Caoimhe Archibald
East Londonderry · Sinn Féin · Northern Ireland
“Taken together, that points to a scheme that is operating effectively in its early stages, while, of course, remaining under review as further evidence becomes available. <BR /> <BR />I therefore commend to the Assembly the Statutory Parental Bereavement Pay (Employment and Earnings) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2026.”
“I seek the Assembly's approval for the Statutory Parental Bereavement Pay (Employment and Earnings) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2026. The statutory rule was made on 1 April and came into operation on 6 April. It is before the Assembly today under the confirmatory procedure.”
“The 2026 regulatory impact assessment estimates one-off employer familiarisation costs of up to £1·36 million, with wider HMRC implementation costs forecast at £1·5 million and annual systems maintenance costs of around £10,000. It may assist Members to note that early implementation has gone smoothly.”
“The amendment ensures the continued operation of those regulations and forms part of a wider package of legislative measures establishing statutory parental bereavement pay as an entitlement for bereaved parents.”
“The regulations before the Assembly today are a key part of that implementation and ensure the continued operation of the statutory parental bereavement pay framework. The policy objective is clear: to support bereaved working parents at a time of profound loss and provide a minimum standard of protection in law.”
“<BR /> <BR />The confirmatory procedure means that the regulations before the House today have come into operation before the Assembly debate has taken place and must then be approved by the Assembly within the relevant statutory period. In this case, the deadline for approval is 20 September 2026.”
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“Go raibh maith agat, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle.”
“Of course, my Department has an Irish language policy — a dual-language policy — and that is reflective of the action that is in the business plan. That is being rolled out across our arm's-length bodies as well in respect of the need to support the Irish language, particularly in the further education sector.”
“The recent acquisition of Timber Quay has been successfully completed, and that will allow Ulster University to accommodate 375 new students from September. <BR /> <BR />A number of members of the task force have been working with officials to progress a range of activities to inform the programme business case, which is due to complete in September. Those activities include a dedicated marketing campaign to attract students to Magee, proposals to maximise the economic impact of the expansion for businesses and widening access and participation initiatives. Work is also under way on addressing the student accommodation requirements to support the expansion.”
“Yes, of course. Ulster University's Magee campus represents a significant strategic investment and has the potential to deliver substantial economic benefits for the north-west and, of course, the whole region. Since the task force launched its final report and action plan in December, work is progressing at pace towards the expansion of Magee to achieve the 10,000-student target, in line with New Decade, New Approach and PFG commitments. <BR /> <BR />My Department, in partnership with Ulster University, has now secured all the private-sector lands for teaching accommodation to reach that 10,000 target and has contributed almost £21·5 million of capital expenditure to support that planned growth.”
“Both Conor Murphy and I engaged on seeking firm commitments to reopen the Dublin-Derry route, so I am pleased that that preparatory work has been undertaken to re-establish that route in 2026. My Department will support the work of the Irish Department of Transport and stakeholders to ensure a successful outcome to that important initiative.”
“I thank the Member for his question. I certainly am confident that the Dublin-Derry route would help to unlock tremendous potential across the region and, importantly, help to exploit the significant investment that my Department has made, along with the Irish Government and others, across the private and public sectors. <BR /> <BR />Officials are engaging with colleagues in the Department for Transport in London and the Department of Transport in Dublin, as I mentioned to Mr McCrossan earlier. Both of those have responsibility for public-service-obligation air routes across the relevant jurisdictions, and I have been supportive of the restoration of that route for many years.”
“Again, I thank the Member for his question. Of course, if anybody has any information on those attacks, I urge them to bring it to the attention of the police. On the point that he made about 5G and the concerns that some people have had, off the back of the Adjournment debate and some of the media reporting, my Department, along with others, is looking at how we can support the communication of those key messages to assist in dealing with the misinformation that is out there.”
“I thank the Member for his question. He will, of course, know that, in the Adjournment debate, I unreservedly condemned those actions. I think that there is no place for them. They are damaging infrastructure and are having an impact on local communities, on businesses and on people's everyday life. As the Member will recall, a number of examples were given that day of people who had faced real challenges as a result of not having mobile phone coverage. There is no place for that, and it needs to stop.”
“I thank the Member for his question. Support for skills — skills in general — is a key priority for my Department, particularly in respect of apprenticeships and key trades to support the priority sectors that we have talked about this morning, one of which is advanced manufacturing, which, clearly, Spirit falls within. Spirit has a really active apprenticeships programme, which the Department works with it on and supports. It is really important that we continue to ensure that we have pathways for people of all ages to gain the skills that are needed for our economy. As I said, that is a key area of focus for me and my Department.”
“I thank the Member for his question. As recently as this morning, I met trade union representatives from Spirit, along with the First Minister and deputy First Minister, and I have given them assurances of my support in ensuring that we protect those jobs. I have been engaging with everybody whom you would expect me to engage with to ensure that that happens, including in the highest levels in the British Government.”
“I thank the Member for her question. I am not sure that I have had any discussions with the Agriculture Minister in relation to the nutrients action programme, and I am not sure that the previous Minister had any before I was in position. I am sure that officials across Departments have been engaging, as they do on a whole range of issues, including in respect of biomethane policy development. Clearly, it is cross-cutting and involves the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs and my Department.”
“I thank the Member for her question. The Department is working on a number of biomethane actions as part of the 2025 energy strategy action plan. That work includes progressing action 6, which will support the sustainability of biomethane being utilised in the gas network. Key areas of focus include progressing support mechanisms, consulting on options for gas network connection costs and investigating standards and certificates. That is an area of active policy development in the Department.”
“Officials are using that existing research to help our understanding of how a cluster strategy can support economic growth here in the North. We have continued to engage with cluster parties and various stakeholders. We have also liaised with British and Irish Government officials to understand their approach to clusters. I want to ensure that our approach is coordinated, evidence-based and aligned with the strengths and ambitions of our economy and that it adds value to clusters and potential clusters here in the North and all-island clusters. We are keen to understand how we can further develop those and support them. That work needs to be underpinned by collaboration with all involved.”
“I thank the Member for his question. I certainly believe that the all-island economy has tremendous unrealised potential. Collaboration and trade are key to the growth of our economy. I am pleased to welcome and support The Competitiveness Institute's prominent global conference later this year, which will promote clusters across the island of Ireland on an international stage. Given the pace of organic growth around clusters, my Department is exploring the value and benefit of adopting a cluster strategy, as I mentioned in my opening answer, and work has started on that. <BR /> <BR />Business clusters are not a new concept. A whole breadth of research has been undertaken in that area, globally and locally.”
“We also discussed some of the challenges that they are facing in order to support growth, particularly the challenges in the skills sector, where they are not unique, and in the need for improved infrastructure, where, again, they are not unique. <BR /> <BR />As a next step, it was agreed that my Department will follow up with BORMAC to ensure continued engagement and support. It was explained that, given the growing momentum around clusters, my Department is actively exploring the potential benefits of adopting dedicated cluster strategies. Officials have already begun work on that through engagement with stakeholders and industry partners and through initial research. We are clear that any strategy must be developed in close coordination with businesses and must align with and strengthen our wider economic goals.”
“I was really pleased to have the opportunity to meet the representatives of the Border Region Manufacturing Cluster when they visited last week. I know that they also met representatives of the Economy Committee. At our meeting, they shared a policy paper with us, which was entitled 'Strengthening Regional Resilience for Manufacturing Businesses: The Strategic Role of the Border Region Manufacturing Cluster'. The paper outlined their vision for gaining greater recognition for the cluster and establishing formal communication channels with the Department. They expressed a strong desire to work closely with my Department to support collaboration on key issues that matter to that vital cross-border cluster.”
“We have to let the work be done, and we will take decisions when it has been completed.”
“I thank the Member for her supplementary question. I expect to receive the draft terms of reference for the review of higher education in the very near future. That will, of course, will be shared with the Economy Committee after I have taken decisions on it. We all recognise that we face a really constrained budgetary situation that puts pressure on all our public services. From my perspective, it is important that we have a sustainably funded higher education system. However, that needs to be done in a fair way that ensures accessibility for students and for people of all ages so that they are able to access the type of education that delivers to them the skills that they need and helps them to reach their potential. That is the challenge for us in undertaking the review.”
“I thank the Member for her question. I am not sure whether I have the information about the budget allocations in front of me, but I would be happy to share it with the Member in written correspondence. I understand that we provided the Committee with figures on student places for the incoming academic year, but I can share those again with the Member if necessary.”
“We recognise the importance of and urgency in seizing the opportunities that come with AI, but it is equally important that we implement the right policies and actions to ensure that AI is adopted in a way that delivers maximum value in a safe and responsible way while adhering to my economic priorities. It is a key area of policy development for us that we will continue to focus on.”
“As I stated previously, officials in my Department have commenced work in that area.”
“That includes forming an AI task force consisting of government, academia and industry representatives to advise on opportunities and principles for adoption throughout the public sector. My officials have also met her office and will continue regular engagement to ensure alignment. Policy development will also be informed by relevant evidence, including the recent AI adoption report from Ulster University's strategic policy unit.”
“My Department is developing AI policy to maximise the benefits of the technology for our people and our businesses. That work will build on existing initiatives such as the Artificial Intelligence Collaboration Centre (AICC) to ensure that our workforce is equipped to utilise AI; that businesses can adopt it safely; and that the necessary infrastructure is in place to support implementation. Stakeholder engagement is central to that process. Officials have already engaged with industry and academia and will broaden that outreach in the coming weeks and months. <BR /> <BR />I recently met Professor Helen McCarthy, the Chief Scientific and Technology Adviser (CSTA), who is leading efforts on the public-sector adoption of AI.”
“The intent of the Bill is to give the Utility Regulator powers over decarbonisation as one of the considerations in respect of investment. The Bill will therefore be really important in supporting us to meet our targets for renewable electricity and our climate obligations. As I said in my answer, along with that initial legislation, the powers that are necessary across different policy areas will be progressed through the Assembly. Delivery across a range of energy policy areas will be crucial in supporting us to meet our energy targets in the coming years.”
“Additional powers for the energy economic regulator are included in the various pieces of legislation that will be introduced on new policy areas.”
“I assume that the Member is referring to the Utility Regulator (Support for Decarbonisation Preparation) Bill. The draft Bill, which was developed in conjunction with the regulator, has been subject to a public consultation, the results of which have been shared with the Committee for the Economy and published on my Department's website, along with all consultation responses received. We have received legal confirmation that the Assembly has the legislative competence to introduce the Bill. My officials are working through the remaining legal issues. <BR /> <BR />The Bill has been designed to provide the Utility Regulator with additional powers to support my Department as we move towards our future decarbonised energy system. I assure Members that the policy development work to deliver the energy strategy continues.”
“Local economic partnerships are part of the drive towards regional balance. Alongside that, we have three other priorities in the Department: the creation of good jobs; improving productivity; and decarbonisation. We have identified seven priority sectors, which the Member referred to as "high-growth, high-potential sectors", each of which has an action plan to address the challenges and to support its potential across a range of areas, including skills. There is a key crossover in how LEPs might try to utilise and support the priority sectors. It is for each LEP to identify the ones that are most applicable in their area. To some extent, power has been given back to local areas to decide what their economic priorities are and for them to align and to leverage support to develop them.”
“Fundamentally, they are partnerships between the Department for the Economy and a range of stakeholders, and my officials have had back-and-forth with councils and other partners on issues and how best those can be resolved. My Department has provided formal and informal guidance on a range of issues, including the establishment of the LEPs' membership; project guidance; staffing; high-level objectives for the regional balance fund; the use of consultancies, state aid and subsidy control; and working with other Departments. In this phase of the partnerships, as they meet and identify projects, I anticipate that further queries will be raised to which my officials are likely to respond with further guidance. An action plan template has also been provided to councils to assist them.”
“I do not agree with the Member's characterisation. The establishment of the local economic partnerships is a new approach that brings together my Department, Invest NI, councils and other key economic stakeholders in local areas. While there has been some slippage due to factors such as my Department working through the business case approval and councils establishing each partnership, a great deal of progress has been made. With approval secured for the regional balance fund business case, I look forward to seeing the partnerships bring forward innovative proposals to address economic issues that affect their areas.”
“While my Department has provided guidance to the local economic partnerships about the type of projects that they might want to consider, that is not prescriptive. Partnerships will know what is needed at a local level. I am committed to ensuring that the work is taken forward as a genuine partnership with councils and other local stakeholders. That has meant listening to feedback and refining our approach. I am confident that we are building the right foundations to ensure maximum impact in the years ahead.”
“Local economic partnerships are a critical part of my regional balance agenda, and I am pleased to see the progress made in setting up partnerships across the North. The majority, including Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon, which met just yesterday, have met on several occasions already and begun the important work of agreeing local economic priorities and developing action plans for the first year. Each partnership will decide on the economic issues that matter most in its area. My Department will pivot itself to address those issues and encourage other Departments to do likewise. <BR /> <BR />There is also a £45 million fund that will allow the partnerships to pump-prime and co-fund projects that are important to them. My Department and Invest NI are working closely with all partnerships to support them in bringing forward projects.”
“I thank the Member for her question. My officials are considering that recently published report by Irelandia, an Irish aviation investment group. The report makes recommendations for various policy initiatives that, Irelandia contends, will strengthen the Irish aviation industry. In the first instance, I want to consider the applicability of those recommendations to the North and, if they are applicable, consider how we can work with the Irish and British Governments to drive implementation.”
“I thank the Member for his question. As he outlined, we have committed to the investment in the City of Derry Airport over the next four years. That enables the airport to plan for growth in future years. We will work with partners locally in the north-west and further afield to support the economic development of the region. Clearly, the efforts that have been made are bearing fruit, and there have been many positive announcements over recent weeks. That clearly shows the potential of the region, and I am certainly keen to support it. I am happy to continue to work with partners to ensure that that continues.”
“My officials are also engaging with their colleagues in the Department of Transport in Dublin and the Department for Transport in London, which both have policy responsibility for public service obligation air routes across the relevant jurisdictions. <BR /> <BR />My predecessor Conor Murphy and I have engaged with the Irish Government to seek firm commitments to reopen the Dublin-Derry route. I am pleased to report that ministerial approval in Dublin has been provided to undertake the preparatory work necessary to establish Dublin to Derry air services in 2026. A meeting led by the Irish Department of Transport is planned with stakeholders in the north-west in the coming weeks. I will continue to work closely with both Governments to support delivery of this important initiative.”
“By connecting people, supporting our tourism offering and delivering economic growth, improving air connectivity to the North from within these islands and further afield has an important role to play in the delivery of my economic priorities. That is why I am investing £3 million per year in the City of Derry Airport. <BR /> <BR />The Dublin to Derry air route has the potential to provide significant benefits to the north-west of Ireland. It will help to unlock the tremendous potential of the region and, importantly, to exploit the significant investment that my Department, the Irish Government and others across the private and public sectors are making here.”
“I am sure that the Member will recognise the years of uncertainty that were caused by post-Brexit negotiations and his party's position on that. I have outlined the real-world, tangible impact of dual market access, which can clearly be seen in our export performance. We see huge interest in dual market access. It is a particular selling point for our local economy and continues to attract investment and attention from investors. It is something that I, along with my partners in Invest NI and InterTradeIreland, continue to promote.”
“As I said, I welcome the progress that has been made. I also welcome the fact that the British Government and the EU have recognised and are committed to maintaining our privileged, dual market access. We can see that privileged position in our recent export performance. In the year ending 2024, total exports of goods from the North increased by 1%, while exports from Britain decreased by 5·6%. Our imports increased by 1·8%, while overall imports to Britain fell by 3·5%. The agreement does nothing to undermine our unique position, which I have put front and centre of my economic vision. When implemented, it will smooth trade frictions, mainly for agri-food and horticultural products. That will further strengthen our unique offer rather than diminishing it.”
“I agree with the Member that dual market access offers us huge potential and opportunities. There is more work to be done to communicate that to our own businesses here that are already in the position to take advantage of that and also to attract investment to create new jobs and grow our local economy. My Department continues to do that work, along with Invest NI and InterTradeIreland, to try to make the most of the potential that we have.”
“Clearly, Brexit damaged trading relationships between this island and Britain and beyond. It was a key reason why my party and others opposed Brexit. Unfortunately, we are where we are and have to deal with the consequences. We have the protocol and, now, the Windsor framework, which recognises our unique circumstances and also provides us with a unique selling point — dual market access — that we continue to promote. As I said in my original answer, there is a clearly a long way to go in negotiations on the SPS agreement and other areas. My perspective, and the perspective that my party has brought to all the negotiations to date post Brexit, is that anything that smoothes the frictions, east-west and North/South, is a good thing. More work needs to be done there. Certainly, I am willing to play my part in that.”
“Clear and timely communications will be important for individuals and businesses. I continue to make those points to the British Government.”
“Anything with the potential to undo the harms of Brexit, smooth trade flows and reduce regulatory divergence is to be welcomed. On 19 May, broad heads of agreement were announced between the British Government and the EU. We have a significant agri-food sector, so I welcome the commitment to negotiate a sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) agreement. While that agreement would extend only to Britain, it should result in significantly fewer regulatory checks and controls on animals, plants and related products moving east to west. It is also welcome that the British Government and EU will continue to work on a youth mobility scheme. It will be important to understand how those high-level positions are translated into legal text and then implemented in practice. At this stage, we have few details, including on time frames.”
“Overseas tourism has doubled in value between 2010 and 2024, growing from £319 million in 2010 to over £633 million per year in visitor spend in 2024. In addition, over 70,000 jobs depend on tourism. Of those, six out of 10 depend on overseas tourism specifically, meaning that overseas tourism is a key opportunity for our economy. That clearly demonstrates the value that the organisation brings to tourism as a vital revenue-generating industry bringing jobs into local communities across Ireland.”
“Tourism Ireland, as an organisation with the responsibility for marketing Ireland overseas, has a compelling holiday and business events programme. Tourism Ireland undertakes a range of activities that have a hugely positive impact on my Department's tourism policies, from the large number of marketing campaigns and events that ensure a seasonal spread of visits, to Ireland to maintaining a continued focus on sustainable development of the sector in collaboration with Tourism NI and Fáilte Ireland. Tourism Ireland is focused on growing the value of overseas tourism, benefiting local economies and communities. A recent study estimates that, for every £1 of Tourism Ireland's marketing investment, £25 is spent by overseas visitors.”
“There is certainly a key role for tourism in supporting the regeneration of our villages, towns and cities. I recently established local economic partnerships across all our council areas so that local areas can develop their economic plans and visions for themselves. Tourism NI and other partners can be involved in the development of those plans, and I actively encourage that. The role of the local economic partnerships is to bring forward plans and to leverage support from all Departments to realise them. There is a key role for tourism as part of those plans to aid the regeneration of our towns and cities.”
“<BR /> <BR />In addition to job creation and the generation of substantial export earnings in the form of visitor spend, the outworking of the vision and action plan has the capacity to cultivate and showcase local history, culture and our natural and built heritage. All of that will make the North a great place not only to visit but in which to live.”
“Tourism is a vital contributor to my economic vision and is key to creating prosperity across the North, enriching our communities and bringing social benefits to our towns and cities. It also creates opportunities in rural areas and is a source of pride for local people. <BR /> <BR />My Department launched a tourism vision and action plan in January that set out our ambition for growth in our tourism sector over the next decade, including a strategic goal that the tourism expenditure from our overnight visitors will exceed £2 billion by 2035. The action plan identifies 17 activities that are critical to achieving that ambition in a way that promotes regional balance, raises productivity, creates good jobs and lowers carbon emissions.”
“Yes. I can assure the Member that there certainly is a plan. As he will know from his role on the Committee, and as I said to Mr Brett, policy development work is going on across a range of areas. That is really important to ensure that we have a fit-for-purpose energy system. The specifics of the renewable electricity price guarantee scheme will be brought forward in the near future. All the other work alongside that will continue, including, for example, an interconnection and storage policy, for which policy development work and research is ongoing as well.”
“That is my preferred option at this point, if it is possible. Officials will further explore the operational requirements of that concept in collaboration with key stakeholders and delivery partners to assess its feasibility and potential impact.”
“However, voluntary contributions, by their nature, are not guaranteed and offer limited assurance that benefits will be directed to communities located near to renewable developments. <BR /> <BR />The other models include a mandatory contribution model, whereby, again, by its nature, it is a mandatory requirement that community benefit will be part of the support scheme. That would involve significant administrative complexity and cost, estimated at around 10% of total scheme costs, which would add to the strain on departmental resources. There is a potential alternative model in which deductions are applied directly to electricity bills through a discount on charges to households located near new renewable projects. The discounts would be socialised across all electricity consumers.”
“I thank the Member for her question. I fully support the principle of community benefit and encourage all developers, whether participating in the renewable electricity price guarantee scheme, when it is launched, or pursuing alternative routes to market, to adopt best practice and ensure a return for local communities. <BR /> <BR />Different approaches to delivering community benefits have been considered. Those include a voluntary guidance approach in which a voluntary model would apply to broadly all renewable energy projects, including those already in development or operation, rather than being limited to the relatively small number that will secure contracts under the renewable electricity price guarantee scheme.”