Results 1-20 of 351 for speaker:Billy Armstrong

Northern Ireland Assembly: Social Development: Local Government: Social Deprivation (17 Nov 2009)

Billy Armstrong: Will the Minister outline what her Department’s role will be in neighbourhood renewal after RPA has been completed?

Northern Ireland Assembly: Regional Development: A29 Passenger Transport (16 Nov 2009)

Billy Armstrong: 5. asked the Minister for Regional Development to outline any discussions he has had with Translink about increasing the frequency of passenger services on the A29 route.       (AQO 380/10)

Northern Ireland Assembly: Regional Development: A29 Passenger Transport (16 Nov 2009)

Billy Armstrong: It seems that, all too often, Translink’s idea of transport policy is to get people in and out of Belfast. Does the Minister agree that people who live along the A29, along with tourists and students of the University of Ulster at Coleraine, are entitled to a regular and reliable service along the Province’s main north-south route?

Northern Ireland Assembly: Executive Committee Business: Child Support (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2009 (16 Nov 2009)

Billy Armstrong: I thank Minister Ritchie for bringing forward the regulations for approval. Child maintenance is regular and reliable financial support to help towards paying children’s everyday living costs. It is a moral and legal obligation on non-resident parents to support their children. I welcome the regulations because they seek to make it easier to ensure that non-resident parents who fall...

Northern Ireland Assembly: Environment: Planning Reform (9 Nov 2009)

Billy Armstrong: 3. asked the Minister of the Environment for his assessment of the outcomes of the recent consultation on ‘Reform of the Planning System in Northern Ireland: Your Chance to Influence Change’.      (AQO 335/10)

Northern Ireland Assembly: Environment: Planning Reform (9 Nov 2009)

Billy Armstrong: Devolution returned some 30 months ago; when will the Northern Ireland planning system be modernised and become more responsive to the needs of our citizens?

Northern Ireland Assembly: Committee Business: Town Centre Regeneration (2 Nov 2009)

Billy Armstrong: I am genuinely pleased to speak in support of the report. It is not so long ago that urban regeneration in Northern Ireland referred to little more than the rebuilding of the latest town or city centre to have been the recipient of an IRA bomb aimed at a so-called economic target in a deliberate attempt to destroy the local economy. The past years have seen a welcome change, and policymakers...

Northern Ireland Assembly: Private Members’ Business: Social Housing (6 Oct 2009)

Billy Armstrong: I thank the Members who tabled the motion. There is a serious problem with the Department for Social Development’s budget, as there is with the entire Northern Ireland Budget. The problem is that many spending plans have been based on securing capital receipts. However, due to the ongoing recession, those receipts have not materialised. In addition, there is serious mismanagement and...

Northern Ireland Assembly: Private Members’ Business: Social Tariff System (29 Sep 2009)

Billy Armstrong: The motion deals with a subject that is of great interest to many thousands of people in Northern Ireland who are affected by fuel poverty and the high energy prices. The Ulster Unionist Party is committed to tackling those issues. In 2004, 23% of households in Northern Ireland were in fuel poverty, and that rose to 34% by 2006. The cost of domestic electricity increased by 36% between...

Northern Ireland Assembly: Private Members’ Business: Home Improvement Grants (15 Sep 2009)

Billy Armstrong: It is no secret that there is a major problem with the Executive’s finances. The Minister for Social Development has repeatedly highlighted difficulties in her Department’s budget, and in particular, the problems that have been caused by the huge drop in revenue from house and land sales as property values have plummeted and income from sales has dropped from £100 million to...

Northern Ireland Assembly: Social Development: Warm Homes Scheme (15 Sep 2009)

Billy Armstrong: 4. asked the Minister for Social Development for her assessment of the effectiveness of the warm homes scheme in the current financial year.   (AQO 34/10)

Northern Ireland Assembly: Social Development: Warm Homes Scheme (15 Sep 2009)

Billy Armstrong: Is the Minister content with the progress that her Department’s has made in meeting the fuel poverty commitment that is in the Programme for Government?

Northern Ireland Assembly: Health, Social Services and public safety: Swine Flu (14 Sep 2009)

Billy Armstrong: 10. asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety how much it has cost his Department to respond to the swine flu pandemic.      (AQO 10/10)

Northern Ireland Assembly: Health, Social Services and public safety: Swine Flu (14 Sep 2009)

Billy Armstrong: Has there been any extra pressure on the Health Service over the summer because no money was made available for swine flu in the June monitoring round?

Northern Ireland Assembly: Executive Committee Business: Social Security (Lone Parents and Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2008 (26 May 2009)

Billy Armstrong: I thank the Minister for bringing the Social Security (Lone Parents and Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2008 to the Assembly. I welcome the general thrust of the regulations, which is geared towards removing lone parents and children from benefit dependency and poverty. It is crucial that lone parents are given every opportunity to reach their full potential, support...

Northern Ireland Assembly: Social Development: Housing Executive: Maintenance Grants (11 May 2009)

Billy Armstrong: I agree with the Minister’s analysis that the Housing Executive requires a lot of money. What encouragement has the Minister received from the Minister of Finance and Personnel that funding will be found to enable her to move forward with her plans?

Northern Ireland Assembly: Private Members’ Business: Employment and Support Allowance (5 May 2009)

Billy Armstrong: I am fully aware that there have been some teething problems with the implementation of employment and support allowance. I have some sympathy with those who believe the process to be too lengthy and over-complicated, particularly when one reads about a 50-page ESA1 application form. We must not lose sight of the reasons why the new allowance was introduced, and we must not give in to...

Northern Ireland Assembly: Private Members’ Business: Social Housing (21 Apr 2009)

Billy Armstrong: The motion addresses issues surrounding how our regional Government and we as a society help the most socially deprived people. The Ulster Unionist Party is dedicated to helping people from socially deprived backgrounds and ensuring that they are given the opportunities and capabilities to improve their situations. The current economic climate shows that circumstances can lead people into...

Northern Ireland Assembly: Ministerial Statement: Social Security Agency —  Strategic Business Review (20 Apr 2009)

Billy Armstrong: I thank the Minister for her statement, and I welcome her commitment to keep the situation under review. However, given rising levels of unemployment, will the Minister commit to securing more front line services to benefits agencies across Northern Ireland? Has the Minister deployed the 150 additional staff to the areas of greatest need? There have been many job losses in Mid Ulster.

Northern Ireland Assembly: Private Members’ Business: Sales of Alcohol to Minors (31 Mar 2009)

Billy Armstrong: The motion relates to an issue of great importance — the sale of alcohol to minors — and it is another example of the need for joined-up government that involves the Departments responsible for Health, Social Development and Education. Few could argue that alcohol abuse is not a real problem in Northern Ireland and in wider British society. Above all, it affects young people,...