Conor Murphy
Newry and Armagh · Sinn Féin · Northern Ireland
“More detailed consultations with individual childcare providers and parents are taking place this month and into February. The group agreed that the research would conclude in March 2025. The work is on schedule; there has been no delay. Childcare is an excellent example of various Departments coming together to deliver for our people.”
“The Bill looks at the issue of flexible working, but at every meeting that we have had with employers, we have made a point of talking to them about the need for them to be flexible, particularly in relation to women who are returning to the workforce, and to offer people arrangements that entice them back to the workforce and give them t…”
“I welcome the opportunity to speak to the motion. <BR /> <BR />Although the Department of Education leads on childcare, it is a priority for the Executive as a whole. When setting the Budget for this financial year, the Executive earmarked an additional £25 million for childcare.”
“As a matter of fact, I publicly launched the scheme and the courses in the Met last summer. My officials are also working with our six further education colleges to develop childcare microcourses for future delivery. <BR /> <BR />I also offered to assist Minister Givan's Department as required.”
“The group identified the need to better understand the business models for childcare, what type of support is needed to ensure the sector's financial viability and how support should be targeted. Given my Department's business expertise, we volunteered to take that work forward.”
“No tensions or obstacles have been placed in the way of any of that work, and I hope that that continues to be the case, because the issues are much more important than party political exchanges across the Chamber. We will continue to work in that manner.”
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“I hope that we will be successful in that regard, but, as I said in my initial answer, we are committed to doing all that we can to make sure that we retain those jobs and all of the production here.”
“We recognise that ecosystem, as you say, around the company. Of course, we are trying to help all manufacturing and supply chain businesses and keep them growing, not only by supplying local companies and companies working here but by increasing their export potential, which gives them more sustainability and depth in their business. <BR /> <BR />We have not been engaging with local companies specifically on the issue, because it is very much a decision for Spirit AeroSystems and for Airbus, Boeing and the other companies that may be interested in it. Our primary objective is to protect the jobs and production there. That, in turn, will give a degree of certainty to the supply chain companies as well.”
“I gave an undertaking to Gavin Robinson — other Members have raised the issue here, including at Question Time — that we will play our full role and Invest NI will play its full role in trying to keep the jobs and as much of the business here as possible. We will use our influence with the British Government to make sure that, when they talk to some of the companies involved, they understand the importance of the jobs and the continuation of the development here. We are absolutely fully on board for doing all that. We have ongoing dialogue and will keep a close watching brief on this. We have committed to intervene, if and when that necessary point arrives.”
“The Member is correct. I met the MP for the area, or maybe he is the outgoing MP; I am not sure what his status is at this time. We are concerned, and concerns have been presented to us by people who work in the company. They are concerned about its future, what may happen if the company is bought over, who might buy it and what that could do to the jobs that are currently available here. I went to Spirit and met the company management and trade union people, and we discussed those issues. We agreed that there would come a point at which representations will be necessary. This morning, there were reports that we are moving closer to that point.”
“Firstly, we will consider MaSN in relation to Magee. We have been doing that. It will be for the university to decide the range of courses and the number of places that it offers. We will supply support and encouragement. We have been doing that through the task force to make sure not only that there are places and staff available to take additional students but that the entire remit of the city and north-west region generally is brought together for one purpose: to support that which is seen to be the central economic catalyst for growth in the north-west. The full weight of my endeavours as Minister is behind all that, and we will try to ensure that the university and city deliver in that regard.”
“As I have said, that is part of an overall ambition to raise the university population of Magee to 10,000 students. That was a New Decade, New Approach commitment. It falls to my Department to deliver that. We are trying to incrementally increase the number there in line with discussions with the university and the Magee task force. I cannot give an exact figure for how many people will be enrolled this September. That will require people to apply and come on to courses. I am happy to get that answer and give it to the Member in due course.”
“If I can get the answer quickly. The annual Northern Ireland apprenticeship week showcases how apprenticeships can transform the future for apprentices and businesses by helping them to release their potential. In addition, a twice-yearly apprenticeship advertising campaign reinforces the benefits of apprenticeship for the individual and employer.”
“Public-sector apprenticeships are important, and I will encourage all Departments to step up to the plate in that regard. It is a challenge to manage all of that as well as budgets, but they are important routes for younger people and those who are already in employment to upskill. As I said in my initial answer, HLAs are proving to be more and more popular as the years go on. They have been a success story. We need to make sure that the public sector pulls its weight and that Departments get involved and improve the numbers where they can. I will encourage other Ministers to do that.”
“Higher-level apprenticeships (HLAs) are demand-led with employers creating opportunities in line with business needs. HLAs are a success story and have grown significantly since they started in 2017, exceeding original forecasts. Year-on-year, we have seen an expansion in the range of HLAs being offered across our economy. That growth enables more employers to use apprenticeships to attract new talent, as well as providing existing employees with a route to gaining new skills where they move to a new job role. <BR /> <BR />More recent statistics show that 65 higher-level apprentices had a home address in North Down. HLAs are delivered by all six further education colleges, the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) and the three local universities, offering access across the North.”
“<BR /> <BR />I have been working with the Labour Relations Agency and other stakeholders to encourage employers to accommodate flexible working, and a proposed Bill also presents a potential opportunity to strengthen that right.”
“The issue of carer's leave and the barriers to entering or remaining in the workforce that performing such an important role may present, particularly for women, is a complex issue that stretches far beyond the policy remit of my Department. However, we have played and do play an important role. <BR /> <BR />My Department has several programmes available to all qualifying members of the public who wish to retrain. Details on each of those programmes and career information may be found on nidirect The existing right to request flexible working also offers carers the opportunity to request working arrangements that allow them to balance their caring responsibilities with work. However, more can and should be done.”
“I know that officials have worked through all the sectors that will be impacted by legislation.”
“The officials have been consulting on what will go into the Bill. I agree with you on the contributions that carers make. Saying that carers should be paid for all leave sometimes seems to be a ready response: that would lead to a series of considerably bigger questions. We need to make sure that people are aware, when we go out to consultation, of the issues that we face in that respect. We need to go into the process with eyes wide open. If we go down the road — I am not arguing for or against doing so because I am open to the points that will be made during the consultation — we need to make sure that we are ready for the consequences of doing so. The Assembly and Executive will have to decide on that. I encourage the Member to respond to the consultation, and I am happy to hear from carers.”
“Those changes would require considerable set-up costs, and the ongoing annual costs would be substantial. <BR /> <BR />Carer's leave is one of the issues in an employment rights Bill that I intend to consult on, and any policy proposals for new legislation will be informed by the outcome of the consultation process. Those, in turn, will all need the necessary approvals from the Executive and the Assembly.”
“I intend to introduce an employment rights Bill in the current mandate in order to ensure that our employment law framework operates effectively for employees and businesses. I am aware that there have been calls for carer's leave to be a paid right, which goes beyond the provisions that are in Britain, the South of Ireland and, indeed, the EU. The cost of providing paid carer's leave would be considerable and would have to be fully funded by the Executive. In addition to the cost of providing paid carer's leave, there are other possible implications, such as the availability of funding for any HMRC system changes that would be required.”
“I had a North/South Ministerial Council meeting on tourism this morning at which I talked about the bigger issue of branding and other matters with the Department that is responsible for tourism in the South. <BR /> <BR />Yes, of course, that sector will be included. We want to make sure that the tourism policy is as effective as it can be. In doing that, we will work as closely as we can with the industry that it affects.”
“Yes, it will. If we want to make sure that the tourism strategy, which the Department has produced but not yet concluded, is as effective as it can be, the principle of co-design that I have always argued for needs people from the hospitality sector in there making their arguments. I have taken that approach to various areas of responsibility across the Department in order to make sure that we have input from people in the industries that we are trying to work with and provide policies for. That is how we get the most effective policy and the most buy-in to that policy from across the various sectors that we deal with. <BR /> <BR />I had the opportunity, and I have had many such opportunities since I came into office, to talk to people from the tourism and hospitality sector.”
“The Department of Finance runs a scheme to try to encourage people back into unused premises. That is in the context of a very limited Budget. Ten per cent of the Executive's income comes from rates, so if we were to forgo more of that, we would forgo more money for other public services, which, I am sure, he and others in the constructive Opposition would criticise us for not spending money on, so it is a vicious circle. We all have a responsibility to play our part. I am very glad to join my Executive colleagues, just as I have been in all the Executives that I have sat on, which included some of your colleagues.”
“Well, it is one thing to pass the buck to everybody else; it is another to look in on yourself and the performance of your party in the Executive on these matters. Your party has been in every Executive apart from this one, I think, since the inception of the Good Friday Agreement, yet you find a way to criticise every other party for its performance. <BR /> <BR />That aside and going forward from a positive and constructive Opposition perspective, I certainly agree to work with other Ministers. There are issues of dereliction across all our towns and cities, including Belfast. Some of those relate to things like the cost of living and the cost of doing business, which has resulted in businesses struggling. That means that there are issues with rates, as well as other things.”
“I noticed your comment on that last week. I was surprised that you did not mention that your party had the Infrastructure portfolio in the previous Executive when you were criticising people over the years for not taking any action. Of course we want to see dereliction —”
“However, if there is a new government, there might be a different approach to that. I am sure that the Finance Minister will raise that with Treasury, along with a range of issues that the Executive want to raise. I am very happy to offer support and to collaborate with other Ministers in order to ensure that we have the best night-time economy possible.”
“I agree with the point that the Member outlined that a safe night-out environment means a safe way of getting home. That is particularly the case for women getting home from night-time entertainment and our night economy. That is critical. As I say, the appointment of a person to try to draw those strands together may be helpful, because it cuts across many Departments. The taxi industry is DFI's responsibility. I agree with you: we do not want to see fewer taxis. We want to see more taxis providing that support for people who are out enjoying the economies in all our towns and cities. <BR /> <BR />The VAT issue is one for the Department of Finance. When I was Finance Minister, we raised VAT issues with Treasury on a number of occasions but not with much success, mind you.”
“<BR /> <BR />We have a very great offering in Belfast, as I am sure you are aware. Like me, you read about it rather than experience it, but there is a very great offering of nightlife. We want people to be able to enjoy that in a very safe fashion. That means ensuring that universities play their role in assisting students to enjoy that in a safe way as well.”
“The appointment of such a person is very useful because those matters are not the single responsibility of any Department. Someone who can draw them together will be very useful. <BR /> <BR />The student accommodation situation in Belfast is developing very rapidly, and you can see that throughout the city centre. It might herald a move from some of the more densely packed areas in South Belfast, where students have congregated, to a different living environment in the city centre. There seems to be a very significant trend there. We need to continue to work with the universities to make sure that, where students enjoy nightlife, it does not impact on residents who live in the various parts of South Belfast, and that we have a nightlife atmosphere that is as safe as possible and as conducive to enjoyment as possible.”
“The Department recognises the importance of a thriving night-time economy in ensuring that our towns and cities are attractive places in which to live, work and invest and to visit. My Department is exploring how it can best support the night-time economy. Engaging with the relevant stakeholders, such as the newly appointed night czar, Michael Stewart, in Belfast, will be an integral part of that process. My Department has contacted Michael to arrange a meeting.”
“We will continue to give them all the support that we can within the limits and budgets that we have available to us.”
“Not only are we developing the action plan, we are putting together a group, in the spirit of co-design, made up of a mixture of people from across the industry to try to advise. With that, we have very limited funds to give out, which is unfortunate, and I hope that the situation improves, but we want to try to direct support where the benefit is greatest. <BR /> <BR />Undoubtedly, many events are largely created through voluntary work from people on the ground who provide a huge amount of their time on a voluntary basis to promote their areas. Wherever possible, we need to provide support — not just financial assistance but support that is available to ensure that people get better skilled at running festivals and events. Those are enormously beneficial, not just for community cohesion but for attracting people to local areas.”
“Tourism NI is responsible for the administration of tourism events funding in the Department. Since 2019, Tourism NI has provided over £1·6 million of financial support to events and festivals that promote the arts, such as theatre, arts and music. <BR /> <BR />Tourism NI has also supported the event and festival organisers with skills development and capacity building through one-to-one mentoring and masterclasses on topics such as delivering environmentally sustainable events and developing commercial opportunities.”
“There are too many people at them. <BR /> <BR />I agree: it is unfortunate that, when budgets become tightly squeezed, often the first thing to suffer is the arts. Not only are the arts necessary for the enrichment of our lives, but the events are an economic generator in a lot of areas. It is a challenge. The funding is, obviously, not my area, but, with the new Government coming in, hopefully, the Executive can succeed in trying to secure sufficient funding. I would hope to see the arts getting an uplift, as I would for other vital public services.”
“I am a bit like you, a Phríomh-LeasCheann Comhairle: I am getting too old for these musical events.”
“I would like to be in a position, as, I am sure, would Tourism NI, to support all such events, but the question is the funds that it has available and how it tries to disburse them across the many competing demands.”
“One would like to be in a position to support all events, but the big challenge with supporting any event is the finance available. That means that, when you get down to decision-making, you need evidence to support it and you need money available to spend on the event. That means that events such as that festival and other events end up competing with each other for limited funds. That can mean that some gain and some lose out. <BR /> <BR />I have no doubt that the festivals are good events. They attract visitors — I am aware of people from my locality who go to that musical event — and they bring business and tourism into the area and, therefore, support the local economy in that part of the north-west.”
“Tourism NI has provided significant financial support to the Stendhal Festival in recent years, amounting to £58,000 for the past five years in which the festival has taken place. Data in relation to the performance of events supported under the national tourism event sponsorship scheme is provided by event organisers as part of their post-event evaluation. Data on the performance of the event since its inception is not available, as funding has not been provided for every year of the event since its inception. However, I have no doubt that music events such as the Stendhal Festival encourage visitors to explore more of the North by providing authentic and positive cultural experiences in dramatic landscapes.”
“Getting to the point at which that can be calculated involves entering a discussion on what might be an acceptable outcome regarding tariffs and the funding that might be available to us from Treasury. We have to get to the first base, which is that the Executive have to take a decision and signal an intent. That is what I have been bringing to the Executive for a number of weeks, but I have been unable to get a decision; I have been unable to get even a discussion. We need that decision to be taken. On the back of that, we will go off and do the calculations, and I will bring a further paper to the Executive to outline the costs and the possibilities of funding to support them. That will allow the Executive to take a fuller decision on the closure.”
“Yes, the delay in taking a decision delays everything. It also acts to frustrate the view of the Court of Appeal, which was that this thing should move on at pace, that people should get certainty in relation to tariffs and that the Executive should give some certainty in relation to the future of the scheme. It is extremely frustrating not to be able to have the issue discussed in the Executive. I have tried to do so on a number of occasions, and I intend to bring the matter back to the Executive at the next available opportunity. I hope that that is sooner rather than later.”
“It is frustrating that the Executive have not been allowed to make a decision on the future of RHI.”
“It is frustrating that the future of RHI is still undecided. It is a problem that I inherited and one that should have been dealt with long ago. A permanent solution, as raised in last year's Court of Appeal judgment, is necessary for all legitimate participants in the scheme and for the taxpayer. Delay risks further litigation. The urgent need to close the scheme is underlined by Ofgem withdrawing its administrative services by April 2026 at the latest. <BR /> <BR />I first circulated an Executive paper on 4 April 2024. It seeks to uplift tariffs and confirm the Executive's intention to close the scheme. That confirmation is needed if my officials are to develop a detailed proposal for closure and to negotiate with Treasury on using the funding available for another scheme.”
“For many owners, safeguarding the future of the business and its employees is an important objective, and selling to your workforce does not mean severing ties with the business. For employers, having employees engaged directly with the business not only improves general working conditions but, as analysis by WPI Economics estimates, employee-owned businesses are around 8% to 12% more productive and 25% more likely to see increased profits than those that are not employee-owned.”
“It is, if you like, an approach to business succession that is not well illuminated here. It is not well known. It is growing. A week or two ago, I attended a conference, which was the third in a series of conferences over three days — in Newry, Cookstown, I think, and then Belfast — at which there was significant interest in that model. The benefits are subject to qualifying conditions. There can be a significant tax incentive to encourage businesses to adopt the employee ownership model, with an exemption from capital gains tax on the sale of shares to the employee ownership trust. Owners have a viable succession plan option that keeps the business embedded in the community.”
“Employee ownership has the potential to increase productivity and create fairer workplaces. However, currently, the North has only a limited number of employee-ownership businesses, and I would like to see that increase. I have directed my Department to undertake research on employee ownership. That will include an examination of the advantages or disadvantages of employee ownership as a business model, consideration of case studies of businesses that have become employee-owned and a look at the potential for the growth of employee-owned businesses. The research will be published in the latter part of the summer. Invest NI is already working with the business sector, including the social economy sector, to promote employee ownership for businesses with succession planning.”
“I have already said on a number of occasions that it will and should include such a ban. Exploitative situations for all workers should be tackled wherever we can do that. As I said in response to a previous question, if there is one thing that we can do here, it is to tackle inequalities and injustices, and we should set our minds to that. It is my intention to do that. Obviously, I will put it out to consultation and see what the return is, but I would be surprised if there were not strong support for that.”
“Yes. As I say, I hope, next week, to announce a consultation on the full range of issues that will be in the good jobs Bill. My intention is to come to the Chamber to do that next week. That will include a range of matters. The consultation document will go out. Of course, people can respond and, if they think that it should cover other areas that are not in it, they can feel free to make that contribution to it or, indeed, offer observations or insights on some of the issues that are addressed. A fairly comprehensive piece of legislation will come from that, so it is a significant consultation document. I look forward to being able to launch that next week and have feedback on it over the summer.”
“I plan to consult on proposals to bring forward an employment rights Bill to protect and enhance workers' rights. As well as supporting the commitments in 'New Decade, New Approach', the new legislation will help deliver on the good jobs objective in my economic plan. Payment of the real living wage is a key element of a good job. While minimum wage setting powers have not been devolved at this stage, I recently announced my Department's support for a full-time living wage franchise here to encourage the uptake of the real living wage. My Department will provide £125,000 per year to Advice NI to carry out that important work.”
“I will work with those Ministers, and, if legislation is required, I will try to get it through in this mandate.”
“I agree with you that there is a dearth of provision. That has not happened recently but has been going on for many years. It is an inequality, and, if we are to do anything in our job in this institution and the job of those of us who hold ministerial positions, it should be to try to tackle inequalities and injustices wherever they are. I gave a commitment to try to do that. I have worked on the issue in my role as a constituency representative. I understand people's frustration when lack of provision leads to a cliff edge at the age of 19, beyond which there is little or no provision. I have undertaken to do what we can in the Department to work with the other Ministers, where there is crossover, and there are areas of crossover with the Department of Health, the Department of Education and the Department for Communities.”
“When I spoke to Alma last week, I undertook to talk to the other Ministers involved to make sure that, in the first instance, if there are things that we can do in the here and now to improve access to training and to provide proper, fulfilling experiences for people with special educational needs, we do so. I also talked about legislation, which is generally a longer-term solution, but I have asked officials to come back to me. If legislation is required, I hope that it can be done in this mandate.”
“I had the pleasure of meeting Alma White last week in my office here. Yes, it will be a question of collaborating with other Departments. With that post-19 cohort, there is a significant responsibility for the Department for the Economy, but that will require us to have a joined-up approach with the Department of Education. We are already working on the disability strategy, which is led by the Department for Communities. The Department of Education special needs end-to-end review is co-chaired by Education and the Department of Health.”
“My Department has a range of provision for young people with special educational needs that is delivered through further education colleges, universities and across our vocational training provision. There are significant gaps in provision, however, and they have been worsened by the loss of the European social fund. That is not acceptable. Everyone should be able to access opportunities and fulfil their potential. I have therefore asked officials to review the current provision and provide me with recommendations to improve support for young people with special educational needs. I have also asked my officials to examine legislative protections and bring back advice as soon as possible. It is my hope that practical support and legislative protections can be strengthened in this mandate. That will require collaboration across Departments.”
“I support the motion and the Sinn Féin amendment. I do not wish to oppose the other amendment, but my position is that we need to take a strong and robust position on the ETA.”
“The Chair of the Economy Committee raised questions about the tourism partnership board. As he mentioned, we have put the partnership board together to enable cross-departmental engagement on relevant issues. The membership will be drawn from relevant Departments as well as including representatives from the tourism sector, the hospitality industry and local government. Once finalised, letters of invitation will be issued. I intend to provide the board with a draft action plan. The final document, however, will be co-designed by the board, and I am happy to share with the Committee the terms of reference and any further information and updates that it wishes.”