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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“<BR /> <BR />I will turn first to resource DEL. The most recent departmental returns forecast overcommitments of £791 million, meaning that, even after allocating the full £627 million, it falls short of the pressures identified by Departments. Given the Executive’s collective commitment to ensuring that public-sector workers are fairly paid, I have encouraged Ministers to prioritise pay. However, Departments will have to make savings or reduce what they want to do in order to remain within their allocations. <BR /> <BR />The general allocations to each Department are set out in table B, which accompanies the statement. There are also some earmarked allocations for specific purposes. Despite the challenges that face us, the Executive have prioritised the funding available.”
“<BR /> <BR />Before addressing departmental overcommitments, some central allocations were agreed, as they would not have been included in departmental overcommitments. An allocation of £1 million resource DEL was agreed for the costs associated with attaining the necessary assurances from Central Procurement Directorate on city and growth deal projects. Allocations of £2·8 million resource DEL and £0·1 million capital DEL were agreed for match funding to allow Departments to draw down EU funds. The Executive also agreed a resource to capital DEL switch for the Department of Justice for the NI Road Safety Partnership. Having taken account of those issues, the Executive had £627·3 million resource DEL, £68 million capital DEL and £20·4 million financial transactions capital available for allocation.”
“<BR /> <BR />Following the autumn Budget, the Executive have £631·5 million in resource departmental expenditure limit (DEL), £68·1 million in capital DEL and £20·4 million in financial transactions capital (FTC) available for allocation in this monitoring round. Despite the considerable additional funding provided through the autumn Budget, that still falls short of the pressures identified by Departments in full. As Finance Minister, I know and expect that every politician will make the case in the Chamber and in the media for what they would fund, but rarely do they offer where they will take money from. Articulating problems is easy; the challenge is in addressing them. The harsh reality is that we do not have enough money to do everything that we want to do, so we all have to compromise.”
“Thank you for the opportunity to make a statement on the outcome of the 2024-25 October monitoring exercise. <BR /> <BR />As Members will be aware, the October monitoring round was postponed following confirmation that the British Chancellor would announce her autumn Budget on 30 October and set the budgets for Whitehall Departments for 2024-25. That, in turn, provided the Executive with their final spending envelope for 2024-25. Departments were invited to provide updates to their forecast overcommitments in order that the Executive could consider the most up-to-date positions in the October monitoring round.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle”
“<BR /> <BR />I note the continued interest among Members in the delivery of change in the Civil Service, Departments and the Executive, and I look forward to working together to secure improved government for the communities that we serve.”
“As part of that change, I will bring recommendations to the Executive on how the remaining work on the RHI inquiry recommendations is to be taken forward. That work will include a consideration of how delivery will be driven forward, overseen, monitored and recorded. I want change to be driven strategically, following a service-wide analysis of what is needed. I believe that the remaining tasks can be part of a wider agenda for change and development in the Civil Service. They can contribute to more significant and substantial projects, such as the work on Budget sustainability, the projects flowing from the transformation fund or the development of the five-year people strategy.”
“I am encouraged by the plans that the head of the Civil Service has been developing for effective change across Departments.”
“I thank the Member for his intervention. The appropriate forum is the Assembly and Executive Review Committee. As my colleagues said, we are up for considering that conversation. It is important that the institutions function as effectively as possible, and we should all be committed to delivering on that. <BR /> <BR />For the future, we should look to build positively on the experience of how Departments functioned at pace and delivered more innovative initiatives throughout COVID. RHI has taught us all that we must acknowledge our scale, collaborate and cooperate to achieve and not only uphold good practice in administration and management but understand why it matters. I have confidence in the Civil Service's commitment to its improvement and development.”
“The experience of COVID showed us how Departments can move at pace, managing risk and ensuring proportionate governance and controls. Officials can demonstrate their initiative, innovation and commitment while serving the public through the elected representatives who form the Executive Committee.”
“Making effective change in any large organisation is challenging, but effecting change in a Civil Service that is managed in multiple distinct organisations is complex and demanding. From the outset, it has been clear that changing policies and procedures will not, by itself, change the habits of individuals, but changing the culture and behaviours across the Departments can take place only with an underpinning change in the rules. Corporate policies on HR, financial governance and information management have to make it easier to do a good job, not harder. Changes in policy then have to be combined with a demonstration of leadership by those who set the tone. Ministers and senior officials have to demonstrate and uphold the values that we want our colleagues to embrace.”
“It had always been the intention that internal audit should be commissioned to undertake a thematic review of information management, but no date had been set. Such a review will be of value only once the new arrangements have had a chance to be established and effected, so that we look not just at the implementation of the RHI inquiry recommendations but at further recommendations that have come through the COVID inquiry. <BR /> <BR />I will move on to Civil Service reform more generally. I believe that Civil Service colleagues should be given every opportunity to do the good job that they want to do, and I agree with Paul Frew that many in our Civil Service do an excellent job and should be commended for it.”
“Significant work has taken place on record management, going beyond the recommendations of the RHI inquiry. That work includes a review of information management policies to identify and address any gaps, taking account of emerging findings from the COVID inquiry; a new mandatory records management e-learning training package being rolled out to all staff; and the reconstitution of the information governance board as the senior information risk owner (SIRO) forum. <BR /> <BR />The Audit Office report identifies one small element of just one of the recommendations on records management that it assesses as unlikely to be implemented. That is to commission internal audit to review the implementation of the new arrangements.”
“We are exploring how best we might take that recommendation forward. <BR /> <BR />The inquiry recommended that commercial awareness training be rolled out to relevant staff. A significant range of training on commercial expertise has been provided internally and externally. The specific terms of the recommendation were that decisions about who should access that training should be made at a senior management level. We can potentially address that area. <BR /> <BR />The inquiry recommended that civil servants should understand and know how to use existing governance frameworks. Further work needs to be done on increasing civil servants' understanding of governance frameworks and policies, and we will seek to deliver that. <BR /> <BR />The inquiry recommended that regular audits of record-keeping should be undertaken.”
“The question is not whether the Executive intend to implement that recommendation; it is about whether we can ever put in a dedicated audit process to demonstrate that a Minister knows the legislation or the policy that they are introducing. That is part of the scrutiny function of the Assembly. <BR /> <BR />The inquiry recommended that external members be appointed to project boards. Having external expertise on project boards is explicitly recommended in the relevant guidance, "Dear Accounting Officer" letter 05/23. The substance of the recommendation has been implemented, and we know that external appointments are made. The Audit Office asked whether the Department of Finance should know whether that guidance is being implemented, separate from the role and responsibilities of the senior responsible officer and the accounting officer.”
“<BR /> <BR />Eleven of the 16 recommendations assessed by the Audit Office as not yet implemented are, in many cases, substantially complete already and are only awaiting completion and verification. In respect of the remaining five, substantive change has already been achieved. The Audit Office's assessment is concerned primarily with the external verification of changes that have already taken place. I will address those recommendations now. <BR /> <BR />The inquiry recommended that Ministers should read the legislation that they bring to the Assembly and that the evidence should be made available. It is incumbent upon Ministers to familiarise themselves with the legislation that they are presenting to the Assembly for approval. The relevant evidence is published at consultation and scrutinised in the Assembly.”
“<BR /> <BR />Following the publication of the inquiry report, further work was taken forward, including the issuing of key guidance on project management; the establishment of project, programme and portfolio offices in each Department; the formalisation of SRO appointments; the introduction of the five-case business model for business cases, reflecting good practice in other Governments; the launch of a cross-departmental raising concerns policy framework to improve the handling of concerns, secure consistency of practice, shift culture towards welcoming concerns being raised and inform the NICS board about what those arrangements show us; the initiation of a strategy for the development of the policy profession in the Civil Service, including the development of new, fundamental guidance for policy teams, which has since been used as the basis for the refreshing of the learning and development offer; the revision of the guidance on the use of consultants; and the commencement of a fundamental review of Civil Service recruitment.”
“The programme of work was widespread and included the revision of the ministerial code, the NICS code of ethics and the code of conduct for special advisers. Those changes have been reflected in a new special adviser letter of appointment, a code of conduct for the appointment of special advisers and special adviser induction; the appointment of ministerial private secretaries at grade 7 and the issue of revised private office guidance; the initiation of work to establish a project delivery profession in the Civil Service; a review of the professional development of Civil Service economists through formal learning and managed rotation around posts; and a review of the use of the electronic records management system and records management practice in Departments.”
“To be clear, however, under its terms of reference, the subcommittee was to meet after the publication of the inquiry report in order to produce an action plan for implementation of the recommendations flowing out of the RHI inquiry report and to agree a final report to be submitted to the Executive for publication. At its third, and last, meeting on 16 December 2020, it completed its preparation of the action plan. Its final report was agreed by the Executive in October 2021. <BR /> <BR />Of course, a body of work, which drew upon the evidence to the inquiry as it was heard, had already been initiated by my predecessor in the Department of Finance and by officials in the absence of the inquiry's completion. Opportunities for improvement were identified, and policies and processes were subject to review and revision.”
“The pace and intensity of the work put in by Ministers and officials to pivot and respond to a global pandemic, including the allocation of some £3 billion of funding to support lives and livelihoods, puts the implementation of the inquiry's recommendations into perspective. The Audit Office makes no reference to that context in its report. <BR /> <BR />The fact that an Executive subcommittee, comprising six Ministers, met three times in that context over the course of the second half of 2020 is testimony to the seriousness with which the Executive addressed the challenges of the inquiry report.”
“I welcome the opportunity presented by the debate to update Members on the action taken following the RHI inquiry report and to set out some of the significant progress made to date. At the same time, I recognise that more work needs to be done. I am committed to addressing the remaining recommendations in the context of wider transformation, including continuing development and change in the Civil Service. <BR /> <BR />The recommendations of the RHI inquiry informed an extensive body of change in the Civil Service, the bulk of which has been implemented in the unprecedented context of the COVID pandemic, in the absence of functioning political institutions and against significantly constrained budgetary situations. Members will recall that the inquiry report was published just the week before the COVID lockdown was announced.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Phríomh-Leas-Cheann Comhairle.”
“My officials are working in partnership with a number of councils on the area of vacant units, including ascertaining the barriers to getting vacant properties reoccupied and brought back into use. I want to progress a reduction in rates relief for empty properties, but it needs to be sequenced with the other initiatives that I referred to to create the optimum environment for reoccupation, redevelopment or reuse. Given the cross-party support in the Chamber yesterday in those areas, I hope that my ministerial colleagues will support my proposals in that regard.”
“That is with the Executive for consideration.”
“Many of the areas that were touched on, including how we can help enhance access to cash, recognising that consumer preferences are changing and how to strategically address the issue of long-term derelict properties from a rating perspective, are contained in the proposals on my strategic road map on rating policy.”
“All of us want to see our town centres and shopping areas thriving. The difference that a bustling business can make to a once-empty property on the main thoroughfare of a town is very clear. The enhanced Back in Business scheme, which was reinstated in May, aims to bring vibrancy, footfall and investment back to our high streets. My aim now is to build on the success of that scheme and look at how we continue to tackle the blight of vacant properties by working alongside Executive colleagues and commercial stakeholders to help to progress the regeneration of high streets and grow a sustainable decarbonised built environment that underpins the rates system. <BR /> <BR />I was heartened when I listened to the debate yesterday about the rejuvenation of high streets and town centres.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Executive are fast approaching a critical juncture for reaching decisions on those matters to allow sufficient time for delivering the changes so that they come into effect for April 2025. I hope that the Executive come to a decision quickly on my approach for the short, medium and long term and help me to get on with the job of making positive reforms to our rating system that are reflective of our economic environment.”
“That is why the proposals that I brought forward outline my intention to look at every rates support measure that has been legislated for by the Executive. It is important to stress that that review does not mean removal. I intend to begin with small business rate relief, given its integral importance to our economy and small local businesses. Given the number of questions today about the impact of decisions in the autumn Budget, that is timely. <BR /> <BR />I am also conscious of Members' support in the House yesterday for the rejuvenation of our high streets and town centres. I want to work with Executive colleagues to build on the reintroduction of the enhanced Back in Business scheme and look at how we can help tackle the blight of vacant properties in our towns and cities, in conjunction with other Ministers and local councils.”
“Members will be aware that, when I was last in the Chamber for Question Time on 14 October, I highlighted that my short-, medium- and long-term proposals for the rating system were with the Executive for consideration. That remains the case. I had hoped that, by now, I would have secured Executive agreement on my proposals and, as a result, been in a position to update the House on the way forward. <BR /> <BR />Every pound that we spend on rate relief means reduced revenue for public services or higher rates bills for other homes and businesses. In that context, we must make sure that every rates support measure is achieving the desired policy outcome and is delivering for citizens and businesses.”
“It is not fair to say that we have ignored unpaid rates. The Department has in place a range of measures to tackle and reduce rating debt. It is something that we have set targets against, and the Department is committed to addressing it. However, it can be quite difficult to recover rating debt. There are a number of situations in which it can be nearly impossible to obtain the payment of outstanding rate debt. It is a process that is ongoing. We are putting resources into ensuring that we maximise the recovery of rate debt while ensuring that rates bills are paid.”
“We have in place robust billing, collection and recovery processes to maximise rate collection and reduce rating debt. Those include issuing annual bills; issuing final demands for payments; recovery procedures, including formal written correspondence, emails and direct telephone contact with ratepayers; and legal recovery against persistent non-payment, including progression through the Magistrates' Court and the Enforcement of Judgements Office, and bankruptcy proceedings. Ratepayers who are experiencing financial difficulties are encouraged to contact Land and Property Services (LPS) to discuss payment options, which can include restructuring current payment plans or establishing longer-term payment arrangements to enable the payment of rate arrears.”
“The development and publication of the inclusive language guide was a commitment in the 2024-25 Civil Service diversity action plan. It is part of our wide-ranging work on equality, diversity and inclusion. It was developed to promote understanding of the important role that language plays in creating an inclusive workplace. It aims to empower civil servants to consider how the language that they use can impact on others and the potential that it has to make somebody feel uncomfortable, isolated, unwelcome or excluded. <BR /> <BR />I take issue with the Member's comments on titles. Some women do not like to be defined by their marital status. That is just a matter of fact.”
“I do not agree with the Member's assessment that it is nonsensical. The Civil Service is committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace that reflects the society that we serve. I can confirm that there was no cost involved in developing the guide, which was developed by staff in-house in consultation with external stakeholders.”
“As I said in my previous answer, no decisions have been taken on specific measures. It would be for the Executive to take those decisions because something like that particular rate relief measure would be considered cross-cutting. Obviously, every single rate relief measure will have an impact on the organisations, businesses or individuals receiving it. That is why it is important to review each of them.”
“I do not want to get into all the specific measures, but no decisions have been made on removing any particular rate relief. I want to ensure that the rate relief measures that we have in place continue to meet the policy objectives for which they were put in place. Obviously, there are proposals with the Executive, and I hope that I will get support from my Executive colleagues to take those forward.”
“The Member and I have discussed rate relief for the childcare sector on a number of occasions. I am open to considering that if the Education Minister wants to bring forward proposals on that as part of the childcare strategy. That remains my position.”
“Obviously, it was good that the Executive were able to agree that £25 million to support the childcare sector. A number of measures underneath that, as you mentioned, were supported by that funding. I would be happy to engage with the Member and other Ministers to ensure that that funding is utilised. Perhaps, if you want to write to me on that specific issue, we can pick it up from there.”
“I am committed to working across the Executive and with business organisations and others across society to ensure that we have the best possible system and that any rate reliefs that are in place continue to meet the policy objective that they were put in place to meet.”
“That is not the only thing that I talk about in the Chamber; I talk about quite a lot of things other than bad decisions made at Westminster, including how I negotiated an interim fiscal framework that has provided hundreds of millions of pounds, additional, for the Executive and Assembly to spend. <BR /> <BR />I have recognised the challenges that face businesses. As I have said on a number of occasions, I have brought short-, medium- and long-term proposals for our rating system to the Executive. It is important that our rating system is as fair, progressive and equitable as possible, that we have a system that aligns with what we are trying to achieve, economically and socially and that we create an environment that supports businesses to start up, thrive and create jobs.”
“As I mentioned, other changes announced by the Chancellor will have an impact, including increased National Insurance, the national living wage and the national minimum wage. As I mentioned to Mr Carroll, that example serves to highlight the fact that, when bad decisions are made at Westminster, they have an impact here. The Executive are not in a position to continue to mitigate every single bad decision. <BR /> <BR />It is important to emphasise the fact that the Executive already provide £275 million in rate reliefs to support businesses, but every pound that we spend on rate reliefs means either reduced revenue for public services — as you mentioned, it is our only tool for raising revenue — or higher rates bills for other homes and businesses. I have put proposals for our rating system forward for the Executive's agreement.”
“Since my statement to the Assembly yesterday, my officials have carried out further engagement with Treasury. They checked the figures for business rates, and, unfortunately, £80 million has been taken out of our funding for business rates next year. That means that, if there were a move to provide more support, that support would have to come from the Executive's existing resources, and the challenges in relation to that have been well documented. <BR /> <BR />As I said to your colleague, I remain hugely sympathetic to businesses as they face so many pressures. Through my engagements with businesses since taking up post, they have made it clear that there have been many challenges since the pandemic, including rising energy prices and inflationary pressures across a range of goods and services.”
“I am pleased that the Secretary of State for Transport, Louise Haigh, wrote to invite me to attend a cross-party and cross-government meeting of the task force on the cost of motor insurance. I have agreed to attend that meeting and intend to ensure that local issues in the North are not overlooked. I expect the main focus of discussion at the banking round table to be on the key issues and developments around access to cash and banking services that have an impact here, but the impact that rising insurance premiums have on citizens and businesses here will form part of my separate discussions with the FCA chief executive on that day, given the FCA's responsibilities as the regulator for the insurance sector.”
“As I mentioned, I met industry bodies recently to express my concerns about the increases in insurance costs, which are adding further financial pressures to households, businesses and communities here, and to challenge them on what the sector is doing to contain costs. Industry bodies argue that the increases are being driven by a number of factors, some of which are being experienced globally owing to inflationary pressures in the industry, while others appear to be more specific to the market here. <BR /> <BR />My officials continue to engage with the FCA and the Treasury on the local factors that affect insurance prices in the North in order to see what action they can take to help consumers.”
“The issues of how need is assessed and the criteria that are used were raised at my previous round table, which included representatives from LINK and Cash Access UK, as well as other senior representatives of high street banks and building societies. I tested with the industry whether the assessment process to qualify for a banking hub is suitable. That is therefore something that I am happy to take up again with the Financial Conduct Authority. We will have to see how the new rules that it has announced bed in, but we are already getting feedback that they did not change the assessment outcomes, so that is something that we need to explore further.”
“Following my invitation, the chief executive of the Financial Conduct Authority will be travelling to Belfast to meet me and to attend the banking round table that I will host later this month. I will use that meeting to call on the chief executive to use all the powers at his disposal to ensure proper access to cash and banking services for citizens right across the North. The round table will therefore provide a valuable platform for a range of key stakeholders to put their concerns about access to cash directly to the Financial Conduct Authority and to discuss how the new rules can help our communities.”
“I agree with the Member. It is important not only to attract and recruit more young people into the Civil Service but to support them through continuing professional development (CPD). There is a significant programme in place throughout the Civil Service. If the Member would like to write to me, I can provide her with additional information on it.”
“The Civil Service has started to develop an A to Z video series of Civil Service careers, which will be used to promote the variety of jobs and roles that are available and to better explain the types of jobs that civil servants do.”
“The Civil Service undertakes a programme of outreach with the education sector to promote the careers opportunities that are available. Over the past 12 months, the Civil Service has participated in careers fairs and events with schools and has regularly engaged with local universities, including participating in careers fairs, career exploration days and networking. As an employer, the Civil Service has also been represented at autumn careers fairs for accountancy, engineering, science, tech and ICT, law and economics and has participated in careers fairs that are targeted at the wider job-seeking market, including those under the age of 35.”
“<BR /> <BR />It also includes the removal of qualifications from eligibility criteria to enable those who are not academically qualified to apply for Civil Service jobs; the use of social media and digital recruitment advertising channels that are typically accessed by young people; participation in events to promote the Civil Service as an inclusive employer, such as Belfast Mela, Pride and National Inclusion Week; increased engagement with the education sector through university recruitment fairs and careers webinars to promote the range of careers available; and facilitating work placements through the Civil Service work experience scheme.”
“To encourage young people to join the Civil Service, a range of measures has been introduced, including the increased use of external recruitment and expansion of entry routes into the Civil Service: for example, developing new apprenticeships schemes; launching a new Civil Service skills academy and graduate management programme; increasing the number of annual, 51-week student placements on offer; and facilitating JobStart work experience opportunities for unemployed young people.”