Newry & Armagh's newest MLA takes to the floor at Stormont

Aoife Finnegan asked her first question just a day after being appointed to fill her Sinn Féin party colleague, Conor Murphy’s seat.

After being welcomed by Deputy Speaker Steve Aiken, she questioned Communities Minister Gordon Lyons during his statement on tacking welfare fraud.

“The Minister's announcement will mean more onerous evidence checks on claimants to confirm their eligibility,” said Ms Finnegan.

“That will fall on the already pressured staff, who are doing their best to manage the social security system. How will the Minister ensure that capacity exists within the system to roll out the changes?"

Minister Lyons welcomed Ms Finnegan to the house, adding: “I am not sure whether that was her first question, but I am very glad that she has taken an interest in these matters.

"I am bidding for additional resource to ensure that we do everything that we can to tackle fraud and error. It is not about making it more difficult for all those who apply but about dealing with those who have been found to be in breach and having the resource to investigate when something does not add up. I do not want to make it any harder for those who are entitled to benefits to be able to get them.”

Last week she asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister “whether they agree that the British Government's farmers' inheritance tax will be detrimental to family farms in the North”.

Deputy First Minister, Emma Little-Pengelly responded: “Absolutely: there are serious concerns in the farming community.

“All of us around this place have listened to the concerns articulated by our hard-working farmers and farming families. We have a strong and honourable tradition of family farming throughout and across this place. We want to protect that and recognise the hard work that they do.

"You cannot farm if you do not have a farm. Farms are part and parcel of what our farmers need in order to produce the agri-food, the goods and the necessary products that we so want them to continue to provide.

"A farm is not a luxury to be taxed to such an extent that it could, unfortunately, leave the family. We have raised this key issue with the Chancellor and directly with the Prime Minister. The UK Government need to change tack on the issue and stand up for and protect our farmers. We will not be silent in continuing to stand up for them.”

Ms Finnegan asked in response if the deputy First Minister would “commit again today to working alongside the First Minister and the entire Executive to press for the proposals to be scrapped?”.

Mrs Little-Pengelly told her: “Absolutely. As indicated, the UK Government need to scrap the tax. It is a farm tax on farming families. Instead of taxing our farmers even further, the Government need to stand up for them and make sure that they can continue to do the hard and great job that they do to support every one of us across Northern Ireland.”