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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“These are key work streams for Tourism Northern Ireland, which will continue to successfully use global iconic events as a catalyst for tourism development and growth.”
“International events such as the Irish Open and Giro d'Italia attract large numbers of visitors, showcase Northern Ireland on a global stage and give us the opportunity to drive further visitor numbers through the positive perception that they create. Tourism Northern Ireland has successfully used major events to profile Northern Ireland as a visitor destination through award-winning marketing campaigns. <BR /> <BR />However, marketing and promotion is just one aspect. To grow visitor numbers and, more importantly, visitor spend, we need to ensure that we invest in the product offering, develop visitor-inspired experiences and increase the capacity and competitiveness of our tourism industry.”
“That is not just for the town of Antrim, of course, although it will very much welcome it; it is for the wider area as well. So, there is some very good news about indigenous companies in Northern Ireland.”
“I think that the emphasis should be on looking to those new export markets for our indigenous companies. That is why we spend a lot of our time looking for new markets and bringing companies through to new markets. Just today, SDC Trailers announced that it was doing significant business in Saudi Arabia. Whilst that is not a company from County Antrim, it is from not too far away. That is a very good pointer to other firms that they need to get out and to sell into those markets, because that brings jobs to the local area. I have seen that happen with Wrightbus, obviously, which is a stellar company in the Member's constituency. I have also seen it with Randox next door in South Antrim, which recently announced 540 new jobs for the area.”
“Again, I say to you, Mr Deputy Speaker, that Members need to look at the whole picture when they are looking at their own areas and should not pick out statistics that suit their negative agenda. It is disappointing that Members do not want to be positive about their own area, because when foreign direct investors look at an area, they look at what its representatives are saying about it. That is true not just for North Antrim but, indeed, for other areas in Northern Ireland. So, if a negativity is coming out of that particular area, they will know that the people are not pro-business, that they do not want to move ahead and that they are looking at the negative points in their constituency. The Member needs to look at all the statistics on North Antrim, not just some.”
“I hope that every area is a priority area for Invest Northern Ireland. Indeed, when the Member and other colleagues look at the figures for economic activity in their area, I implore them to look not just at the jobs created through foreign direct investment but at those created through local indigenous companies and, indeed, at start-ups in their own area. North Antrim has had a huge number of start-ups — 1,554 — over time. That is 178 indigenous start-ups per 10,000 of the population. That shows a very entrepreneurial spirit in North Antrim. The unemployment rate is one of the lower rates in Northern Ireland, sitting at 3·6%, as opposed to the Northern Ireland rate of 5·7%. So, I am sure that the Member will want to be positive about his constituency and what it has to offer.”
“Invest Northern Ireland continues to support job creation, business growth and investment in North Antrim. Between 1 April 2011 and 30 March 2013, it made 661 offers of support to companies in North Antrim, offering £14 million of assistance, which contributed to total investment in the constituency of over £70 million. That has led to the promotion of 848 new jobs in the area. Invest collaborates with local stakeholders to review the features and benefits of North Antrim to maximise opportunities to secure additional jobs.”
“Yes, and I hope that the lower rate of corporation tax will make local areas look at what they have to offer, how they can package that together and market it, and how they can make it better. The Member is right to mention Project Kelvin, because it is an absolutely fabulous story to tell, particularly to our American counterparts, so that they know that information can leave Northern Ireland and get to the east coast of America more quickly than it can go from the east coast to the west coast of America. That is a fabulous story, so I hope that that is the sort of collaborative thinking that will go on across Northern Ireland.”
“It is certainly down to the fact that, for example, regional support initiatives are being devolved to the councils, so there will also be more economic powers for the councils. It is a collaborative effort, and I look forward to working with councils across Northern Ireland.”
“Skills are vital to attracting high-value foreign direct investment. Our workforce is a key part of that and is what makes us a very successful story for foreign direct investment in the United Kingdom. Now that we have, or will have, corporation tax as a tool in our box, we need to further implement that tax and talent message. That will happen not just in East Londonderry but right across Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />It is a collaborative effort that needs to be taken on not just by Invest Northern Ireland but by other members of the Executive to look at the whole picture of what a constituency has to offer and to work with the super-councils. Invest Northern Ireland is now working more proactively with the new chief executives of the super-councils.”
“We are starting to have that discussion in the Executive subcommittee on regional opportunities, which has met for the first time. Since that meeting, I have had a very good engagement with Londonderry Chamber of Commerce and many other players in the north-west to try to find out what they feel their unique selling point is. I hope that that will be replicated around Northern Ireland so that we can have differences across Northern Ireland but strongly send out a message of talent and tax.”
“I thank the Member for raising that issue. He will know that capital cities are always different to the regions. That is recognised in the Republic of Ireland and in the rest of the United Kingdom as well. He mentioned the risks about skills, which is why we must have strong further and higher education colleges across Northern Ireland and for them to be aware of their skills base, what they need to grow their skills base and how they can develop a unique selling point for their regional area. <BR /> <BR />I do not think that every regional area should go after the same types of job, because it will then become a race to the bottom. It is important, therefore, that everybody identifies their unique selling point.”
“Ultimately, it will be for the Northern Ireland Executive to agree on what any new rate should be set at. Research to date has focused on moving to a reduced rate of 12·5% and demonstrates the significant economic benefits that this can bring, not just in encouraging foreign investment but investment from local firms. An even lower rate of corporation tax would likely be more attractive to investors but would also require a bigger adjustment to the public finances.”
“We must concentrate on that messaging and get it out across the world.”
“I thank the Member for her question. I have never indicated that it is corporate tax alone that will bring a more sustainable economy and give us the growth of 10% to 12% that we will believe will happen if we have a lower rate of corporation tax. That will only happen if we have the correct infrastructure in place, be that telecoms, hard infrastructure — road infrastructure, in other words — or the softer infrastructure that we need, by which I mean skills. We also need to have the appropriate messaging going out as well because we want to send out a very positive message about Northern Ireland as a place to invest in and to do business in. Whilst we have always had a very talented workforce here in Northern Ireland, as I said on many occasions, we now have the tax proposition as well, so we have tax and talent.”
“Of course we are going to gain from the corporate tax take because we are paying for it through our block grant. We will gain the benefit from whatever increase in corporation tax we get. Obviously, there will be a cost initially, and that will not come all in one year. That cost will be tapered up to 2020. That is why we need to get out and start getting the benefits of a lower rate of corporation tax as soon as possible.”
“Some of the work that has been carried out by the Northern Ireland Centre for Economic Policy points to the fact that we will see a benefit, albeit a small benefit, before the rate is reduced. That is because, once the rate has been settled by the Northern Ireland Executive and the date for implementation has been settled, Invest Northern Ireland will start competing for those new types of jobs. It may be the case that some of those companies might like to relocate or set up a new business in Northern Ireland before the rate kicks in. That is because business plans and investments are normally set two to three years in advance. We should have a clear view on which companies will come in that first year if we get out and start selling the rate and the date in the near future.”
“I believe that we will settle in and around 12·5%, but, of course, that is a matter for the Executive.”
“I am very pleased to hear that the Member thinks that I introduced the concept of a 10% rate. It was not me; I would like to take the credit for that, but it was not me who introduced it. That has been DUP party policy on the rate of corporation tax for quite some time, because we believe that we should undercut our nearest competitor instead of going to the same level as it. However, I am a realist, and I understand that the Executive take the decision on corporate tax. If you were to ask me where I think it will settle, I understand that it will settle in and around 12·5%. The lower rate, of course, would bring us more potential for jobs, but it would cost more to the public finances; there is no point in saying otherwise. That has to be taken into consideration as well.”
“Ultimately, it will be for the Northern Ireland Executive to agree on what any new rate should be set at. The push for the devolution of corporation tax powers has tended to be viewed with a perceived move to a rate of 12·5%. As a result, discussions on the block grant adjustment for a reduced rate have also tended to focus on the public finance consequences of moving to a 12·5% rate. An even lower rate of corporation tax would require a bigger adjustment to public finances but would also be more attractive to investors.”
“I welcome the Member's support to continue to push against air passenger duty, and I will certainly raise it with the Government in future.”
“I thank the Member for his question. He will, of course, know that the Executive were successful in devolving APD for long-haul flights. We have a zero rate for long-haul flights, so the flight to America does not attract any air passenger duty. I have had meetings with two airlines in the past two days, and each of them raised the issue of APD and the fact that it is a barrier to growth in UK markets. I say to them, as I say to you, that I absolutely support them in their campaign to have air passenger duty abolished across the United Kingdom, because it is having a disproportionate impact on regional airports outside London. London will always have the throughput of traffic, regardless of air passenger duty. However, it presents a problem for those of us in regional airports, and, therefore, we need to continue to push.”
“I have written to him again to stress the importance of Northern Ireland's connectivity into that UK hub, because, of course, he is absolutely right to stress that we will not have a direct link into those onward international travel destinations, so we need to be able to access those in as easy a way as possible.”
“I do think that the expansion of Heathrow will bring greater benefits for Northern Ireland because it is the hub for us in the UK; it is important for us. I welcome the fact that the British Airways flight from Belfast goes into terminal 5, because that allows easier connectivity for travellers. Indeed, I flew into terminal 5 for the first time last week since the changeover, and it was very smooth and easy, even if it was a point-to-point access to London. I have written to the airport's commission. Sir Howard Davies came over and met the Minister for Regional Development and me in 2013.”
“<BR /> <BR />We will also continue to work with Graham and the other airports to look at the opportunities that have been presented by the Department for Transport fund that has been made available for regional connectivity throughout Europe. The House will know that there have been quite stringent guidelines in relation to helping airports develop their routes. This has been slightly relaxed, and we are looking forward to encouraging the airports and airlines to bid into that Department for Transport fund and try to bring some of that money to Northern Ireland.”
“I thank the Member for his question. Of course, he is referring to the new chief executive's ambitious plans, which I welcome, for the land in and around the international airport. He has talked about creating an enterprise zone, but, as yet, only one area here has been designated by Her Majesty's Treasury as an enterprise zone and that, of course, is in Coleraine. No other areas have been designated as enterprise zones yet. We are very happy to work with Graham and his team at the international airport to market the opportunities for having such close proximity to an international airport, and we will continue to do that.”
“I am very pleased about that, but we need to increase the connectivity with North America, in particular, and I would welcome any offers of help that would help us try to achieve that.”
“I thank the Member for his question. In his supplementary question, he acknowledged the importance of connectivity for us in Northern Ireland and the fact that we need more international flights. We are pleased that the Newark flight continues to be a success, although we were disappointed last year, when the flight was dropped to 10 months a year from 12. <BR /> <BR />I acknowledge that much work needs to be done, and I hope to meet representatives of some Canadian airlines again later this year. However, we are in direct competition with Dublin Airport. It now has four direct flights to Canada, and that is causing us difficulties in trying to achieve more connectivity, particularly with North America. <BR /> <BR />I welcome the increased connectivity with Europe and, if things go according to plan, that will increase again this year.”
“My Department works closely with Belfast International Airport to encourage new transatlantic routes with business and inbound tourism potential. That support is provided in a number of ways. For example, Tourism Ireland cooperative marketing support is available for transatlantic services. We also provide practical support for Belfast International Airport and our other airports by taking a stand at the annual World Routes conference. Another important factor in encouraging transatlantic connectivity has been the decisive action by the Executive to eliminate air passenger duty (APD) on direct long-haul flights.”
“In relation to another matter, at the end of Question Time, I was made aware that Mr Kinahan was not in the Chamber during the earlier statement on Tourism NI, because he was at a funeral. I want to apologise to him. I did not realise that at the time, and he knows that I spoke to him after Question Time and apologised in person. I have to say that it was remiss of his party leader not to inform him of the content of the tourism strategy, but that is a matter for internal party politics. <BR /> <BR />I commend the motion to the House and ask for its support.”
“I thank the Chair and the Committee members for their consideration. I also thank the officials who have worked on the Bill.”
“I am grateful to the couple of Members who spoke on the legislative consent motion. The Bill is wide-ranging in its scope, and, as Members have seen, it deals with a number of matters for which the Department is responsible. It will have a direct impact on the lives of people in Northern Ireland. I know that the relevant measures in the Bill, which we have considered today through the legislative consent motion, will be of benefit to the public at large, who have felt the impact of issues addressed by those aspects of the Bill that I outlined.”
“The scope of the exemption will remain the same. However, the Bill will create a power to make secondary legislation specifying those bodies that are exempt from liability. <BR /> <BR />In conclusion, I urge Members to support the motion and, by doing so, ensure that companies and consumers continue to benefit from a transparent, modern and effective legal framework. By supporting the motion, Members will be giving a clear signal that the Assembly is committed to improving the transparency of how our local companies do business. It will also underline our commitment to removing unnecessary and outdated laws and enable local businesses to compete with their counterparts in Great Britain and abroad on a level playing field. I commend the motion to the Assembly and thank Members for their support.”
“Where we can identify new initiatives to support business in this way or remove barriers preventing them from obtaining the finance they need, we should do so. <BR /> <BR />The other measure to support access to finance is the issue of prompt payment practices. Late payments can be used by companies to improve their working capital at the expense of their suppliers. This provision will place an obligation on large companies to report on payment policies and practices. This reporting information on payment performance will provide useful information to those who are contemplating entering into trading relationships with companies. <BR /> <BR />The final measure under consideration today concerns exemption from liability for bodies concerned with setting accounting standards and investigating cases where the standards are breached.”
“Access to finance remains a pressing issue for Northern Ireland businesses, and the Bill will make significant improvements in this area. It will remove barriers to invoice finance, particularly for smaller companies, thus allowing companies to raise money on the strength of moneys owed to them for goods and services they have supplied. While there is no specific evidence of the nature and scale of the problem for Northern Ireland’s small and medium-sized enterprises, on balance, there are merits in extending this proposal to Northern Ireland as it removes an unnecessary impediment to SMEs accessing appropriate and affordable finance and will ensure consistency of approach across the United Kingdom.”
“It is anticipated that these improvements will help to increase public confidence in the directors' disqualification regime, strengthen existing measures and add transparency to the type of conduct that can lead to disqualification. <BR /> <BR />In addition to company law, the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Bill will introduce a range of measures to open up new opportunities for small businesses to innovate, compete and get finance to create jobs and growth. The specific measures we are considering here relate to removing legal barriers to invoice finance and incentivising businesses to improve their payment policies and practices.”
“It increases from two years to three the time limit for bringing procedures to have a director disqualified. It will enable individuals convicted by an overseas court of an offence relating to a company to be disqualified from acting as a company director, and it will make it possible for directors who have been disqualified to be ordered to pay compensation for the benefit of creditors who have suffered loss as a result of their misconduct. <BR /> <BR />The Bill removes restrictions on the use of reports from regulators as a basis for bringing disqualification proceedings, and updates the schedule of matters to be taken into account by the courts in deciding if a director should be disqualified.”
“Misconduct perpetrated by a minority of directors who do not play by the rules is damaging to consumers and to the majority of businesses that take their responsibilities seriously. <BR /> <BR />Currently, it is a criminal offence for a person subject to bankruptcy or a debt relief order made in Northern Ireland to act as an insolvency practitioner in Northern Ireland or, unless with permission from the Northern Ireland High Court, as a company director in Northern Ireland. However, no offence will be committed if the bankruptcy was declared in Great Britain or the debt relief order was made there. Reciprocal amendments to disqualification and insolvency legislation included in the Bill will correct that anomaly. <BR /> <BR />The Bill includes a number of fresh provisions.”
“For those reasons, a package of measures is included in the Bill that will amend the Companies Act 2006 to clarify the current requirements for companies when filing information with Companies House. <BR /> <BR />Existing arrangements for making annual returns will be simplified, removing duplication and undue complexity, as well as improving the accuracy and integrity of the public companies register. That will ease the burden on companies and thereby reduce unnecessary administration. <BR /> <BR />One of the key protective measures in company law is the directors' disqualification regime, which ensures that systems are in place to remove wrongdoers from company director positions and bar them from acting as directors for a period.”
“The change will mean that only individual persons will be permitted to act as company directors. Again, that is aimed at creating greater openness and accountability by ensuring that individuals take responsibility for company governance. <BR /> <BR />It is vital that we have a company law framework that gives companies the flexibility to compete and grow effectively. It is also important to ensure that creditors, customers and suppliers have the information that they need to do business with a company with confidence. At the same time, it is important to ensure that we do not require companies to file unnecessary information and that the process for filing information is as simple as possible.”
“<BR /> <BR />In addition, the Bill will abolish the creation of bearer shares and provide a nine-month period for the conversion of existing shares to registered shares. Bearer shares are unregistered shares owned by whomever physically holds the share warrant. That makes them anonymous and easily transferable, which creates the potential for misuse for money laundering and tax evasion. The Bill will remove that potential facility for unethical or criminal activity and help ensure compliance with international standards. <BR /> <BR />The final element of the transparency agenda will create a requirement for all company directors to be natural persons. Previously, it was possible for entities such as companies or organisations as well as individuals to be appointed directors.”
“<BR /> <BR />We need to ensure that companies in Northern Ireland are trusted and transparent so that they cannot conceal ownership or control and so that they engage in good corporate behaviour. Increased transparency of company control will help deter, identify and sanction those who hide their interest in companies to facilitate illegal activities, as well as create a more trusted business environment generally. <BR /> <BR />In keeping with the commitment to greater transparency, the Bill will create a requirement for a company to keep a register of the people who have significant control over that company and its beneficial owners and to provide that information to Companies House, where it will be publicly available.”
“The Bill covers a wide range of measures and includes matters that are not devolved. However, Assembly consent is required for amending clauses, which make changes to the Companies Act 2006, the Company Directors Disqualification (Northern Ireland) Order 2002 and the Insolvency (Northern Ireland) Order 1989. <BR /> <BR />The key measures in the Bill concerning company law arise partly from commitments made by the Prime Minister and his G8 counterparts at the G8 summit in County Fermanagh in 2013. Those commitments are aimed at improving transparency in how companies do business, helping to build trust and confidence in the conduct of companies, and protecting the interests of consumers and shareholders by strengthening safeguards against misconduct by company directors.”
“The Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Bill was introduced to Parliament on 25 June 2014. It is an extensive Bill that has two fundamental purposes, one of which is to help small businesses to grow and succeed and the other is to ensure that the United Kingdom continues to be regarded as a trusted and fair place in which to do business.”
“This is a specific question. There is a business in Kesh that is hosting a dinner tonight for 40 people and it has no water. That is a new business that is going to be fundamentally damaged. I rang the MLA hotline, Minister, and I was told that it was temporarily suspended. Therefore, I cannot get answers for those constituents. I am asking you to tell us what we are supposed to in that situation. Moreover, have you considered bringing in the private sector —”
“Although I accept what the Minister said in response to Mr McElduff's point, there is a very strong perception that the west is suffering. I think that he would accept that there is that perception, and he needs to deal with that perception, because we have a number of constituents ringing us and asking why it is all happening in the west and nothing is happening in the east of the Province. I have people coming to me about their business.”
“Any councils that want to work collaboratively to put forward walking routes in the nine key destination areas will find us very supportive, because outdoor activity holidays, as I have indicated, are very much in vogue, and we want to make sure that we have the right infrastructure — there is that word again — in place for our tourist visitors.”
“The joint fund will be taken forward by the new chief executive and the new chairman of Tourism Northern Ireland, in collaboration with the new super-councils when they are in place after March. We look forward to their proposals, as we will then, of course, want to support any bid that they make to the Executive to procure a joint tourism fund.”
“I would have thought there was another Minister you would be well placed to mention that to. I understand he is a constituency Member for Newry and Armagh. The Regional Development Minister is responsible for transport links. I agree with him that, when you look at economic development across Northern Ireland, infrastructure is critical. That is true whether it is roads or telecoms. I know the Member has mentioned telecoms to me on a number of occasions, but on this occasion he mentioned road infrastructure, and I support him in developing the road infrastructure right across Northern Ireland.”
“A lot of our agricompanies are very much feeling the pressure in the supply chain as well, and it is something we are keeping an eye on.”