Simon Hamilton
Strangford · Democratic Unionist Party · Northern Ireland
“I have emphasised to the Member and the House before, that, whilst I accept that those are not good enough — that is why we have been developing the plan — there are alternative technologies in place that can present opportunities for those who just cannot get acceptable speeds.”
“I thank the Member for his intervention. There are some initiatives that I believe will help and act as a driver to improve broadband access. One such intervention is the broadband universal service obligation (USO), which is being taken forward by Her Majesty's Government.”
“I thank the Member for his question. However, he is conflating two issues. I wrote to his party leader, and indeed to all Assembly party leaders, before making the announcement that I did last week about wanting to publish the details of the businesses in receipt of the non-domestic RHI scheme. It was my intention to do that tomorrow.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Chancellor, in his autumn statement, made some more funding available for telecommunications, and my Department is studying that and seeking to avail itself of that to the fullest possible extent.”
“In addition, my Department is managing a contract for the delivery of the superfast rollout programme, which, by 31 December, will provide access to superfast broadband with speeds of at least 24 megabits per second to a further 38,000 premises, both business and residential, across Northern Ireland, including in the Newry and Armagh cons…”
“I signalled the intention to do this a few weeks ago. The Member and the House will know that inspections of all installations would have taken place over the 20-year lifetime of the RHI scheme.”
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“I am not aware of any trend in respect of the issue that the Member raises. I am not clear what type of payments he is talking about. I am sure that Ofgem, as he would expect, would be robust in ensuring that all payments are due and should be made. As I am speaking, I think that there were issues with some payments that had been made, which were dealt with on an individual case-by-case basis after some intervention by my Department. If he has further evidence on payments, or if he or indeed any other Members have come across similar issues that they think would benefit from intervention by me and the Department, I encourage them to come forward to me as quickly as possible.”
“It is clear from my review of the evidence presented to me that Ministers followed official advice but that that advice was flawed. There is a cost as a consequence. I assure the Member that I will work very hard, listen to the helpful input from the Audit Office and the PAC and take all possible actions to mitigate that.”
“I am looking forward to that hearing. I have said consistently in response to the issue of the renewable heat incentive that there are a lot of lessons to learn. I would be more than happy to listen to and respond appropriately to all recommendations made by the PAC, the Audit Office or whoever. We are working very hard to mitigate the loss. In fact, I have had conversations with the Member's colleague, the Finance Minister, about the issue. I recently launched an investigation, which is under way, although I do not want to get into the details of what it is finding. Needless to say, however, an investigation into the very serious allegations of fraud and abuse of the scheme has been undertaken by external consultants. It is producing some interesting findings, which will be fed into the process. I take the issue exceptionally seriously.”
“I have read the Audit Office report, and I know that it is subject to a PAC hearing this week. I know that the Member is new to the House, but he will appreciate that it would not be appropriate for me to comment on live PAC investigations.”
“To achieve that, we need an informed debate around wider energy policy in Northern Ireland on what we realistically expect our energy system to deliver, what aspects of it we are prepared to invest in and who pays for it. It is my intention to initiate that wider debate in the coming weeks and months.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Northern Ireland renewables obligation is now closed to new onshore wind applications and will be closing to applicants for other technologies from March 2017. Existing renewable generation will continue to be supported by Northern Ireland Electricity consumers for 20 years. Similarly, despite the closure, the renewable heat incentive scheme will continue to support existing renewable heating generation for up to 20 years. <BR /> <BR />Looking to the future beyond the Northern Ireland renewables obligation and renewable heat incentive schemes, I will consider the future direction of renewable energy policy in the context of wider energy strategy development and ensuring that energy costs for all consumers in Northern Ireland remain as low as possible.”
“Since their introduction in 2005 and 2012 respectively, the Northern Ireland renewables obligation (NIRO) and the renewable heat incentive (RHI) schemes have successfully supported the development of the renewables industry in Northern Ireland. Around a quarter of our electricity needs are now met through renewable technology such as wind, solar, photovoltaic, combined heat and power, and hydro. With a further 700 MW of committed projects with grid connection offers, I am confident that the Executive's 2020 target of 40% can be achieved over the next few years. Similarly, almost 4,800 renewable heating systems have been installed in homes and businesses. Current estimates suggest that over 6% of our heating needs are provided through technologies such as biomass, heat pumps and solar thermal.”
“Conversations, as Mr Storey intimated, have already started about what we may do in the future, first and foremost, as I said in response to Mr McGuigan, to preserve the Dark Hedges — that is the most important thing that we can do — and, beyond that, what we can do to market and promote the Dark Hedges in a way that does not jeopardise them or ruin what is a fantastic asset to the area. It is wonderfully spectacular and attracts people from far and wide to Northern Ireland.”
“I do not want to spoil it for anybody, but, as the Member will know, it appears on the show for only about 10 seconds. I will not give any spoilers about who dies, but most of them do. It appears for only a brief moment, but, out of that, we have the success of the number of people visiting. Part of the pressure comes from a large number of tour buses going up and down a road that was not designed for them. <BR /> <BR />The council is very much taking a lead in trying to bring people together, and the preservation trust is important to that.”
“I agree with the Member: it has, in many respects, been a victim of its own success. If a range of organisations, including my Department and Tourism NI, were, perhaps, caught out, it was because nobody could have foreseen how big a success it would be. I am sure that the Member is a huge fan of the show and binges on box sets all the time.”
“That is where we would look to the preservation trust to lead on that and show us the best way forward in preserving the asset as an asset. From a tourism perspective we are then very happy to step in. <BR /> <BR />There is much more we can do at the Dark Hedges. I know that the hotel and the resort beside them are developing further and see huge opportunities; in fact, I think they are rebranding to call themselves the Dark Hedges resort. There are huge opportunities, and we will work very closely with them to do that. I look to colleagues in the Environment Agency and Transport NI to ensure that we can preserve the asset first and foremost. Then it is very much over to us in combination with the council and the preservation trust to ensure that the asset is marketed in a way that not only benefits everybody but is sympathetic.”
“I will be honest: we have yet to give specific thought to how that might be done. Obviously, there are a lot of actors involved — excuse the pun — including the preservation trust, the council, Tourism NI and local stakeholders. That is part of the conversation Mr Storey alluded to, which has already started to take place on the ground about the Dark Hedges. <BR /> <BR />Our first priority has to be preserving the Dark Hedges. There is a temptation, to be completely honest, perhaps, on our side — on the tourism side of things — just to market this and not necessarily to think about the environmental impact. That is incredibly important to me. As I said before, there is nothing to market if they are not there. We have to look after them first and foremost.”
“Whenever you look at the big studios in London that are full and see that studios are looking for capacity to make films, you see that Northern Ireland is very well positioned for the future thanks to the expertise we have developed through filming 'Game of Thrones' in Northern Ireland.”
“I think there are about 20 'Game of Thrones' tour experiences in Northern Ireland, and they employ people and provide a service for visitors. <BR /> <BR />Perhaps the best and most important legacy is that for our film, television and creative industries in Northern Ireland. We have studios in the Titanic area that are full, we have new studios developing on the other side of the lough in Giant's Park and there are studios in Banbridge. There are opportunities for Northern Ireland to be used for filming locations for many years to come. Over the weekend, I was looking at statistics from the National Association of Theatre Owners in the States that show the huge increase in the number of films being made and released in the United States alone.”
“That is the local press statement drafted for this week. I think we can focus, as did Mr Storey in his question, on promoting the Dark Hedges in the short term. We are very fortunate to have secured the sixth series. There are at least two more, and who knows what the future holds with 'Game of Thrones'? Northern Ireland has benefited from it through the promotion of certain places, whether it is the Dark Hedges, Castle Ward or wherever it might be. A lot of areas have reaped the benefit. I was in Ballintoy harbour, which is in the Member's constituency, over the summer. Again, that is a hidden gem in Northern Ireland. It was probably not visited that much in advance of the series, but now huge numbers go there.”
“Continuing to build on what we did with season 6, we now have apps in place that identify the Dark Hedges and other filming locations that are publicly accessible. As the Member knows, NI Screen has been working with the council to put interpretative panels in place, and the Dark Hedges feature in all Tourism Northern Ireland's marketing information about the Causeway coastal route. If we are to continue to do that, we will have to ensure that they are preserved: that they are still accessible, but preserved and there for future generations to enjoy.”
“I know that there have been tree preservation orders in place since 2004, although there have still been difficulties in preserving trees. It is interesting that we were able to use the bad news of some of the trees falling for good by creating the doors that have been located around different parts of Northern Ireland and have themselves become a bit of a tourist attraction. <BR /> <BR />It is not my area of responsibility, but I know that Transport NI is looking at a number of traffic management proposals that I think will be incredibly important. It is my intention for Tourism NI and Tourism Ireland to continue to promote the Dark Hedges through 'Game of Thrones' and use it to our advantage.”
“I thank the Member for his question. I also want to thank him and the other members of the trust for their ongoing work in seeking to preserve the beauty that is the Dark Hedges. I visited them for the first time this summer, and they are absolutely spectacular. You can see why they are such an attraction and why the show wanted to use them, but they are clearly under pressure. I am aware that, by visiting them, I was also putting them under pressure. There were a huge number of people there that day. <BR /> <BR />A lot of work has been done to try to preserve the beauty of the Dark Hedges, and the preservation trust has been to the fore in that respect. If we are to use them to attract people to Northern Ireland, we will have to preserve them for future generations.”
“Most recently, the Dark Hedges featured prominently in Tourism NI's collaborative marketing campaign with Tourism Ireland celebrating season 6 of 'Game of Thrones'. The videos associated with that campaign resulted in over 1·2 million social media engagements.”
“It is broadcast in 199 territories, which offers a huge opportunity for Northern Ireland to position itself internationally and promote our destination to a global audience. With at least two more seasons to be filmed, the audience will continue to grow, as will the demand to visit film locations in Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />The show has been a catalyst for business growth, with Northern Ireland Screen estimating the economic value of 'Game of Thrones' production to Northern Ireland as £148 million to date. Tourism NI is building on that success and has been working closely with the industry to develop new and innovative 'Game of Thrones' visitor experiences and marketing campaigns.”
“I fully recognise the importance of the Dark Hedges as a tourist destination. They are a tremendous tourism asset, not just for the local area but for Northern Ireland as a whole. <BR /> <BR />When the Dark Hedges were featured at the start of season 2 of 'Game of Thrones', they immediately captured the imagination of viewers. There was an instant impact at the Dark Hedges, with a huge increase in the volume of visitors from all over the world. Subsequently, they have become an iconic image not just of the series but of Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />'Game of Thrones' has just broken the record for the highest number of Emmy awards won by any fictional series. It is, quite simply, the biggest TV show in the world.”
“The Minister for Communities was just in the House. The Member was not in the House for his questions. He might have been in for an earlier part of it. I suggest to the Member that it is a question better directed to that Minister. I think that regeneration powers should be devolved to councils, but it obviously needs to be done in a way that enables them to take those powers on and make the most of them. We want our cities and our council areas to grow, develop and move forward, and regeneration powers are at the heart of being able to do that, but I will leave it to the Minister for Communities to decide the right time to do that. I am sure that he will work very closely with his colleagues in local government to ensure that that can happen in a timely fashion.”
“Yes, it points to our FDI but also to our excellent local firms like Kainos, which are putting us on the world map. That follows on from a report by Tech City UK, a 'Tech Nation' report for 2016, which, again, highlights Northern Ireland as a growing digital cluster and talks about our tech industries making the highest contribution to GVA in the local economy in the whole of the UK with the exception of London and the south-east. <BR /> <BR />Our excellent talent, our infrastructure, our low overheads and government support are helping to put Belfast and the whole of Northern Ireland on the international map as a tech hub. I think that something really special is happening, and we need to make the most of that.”
“Recently, I announced 17 jobs in Belfast for a company called BDNA, which is a California/Silicon Valley-based firm that is coming to Northern Ireland to have a presence here because it sees this as a good place to invest because of the skills of our workforce. <BR /> <BR />As well as attracting those sorts of jobs, we are developing a reputation. The Member will know that, sometimes, as the reputation develops, it gathers momentum. For example, this week, the BBC tech week highlighted Belfast as one of the UK's digital tech hubs. It highlights specialisms that we have in software development, and, of course, we are Europe's leading destination for software development. It also highlights our ongoing good work in the area of cybersecurity.”
“I thank the Member for his question. There is a real developing sense that Belfast is a hub for digital and tech jobs. In fact, the whole of Northern Ireland is developing that relationship. Perhaps Belfast is the anchor for that. You see that in lots of different ways. You see it in the fact that we are attracting, in terms of inward investment, a lot of jobs in that digital and tech space. I mentioned Metaswitch, which brought 94 jobs in the telecommunications sector, some of which are in tech support. Interestingly, a significant number of those jobs are in research and development. It is really good that Northern Ireland is able to attract that type of work.”
“Sometimes the perception is that certain parts of the city or the Province do less well from investment, but, interestingly, in the past five years, there have been 93 start-ups per 10,000 head of the population in the West Belfast constituency. That points to a good entrepreneurial spirit among the people of West Belfast. That compares with an 83 average across the whole of Northern Ireland. It is better than the Northern Ireland average and is the sixth-highest constituency in the UK. That has received support from Invest NI, and helping business start-ups is now in the hands of councils. Getting regionally balanced and inclusive growth is incredibly important to me and to the Executive as a whole, and we will focus on that over the remainder of this term.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Member will know that I have spoken, including at the Committee last week, about how, yes, we need to grow our economy — our economy is heading in the right direction, and we see a lot of good data coming through, particularly around unemployment and economic inactivity — but that growth has to be inclusive growth. The new Programme for Government points to the need to have a strong regionally balanced economy. That is something that I believe in, and I know that the Member is particularly concerned about that in respect of his constituency.”
“I am happy to confirm to the Member that I am happy to work with the Belfast Chamber of Trade and Commerce. I have not met it formally in this role, although I had a good relationship with it in the past, and I want to keep that good relationship going in my current post. Whether it is refocusing our economic strategy or developing our economy as a whole, it is incredibly important that I and my Department have good relationships with all the relevant organisations, of which the Belfast Chamber of Trade and Commerce is obviously one, particularly in developing the city.”
“We know that we are not the biggest economy in the world. We do not have the biggest market. We do not have a lot of natural resources. Our best resource is our people. That is what attracts people to these shores, and I want that to remain the case.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Member has identified an issue around funding. I am sure that every Minister who comes to the House has issues and pressures in respect of elements of their budget. I know that the skills budget has been under pressure in the last number of years. If we are to maintain our primary position and that ability to attract inward investment to grow our economy, we need to focus much of those precious resources on ensuring that the skills of our workforce are in place and that the skills of those coming through our universities, colleges and schools are up to scratch and fit for the workplace. <BR /> <BR />It is an incredibly important area. My Department faces a lot of challenges in a whole range of different areas, and I see skills as incredibly important. We attract people to Northern Ireland on the basis of our skills.”
“Skills is an incredibly important issue for the Northern Ireland economy. One thing that I am increasingly aware of in this job, particularly when we are making job announcements, as we did last week for another 94 jobs based in the city, is that Northern Ireland's skill offering is one of the things that differentiates us and sets us apart from other regions that we are competing with. Interestingly, in the conversation that I had with Metaswitch last week, I found that the differentiator for it locating here rather than somewhere else was the Assured Skills programme that we have in place, which has been incredibly successful in promoting over 5,600 jobs since 2011. That is where we work with foreign direct investors, or indeed existing investors and indigenous firms, to ensure that they get the skills pipeline that they require.”
“I welcome Belfast Chamber of Trade and Commerce's 'Belfast Manifesto' and share its vision to make Belfast a world-class city. The publication of this document is timely, as my Department is taking forward the refocus of the Executive's economic strategy, which will recognise the importance of cities as drivers of economic growth. We will work closely with the Belfast Chamber of Trade and Commerce and other key stakeholders and listen to businesses and their representatives as we seek to develop and implement the strategy. My Department will work closely with all relevant organisations, including the Belfast Chamber of Trade and Commerce, throughout the development and implementation of the Programme for Government and economic strategy to ensure that Belfast develops as a city and Northern Ireland develops as a region.”
“While somebody might not lose their life as the result of a serious accident, their life and their ability to work on the farm might be limited by its effects. Even though the number of fatalities is going down, we still need to get the message about farm safety out and embedded in the rural community. One of the things that we hope to do to achieve that is to have a new farm safety action plan, which is in development and on which we will work very closely with the farming sector to make sure that we can be as impactful in a positive way as we possibly can.”
“I have the statistics here. Every single fatality on a farm as the result of an accident is an absolute tragedy. In 2011, there were 12 fatalities on farms across Northern Ireland. That number had fallen by 2015 to six, and there have been four to date this year. Every single one is a tragedy, and every single one has a deep and profound impact on the family involved and the local community. We could look at those numbers and say that the message is getting out there, that we are doing a lot better and that there have been improvements. Simultaneously, however, there has been a worrying increase in the number of non-fatal serious accidents that require medical attention, so we are doing better in one regard but slightly worse in another.”
“I think that that message is working, but we must continue to do more, working in parallel with the sector, to ensure that its needs are also met and that, most importantly, the very important message about farm safety is heard, understood, registers and has an impact.”
“The budget for campaign advertising this year is £230,000, which is going into a range of different measures, including a new television advertising campaign, which I hope that Members will see on TV screens in the not-too-distant future. <BR /> <BR />I am very keen to work with the farming sector to ensure that we get the very important message about farm safety out across the sector.”
“We recently launched a farm safety affiliate scheme, where we are working with 14 different organisations. There is a wide range of organisations involved, including many that you would expect, such as the Ulster Farmers' Union, but there are also companies like Lakeland, ABP, the Girl Guides, banks and supermarkets. Anybody who has reach into the rural community should be involved to try to increase the message about farm safety. <BR /> <BR />Over the last number of years, particularly this year, we have ensured that the Health and Safety Executive's farm safety budget has been protected so that it can do some of the very positive work that Lord Morrow talked about.”
“I join Lord Morrow in expressing my sympathy to the family in his constituency who have been affected by this very tragic accident. Thankfully, there has been a decrease in the number of fatalities on farms over recent years, but that does not take away from the gravity of the impact on this family, and indeed on others who have suffered in the same way. These are tragic circumstances, and the family has my deepest condolences, and I am sure that Members from around the House will join in expressing their condolences to that family. <BR /> <BR />The Member will be aware of the work of the farm safety partnership, which has been established since 2012. Again, over the last number of months, I have been working with the AERA Minister in respect of that.”
“I am very keen to see the details of any stimulus package that the Chancellor of the Exchequer wants to bring forward in his autumn statement, which is scheduled for the tail end of November. The Northern Ireland Executive, and Northern Ireland as a whole, would hope to benefit from any stimulus package, and it is important that we consider the detail of that. It is speculation at this stage, so let us see the detail and what benefits it might bring for Northern Ireland. However, you will not find me, or the Executive as a whole, wanting in pushing forward ideas on how we might utilise a stimulus package in taking up the opportunity that one might present.”
“I was very pleased to see that the PMI is reporting, for the nineteenth consecutive month, growth in employment in Northern Ireland. There was also good news in some sectors on orders and contracts that have been awarded over the last month.”
“I was very pleased to hear that our private sector, after a one-month blip following many months of positive news from the purchasing managers' index, is again moving in the right direction and that there was growth in the private sector in Northern Ireland. I was particularly pleased to see that there was an increase in business activity in the manufacturing sector. The fastest rate of growth of any of the sectors was in manufacturing in Northern Ireland. I was pleased to see an increase in activity in retail and in services. There was some concern, mind you, about a slight decrease, which has been consistent over the last number of months, in the construction sector, which had been bouncing back in recent times.”
“We are also looking at enhanced support for going to exhibitions and trade shows, a new GB market introduction programme that will focus on the construction sector at the outset and a new ROI food retail development programme. We will also be targeting UK buying groups like the NHS. We will do more meet-the-buyer events and market study events to complement the range of trade visits that we already do. We will also increase the level and amount of in-market trade support that businesses will get from 20 days to 30 days. <BR /> <BR />All told and accumulated, that adds up to a pretty comprehensive trade accelerator plan that will help to build on the success that we have already had with exporters and encourage more businesses to get into selling their products outside Northern Ireland.”
“<BR /> <BR />We have been working very closely with Invest Northern Ireland over the last number of weeks to bring forward what we have called a trade accelerator plan for businesses in Northern Ireland. That has the aim of building on the success of that 9·5% increase and encouraging many firms to get into exporting for the first time. It has a range of enhanced supports, including support for more visits into markets — increasing that from just three to five — support for travel and accommodation for firms to go into Great Britain and support for travelling into the Republic of Ireland as well. That will particularly be attractive to first-time exporters.”
“I thank the Member for her question. There is a temptation to sit back and rest on your laurels when you post a 9·5% increase in exports. I do not think we should do that; I think we should be looking at the opportunities. A small regional economy like ours will not grow or become globally competitive in the way I want it, and, I hope, the House wants it, to become if we do not look outside of Northern Ireland for opportunities to sell our goods, services and products. We should be incredibly proud, as I said, of the companies whose products, goods and services are competing on an international stage and beating their competitors elsewhere.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Member represents Upper Bann and cited Almac, which is a fantastic Northern Ireland-based firm. When you look at the analysis below HMRC's figures, you see that one of the sectors that has driven the increase in exports is health and life sciences, of which Almac is a key part in Northern Ireland. There was a 56% increase in the value of exports by health and life sciences companies like Almac, Randox, Norbrook and others. I think we should be celebrating that success and working with local businesses to try to encourage them to export, particularly for the first time, and to look beyond the possibilities of selling into just Northern Ireland and the home market.”
“Absolutely; I am more than happy to join with the Member in doing that. I think we should be incredibly proud of what our manufacturing businesses have been able to do in exports in very challenging circumstances over the last number of years. It was really good to see last week the latest figures published by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs — it deals with only manufacturing exports; it does not deal with services exports — but it was still incredibly good news for Northern Ireland. We were the only region of the UK in the 12-month period that it was looking at to post an increase in exports. It was not just a small increase; it was a significant increase of 9·5%. I think we should be incredibly proud of all the businesses that have done that.”
“We saw an increase in and a growth of the private sector in Northern Ireland in August. Yes, there are a range of factors, such as the weakening of sterling, a boost in exports and cross-border shopping, but the Member seems to be talking down the benefits that are accruing for our economy. However they have accrued and whatever the reason for them, let us take advantage of them. It is one of the very many opportunities that we have as a result of leaving the European Union. I and Executive colleagues are absolutely determined that we get the best possible deal for Northern Ireland and that we have Northern Ireland perfectly placed to seize the opportunities that leaving the European Union present.”
“People were trying to jump all over the last PMI to say that it backed up everything that they had predicted. That was not the case. Our economy has bounced back.”
“I will be very pleased to visit West Tyrone in the next couple of days as the result of an invitation from Tom Buchanan. Tom, quick out of the traps, has invited me down to the constituency. I know that the Member is new to the House, but that is perhaps a lesson for him to learn from the veteran Mr Buchanan, who has got me down for a very busy day's work. He is working me doubly hard on the day that I will be down in the constituency. I was very pleased to accept that invitation to go down to see the many successes that there are in the West Tyrone constituency. <BR /> <BR />I am terribly sorry for the Member that all his predictions of doom and gloom, which he was not alone in making, are not coming to pass. We see the Ulster Bank's latest purchasing managers' index (PMI) today.”
“We have commissioned analysis and, as I mentioned before, are working directly with Her Majesty's Government to ensure that we can get and will get the best possible deal for Northern Ireland.”