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.”
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“I understand your point, but I am not entirely sure how beneficial those trade deals have been in comparison with being part of a UK-EU customs union. <BR /> <BR />The deputy leader of my party made a good point about how it is not just about Northern Ireland: this is what UK businesses want. They want us to be back in the UK-EU customs union, because that would make their lives simpler. It is not just for Northern Ireland, and it is not about ideology but about pragmatism. It is about recognising that, in the uncertain global economy, the closer we are aligned to our biggest trading partner, the better off we are. <BR /> <BR />There is one point that I really want to make. I will say it slowly and clearly, and, if anyone ever repeats it again, I will know that they are being disingenuous.”
“Across the world, reliable and stable trade relationships are really important for resilient economies. When you simplify customs arrangements, align the rules and reduce barriers, businesses can thrive. Ultimately, that is what this motion is about and what a UK-EU customs union would deliver. It is about cutting red tape, making supply chains simpler, reducing costs to businesses and boosting growth across these islands.”
“However, we acknowledge that for many firms, especially smaller ones, the paperwork and bureaucracy are still an issue. That is not good for jobs or for ordinary families who are trying to make ends meet in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis.”
“Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. What a joy to be able to make a winding-up speech on the debate. So many new arguments were made. Much of Northern Ireland but especially our economy is built on connections, on relationships North/South and east-west — not borders and paperwork. Businesses here rely on the Republic of Ireland and Great Britain, and for years we have benefited from frictionless trade, predictability around rules and regulations, and the seamless movement of goods and services, but that changed with Brexit. It did, and it created additional barriers. Yes, the Windsor framework made important progress. It has protected dual market access and given Northern Ireland a unique ability to trade into the EU single market and the UK internal market.”
“On a point of order, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker. I apologise for not being in my place for question 2 during Question Time to the Minister of Health. I tried my best, but I was not in time. Sorry for the inconvenience.”
“Thank you, Minister. We are competing on a global stage with regard to tourism. You have already covered the like of VAT, corporation tax, ETA and air passenger duty. However, something that I am conscious of is how we compete for skills and talent. That is a challenge for all industries but particularly tourism, given UK immigration policies. What conversations were had with the NSMC about that challenge, and how do you intend to overcome it?”
“I thank the Minister for the statement. It is good to hear that InterTradeIreland has benefited participants and increased confidence. Start-ups and SMEs often say that they do not know how to access finance or support. What was discussed, and how could any business listening access some of that support?”
“It is also about sending a clear message: if you are a victim of abuse, whether online from AI or in any other circumstance, please come forward to speak to one of us so that we can signpost you to the support that you are entitled to and deserve.”
“On Wednesday, I will host a town hall meeting with the YMCA at Stranmillis, and anyone who wants to come along will be welcome. We will have senior people from tech companies, members of the PSNI and people who work in safeguarding, as well as people who care very much about online safety. Facilitating conversations that will be led by young people, who are most impacted, is really important, as well as legislating to end the behaviour. <BR /> <BR />I thank Cara again for the work that she is doing. I am really heartened by the fact that we are all on the same page on the matter. It is about keeping people safe and making sure that they are treated with dignity.”
“<BR /> <BR />As a mother and a politician, I think that it is a pressing issue. Parents raise it with me. They are really scared. They do not understand the development of technology and the impact that it will have on their children. Someone said to me that parents in every generation worry about what their children will face: at one point, it was rock and roll. Now, however, it really feels as though we are living in the complete unknown, and it is so hard for parents to understand how they can support their children. My colleague Michelle Guy has been doing really important work in that area. As legislators and representatives, we need to do more to have those community conversations and to bring people together. Ultimately, how we tackle it is a societal issue that needs a holistic response.”
“I echo what everyone else has said: the creation of non-consensual sexually explicit images is abuse and must be treated as such. With technologies evolving so quickly, legislation needs to follow suit. Naomi Long has been such a strong advocate for ending violence against women and girls in this mandate and the previous mandate. The work around deepfakes is so important and something that she personally cares about deeply. <BR /> <BR />We have seen changes made in the House of Lords and legislation in Australia and Minnesota seeking to ban nudification apps. I have been working with the Bill Office on an amendment to bring an end to those apps. It is beyond belief that it is perfectly legal to have one of those apps on your phone. You can download them: you can have one of them, and that is totally legal. That needs to change.”
“That is an area that I have been thinking about a lot: how the victims of abuse in all its guises feel during discussions such as this and how, as an Assembly, we pass the right legislation and have conversations, as a society, to end such abuse. So many people live in shame and fear, and we need to do more on the societal conversation. <BR /> <BR />I am the founding chair of the all-party group on artificial intelligence. I believe passionately that, when used responsibly, AI has enormous potential to transform our public services, boost productivity and find solutions to some of the most pressing issues that we face as a society, but we also have to recognise the enormous harm that it can bring. If we are talking honestly about wanting to end violence against women and girls, the way that we deal with it is a massive part of that.”
“I thank Cara for tabling the motion. She is an extraordinary advocate on the topic, and we are lucky to have her in the Chamber. I welcome the debate and thank Cheryl for how she ended her piece. I wrote a speech, but so much of what I wanted to say has been said already, so I will focus on a few core areas and on what Cheryl ended her contribution on: the victims. <BR /> <BR />There are so many dark elements to humanity. The creation of non-consensual sexually explicit images is just another example of the abuse that so many women face. The way in which such technologies are being used, particularly around children, is incredibly troubling.”
“I thank the Minister for his answers, which I have listened to. He has been very clear about the fact that he believes that the process is fair and equitable. Does he believe that the communication process has been adequate? Businesses in south Belfast are in shock. This is not about an abstract thing; it is about livelihoods. Is the Minister content that communication has been adequate? What further support and reassurance will his Department, outside LPS, give?”
“I am minded that, at the heart of this, there are people who were terrified by an awful occurrence in our society. The Minister does not agree with several Members in the House, but does he agree that relations feel very low and that trust seems to be at rock bottom across the House? For him to deliver in his job, we need to be able to work together. What steps will be taken to restore the faith that is missing in the Chamber?”
“We need to approach the debates in a good spirit to identify ways in which we can work together and find solutions. So often, that will be about evidence, so collecting more data can only be a good thing. I look forward to seeing how the proposal is taken forward.”
“We need to have more conversations about revenue raising. When we look at our economy and how we operate, we see that there are lots of things that we could do to be more efficient and to save. We need to have honest conversations about how we revenue-raise. For us, as a party, it has to be progressive and fair, and we need to make sure that it will make a tangible difference in people's lives. Alliance will not stand back from those conversations; we are happy to be involved in them. <BR /> <BR />We have to be serious. People who are looking at the Chamber and at what we are doing are saying, "Well, they're not very efficient. They won't talk about how we actually deal with the issues in public finances". We all need to take tough decisions, work together and look at evidence.”
“We have already said that our solution is to have a UK-EU customs union. Blaming that charge on us will annoy me, and I will pick it up every time that it is said. We in the Assembly should ensure that we use evidence, work together and improve lives; we should not pick on people or make things up.”
“As I said, having a better understanding of that would allow us to make policy for the future. We are criticised for all sorts of things, but the one that sticks the most is that we just do not think in the long term. So much of that is structural, because we do not create policies for the long term. The report is really good and really welcome. It allows us to provide a framework for future annual assessments. <BR /> <BR />I hold the Chair of the Economy Committee in high regard. He is an excellent politician. I disagree with a lot of what he says, but he is excellent. The "Alliance tax" line has really annoyed me, and I will call it out every time I hear it. If we are serious about economic growth in Northern Ireland, such silly sound bites are ridiculous and really annoy me. The charge on parcels has come from the EU.”
“<BR /> <BR />Where I diverge, though, is that I think that all data is important. We cannot say that data is really important but we want only some of it. So much of our economy is on an all-island basis: for example, energy, tourism, waterways and agri-food. Our interconnectedness, our interdependence, how we operate and knowing where we diverge and where we are similar are so important. Having a report that looks at that baseline is really important. Highlighting the structural differences between our economies sets a baseline for future monitoring, and that is to be welcomed. <BR /> <BR />The report's focus on data gaps and on identifying those that hinder a North/South analysis of productivity, labour markets and cross-sectoral working is really interesting.”
“There is a lot that I agree with in Diane Forsythe's contribution, especially on the importance of data. I chair the all-party group (APG) on policy and public data. That will sound boring to many people, but it is actually one of the most interesting groups. The issue is so important. Northern Ireland is data-rich. From the minute that we are born until the minute that we die and beyond, data is collected on every one of us, yet, so often, policy decisions are based on a sample of a couple of thousand people. If we had better access to data and if we were to share data across Departments, the better our policy solutions could be not just now but in the future. I therefore welcome the opportunity to talk about the massive importance of data, especially to our economy.”
“To his wife, Caroline, to the wider family, to his political family and to everyone who came across him in Newry and Armagh, we send our deepest condolences. We will be thinking of you in the days ahead.”
“You knew that when you were talking to him. He was really funny and really kind. I actually had a family connection with him. I remember going to his nephew Dave's wedding in Barcelona, and, when we were coming out the chapel, I said to my husband, "There is a man there who looks so like Mickey Brady". It was only a little later that I realised that it was Mickey Brady, and we shared some of those stories later on that evening. I always enjoyed seeing him, and I know that you will be feeling his loss and that the whole family will. Five decades of community work is impressive, and I am just so sorry that he did not get the time to enjoy his retirement, which he deserved after such dedication.”
“I extend my and my party's condolences to Mickey Brady's family and to his wider Sinn Féin family. When I worked for Anna Lo, Mickey was an MLA and attended the all-party group on ethnic minorities among a number of others that Anna sat on. He was a kind man, and you could feel that when you were in his presence. In 2015, back in the days when Alliance did not have that many party members, I was selected as a paper candidate to run in Newry and Armagh. I remember going to the count, and it was just my husband and I who were there. We did not have high hopes of my becoming the Alliance MP for Newry and Armagh at that time. I remember him and Megan Fearon being really excited for me because I received one vote in Crossmaglen. They came around and said, "You've got a vote in Crossmaglen". <BR /> <BR />Mickey was just a really decent person.”
“A border would then be on the island, and it would be even bigger. We just need to work together on solutions.”
“There are certainly examples of negative impacts; I do not deny that. I can also see, however, that there has been growth in Northern Ireland. Where we deal with so much of this is with the UK Government. My issue is that there are solutions, as my colleague said. In the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) survey, 50% of businesses said that customs bureaucracy was the biggest problem. A UK EU customs border would bring £25 billion into the Exchequer. There are things that we can do that the DUP just will not consider, and that is because they are to do with the EU. It feels so deeply political. I understand that you have to speak for your base and the people who vote for you, but, ultimately, this place has to deliver for everyone in our society.”
“<BR /> <BR />The problem is that, whenever we try to have the conversations, it seems as though the DUP's primary concern is how to stave off TUV voters. Its concern is not how to find pragmatic solutions but how to make sure that we are not aligned with the EU in any way and stand against anything that has a tint of EU to it. Let us not do that. We know that you voted for Brexit. We did not want it — we wanted to remain in the EU — but that is how it is. We now need to come up with practical solutions, and we need to look at the issue through that lens. The Chair of the Economy Committee said that businesses from across the political spectrum and with different identities care about this and will be watching, so let us have a conversation about how we can make things simpler for them. Let us stop the politicking.”
“Thank you, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker. <BR /> <BR />Here is my issue. Brexit happened. We are on an island, and Brexit forced a border into existence that was going to be either in the sea or on the land. That created friction and change, and there needed to be solutions. We have worked hard to find the best solutions possible. We now have the Windsor Framework Democratic Scrutiny Committee, on which I sit. We look at legislation that is coming forward that will impact on Northern Ireland. We look at it at the very end of the process. I support having an office here, having EU status and having whatever influence we can have, because I care about people in Northern Ireland and about how we make things simpler for them.”
“<BR /> <BR />As an Assembly, we need to talk about practical solutions and to be pragmatic. There are, of course, complexities to the issue. As was said in the opening speech, e-commerce and how we deal with such things is changing. It is something that we will monitor closely. Of course, we care deeply about businesses, how they are impacted and costs to consumers, but I also care deeply about fast fashion, its impact on the environment and on local producers and about how it is a risk to our producers. Those things are complex, and they require considered thought. They do not require politicking, and they do not require us to come back to this conversation. It has been 10 years of saying, "It was Brexit", "It was the Windsor framework" and, again, "It was Brexit". Let us stop having that conversation.”
“Thank you, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker. I will do my best, but I need to address some things. <BR /> <BR />The primary issue is that there are question marks about the motivation behind the motion. I agree that it was a deliberate tactic to make it a constitutional question. If a business were to tune in to listen to the debate because it wanted to know the Assembly's view on the new EU customs fee on small parcels, would it feel as if the DUP was standing up for them? I do not know, because most of the contributions have been on the Windsor framework and the impact on democracy. I am sorry, but I do not think that sovereignty is the primary concern when it comes to how you keep your business going, get food on the table and pay your staff. Incidentally, the UK Parliament voted for this; it had its say as a sovereign Parliament.”
“I thank the deputy First Minister for her statement. The creative industries have had huge economic benefit, but it goes deeper than that. There is a psychological impact where young people feel proud to live here and can imagine having the opportunity to work in those industries. At times of financial constraint, the arts are usually the first to lose funding, and space is something that we hear about from the sector, whether it is 'Blue Lights' using Netherleigh House or artists in the city centre needing studio space. Was there any discussion about how we can be more creative in facilitating our creative industries? Is there any discussion around how we could even use the Civil Service estate in the meantime or to support our industries, given that investment is hard to come by? What else can we do to support our industries?”
“Does the Member agree that, while the Invest NI representatives who came to the Economy Committee said that they could not list anything because the evidence was not there, anecdotally they suspected that some businesses could not say that they supported dual market access or that they were benefiting from it, because the matter is so politically charged?”
“Let us now look at how we can have meaningful discussions about practical solutions, as opposed to always making sure that someone does not think — heaven forbid — that I like the EU a wee bit more than I actually do. Let us park that and get on with finding practical solutions. Having an office in Belfast can only be a good thing. It is not negative. It is not a Trojan horse. It is just a way of making life easier for people. We therefore support the motion. We support any sensible, pragmatic solutions. Please, for the rest of 2026, can we start having conversations that deal with Brexit and the EU in that spirit?”
“I am not slighting mid-level officials; I am saying that our access, since we left the EU, has been limited, so we need to take every opportunity that we can. We do not have the influence that we had previously. We meet policy officers. If we had more offices and more engagement, businesses and people here would have access to more information, and we would be able to know what is coming further upstream. We may disagree on Brexit and its outcomes, but we agree that we want the best for people. If we knew further upstream what was coming legislatively, and if we had more engagement, surely that would be better for everyone. <BR /> <BR />We sometimes put politics before pragmatic solutions, and that does us a disservice. If only we could just park the fact that Brexit happened :you wanted it, I did not, and that is the way that it is.”
“Thank you. <BR /> <BR />Yes, I was there, and I am slightly offended that you do not remember my presence on that trip. We walked to a restaurant together. I remember the trip, and there was one thing that I noticed: at the airport, we met a member of the business community who was on the same flight and was meeting senior elected members of the Commission, I think, whereas, as Committee members, we had meetings with mid-level policy officers. While that was useful, it struck me that we do things so far downstream. If we had an office and observer status — Mr Brooks, you look shocked. You are welcome to intervene, if you would like to.”
“The fact that we had to wait weeks for our own office in Brussels to come to our Committee to speak to us shows what this place is like and why we need to make it more accessible, open up more doors and make things easier for businesses, because they do not have that luxury. Making it simpler by having an office that would allow businesses to navigate increased complexity and uncertainty —.”
“While I was listening to the contributions, I was reflecting on the fact that the Northern Ireland office in Brussels was meant to come and present to the Windsor Framework Democratic Scrutiny Committee, I think, last week. That evidence session had not been signed off, so we did not get it; it was delayed. We have that luxury here. Things are delayed and we put things off because of the politics of it all, but people in the real world do not have that luxury. My colleague Stewart Dickson described the office as a European External Action Service, and the point about likening it to the consular services is such an important one. We have other offices in Northern Ireland that represent other countries, and that makes life simpler. It makes things easier for trade and for getting information.”
“The success that we have in different industries in Northern Ireland is remarkable.”
“In a world of so much change and uncertainty, there is comfort to be taken from the fact that we are able to have the same debates ad nauseam. At least we are consistent in that. <BR /> <BR />This is about being practical. We know that we have left the EU. A lot of us did not want that; some of us did. The result was chaos and uncertainty, and people have been doing their best to bring some stability. I know that the leader of the Opposition likes to take credit for the phrase "dual market access", and I am happy to put it on the record that I believe him in that assertion. All of us — not just him — should be talking about the opportunities. I agree with Pádraig that we have a compelling story to tell, but it is not just about the universities, skills and geography; it is about the people.”
“Technology does not exist in vacuum; it reflects the attitudes and behaviours of the world around it. Ending abuse also means challenging misogyny, raising awareness and listening, particularly to young people, who are often the most directly affected. We need to consult on the issue and talk about it, because talking about the abuse and shining a light on it is the most powerful tool that we have.”
“In order to complete that work, however, we need to tackle the technology that enables it. <BR /> <BR />This is not an abstract issue. It already causes profound harm, and it is an especially urgent issue when it comes to children. The recent findings of the Children's Commissioner for England show a worrying rise in the use of nudification tools involving children, with clear calls for those apps to be outlawed. Protecting children and young people should be at the very centre of absolutely everything that we do. <BR /> <BR />It is not only a legal or technological challenge. This is one of the key questions that, as a politician and a mother, I am grappling with. We see on the news that politicians are exiting Twitter in droves. What I find so difficult is that there are real people behind those prompts, so it is a societal issue.”
“The non-consensual creation of such images is abuse: it is a form of violence that is, overwhelmingly although not exclusively, directed at women and girls. Our law needs to keep pace with what is happening. As chair of the all-party group on artificial intelligence, I believe that we have a responsibility to make sure that AI works for society, not against it. <BR /> <BR />At present, it is entirely legal to have on your phone apps for which the sole purpose is to generate sexually explicit images of real people. There is no justification for that. That is why I have started work on an amendment to the Justice Bill to ban nudification apps and to make it illegal to create non-consensual sexually explicit images, rather than its just being illegal to share them. Naomi Long has been doing important work to tackle deepfakes.”
“Happy new year. I welcome Mr Wilson to the Chamber. <BR /> <BR />Last week, the headlines were dominated by the revelation that an AI feature on X — formerly known as Twitter — can be used to undress women with the click of a button. Artificial intelligence has extraordinary power. I have talked about what it can do for the good, and I am genuinely excited about its potential to transform our public services and to help the economy and healthcare for the next generation — there are so many opportunities — but we cannot ignore the reality, which is that, right now, the same technology is being used to cause harm. One of the most urgent and disturbing examples of that is the rise of so-called nudification apps and sexually explicit deepfakes.”
“As Cheryl said, anyone can fall victim to scams, because they are becoming so much smarter, and, with the advance of technology, we have to be especially mindful of that. <BR /> <BR />Real people are at the heart of this, and I am grateful when they come to their elected representatives for assistance. When we look at the issue, we see that it is not just for one Department. It is for many others, and we all have a role to play in addressing it. I wanted to mention that one case, because I think about her a lot. I think about the people who are being left behind in the age of digitisation, how vulnerable they are as a result of that and how we have a duty to support them as best we can.”
“I tabled a question to the Department for Communities about the goods and services directorate for older people and the need for that here, because every day we have people coming into the office. Another constituent came in and said, "I used to book all my tickets online. I don't have a smartphone. No one belongs to me" — the most heartbreaking phrase that you could hear. Those are the people who are falling victim to such scams and who are being manipulated and tricked. It is not just that they are left out of pocket; it is deeply humiliating for them. They feel so humiliated by it. It is great that we are talking about it here. Thank you so much for tabling the motion and shining a light on the issue, because we need to have the conversations and to remind people that there is no shame.”
“She called the bank, the PSNI and Action Fraud. What began was a long saga of going backwards and forwards. My colleague Curtis, who works in my office, is a phenomenal caseworker, among other things, and was so diligent. He ended up taking the case to the Financial Ombudsman Service and managed to get the money back with 8% interest. That is the exception, not the rule. It took an awful amount of work. <BR /> <BR />I welcome the motion and the discussion around it. As is the case with so many issues, it is cross-cutting and touches on so many other Departments. We had been in touch with the Older People's Commissioner about this as well. Everyone knows that I am passionate about AI and how we get up to speed with digitisation, but people are being left behind, and we are not doing enough to talk about it.”
“I welcome the motion and the opportunity to speak on it and talk about a case that came into my constituency office. An older woman came in very distressed because she had received a message from someone saying that they were her son. The message read, "Hi, mum. It's me. I've changed my number. Can you save it?", so she saved the number. Later that afternoon, she got another message saying, "Hi, mum. I need some help paying an online bill, and I'll pay you back at the weekend. Here are the account details", so she transferred, I think, about £900 to the account. An hour later, she got another message saying, "Hi, mum. Sorry, the amount is actually an extra £600". It was at that moment that she realised that she had been scammed. She called her son after realising that it was not him who had messaged her.”
“I encourage all Members to read the report, engage with young people and, together, take the action that is required to support all young people in our society to develop, grow and flourish.”
“Of the respondents, 72% said that they want more of those opportunities. Another finding was:”
“It also found that 36% of 11 to 21-year-olds say that they feel depressed after spending time on social media. Those are sobering and powerful statistics. Even more powerful is the hope and optimism in the survey report, and the action that Girlguiding is taking to turn those statistics around. The survey found:”