Claire Hanna: With all that in mind, does the Minister regret his earlier statement about the certainty of that funding, which gave considerable comfort to small-scale producers? I appreciate that there are mitigating circumstances in the UK-wide context, but can he outline what, specifically, he will be able to do to help that sector recover?
Claire Hanna: I thank the junior Minister for her answers so far. You have referenced the pressure on the existing sector providing for refugees and asylum seekers who are already here and the concerns about the lack of an integration strategy, which means that each new arriver is having to reinvent the wheel. Is there any more funding for existing groups providing existing services? Is it likely that...
Claire Hanna: Will the Minister give way?
Claire Hanna: I have dealt with a number of cases, including one that nearly closed a small business due to a £20,000 overvaluation. I went through the LPS appeal system and your predecessor, and, in the end, it was the ombudsman who reversed the decision and stopped that small business closing. It is not an open-book system: people do not feel that they can accurately calculate what their rates bill...
Claire Hanna: I thank the Minister, in particular, for her presence in the Chamber, and I acknowledge the publication last week, post my tabling of this debate, of her Department's review of the non-domestic rating system and the useful information contained in it. This is definitely the graveyard shift and I feel that I should possibly just email you and let everybody get away, but we will go through the...
Claire Hanna: I thank the Minister for his report. My colleague Alban Maginness is unavailable. Will you give us an assessment of the impact that you suspect the cutbacks might have on the advice sector?
Claire Hanna: T2. Ms Hanna asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to advise whether DARD and the Rivers Agency have restored the river bed at the Sir Thomas and Lady Dixon Park or reimbursed the Lagan Canal Trust, given that she will be aware of the removal last month of a lot of gravel from the bed of the River Lagan at that location in south Belfast and the impact that that has had on...
Claire Hanna: On the back of that, the angling clubs are concerned that there is miscommunication between DARD, DCAL and them. Has the Minister any suggestions on what mechanisms might be put in place to address that communications imbalance?
Claire Hanna: I think that it is. Polling shows that over two thirds of people support marriage equality, with a smaller number who have not made up their mind but are not opposed yet. The separate but equal argument is that people should be happy with civil partnership. I ask Members who are married whether they would be happy to downgrade their marriage to a civil partnership if they think that it is...
Claire Hanna: Yes, I will.
Claire Hanna: Yes, it will. The faith that I belong to, for example, does not allow people who are divorced to be married, and it has not been forced into doing that. I want all Members to engage on the issue. They should engage with the testimony that they have no doubt received from people. I understand that people are struggling with their faith, but I hope that they will, in time, realise that many...
Claire Hanna: I support the motion and those who will be most affected by the outcome. Like many people, I watched the referendum in the South just before the summer. I actually campaigned in it, and, I have to say, as someone who has been involved in elections for going on for 15 years, that I do not remember one being as life-affirming and positive since the referendum that we had here in 1998. It was...
Claire Hanna: Can the Minister provide the House with an update on progress on the implementation of shared neighbourhood projects, following the success of the Ballynafeigh development in south Belfast?
Claire Hanna: 5. Ms Hanna asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel, of the documents requested by the Committee for Finance and Personnel in relation to the sale of the National Assets Management Agency's local portfolio, how many have not been provided. (AQO 8871/11-16)
Claire Hanna: Can the Minister advise what documents, if any, the National Crime Agency (NCA) has requested from her Department?
Claire Hanna: The Minister is aware of the predicament of many householders, particularly in my constituency of South Belfast, who live under constant threat of flooding. Can she give an update on the household protection scheme, and give some assurance to people that they might still be eligible for that scheme, even if an alleviation scheme is planned for their area? In many cases, alleviation schemes...
Claire Hanna: I thank the Minister for his answers. You have suggested that the current model is unsustainable. Has the Department identified the tipping point after which it thinks the model will be financially unworkable? At this stage, do you envisage a change in the number of Colleges NI campuses?
Claire Hanna: I also welcome the opportunity to speak on the motion, and I commend my colleague Dominic Bradley, in particular, for his efforts, through the all-party group on autism and outside it, in promoting awareness of this topic. The fruit of his labour was the Autism Act (Northern Ireland) 2011, which came through the Assembly and brought together all of the most progressive elements of...
Claire Hanna: Does the Minister agree that the flags protocol has been largely abandoned in some places, with flags proliferating, including paramilitary flags, especially on arterial routes in very integrated areas of south Belfast? Does he agree that the rule of law should prevail and that those flags should be removed?
Claire Hanna: T7. Ms Hanna asked the Minister of the Environment what is being done about summer bonfire sites, given that he will be aware of the issues with unregulated summer bonfires, the attachment that people have to them and the risk to property and community relations, particularly from those bonfires that are not part of any management programme. (AQT 2857/11-16)