Robbie Butler: Thank you, Mr Speaker. I am sorry for the late indication. I will keep you on your toes. I thank the Minister, as other Members have done, for bringing forward the measure. As everyone says, the use of accelerated passage is not something we do lightly, but sometimes it is absolutely necessary. When you try to quantify those that the measure will affect and benefit, you will find that it...
Robbie Butler: I thank the Minister for her statement. The Speaker led the Disabled People's Parliament here on Friday, which was a great success, and the issue of access to public services was raised by a number of people. Did the discussions in the meeting look at children who have disabilities or learning disabilities? What actions will be taken to ensure that there is equality of access?
Robbie Butler: T4. Mr Butler asked the Minister of Education what steps she is taking to ensure that equal access is a reality for children at all educational facilities, given that she will be aware of the very successful first Disabled People's Parliament that was held in the Chamber on Friday 3 December, at which the contributors raised many challenges for MLAs as legislators, with Christine and Lilia...
Robbie Butler: I thank the Minister for her answer, and I encourage her to watch the video. It is very good, and lots of challenges were raised. What work can the Department and you, Minister, do in order to ensure that the voices of those parents and children that have that user experience are heard and that whatever they tell us is actioned?
Robbie Butler: Thank you, Mr Speaker, for the allocation this time. We have a very busy schedule. At the outset, I thank the Minister for attending the Adjournment debate, especially as she has a young family. There are great pressures on her and other Ministers with families. I will not take up the full 15 minutes because the case in hand is well made. I know that the SDLP Member for Lagan Valley will also...
Robbie Butler: Will the Member give way?
Robbie Butler: One of the things that constituents and people who are considering a move to Moira say is that they want to move there for the schools and the infrastructure but have to factor in the traffic issue and the fact there is sometimes a waiting time of 15 or 20 minutes to get in and out of the village. Does the Member agree that that can affect their decision-making?
Robbie Butler: Will the Member give way?
Robbie Butler: Thank you. The Member will know that this is meant in the best of intentions. We also welcome the future development of Moira train station, but that, in effect, could bring more traffic into Moira. Whilst it will take cars off the road, Minister, it could also bring hundreds of cars through the village for drivers to avail themselves of the car park. That speaks to this debate as well.
Robbie Butler: Will the Member give way?
Robbie Butler: The Member is very passionate about this subject, and I have listened to her speak on this many times. Does the Member agree that we have an intergenerational problem? Look at the statistics from as far back as 2004: the numbers are not changing. In fact, in some years, they have gone up. The effect on children can sometimes be that it empowers another generation to carry on the wrongs of the...
Robbie Butler: At the outset, I thank Miss Rachel Woods for bringing forward the Bill. I might not be the Member who will speak on the Bill as we go forward, but I spoke to Mike Nesbitt, who is on the Economy Committee, and my leader, Doug Beattie, who met Rachel Woods a number of weeks ago to discuss the Bill. During my handover, I was told that it was a good, pragmatic Bill. As the Member for South...
Robbie Butler: 1. Mr Butler asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister for an update on the Communities in Transition (CIT) project. (AQO 2795/17-22)
Robbie Butler: I take the opportunity to congratulate the former First Minister and former leader of the Democratic Unionist Party on taking up a position with Co-operation Ireland, which is a stakeholder in the project. First Minister, work undertaken during years of tackling intergenerational issues related to the Troubles has identified our young people as being the most adversely affected by...
Robbie Butler: Minister, at the end of a week in which we became more aware of the threats to your life and to your wider family being made on social media and the relentless determination of one former Minister in the House not to support what you are trying to do for public health, I thank you for the speed at which you and your Department acted on omicron and the threat that it poses. You will be aware...
Robbie Butler: 6. Mr Butler asked the Minister of Finance to outline the rationale for not consulting on the draft non-domestic rates (coronavirus) valuation Bill. (AQO 2744/17-22)
Robbie Butler: I thank the Minister for his answer. I am sure that he will agree with me that some non-domestic ratepayers will be concerned, as will other stakeholders. What confidence can you give to significant stakeholders and, in particular, local councils that fiscal pressures will not be forced on them as a result of any outcomes of the Bill?
Robbie Butler: T9. Mr Butler asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister for an update on discussions that their office has had about the removal of the exemption for teachers from the Fair Employment and Treatment (Northern Ireland) Order 1998 (FETO). (AQT 1779/17-22)
Robbie Butler: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Is it the First Minister's view that it might happen before the end of this mandate?
Robbie Butler: On behalf of the Ulster Unionist Party, I pay my condolences on the passing of Mr Austin Currie. I did not know Austin Currie, but one has to have only a passing interest in Northern Irish politics to realise the impact that he had on local politics, not least as a committed civil rights activist and one of the founding members of the SDLP. His influence was not confined to Northern Irish...