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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“We are trying to deal with the impact of COVID-19 on our economy, and that is where funding needs to be directed. Those businesses were viable and functioning, prior to COVID-19, and were supporting jobs. They deserve to have the opportunity to recover, to keep those jobs and to create new ones. <BR /> <BR />I will not repeat all that I said yesterday, but, as many Members have said, the furlough scheme should not be ending at the end of this month. Elsewhere in Europe, equivalent schemes are continuing into next year. The job support scheme and the extended job support scheme offer only limited support. Unfortunately, we face tens of thousands of redundancies at a time when job opportunities are very limited and active economic recovery is some way off.”
“However, I want to touch on a few issues, following Members' contributions. <BR /> <BR />It is clear that there is broad support across parties and Members — I mentioned it previously in relation to the Committee — that those excluded from schemes to date should have support extended to them. I have been contacted by many business owners and individuals in my capacity as an MLA for East Derry and also as Chair of the Economy Committee. Many have had no support and are in real financial difficulty, and at this point they feel let down, frustrated and angry. It is vital that Ministers with responsibilities bring forward proposals as quickly as possible to protect jobs, workers and families. It is clear that many businesses are trying to survive. In this crisis, we are still very much at the mitigation stage.”
“The Committee intends to use those to respond to the Economy Minister's invitation to help to shape her Department's and the Executive's response to the crisis. Moreover, the Committee seeks to use those to help to shape the forthcoming Programme for Government and the economic and investment strategies. <BR /> <BR />The Committee has listened to the Economy Department's officials' concerns that money made available for the response to COVID must be allocated and spent quickly, as there is an ever-narrowing window of opportunity to spend funds within the current financial year. It is therefore imperative that the Executive act not only bravely but quickly. <BR /> <BR />I will make some remarks in my role as Sinn Féin economy spokesperson. I addressed a number of points in the debate on the Estimates yesterday, so I will not repeat them.”
“It is clear to the Committee that it will be important to budget for support for businesses not just to respond to COVID-19 but to respond to the situation that they will face at the end of transition, potentially under WTO rules. <BR /> <BR />In short, the Committee believes that the role of the Department for the Economy is pivotal in the responses to COVID and Brexit. It is therefore imperative that the Department is at the heart of the Budget process and that its bids are seen against the backdrop of the uncertain times in which we live. <BR /> <BR />The Committee will continue to engage with stakeholders over the next number of weeks and months to come through a series of mini inquiries, which will be conducted via virtual discussion forums.”
“Our communities have shown themselves to be resourceful and innovative. Businesses have been repurposed, and social enterprise is clearly the way forward in so many sectors and for so many businesses. <BR /> <BR />The Committee understands that the Budget envelope that the Executive have at their disposal is finite. However, members have heard from many stakeholders about the ways in which we can and should use it better and more sustainably. <BR /> <BR />The Committee is acutely aware that we are nearing the end of the EU exit transition period. Businesses are urging the Committee to seek certainty on the rules under which they will operate. The Committee has communicated this to the Minister, the Executive and British Ministers.”
“Greater efforts must be made to utilise FTC to support jobs. In addition to that, the Committee has identified the importance of Project Stratum to widen access to high-speed broadband in the context of increased working from home and the ongoing issue of digital poverty. <BR /> <BR />The Committee is conscious that the current crisis allows us to consider how to do things better, and members advocate that that be part of the Minister's and the Executive's thinking in seeking to rebuild our economy. <BR /> <BR />The Committee is looking at the benefits of investing in green industries and jobs, and in building and capitalising on the local community efforts that have got us through this crisis. Where possible, localisation rather than globalisation must surely represent the way forward.”
“The Committee has engaged heavily with the further and higher education sectors, including student and lecturer representatives, to understand their needs better during the crisis. It has corresponded with the Department and reflected those needs, including support for students who are isolating and those trapped in contracts for accommodation that they can no longer afford or do not need. <BR /> <BR />The Committee has worked closely with the hospitality and tourism sector, which is one of the sectors that has been worst hit by the crisis, to ensure that members understand the support that it requires and communicate that to the Executive. <BR /> <BR />The Committee has urged the Department to bring forward projects and programmes that will create jobs and those where there is capital spend.”
“The Committee is very supportive of the budget bids that the Department has made for skills. Those are funding a range of programmes that include supporting businesses to bring back and recruit new apprentices, as well as other training, upskilling and reskilling programmes. The Committee has urged the Department to make every effort to ensure that apprenticeships and training schemes are available to those above the age of 24 and that more support for reskilling be made available to those who have lost their jobs.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Committee has made the observation that many of those businesses are still viable and need support in the interim until economic conditions return to a greater degree of normality. Additionally, the Committee has written to the British Chancellor to advocate greater cooperation on the part of Treasury officials to develop mechanisms to help.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Department's most significant spend area during the crisis has been assistance to business. The Committee is agreed that it is vital to ensure that our economy is protected, and members are supportive of the wide range of measures and supports that have been put in place. However, the Committee has called a number of times for the creation of a support fund that is directed to the many individuals, businesses and sectors that have received no support as yet — the so-called excluded. Mechanisms to process support to those who need it have already been developed, and criteria need to be widened in order to ensure that the assistance reaches more people and is more equitable.”
“As well as receiving regular updates on the budget flows to and from the Economy Department, the Committee has spent a great deal of time engaging closely with its wide range of stakeholders in order to seek their views and to relay them back to the Minister and the Executive. <BR /> <BR />The Committee has been assiduous in its scrutiny of the Department's response to the crisis and of its input, including bids, to the various monitoring rounds and the Department of Finance's summer exercise. The Committee has also been dedicated in its challenge function regarding the Department's budgeting and response to the COVID crisis, holding a significant number of briefing sessions. I will not take up valuable time by recounting those sessions in detail or by going through the minutiae of the DFE budget.”
“I will speak first as the Chair of the Economy Committee. <BR /> <BR />This is now almost a cliché, but we are living in unprecedented times and are likely to continue to do so for the foreseeable future. The Economy Committee has been consistent in its message over the past number of months that these times call for a creative and brave approach. <BR /> <BR />The Department for the Economy is at the centre of the response to COVID-19, and, as a result, the Committee has found itself at the very heart of scrutinising the Minister's and, indeed, the Executive's economic response to the crisis.”
“I thank the Minister for his responses so far, and I commend him on getting the finance package in place and open today. When the north-west package was announced, the SDLP leader claimed that Nichola Mallon was critical of the package made available. Is the Minister aware of any such representation or criticism from the Infrastructure Minister?”
“Business representatives have consistently called for certainty and highlighted the need for a trade deal to minimise trade friction. The Minister has been in discussions with, and made representations on Brexit funding to, the British Government. However, if we are heading towards a no-deal outcome, it is important that additional support will be forthcoming from the Treasury to help our businesses and communities to prepare and respond to the immediate impact that will hit in January. People here did not choose Brexit and should not have to foot the bill for the Tories' disastrous, short-sighted folly.”
“It needs to do more than pay lip service to addressing regional imbalances and inequalities. <BR /> <BR />Finally, I want to touch briefly on Brexit. Most people across the North were utterly dismayed by the comments of the British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, on Friday, when he suggested that we were heading for a no-deal outcome to the future arrangements negotiations. You will agree — I am sure that most here will — that having no trade deal will be disastrous for individuals, businesses and communities across the North. The prospect that, in 73 days, businesses will be expected to operate in an as yet unknown trading environment, with assistance for VAT, labelling requirements, checks and tariffs having not yet been worked out, is deeply concerning.”
“I can tell you, Minister, that I hear from businesses that they do not want support for consultants; they want cash support. <BR /> <BR />There needs to be a real conversation about the role and remit of Invest NI as our economic development agency. If we look at the measure of effectiveness of Invest over the past decade, the fact that we have the lowest economic growth and productivity across these islands speaks for itself. If we want to shape a truly transformative economic recovery that will address the structural issues in our local economy, it needs to be about the whole economy, supporting our SMEs during these difficult times, developing local supply chains and supporting indigenous businesses to develop new and innovative ways to create a greener, fairer and more equal economy.”
“There are numerous support schemes, but why do they target the ones that they do? Why have other groups been missed out? The sole traders, for example, had their hopes raised that they would be able to access the Invest NI-administered hardship fund, only to have those hopes dashed. To date, there has been no support forthcoming for that group. <BR /> <BR />Social enterprise is another category that did not pique the interest of Invest; instead, the Minister for Communities had to pick up that group, despite it not being her remit. Similarly, taxi drivers and coach operators are of no interest to Invest. One of the latest schemes, which was announced about a fortnight ago, will see consultants pick up about £8,000 to help businesses make financial plans.”
“When officials briefed the Committee for the Economy on Wednesday, they indicated that they had been engaging with Department of Finance officials around that and that that would be the case. I would like the Minister to address that point. <BR /> <BR />According to the Main Estimates, Invest NI, which usually has an annual budget of around £100 million, has been allocated £430 million this year. That is a huge allocation, and it is vital that we see real, effective results. Frankly, Minister, I have some concerns in that regard. Economic development needs to be about the whole economy and not just cater for a select few. I put it to Invest NI in Committee, a couple of weeks ago, that there is a lack of information forthcoming about what shapes the business supports that we have seen.”
“The Minister has previously outlined that he is open to considering any bids from Ministers to support those excluded groups, and he has urged Ministers to bring those forward. I hope that they will listen and respond to the need out there. <BR /> <BR />I want to ask the Minister about the flexibility available to Departments and Ministers in the distribution of the allocations. For example, if funding is allocated for business support for recovery and there is a need to respond to the situation that we are in now, is there flexibility to utilise that funding in a slightly different way to support businesses in meeting the immediate need that people face?”
“I know that he has done so and will keep doing so because many businesses and families face very difficult circumstances, and, as we all know, our economy and the health of our people are interlinked. There is no trade-off: we need to do both. <BR /> <BR />The Main Estimates put DFE's budget at more than £462 million greater than last year. That is due, in part, to the huge amount that has been allocated by the Executive to date to business support and other COVID allocations. Those have been vital interventions to support business, protect jobs and support further and higher education institutes, students and research. Despite many having received support, many others have remained excluded.”
“<BR /> <BR />The extended job support scheme announced for businesses ordered to close was a welcome intervention, but guaranteeing only 67% of the income of someone who is on minimum wage is not enough to ensure that families can put food on the table and pay their bills. The assertion from the British Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, that it can be topped up by universal credit may be technically correct but is absurd. That will put additional pressure on our social security system, which is already under pressure. It would be much better to ensure an adequate wage rather than additional administrative costs and burdens to the system. <BR /> <BR />I urge the Minister to keep the pressure on the British Treasury.”
“The substantial interventions that came from the British Government early in the pandemic are beginning to be switched off at a time when cases of COVID-19 are rising at an alarming rate and restrictions are being reimposed. While some will ask," How will we pay for it?", I ask how we do anything other than try to protect businesses and jobs and workers' and families' incomes and livelihoods here and now. The ending of the furlough scheme is premature, and I know that the Minister agrees with me on that. Its replacement — the job support scheme — will not protect jobs, and, going on the numbers of people in the North who are still furloughed or partially furloughed, there will be thousands of redundancies.”
“This is an unusual budgetary year. Tomorrow, we will debate our third Budget Bill, and today, in October, we are discussing the Main Estimates for the year. COVID-19 has had a huge impact on our society. First and foremost, it is a human tragedy with grave implications for public health. It has also created an evolving economic crisis that is likely to be greater than any experienced in recent times. The COVID crisis has meant, in budgetary terms, that we have had to react, react and react again, and that is unlikely to change soon. The economic impact and recession that we face will now be deeper and longer than what was hoped for back in March or April. <BR /> <BR />The second wave that was predicted by clinicians and scientists is now being felt across the world and here at home.”
“Therefore, I urge Members to support the motion and the amendment.”
“As I have said time and again, the best scenario for the protocol to operate effectively is in the context of a comprehensive free trade deal. That is still what we hope will be achieved, even in the challenging time frame that we face. However, if we are looking at a no-deal outcome, it is an imperative that the protections in the protocol are implemented to protect our economy, communities and peace agreements. All efforts need to be maintained to reach an agreement on future arrangements, and the British Government need to be held to the commitments that they have made. <BR /> <BR />In advance of the European Council meeting, I call on the Assembly to send a clear message that the withdrawal agreement and protocol must be upheld to protect our businesses and communities and the Good Friday Agreement.”
“It has been described as political window dressing. <BR /> <BR />The only real way to test that would be in court, and that may yet come. The European Commission has actioned legal proceedings against the British Government in relation to the Internal Market Bill, so far on the basis of the breach of the good faith articles in the withdrawal agreement. It remains to be seen how things progress and what action the British Government will take on the Internal Market Bill. It is clear, though, that they should remove the clauses that breach the withdrawal agreement. <BR /> <BR />It is against that backdrop of legal action, and the unhelpful Boris Johnson deadline, that negotiations continue and the European Council meets this week. That difficult mood music and slow negotiation progress have led to this motion.”
“The House of Commons Library's analysis states:”
“There is plenty of legal opinion and analysis that disputes those assertions, including from the Institute for Government, which, in commenting on the withdrawal agreement, states:”
“<BR /> <BR />Over the past few weeks, as we have debated the Internal Market Bill, some Members have tried to suggest that the British Government were acting within their rights and that the parliamentary sovereignty clause in the withdrawal agreement allows for such actions. Indeed, Mr Stalford and Mr Allister cited legal opinion supporting that claim. However, a bit like statistics, you will always find something that will support your view.”
“They have prioritised their narrow interests and a fantasy of light-touch regulatory arrangements that favour business interests above all else over the interests of people and communities here. <BR /> <BR />It is still difficult to discern the intent behind the Internal Market Bill and whether they are trying to force the EU's hand in negotiation or, rather, disingenuously trying to unilaterally disapply parts of the withdrawal agreement. In reality, though, it does not make any material difference because the outcome is the same: breaching trust and making the negotiations more difficult rather than constructively engaging.”
“Britain joined the then European Economic Community in 1973, and it has been at the centre of the EU's institutions since then. Britain is well aware of the EU's approach to managing its interstate relations and negotiationsuch as these. Indeed, it has been involved in and party to such negotiations. <BR /> <BR />When the British Government signed up to the withdrawal agreement ahead of further negotiations on future arrangements, they were well aware that they would be held to implementing the agreement. Yet, some in the Administration have spent the last year trying to negotiate their way out, culminating in the publication of the Internal Market Bill. In doing so, the British Government and Tory Ministers have again shown complete disregard for our peace, our economy and the businesses, jobs and livelihood of people across this island.”
“Those include pet passports, green cards for car insurance, roaming charges and whether we can still access the European health insurance card. <BR /> <BR />What can young people expect with student fees for studying in the South or other EU states beyond next year? Will they be able to have access to ERASMUS+? What will be the arrangements for universities, research institutes and business organisations to have future access to EU research programmes? Those are just some of the things that we still have no clarity on 80 days out from the end of the transition period. <BR /> <BR />There are those in the Chamber and elsewhere over the past few weeks who have tried to spread the blame for the lack of progress as though the British Government had been caught unawares by an intransigent EU, but that simply does not stack up.”
“<BR /> <BR />We are five weeks on from the publication of the Internal Market Bill, and there has been no discernible progress on key questions such as the definition of at-risk goods, what declarations will be required and in what context, what the labelling requirements will be and what sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) checks will look like. For a Bill that was supposed to give certainty, it is failing dismally. <BR /> <BR />There is also no tangible progress on other issues that were envisaged as being part of the future arrangements discussions, including arrangements for EU citizens who cross the border to work and are facing uncertainty about what their status will be or what they have to apply for. There are other things, too, that will have an impact on people's everyday life, with added bureaucracy.”
“That, too, is all that is left for businesses and other organisations to prepare for whatever future arrangements are agreed and for them to be ready to implement those arrangements on 1 January. <BR /> <BR />We have heard from business organisations and civil servants that the likelihood of being prepared and ready to implement the arrangements is decreasing by the day to the point of near impossibility. I said last week and I will say it again that the future arrangements negotiations are the only show in town. The focus needs to be on resolving the outstanding issues and being ready to implement the technicalities of the protocol.”
“There was some speculation over the weekend about very tentative progress, but we in the North very much need to see those negotiations intensify towards a positive outcome. <BR /> <BR />When the Internal Market Bill was published on 8 September, Boris Johnson unhelpfully set 15 October as a deadline for reaching agreement on a trade deal. Short of a miracle breakthrough, it seems highly unlikely that that will happen. It remains to be seen how that will be navigated, but it needs to be. We are only 80 days away from the end of the transition period; that is all that is left to secure a deal on future arrangements and to get it ratified through the Parliaments.”
“That Council meeting should have been a key staging post in the finalisation of the future arrangements, but, as we are all only too aware, having debated it at length in the Chamber, the negotiation process, which had been moving at a snail's pace was somewhat upended at the beginning of September by the Internal Market Bill. That Bill, as has also been well discussed, breaches the withdrawal agreement and protocol and undermines devolution and the Good Friday Agreement. <BR /> <BR />Thankfully, though, for our businesses, communities and economy, the negotiations have continued, but we all know that significant gaps remain, in particular in fisheries, the level playing field and state aid, as has been the case for many weeks.”
“I support the amendment. <BR /> <BR />Later this week, on 15 October, the European Council will meet, and Brexit will be one of the items for discussion. In advance of that meeting, today's motion calls for the European Council to stand by, fully, the withdrawal agreement, as agreed by the European Union and British Government, and to require the British Government to fully implement the protocol.”
“Minister, in relation to GCSEs, as my colleague from Foyle outlined, this term has seen varying degrees of disruption across schools due to COVID, and, for many students, that will exacerbate the impact of last term's closures. There is concern that the proposed unit reduction for GCSEs will be somewhat meaningless as it will be a unit that is covered in year 11. What further measures have you or CCEA considered to take account of that and to make up for lost teaching time?”
“The Committee also agreed the statutory rule at its meeting on 23 September 2020, subject to the report of the Examiner of Statutory Rules. The rules came into operation in September 2020. The Examiner of Statutory Rules has no issue with the rules. On the Committee's behalf, I support the motion. <BR /> <BR />As the Sinn Féin spokesperson on the economy, I support the SR. It extends temporary provisions that were made earlier this year to give flexibility to businesses to ensure continuity of supplies and some protection from creditors and other proceedings, as outlined by the Minister. As the Minister said, the impact of COVID-19 on our businesses continues to be grave, and it is likely that those impacts will continue and, potentially, worsen. Therefore I am supportive of these measures.”
“I will speak briefly to the motion as Chair of the Committee for the Economy. As the Minister indicated, the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020 (Amendment of Certain Relevant Periods) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2020 will assist companies affected by the coronavirus pandemic. On 29 September 2020, temporary extensions of certain modifications were made. A temporary exemption for small businesses, with regard to maintaining supplies to companies that have entered insolvency proceedings, for example, was extended until 30 March 2021. <BR /> <BR />The Committee considered the SL1 for the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020 (Amendment of Certain Relevant Periods) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2020 on 9 September 2020, and members were content with the policy direction.”
“I am sure that the Member would accept that, in this phase, we should stimulate recovery and focus on stimuli to create jobs and tax income that will help to generate that recovery.”
“— for recovery funding can be best utilised here and now to support businesses. For businesses that were viable before COVID, help them to get through this winter and give them a chance to continue to operate and recover, and support jobs and workers into the future.”
“We need to give businesses and individuals the confidence to know that we will not simply reap the economic benefits of their innovation and labour in the good times but that we will support them through the bad times. I urge the Minister, once again, to look at how supports can be made available to the groups that remain excluded. <BR /> <BR />I support our looking forward to the type of recovery that we want. I recognise what the Minister said yesterday in response to my question about supporting businesses to build their capacity. However, for many, survival remains their only focus at this time. I urge the Minister, therefore, to look at how the allocations —”
“Indeed, the proposer of the motion mentioned infrastructure projects as part of the recovery, and I believe that the motion should be directed more widely. <BR /> <BR />Skills, training and employability programmes will also be central to the recovery to enable people to reskill and upskill, and, as Members mentioned, some positive steps have been made in that respect. <BR /> <BR />We need entrepreneur supports to encourage new business development. That said, I have to reflect on one point in the motion about those who have been excluded from supports to date and those who have been left behind and fallen through the cracks of other supports, such as our newly self-employed and sole traders, small manufacturers and some childcare providers.”
“The Sinn Féin economic recovery strategy, which we published in June, incorporated those things across four priorities: supporting workers and their families; supporting businesses to create and sustain employment; delivering on a just transition; and giving the Executive the tools to aid recovery. <BR /> <BR />A recovery strategy must look to the type of economy and society that we want. I am not convinced that the economic recovery documents that have so far been brought forward by the Economy Minister and the Department for the Economy have the necessary ambition, supported by actions, to address the historical and structural difficulties in our local economy. It is my belief that such a strategy also requires a cross-Executive approach that involves other Departments, in particular, Infrastructure, DAERA and Communities.”
“<BR /> <BR />In the midst of the health crisis that we still face and of the economic crisis that continues to grow, the climate emergency remains a dominant threat. Therefore, we need to realise the commitment in New Decade, New Approach to have a green new deal as part of any recovery strategy. Green skills development and infrastructure projects can be central to supporting young people to gain skills and jobs and those who have been made unemployed to gain new skills and get back to work. <BR /> <BR />All those things can and should be incorporated in our economic recovery strategy.”
“In the context of further restrictions, additional support for the Executive will be necessary to help to support businesses, protect jobs and support workers. We do not have the fiscal or borrowing powers to put in place the types of supports that are needed. <BR /> <BR />I believe that we need to see an economic recovery strategy that has definitive objectives for the short, medium and longer term and that is supported by actions that will achieve them. I believe that there is space for us to do things differently, to build on the experiences that we have had throughout the pandemic of finding alternative ways of working that give people flexibilities to have a better work-life balance and to begin to redress regional imbalances through, for example, the development of regional hubs for working.”
“The replacement job support scheme will not be adequate to protect jobs, and there will be thousands of redundancies, which makes the support to protect those jobs to date seem somewhat futile. <BR /> <BR />The furlough scheme is a necessary support for those sectors that, as yet, cannot return to work or that will have to close again if restrictions are reimposed. The Economy Committee has written to the British Chancellor expressing its concerns about the removal of that vital support, and I know that the Finance Minister has also raised concerns on behalf of the Executive, sought clarifications and requested an urgent meeting with the Chancellor in order to discuss the emerging picture of additional restrictions.”
“I welcome the opportunity to speak to the motion. As I said yesterday in the debate on the Internal Market Bill, I am very mindful that, as we speak here today, there are businesses and workers who have faced very difficult circumstances over the past number of months and who continue to face uncertainty about the future, particularly in the context of the additional restrictions that have been introduced in the Derry and Strabane council area and of the rising cases across the island and in Britain, which may see further restrictions required. <BR /> <BR />We are all very aware that the health of our people and our economy are interlinked and that decisions have deep and long-term impacts. For that reason, I find it unjustifiable that the British Government are ending the furlough scheme at the end of this month.”
“Similar to Mr Bradley, I am in regular contact with the PSNI about those events annually. The Minister touched on how she is addressing issues to do with congestion and speeding. Is she also looking into the air pollution that comes with those issues?”