Arlene Foster
Fermanagh and South Tyrone · Ulster Unionist Party · Northern Ireland
“Yet, like too many projects, it has been tied up in legal wrangles. Too many infrastructure projects are being swallowed up in the courts. We need to improve the expertise in infrastructure delivery. We need better infrastructure for the next generation, but key projects being delayed by 10-plus years is unsustainable.”
“Any agreement involves compromises but NDNA had two central pillars that, I believe, remain important: ambition for devolution and a new cultural deal. The breadth and depth of issues that NDNA set us all to deliver on would have been enough to fill an entire term or perhaps more, let alone two years of government.”
“That confidence-and-supply agreement will leave a legacy but also highlights our challenges. Some £150 million has been rolled out via Project Stratum to bring broadband to rural areas and leave Northern Ireland as the best-connected region in Europe. When it is completed, the project will be transformational to our economy.”
“However, such short-term advantage comes at the cost of long-term harm to relationships. It is not a real partnership. Imbalance and instability are built in that will fester and deteriorate. If Brussels continues to think that the protocol is enough, it is in denial.”
“Colleagues inside and outside the House know very well that all periods of leadership must come to an end. That is why, when we are privileged and, indeed, honoured to hold such a position, we must not waste a moment in frivolous brinkmanship but forge ahead on behalf of those whom we represent.”
“The recommendations of the Commission on Flags, Identity, Culture and Tradition (FICT) are to be taken forward as well. I encourage all of you to do all of it, to take it forward in its totality and to speak of and implement it as one complete, independent package: a new cultural deal for Northern Ireland's new century.”
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“The jobs fund would not have happened had it not been for devolution. It has made a real difference to thousands of people across Northern Ireland. We have been able to assist some very small jobs fund announcements. As few as two and three people have been able to be employed because of the jobs fund intervention, and that goes right up to large jobs fund initiatives.”
“One of the themes coming from the north-west is on economic inactivity, and she will know that that is a big problem in the north-west. It is my hope and, I am sure, the hope of the Minister for Employment and Learning that the strategy that we have outlined and some of the actions in it, including competitive pilots, will help to deal with those issues into the future. <BR /> <BR />Infrastructure is also a theme that is developing. Some of the infrastructure, particularly roads, should be focused on as well, and I think that the chamber of commerce in the city shares that view, as it has also indicated that.”
“I think that the Member is referring to the Executive subcommittee on regional opportunities. Of course, we will be looking not only at Foyle but at other constituencies in other regions of Northern Ireland, but she is right to say that we are concentrating on that region at present. At the last meeting, we looked at Invest NI's work, but we also looked at some of the other factors, including infrastructure and connectivity from a digital point of view. Those discussions are ongoing. I think that it is a very helpful forum, and I hope that it is one that will continue for other regions of Northern Ireland as well.”
“Again, we are taking that forward in conjunction with the different sectors. As I indicated in my answer to Mr McNarry, Richard Ramsey described the manufacturing sector as, I think, going through a "purple patch" at the moment. Hopefully, we will continue to assist it. Again, it has to be industry led, because there is no point in politicians telling industry where it should be exporting to. It is for the industries to tell us where they want to go and for us to assist them to get their export product to that market.”
“That is, of course, our main challenge in terms of the eurozone. At present, particularly with a lot of our smaller companies, their first point of export is the Republic of Ireland. Therefore, they are in a difficult place at the moment. We will try to assist them, but we hope that some equilibrium will come about again in the near future. Of course, it is of benefit to people who are leaving and going on holidays to the eurozone, but, for me, the export market is the key market, and that is one of the reasons why we are looking at other markets throughout the world where this does not affect us.”
“The agri sector and food sector is the only part of industry in Northern Ireland that has its own division in Invest NI, and that is headed up by a senior official called John Hood. So, there is already a person in place to deal with all those issues. John has been out meeting a number of agrifood companies throughout Northern Ireland, and I am sure that he will be at the Royal Ulster Agricultural Society show this week. I hope that we are all looking forward to that, because it is always a tremendous time for the whole agri sector to come together and, I hope, to celebrate what has been a good year. Yes, there have been difficulties, particularly in the dairy sector, but I hope that, yet again, farmers will come together and that we can engage with them and hear what they have to say about their industry.”
“I am pleased to tell the Member that we continue to work strongly alongside the industry. Some very significant announcements have been made not only of employment through the agri-industry over the past year but of strong strides in research and development. We have announced the new marketing body, and I note the comments that were made at the weekend about that. I assure everyone in the agrifood industry that the last thing that I want to be involved in is trying to tell them how to run their businesses. That is up to them. We will try to facilitate what we can for them and to get them access to new markets, particularly in China. The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development and I are particularly focused on China at present.”
“I did not mention that we have to acknowledge the exchange rates pressure that we are facing. There is no getting away from the fact that that is an issue for us in Northern Ireland. Although we do not have any levers over it, we must acknowledge and try to take action to deal with it. <BR /> <BR />In respect of unemployment among young people, we are, of course, engaging in our economic inactivity strategy, which puts in place actions to deal with something that has happened not just over the past couple of years. We have a legacy of economic inactivity, and, unfortunately, we are at the top of the regional table for that. We are listening carefully and taking action through the economic inactivity strategy.”
“I thank the Member for his question. The purchasing managers' index today suggested that our two biggest sectors — services and manufacturing — boasted solid growth for the second month in a row. However, some of the other indicators were less positive over the past month. Of course, this is only one survey — a very important one that we all take notice of — but, even from the bank and Richard Ramsey's point of view, there are still other strong indicators, such as unemployment continuing to fall for the twenty-seventh month in a row, job numbers growing for the eleventh consecutive quarter and consumer confidence being at a seven-year high. Although some indicators cause me concern, others show that we are still moving in the right direction.”
“The Member probably has as much influence on Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, given its make-up, as I have. I will certainly say to the chief executive and the director of development that it is a priority and that we need to see more land being made available for industrial development in that area.”
“I am glad the Member has recognised that we are being active. I brought an update to the House at, I think, my previous Question Time. Unfortunately, I do not have anything further to add, but, after Question Time, I will enquire from the chief executive of Invest NI as to whether there is anything further. Certainly, I have not been briefed on any further developments on Omagh, but I am as keen as he is to see moves on the issue. When I was up in Strabane two weeks ago, I could see how McColgan's was using the land that it had to develop. I am sure that he was delighted to see the 43 new jobs being announced in Strabane just two weeks ago.”
“I am rather amused, Mr Speaker, that the past two questions have been about other Ministers' priorities, but, as far as I know, yes, the Casement Park development is still an Executive priority.”
“The Rugby World Cup bid is progressing well. I think that there will be further announcements made in the very near future on how we are taking forward the bid. It is something that we are all behind and want to see happening, because, of course, it will have an impact right across Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. It will be a huge event for the whole island.”
“As far as I know, it is an Executive priority, but the Member would be better addressing that question to the Minister for Regional Development. All that I know is that it is certainly still a matter of interest in that region and that people would like to see a decision made either way so that there was certainty on the matter.”
“Undoubtedly, there are those in the region who have indicated to me that they would very much welcome progress on the issue. I am thinking particularly of the Chamber of Commerce in Omagh and the business community in Strabane. Of course, it is not a matter for me directly. Those indications were communicated to me as recently as two weeks ago when I had the opportunity to visit the Member's constituency and McColgan's in Strabane. McColgan's told me that progress would really assist it, particularly as it sends a lot of product down that very route.”
“As the Member knows, probably better than most because of his position on the Enterprise, Trade and Investment Committee, it is not my position and, unfortunately, not within my power to direct NIE to particular parts of the Province. It is a joint exercise with the regulator, the system operator, NIE and the Department. That is why I have brought all those bodies together. We had a constructive meeting when I brought them together, and I intend to bring them together again and again until we try to deal with these very complex matters. It was not a one-off meeting but something that will happen every couple of months.”
“I sympathise with businesses experiencing difficulty in obtaining grid connections and understand the frustrations that they feel. I recently met those responsible for our infrastructure on these and related issues covering the whole of Northern Ireland. I will continue to engage, emphasising the need to find solutions. Any solutions need to take account of the current regulatory funding settlement, which concluded that asking consumers to pay more to meet developers' connection costs was not in the public interest. I should also acknowledge that our success in meeting the Executive's 20% renewable electricity generation target has made it more difficult to obtain new connections to the grid. I urge any new developer to consult NIE’s heat map before committing resources.”
“I hope that the new Government at Westminster will look at this again and try to deal with some of that bureaucracy, particularly at a European level. If you look at the Horizon 2020 initiative, you will see that the amount of bureaucracy involved is eye-watering. We need to be able to deal with those issues as well.”
“I may have accepted that criticism in the past, but I have tried to cut down on the red tape in Invest NI. I have done that insofar as is possible because, of course, it is public money, and you have to ensure that the proper procedures are in place. Particularly successful in that regard have been the innovation vouchers and the finance vouchers, whereby small and medium-sized businesses can apply for assistance of up to £1,000 with very little form-filling or red tape. The small and medium-sized business community has really welcomed those initiatives. <BR /> <BR />The further up you get and the more money you spend from a public accounts point of view, the more bureaucracy there is involved.”
“Invest NI has put in place a £170 million Access to Finance initiative to ensure that SMEs with high growth potential are not held back because they cannot access finance. Through the suite of funds, Invest NI is able to offer financial assistance for businesses seeking between £1,000 and £3 million over a series of funding rounds. The initiative has six separate funds: the NI small business loan fund; techstart NI; the growth loan fund; Co-Fund NI; development fund 1; and development fund 2. Four provide equity, and two provide loans.”
“There is certainly no bias from me towards the International Airport, the City Airport or the City of Derry Airport. They have worked together quite well on some of the programmes that we have been working with them on. I know that the international airports take a particular view on air passenger duty (APD), which has not been accepted by the Executive. They have provided us with another report on that, the Mott MacDonald report. We are looking at that, although it causes us some concern that some of its statistics appear to come from Scotland as opposed to Northern Ireland. I say to the Member very clearly that there is certainly no bias. We work with all the airports because we want all the airports to develop. We want more flights coming in because the more direct access we have, the more tourists we have coming to Northern Ireland.”
“It is a very significant announcement. I was delighted that, in a competition of, I think, six cities, we have been able to attract Routes Europe 2017 to Belfast. It is a major conference in and of itself, but it also brings key decision makers from airlines, airports and tourism authorities and gives them the time and opportunity to negotiate, build relationships and plan further air routes. Other cities that have hosted Routes Europe have had up to six new routes announced during the conference for that destination, so I am very hopeful that, when Routes Europe 2017 comes to Belfast, we will see more routes coming into Northern Ireland off the back of it.”
“It is a key market for not only tourism but trade and exports. In 2013, we benefited from 51,000 German visitors. There is very large potential in that market. German tourists travel throughout the world. I feel that we should be getting more Germans coming to Northern Ireland, particularly when you see what we have to offer here.”
“A route to Brussels has always been something that I would have loved to have seen develop, not least for colleagues who have to travel there because it is sometimes very difficult to access. Of course, the traffic is very niche; there is not a big load factor in terms of planes. As for Eastern Europe, easyJet has announced a route to Split in Croatia. I am looking down the list of other developments that have taken place. Belfast International Airport's Wizz Air flight to Poland is now twice weekly. We are developing a range of flights. Obviously, I would like to see more coming. The new KLM flight to Amsterdam begins, I think, on Monday, so that is a very good addition to what is happening. <BR /> <BR />Going back to the question, Germany is a priority market for us in Northern Ireland.”
“I have met representatives of a number of airlines to explore opportunities for improving our air access to key markets. Direct access to Germany in particular is a priority, but discussions about specific air routes and airlines are of a commercially sensitive and confidential nature.”
“There are other plans for Centre Point in Newtownabbey. I know that he will not mind me mentioning that his predecessor in Westminster was very active in relation to Centre Point. Invest NI has made some progress on that, and there should be some good news coming out of there in the future. We hope that that will start to push Centre Point along, because it has concerned us that it has not been developed in the fashion that we would have liked.”
“There will be the same advice, assistance and access to loans for the people who want to develop in Ballymena as there will be in Belfast or Londonderry. The scheme is the same throughout Northern Ireland. We want to be able to make sure that we have grade A office accommodation right across Northern Ireland. It is a bit of a chicken-and-egg situation because if people want to invest in a particular area but there is not grade A office accommodation, they will go elsewhere to find it. We need to make sure that there is a choice for inward investors when they come. I have heard from all sides of the House on previous occasions that they want investment to come to their particular region, so we need to make sure that there is accommodation right across Northern Ireland.”
“I do not have that detail, but I am happy to write to the Member. Invest NI has those details, but I have not received them in the Department yet.”
“I announced on 21 April 2015 that Invest Northern Ireland plans to develop a scheme to help ensure that Northern Ireland has adequate grade A office accommodation. This proposal to provide loans was launched on 1 May 2015 through a non-binding expressions-of-interest exercise. Stakeholder engagement suggested that any intervention should be short term and light touch in nature, providing the stimulus that will allow the market to recover. Any scheme would be reviewed annually, but it is currently envisaged that it will not extend beyond 2017.”
“I am sorry; I thought that the Member was going to give me a suggestion when he said that I could be more radical. As I said, we are going to put this out to consultation. Some people may come forward with ideas as to how we could deal with that. Of course, we have access to financial transaction funding, which we may be able to use if people are having difficulties with access to finance for new developments. We have been looking at that in relation to grade A office accommodation in Belfast and throughout Northern Ireland. Those are the sorts of ideas that I am very willing to look at. I am not sure that it is an issue in relation to finance, but I am sure that we will find out what the real issue is in the coming months.”
“I hope that there are some business developers out there who will see this as a very good opportunity.”
“I hope that all our newly elected MPs will do so, although four of them will not be there to make the case for us. Fourteen of them will be there, and I hope that they make the case for a reduction in VAT right across the United Kingdom. That would help not just Northern Ireland but other regional areas of the United Kingdom that have difficulties in attracting tourists. <BR /> <BR />We have this growing deficit because of the success of bringing tourists to Northern Ireland and, indeed, of having very successful events in Northern Ireland, as the Member will be fully aware. The advent of the Waterfront conference centre in 2016 means that we really need to deal with this matter quickly. If we are trying to attract very large events to the Waterfront conference centre, we need to be able to have the accommodation to deal with that.”
“So, in that context, I very much welcome the fact that the Hastings group has seen fit to purchase that property. I hope that we help other companies to make similar decisions in the near future.”
“That is after taking account of known developments in the Titanic Quarter etc.”
“I very much welcome the fact that the Hastings group has purchased Windsor House. Knowing the expertise and professionalism that that group exhibits in the sector, it will make a fabulous hotel of that property. The evidence that has been gathered from the review tells us that there is a lack of four-star and five-star hotel accommodation in our key tourism areas right across Northern Ireland. The main concern highlighted in the policy review is that we may be approaching a position of undersupply of hotel accommodation in Belfast to accommodate our growing tourism aspirations, especially with the opening of the Waterfront Conference Centre in 2016. That is just next year. Research estimates that there will be a potential undersupply of up to 1,000 beds by 2020.”
“In addition to financial support, Invest NI and Tourism NI offer a wide range of advice and guidance to tourist accommodation providers on issues such as IT, e-business and marketing, as well as statutory requirements and the certification process.”
“My Department, in conjunction with Tourism NI and Invest NI, has recently reviewed its policy position around support to tourist accommodation providers. The aim is to help grow and develop our tourist accommodation sector to ensure that it supports and enables the provision of a sufficient accommodation supply to meet the demands of our key tourism markets. That policy review has now been completed, and I intend to issue it for public consultation shortly. The review specifically considers the need to encourage hotel development in Belfast and the potential for support through a tourist accommodation loan fund.”
“We will be able to deal with that through those additional mast sites, if they are positioned correctly. I know that the company that has been employed by the Government has taken some time to identify those mast sites in order to get the maximum out of them. I am hopeful that that will help. However, topography will always present a problem in some parts of Northern Ireland, and that is where future issues lie. I suppose that we will have to wait and see whether new technology develops to deal with those issues.”
“That is recognised, and not only by DETI. The United Kingdom Government have initiated a £150 million mobile infrastructure project, which will attempt to deal with the not-spot problem. It is expected that the mobile operators, all of which are participating in the initiative, will take the opportunity — as well as dealing with the 2G problem — to try to future-proof their equipment to make sure that it can deliver 3G and 4G services and beyond. Around 70 mast sites have been provisionally identified for Northern Ireland, and I hope that, once the masts are in position, they will help with the problems that those of us who live in the west have to endure.”
“We know that, when we travel around, we often get cut off and cannot access a signal. So, I have those details and I am happy to share them with the Member.”
“I thank the Member for his question. I hope that I have set out what we are doing with the interventions in and around broadband. <BR /> <BR />I am glad that he asked me about mobile coverage. I asked officials about this very recently because I had received a few complaints about mobile coverage dropping in some areas in the west. I received quite a comprehensive update, and I am happy to share it with the Member if he wishes me to do so. I will not go through all the details; I would not have the time to do so, and the Speaker would not allow me to deliver it all. Ofcom has indicated that, at June 2014, only 1% of premises in Northern Ireland were in a complete 2G or 3G not-spot. That will come as a surprise to a lot of people, particularly in the west of the Province.”
“I thank the Member. I will of course write to him, although I provided quite a lot of detail on what is happening up until the end of this year. Rolling on to 2017, we have the superfast roll-out programme, which will be finished by 31 December 2017. I am happy to write to him and, if he has any specific issues that he wants me to look into, I am happy to do that.”
“<BR /> <BR />To date, improvements have taken place in the exchange areas of Ballygawley, Beragh, Bready, Carrickmore, Castlederg, Dromore, Drumquin, Dunnamanagh, Fintona, Gortin, Mountfield, Newtownstewart, Sion Mills and Tulnacross and have impacted on almost 6,000 premises. Further details can be found on NI Direct. <BR /> <BR />On 27 February 2015, my Department also contracted BT to deliver the superfast roll-out programme, which will deliver superfast broadband services to 38,000 premises across Northern Ireland, including areas of west Tyrone, by 31 December 2017. That £17·1 million project has commenced with an extensive survey and design process that will take several months to complete. Further details will be published on the NI Direct website as they become available.”
“Many Members will be aware that my Department has made significant investments in broadband infrastructure across Northern Ireland, including in west Tyrone. Indeed, due to previous investments, superfast broadband services are available from over 150 fibre-enabled cabinets there. Building on that, my Department awarded a contract to BT in February 2014 for the delivery of the £23·6 million Northern Ireland broadband improvement project, which will bring more choice and improved broadband speeds to over 45,000 premises across Northern Ireland, including those in rural areas of west Tyrone, by 31 December 2015.”
“We, in central government, obviously do not have all the answers. We want to work with local government and, indeed, the retail fora that are out there.”
“As the Member will know, the BIDs initiative has been taken forward, first of all, by my colleague Nelson McCausland and, now, by the current Social Development Minister. I was very pleased to see that Ballymena had stepped forward and said that it wanted to be involved in the scheme. That is a good indication of the vitality in that area and what they want to do. <BR /> <BR />The economic strategy contains actions aimed at revitalising town centres, and representatives from different chambers of commerce across Northern Ireland have spoken to me on many occasions. Most recently, representatives of Belfast Chamber of Commerce came to speak to me about what they believe is the best way forward for the city centre. It is very good when members come together and bring forward creative and innovative ideas.”
“I have to say that I am not sure that the Prime Minister would characterise his power as absolute: I do not think that any politician has that in his gift. In terms of the report's recommendations, as I indicated to Mr Sheehan, I will meet the chief executive of NIIRTA to talk through the recommendations and indeed to see what is best for the retail sector in Northern Ireland because, of course, that is what I am always interested in.”
“I thought that it would be wise if, first of all, I met the members of NIIRTA in Northern Ireland to discuss the report and see what their take on it was. Of course, we recognise that the retail sector is a very important sector for the economy in Northern Ireland. Indeed, the wholesale and retail sector is our largest sector in terms of both economic output and jobs. Sometimes that is overlooked when we talk about sectors. Of course, as a Department, we do not generally get involved in retail. However, in line with our economic strategy, we welcome all opportunities to promote investment in the local economy and to try to support sustainable job creation and economic growth. At all times, my door is open to meet representatives from the retail sector, as I have done in the very recent past.”
“I am aware of the report and its recommendations. I have written to the chief executive of the Northern Ireland Independent Retail Trade Association (NIIRTA) to say that I would be happy to meet him to discuss the report. The retail offering, clustered alongside food, hospitality and entertainment, enhances the overall visitor experience and creates opportunities for business growth, employment and increased visitor spend.”
“We put out the strategic issues paper so that the industry could come forward and bring evidence to us as to how the changes coming forward would impact on them. <BR /> <BR />This order is an enabling provision. As I have indicated, I will need to bring forward a closure order to deal with the very specific proposals around closing the NIRO in 2017, and that will be debated on the Floor of the House. I commend this motion to the Assembly.”