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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“This year, 2024-25, the Executive had allocated £25 million for proposals brought forward by the childcare affordability task and finish group. The draft Budget 2025-26 proposes that £50 million is earmarked for childcare. That doubles the funding provided in 2024-25. The Executive also agreed, as part of the draft Budget, that a further £5 million would be provided for childcare in the first in-year monitoring round for 2025-26, and that will meet the Education Minister's full request for £55 million. <BR /> <BR />In the light of the significant financial pressures facing the Executive, those allocations clearly demonstrate our commitment to supporting hard-working families. Childcare is one of the priorities in the draft Programme for Government, so it clearly contributes to that as well.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Member will be aware, as will everybody in the Chamber, of the huge pressure that is on the Executive's Budget and our ability to deliver public services, as many have mentioned during this Question Time. There is an expectation that the public services will be good quality for all the people whom we represent, and the balance that we are trying to achieve is between that Budget and where the burden falls. I am trying as best I can to ensure that it falls on the shoulders of those who are most able to meet it.”
“I would not characterise it as slipping it through, because it was clearly stated in the ministerial statement that was published on 19 December and all the Budget documentation thereafter. It said that the draft Budget for 2025-26 is predicated on those rate increases. What we have tried to do and what we tried to do this year is to look at inflation and stay some way in line with that. I am very conscious of the pressures on businesses, and the Member will be aware of the 5% that was proposed for domestic properties. The differential was in recognition of the particular challenges and the representations that have been made to us in respect of the cost of doing business.”
“The draft Budget for 2025-26 was agreed by the Executive on 19 December, with a 12-week public consultation launched on the same day. The public spending position, as the Member will know, remains very challenging for 2025-26 for resource and capital spending. Despite the challenges facing us, the draft Budget demonstrates the Executive's commitment to doing what matters most. It will deliver and prioritise additional investment in our public services and an economy that supports businesses to improve the lives of workers, families and communities. I encourage people to have their say and contribute to my Department's overarching consultation, which ends on 13 March.”
“I made an announcement before Christmas, and we are looking not only at the domestic rating measures but at the non-domestic rating measures. The consultation on the domestic rating measures will be announced imminently. On the non-domestic rating measures, this year, we have said that we will look at small business rate relief. That is particularly timely, given the conversations that we are having here today. We will also look at the rate relief for vacant properties, and I am keen to look at regeneration and whether, if changes are to be made to the vacant property rating relief, we can do those two things together. There is merit in doing that. The work to inform those two consultations is ongoing, and we will launch them after the start of the financial year.”
“I thank the Member for that question. The key initiative has been commissioning the research so that we have a full understanding of the impacts and that any interventions that we make to support businesses are fully informed by that. More important, however, we will be able to make a case to the British Treasury about the impact that its decisions will have on our small and medium-sized businesses. We are a small business economy, and we know how many people are employed by small businesses in all our constituencies. The impact of those decisions will be hugely significant.”
“I have written to the Chief Secretary to the Treasury about employers' National Insurance contributions. As I indicated to other Members, I have received significant representation on that issue from businesses and from the community and voluntary sector. In the public sector, we will face particular pressures from that. It is not within the ability of the Executive to mitigate such a significant decision of the British Government on a reserved taxation measure. I have therefore made the case to the Treasury that it must meet the full cost to the public sector and should put in place mitigations for the community and voluntary sector, our small businesses and, in particular, those in the community and voluntary sector who deliver public services on behalf of or in partnership with the public sector.”
“A key issue that they raised was VAT and the increased differential between North and South that there will be in the coming months, which will make the North less competitive for some businesses. I have committed to engaging with the British Treasury on that.”
“I thank the Member for his question and for the invitation, which is being considered by officials. I have received representations on the issues facing businesses from representative bodies and individual businesses. There is clearly a lot of pressure from the cost-of-doing-business crisis, with inflationary increases across a range of things from insurance to energy and the cost of goods and services. There are a lot of pressures on businesses. It is important that we understand what those pressures are and any impacts that businesses in the North are feeling that differentiate them from those in Britain or in the South and that we are in a position to make a case that is specific to here and perhaps even to individual sectors here. <BR /> <BR />I met the hospitality sector last week.”
“I thank the Member for that question. One thing that I was exercised about when I commissioned the research was that we would have it in a timely manner. It is really important that we have the evidence base to inform the spending review, which is scheduled for June. The research will be concluded in a report to me by the end of March. I encourage anybody who is affected and wants to participate in the research to do so. The links and the contact information will be on the Department of Finance website.”
“I have also written to Executive colleagues to encourage them to ensure that their Departments and arm's-length bodies are doing everything that they can to improve performance on prompt payment to businesses. Rest assured that I will do all that I can to press for the needs of the hospitality industry to be addressed.”
“That research, which will include an assessment of the impact across sectors, will allow me to present as strong a case as possible to the British Treasury on the matter. <BR /> <BR />In addition, my Department, through Land and Property Services (LPS), offers a wide range of support schemes. Those schemes provide £275 million of support to business ratepayers, alongside offering alternative payment options to assist those who need them because of rating debt. Some 65% of the hospitality industry as a whole is in receipt of support via the small business rate relief scheme.”
“With your permission, Mr Speaker, I will answer questions 3 and 14 together. I have been engaging with businesses from a wide range of sectors, including businesses in the hospitality sector, and have heard about the cost pressures that they are facing. I, too, am concerned about the planned changes to National Insurance contributions that are coming in April and have written to the British Government on the need for support or mitigations to ease their impact. <BR /> <BR />I have also commissioned the Ulster University Economic Policy Centre (UUEPC) to carry out an independent sectoral study on the cost of doing business here. Terms of reference for the research have been published on my Department's website.”
“The Infrastructure Minister is well on record as saying that. Yesterday, I listened to him respond in the Chamber to a number of questions about NI Water's funding model. I have to say that I concur with his perspective of wanting to ensure that NI Water is kept in public ownership and that no domestic water charges are introduced. Unfortunately, other funding models do not support that particular perspective.”
“As all Members will be aware, Treasury removed the ring fence around our agri-food and farming funding in 2025-26 as part of the spending review. I was keen to see appropriate funding be provided to farming communities. I therefore recommended that an earmarked allocation of £332·5 million be provided to DAERA for farming and fisheries support payments. I hope that that important support will continue to be earmarked in future Budget exercises in order to ensure that appropriate funding is provided to that important sector. The Executive supported that collectively. I also proposed a capital allocation of £12·3 million for just transition to provide further support to the farming sector.”
“I assure the Member that the Executive are alive to the need to balance the interests and to recognise the importance of the faming and agriculture community in dealing with some of the challenges, as well as the really important role that that community plays in supporting action to protect our environment. Farming has therefore formed part of our discussions. We have the Lough Neagh action plan, which has been agreed by the Executive. A number of initiatives will be taken forward under that plan. Balancing the interests will be key, however. It is important that we reflect on the role that our farming and agri-food community plays, particularly in our economy.”
“I can assure the Member that those engagements are ongoing between individual Ministers and in the Executive as a whole. As for supporting the actions that relate to, for example, NI Water, additional funding has been made available to the Department for Infrastructure. From the perspective of investing in waste water infrastructure and from an environmental perspective, there is a collective understanding of the need to provide that additional funding. I do not have the figures in front of me for the allocations, but I assure the Member that the Executive take the matter incredibly seriously.”
“I was pleased that, despite significant financial challenges, the Executive agreed to allocate to DAERA £1·5 million resource DEL and £1·6 million capital DEL in June monitoring to support actions relating to Lough Neagh, and an earmarked capital allocation of £12·7 million has been made to DAERA to support a just transition as part of the draft 2025-26 Budget. I understand that among the projects that this will support will be one relating to the sustainable use of livestock slurry. That project aims to reduce the excess nutrients, particularly phosphorus, entering the agri-food system.”
“I have met the AERA Minister on several occasions since becoming Finance Minister to discuss funding for his Department, including in respect of the issues at Lough Neagh. In addition, the Executive have met collectively to discuss Budget challenges, including in November 2024, prior to agreeing the draft 2025-26 Budget, when all Ministers had an opportunity to highlight their key budgetary pressures. <BR /> <BR />Minister Muir also shared the Lough Neagh action plan with the Executive in July, and it was discussed and agreed at that point. The protection of Lough Neagh and the surrounding environment is a key priority, as reflected in the draft Programme for Government.”
“The draft 2025-26 Budget outcome represents an increase in its resource DEL baseline of over £2·6 billion since 2020-21, which is equivalent to 45·7%. That is very difficult to sustain in the longer term, particularly when outcomes have not been improving in tandem with that increase. Allocations are agreed by Executive members —.”
“I recognise that, even with that additional funding, it will still be challenging, but it is also important to cite the many other areas that we need to invest in, including childcare, homelessness, education and justice initiatives, all of which have a role to play in health outcomes as well. As the Health Minister has himself recognised, there are many competing challenges, and we have a finite amount of funding available to us. Increasing funding for Health means less funding for other services that also contribute to health. <BR /> <BR />It is also important to reflect on the budget that has been allocated to Health over the past number of years. It has grown slowly and inexorably over time.”
“There is no doubt that our health service is under immense pressure. Every single one of us will be aware of the implications of that through our constituency offices. It is important that we all recognise the incredible job that our health workers are doing in the most challenging circumstances. <BR /> <BR />I agree with the Member that the Executive have prioritised Health, and that is reflected in the fact that the Department of Health receives over 50% of the total resource DEL funding available. The draft 2025-26 Budget provides just under £8·4 billion for the Health non-ring-fenced resource DEL baseline, which, as I indicated, is an increase of £672 million, or 8·7%, compared with the 2024-25 opening baseline.”
“Undoubtedly, there are decisions that individual Ministers and the Executive collectively, working with all Members in the Chamber, will have to take on transformation and on improving productivity and efficiency in each and every Department. I can certainly say that, collectively, as an Executive, we are committed to doing that.”
“As an Executive collectively, we have set priorities and objectives, but individual Ministers have responsibilities for delivering on those as well. I am quite sure that every Minister in the Executive, if they were talking about their budget, would say that they are not in a position to deliver everything that they would want to deliver day-to-day while balancing that against transformation. That is one of the reasons why I continue to make the case for the Executive to be properly funded according to their level of need. I continue to make the case that we need to revisit our level of need so that we, as an Executive, have the maximum funding available to us.”
“It will be for each Minister in their Department to take decisions to prioritise against those objectives and for us, as an Executive collectively, to agree our Budget and try to ensure that it is done through the lens of the Programme for Government. It is also for individual Ministers in their Departments to prioritise the items in the Programme for Government.”
“In the January monitoring round, the Department of Health made a bid of £1·5 million in relation to waiting lists. As the Member will very likely be aware, we only had £15 million resource DEL to allocate in the January monitoring round, and some of that had to go to pressures in other Departments. The allocation that was made to the Health Minister was for pay, waiting lists and other pressures. It is for the Health Minister to make decisions on how he wants to spend his budget, as he is best placed to do. I do not feel that it is a contradiction in terms for the Executive to have a set of priorities on which we are collectively committed to deliver.”
“To provide the Health Minister with the maximum flexibility in managing his budget, I have not proposed further ring-fencing of funding for waiting lists or care packages in 2024-25 or 2025-26. Whilst that could be considered as part of the final Budget following the consultation exercise, it would require ring-fencing part of the current budget proposed for the Department of Health, reducing the flexibility available to the Health Minister or reducing other Departments' budget allocations.”
“With the Speaker's permission, I will answer questions 1 and 10 together. <BR /> <BR />The Department of Health was provided with a resource departmental expenditure limit (DEL) budget of £7·7 billion in 2024-25. The Department received a further £479 million during in-year exercises. The 2025-26 draft Budget proposes a resource budget of £8·4 billion for the Department of Health. That is an increase of £672 million or 8·7% compared with the 2024-25 non-ring-fenced resource DEL opening baseline. The financial package that accompanied the restoration of the Executive included £34 million specifically for health waiting lists in 2024-25. That was provided as a ring-fenced allocation. Similar funding was not provided by the financial package for 2025-26.”
“That is why I am committed to exploring gender budgeting as part of future Budget processes and bringing the matter to the Executive for consideration.”
“However, it is my view that we do not have to wait for that. There may be specific areas in which individual Ministers may wish to implement gender-based budgeting sooner — potentially even in 2025-26. The development of the Executive's social inclusion strategies, including the gender equality strategy, will be crucial in enhancing our gender considerations in Budgets and will help drive the long-term benefits of equal participation of women in all aspects of society. <BR /> <BR />Gender budgeting is not merely a financial exercise but can be a powerful tool for social transformation. By prioritising equality in the allocation of resources, it has the potential to strengthen economies, enhance policy impact and promote social justice.”
“One of the key issues identified by the team from Ulster University is the lack of available metrics to appropriately assess the impact of policies on gender. It is imperative that we consider how best to collect the relevant data. We also need to understand how gender budgeting operates in practice by seeking pilot programmes that will help to identify the issues and benefits related to gender budgeting, and, perhaps most crucially, we need to grasp the nettle and address any scepticism about gender budgeting, fostering a gender-budgeting culture within and outside government that is driven by Ministers right through organisations. <BR /> <BR />It is my ambition that we will address those issues and, along with my Executive colleagues, consider how to put in place the building blocks for gender-based budgeting in future Budget processes.”
“Equality, gender budgeting and financial sustainability are not just technical processes; they are about shaping the kind of society that we want to live in and ensuring that our financial policies reflect our values of fairness, equality and responsibility. That cannot be done quickly if we want to do it correctly. There are barriers that we face, some of which have been referred to. They include systems, metrics and practical and cultural barriers. Our current budgeting system is not set up to record budgetary data in a way that identifies gender outcomes or costs. I am hopeful that, through engagement with experts in the area, we will be able to put in place the necessary systems and processes. <BR /> <BR />There is also the matter of data collection.”
“My officials have continued to engage with Ulster University, most recently attending a training event for all public spending group staff in my Department. I recently agreed and published a Budget improvement plan road map. That road map includes gender budgeting as a key action, confirming my commitment to consideration of the matter for future Budget processes. I remain committed to advancing financial sustainability and, as I have just indicated, exploring gender budgeting. <BR /> <BR />Those initiatives are not just about managing our finances better; they are about building a more just and equitable society. The work that my officials are doing is crucial to the well-being and prosperity of our citizens.”
“I thank the Member for her point. I do not disagree with her. There is the potential for us to build on section 75 as it exists. As I will outline later, that is particularly the case for gender-based budgeting, which I have focused on since I came into office. I fully recognise the potential for gender-based budgeting, and I am keen to see more done in that area, given that it can contribute to better Budget outcomes for everyone, not just women. That is part of my aim for an improved Budget process in the future and will be part of the ongoing work on the Executive's Budget sustainability plan. <BR /> <BR />I met the NI Women's Budget Group and experts from Ulster University in May 2024 to discuss gender budgeting.”
“Empowering women economically helps lift families and communities out of poverty, contributing to reducing the overall gender pay gap and employment disparities. <BR /> <BR />We currently implement Budget policy through the lens of equality by looking at impacts on all section 75 categories. The gender impacts of Budget proposals are therefore captured as part of the equality impact screening and assessments that Departments complete as part of the Budget process.”
“It leverages the untapped potential of women and ensures their active participation in the economy. It also improves policy effectiveness. By integrating a gender perspective into them, policies are better tailored to serve all segments of the population. That ensures targeted interventions in critical sectors such as maternal health, childcare and gender-based violence prevention. <BR /> <BR />Gender-sensitive policies lead to more inclusive and sustainable outcomes. Gender budgeting also creates a more equitable society by enabling public services such as education and healthcare to become more accessible and inclusive. Gender-responsive programmes target issues such as income inequality and lack of access to opportunities for women and disadvantaged groups.”
“I welcome the opportunity to speak about this important area. <BR /> <BR />As others have said, there is significant merit to be gained from implementing a Budget through a specific gender lens. I, too, fully recognise the potential for gender-based budgeting. It is an area that I am keen to see further advanced. Gender budgeting has the potential to ensure equal access to public services, opportunities and resources. It can be a tool that enables us to analyse and address the impact of public spending and income-generation policies on genders, identifying gaps and disparities and making adjustments to address the issues. <BR /> <BR />When women and marginalised groups have access to resources, the workforce becomes more inclusive and more productive.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle.”
“I will continue to urge the Chief Secretary to the Treasury to ensure that the public sector is fully compensated and to put in place mitigations to support those outside central government who play a key role in delivering our public services.”
“The British Treasury has indicated that the second stage of the spending review will provide funding for 2026-27 to 2028-29 for resource DEL and a further year for capital DEL. It is anticipated that the outcome of the spending review will be announced in June. <BR /> <BR />There is no doubt that the financial outlook for public services is incredibly difficult, and the increases in National Insurance contributions exacerbate that. I will therefore continue to press the British Treasury for further investment in public services. I support the motion and the amendment. However, as a devolved Administration, our ability to absorb the costs is limited.”
“I am keen to understand which sectors will be hit the hardest and whether the impacts and costs are more severe for sectors and businesses here, given the size and structural differences when compared with Britain. <BR /> <BR />My Department is leading that research, but the National Insurance increases will impact on the whole public sector. Other Departments will therefore be engaged as the work progresses. I urge any organisations that would like to engage with the study to reach out to the Economic Policy Centre, the contact details of which are included in the published terms of reference. It will be an important piece of work for providing evidence-based research that will put me in a position to provide as strong a case as possible to the Treasury as part of the spending review.”
“Therefore, in December, my Department commissioned Ulster University's Economic Policy Centre to carry out a sectoral study into the cost of doing business here. I asked it to present evidence on the impacts of the planned increases to National Insurance and other potential cost pressures such as insurance and energy. It is important that we hear the voices of those who will be impacted on, which is why the Economic Policy Centre team will engage with business bodies, the public and the community and voluntary sector as it undertakes the research, which will be concluded by the end of March. The terms of reference have been published on my Department's website.”
“In a recent survey of 68 organisations, NICVA found that 76% expect there to be major financial impacts, with many facing additional annual costs of between £5,000 and £200,000 from April 2025, and one social care provider anticipating costs of between £200,000 and £500,000. I raised that issue with the Minister for Housing, Communities and Local Government when I met him in December and urged reconsideration of that approach. <BR /> <BR />The Executive's Budget is extremely constrained, with demands for funding that far outstrip the available funding. I will continue to press the British Government on the need for support or mitigations to ease the impact. In doing that, I am keen to present as strong a case as possible.”
“Like Diane and others, I acknowledge the huge role that our community and voluntary sector plays in helping us to deliver public services. It is extremely disappointing and concerning that they have not recognised the need to provide support for or to mitigate the impact of the changes to National Insurance contributions for the sector. I am extremely disappointed by that, given the critical role that voluntary and community sector organisations play in delivering services to all citizens here, including providing support for some of our most vulnerable individuals. <BR /> <BR />The voluntary and community sector has faced a double blow, as some Members mentioned. Some of those organisations receive Shared Prosperity Fund funding, which will be cut in the next financial year, at the same time as their bills increase.”
“However, it looks as though what will be provided through Barnett consequentials will fall far short — by tens of millions of pounds — of what is required to meet our increased costs. This was a decision taken in Westminster on a reserved taxation matter. The Executive do not have the ability to mitigate such decisions. The Treasury must, therefore, meet those costs in full so that we are not limited in our ability to deliver public services. The Scottish Finance Minister is of the same view, which is that the funding that devolved Administrations will receive is unlikely to be sufficient. <BR /> <BR />The British Government have said that additional support will not be provided for voluntary and community sector organisations.”
“That does not include the cost facing healthcare providers or councils. For example, the Department of Health has estimated an additional annual cost of over £35 million for family health service providers, which include GPs and dentists. I understand that the Department for Communities has received information from local government that estimates an additional cost to councils of around £12 million. Those are huge additional costs for our vital public-sector providers. <BR /> <BR />There appears to be some confusion surrounding announcements that were made in England before Christmas of funding for councils. To be clear, we have not yet received formal confirmation of the Barnett consequentials that we will receive in respect of National Insurance increases.”
“The British Chancellor said that support will be provided for Departments and public-sector employers, but that is unlikely to be sufficient to meet the increased cost across the board. I have written to the Chief Secretary to the Treasury asking for the costs to be met in full, and I have appealed for consideration to be given to those outside central government who provide and support us to provide public services. <BR /> <BR />My Department has been working with Departments to ascertain the additional total cost of increased employers' National Insurance contributions for the public sector, including the independent providers. The current assessment is that the additional cost facing Departments and other central government bodies as a result of the changes in 2025-26 is likely to be at least £200 million and potentially higher.”
“and happy new year to you too. <BR /> <BR />I welcome the opportunity to address the House on this important matter, and I thank the Members who tabled the motion and those who tabled the amendment. It will not come as any surprise to them, I am sure, that I have done what the motion asks for. I am sure that they would expect nothing less of me. <BR /> <BR />The planned increase to employers' National Insurance contributions will prove incredibly challenging for our businesses, our community and voluntary sector and our public-sector employers, including councils. Devolved Governments simply do not have the financial capacity to compensate for decisions made on reserved taxation matters.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle”
“<BR /> <BR />It is long past time that the issue was settled, that certainty was provided for those looking for investment opportunities and that we truly focused on taking advantage of our access to both the British and EU markets in order to develop our economy, support our businesses to grow, create jobs and attract further investment. It is important that the protocol is maintained and that the stability that it provides is upheld by Members' support for the consent motion that we are debating.”