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 />We have heard about the bids that the Economy Minister made in relation to economic recovery, and there is certainly a need to have an economic recovery strategy that addresses the long-term structural issues in the local economy, including low productivity, by focusing on skills development and strengthening workers' rights as well as the economic recovery from COVID-19. In doing that, however, we need to instil confidence in the businesses and entrepreneurs that make up our economy that we are willing to support them through the difficult times as well as to reap the benefits in the good times. <BR /> <BR />I will, therefore, support the motion, and I urge Members to do likewise.”
“It is about protecting livelihoods and supporting workers and families. <BR /> <BR />I have consistently argued to the Economy Minister, and to my own Executive colleagues for that matter, that we need to find a way to support those who have missed out on all the support to date. The Finance Minister has made clear that he will consider bids brought forward to support those excluded from other schemes. Other Ministers, in particular the Economy Minister, need to make a bid for funding to support those individuals.”
“I have listened to and read about the depths of despair of some of those individuals. With bills mounting and no sign of any income, many have already taken on further debt that they are not sure will ever be repaid. We are all realists here, too. We know that not every business or job will be saved but for those who have missed out, it is about giving them a lifeline to keep the lights on and a chance to reopen, just like all those who got support simply because they had a premises. <BR /> <BR />These are business owners and entrepreneurs, hairdressers, tradespeople, photographers, taxi drivers and small manufacturing companies that have created jobs and support families. Those small and microbusinesses and their workers are the backbone of our economy. This is not about pouring money into business accounts simply to pay bills.”
“<BR /> <BR />I argued for support beyond the original grant schemes. The Minister agreed that we needed a fund for those who fell through the cracks, and we got the hardship fund. When the criteria were published, there were those who still missed out. I argued for the widening of the criteria of the fund to include those still excluded, and was told that there was a limit to the funding. It has since become apparent that there was over £60 million of underspend across the grant schemes, which showed that support could have been widened. Surely lessons have been learned that would help in the speedy design and delivery of some much-needed and welcome tailored and targeted support. <BR /> <BR />Every MLA has been contacted by business owners and entrepreneurs unable to access support, some of them not eligible for even universal credit.”
“However, simply pointing that out repeatedly to those who have missed out on any support because of their business type or when or how they established their business is neither helpful nor welcome. Many sole traders, the newly self-employed, businesses with no premises and small manufacturing businesses have all missed out simply by the nature of their business. <BR /> <BR />As Mr Stewart said, we have been told that the necessary data to target newly self-employed individuals, for example, has not been forthcoming from HMRC. Last week, the Economy Committee strongly endorsed enquiring whether the Executive would fund a grant if HMRC would deliver it directly to those individuals. I hope that the Economy Minister, in her response, will indicate whether she is willing to consider that.”
“I am glad to have the opportunity to speak to the motion. I thank my Economy Committee colleague John Stewart for tabling the motion. <BR /> <BR />Over the past number of months, I have consistently highlighted those businesses and entrepreneurs who have missed out from the British Government and the Executive support interventions. The Economy Committee has collectively listened and made the case for the extension of supports for those who were missed out from other schemes. We all recognise the scale of the interventions that have been made to support businesses. Over £700 million has been made available by the Executive in rate relief and business grants to support businesses impacted by COVID-19. <BR /> <BR />We also recognise that there is a need to focus on and to fund the economic recovery.”
“Businesses and workers have faced a very difficult few months. Some have not yet been able to reopen, and some, although not yet, may be forced to close again due to restrictions being reimposed. The furlough scheme has been an absolute lifeline. What representations have Executive Ministers made to the British Chancellor about extending the furlough scheme and also the self-employed income support scheme?”
“This will be a difficult and uncertain year for many students, and part-time jobs will be hard to come by. At the end of the last academic year, the Minister and the Executive allocated additional funding to the student hardship fund. Will the Minister consider doing so again this year to support students facing financial difficulties?”
“The quantum of trade with Britain is often cited, particularly by the party opposite, but does he agree with me that the highly integrated nature of our supply chains in those products, particularly agri-food, needs to be considered?”
“We need to hear how she and her Department are supporting businesses to prepare for post-Brexit trading arrangements under all scenarios, particularly in the midst of the ongoing and increasing economic crisis created by COVID-19. What training and educational opportunities are being put in place and what is the time frame on those? Will there be funds available to businesses to help them to enhance their capacity to respond to the challenges that they face? What is she doing to help them identify opportunities on an all-Ireland basis? <BR /> <BR />We are fast running out of time, and businesses and others are crying out for clarity and the ability to prepare. We need to ensure that they are supported in that as far as possible, so I urge Members to support the motion.”
“I thank the Member for his intervention, and, of course, unfettered access is something that we all want to progress. However, if you talk to the 80% of microbusinesses and the 70% of small businesses for which the only export market is the South, you will find that they really want to see that protected. Business groups here have been clear. They want the protections of the protocol. What was agreed to by the British Government needs to be implemented. This is vital to protect our businesses and people's jobs and livelihoods. <BR /> <BR />That brings us back to today's motion and what we are calling on the Economy Minister to do.”
“Any country that is considering entering into trade negotiations with Britain will be watching, because it is about trust and whether you can count on those with whom you have made an agreement to deliver. Whether the British Government, the DUP or anyone else likes it, the protocol has been agreed to, it is part of an international treaty and it cannot be wished away. It is a necessary mechanism to protect the Good Friday Agreement, the all-island economy and North/South cooperation.”
“<BR /> <BR />Ultimately, however, it is the lack of progress in negotiations on a number of key issues, such as the complexities of dual VAT systems, the certification requirements for agri-food and, critically, what "unfettered access" will mean and the definition of "at-risk" goods. These issues urgently need to be resolved, and, instead of committing to meaningful negotiation, the British Government indulge in brinkmanship, and mooted plans to abandon the withdrawal agreement and the implementation of the protocol. We await the publication of the legislation to see the extent to which their reckless words turn into reckless actions. <BR /> <BR />Let us also be clear that we are not the only ones who await that.”
“<BR /> <BR />Over the course of the past few months, it seems that some realities have dawned on the British Government, with the acceptance that goods entering the North will require customs declarations, and, at the beginning of August, there seems to have been an acknowledgement that they were unable to deliver on their conflicting promises of no additional burdens, and that the unavoidable avalanche of red tape was going to be costly. Unfortunately, there is no clarity around the permanency of the arrangements or the funding of the Trader Support Service — currently, it is two years — and there are, of course, still questions around how the customs processes, and the verification of those, will work.”
“<BR /> <BR />We have heard from numerous representative bodies about the challenges facing businesses in the time frames to prepare, and that it will not be possible to have systems in place for checks and other procedures. The British Government had the opportunity to request an extension, which, given the unprecedented circumstances created by the coronavirus pandemic, would have been the responsible thing to do, but instead they sailed through that deadline with little consideration of the impact on businesses here that are already reeling from the impact of COVID-19.”
“That is one of the reasons that the protocol in the withdrawal agreement was painstakingly negotiated. Let us not forget that it was negotiated and was a compromise on behalf of the EU 27 as well as the British Government. The protocol is the legal basis for how trade will occur post-transition, and businesses need to be supported in preparing for the post-transition trading arrangements under all scenarios of the future economic partnership. There are 16 weeks until the end of the transition period, and the calls for technical details and solutions that reflect the needs of businesses are still as relevant today as they were three months ago.”
“Today's motion was submitted in June, following the publication of the NI business Brexit working group paper on implementing the protocol. The sentiments of the motion, however, are as relevant today — indeed, more so — given the revelations of the past two days, because very little has changed. <BR /> <BR />The motion refers to the "complex and unique characteristics" of our local economy. We have an economy in which the vast majority of businesses are SMEs, that has highly integrated supply chains across the island, with some products crossing the border numerous times in the production life cycle, and where more businesses trade North/South than anywhere else. <BR /> <BR />It has been well documented over the past four years how damaging a Brexit that does not take into account those unique circumstances would be.”
“For those businesses in the North that trade North/South and east-west, the lack of clarity about how they will be doing business come January is a worry that they do not need whilst trying to recover from the worst economic crisis in living memory. The British Government need to live up to their commitments to implement the protocol and, through the joint committee, put in place the best possible trading conditions. The EU needs to ensure that the protocol's safeguards are fully implemented.”
“Thank you for the intervention. I do agree. I hope to see the Economy Minister bringing forward, in the next number of weeks, further interventions to support those who have been excluded. Without the support of the furlough scheme, businesses which have been able to hit pause will be forced to hit stop, as bills pile up and business remains either impossible or much reduced. <BR /> <BR />My final point is particularly topical. It is impossible to talk about the short- and medium-term outlook for businesses without also looking at the impact of Brexit. Given the speculation since last night, which seems to be firming up, the likelihood of a decent free-trade agreement seems to be slim. Therefore, businesses are likely to face worsening trade circumstances.”
“<BR /> <BR />The coronavirus job-retention scheme has been an important response but it also needs to form part of the recovery. In some other countries, the scheme has been extended until as far as December 2021. That is a smart move because any economic recovery strategy has to be about helping businesses to respond to changing circumstances. That will not happen overnight or in the short term, so businesses will require flexible supports over the next number of months. This is vital to avoid mass redundancies, which would be devastating for workers and their families.”
“Here in the North and across Britain, part-time working through reduction in hours has only been allowed since August. Some of the schemes also allow for claims for loss of business to be made retrospectively. This means that businesses that have recently faced losses or where business has been up and down, which is likely to be a trend for some time, can enter the schemes. That is not possible with the British version. For instance, in the event of any future lockdown including localised lockdowns, currently, even if there was an extension to the overall scheme, any business that is not already in the scheme would be unable to receive help. It is important that a degree of flexibility is added and that deadlines around entry are reformed to allow employers that may need support in future to be able to get it.”
“The British Chancellor needs to look at reforming other supports, including the self-employed income support scheme, to ensure that those who have been unfairly excluded due to whatever bureaucratic process — in some cases, they have not even been able to access universal credit — and who may still not be able to go back to work can also access support. <BR /> <BR />As I said at the beginning, the scheme has been broadly welcomed. However, that does not mean that there is not room for improvement or learning from other countries that have put in place similar schemes. Across the EU, including in Germany, France and the South, job-retention scheme equivalents have been more flexible since the get-go and allowed for part-time working, for example.”
“To try to avoid mass redundancies and to take account of the much slower return to business than was perhaps originally anticipated, we have been advocating for the scheme to be extended and for flexibility to be built in to support those sectors most impacted. I welcome that the Finance Minister is writing to the British Chancellor on behalf of the Executive to call for the scheme to be extended. <BR /> <BR />When we are talking about the impact on businesses and workers, it would be remiss of us not to also mention those who have missed out on any support.”
“In a number of sectors — manufacturing, for example — while operations have restarted, orders have slowed and there is little sign that business activity will pick up any time soon; certainly not before the end of October, when the scheme is due to end. <BR /> <BR />The changes that have been made to the scheme already have placed a burden on employers in terms of their paying national insurance and pension contributions from the beginning of August and at least 10% of employee wages since the beginning of September. As a result, we have seen a number of redundancies over recent weeks and there are likely to be more in coming weeks.”
“The crisis caused by the pandemic has undoubtedly impacted on some sectors and workers more than others, with greater numbers of workers furloughed in certain sectors. The accommodation and food sector has seen business down over 93% in quarter 2 this year, while manufacturing is down 20% and construction is down 36·5%; 71% of all eligible employments in construction here have been furloughed. Young people are the most likely to be furloughed, with over 60% of 17-year-olds and 45% of 20-year-olds furloughed. Some businesses, like those in hospitality and tourism, have not yet been able to reopen.”
“There is likely to be consensus across the Chamber and, more broadly, across society that the coronavirus job retention scheme, or the furlough scheme as it is better known, has been a lifeline for many businesses and prevented hundreds and thousands of redundancies. However, the job retention scheme introduced by the British Chancellor has, to an extent, been rigid since its inception with cut-off dates for employees to be on the payroll, the ruling out of newly-recruited employees and a further cut-off date for businesses being able to enter the scheme. <BR /> <BR />The most recent figures, published on 21 August, stated that 249,600 employments had been furloughed over the course of the scheme in the North.”
“We will continue to defend the foundation stones of the Irish peace process, including the Good Friday Agreement, and work with those who share those priorities wherever they may be, whether they are in the Assembly, the Dáil, the EU or the United States Congress.”
“Of course, we need to see the internal market Bill that is referred to in the speculation, which will be published on Wednesday, but whether this is an effort to gain some leverage in negotiations or a malign attempt to undermine the protocol, it will do little to make progress in the negotiations. Sinn Féin's priority, as it has been since the referendum four years ago, is to avoid any hard border in the island of Ireland to protect the peace process, the Good Friday Agreement and the all-island economy. That also needs to remain a top priority for the EU and its member states. They must ensure that the full and urgent implementation of the protocol, which provides the safeguards, is paramount.”
“It is hard to see this as anything other than a deliberately provocative yet desperate attempt by the British Government to sabre rattle on the eve of a crunch round of negotiations this week. It is worth reflecting, however, that, this time last year, the British Government also engaged in similar jingoistic theatre to try to rally all the Brexit zealots around a no-deal fantasy, before going on to compromise significantly, with Boris Johnson doing a U-turn to do a deal with Europe, which included the protocol. <BR /> <BR />Over the last few days we have seen British Ministers talking about the positives of a no deal, with George Eustice this morning going as far as saying:”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle, and thank you for accepting this Matter of the Day, which I also had submitted. <BR /> <BR />Last night, with fewer than 16 weeks to the end of the transition period and ahead of the latest round of negotiations, we had reports of the British Government preparing to abandon the withdrawal agreement and the Irish protocol and to introduce their own legislation, without any regard for its impact here. That would be a betrayal of what has already been agreed and would inflict irreversible damage on our economy and on the Good Friday Agreement. <BR /> <BR />For some time now, the outlook and mood music on the future arrangements negotiations have been pessimistic, with little positivity, but the British Government are now playing a dangerous game.”
“I am coming to that. <BR /> <BR />For every decision, obviously, there are consequences, but instead of planning and having the answers to these questions, we are now faced with further delay and distress. I very much welcome the fact that the Finance Minister has this morning said that he will work with Executive colleagues to identify the additional resources that may be necessary to deal with the outworkings of this decision.”
“Did the Education Minister consult Executive colleagues on all that, in particular the Economy Minister, about what this decision would mean and how they would deal with it and, more importantly, communicate it? What about the Health Minister? Did he talk to him about courses such as medicine, dentistry and nursing? What about teacher-training places? Have all those things being considered in taking this decision?”
“I thank the Minister for clarifying that, and, hopefully, there will be a statement on that later today to give some clarity to universities and to the young people. We all know that our universities are allocated maximum students numbers each year and that, in a normal year, if they go over that number, they are fined. So yesterday, understandably, they were asking questions about what this would mean for them this year. Would they be able to take all the students who obtained their conditional offer, and would they be funded for this? What about the impacts on courses that have quotas, such as medicine and nursing? What will the impact be on the intake for next year if those courses are filled up this year?”
“Universities normally have almost a week to prepare their admissions and are now in a position where they do not have the students' grades and are, of course, receiving calls from students and their parents enquiring about places. I hope that the new amended grades will be speedily communicated to the universities and the young people, and I hope that the Minister can perhaps clarify the timeline around that.”
“Instead of taking a decision a week ago when it was clear from the Scottish example that we would face the same issues, the Minister dragged his feet and seems to have waited on the English Minister adopting a position before doing similar. Of course, it is not the first time in this crisis that a Minister has slavishly followed the lead of London rather than doing the right thing for citizens here. <BR /> <BR />The reality now unfolding is that there may be several hundred more students who, on the basis of this amended approach, obtained their conditional offers from universities. While that will definitely be a positive thing for those young people, our universities and colleges are unclear about what the implications will be for them.”
“Instead of being proactive and learning from the mistakes that were made elsewhere and taking an approach that was based on the well-being of our young people, the Minister stuck with a position that seems to have been much more about protecting the system. This should never have been about defending an algorithm; it should have been about the well-being of our young people and giving them clarity and confidence in their grades. <BR /> <BR />Instead, we have had almost a week of additional stress and anxiety for young people, their families and their teachers, and that will now be further compounded by additional delays and uncertainty around university admissions.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. I welcome you back to your position. <BR /> <BR />Over the past few months, we have used the words "unprecedented" and "extraordinary" an awful lot, and Mr Stalford has made that point by using those words in his speech several times. While, obviously, the pandemic and the crises in our health system and in our economy and society are unprecedented in modern times, we have had to try to deal with these things and the outworking of them as best as possible. However, for this particular scenario, in relation to the awarding of grades, there was a precedent from the week before in Scotland.”
“I am glad to hear about the Executive's approach that the Minister outlined to Mr Blair. Are there any exemptions to the quarantine period, for example, for essential or key workers?”
“The evidence for action is overwhelming, and there is a real need for the regulatory framework, through climate change legislation, to ensure our strategies on building a better and fairer economy and society work for all citizens and protect and enhance the environment and the planet for generations to come.”
“We need to see real investment in skills development and infrastructure and in the sectors that will deliver this: the green economy, the creative economy, the digital economy, research and innovation and academia. We have huge potential on this island and should seek to build on that in a real, joined-up way through an all-island approach, because climate recognises no borders. The resilient economy and society that we want to create will be better enabled by supporting the development of secure local supply chains. <BR /> <BR />This is too crucial a time to dither and delay.”
“No, I have quite a lot to get through, sorry. <BR /> <BR />It is vital that we have a genuine partnership approach that brings together representatives of all those who will be impacted; in reality, who is not? Here we mean representatives of workers, business, academia and, of course, agriculture and the agri-food industry, energy, the community and voluntary sector and government to plan for the just transition and economic recovery that will deliver jobs, prosperity and a better quality of life and outcomes for people that cannot simply be measured by GDP. Climate action must be based on social justice and must not disadvantage those who are least able to pay. That is why I have called for the setting up of a just transition commission to plan for the decarbonisation of our economy and society.”
“There will of course be a consultation on any legislation that is brought forward, and that will be shaped by best practice. Certainly, when I talk to stakeholders and delivery partners, including those from business, energy, industry and academia, they are keen to make progress on decarbonisation but, to some extent, are working without a guide. They are planning loosely on the basis of the British targets, and that is not the localised, all-island approach that we need to protect our local economy and to ensure a just transition for our citizens.”
“On 1 June, the Assembly called for a fair, just and green economic recovery that demonstrates that we value our key workers, protects the most vulnerable, protects workers' rights and our public services and commits to tackling economic challenges by a just transition to a more high-skilled, regionally balanced and sustainable economy. In planning for an economic and societal recovery from COVID-19 that will also be able to deal with the challenges of the climate crisis now and into the future, a recovery that is jobs-led and is fair and just would be hugely benefited by the introduction of a climate change Act with legally binding and ambitious sectoral targets. <BR /> <BR />I pick up on Mrs Barton's point when I say that the reports are there, including the Committee on Climate Change's report from last year. The evidence is there.”
“People expect a climate change Act with the type of binding sectoral targets and strategies to achieve them that will meet our obligations on limiting global warming and preventing the catastrophic consequences of missing those targets.”
“It is fair to say that the evidence base clearly exists already. It has done so for the past three decades; in fact, the evidence simply grows on the scale of the disaster of not acting. Frankly, I do not really know what "the outcomes people expect" means. Certainly, the Paris Accord commits to limiting global warming to 1·5° by the end of this century, and in NDNA, in January, parties here committed to implementing policies to meet that target. The Assembly has declared a climate emergency and called for the implementation of those commitments, so it is fair to say that people expect action that will achieve that and not simply rhetoric and can-kicking.”
“I support the motion; I do not support the amendment. <BR /> <BR />On 3 February, the Assembly declared a climate emergency. We also called for the Executive to fulfil the climate action and environmental commitments agreed in 'New Decade, New Approach' and for the commencement, as a matter of urgency, of a review of the Executive's strategies to reduce carbon emissions in respect of the Paris Accord and the climate crisis. On 17 June, in response to my question for written answer that asked for an update on the New Decade, New Approach commitment to reviewing the Executive's strategies to reduce carbon emissions, the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs said:”
“They are really important projects and work streams. Over the past number of weeks, we have seen very public demonstrations against racism in the Black Lives Matter protests, but we also really need to see systemic and structural change to tackle division and discrimination. Can the Minister confirm that the Executive remain fully committed to tackling the scourges of sectarianism and racism in all their manifestations?”
“The Minister will know the concern that was raised last Friday in a meeting that we attended with hospitality businesses in Causeway Coast and Glens that there might be a need for specific support for businesses in those areas or some further flexibility around the job retention scheme. Does the Minister intend to make the case for that with the Treasury?”
“I too welcome you back and hope that you are feeling better, a Phríomh-LeasCheann Comhairle. I thank the Minister for his statement, and I welcome the allocation to business and skills in the June monitoring round. Obviously, there is an underspend on some of the business support grants, and we hope to see that reallocated to further support for businesses. Looking forward, as the economy begins to reopen and looking at the experience of other countries and, obviously, that of England, where Leicester is going into a lockdown of its own, we may potentially see similar things here.”
“I thank the Minister for his statement. It is welcome that St Conor's in Kilrea, which is in my constituency, is one of the post-primaries that have benefited from investment to advance and design. It is also welcome that the design and delivery of these builds will be based on net zero emissions. That is very welcome. <BR /> <BR />Ms Bunting addressed the £10 million that has been ring-fenced for youth centres. When do you expect announcements around that to be made? Will they be included in this process, or is a completely new process required for those projects?”