Results 1-20 of 215 for speaker:Mickey Brady

Northern Ireland Assembly: Social Development: Shared Future: Public Meetings (17 Nov 2009)

Mickey Brady: Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. With regard to the recent public meeting in Newry, can the Minister confirm that the issues raised by two families from Armagh have been dealt with?

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

Mickey Brady: Go raibh maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle. I thank the Minister for her statement on the regulations. Since its inception in 1992, the Child Support Agency has proved to be somewhat disastrous in holding non-resident parents accountable for the amount that they owe and for taking responsibility. The legislation is a tidying-up exercise that will make it easier for the Department to get...

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

Mickey Brady: As someone who worked in the advice sector for a long time, I agree that there are two aspects to child support. I have spoken to both non-resident parents and parents with care, and both have strong views. In the North alone, around £61 million — a huge amount of money — is outstanding. That shows that the legislation to date has been ineffective. As I said, this legislation...

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

Mickey Brady: Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. I commend and thank the Chairperson, the Committee and its staff, past and present, for their hard work and commitment in producing the report. I also thank all those who gave evidence to the Committee. The development of an overarching policy for town centre regeneration is essential, and revised governance arrangements are necessary to ensure the...

Northern Ireland Assembly: Regional Development: Public Transport: Bilingual Signage (19 Oct 2009)

Mickey Brady: 3. asked the Minister for Regional Development what steps his Department is taking to encourage bilingual signage in public transport depots.    (AQO 247/10)

Northern Ireland Assembly: Regional Development: Public Transport: Bilingual Signage (19 Oct 2009)

Mickey Brady: I thank the Minister for his answer. What is his Department doing to promote the use of the Irish language through services that are provided by its agencies, such as Translink?

Northern Ireland Assembly: Office Of The First Minister And Deputy First Minister: Presbyterian Mutual Society (19 Oct 2009)

Mickey Brady: Go raibh maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle. Is there any evidence that the board of the Presbyterian Mutual Society operated outside its legal authority?

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

Mickey Brady: Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. I want to join the Committee Chairperson in thanking the staff and Committee members for the production of the report. Lord Morrow has explained the issues that are involved and how the report relates to them. As has been stated, the report’s recommendations will encourage Members to participate in better-informed debates on legislative consent...

Northern Ireland Assembly: Social Development: Warm Homes Scheme (13 Oct 2009)

Mickey Brady: Go raibh maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle. In the Minister’s answer to question 1, I wonder whether she was suggesting that she should not be let out on her own. Will the Minister give us some idea of when the backlog for the warm homes scheme will be dealt with? In particular, I am thinking about pensioners in my constituency who have been waiting since July 2007.

Northern Ireland Assembly: Ministerial Statement: Public Expenditure 2009-2010:  September Monitoring (13 Oct 2009)

Mickey Brady: Go raibh maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle. I thank the Minister for his statement. He has answered some of my questions about money from the previous monitoring round in response to Simon Hamilton. Indeed, it is also relevant to his previous answer. In the light of continuing and emerging pressures on social housing provision, will the Minister continue to prioritise it if money becomes...

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

Mickey Brady: Although the introduction of social tariffs for all vulnerable groups would be most welcome and is, indeed, necessary, does the Member accept that the elderly are most at risk from fuel poverty? Between 2001 and 2007, 1,997 older people in the North died from cold-related illnesses.

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

Mickey Brady: Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. Mr Bradley has been encouraging me recently in our local press to take an interest in agricultural affairs, so I thought that I would ask a question. [Laughter.] The closed period for the spreading of chemical fertiliser has been extended in the South. Why has that not happened here?

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

Mickey Brady: No, I will not give way; I was at the meeting and the Member was not. The SDLP representatives were not prepared to listen to, or sympathise with, people whose living conditions are dire and unacceptable. Given the tenor of Mrs Kelly’s contribution today, it still seems to be a source of amusement to her that those people continue to live in those dire conditions. Sinn Féin has...

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

Mickey Brady: Of course I will.

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

Mickey Brady: During the debate, several Members mentioned the substandard conditions in which people are living, and the types of repairs that are required, such as fixing leaking roofs and windows. Mr McCann referred to that issue. Thomas Burns talked about the global economic downturn, which we all know about. He also said that Sammy Wilson, apparently, clearly understands the SDLP arguments. I am glad...

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

Mickey Brady: No, I will not. Simon Hamilton, speaking as Chairperson of the Committee for Social Development —

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

Mickey Brady: Go raibh maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle. Simon Hamilton, as Chairperson of the Committee for Social Development, talked about the problems that the Committee and, indeed, the Department are facing because of the lack of funding. He made an appropriate point that there has to be a balance in the delivery of housing standards, and that budgeting difficulties — in the sense of moving...

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

Mickey Brady: That is magnanimous, coming from a Member from a party that does not have a Minister. Mrs Long said that she does not come from a tradition that goes in for sainthood. Perhaps she recognises martyrdom, because it seems that, according to her party colleagues, the Minister is being sacrificed on the altar of the Department for Social Development. The Minister talked a lot about the...

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

Mickey Brady: Go raibh maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle. From the content of the debate so far, it is clear that the issue of grants being stopped is a serious one. Private-sector grants deal directly with unfitness and include replacement grants and potential unfitness with home-assistance repair grants. All those grants are means-tested and applicants have to prove their financial hardship. The grants...

Northern Ireland Assembly: Ministerial StatementS: North/South Ministerial Council  Plenary Meeting (14 Sep 2009)

Mickey Brady: Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. Will the Minister update the Assembly on the development of the Narrow Water bridge project?