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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“Invest NI launched the energy and resource efficiency scheme on 8 May. That five-year programme is open for applications and will offer businesses grants of up to £150,000 for investment in areas such as lighting, heating and cooling equipment, motors and drives, compressed air systems and on-site renewable energy generation. That grant will help companies to invest in technologies that reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions, which will help to lower costs. <BR /> <BR />Tourism NI provides a suite of advisory supports to help tourism and hospitality businesses to reduce costs, improve productivity and be more sustainable, including the "Leaner and Greener" and "Innovate Tourism" initiatives.”
“Currently, the focus remains on making the case to the British Government to reduce the VAT rate here. As Members are aware, when we were setting the Budget for 2024-25, demands for funding outstripped the available funding many times over. Any interventions have to be delivered in that difficult budgetary context. <BR /> <BR />As Sorcha Eastwood said, addressing the challenges of rising costs cuts across several areas of government, including the Department for Communities, the Department for the Economy, my Department and the councils. The Department for the Economy is taking steps to support businesses through the delivery of the Executive's path to net zero energy strategy, a key objective of which is to ensure that all businesses have access to essential and affordable energy.”
“They will continue to emphasise the economic importance of a reduction in VAT for the sector to help struggling businesses and safeguard jobs here and to stress the impact of the relatively high rate in the North compared with the South. <BR /> <BR />As my colleague Philip McGuigan said, Sinn Féin wants to see the harmonisation of VAT across the island and the maximum devolution of fiscal powers. The Fiscal Commission published its final report on 19 May 2022. It included a comprehensive suite of recommendations for progressing fiscal devolution. However, the devolution of VAT was not a recommendation made by the Fiscal Commission, with the recommendation being that other taxes be prioritised. I will consider responses to the Fiscal Commission consultation and bring proposals to the Executive in respect of fiscal powers.”
“More recently, they have faced new pressures presented by the cost-of-living and cost-of-doing-business crises. We have seen large fluctuations in energy prices driven by our continued reliance on importing fossil fuels. In addition, VAT for hospitality here is set by the British Government at 20%, compared with 13·5% in the South. That rate significantly impacts on the hospitality sector's cost base. As others have said, that impact is further emphasised in border counties, especially when customers come to make significant purchasing decisions such as selecting venues in which to host events. <BR /> <BR />VAT was previously reduced to support those sectors during the pandemic. My officials continue to highlight the adverse impacts of the VAT rate in their regular meetings with their Treasury counterparts.”
“I welcome the opportunity to speak about this important issue. Tourism provides jobs for 75,000 people in the North, and 70% of those are outside Belfast. Therefore, that sector is key to delivering regionally balanced economic development, which is one of the key priorities for the Economy Minister, and supports jobs across the North. Hospitality is a crucial sector that plays a significant role in the success and growth of the tourism sector. Over a third of visitor spend in 2019 was on food and drink. <BR /> <BR />Hospitality and tourism businesses have faced many challenges in recent years. They were severely impacted on by the COVID pandemic, when they faced significant periods of closure and restrictions on how they could operate.”
“Reinstating that popular scheme is now more important than ever in order to help new businesses emerge.”
“Given the positive impact of the back in business scheme, I am glad to advise that legislation to restore it was made by my Department at the end of March. That has been cleared by the Finance Committee, and the Assembly will debate it, I believe, next week. I hope that the Chamber will support the reinstatement of that scheme. When the back in business scheme was last in place during 2022-23, 101 businesses benefited from the 50% rate reduction, and the majority of those were small independent retailers. It helped businesses to get started, supported jobs and got long-term vacant units back into use.”
“I am certainly keen to look at that, but you will be aware of some of the restrictions around the use of financial transactions capital. Therefore, we are dependent on Departments coming forward with their ideas for what they would like to spend it on and working with other organisations on being able to do that. I am certainly happy to look at that.”
“Obviously, Departments will have an opportunity to bid in year for additional money, including financial transactions capital, and I encourage Departments to come forward with bids for financial transactions capital. It is an area where we sometimes face challenges in spending, and obviously we want to see full utilisation of the money that is available to us.”
“People who often encounter barriers to employment, people with learning disabilities and people without educational qualifications who have faced barriers in their education journey can benefit from the employment and training opportunities that are provided by social value in public contracts. The impact on those individuals' lives cannot be overstated. The invaluable work experience that they provide can help build confidence and set those people on new career paths. The policy on social value supports the Executive's commitment to being a living wage employer by mandating that all workers involved in delivering public services through government contracts be paid at least the living wage. That is a major step forward in ending pay poverty.”
“To date, some of the positive outcomes since the introduction of the procurement notice include 3,500 people who were long-term unemployed or disadvantaged in the labour market who have gained employment; more than 75 social enterprises that are now part of government supply chains; 2,700 hours of volunteering with the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector; 6,500 hours of skills development activities; 2,800 weeks of work experience; over 3,500 hours of environmental awareness initiatives; and 2,400 hours plus of health and well-being initiatives.”
“Social value in public contracts can make a real difference, particularly to the lives of some of the most disadvantaged people in society. Embedding social value in public procurement provides a significant opportunity to meaningfully contribute to economic, environmental and social outcomes.”
“Again, I do not have that information in front of me and I do not know the figure off the top of my head, but I will be happy to share it with the Member.”
“I am not sure that I have the information in front of me on the bids that were made for the Budget, but I am happy to write to the Member on that point.”
“For every £8 that they pay into that account, the Government will pay £2 to the childcare provider.”
“There is also provision for paid and unpaid time off for a range of issues that affects families, such as time off for dependants and to facilitate practical arrangements as a consequence of domestic or sexual abuse. There is, obviously, maternity leave, adoption leave, paternity leave, shared parental leave and the ordinary parental leave that is expected to be taken in the same way as statutory leave. <BR /> <BR />The Civil Service continues to run the former HMRC childcare vouchers scheme. That legacy scheme is available only to those who were already in the scheme. Other than that, the Member will be aware that HMRC now runs a tax-free childcare scheme under which staff can get up to £500 every three months. If a member of staff receives tax-free childcare, they can set up an online account for their child.”
“The Civil Service is committed to being a diverse and inclusive employer. It is important that the Civil Service is an example. It has a range of supports and family-friendly policies in place, including alternative working, which allows for alternative or flexible working patterns in the Civil Service. That includes flexible working times and reduced hours, such as part-time hours and job sharing, and compressed or personalised hours. There is also hybrid working, which offers a mix of working from home or remotely and working in the workplace. It aims to promote a flexible work choice that meets the needs of the Civil Service and employees. There is special leave, which provides up to two weeks' paid leave for bereavement, including bereavement due to miscarriage.”
“It is important to say that we need to get childcare right. It plays a vital role in the economy. We need to support childcare providers, workers and families. Affordable childcare is particularly important in facilitating women's access to the labour market. I am keen to see work on the new childcare strategy progress as quickly as possible. Childcare is a priority for the Executive. As you know, Ministers are committed to prioritising it. It was important to reflect that in the Budget. The Executive have agreed to earmark £25 million to support a childcare strategy. That is to fund new and additional actions that are above and beyond those that Departments have undertaken within their childcare remits, and they should not be seen as the limit of our ambitions for childcare. Hopefully, we will be able to add to that funding in year.”
“I will raise the huge challenges that face the Budget when I meet Treasury. I have impressed upon Treasury and the shadow Secretary of State the need for the Executive to be in a position to set a multi-year Budget. Obviously, that is dependent on the spending review period that the Westminster Government choose. We are not, for example, able to set a multi-year Budget this year, because it is the final year of a spending review. I would very much like to see us in a multi-year spending review from the next financial year. That is not within our gift, but I will continue to make those representations. Departments would be much better able to plan strategically in order to meet challenges.”
“I have engaged with the Health Minister, as I have with all Ministers, in the Budget process. Obviously, the Health Minister raised the issue of pay, the challenges that would be faced in year and the ongoing challenges that would be faced in respect of junior doctors, who, clearly, need to have their demands looked at favourably, given their importance to the health service and the importance of the role that they play in that service, often under challenging conditions.”
“I have undertaken detailed engagement with the manufacturing sector since taking up post. I have met sectoral representatives at round-table meetings on business rates generally and in meetings that have focused on the sector. Over the past two weeks, I have visited manufacturers in the factory environment in order to get a sense of the challenges and opportunities that are in that sector. Last week, I met representatives of the wider manufacturing and logistics sector to look at the issues that are of strategic importance to them and at what they require from the Executive to support a sector that accounts for over 89,000 jobs, with many of those in indigenous businesses.”
“The Executive are providing £71·5 million of support in 2024-25 through industrial derating for over 4,400 local manufacturing properties. That measure is not provided in England, Scotland or Wales. The recipients are by no means all large companies; in fact, over 2,500 recipients of industrial derating fall under the £15,000 net asset value (NAV) threshold that is utilised for small business rate relief.”
“My Department developed new guidance for the Civil Service in June 2022 for official information that is held in non-corporate communication channels. That guidance sets out when non-corporate devices or communication channels may be used for official business and how any official information, including WhatsApp messages, should be handled. The guidance will be translated into policy and disseminated across Departments by 31 May 2024. As I mentioned, it is each individual's responsibility to ensure that all relevant information is retained on Content Manager, which is an official repository for Civil Service documents and record management. That is clearly set out in the overarching Civil Service record-management policy and NI Executive codes of conduct.”
“The COVID inquiry is ongoing and taking evidence. Clearly, while that inquiry's important work continues, I do not want to get into a running commentary about specific evidence. That was, obviously, a very challenging time for everyone, but it was particularly traumatic for those people who lost loved ones. I fully support the inquiry's work and hope that it will help those people to come to terms with the devastating impact that COVID had on their life. <BR /> <BR />Budgets and resources have been reprioritised in my Department in order to meet our statutory responsibilities to the inquiry, and it is important that we learn lessons from the events that are being examined to make sure that we are better prepared for and can respond to a similar global health emergency, should it ever arise in future.”
“That is not information that I have in front of me. I am happy to write to the Member if we are able to provide that information. I am not sure that it is something that we would have, but I am happy to clarify that with him.”
“I do not have the full list of rate reliefs in front of me. I have just outlined to the Member who asked the substantive question some of the most relevant supports available for our retail and hospitality sectors and small businesses on the high street. That includes, for the most part, the small business rate relief scheme, which, as I said, is awarded to 30,000 small businesses each year. If agreed next week, we will have the back in business rate support scheme back in place. We will also be bringing to the Assembly, next week, the rural ATM rate relief scheme, which, I hope, Members will support.”
“If agreed, it will provide businesses with a 50% rate discount for up to two years if they move into premises that were previously used for retail purposes and have been unoccupied for 12 months or more. <BR /> <BR />The Member will also be aware that I am considering the responses to the consultation on rates for revenue raising. That is something that I will be looking at over the coming weeks and months.”
“The Executive provide extensive relief within the rating system. Over 75% of all business ratepayers are awarded some form of support, which amounts to something in the region of £247 million a year. That support includes the recently extended small business rate relief scheme, which will provide in the region of £21·5 million of assistance to almost 30,000 small businesses receiving a reduction of between 20% and 50% on their rate bill for this year. <BR /> <BR />My Department has also made and laid legislation to reintroduce the back in business rate support scheme, which will help businesses in that category. I believe that that will be before the Assembly next week.”
“I believe that the method used for collecting rates is effective, given that Land and Property Services collected a record amount of £1·5 billion of rates revenue in 2023-24 to provide funding for vital public services. The method used for collecting rates is the same for all ratepayers, regardless of whether they are domestic or non-domestic and regardless of location.”
“The £1·3 billion investment in the four city and growth deals will support significant shifts in many of our indicators, such as improving regional balance, creating employment opportunities and increasing productivity. Across the four deals, there are around 50 projects. At full business case stage, each project will specify the benefits to be realised from that project. Identified benefits will include job creation, where appropriate. Once all projects in a deal have reached full business case, each deal will be able to clearly identify the benefits of its overall investment at deal level, and once each of the four deals has completed that stage, we will be in a better position to understand the extent of the combined benefits of the overall investment.”
“There has been significant progress across the four city and growth deals. Positive milestones have been achieved this year already, with more to come. The Belfast region city deal is in delivery phase. Legally binding contracts for funding have been signed for nine projects, with a further six due in coming months. Planning permission has already been granted for some projects, and construction has started on the advanced manufacturing innovation centre in Newtownabbey. The Derry City and Strabane District Council city deal is preparing for deal-signing in summer 2024; the Causeway Coast and Glens growth deal signed heads of terms last week, and will begin work on outline business cases to progress towards deal-signing; and the Mid South West growth deal is working towards the signing of heads of terms in autumn 2024.”
“I do not have the details that the Member specifically asked for in respect of buildings that are vacant. My Department is progressing a programme of work to reduce its footprint through the Department of Finance office estate by around 40%. That gives us the opportunity to reduce costs and energy use and supports us on the journey to net zero. I am happy to write to the Member with further details on what he asked about.”
“As I said, there are a number of statutory obligations that Departments already have in respect of their budgets. I have had a number of propositions put to me about specific types of budgeting. I am establishing a new budget sustainability team in the Department. It will look at a number of things, and that is something that can be considered alongside those.”
“While some Departments submitted bids for climate change, given the constrained financial position, I did not ring-fence any allocations specifically for that purpose, and I did that to provide Departments with the maximum flexibility to manage their own budgets. As climate action is so far-reaching, it should be a consideration right across spending in Departments, and I encourage my Executive colleagues to consider their statutory obligations in the Climate Change Act when prioritising expenditure within the funding envelopes provided to their Departments.”
“As the Member will be aware, the 2024-25 Budget was agreed by the Executive on 25 April. Since devolution was restored, we had been really clear that that Budget would be very difficult, and the stark reality is that the demands on our finances far outstrip the funding that we have available. No Department, therefore, has received the level of funding that it bid for. <BR /> <BR />Under section 52 of the Climate Change Act 2022, all Departments are required to exercise their functions in a manner that is, as far as possible, consistent with achieving emissions targets and carbon budgets.”
“I am committed to doing all that I can to contribute to meeting the emissions targets in the Climate Change Act. My Department plays a central enabling role in providing the frameworks and guidance, and Departments need to consider climate change in their decision-making and procurement processes. In addition, my Department has a number of specific responsibilities, which include taking forward a programme of uplifts for building regulations; managing the Civil Service office estate to reduce its carbon footprint; and implementing a hybrid working policy to support new ways of working that also deliver environmental benefits.”
“As I said in response to the previous question, I understand that a draft set of recommendations to tackle the issues relating to Lough Neagh will be brought to the Executive for consideration in the near future.”
“Additional investment will clearly be required, and that will need to be considered in line with the Executive's priorities and competing budgetary pressures.”
“I understand that a draft set of evidence-based recommendations to tackle the toxic algae in Lough Neagh and secure longer-term improvement in water quality is being refined and finalised by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs and that the recommendations for Lough Neagh will be brought to the Executive for consideration and discussion in due course. <BR /> <BR />I am also aware that the AERA Minister has brought the draft environmental improvement plan to the Executive for consideration. It sets out actions relevant to supporting water quality across the North to secure longer-term improvements. There is clearly a need for collective action across government and the public, private and community sectors to tackle the issue of water quality.”
“I do not have the bids from the Infrastructure Minister in front of me, although I know that significant funding, in the region of £330 million or £350 million a year, is invested through NI Water in our water infrastructure. That would, obviously, impact on Lough Neagh and on much wider areas. I am aware of that, and I would be happy to write to the Member about any additional bids.”
“The Member will be aware that, recently, prior to the official plenary meeting of the North/South Ministerial Council, the First Minister and deputy First Minister and the Taoiseach and Tánaiste had a conversation about Lough Neagh. It is clearly a shared priority across the island, and the issues to be addressed are cross-jurisdictional: the issues impacting on our environment, climate and biodiversity do not recognise borders, so it is important that we have a joined-up collaborative approach. I will certainly be happy to work with the Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Minister in any engagements that he has on the Shared Island Fund or any other funding that may be available to him.”
“<BR /> <BR />As the Member is aware, we were faced with a very challenging Budget for this financial year. I would have liked to be able to do more across a number of Departments. Addressing the issues of Lough Neagh is a priority for the Executive and will be considered as such in the monitoring rounds.”
“The protection of Lough Neagh and the surrounding environment is a key priority for the Executive. The Executive agreed to allocate the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs £1·6 million of capital departmental expenditure limit (DEL) funding in June monitoring to support actions relating to Lough Neagh. Now that the Budget has been set by the Executive, it will be for Ministers to consider their departmental priorities and allocate funding accordingly within their budget. Departments can highlight any further funding requirements in relation to Lough Neagh as part of the in-year monitoring process. Any bids will be considered in the context of the available funding, competing budgetary demands and the Executive's wider priorities. It will then be for the Executive to allocate the available funding.”
“We want to build on that. We are engaging with Treasury on the actual level of need and ensuring that that level of need is baselined into our Budgets so that we are in a position to deliver high-quality public services and have more sustainable public finances.”
“The Member will be aware of some of the work of the Fiscal Council around the fiscal floor. He will be aware that the Executive do not accept that 124% is the level of need and also that some additional modelling has been done by the Fiscal Council to take account of other factors, such as policing and justice, which could, potentially, see that factor of need being higher.”
“Up until now, the arrangement is that Treasury funds the elements of the Windsor framework. We anticipate that that will continue and that we will see that in the June monitoring round.”
“Thank you. Obviously, as part of the financial package, the British Government indicated that there should be revenue-raising of £113 million, which is tied to the write-off of the £559 million overspend from last year. The Executive do not accept that that should be a condition, given that the overspend accrued because we were being funded below our level of need. As a Finance Minister, I do not want to be in the position next year of losing £559 million from our block grant. In making the case to the Chief Secretary to the Treasury that we had limited levers to raise revenue, that period has been extended to 24 months. <BR /> <BR />On the issues around the funding for the Windsor framework, Departments make bids to us and then to Treasury, so Treasury pays for the arrangement.”
“<BR /> <BR />Despite the short-term uplift for our public finances due to the financial package, the current situation would see us effectively trapped below our level of need for a number of years, which would create a fiscal ceiling rather than the fiscal floor that all parties have been united in asking for. We are not asking for special treatment here. We are asking to be treated the same as Scotland and Wales and for our funding to be needs-based. Scotland and Wales are funded above need, and that will be denied to people here. That is not a tenable situation. <BR /> <BR />There are a number of other areas that we think any new fiscal framework should cover to help us to sustainably manage our public finances. These could include a new fiscal reserve, increased borrowing powers and increased devolved fiscal powers.”
“I have been consistent in setting out that engagement is continuing. So far, it has been constructive. My officials are engaging with Treasury officials. I have met with the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on a number of occasions and am meeting her again later this afternoon. We need to see urgent action from the British Government to ensure that we are funded appropriately based on our level of need and that we do not face that financial cliff edge in two years' time. I have stressed that with the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on my previous engagements with her, and I will continue to do that.”
“The Fiscal Council has made the point that we are the only devolved Administration being asked to deliver public services whilst being funded below our level of need. In my view, these assessments reaffirm the position for the British Government to secure an urgent long-term solution to ensure that public services are sustainably funded. Any new fiscal framework will be key to achieving that.”