John O'Dowd
Upper Bann · Sinn Féin · Northern Ireland
“As I set out in response to the previous question, we have in place the vacant property rate relief scheme and the small business rate relief scheme, which are very successful. I set aside £10 million in the draft Budget for small business rate relief to be invested.”
“I am particularly keen to hear from those impacted by vacant commercial units and especially about how any phased increase can be implemented in a sustainable way that is fair, proportionate and sustainable within the tax system.”
“I outlined my intent to take that approach in my statement on 18 November, alongside the fact that reform of rating policy should support growth, make better use of property and ensure that the system is fair, proportionate and aligned with wider economic objectives.”
“The accelerator will operate alongside our highly successful Back in Business scheme, which has helped to bring over 100 vacant high street properties back into use since May 2024. Those issues have been the subject of considerable interest and comment in the Assembly, and it is right that we grasp the nettle now.”
“There are no circumstances in which a hard border would be good for the people of Ireland; it would not be good for anyone. Those who suggest that are being naive at best and dangerous at worst, in the sense of not understanding this society. <BR /> <BR />Rural communities along the border are one and the same.”
“This announcement represents the next step in that. That said, I also put on record my intention to strengthen support for small businesses. In that vein, £10 million has been set aside in the draft Budget to broaden the impact of the small business rate relief scheme in order to increase the number of businesses that can benefit from it.…”
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“Go raibh maith agat, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle.”
“The Member will be aware that the first round of funding has been distributed. The public-sector transformation board is now examining bids from Departments for the next round of funding. I hope to be in a position to bring the board's recommendations to the Executive later in the autumn.”
“We have invested an additional £15 million in special educational needs, £15 million in building skill sets in our current and future workforce and £5 million in making communities safer. I have listed only a few, but there is a range of areas in which the Executive, working together, and Ministers, working individually, are making a positive difference.”
“I am on the record as saying that all the Departments are dealing with a constrained budget, and, as I have just said, Ministers have difficult decisions in front of them. None of the Departments are easy at this time, and the forecast for the next three years is also challenging. However, we are making a difference. One only has to look at the recent welcome reduction in the waiting lists: that is a direct result of the Executive working together and investing in tackling waiting lists and putting a specific focus on them. We have invested £55 million in the early years childcare strategy, which is a new departure for the Executive. Again, we have worked together to push a positive agenda forward.”
“In fairness, they are not Civil Service Departments. They are ministerial Departments, and, at the head of each Department, is a Minister who is responsible for managing the budget along with their senior civil servants. At this stage, we have a forecast overspend, with pressures across a number of Departments. However, the Ministers are there to make decisions. I always say that civil servants advise and Ministers decide, and the Ministers have decisions to make.”
“Let us not look that far ahead: we are only at the end of September. Let us work through the legislative process and not look that far ahead just yet.”
“It is not a deliberate attempt to row back. I would like to see the scheme delivered in this calendar year. There are a number of factors at play, and a lot of it lies in the hands of the Assembly. I note that the Committee has now completed its examination and report, and I thank the Committee for that. A lot of it rests in the hands of the Assembly and how quickly we can get the regulations through. It is not a deliberate intention to roll back the scheme. When I look at the work programme my Department is delivering, I think that the scheme will definitely be in place by the end of the calendar year, but, if I can get it in place earlier, I certainly will.”
“Yes. I will bring proposals to the Executive with regard to the work to date on those matters, and I hope to go out to consultation.”
“I have a paper with the Executive on the cap and the discount for early payment that I am looking for the Executive to endorse. Over the summer, my officials worked closely with key stakeholders on business rates relief and other issues. They are now preparing a paper for me that I hope to bring to the Executive for the next steps. Work is progressing on rates in a number of areas, and it is important to keep it under constant examination because it is our only major revenue-raising lever.”
“Using the simple equation of paying compensation or fixing the roads, yes, but, unfortunately, the Infrastructure Minister faces significant difficulties in making the budget go around, as did the previous Minister. Despite the increase in funding for road repairs that there has been, I think, in this financial year, there are still significant challenges. As I said, however, I will continue to work with the Minister for Infrastructure and other Ministers to ensure that we get the maximum amount of public funds out to where they are needed, including road repairs.”
“The Minister for Infrastructure regularly engages with me — rightly so — as other Ministers do, lobbying me on their budgets so that they can invest in a wide range of areas, including repairs to the public highway network. I will continue to work with her to do what I can to ensure that investment is targeted in that direction.”
“Yes. One reason why we are looking at our estate buildings is that some of them are outdated and to invest in them to make them energy-efficient would simply not be a good use of public funds. We are moving people out of some of those buildings for that reason and other reasons. We are attempting to invest in buildings that could be sustainable with good use of public funds.”
“The Civil Service has been going through an extensive rationalisation of its estate and rightly so. We have an expansive estate. My Department has been working through a plan to look at the viability of each building, its energy efficiency and its usage. My Department has been planning that estate management process. On a number of occasions, we have started to sell off buildings. The money from those sales goes back into the public purse and is reinvested in other public programmes.”
“I do not mind being challenged, but, if you are going to challenge me, leave the comments to me; do not expand them out. <BR /> <BR />As Chair of the Finance Committee, you know that the Executive have to decide on the future use of any returned funds. Those funds will be returned in the October monitoring round, and the Executive will decide how best to reallocate them.”
“I am accountable, and I am not shirking my responsibilities. Do not dismiss people who work diligently for the community just because you want a headline or your 15 minutes of fame or whatever you get on this evening's news.”
“We have a judgement on a number of pieces of detailed law, and, as I said to you, the person who advised me on that law is now a High Court judge. Do you include him in your criticisms?”
“I reject your comment about the lack of careful scrutiny. In my experience of being a Minister in three different Departments, no project has received more careful scrutiny and examination than the A5 at ministerial and official level. I commend the officials who are involved in it. They are dedicated public servants who want to do the best for the public and for the communities of which they are a part.”
“<BR /> <BR />As for expending £200 million, you cannot, on the one hand, criticise me for not delivering projects and then, on the other hand, criticise me for investing to move a project forward. Those two things do not balance. The A5 is a flagship programme for the Executive. Any moneys not used this year will have to be returned to the Executive, and the Executive will decide how those moneys are redistributed.”
“I am acutely aware of the fact that the A5 case is before the Court of Appeal and that there will be an appeal hearing on it. I look forward to the outcome of that appeal hearing, because the issues around the A5 deserve very careful scrutiny and require a legal determination by a court. I am more than satisfied that I acted in a responsible and reasonable manner on the basis of legal advice that I received from a barrister who is now a High Court judge. I do not know what decisions a High Court judge would come to now on the information presented to him and given the different arguments, but that was the level of legal advice that I received at the time.”
“There will be the launch of a Civil Service skills academy for trainee civil engineering assistants in summer 2024, offering full-time and part-time pathways for participants, and the expansion of the Civil Service student 51-week placement programme. <BR /> <BR />I recently hosted an event to welcome the 2025-26 intake of students to the Civil Service placements, with almost 100 students being placed across the nine Civil Service Departments. The Civil Service has also participated in the JobStart programme, which offers young people aged between16 and 24 and at risk of long-term unemployment a nine-month paid placement in the Civil Service with the potential for a permanent appointment on successful completion of their placement.”
“As one of the largest employers here, the Civil Service is committed to building an inclusive workforce that is reflective of the society that it serves and to increasing the representation of young people in our workforce. My Department has introduced a range of measures to recruit more young people, including the use of social media, radio and digital advertising to target younger audiences and the expansion of apprenticeships and traineeships as an entry route to the Civil Service, with 14 schemes launched during 2024 and a further 13 commenced or planned in 2025. An operational delivery apprenticeship scheme will launch soon, offering approximately 200 apprenticeships across Civil Service Departments.”
“As Finance Minister, it is my duty to ensure that there is effective, efficient use of public funds. The work that I and the Health Minister have done and that my senior officials have done with the Health Department over the last period of time has proved beneficial. I will continue that work. As I said to the Member who asked the previous question, I have no doubt that the issue will be successfully resolved and that the pay rise for health workers will be delivered.”
“The Health budget continues to take up a significant proportion of our overall Budget. It is sitting at around 47% of our overall spend. Undoubtedly, there is a growing demand due to healthcare needs as our population gets older, and, as new medicines and new treatments are introduced, we want to keep apace with those.”
“The Member clearly had his piece for camera worked out before I read out my answer, because I did not blame anybody and I did not point the finger at anybody. I listened very carefully to the Health Minister when he responded to the Member at previous Question Times, and he did not point the finger at anybody. Ministers have to work together. That is what Ministers are doing on this issue. We are working together, and I have no doubt — this may come as a disappointment to you — that we will reach a successful conclusion to the issue, and health workers will get their pay rise.”
“The fundamental challenge remains that the British Government are failing to provide sufficient funding for public services, but health and social care workers here should not be the victims of that.”
“We all want health workers to get the pay rise that they deserve. They should not be in the position of having to consider strike action to get the pay awards that they are entitled to. I am acutely aware of the demands that are placed on our health and social care system and the financial pressures that it faces. Those financial challenges are not confined to one Department, and we cannot view the health pressures in isolation. I am committed to working collectively with my Executive colleagues to resolve the current issues. I have been working with the Health Minister, and my officials are actively engaging with senior officials in Health to look for ways of securing the pay uplift for health workers.”
“As further work begins on the issue, officials will liaise closely with a wide range of stakeholders, building on the initial engagement that took place as part of the scoping report. Homeowners, as well as other interested parties, will be able to engage with my Department, set out their concerns and raise relevant issues as it takes this work forward. That will inform an important part of the policy development process and help shape future legislation.”
“Some of these cases can be very complex and have their own unique issues, and some of them involve leases, which do not fall under the remit of my Department. I advise anyone who has concerns or is facing challenges in relation to their current shared property management arrangement to seek independent legal advice.”
“The scoping report was commissioned for internal use in the first instance in order to determine the issues relating to shared property management and to consider various options for policy development and future reform. I can update the Members today by indicating that I have asked officials to take steps to put in place a small team with appropriate skills and expertise to carry out further work. I expect resources to be available and a team to be in place for the start of the new financial year. I further expect that considerable progress can be made during the mandate, and that legislative reform can take place early in the next mandate. Given that, I have asked officials to make the scoping paper available on the Department's website. That will be accessible shortly.”
“Yes, I have, and I will continue to do so. The Member gives the example of a good scheme that is working well with people who need support in employment or in getting back into employment. That scheme is about bringing people back into the workplace, which is right and proper and beneficial not only to the individual but to the economy. I suspect that some of that support will be stripped away as a result of proposals designed for elsewhere being imposed here. It would be wrong of our Executive, including me, to design schemes for Birmingham, for instance, but it appears that schemes that are designed for Birmingham will be imposed on us, which is completely wrong.”
“At this stage, it does not appear that there will be. It appears to be the view of Whitehall that the social protection fund is coming to an end; that this is a completely new scheme; that everybody should be aware of that; and that they have made their position clear. I disagree completely. It has been handled in a shambolic fashion, which has been disrespectful to the sector and to the Executive. The Executive submitted proposals and a framework to Whitehall several months ago. I have sought meetings with Ministers since then, and I have received one lame excuse after another. It is time for them to listen to locally elected representatives here and to work with us to deliver a scheme that meets the needs of people here.”
“The British Government need to start listening to us and to the community and voluntary sector here, rather than imposing on us a scheme that has no relevance to the needs of people here.”
“I had a positive meeting with leaders of the sector hosted by CO3 on 17 September, in which I provided an update to 41 representatives of the sector and listened to their many concerns. I hope to meet representatives of the sector tomorrow for further engagement on the matter. Engagement between the community and voluntary sector and me is not the problem; lack of engagement from the British Government is the problem. There is no point in it having the title of "local growth fund", when, from what I can see of it thus far, it is designed for the needs of constituencies in England and Wales. I do not know the needs of constituencies in England and Wales, but, collectively — around the Executive table, in this Chamber and elsewhere — we know the needs of constituencies here.”
“I have serious concerns for the sector, for people’s jobs and for all the vulnerable people in our society who rely on the services daily. The Government must step up and make this right. There can be no more delay. They need to enter into meaningful engagement with the community and voluntary sector and the Executive to design a scheme that meets the needs of communities here. I will continue to push for that.”
“The issue was raised when the deputy First Minister and I met the Chancellor in August. I raised my concerns and frustrations with the Secretary of State when I met him earlier this month. I was due to meet the Secretary of State and the then local growth Minister, Alex Norris MP, at the start of September. Owing to a Cabinet reshuffle, that meeting was postponed. On 16 September, I wrote to the new local growth Minister seeking an urgent meeting alongside the Secretary of State. Yesterday morning, I reiterated my request for an urgent meeting. My officials continue to press for urgent clarity on local growth and have urged Whitehall officials to consider contingency plans for organisations currently delivering Shared Prosperity Fund projects here. That the latest information is being drip-fed does not instil me with much confidence.”
“With your permission, Mr Speaker, I will answer questions 7 and 13 together. I may need some extra time, if that is possible. <BR /> <BR />I have serious concerns about the approach that the British Government are taking to local growth funding here. My officials have been advised that the £46 million announced in the spending review is mostly capital funding. The Secretary of State had previously assured me that there would be flexibility with the local growth fund, and I am deeply disappointed that that is not the case. If the British Government proceed with their approach, it will have serious implications for our community and voluntary sector. <BR /> <BR />I have been pressing British Government Ministers for clarity on the local growth fund for many months.”
“There are pressures across all our Departments. The growing demand for public services is significant. It is there for all to see. Matching that demand to a constrained comprehensive spending review over the three-year period for resource and the four-year period for capital is a challenge for all Departments and a collective challenge for the Executive. It is up to each Department to come forward with revenue-raising proposals. I will be making proposals on rates to the Executive, and I encourage Executive colleagues to look at their respective Departments to see where fair and progressive revenue-raising measures can be taken.”
“I thank the Member for her question. We await the Chancellor's Budget, which is scheduled for late November. It is probably wise for us to await the outcome of that Budget before I lay a final draft of my multi-year Budget before the Executive. <BR /> <BR />My priorities for the Budget are transformation so that we can ensure that we are delivering efficient, effective public services at the point of need and focus on what elements of delivery matter most out of the Programme for Government. We must focus on delivering improvements to public services for the citizens who rely on them and ensure that those public-sector workers who deliver public services are supported.”
“The Member will appreciate that the investment strategy does not necessarily fall within my Department's remit, although I do accept that it is the collective responsibility of the Executive. I hope that the strategy will be published as soon as possible, but my current focus is on delivering a multi-year Budget.”
“My officials are also supporting Departments to develop their five-year financial sustainability plans and are reviewing departmental returns to the multi-year Budget information-gathering exercise. That information will inform the recommendations that I will bring to the Executive later in the autumn for setting the multi-year Budget.”
“Work is under way on the development of the Executive's multi-year Budget. My officials are currently collating and considering departmental returns. It will be the Executive's first multi-year Budget in over a decade. It will provide funding certainty, enabling Departments to plan on a longer-term basis, and create the conditions to drive real transformation in our public services.”
“In the 2024-25 financial year, Land and Property Services collected £1·63 billion in rates. That was the largest amount of rates ever collected in a single rating year. That money provides funding for essential public services etc. I commend the rates agency for its endeavours to collect that funding, which is used in front-line public services.”
“Well, the target is 100%, but, given the scale of collection and the amounts involved, that would not be achievable in any organisation. I will just see whether I have the target figure for rates collection. I just cannot spot the exact figure in front of me, but it is extremely high. As I said to the previous questioner, we are and the rates collection agency is achieving significant return on the collection of rates. It is worth pointing out that, while we do and will take legal action against those who are not paying their rates, it is no one's ambition to bankrupt any individual or business. It is never a nice position to be in. We will work with individuals and businesses, but, at times, we have to reach that position, and we will do that, unfortunately.”
“I do not have the exact figures in front of me, but I understand that we are improving year-on-year in those matters. Over the past number of years, there has been specific focus in the rates collection agency on ensuring that we collect the maximum amount of rates possible and that, where we need to, we challenge those who are not paying their rates robustly, including through the courts, and work with those who are genuinely attempting to pay their rates but face difficulties for whatever reason. <BR /> <BR />Everybody has to make a fair contribution. The rates collection agency is working its way through that. I will provide the Member with the actual figures in writing, but I think that there has been an improvement over the past number of years.”
“Land and Property Services has strengthened its approach on legal enforcement processes to increase efficiency in progressing cases that have already been subject to legal processes to the next stage of recovery. It is anticipated that more cases will progress through the Enforcement of Judgments Office and bankruptcy channels in 2025-26.”
“On 31 August 2025, the unpaid rates carried forward from previous years had reduced to £145·4 million, a 20% reduction from the position at 31 March 2025. Of the amount remaining, £59 million is moving through legal recovery channels,; £73·6 million is being examined for potential legal action within the current rating year; and £12·8 million is the subject of an active payment plan. <BR /> <BR />Extensive work continues on further reductions to the amount outstanding. That includes issuing an additional reminder to ratepayers who may have genuinely overlooked payment but still have rates to pay. Cases of persistent non-payment or failure to engage constructively with Land and Property Services (LPS) will be considered for legal recovery actions.”
“Part of the consultation was on how we use the data that is collected. I am sure that the Member will agree that we need to understand the sensitivity in using terms such as "data" and "collection of information" when talking about families' personal stories. We have consulted on how we use that and how it would be best used to support and develop health policy etc. We will examine the consultation responses carefully and then decide on the most sensitive way forward in the use of that information.”
“I hope that the scheme will be operational within this financial year. It is important that we move forward as quickly as possible to respond to the demand for the scheme and recognise that many people came forward to respond to the consultation. I am sure that that was not easy for those who had experienced baby loss, and I want to ensure that we react and meet their needs as quickly as possible.”
“The public consultation on the baby loss certificate scheme closed on 12 September. I am extremely grateful that over 1,100 people and organisations took the time to respond to it. Every response received provided us with valuable insight and clarity to help us to develop a scheme that meets the needs of those who have been impacted by the devastating loss of a baby. My officials are working to analyse the responses. Once that work is complete, I will publish the consultation report setting out what we have learnt. <BR /> <BR />Once the Deaths, Still-Births and Baby Loss Bill completes its passage through the Assembly, I will bring forward the required secondary legislation to specify the details of the scheme as soon as possible.”
“It was developed to provide the public and others — I encourage MLAs and others to visit it — with easily accessible information, including a breakdown of how and where we use public expenditure. It is only right and proper that the public have as much information as possible about where their taxes go, and the web page is a great step in that direction. Before I came to the Chamber today, I went through it: it is a really useful source of information.”