Results 1-20 of 483 for speaker:Ken Robinson

Northern Ireland Assembly: Social Development: Housing Budget (17 Nov 2009)

Ken Robinson: The Minister has given us a full resume of her budget. How hopeful is she of any additional funding from the Minister of Finance and Personnel in the December monitoring round? Will that have any impact on the social housing scheme in Monkstown in my East Antrim constituency?

Northern Ireland Assembly: Committee Business: Obesity (16 Nov 2009)

Ken Robinson: Will the Member agree that, although schools should be encouraged to make time for physical education and they would like to do so, there is little point in that if children pass a variety of fast-food outlets at lunchtime or on the way home from school? That negates everything that the school might have preached during the day.

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

Ken Robinson: I support the legislation. Will the Member agree that, in the past, the agency has made many miscalculations and that many non-resident parents have been driven to distress when faced with having to pay an amount of money? It is concerning, particularly in the case of younger men, that that might be the final straw that tips the balance and causes them to think about the future of their...

Northern Ireland Assembly: Ministerial Statement: Together Towards Entitlement (16 Nov 2009)

Ken Robinson: The Minister referred several times to ESA’s role: she wants an immediate assessment from it; she said that it is crucial to raising standards; and she wants it to set the pace. ESA is a shadowy body, which does not exist, so on what basis does the Minister presume that the House — if the Education Bill ever comes before it — will accept ESA and set it in motion?

Northern Ireland Assembly: Finance and Personnel: Quangos (10 Nov 2009)

Ken Robinson: I thank the Minister for bringing us up to date on the amount of money that is going through the quangos. However, although it is one thing to reduce quangos and their power — and we would all agree with that — the impact of that loss of spending power could be quite catastrophic to some of our local economies. Has the Minister made any assessment of the impact that such a drop...

Northern Ireland Assembly: Office Of The First Minister And Deputy First Minister: Flags (9 Nov 2009)

Ken Robinson: I am sure that the Minister could also intervene in the case of the tricolour sheep if he had a mind to do so.

Northern Ireland Assembly: Office Of The First Minister And Deputy First Minister: Flags (9 Nov 2009)

Ken Robinson: I listened to the deputy First Minister’s answers to Dr Farry. A review of the flags protocol was announced by his Office on 22 February, which was nine months ago. A research paper on the issue by Queen’s University was commissioned by OFMDFM and published in January 2007, which was three years ago. Are we to assume that the flags protocol is another issue on which the First...

Northern Ireland Assembly: Enterprise, Trade And Investment: Economy (3 Nov 2009)

Ken Robinson: I thank the Minister for her answer. Given that we must always take into account all methods of developing the economy, does the Minister anticipate any new foreign direct investment as a result of the investment conference in May 2008?

Northern Ireland Assembly: Office Of The First Minister And Deputy First Minister: OFMDFM: Joint Working (19 Oct 2009)

Ken Robinson: If the powers of the First Minister and deputy First Minister really are equal, why do they have different designations? Surely that alone suggests that some are more equal than others.

Northern Ireland Assembly: Committee Business: Legislative Consent Motions (19 Oct 2009)

Ken Robinson: I also support Lord Morrow’s response to an underlying problem in the Assembly. He said that it was not exciting inquiry. However, those of us who braved the journey to Edinburgh on 29 April 2009, as others disappeared by the wayside, found the Scottish experience to be positive. Initially, there were concerns that the business of legislative consent motions would, perhaps, give back to...

Northern Ireland Assembly: Finance and Personnel: Civil Service Equal Pay Claim (6 Oct 2009)

Ken Robinson: The Minister has just touched on the point that I was going to raise. Does the Minister envisage any difficulties in acquiring the moneys or loans from HM Treasury that may be required to pay the final settlement in full?

Northern Ireland Assembly: environment: High Hedges Legislation (5 Oct 2009)

Ken Robinson: Did I hear the word “consultation” in the middle of that response? The Minister’s illustrious predecessors went to consultation on at least two occasions. That is one reason why the problem has dragged on for so long. I am delighted to hear that the matter of disputes between neighbours could be resolved through the legislation. Will the matter be put out to consultation again?

Northern Ireland Assembly: OFFICE OF THE First Minister  and deputy First Minister: Fair Employment and Treatment  Order 1998: Teachers’ Exemption (5 Oct 2009)

Ken Robinson: I notice how closely the deputy First Minister sticks to the script. With schools increasingly sharing facilities, buildings and teaching staff in local partnerships, has not the ability of certain schools to use religious criteria in the appointment of teachers become an anachronism?

Northern Ireland Assembly: Executive Committee Business: Second Stage (29 Sep 2009)

Ken Robinson: On a point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker. I am sorry to interrupt the Minister in full flight, but do we have a quorum in the Chamber?

Northern Ireland Assembly: Education: Education and Skills Authority: Community Representation (28 Sep 2009)

Ken Robinson: Given the enormity of the potential power that might be ascribed to the education and skills authority, will the Minister acknowledge that she must take steps to allay the fears across the education sector that the Education Bill will create an enormously over-centralised and bureaucratic super-quango?

Northern Ireland Assembly: Private Members’ Business: National Asset Management Agency (28 Sep 2009)

Ken Robinson: On a point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker. I am not sure whether the acoustics in the Chamber are better than I thought they were, but will the Member clarify whether he used parliamentary language in his description of the state of the adjoining economy?

Northern Ireland Assembly: Culture, Arts and Leisure: Re-imaging Communities (22 Sep 2009)

Ken Robinson: I thank the Minister for his reply. I agree with all the Members who have spoken on this question. There is no doubt that it is difficult to quantify the benefits that the programme brings to communities that have suffered and which need the re-imaging programme. The Minister listed some of the huge sums of money that have been made available for the projects. However, given that those...

Northern Ireland Assembly: Agriculture and Rural Development: Fertiliser (21 Sep 2009)

Ken Robinson: Has the Minister considered carefully the impact that any extension of the slurry period will have on urban dwellers, streams and rivers? If so, what steps will she take to minimise that impact?

Northern Ireland Assembly: Office of the first minister and deputy first minister: Policing and Justice: Budget (21 Sep 2009)

Ken Robinson: 2. asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister for an update on any financial negotiations in respect of the devolution of policing and justice.         (AQO 47/10)

Northern Ireland Assembly: Office of the first minister and deputy first minister: Policing and Justice: Budget (21 Sep 2009)

Ken Robinson: I thank the First Minister for that very detailed reply and for setting the issues out chronologically. Given the sums involved, the potential that exists for derailing the entire process of devolution and the impact that it will have on the Assembly Budget, have the First Minister and his colleagues, at any stage, engaged in a procedure whereby there could be a process of rolling devolution...