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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“It is fitting that I make the statement on Workers' Memorial Day. Everyone benefits from good jobs. A decent, reliable wage benefits workers and their families. The flexibility to balance a career with family life means that more people can stay in work, giving employers access to a larger pool of people. More people working in better-paid jobs reduces poverty and its associated societal problems, which benefits communities as well as the public finances. That is why creating good jobs is one of the key objectives in the Executive's Programme for Government (PFG). <BR /> <BR />My Department's 'good jobs' agenda involves supporting businesses to become more productive so that they are in a better position to offer good jobs. It involves building our skills base so that more people are equipped to take up those jobs.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Phríomh-Leas-Cheann Comhairle.”
“That has not come to me, because it will go to the Finance Minister. The research is important for providing an evidence base to support potential Executive interventions and on which to make the case to the British Treasury that we have special circumstances here that need to be taken into account. I am looking forward to the publication of the research.”
“The Member will be aware that, alongside the Department's economic vision and economic plans, Invest NI has published its business plan for the next three years, which it has very much aligned with the Department's economic vision, including on regional balance. It has a target of having 65% of investments outside the greater Belfast metropolitan area and targets that are specifically for each council area. Efforts are being made to ensure that that rebalancing is done efficiently and very much in partnership with local areas.”
“I take the Member's point. It is important that we work in partnership with local councils to develop those plans, and that is why we have taken that particular road.”
“Regional balance is one of the four priorities in my economic plan, the others being good jobs, productivity and decarbonisation. On regional balance specifically, in October last year, Conor Murphy published the subregional economic plan. A key part of it, as I mentioned, is the establishment of the local economic partnerships. Newry, Mourne and Down was the first local economic partnership to be established. I had the opportunity yesterday to attend its investment conference, which was a positive event, and some really good work is being done there. In that particular area, you have a lot of home-grown businesses and, clearly, a very strong spirit of entrepreneurship. We are keen to build on that and to work in partnership with local councils to deliver it.”
“It is important that we work alongside the local council, the universities and regional colleges as well as Invest NI. We are doing that through the local economic partnerships. If the Member wants to write to me about specific issues related to Invest NI, I will be happy to correspond further with him.”
“I thank the Member for his question. We share a constituency. As I mentioned in an earlier answer to Mr Robinson, who is another constituency colleague, the local economic partnership is a key plank in developing proposals for each local area. Yesterday, I had the opportunity to attend the Causeway Coast and Glens first local economic partnership meeting. Those partnerships will be really important in bringing forward proposals. We also have the regional property scheme that we developed alongside Invest NI to look at the opportunities for developing land in each local area. We will continue to work with Invest NI on that in the coming weeks and months.”
“I thank the Member for that question and for highlighting the work of credit unions. My Department is working closely with the Irish League of Credit Unions, the Ulster Federation of Credit Unions and other stakeholders to co-design and deliver credit union policy and legislative change that will modernise and strengthen the credit union movement. I will soon launch a consultation to enable credit unions to offer a wider range of products and services while preserving their unique community-focus ethos. The changes will securely anchor credit unions in local communities as focal points for tackling financial exclusion.”
“I thank both organisations for the willingness and creativity that they have shown in developing solutions at pace. The co-design group will meet again later this month specifically to discuss access to finance for the sector, and I look forward to attending its meeting in June.”
“The social enterprise co-design group held its most recent meeting on 13 March 2025, when it was updated on progress on the implementation of the social enterprise action plan and began discussions on how to further develop the work in future financial years. Subsequently, just last week, I met the group's chair and co-chair, Dave Linton and Maeve Monaghan, to discuss progress and to hear their views on what more can be done to strengthen the social enterprise sector here. <BR /> <BR />The broad focus of the current work is on improving the participation of social enterprises in public-sector commissioning and on strengthening leadership capacity in the sector. Progress has been made with Invest NI and InterTradeIreland on facilitating access by social enterprises to support.”
“My Department is committed to bringing a Bill — the one that I referred to in my previous answer — to the Assembly in autumn 2025, and we are keen to make progress. I recently met RenewableNI, and, just yesterday, I met the NI Maritime and Offshore network. The sector is very keen to see progress and to work with us in order to ensure that the supply chain is ready for any offshore developments. I have committed to continuing to work alongside the sector.”
“The Member is right. We are working on an offshore renewable energy installations Bill, which will establish frameworks for the decommissioning of safety zones and the rights of navigation in our waters. We are working with the Office of the Legislative Counsel (OLC) in respect of that. I envisage that incentivisation will be necessary in relation to the investment in offshore projects, and that will continue to be a part of the developmental process for the support scheme that we will be consulting on later in the year. That also fits into the work on the critical path timeline for offshore renewable energy, which is being undertaken by the offshore renewable energy action plan (OREAP) steering group.”
“I can absolutely assure the Member that we are listening to those voices. I very much commend Caleb's mummy, Alma, for her campaign and the work that she has done to shine a spotlight on the issue. Indeed, as part of the stakeholder engagement that I outlined, my officials have had many opportunities to speak directly with young people to hear about their interests and aspirations. They have also met young people's parents and heard their very real frustrations and concerns, as well as their hopes for their young people. Officials also had the opportunity to attend the inspiring event in Parliament Buildings that was organised by Alma and Caleb's Cause and took place last month. As we move forward, we will continue to actively listen to the voices of young people and their parents as we work to improve services and provision.”
“In parallel, they have undertaken more than 80 visits, meetings and engagements with a wide array of stakeholders, which has included parents, schools, young people, colleges, training providers, the community and voluntary sector, representative organisations, other Departments, the health trusts and counterparts from other jurisdictions. That has been incredibly valuable in drawing out the different issues and perspectives. That work is being drawn to a close, and my officials will report to me shortly. Once I have had the opportunity to consider those findings and their advice, I will update the House. I expect to bring issues to the Executive for an informed discussion on the next steps.”
“Last year, my departmental officials were tasked by my predecessor, Conor Murphy, with reviewing the existing skills and training provision and the relevant legislative protections for school-leavers with special educational needs. They were asked to bring forward recommendations. They took a twin-track approach to that work, which involved a desk-based review of the wide range of relevant reports, recommendations and research and the commissioning of a piece of comparative work from Stranmillis University College on the legislative arrangements across Britain and Ireland.”
“As I said, we continue to monitor the impact. We are working with the Tourism Alliance and Tourism Ireland to understand the impact. We will continue to take an economic analysis of that over the coming weeks and months to make the case for an exemption. Many European citizens travel with ID cards and are therefore not able to even get an ETA, because you need a passport to get one. The impact will be significant: it is important that we understand that.”
“As recently as last week, I wrote to the British Home Office to make the case for an exemption for the North, given the particular impact here and how visitors to the North mostly travel to the island through Dublin. I will continue to engage on that, and we will continue to monitor the impact.”
“I thank the Member for her question. I am deeply concerned about the impact of the introduction of the ETA scheme and what it will mean for our tourism sector, especially as it goes live for European citizens tomorrow, as the Member mentioned, and the cost will increase from next week. <BR /> <BR />Last week, I met representatives of the Tourism Alliance to hear their concerns and about the very real impact that the introduction of the scheme is having. They talked about tourism trips being cancelled and the North being removed from itineraries due to the requirement for visitors here to have an ETA. I have, of course, engaged with the British Government.”
“I attended a Tourism Ireland round-table business breakfast and met around 20 key travel trade partners, including tour operators and airline contacts who promote and sell the North as a must-see destination for American visitors to Ireland. I highlighted the potential for tourism here to grow and the positive impact that it can have on our local communities and the wider economy. <BR /> <BR />Commercial outcomes with businesses and inward investment projects take time to come to fruition, but I am confident that those discussions and the ongoing work of Invest NI will result in positive outcomes.”
“In March, I travelled to the US with officials from Invest NI. I met senior executives from key US investor organisations and engaged with business leaders, potential new investors and industry networks. The visit was not a trade mission but rather an opportunity to reinforce the North’s position as an attractive, competitive and strategic location for US business investment whilst supporting our companies to succeed internationally. <BR /> <BR />During my visit, I addressed business leaders in New York and Boston to strengthen relationships with influential business, civic and political leaders and to affirm our commitment to mutually beneficial transatlantic partnerships. I highlighted the economic benefits of dual market access, our world-class talent and the opportunities for US companies to invest and expand.”
“We also allocated funding to the colleges for the Step Up programme, with over £4 million being allocated to the disability access route to education and employment in the past two years. Support on our training programmes such as Skills for Life and Work can include extended age eligibility and time on the programme, and additional disability support is available on that programme and on our apprenticeship programme.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Department allocates £4·5 million to further education colleges each year to assist them with supporting their students. That is put to support such as specialist technology and software and non-medical helpers such as scribes and readers. It can also fund tailored courses, with smaller, more supported classes for those who, because of a disability, cannot access mainstream provision.”
“The Department and its predecessor Departments have a long history of seeking to widen access and increase participation for disabled people across the programmes and provisions that they have funded. The supports vary, depending on the type of provision that is being accessed. In addition to the widening participation funding that higher education providers invest from fee income, there is financial assistance for students via the disabled student allowance. There is a grant of up to £25,000 per annum to assist students with the additional higher education course-related expenses that they incur as a direct result of having a disability. That can cover paying for non-medical helpers, specialised equipment and travel to and from their place of study. Each year, around 2,500 students avail themselves of that support.”
“That is a really important aspect. We talk a lot about having programmes in place to support individuals who face barriers to work and training. It is really important to me that we have those programmes in place, but, equally, we are working with employers to address some of the barriers to employment that people face and to determine what they can do to support people into employment, which can include things such as having more accessible workplaces and removing unnecessary criteria from job applications. We have the potential to make a bit of a difference there, so I am keen to continue progressing that work.”
“There is also the Breaking Barriers programme, which specifically targets those who are disabled or neurodivergent and are over the age of 18. Finally, I expect to receive a report from my officials soon on the work that they have been doing on provision for young people with special educational needs.”
“Getting young people with a disability into a good job is a critical part of my economic vision. The loss of European social fund (ESF) funding has had a significant impact and has significantly reduced the skills and training support available to disabled people. Despite that, we continue to work closely with the Department for Communities, which is the lead Department on disability, including the disability and work strategy. <BR /> <BR />My Department makes an important contribution through a range of programmes and services, which include such programmes as SKILL UP, Step Up and Skills for Life and Work. The apprenticeships programme also provides additional support to assist disabled people with their off-the-job training.”
“The research was commissioned just before Christmas. We are expecting a report soon. We had hoped to receive it by the end of this month. There will be opportunities to analyse the outworkings of the report. The objective, I suppose, of the research was to give us an understanding of the issues and to have an evidential base on which to make arguments, particularly when making the case for special circumstances perhaps to be taken into consideration in decisions that the British Treasury makes. The research's outworkings will be important for informing future Executive considerations and any case that we make to Treasury.”
“The report of the high street task force was an important stage in our approach to improving our high streets. My Department had particular responsibility for the report's recommendation 8, "Fair Work on Our High Streets". That recommendation very much aligns with my economic priority on good jobs. Work is being done in my Department on the development of a new employment rights Bill; promotion of greater adoption of the real living wage; and collaboration with the Labour Relations Agency to create a good employment charter, which will serve to support the implementation of that recommendation.”
“We are all aware of the changing nature of our high streets and city centres. It is not just us who grapple with that. I am willing to work across Departments to look at how we can support the development of strong and thriving high streets. We had the high street task force, and many of its recommendations are being implemented. As I mentioned in a previous answer, local economic partnerships are being set up under each of the councils. There are opportunities there for each area to develop economic plans that meet the needs of their local community. As I also said in a previous answer, funding has been provided for those. It aims to support each of the local economic partnerships to develop proposals and work alongside Departments in taking some of those proposals forward.”
“That support is professional, free and tailored to the needs of each individual, with the aim of supporting as many employees as possible back into employment. <BR /> <BR />Many of the issues facing our retailers, including the former business tenants of Connswater Shopping Centre, are outside the remit of the Executive. However, I am aware of the real and pressing issues facing our retailers. Those concerns are being examined as part of the cost of doing business research project, which I commissioned in my previous capacity as Finance Minister.”
“The closure of Connswater Shopping Centre is regrettable for the businesses and, obviously, the employees that are impacted. My Department is committed to doing everything possible to support those affected. My Department's Careers Service is available to support anyone who faces redundancy or has been made unemployed as a result of the closure of Connswater Shopping Centre. The Department’s redundancy payments service aims to process claims as quickly as possible within two weeks of receipt of all the necessary information. Careers advisers have access to up-to-date labour market information provided by the Department’s economists, which they use with the client to inform careers guidance discussions about reskilling, training, apprenticeships and further and higher education.”
“The analysis of the British Government, in advance of the explanatory memorandum being published, was that there is limited impact in practice. We will continue to analyse the legislative impact and the practical implications, as you would expect us to. As I outlined in my answer to Ms Armstrong, we will work to harness the potential of AI and maximise its benefits, obviously taking into account the need to do so safely and in a way that protects privacy.”
“We continue to develop that. As part of the Programme for Government, the Executive Office is establishing an AI task force and the forthcoming office of AI and digital. We will continue to work collaboratively within and across Departments in the North and across these islands to harness the positive potential of the safe and responsible use of technology. <BR /> <BR />We have a lot of skills strength in software engineering and cyber in particular, and we have huge potential to be a hub for AI as well. From the Executive's perspective and from the Department's perspective, that is something that we are keen to explore.”
“The British Government and the EU continue to discuss the potential application of the remaining provisions of the EU AI Act under the Windsor framework. <BR /> <BR />The remaining provisions of the Act are set out as new provisions, so their application in the North would require notification via the process set out in article 13(4) of the Windsor framework, and that is a matter for the British Government. No notifications under article 13(4) have been made at this stage. It is important to note, however, that businesses and developers outside the EU will have to comply with the AI Act, if their AI system is sold in the EU or if, when deployed, its output is used in the EU. That applies to businesses in Britain in the same way as it does to businesses in Ireland, North and South.”
“Artificial intelligence is one of the most important technological developments in recent times. It will bring about significant change in the economy and workforce, and it offers potential to contribute to my economic vision, most obviously in relation to productivity and good jobs. <BR /> <BR />Currently, the EU Artificial Intelligence Act applies in the North in respect of articles 103 to 107 and 109, as they amend legislation listed in annex 2 to the Windsor framework. The EU notified the British Government of those articles' application under article 13(3) of the Windsor framework, following the Act's publication on 12 July 2024. In its explanatory memorandum of 17 July, the British Government considered that the provisions would have limited, if any, impact in practice.”
“Yes. That is the approach that has been adopted, and it was agreed with the British Government. As you rightly say, we are a small region in population size as well, so we wanted to maximise the opportunities for people and the benefit. That is why we took the approach of directing it towards advanced manufacturing, which encompasses a broad range of sectors even within that broad headline. We are keen to work alongside the private sector to develop proposals that will have the maximum impact.”
“I thank the Member for his question. As I set out in my opening answer, a key objective of developing the programme is that we will be able to leverage in private-sector funding alongside the investment that will come from the public sector. It is about absolutely maximising the money that we obtain through enhanced investment zone funding and utilising that to leverage further funding. You are right: it is not a small pot of funding, but it is not huge either, so we have to deliver as much bang for our buck as we can.”
“Qualifications in the fields of engineering and manufacturing lead to high-quality, well-paid jobs, increase our potential for productivity growth and contribute to our goals as the sector develops and embraces emerging green technologies. I will soon publish a green skills action plan that has been developed in collaboration with industry and education and that is aligned with our commitment to deliver a just transition to net zero.”
“<BR /> <BR />Part of the workshops focused on the skills agenda, because, clearly, we need to develop our thinking about how we can use the investment zone funding to drive forward the work on the skills gap that will be required to support our companies in improving their productivity performance so that they can be in a position to create better jobs. The skills barometer has highlighted the fact that there are significant skills shortages in the advanced manufacturing sector. I know that the Member will be familiar with Manufacturing and Engineering Growth Advancement (MEGA) in mid-Ulster, which has worked to address some of those. There is potential for the investment zone funding to support skills interventions at all levels to address the gap.”
“My officials have been concentrating on developing an evidence base that clearly supports the rationale for how the enhanced investment zone funding may be deployed. That includes identifying the key barriers to growth in our target sector of advanced manufacturing, the opportunities for growth in that sector and, critically, the likely interventions that will address those barriers. Officials have been working closely with colleagues in both our universities and the private sector. They have also undertaken a series of regional workshops that, again, involved the private sector, local representative bodies, colleges, universities and our ports.”
“Key to securing approval at each stage is a clear demonstration that the investment zone funding will drive productivity and leverage significant private-sector funding. During March, my Department hosted regional workshops with the private sector and other stakeholders. To help develop that work, we have put out a call for evidence to the attendees.”
“With your permission, Mr Speaker, I will group questions 3 and 8. My officials are working closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to co-design the North's £150 million enhanced investment zone programme. The focus of the programme must be consistent with the British Government's objectives and priority sectors, and it is likely to concentrate on the advanced manufacturing sector. That sector cuts across many areas, including green industries and life and health sciences, employs an estimated 80,000 people and accounts for half of our export sales. <BR /> <BR />The development of the programme must follow a five-stage approval process, and the target for final approval is autumn 2025.”
“I agree that there are opportunities for hydrogen to benefit the whole of the North. Indeed, we are working across both islands in that respect, because there are policy developments in both the South and Britain. We are keen to learn from best practice and seek to develop our policy in a way that is complementary to other policies.”
“My departmental officials continue to work on developing the hydrogen policy consultation paper. We have established a hydrogen industry working group that consists of representatives from industry, academia and representative groups to inform that work, with a view to publishing the consultation paper in quarter 2 of this year. Stakeholders will then be given 12 weeks in which to respond to the questions, which will cover a range of issues that are in the consultation process. Some of those were aired as part of the debate last week. It is quite an exciting policy area for us, and we look forward to consulting on it.”
“The objective is that those partnerships will use that funding to leverage other funding and to work alongside Departments to develop proposals. I look forward to engaging with Mid and East Antrim Borough Council on that.”
“I thank the Member for his question. We had a good discussion in last week's debate on the hydrogen motion. As I outlined in my answer to the original question, there is collaboration between the Department, Invest NI and the local universities, alongside Mid and East Antrim Borough Council. We are keen to support that in any way that we can. As I mentioned in my earlier answer to Mr Robinson, there are also the local economic partnerships that each of the council areas is initiating. As part of that, Mid and East Antrim Borough Council will have the opportunity to develop its own economic plans that fit its local area. I would not be surprised if hydrogen features in part of that plan. We are providing funding to support the local economic partnerships.”
“In addition, Invest NI is supporting the i4C cleantech hub as part of a wider regeneration plan for the former St Patrick's Barracks in the Mid and East Antrim Borough Council area through £20·5 million of funding from the Belfast region city deal. That investment will include grade-A office space, SME laboratories and an innovation laboratory, as well as a hydrogen training academy that will have dedicated staff to assist SMEs to adopt the technology.”
“I recognise the importance of hydrogen and the contribution that it will make to decarbonisation. HyTech NI has a £15 million investment from the Executive's complementary fund and is jointly sponsored by Queen's University Belfast and Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, which are partnering with Ulster University and industry to develop the project. It consists of two complementary core strands of work covering the development of several hydrogen demonstrators that are located in Ballymena and the development of a hydrogen innovation accelerator to facilitate R&D via the procurement and deployment of specialist equipment. <BR /> <BR />My Department, through Invest NI, is supporting the project promoters in developing the business case and ensuring that it meets the needs of local industry.”
“It is one of the sectors that really delivers on our regional balance objectives alongside our other economic objectives. I look forward to having more conversations with my counterpart in the South.”