Alan Chambers: Mr Deputy Speaker, it is a privilege and an honour to have this opportunity today to make my first contribution to the proceedings of the House. I hope that it will be the first of many opportunities. I am extremely grateful to the people of North Down, who voted for me to represent them in the Assembly. I pledge to represent all the citizens of North Down with the vigour and commitment...
Alan Chambers: I get the feeling that there is such an obsession with opposition that we are actually seeing the birth of an opposition to the Opposition. We need to be aware that every healthy democracy has an opposition to scrutinise and critique the performance of government. My party will not be found wanting in pursuit of our opposition duties. However, in conclusion, what we will not be doing is...
Alan Chambers: — for carrying out our duties as part of an official opposition.
Alan Chambers: T1. Mr Chambers asked the Minister of Education, after congratulating him as a North Down colleague on his elevation to ministerial office, for his assessment of the Education budget that he inherited from his predecessor. (AQT 11/16-21)
Alan Chambers: Before the election, the thing that was exercising headmasters was the unplanned increase in teacher salaries, pension contributions and National Insurance contributions that had been placed as a burden on the school budgets. Has the Minister identified a solution to that? Can he give any hope to the three schools in North Down that have been waiting for a rebuild that, in the short term,...
Alan Chambers: I offer my congratulations to the Minister on his appointment. Can he advise how many applications from individuals for assistance to adapt their properties have been turned down due to lack of funding?
Alan Chambers: Would the Minister support a target for increasing woodland cover being included in the Programme for Government, as was the case previously but which was noticeably absent from the last one?
Alan Chambers: I thank the SDLP for tabling this worthy and important motion. It is an example of proactive opposition. It should focus our minds on the fact that we all recognise that many people in rural areas are unable to enjoy the high broadband speeds and reliable mobile phone coverage that many of our citizens take for granted. The Consumer Council hit the nail on the head in a recent consultation...
Alan Chambers: I am sure that the House sympathises with and shares the Member's concern at that statistic. We also recognise how important tourism is to our economy. Visitors going to our must-visit locations expect to be able to use their iPads, tablets and smartphones. One bad experience can be the one recalled when visitors return home to share their stories with friends and families, who are our...
Alan Chambers: 6. Mr Chambers asked the Minister of Justice whether she has raised the issue of antisocial behaviour at Crawfordsburn Country Park with the PSNI. (AQO 110/16-21)
Alan Chambers: I thank the Member for giving way. Does she agree that, while the Department and the local authorities can do all that they can to improve town centres, the responsibility for a vibrant town centre lies with the residents? There is a big responsibility on residents to support local businesses. If they did that, there would be fewer shutters going down and more businesses coming into our...
Alan Chambers: T2. Mr Chambers asked the Minister for Infrastructure, assuming he is aware of the recent creation of a lengthy stretch of joint pedestrian and cycle pathway on the Bangor ring road, between the Gransha Road and the Donaghadee Road, on which, last week, directional arrows, accompanied by the outline drawings of a cycle, were painted at regular intervals, directing cyclists to ride on the...
Alan Chambers: I have the images here and they are causing a bit of fun in the Bangor area. Regarding the pathway, cyclists are reluctant to use this particular carriageway due to the amount of road debris and stones being thrown up by vehicles using the very busy ring road. What measures have been put in place, or could be put in place by the Department, to address this problem?
Alan Chambers: T7. Mr Chambers asked the Minister of Justice for an update on the future use of the now redundant courthouse in Bangor. (AQT 202/16-21)
Alan Chambers: Is the Minister able to share with me whether she has been approached by any local groups about its future use and whether she is sympathetic to those approaches?
Alan Chambers: We need to understand that the purpose of the debate is not about the reputation or limiting the reputational damage of anyone who may have served under the roof of this Building or may indeed still serve under it; it is about the public and international perception of this political institution to which we all belong. We know that there are many negative issues in that regard in the mindset...
Alan Chambers: Northern Ireland is better than that. I will give way.
Alan Chambers: I agree that that episode is worthy of further scrutiny. One of our main target areas for inward investment is the United States of America. It is a big country, but multinational companies there do not operate in silos. We will never be able to quantify how many boardrooms have echoed the conversations about the allegations around NAMA. Given the involvement of the US Department of...
Alan Chambers: Also, so much of the DUP's outrage was directed towards the Ulster Unionist Party, yet there did not seem to be a word directed at those involved in this nasty affair.
Alan Chambers: Will the Minister give way?