Sean Lynch: I want to make a number of points. As the Chair has said, Committee members have already agreed to the extension. Therefore, we will agree to it in the Chamber. Finally, I want to lay out our position. The Bill seeks to bring into legislation matters that are being addressed through codes of conduct and guidelines.
Sean Lynch: As a member of the Finance Committee, I commend the Minister for setting the Budget and for the numerous initiatives that he has designed to protect our people and mitigate the damage to the economy during these very challenging times. When we first sat as a Committee some three months ago, little did anyone know that the Budget of 2020-21 would be overshadowed by an unprecedented public...
Sean Lynch: I welcome the Minister's statement. As the Chair said, we will have further discussion on matters relating to the issue afterwards in the Budget. However, I welcome the order as an important element in the much wider programme that the Executive will need to put in place as we move through the immediate health and economic traumas of COVID-19. Whilst responding to events as they unfold, the...
Sean Lynch: Will the £1 million allocated this year for people who have been affected by the blood contamination scandal continue next year?
Sean Lynch: Will the Minister give an update on the review of the Civil Service provided in the 'New Decade, New Approach' document?
Sean Lynch: 2. Mr Lynch asked the Minister of Education to outline the current available funding for cross-border shared education projects. (AQO 310/17-22)
Sean Lynch: The Minister will no doubt agree that the cross-border shared education projects and the relationships that they create are highly valuable. Does he intend to maintain that level of funding after exiting the EU?
Sean Lynch: T7. Mr Lynch asked the Minister of Justice for an update on the domestic violence perpetrators’ pilot scheme in Derry’s courts, which was suspended because of uptake, given that, in April 2019, he was told that more research would be done. (AQT 187/17-22)
Sean Lynch: The Department has funded the Probation Board to deliver a pilot scheme for behavioural change of individuals who have not reached the criminal justice system but who show concerning behaviours. Can the Minister outline any plans she has for the roll-out of this programme?
Sean Lynch: I note the Member's remarks, but I do not agree with them. There is a need to empower and support communities in resisting and rejecting paramilitary control. Sinn Féin agrees with the Independent Reporting Commission's recommendation, as set out in its most recent report, of a multi-layered approach to tackling serious criminality, including effective criminal justice responses along with...
Sean Lynch: As a member of the Policing Board, I support the motion and the amendment. The motion is too narrow in its scope. Tackling serious criminality is not solved by police alone. However, they have an important role to play. These criminal groups and their activities are mostly embedded in communities that also suffer social and economic problems, including poverty, unemployment, educational...
Sean Lynch: T1. Mr Lynch asked the Minister for Infrastructure what plans she has to address the flooding in bad weather in Boho in his constituency. (AQT 171/17-22)
Sean Lynch: I thank the Minister for her extensive answer. Does she understand the impact that it is having on day-to-day lives, particularly those of care workers?
Sean Lynch: The Minister answered my question, which related to a timeline. She has no timeline at this stage.
Sean Lynch: You will be happy to learn that I will be brief, and I will refer to the Budget maybe once or twice. For the past hour, I have been listening to the debate in the Chamber. All Members have talked about pressures, how the Budget is a challenge, how schools are under pressure and how there is a lack of funding. All of those statements are true. For any Minister to deliver a Budget in the North...
Sean Lynch: — schools, roads, health system and many other public services are now experiencing. I am happy to give way.
Sean Lynch: I thank the Member for his intervention. When the Tories came to power in, I think, 2011, they cut — it was a policy — £1 billion off the block grant. That was the reality that we found ourselves in. We cannot deny that. I will speak as my party's spokesperson on transport. At a time when we should be encouraging people to use all types of public transport throughout the system, making...
Sean Lynch: T4. Mr Lynch asked the Minister of Finance to outline his plans to support social enterprise. (AQT 144/17-22)
Sean Lynch: How does the Minister intend to improve the community asset transfer policy, which he mentioned in his answer?
Sean Lynch: T3. Mr Lynch asked the Minister of Finance for an update on his plans to reform procurement. (AQT 53/17-22)
