Rachel Woods: I thank every Member who spoke during the debate for their comments and support for the Bill. I will address the Minister's comments first. I thank him for being here, and I am glad that he is feeling better. The Assembly cares, and we need to work constructively together to help. Domestic abuse is utterly abhorrent, and I welcome the Minister's firm support for the Bill. I thank the Minister...
Rachel Woods: I beg to move That Standing Order 42(1) be suspended in respect of the Final Stage of the Domestic Abuse (Safe Leave) Bill [NIA 41/17-22].
Rachel Woods: Standing Order 42(1) requires that there should be a minimum interval of five working days between each stage of a Bill, apart from where it is subject to accelerated passage or between Second Stage and Committee Stage. As the Bill completed its Further Consideration Stage on Monday 21 March, I am asking the Assembly to approve the suspension of Standing Order 42(1) in respect of the Bill to...
Rachel Woods: I beg to move That the Domestic Abuse (Safe Leave) Bill [NIA 41/17-22] do now pass.
Rachel Woods: Today is a hugely significant day for victims and survivors of domestic abuse and for workers' rights in Northern Ireland. Today marks a step change in how we, as a society, respond to domestic abuse. From 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2021, the PSNI responded to 32,219 incidents of domestic abuse. That is a response roughly every 16 minutes, and that is only for the incidents that we know...
Rachel Woods: On behalf of the Green Party, I support Mr Catney's Bill at its Final Stage. I have supported it from day one. We have had many conversations about the Bill, and he knows that he had our support from its inception. We know that steps have already been taken in Northern Ireland to pilot the provision of period products for those who need them. As we know, however, that is not universal. This...
Rachel Woods: Although we have had two statements from the Minister this morning, there has been nothing about the significant damage to wildlife and the environment caused by the fires burning on our hills and mountains, which is very disappointing. The Minister's statement talks about caring "deeply" about wildlife, yet he is happy to sign off on the shooting of protected animals. He talks about...
Rachel Woods: T7. Miss Woods asked the Minister of Finance to detail which Departments, apart from Justice, will see a net budget decrease under the draft Budget, given that he will be aware that the Department of Justice is the only Department for which general allocations are insufficient to cover the baseline cut, despite the fact that, like Health, which is the main beneficiary, the Justice budget...
Rachel Woods: I thank the Minister for his answer. Legal professionals have warned that the Justice budget net decrease would cause: "generational harm to the Justice System". Will the Minister offer an assessment of how the draft Budget may impact on the provision of legal aid as a public service?
Rachel Woods: 10. Miss Woods asked the Minister of Finance to outline the budgetary process for 2022-23 in the absence of an Executive. (AQO 3268/17-22)
Rachel Woods: 11. Miss Woods asked the Assembly Commission for an update on work to divest the Northern Ireland Assembly Members' pension scheme from fossil fuel companies. (AQO 3299/17-22)
Rachel Woods: I thank the Member for his answer. I have been continually contacting the trustees in the last two years and have yet to receive a firm date for when I can meet them. The war in Ukraine has brought a sharp focus on the reliance on Russian fossil fuels and companies. Will the Member assure the House that the Commission will recommend a full review of the amount that is invested in the Northern...
Rachel Woods: I, too, wish the Minister well. I hope that she makes a quick recovery. As others have said, I am glad that we are here to pass the Justice (Sexual Offences and Trafficking Victims) Bill. It has been a long time coming. Now that amendments have been made to the Bill, it will help protect people in Northern Ireland. I will not speak for long. Much of what needs to be said has already been said...
Rachel Woods: T5. Miss Woods asked the Minister of Education, who will be aware that the Executive Office is consulting on a violence against women and girls strategy, to state the involvement that the Department of Education has in that process. (AQT 2145/17-22)
Rachel Woods: To go back to the Executive Office's violence against women and girls strategy, does the Minister agree that tackling many of the issues that we as a society face with violence, abuse and other treatment of women and girls will necessitate an absolute overhaul of the way in which relationships and sexuality education (RSE) is taught in our schools and a shift in focus towards consent?
Rachel Woods: I apologise because I think the Minister covered this in his original answer, but I could not hear. Will he confirm when a planning application is due to be submitted? Do any time pressures exist by which Fresh Start funding must be spent?
Rachel Woods: I am grateful that the Matter of the Day has been allowed to be debated. Today, we are being warned that the cost of living could rise by as much as 10% by the autumn for some of the poorest households in the UK. We have all seen the soaring costs of fuel in our homes and at the pumps, but, as others have said, that does not affect the likes of us who sit here. We have seen the increased...
Rachel Woods: At the outset, I thank the Minister and all the Members who spoke to the amendments before the House and made suggestions. I am happy to discuss those suggestions and take them on board between this stage and Further Consideration Stage. I wish the Minister all the best in his recovery. I am sorry that he is not in the Chamber today. I thank the private Members' Bills team and Clerks in the...
Rachel Woods: I thank the Minister for giving way. Will the Minister outline how her Department is assessing risk in those situations?
Rachel Woods: I thank the Minister for giving way. I raised this point earlier at Committee. The advice that we were given today by the Attorney General was based on the drafting of the amendments, not the actual contents.