Another busy day

Today started at Stormont with routine ministerial papers and then at 11.00 a party assembly group meeting which lasted until 12.00.  At that point I went to speak to a group of A-level politics students from the Belfast Royal Academy.  After that I signed off some answers to written questions and also some correspondence.

This afternoon I met with DFP minister Sammy Wilson and senior officials from his department to discuss the financial pressures on the next financial year.  This was one of a series of meetings that he is holding with all departments.  There is no doubt that every government department and all our arms-length bodies will feel additional pressures next year.

The next meeting was with the chair and chief executive of National Museums Northern Ireland.  I have arranged bimonthly meetings with DCAL's main arms-length bodies - Sport NI, Arts Council and National Museums Northern Ireland - and this was the first meeting with NMNI.  We talked about the opening of the refurbished Ulster Museum and a wide range of issues, including the role of museums in building a 'shared and better future'.

Assembly business continued until 6.30 tonight and then I had to go on to a party executive meeting.  After that it was back home to read some papers and prepare for tomorrow.