AQW 18253/22-27 – Eligibility for health service-funded IVF

Mr Patsy McGlone (Mid Ulster): To ask the Minister of Health why eligibility for health service-funded IVF, and related treatments, is restricted to instances where the woman has a body mass index of at least 19.0kg/m2 and up to and including 30.0kg/m2. Minister of Health: The BMI criterion for the provision of publicly-funded IVF treatment … Continue reading AQW 18253/22-27 – Eligibility for health service-funded IVF

AQW 18566/22-27 – Rural Proofing Draft Programme for Government

Mr Patsy McGlone (Mid Ulster): To ask the First Minister and deputy First Minister to detail any rural needs assessment or rural proofing that was carried out on the draft Programme for Government 2024-2027 before it was agreed by the Executive. First Minister and deputy First Minister: A Rural Needs Impact Assessment (RNIA) was completed … Continue reading AQW 18566/22-27 – Rural Proofing Draft Programme for Government

AQW 17952/22-27 – Imported, adulterated honey

Mr Patsy McGlone (Mid Ulster): To ask the Minister of Health to detail the steps his Department is taking to ensure that honey sold here is genuine and not imported, adulterated honey. Minister of Health: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) in Northern Ireland has policy responsibility for the Honey Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2015, with the … Continue reading AQW 17952/22-27 – Imported, adulterated honey

AQW 17951/22-27 – Country of origin labelling on jars of honey

Mr Patsy McGlone (Mid Ulster): To ask the Minister of Health whether he plans to introduce legislation to provide improved labelling of country of origin on jars of honey. Minister of Health: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) in Northern Ireland holds policy responsibility for food compositional standards and labelling. Current rules require that all food … Continue reading AQW 17951/22-27 – Country of origin labelling on jars of honey

AQW 18127/22-27 – Recruitment of Soil Sampling Technicians

Mr Patsy McGlone (Mid Ulster): To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs to detail the number of people that have (i) applied; (ii) been interviewed; and (iii) been accepted for positions as Soil Sampling Technicians in the Soil Nutrient Health Scheme during the current recruitment process. Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural … Continue reading AQW 18127/22-27 – Recruitment of Soil Sampling Technicians

McGlone: Executive must provide dedicated funding for farmers

SDLP Opposition AERA Spokesperson Patsy McGlone has said the Executive must provide dedicated ring-fenced funding for farming and agriculture. He was speaking after a debate in the Assembly on Tuesday. From next year funding for agriculture from the UK Government will no longer be ring-fenced and instead be included as part of the block grant. … Continue reading McGlone: Executive must provide dedicated funding for farmers

McGlone: Action, not more reviews needed to protect environment

SDLP AERA Spokesperson Patsy McGlone has said the Minister needs to deliver concrete action to protect the environment, not further reviews. He was speaking after Minister Andrew Muir announced a review into environmental governance in the Assembly on Tuesday. Mr McGlone said the Minister must prioritise the establishment of an Independent Environmental Protection Agency. Mid … Continue reading McGlone: Action, not more reviews needed to protect environment

McGlone: Children’s safety online must be top priority

SDLP Mid Ulster MLA Patsy McGlone has said nothing can be more important than keeping children safe online. He was speaking after a letter from Saoradh to Gaelscoil Eoghain in Cookstown ahead of an online safety workshop from a PSNI officer. The workshop has now been postponed. Mid Ulster MLA Mr McGlone said, “If we … Continue reading McGlone: Children’s safety online must be top priority