Mr Oliver Gibson: 7. asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development what opportunities exist for young farmers wishing to set up a dairy farm. (AQO 1017/01)
Mr Oliver Gibson: 5. asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure to comment on the uptake of grants for HM The Queen’s Golden Jubilee celebrations. (AQO 1020/01)
Mr Oliver Gibson: Given the poor response as regards applicants, and upon reflection after the debate that took place on 19 February 2002, does the Minister concede that he should have responded positively to the request to give every primary schoolchild in Northern Ireland a memento of the Golden Jubilee? Will he consider a change of heart?
Mr Oliver Gibson: 5. asked the Office of the First Minister and the Deputy First Minister if it intends to give a lead role in European affairs to one of the junior Ministers. (AQO 1014/01)
Mr Oliver Gibson: How does the Office of the First Minister and the Deputy First Minister reconcile that reply with the ever expanding and ever more costly all-Ireland bodies and harmonisation activities? How can that be reconciled with last week’s outburst by the First Minister, especially when he has pledged, through the Belfast Agreement, to create union with the European Union member state that he has...
Mr Oliver Gibson: Before I come to the question relating to consultative groups, the participative approach to the industry, the securing of business through marketing programmes and the infrastructure, I thank the Minister for last week bringing to Omagh the new advanced factory, for the occupants that will take it up and for the prospect of 200 jobs in west Tyrone. With regard to the Minister’s statement,...
Mr Oliver Gibson: What help can now be offered by way of diversification to farmers who are suppliers, and to workers in that industry, by way of the possibility of cross-border tourist trade?
Mr Oliver Gibson: I support the motion because there were many features of great merit in the proposal. At the consultation in Omagh, local care groups were considered to be a good idea. Difficulties arose about what that excellent phrase "good primary care" meant. The consultation process showed that all GPs there seemed to have different levels of aspiration. Although they welcomed the principle and the...
Mr Oliver Gibson: Does the Member accept that the current threats against 22 people in west Tyrone and the find near Ballybofey — only a few miles from west Tyrone, on one of 49 roads that cross the border — are evidence that the IRA is active and not on ceasefire?
Mr Oliver Gibson: The motion is wrong — in fact, it is contrary to EU Directives. I support the idea that part-time workers deserve the same opportunities as full-time workers. However, I wish to mention an area of employment that has not been mentioned, but which is the fastest growing area of employment arrangements, especially in the west of the Province — the contractual arrangement. Nowadays many...
Mr Oliver Gibson: This afternoon has been interesting because we have seen that, when it suits the occasion, the SDLP and Sinn Féin will unite. They have been caught in the act of discriminating, and they are howling, just as they have howled on every occasion for the past few decades. We need investment of more than £1 billion, half of which is required for new building and half of which is required for...
Mr Oliver Gibson: There is unfitness in the rural housing stock, particularly in West Tyrone, which is a real problem. Can the Minister indicate how he intends to tackle that problem, and can he comment on whether it can be eradicated?
Mr Oliver Gibson: Is the Minister aware that his truculence of last week has gained my party seven members? They felt insulted by his behaviour. They found it to be almost an act of disloyalty to the Queen. Just as people received a memento at the time of the coronation, they make the legitimate demand that their grandchildren receive a memento of the fiftieth anniversary of the Queen’s accession. The...
Mr Oliver Gibson: E-commerce and e-technology are the new infrastructures, and they are useful as a means of overcoming remoteness and rurality. I welcome the Minister’s efforts on the SMEs. As far as my constituency is concerned, the emphasis must be on the small rather than the medium. Given the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development’s recent statement on the vision for agriculture and rural...
Mr Oliver Gibson: I am glad that the First Minister and the Deputy First Minister have no intention of touring the constituency of West Tyrone. They should now be aware of the insult that they delivered to the Unionist community last week when they both displayed Republican tactics by boycotting and abstaining from the vote on the provision of a memento for the primary schoolchildren of West Tyrone to mark the...
Mr Oliver Gibson: Through the Chair, I express my sympathy to the bereaved family. I ask the Minister to ensure that in such an emergency, the first contact will always be made with our own United Kingdom Government and its Royal Navy. With reference to the Minister’s North/South Ministerial Council meeting, have there been any investigations into freshwater mussels and their use as a potential for export...
Mr Oliver Gibson: We are ahead of schedule by an hour and a half. This is an important motion, to which an amendment has been tabled. As such, it is reasonable to extend the time in order to have a thorough discussion. Can I persuade you, as Deputy Speaker, to put it to the House?
Mr Oliver Gibson: Parents from all over Northern Ireland have spoken to me about the issue. I point out to the Minister that loving, caring parents want their normality to continue. I speak on behalf of those who have enjoyed parenthood, who have love and affection for their children, and who have a sincere wish to bring up their family according to the precepts, norms and principles of their beliefs,...
Mr Oliver Gibson: We have heard much about many people’s memories of the coronation. This debate is about respect for one of the greatest and most brilliant concepts in the history of civilisation — a constitutional monarchy that allows the people to dictate the terms and thinking of a nation. Despite Mr McElduff’s rubbish allegations — when he talked about discrimination, or in McNamara’s word,...
Mr Oliver Gibson: 2. asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety whether there has been any diminution of acute services in Tyrone County Hospital since July 2001. (AQO 778/01)