassurance can she give that everyone will have their voice heard and be able to have input?”
“I thank the Minister for his answer. This is an issue that residents in South Belfast raise with me on a regular basis, and I know that he is passionate about tackling it. Is the Minister able to quantify the impact of waste water pollution on Belfast lough and our waterways?”
“We need to ensure that we can be world leaders in the ethical and responsible use of AI. That requires having an AI strategy from the Executive Office. There needs to be a specific strategy in Education and real, meaningful work in Economy. I welcome the meeting of the AI advisory panel with the Minister last week, but that was too slow. If we are really to capitalise on AI and ensure that people are upskilled and able to utilise AI and mitigate its risks, we need to have a plan. It is important that the Executive act with urgency on that.”
“We have enormous potential in Northern Ireland, but, so often, we lack ambition and drive.”
“I feel as though I am one of the few people who talk about this constantly, but it is so important. <BR /> <BR />Our young people will have to imagine a completely different future in a world that we do not know. They do not need software development skills; they need critical thinking skills. When we are looking at a new curriculum, we will have to take advances in AI into consideration.”
“We are already world leaders in medical software and cybersecurity. When you look at our skills and the links that our universities have with business, you see that we are primed to be world leaders in the AI space. Businesses tell us that, with strategy and support, we could lead the way in so many areas. The opportunities are enormous. The Northern Health and Social Care Trust has had success with its fracture clinics, and Queen's University is looking at how to cure motor neurone disease. <BR /> <BR />There are amazing opportunities, but we also know that AI comes with serious risks, and we see the darker side of that in so many ways with ChatGPT and some of the awful things that have been happening. We need to understand that, and we need to have a strategy and a vision. We cannot put our heads in the sand.”
“I will speak on the topic of artificial intelligence (AI), which is something that I talk about a lot. About a year and a half or two years ago, I attended a number of economic conferences, and I realised that they always had a panel on AI. It was something that I did not really understand, but I realised that I needed to. I started to speak to experts in academia, business and safeguarding, and it became clear to me that we needed an AI strategy. A draft strategy was worked on and was given to the Executive Office in December 2025, but we are still waiting for its publication. <BR /> <BR />In Scotland, they are on the second iteration of their strategy. They have issued specific guidance to schools in relation to AI. Down South, they are on their second or third iteration, but we still wait.”
“Any Members who wish to join that online call will be welcome. Gerry Carroll and I have been engaging with the union, and it is important that we hear workers' voices. It is really important, however, that the Assembly ensure that the Department for the Economy is doing everything that it can.”
“To fulfil our ambitions for the economy, we need to take a generational perspective on the role of higher education and avoid being caught up in annual budgetary shortfalls. That is not a sustainable position for our higher education institutions, staff or students, and it does not support a strategic approach to the future investment required to fuel the research and innovation that the economy needs. My colleague David Honeyford and I have been pushing for real progress on that, and we will not let up, because our universities, staff and students cannot be left behind. They deserve a clear vision and fair funding. <BR /> <BR />There will be various perspectives on who is to blame. There will be fault across the board. I have written to Ulster University requesting a meeting. I will meet the University and College Union (UCU) tomorrow.”
“The Department for the Economy knows that, and a review of higher education funding has been initiated, but let us be honest: it has not moved with the urgency or ambition that the crisis demands. It lacks ambition and long-term vision. Critically, it seems to lack the buy-in, trust or confidence of the very stakeholders needed to make it work. A review that does not bring people along with it will not be successful. We need a thriving higher education sector. It is critical to the delivery of our Programme for Government commitments, and it cannot keep going on with less year-on-year.”
“They are worried about the impact that this will have on the student experience, on the skills pipeline and on our economy. The ramifications are enormous. <BR /> <BR />In Ulster University's statement, it said that it will engage with trade unions and staff representative bodies. That is the right thing to do, but we have to be really honest about how we got here. Higher education institutions in Northern Ireland have been under severe and growing financial pressure for a number of years.”
“Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. I appreciate your selection of this important matter. <BR /> <BR />On Wednesday, the announcement of the loss of 450 jobs at Ulster University came as an enormous shock, and, in the days that have since passed, I have been contacted by many people. That is where I want to start with my statement: with the people who are impacted on. They are people who are worried about their jobs, their mortgages and what the future holds. During a cost-of-living crisis, when people are already struggling, the prospect of not having employment has come as a huge concern. What they say to me is not just about their jobs and their worry for their future; they are worried about the workload for the staff who may still have their jobs.”
“Mr Brett is always generous in giving way. Does he agree that not meeting the targets does not mean that you just give up? We still need to be ambitious and try to get there. You do not just stop if you are falling slow; you need to speed up to get there.”
“That is something that we all want. It is also about reducing the cost of energy, and that is definitely something that we all want. Seriously ramping up our ability to produce and use renewables is the only viable way of breaking free from the chaos and volatility of globally traded fossil fuels. <BR /> <BR />We have a choice: continue to live in fear of global markets spiralling out of control, with our hands tied behind our back; or get serious about renewables, grasp control of our energy supply and break free of the Wild West of internationally traded fossil fuels. The motion is about greater security, cheaper bills, cleaner air and a stronger economy. That is what a renewables future offers Northern Ireland.”
“We need many things to make the transition work: North/South interconnection; east-west interconnection with Great Britain; stronger grids; better market integration; better long-term storage; a more concerted effort on interconnection; an increase in our grid capacity; and the delivery of the renewable energy price guarantee. <BR /> <BR />We are behind on our renewable targets, but that is not an excuse to give up. We should not give up; we should speed up. Falling short should be a wake-up call, not a surrender. We need to do much more in that space. <BR /> <BR />Fossil fuels are also seriously damaging our environment. Sometimes, people view the focus on renewable energy as some kind of leftist, woke idea about something that it would be nice to have. We are talking about having cleaner air and cleaner water.”
“Lower energy bills are good not just for consumers but for businesses. They would make Northern Ireland a more attractive place to invest, do business and live. <BR /> <BR />One of the real issues that we have is the pace of change and how slow it has been. The Audit Office was clear in its condemnation of the failures of DFE to deliver on the energy strategy. The Department for Infrastructure also has to step up. The electrification of our transport is essential if we are to cut emissions and reduce our reliance on polluting fossil fuels.”
“Consumers and businesses are being hit with rising energy prices, but there is almost nothing that we can do about the cost. We just have to deliver more schemes through which we can try to get help to the people who need it most, but that is not a long-term solution. <BR /> <BR />The Climate Change Committee (CCC) has found that one fossil fuel price shock could cost the UK more than the entire additional cost of the transition to net zero, based on the energy-related costs of fossil fuel shocks that followed Russia's invasion of Ukraine. A shift to renewables could also act as a catalyst for further investment. CCC analysis also shows that every pound that is spent on net zero brings 2·2 to 4·1 times its value in benefits. That investment in our communities is what we should be striving for.”
“Greater security, cheaper bills, cleaner water and cleaner air are what the motion is about. It is about increased development in renewables. <BR /> <BR />On security and control, a January 2026 report from Chatham House made it clear that the most important source of energy insecurity in Europe is the fact that countries are highly dependent on fossil fuels. In an increasingly fractured world, where the whim of Donald Trump can raise prices overnight, we need to take more control over our energy supply. We are price takers, not price makers, and that needs to change. It means that we simply accept whatever the global market decides. <BR /> <BR />Rising energy bills are not a new phenomenon, but we cannot keep rolling from crisis to crisis.”
“Thank you, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker. The motion is about an important topic that affects every household in Northern Ireland — energy security — and how increasing our use of renewable energy can protect us from rising costs, global instability and climate harm. We will hear arguments about why we should stick with fossil fuels, but that would leave us permanently tied to international markets that are unstable and extremely volatile. Think about what has happened in the past few years, with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Gulf War and what is now happening in Iran. Those events have sent energy prices soaring, and we have been left to absorb the cost. Focusing on fossil fuels is not only economically and environmentally illiterate but makes us less secure.”
“The Alliance Party therefore supports the regulations. I thank everyone who got them to this stage.”
“A lot of employers are already very good in the space, and that is to be welcomed and encouraged, but the regulations provide a floor — an important minimum standard — for those who are in work. It is important that it be a day-1 right. <BR /> <BR />I thank the Minister and all the other reps involved. I especially thank the officials who came to the Committee: Colin, Geraldine, Joseph and others. Whenever they appeared before the Committee, they were able to answer questions with such clarity. They were really across the brief and obviously passionate about the issue, so I pay tribute to them. <BR /> <BR />The regulations are a really positive step for the Assembly, creating a more understanding and compassionate working environment for people at a time of real distress. They provide dignity for people at a time when they need it.”
“I welcome these very important regulations. So many people have been impacted on by the issue, including close colleagues of mine. It is therefore very important. To be forced to take sick leave, annual leave or unpaid leave is wrong. Mark Durkan is right to say that it is a bereavement not an illness. From speaking to numerous people, I know just how degrading it feels for them to go through such an awful experience and then have to get a sick note, as if that were something that they should be considering at that time. The compassionate aspect is therefore important. The right to extend that leave to partners, thus ensuring wrap-around provision, is very welcome.”
“I do not have much to add, because Members have made most of the points. I confirm the Alliance Party's support for the Bill at Final Stage. It is a technical Bill, and I enjoyed being a member of the Committee and scrutinising it. It felt like the real job of an MLA, and I look forward to doing more of that. The Bill will modernise insolvency practices. It is so important that our businesses are not disadvantaged by divergence, so it is wonderful that it has come through. I put on record our thanks to the Minister and her officials for their work on it.”
“I thank the Minister for his answer. Some children who are now in P2 and P3 do not even know where that hall is. I understand that work is being done. Can any time frame be given so that those children know whether they will get into the hall during their time at primary school?”