Latest releases
Searching a long passage? Find similar statements.
- Disability and equality: remove filter
- Housing: remove filter
- Education: remove filter
- Environment and climate: remove filter
- Criticism: remove filter
554 releases
-
DUP punishing children and schools through latest Petition of Concern, says Tennyson
Alliance Deputy Leader Eóin Tennyson MLA says the DUP's Petition of Concern against an Assembly bill on Irish-medium education punishes children and schools. He calls for reform of Stormont so no single party can block progress.
Education Disability and equality Original release: DUP punishing children and schools through latest Petition of Concern, says Tennyson (opens in a new tab)Archived copy, Internet Archive capture of 9 November 2026 (opens in a new tab)
-
Wilson: Minister is out of touch with the realities facing family…
DUP Newry & Armagh MLA Gareth Wilson accuses Agriculture Minister Andrew Muir of being out of touch with farmers over mandatory carbon audits, which he says would cut farm payments by 10% from May 2029 and 15% the following year. He calls for the Minister to listen to farmers and says the DUP will…
Agriculture and rural affairs Economy and employment Original release: Wilson: Minister is out of touch with the realities facing family… (opens in a new tab)Archived copy, Internet Archive capture of 9 November 2026 (opens in a new tab)
-
Sheehan slams plans by DUP to veto Irish-medium Education Workforce Plan Bill
Sinn Féin MLA Pat Sheehan slams the DUP's plan to veto his Irish-medium Education Workforce Plan Bill via a petition of concern, saying it would harm children learning through Irish. He calls on the DUP to abandon the move and let the Assembly vote, describing the opposition as anti-Irish bigotry.
Education Disability and equality Original release: Sheehan slams plans by DUP to veto Irish-medium Education Workforce Plan Bill (opens in a new tab)Archived copy, Internet Archive capture of 9 November 2026 (opens in a new tab)
-
Overwhelming opposition to Alliance Conversion Practices Bill -…
DUP MLA Pam Cameron says a Committee for Communities survey shows 93.55% of 1,379 respondents opposed the Conversion Practices (Criminalisation) Bill, and calls on the Alliance Party to heed the public and halt the Bill. She argues prosecutors flagged vague harm thresholds and reach into family…
Disability and equality Justice and policing Issue: Alliance Conversion Practices Bill Original release: Overwhelming opposition to Alliance Conversion Practices Bill -… (opens in a new tab)Archived copy, Internet Archive capture of 8 November 2026 (opens in a new tab)
-
DUP will oppose carbon audit penalties on farmers – McIlveen
DUP agriculture spokesperson Michelle McIlveen MLA says her party will oppose Minister Andrew Muir's plan to tie the Farm Sustainability Payment to registering for the carbon audit project. She says cuts of 10% then 15% are a penalty, the project is underfunded, and calls on the Minister to think…
Agriculture and rural affairs Environment and climate Original release: DUP will oppose carbon audit penalties on farmers – McIlveen (opens in a new tab)Archived copy, Internet Archive capture of 8 November 2026 (opens in a new tab)
-
TransformED is taking education system in the wrong direction – Sheehan
Sinn Féin education spokesperson Pat Sheehan MLA says Education Minister Paul Givan's TransformED reform plans would add exam pressure, cut coursework and narrow the curriculum, and calls on him to rethink them and stop avoiding academic selection.
Education Issue: TransformED education reforms announcement Original release: TransformED is taking education system in the wrong direction – Sheehan (opens in a new tab)Archived copy, Internet Archive capture of 9 November 2026 (opens in a new tab)
-
Minister putting unsustainable additional workload on teachers, says Mathison, ahead of TransformED motion
Alliance Education spokesperson Nick Mathison says the Education Minister's TransformED reforms are placing an unsustainable additional workload on teachers, and is bringing a motion to the Assembly on 2 November raising concerns from teachers, principals and parents.
Education Issue: TransformED education reforms announcement Original release: Minister putting unsustainable additional workload on teachers, says Mathison, ahead of TransformED motion (opens in a new tab)Archived copy, Internet Archive capture of 9 November 2026 (opens in a new tab)
-
McDaid slams ‘wear more clothes’ advice in schools
SDLP councillor Catherine McDaid criticises Education Authority guidance telling pupils to dress warmer in schools amid high energy costs, linking it to cuts and crumbling school buildings. She raised the issue at a Derry City and Strabane council committee.
Education Public finance and taxation Original release: McDaid slams ‘wear more clothes’ advice in schools (opens in a new tab)Archived copy (captured later), Internet Archive capture of 9 November 2026 (opens in a new tab)
-
Education Committee boycott is an affront to democratic scrutiny, says Burrows
Ulster Unionist Party Leader Jon Burrows MLA says the Education Minister’s decision to keep senior Department of Education officials out of the Assembly’s Education Committee undermines democratic scrutiny and urges the Committee, via Chair Nick Mathison MLA, to use its formal powers to summon the ‑
Education Original release: Education Committee boycott is an affront to democratic scrutiny, says Burrows (opens in a new tab)Archived copy (captured later), Internet Archive capture of 9 November 2026 (opens in a new tab)
-
Education Minister cannot simply opt out of scrutiny, says Guy
Alliance Education Spokesperson Michelle Guy says the Education Minister must stop refusing to let departmental officials, including the Permanent Secretary, attend the Education Committee. She calls the move unacceptable amid a projected overspend and unclear school funding.
Education Original release: Education Minister cannot simply opt out of scrutiny, says Guy (opens in a new tab)Archived copy (captured later), Internet Archive capture of 10 November 2026 (opens in a new tab)
-
SDLP challenges Executive over broken pledge on racial equality legislation
SDLP Opposition challenges the Executive over delayed racial equality legislation after record race hate incidents and crimes in 2025/26, and calls on the First Minister and deputy First Minister to explain the delay. Its Black History Month Opposition Day motion also recognised black communities.
Disability and equality Justice and policing Original release: SDLP challenges Executive over broken pledge on racial equality legislation (opens in a new tab)Archived copy (captured later), Internet Archive capture of 9 November 2026 (opens in a new tab)
-
Minister threatens every farmer’s herd over a problem he says is 7%
UUP Deputy Leader and Agriculture Spokesperson Diana Armstrong MLA challenges the Agriculture Minister over Belfast Telegraph remarks that about 7% of farmers produce around 70% of phosphorus, and his warning about herd size. She calls for support for the 90% of farmers doing the right thing and…
Agriculture and rural affairs Environment and climate Original release: Minister threatens every farmer’s herd over a problem he says is 7% (opens in a new tab)Archived copy, Internet Archive capture of 14 October 2026 (opens in a new tab)
-
Hunter Condemns Minister's Cynical Attempt to Evade Departmental Scrutiny
SDLP Education Spokesperson Cara Hunter MLA accuses the Education Minister of avoiding accountability by pulling Department officials from Education Committee scrutiny. She calls on the Committee to hear from academics, experts and civil society instead.
Education Original release: Hunter Condemns Minister's Cynical Attempt to Evade Departmental Scrutiny (opens in a new tab)Archived copy (captured later), Internet Archive capture of 9 November 2026 (opens in a new tab)
-
Wear more clothes advice shows how out of touch the Education Authority has become
UUP Education Spokesperson Jon Burrows MLA criticises Education Authority advice telling pupils and staff to "wear more clothes" over rising energy costs, calling for the guidance to be revised for pupils with sensory needs and for the Department to engage with the Education Committee.
Education Public finance and taxation Original release: Wear more clothes advice shows how out of touch the Education Authority has become (opens in a new tab)Archived copy, Internet Archive capture of 8 October 2026 (opens in a new tab)
-
If John O’Dowd can condemn abuse, why can’t the First Minister? –…
DUP MLA Deborah Erskine challenges First Minister Michelle O'Neill to condemn abuse and threats against Carla Lockhart MP and Diane Dodds MLA, contrasting her refusal with John O'Dowd's condemnation and urging her to tell those responsible to stop.
Justice and policing Disability and equality Original release: If John O’Dowd can condemn abuse, why can’t the First Minister? –… (opens in a new tab)
-
Burrows: Permanent Secretary's no-show undermines accountability at the Assembly
UUP leader and Education spokesperson Jon Burrows MLA criticises the Permanent Secretary's decision not to attend the Education Committee's meeting, calling it unacceptable and an erosion of Assembly accountability. He calls for a swift end to the dispute and urges the Minister to drop the boycott.
Education Original release: Burrows: Permanent Secretary's no-show undermines accountability at the Assembly (opens in a new tab)Archived copy, Internet Archive capture of 8 October 2026 (opens in a new tab)
-
O'Neill's silence on abuse of DUP women is breathtaking - McIlveen
DUP Deputy Leader Michelle McIlveen MLA accuses First Minister Michelle O'Neill of double standards for refusing to condemn intimidation and misogynistic abuse aimed at party colleagues Lockhart and Dodds during an Assembly sitting on the Garvaghy Road.
Justice and policing Disability and equality Original release: O'Neill's silence on abuse of DUP women is breathtaking - McIlveen (opens in a new tab)
-
Durkan: Executive must act on empty homes
SDLP Opposition Communities Spokesperson Mark H Durkan MLA says the Executive is failing to tackle empty homes, citing Finance Minister figures of 22,817 vacant properties as of 30 June 2026 and calling for concrete action as homelessness rises.
Housing Original release: Durkan: Executive must act on empty homes (opens in a new tab)Archived copy (captured later), Internet Archive capture of 9 November 2026 (opens in a new tab)
-
Armstrong: Four in every five pounds of Careers Portal spend went on staff
UUP Deputy Leader Diana Armstrong MLA says a breakdown of Careers Portal spending shows £700,000 of £889,000 went on staff while development spending fell to £6,000 in the final year. She calls for the Economy Minister to put a figure on the cost of keeping the mothballed project in operational…
Public finance and taxation Economy and employment Original release: Armstrong: Four in every five pounds of Careers Portal spend went on staff (opens in a new tab)Archived copy, Internet Archive capture of 6 October 2026 (opens in a new tab)
-
Armstrong: A year lost, and still nothing for the big investments farmers need
Ulster Unionist Deputy Leader and Agriculture Spokesperson Diana Armstrong MLA says farmers went a year without capital investment support after DAERA delays, and calls for clarity on when larger farm investment support will open. She says the Sustainable Farming Investment Scheme opened only in…
Agriculture and rural affairs Economy and employment Original release: Armstrong: A year lost, and still nothing for the big investments farmers need (opens in a new tab)Archived copy, Internet Archive capture of 2 October 2026 (opens in a new tab)