Matthew O'Toole: I welcome the fact that this will be transposed, hopefully without much delay, into local law. On a related subject, has the Minister any plans to increase penalties for dog fouling? Particularly post-COVID, that has been an increased subject of interest in many local authorities.
Matthew O'Toole: Will the Member give way?
Matthew O'Toole: I appreciate the Member giving way. I am interested to hear the very interesting dissection of the politics of devolution and fiscal policy in relation to devolved entities. My assumption or thought was that the TUV completely opposes devolution in all its forms. Is that right? I thought that you did not want this Chamber to exist at all.
Matthew O'Toole: I appreciate the Member giving way. This is a genuine point of interest, because I agree with him on some of the cost-of-division points. That is why we have been very loud on the issue of taking money away from integrated schools. I am genuinely interested to know this: if we are spending less per head on pupils than is being spent in GB, but we are also spending too much on education...
Matthew O'Toole: It is good to be back in the Chamber. It is good to be debating fiscal, financial and budgetary matters, and I look forward to doing more of that with my colleagues on the Finance Committee, several of whom have spoken today, and, indeed, with the Finance Minister. We will support the motion but not the amendment, because it is important that there is a specific and explicit reference in the...
Matthew O'Toole: I would also like to hear about the ambition for this place and the ambition for rescuing public services and growing our economy, with specific targets provided and not the hazy, gauzy aspirations that we got yesterday.
Matthew O'Toole: On a point of order, Mr Speaker. I will also endeavour to be concise, but I wish to clarify a matter. We have had a bit of political badinage and back-and-forth in the Chamber about the SDLP's role. Unlike the DUP, we have never propped up an austerity Government, and, of course, the Alliance Party's sister party, the Lib Dems, brought in austerity in the first place. May I just —?
Matthew O'Toole: My specific point of order, Mr Speaker, is that a misstatement was made about the Opposition. The Minister was asked whether he had received a letter from the Opposition, and he said no, but he has received a letter from the Opposition.
Matthew O'Toole: I do not write every letter on behalf of the Opposition. Does the Minister write every letter on behalf of the DUP? I doubt it. He received a letter from the Opposition about the policy, and he did not respond to it. Thank you, Mr Speaker.
Matthew O'Toole: On Saturday, we had a glorious day in Ormeau park. The sun was so strong, and it was so balmy. As one of those people who normally have to shelter under the awning of the beautiful oak and elm trees in Ormeau park, I put on my factor 50 and was there as a participant and volunteer at an amazing community festival called "Ballynafest". I want to reflect on Ballynafest and the amazing hard work...
Matthew O'Toole: Earlier today, Minister, you said that you would not be proceeding with stand-alone hate crime legislation. That comes after a summer of some of the most shocking race hate that the region has seen. I think that many people in ethnic minority communities and religious minorities will feel let down. How can you say that there is not enough time to proceed with a stand-alone hate crime Bill...
Matthew O'Toole: T1. Mr O'Toole asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister, in light of the fact that a Lough Neagh action plan was published some weeks ago, albeit with mostly non-binding actions, to state whether, when finalised, the Programme for Government will commit to the creation of an independent environmental protection agency, especially because, although the draft Programme for Government...
Matthew O'Toole: We are now getting to the heart of it: clearly, in certain specific and very important areas, there is not Executive agreement. That is fine, but it has taken us a few hours to get to that point. Something that is not mentioned at all in the draft Programme for Government is the language commissioner and the associated strategy and work. After consultation, and if the Irish language bodies...
Matthew O'Toole: Earlier, deputy First Minister, I asked for specifics on waiting list reductions, but, I am afraid, I did not get them. Having had a little longer to look through the 80-odd-page document and some of the supporting documents, can I ask you to point to a single, specific new target that the Executive have agreed to in the Programme for Government that is measurable and which the public can...
Matthew O'Toole: The constructive Opposition have been constructive in calling for a Programme for Government for months now. We welcome the fact that one has been published, but we have also been clear that the people of Northern Ireland expected clear targets and clear plans to deliver. On page 27 of the Programme for Government, there is a chart that lists the increase in patients waiting for a consultant...
Matthew O'Toole: First, I associate my party with the unequivocal condemnations of the race hate that we have seen on our streets in recent days. I also welcome members of the Muslim community who are sitting in the Public Gallery today listening to us. We owe them not just a welcome but an apology for what they and their community have had to endure in this society and this city over recent weeks and days. I...
Matthew O'Toole: Will the Minister give way?
Matthew O'Toole: Mr O'Toole asked the Minister of Justice to update the Assembly on her Department’s position on appealing the High Court ruling on the Justice (Sexual Offences and Trafficking Victims) Act (Northern Ireland) 2022, pursuant to the publication of a story regarding such an appeal in the 'Belfast Telegraph'.
Matthew O'Toole: I thank the Minister for her answer. Minister, you said that a decision has not been made, but the reporting is clearly that you are minded to appeal and that that was the argument that you made to Executive colleagues. It is important to acknowledge that, given the timelines that you have outlined, you are seeking to leave office in 48 hours' time, so you may not be there to make the...
Matthew O'Toole: T1. Mr O'Toole asked the Minister of Finance why, according to her response to a question for written answer on 25 June, the report on the response to the consultation on rating and revenue-raising measures, which she referred to in the Chamber and which was simply a factual summary of consultation responses that did not set out her policy or the Executive's intentions, could not be published...
