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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“I see tourism as a key priority, and, as you mentioned, 67% of our overseas visitors come via the South. Therefore, I have been making representations to the British Government, as you would expect me to, and I have asked for a meeting with the relevant Minister from the Home Office. I hope that that meeting will be forthcoming in the near future.”
“I share the Member's concern. It is something that I been active on since I came into post, as was my predecessor. The issue with the ETA is its potential to disincentivise tourism in the North, particularly among visitors who come to the South and want to travel north. It can also be seen as a potential barrier for overseas visitors when they are planning their trips. Tourism has grown substantially here in recent years, and there is considerable potential for further growth. We all share the ambition to promote that, but the ETA is a rather big fly in the ointment.”
“There is an action in the tourism vision and action plan, which the Member for Newry and Armagh mentioned, to incorporate regions of the North into the Fáilte Ireland regional branding. Significant progress has been made in bringing the Wild Atlantic Way and the Causeway coastal route together through an ongoing Shared Island project, which has already included extensive research and for which applications for a small capital grant scheme are now being assessed. Discussions are at an advanced stage between Tourism NI, Tourism Ireland and Fáilte Ireland to incorporate Fermanagh into Ireland's Hidden Heartlands. As I mentioned in my reply to Mr McNulty, Ireland's Ancient East is currently under review by Fáilte Ireland.”
“I thank the Member for his question. It takes time for the reports to be approved by the C&AG in each jurisdiction and laid in the respective Houses. I believe that all the processes are being followed as we would expect them to be and that the accounts for 2024 will be presented in the near future.”
“I thank the Member for his question. Work continues with all the tourism agencies to progress collaboration on the brands across the island. It is my understanding that Fáilte Ireland is undertaking a review of the Ireland's Ancient East brand in order to understand its impact and how it can be improved.”
“The Council agreed to hold its next NSMC tourism meeting in November 2025. <BR /> <BR />I commend the statement to the Assembly.”
“Ministers agreed that the implementation of any recommendation from the review will be submitted to the NSMC for approval.”
“<BR /> <BR />The NSMC approved Tourism Ireland's revised business plan for 2024 and its business plan for 2025 and recommended the budget/grant provisions, which have been agreed by both sponsor Departments and Finance Ministers. The Council noted Tourism Ireland's annual report and accounts for 2023, which have been approved by the Comptrollers and Auditors General (C&AGs) and laid before the Assembly and both Houses of the Oireachtas. <BR /> <BR />Ministers granted consent to Tourism Ireland to pass a resolution to amend the memorandum and articles of association following a review to update those documents. <BR /> <BR />The NSMC noted that terms of reference for an organisational capacity review of Tourism Ireland have been approved, with the review to commence in the second quarter of 2025.”
“<BR /> <BR />The NSMC noted the ongoing work to address climate change and the loss of biodiversity in the tourism sector. Ministers noted the ongoing collaboration between the relevant tourism agencies on the Shared Island-funded Wild Atlantic Way and Causeway Coastal Route tourism brand collaboration project and the future Shared Island projects under the Shared Destinations programme 2025-2030, including three projects across the border region — Carlingford Lough, UNESCO Cuilcagh Lakelands Geopark and Sliabh Beagh — and a Tourism Ireland international marketing and development programme to maximise the economic impact for each area.”
“Ministers noted Tourism Ireland's activity during that period, including the large number of marketing campaigns and events undertaken, ensuring seasonal spread of visits through the marketing of the island as the home of Halloween and the promotion of screen and sports tourism. <BR /> <BR />The NSMC welcomed Tourism Ireland's continued focus on embedding sustainability in its marketing activities. Ministers welcomed a presentation by Alice Mansergh, chief executive of Tourism Ireland, on its marketing plans for 2025, highlighting the extensive marketing activity for the year, and noted that sustainable development is at the core of Tourism Ireland's plans for 2025. <BR /> <BR />The Council noted developments in tourism cooperation on sustainable tourism and the newly established joint strategic coordination group.”
“With your permission, Mr Speaker, I wish to make a statement in compliance with section 52 of the 1998 Act regarding a meeting of the North/South Ministerial Council (NSMC) in tourism sectoral format. The meeting was held in Armagh on 16 April. I represented the Northern Ireland Executive and was accompanied by Minister Gordon Lyons MLA. The Irish Government were represented by Minister Peter Burke TD, the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, who chaired the meeting. The statement has been agreed with Minister Lyons, and I make it on behalf of us both. <BR /> <BR />The Council welcomed the report of the chair of Tourism Ireland on the work of the board since the last NSMC tourism meeting in June 2024.”
“I thank the Member for his question. Research was published on 18 June last year by my predecessor, Conor Murphy, on the case for good jobs. That research from the Labour Relations Agency, which was carried out by the University of Warwick, demonstrates the benefits of good jobs for businesses as well as for workers. The research looked at local case studies, comparing the seven components of job quality with three key business outcomes: increased innovation; productivity; and employee health and well-being. The research demonstrates the link between good jobs and those outcomes, highlighting the fact that positive employee engagement and well-being are mutually beneficial for workers and business performance.”
“I very much look forward to the further engagement that I will have with all involved in relation to the proposals and getting them introduced to the Assembly.”
“I thank the Member for her question. Yes, of course, continued engagement with stakeholders is a fundamental part of the next stage of the process. My Department will seek to further refine the details of the proposals in consultation with key stakeholders, primarily through the LRA engagement forum. I encourage all members of that forum to engage constructively with the Department as it is only by being part of the process that stakeholders' views can be reflected. For example, I seek to introduce a statutory code of practice on facilitating workplace relationships. That will be one of the first key asks for the LRA forum. There will also be further opportunities for engagement, once the Bill is introduced in the Assembly, through the scrutiny of the Economy Committee.”
“I thank the Member for her question. When I wrote to Executive colleagues today, I highlighted the proposals that I have made and my desire to discuss a paid carer's leave entitlement. The timelines on research will have to correspond with the timelines on drafting and introducing the legislation. That will happen in the very near future, and I am happy to correspond with the Member on the exact timetables.”
“I think that we all recognise the invaluable role that unpaid carers have in supporting their loved ones and others, and we want to be able to recognise that.”
“<BR /> <BR />To ensure that the policy best meets the needs of stakeholders and best serves the desired strategic outcome of ensuring that carers can remain in or enter the workforce, I will commission further research and a call for evidence. That important body of work will help to inform cost options for the Executive to consider and, hopefully, agree. If, however, a paid entitlement is introduced in Britain — obviously, the legislation is still going through Westminster, and similar lobbying will take place among carers there, as you would rightly expect — the terms and conditions that would be adopted there could be mirrored here. The annually recurring costs would then be paid from the Consolidated Fund, and there would be no additional cost for the Executive.”
“I thank the Member for his question. As I have made clear over the course of the statement and my responses today, my desire is that the right to carer's leave be a paid entitlement, but that will be subject to funding being agreed by the Executive. The cost of a paid entitlement will, of course, depend on a number of factors. Ulster University analysis commissioned by my Department suggests that the annually recurring costs of a paid carer's leave entitlement could be between £10·3 million and £75·2 million a year, depending on the rate of pay and uptake and assuming a maximum entitlement of five days a year.”
“I thank the Member for her question. The experience of people such as her helped to shape the proposals. We are trying to meet the needs of our community out there. Neonatal care pay will be paid at the statutory rate, which is uplifted annually in line with inflation. It is currently £187·18 a week or 90% of the employee's weekly earnings, whichever is lower. Any difference from how the rights operate in Britain would require HMRC to implement costly system changes that would result not only in a delay in the right's becoming operational but in annually recurring costs for the Executive.”
“The intention is to ensure that people who are currently on zero-hours contracts that I would view as exploitative will be entitled to a regular work contract and a set of hours that they can expect to work every week.”
“I thank the Member for his question. As I set out, where a worker is on a zero-hours contract but works regular weekly hours, that person will have a right to a banded-hours contract. There will be a small number of exceptions in cases of what is genuinely casual and seasonal work. The Member will understand that that arrangement may suit some people. For most people, it will not; they will want regular shift work. For music events, for example, a large number of people may be needed for a short period, so such an arrangement may be required there. There will also be seasonal work that, by its very nature, is on a short-term basis. Those conditions will be set out in regulations and will be narrow in their scope.”
“However, the nature of those contracts and how that affects the people trapped in one even though they work regular hours each week is the issue that I want to tackle. As I have set out, a small number of exceptions will be set out in regulations for where there is genuinely seasonal or casual work. I will engage with unions and employers as we develop those regulations.”
“I thank the Member for his question. He is testing me here in relation to me being able to find my figures. Off the top of my head, I believe that there are about 11,000 people. I think that those figures are from 2023. I think that, in the last figures, the coverage of zero-hours contracts in business as a whole was about 1·8%. They are quite a small cohort of the coverage of contracts as a whole across our economy.”
“Obviously, the Labour Relations Agency has been involved in the engagement to get the proposed legislation to this stage. I continue to engage with that organisation, and I am happy to engage on any resourcing issues that it may have. It has not highlighted those to me to date.”
“I do not agree with the Member's characterisation of a Bill that is not yet drafted. There needs to be further engagement with the business community, trade unions and other stakeholders on the shape of what is brought forward. As I outlined in response to other Members and in my statement itself, what we have achieved and what I have proposed today is a balanced way forward that takes on board the views of employers and the need to very much upgrade our workers' rights legislation. Yes, what we are proposing is ambitious, but it is achievable, and I look forward to engaging with and working with the Committee as we bring forward the legislation, which, with the support of my Executive colleagues, I aim to introduce to the Assembly in January 2026.”
“As the Member is likely aware, gender pay gap reporting protections are the responsibility of the Minister for Communities. I believe that that is an important way of promoting equality and preventing differences in pay based on gender. Minister Lyons corresponded with my predecessor on the issue, and I am more than happy to work with him to accommodate his Department in legislating on those issues using my Bill as a vehicle, should he wish to do so and if he is able to do so within the time frames that we propose.”
“I know that there will be engagement, and extensive lobbying will be happening there as well. It is something that I would very much like to see brought forward here, and I will engage with Executive colleagues on that. <BR /> <BR />I am sure that there are other differences that I have missed, but we will engage further through the Committee and in correspondence in the weeks ahead.”
“The worker would instigate such a request. That right would be set out clearly in the written statement of particulars that workers would receive as a day-1 right so that they are clear on their rights and entitlements. A different system is being proposed in Britain, whereby the employer will be obliged to offer a move away from a zero-hours contract every 12 weeks. Businesses have some concerns about the administrative burden that that would place on them. <BR /> <BR />On parental and family-related leave, there are some differences. With some of that, we are catching up with what has already been put in place in Britain, but having an enabling power, for example, to introduce paid carers' leave is not something that I am aware of being introduced in Britain.”
“Yes. The legislation that is passing through Westminster differs in a number of areas from what we are proposing to do. In some cases, it has perhaps clouded some of the engagement that we have been having on our Bill. There are concerns about measures that are in the Bill that is going through Westminster not being proposed in our Bill, while, in some areas, we are going further than what is being proposed in Britain. For example, some of our proposals on trade union access go further. There are differences in the proposed way forward on things such as zero-hours contracts. We propose that people have a right to a banded-hours contract after a period of working. We will engage on what that period might be. As I set out in the document, it could be 26 weeks. We see that as being a reasonable period, but we are open to hearing views.”
“<BR /> <BR />I look forward to continuing to engage with trade unions and others as the Bill progresses in order to ensure that we continue to enhance workers' rights. I see this as the first step on the journey. We are choosing to do some of the things that we propose in the form of guidance or statutory codes of practice, but the Department will be able to return to them if there is a need to do so. We will also continue to develop our employment legislation in the future to meet the needs of businesses and workers.”
“I thank the Member for his question. He is right to highlight the plight of workers who continue to face precarious work. My message to them is this: we have your back, and we want to address the challenges that you continue to face. Some of the actions that we are taking through the Bill — ending exploitative zero-hours contracts; protecting people who choose to remain on zero-hours contracts for their own purposes or who are in seasonal or casual work by providing a right to reasonable notice of shifts and a right to compensation when shifts are cancelled at short notice; and banning exclusivity clauses in zero-hours and low-hours contracts — go some way to addressing those concerns. There are other measures in the Bill to tackle fire-and-rehire practices, which will also support those workers.”
“I thank the Member for taking the time to engage with me this afternoon on my proposals. What I have set out today and what I presented to business and trade union representatives and other stakeholders this morning is detailed, and I expect that they will rightly take their time to consider the proposals. I hope that they will come to the conclusion that I have recognised their views, which were shared during the consultation period, and arrived at a balanced way forward. I look forward to continued engagement with all those stakeholders.”
“I thank the Member for his question. I said in my statement that I wrote to Executive colleagues this morning with my set of proposals. There was a 13-week consultation period in which over 190 responses, representing the views of tens of thousands of people, were received. I believe that my proposals strike a balance in being effective for workers and employers. I look forward to engaging with Executive colleagues on the proposals, which, I believe, everybody can get behind and support.”
“The legislation will provide a sound foundation on which to create good jobs. I hope that the Executive and the Assembly will support me in paving the road to prosperity.”
“I have, this morning, written to Executive colleagues to seek their endorsement of my proposals. I look forward to my paper being put on the Executive's agenda so that colleagues can come to a collective view. The Executive's decisions will then be translated into a Bill, which can and should become law within the two years that are left of the mandate. <BR /> <BR />As the fine details of proposals are refined in legislation, there will be further opportunities for engagement with the business community, trade unions, the Committee for the Economy and the Assembly. There will then be a phased period of implementation over the next mandate in order to give businesses time to prepare and adapt. In conjunction with the Labour Relations Agency, my Department will provide training and support to employers during the transition period.”
“I also wish for powers to be delegated in order to make it possible to increase the duration of paternity leave in future, should such an entitlement be introduced in Britain or if the Executive can afford to fund such an entitlement. Finally, I propose to enhance protections from redundancy and dismissal for pregnant employees and for employees who have recently returned to work after a period of maternity or adoption leave or six or more weeks of shared parental leave. <BR /> <BR />Today, I am setting out an ambitious programme that will see the biggest upgrade in workers' rights since the Good Friday Agreement: an end to exploitative zero-hours contracts; paid leave during neonatal care; more protections for agency workers; stronger trade union rights; stronger rights to flexible working; and a fairer distribution of tips.”
“Some babies are born requiring intensive care due to premature birth or illness. That is a hugely stressful time for their parents. I plan to introduce a new legal right of up to 12 weeks' leave and pay for parents whose newborn babies require neonatal care. I propose to enhance paternity leave protections for employees who have a new child — by birth, surrogacy or adoption — by permitting paternity leave to be taken as two separate blocks of one week or a single block of two weeks. My Bill will increase the time in which paternity leave can be taken to 52 weeks from the current 56-day limit. Through the Bill, I propose to enable paternity leave to be taken either before or after a period of shared parental leave and to reduce the notice period that is required for paternity leave from the current 15 weeks to 28 days.”
“I propose, in the first instance, a new right for employees with caring responsibilities to take up to one week of unpaid carer's leave every 12 months to care for a family member or dependant with a long-term care need. My objective is to make carer's leave a paid right. I therefore propose that my Bill provide my Department with powers to enable a statutory entitlement to paid carer's leave that could be introduced when the Executive can afford to fund paid carer's leave or if funding flows from that entitlement being introduced in Britain.”
“That will allow more people to stay in work and broaden the pool of staff available to employers. I propose to legislate to remove the current 26-week qualifying period for employees to request flexible working; instead, it will be a day-1 right. The process will also be made easier by removing the requirement for an employee to consider the impact of a flexible working request on the employer; instead, the onus will be on the employer to state why their decision to refuse an application for flexible working is reasonable. At the moment, only one request for flexible working can be made in a rolling 12-month period: I propose that that be increased to two requests each year. <BR /> <BR />Many people require flexibility in order to care for a loved one.”
“<BR /> <BR />Under the Information and Consultation of Employees Regulations 2005, employees in larger businesses can request information about the business's economic situation, employment prospects and decisions likely to lead to changes in work organisation or contractual relations. At least 10% of employees and at least 15 people must request a formal information agreement for it to be valid. I intend to reduce that threshold to 2% of employees and at least 10 people. I also intend to ensure that employees of larger organisations who work in smaller offices can avail themselves of a formal information agreement. <BR /> <BR />The final theme is work-life balance. As much as possible, people should be able to balance their work with their family and private life.”
“I will also consider how the existing bureaucratic requirements placed on trade unions when balloting members can be reduced. Currently, trade unions must keep detailed records of members' addresses, jobs and workplaces. Sanctions for administrative error and the provision of incorrect information are unnecessarily severe. My officials will consider, in consultation with employers and trade unions, what changes can be made to reduce the restrictions on trade unions when balloting their members. <BR /> <BR />My Bill also proposes to abolish the 12-week time limit on protection against dismissal for employees taking part in official industrial action.”
“My proposed legislation will therefore give more workers the opportunity to be represented by a recognised trade union by lowering the recognition threshold from 21 employees in a business to 10 employees. Trade unions will be able to request access to a workplace in order to promote the benefits of trade unions, engage with members and negotiate with employers on issues such as terms, pay and conditions. An employer will not be permitted to unreasonably withhold access. The rules of engagement on workplace access will be stipulated in guidance. <BR /> <BR />At the moment, balloting must be conducted on paper through postal vote. My proposed Bill will modernise that practice by permitting trade unions to use electronic balloting.”
“My officials will work with the Labour Relations Agency (LRA), trade unions and employers to strengthen the tripartite model of social dialogue. Together, we will introduce a code of practice detailing the behaviours that underpin positive workplace relationships. <BR /> <BR />The LRA engagement forum will be used to promote collective bargaining, with the overarching aim of working towards the target in the EU adequate minimum wage directive of a collective bargaining coverage rate of 80%. Current collective bargaining coverage varies greatly between the public and private sectors, with 80% of public-sector workers having their pay determined by a collective bargaining agreement. That figure falls to 20% in the private sector. To reach that target across the economy, we need to expand trade union membership.”
“The accurate recording of hours is already provided for in legislation. To complement that, I intend to produce guidance for employers and workers that clearly articulates those record-keeping requirements. I propose to increase the reference period used to calculate holiday pay from 12 to 52 weeks. That will help to avoid seasonal fluctuations and provide a fairer and more robust reference period for employers and workers. <BR /> <BR />The third theme is voice and representation. Many countries have a constructive relationship between trade unions and industry bodies that recognises and promotes the shared interest of workers and employers. Workforces that are listened to and respected are more productive, which benefits employers also.”
“While workers need to be able to switch off from work, there may be a need for businesses to have flexibility, for example, to deliver services to international clients in different time zones. More clarity is needed in that area to help workers and employers navigate the challenges. I therefore propose to introduce a statutory code of practice on the right to disconnect. My Department will monitor compliance with that code of practice and consider whether legislation will be required. <BR /> <BR />My proposed legislation will also ensure that tips are passed on to workers in full. That will give added reassurance to workers in the hospitality and services industries who rely on tips. As part of my legislation, all workers will be legally entitled to a payslip that, if they are paid hourly, details the time worked.”
“Agency workers will be provided with clear information on the terms of their work assignment, such as the name of the company that is employing them, the rate of pay they will receive, payment dates and intervals and holiday entitlement. The loophole known as the "Swedish derogation", which permits agency workers to receive less pay than their permanent counterparts even after 12 weeks in the job, will be abolished. The enforcement and information-sharing powers available to my Department's Employment Agency Inspectorate will be strengthened. <BR /> <BR />The next theme is pay and benefits. The emergence of new technologies has meant that the lines between work and home life have become increasingly blurred.”
“<BR /> <BR />My proposed Bill will also tackle the unscrupulous practice of a perfectly solvent business firing workers and rehiring them on less favourable terms. The practice known as "fire and rehire" will be permissible only when the business can show that it is not viable and the alternative is a loss of jobs. The legislation will also strengthen the obligations on employers to ensure compliance with formal notification procedures when making collective redundancies and ensure that those responsibilities apply to companies employing people who work at sea. <BR /> <BR />Under this theme, I also propose better protection for agency workers.”
“<BR /> <BR />Under the current law, workers are not entitled to the same rights as employees. That distinction does not apply in many other European economies. However, due to its interaction with the tax system, the Executive cannot by themselves bring an end to that categorisation. I therefore propose to work with the British Government to end that unhelpful and unnecessary distinction. In the meantime, the Executive can address the fact that only employees are entitled to a written statement of particulars setting out their terms of employment. My proposed Bill extends that right to workers and ensures that that information is available to everyone. It will also be provided from the first day of employment rather than within two months, as is currently the case.”
“My proposed Bill contains four themes, the first of which is terms of employment. Zero-hours contracts that provide workers with no guaranteed hours do not provide a good basis for a stable income. They should be used only for work that is genuinely casual or seasonal. Under my Bill, people on a zero-hours contract will have the right to move to a banded-hours contract that reflects their average working hours. Workers on a zero-hours contract will also have the right to reasonable notice of shifts and the right to compensation if shifts are cancelled or curtailed at short notice. That package of measures will bring to an end exploitative zero-hours contracts for people who work regular hours. Such contracts will be permissible only where work is genuinely seasonal or casual.”
“It also involves strengthening employment legislation. <BR /> <BR />Last July, my predecessor, Conor Murphy, launched a consultation on a Bill to promote good jobs. The consultation ran for 13 weeks. Responses were received from 25 industry representative bodies that have a combined local membership of over 18,000 individuals and businesses. Submissions were received from 19 trade union bodies that, together, have a membership of around 375,000 workers. The NUS-USI, which represents over 130,000 students and apprentices in the North of Ireland, also provided its views. Since the consultation closed on 30 September, my Department has been carefully considering the feedback. <BR /> <BR />Today, I am outlining an employment Bill that will be supported by secondary legislation, statutory codes of practice and guidance.”