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.”
The complete record
Every one of 4,975 lines we hold for Conor Murphy, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 19 of 100.
“Yes, I do, increasingly. In my previous role in the Department of Finance, we had responsibility for civil servants. There were efforts there to ensure that we gave opportunities for people to come forward, particularly people who, perhaps, would not ordinarily have ended up working in some parts of the public service. It is to the good of the public service generally that we have more diversity and ranges of experience in it. It leads to better outcomes in the decisions that it has to take and the ideas that it generates. It is of enormous value. <BR /> <BR />We have recognised that we have a stubbornly low level of productivity. We are the worst-performing region on these islands.”
“Yes, I do. I have had that conversation briefly with the Minister of Education. The traditional pathways, basically through schools, were either into vocational work or universities. They are much broader and more varied now, and there is much more opportunity for people to follow high-level apprenticeships. We need to ensure that, when kids are 13 or 14 years old, they get all those options laid out for them and their parents, so that they can pursue whatever option, they think, is best for them, and that they continue to receive advice as they progress through school. Again, it is a bit like my response to the previous question: the more cohesion we have between Departments working together, the better the outcomes we will get, particularly for young people.”
“Primary responsibility for that will be with the Health Department. My Department has a general responsibility for skills, education and training, particularly in relation to apprenticeships. That scheme shows that, where there is collaboration between Departments, it can have a positive outcome. Albeit that is small numbers, it is still a positive outcome. <BR /> <BR />As I said in response to a previous question, the best outcome that we can get from an Executive with limited resources is collaboration across Departments to ensure that we are not duplicating or cutting across one another. I am happy to work with the Health Department to ensure that we work together, where we can, to provide support for people to improve their skills and qualifications and the productivity that they bring to the workforce.”
“A level 6 higher-level apprenticeship in adult nursing is currently approved for delivery by the Open University. Joint funding for a single cohort of nine apprentices was provided by my Department and the Department of Health. That cohort was recruited into the programme in 2020 and completed their apprenticeships in 2023. All nursing apprentices on the programme were employed in the private sector, mainly in private care homes.”
“There are programmes that have come out of the Department in relation to supporting that energy efficiency. There are programmes that the Department has, but I understand that it will be an issue for Communities as well, which is in that kind of housebuilding arena. It is incumbent on us all to work together and link together to make sure that what programmes are available are understood and supported across the Departments, both in terms of new build — that comes from new housing stock — and of retrofitting, because there are enormous opportunities to reduce energy consumption, particularly in older households, if we can get the right schemes there. The challenge that we always have is in finding the right resource to go into such programmes. Nonetheless, it is an important area of our ambition to reach net zero.”
“In that context, I am hopeful that we can genuinely plan into the future, because this is a key commitment not just for the Department for the Economy but across the Executive. It is a moral as well as a legal obligation that we have to meet, and the Executive will have to meet it.”
“The Budget that we are currently dealing with is one that essentially should have been done or was due to have been done by the Secretary of State, and he stepped aside from that and left the Finance Minister with a very short-notice Budget. Of course, the Budget that we will be dealing with for next year has not yet been able to take account of what, I hope, will be the re-fixing of our financial position and our fiscal framework, which the Executive intend to talk to Treasury about. In that context, I am not aware that that has been planned in the future, but I am aware, as all Members here are aware, that we do not receive the funding that we should be entitled to and that we have to renegotiate that with Treasury.”
“If our strategy is to work in terms of the general renewables agenda that we want to promote across the island and the localised, smaller-scale improvements that people are doing in their own homes and areas and given the number of new builds that we have, we have to make sure that the connection charges are fair to people who are trying to invest in that. We will talk to the Utility Regulator and others in that area to try to make sure that we get a degree of fairness there, because there is a recognition that there is a high cost associated with connection. If we want to make sure that we get people connected who are producing their own renewable energy or some of the bigger-scale renewables that will be absolutely vital going forward, we need to make sure that connection is not an off-putting element to all of that.”
“I do not have the exact figures to hand. I am happy to provide him with that. Nonetheless, the strategy is a combined strategy across the Executive. It is about meeting our targets. Substantial work has been done, but it will have to be substantially improved to make sure that we meet the target for 2030 of an 80% reduction in carbon emissions. There are a number of investments. Some of them are from the Executive, and some of it is annually managed expenditure that we can access and other funds that we can access. I am happy to get a breakdown of the figures and provide them to the Member.”
“The energy strategy, 'The Path to Net Zero Energy', was published in December 2021 following agreement by the Executive. It contained a commitment to report progress on cross-departmental actions to implement the strategy. Annual action plan reports on delivery in the first two years of the strategy have been published. The 2024 action plan is due to be published in the coming days and will outline priority areas of action and the associated tasks for delivery in 2024.”
“We have had contact with the Departments that we share interests with, but I want to get those arrangements formally working to examine the case for bringing those brands northwards, because it would benefit tourism providers right along the north coast and on the east coast of Ireland.”
“As I said in response to the previous question, those brands are very strong and successful, not just in terms of their international recognition but because they have encouraged people who have received increased business to invest in their businesses to improve the tourism offer. The Member knows, as I do, that that area of Armagh and County Down, which has a beautiful and historic coast with many tourist attractions, and right up through the glens of Antrim coast would benefit from the additional boost that that marketing would give and the number of visitors that it would attract. There is a strong argument for building on those brands, and I look forward to engagement with Minister Catherine Martin, who represents the Southern Government on tourism matters, and to getting the North/South arrangements formally up and working again.”
“My memories of it are not that fond. Nonetheless, I recognise the value of it and other significant listed buildings. I am very happy to engage with the Minister to discuss whether there is an overlap between our Departments. Sometimes we struggle to get to this place, but there is a recognition in the Executive that, with the limited resources that we have, the more joint work we do on various initiatives and areas of policy, the better the outcome that we can achieve across the board. I am happy to talk to the Minister in relation to that and try to generate some fond memories of Crumlin Road courthouse .”
“I spent time in Crumlin Road courthouse — not by choice, I have to add.”
“Recognising the value that those brands have created over time, there is a case, which I will look for, to extend those brands into the North.”
“I did not realise that North Belfast had stretched its boundaries all the way to the north coast. There has been ongoing discussion between Tourism NI and the agencies responsible for the Causeway coast and the Wild Atlantic Way. Various signage issues are being looked at. The Wild Atlantic Way, Ireland's Ancient East and Ireland's Hidden Heartlands have become very successful tourism brands, not just in terms of international recognition but in lifting the tourist product in those areas by encouraging people to invest more and improve their tourism offer. It will be important to bring some of that understanding and knowledge across to the Causeway coast. Work is ongoing under the auspices of Tourism Ireland to look at improving that.”
“Part of the Department's approach generally will be about co-design, including on things like North Belfast's tourism product and areas of historical significance. Cave Hill does not just have its beauty; it is also where the United Irishmen declared their revolution, so it has historical significance as well. Where a tourism product straddles council areas, such as in North Belfast, it is incumbent on both councils to work together. Then, it is much easier for Departments, tourism agencies and Tourism NI to respond to any particular propositions to support the tourism product in the general north Belfast area and make sure that full value is obtained from all of the assets that it has.”
“Tourism NI is also working with Belfast City Council on a new £350,000 neighbourhood tourism investment programme, which will run over the next 18 months and will be of interest to stakeholders in North Belfast.”
“North Belfast has a number of significant tourist attractions, including Crumlin Road Gaol and Belfast Castle. Tourism NI is developing plans and seeking opportunities for future capital programmes in order to enhance the tourism industry, and it is open to proposals for North Belfast.”
“Belfast Met has autonomy in decision-making on its resources, infrastructure and estate, but I have had some representations on the matter, and I have asked officials to look at what the issues are. I know that there is some disquiet about it. I have to confess that I am not entirely certain of Belfast Met's plans for carrying its business into the future, but we will have that conversation with it and see what can be done. The day-to-day decisions on its resources and estate are a matter for the college.”
“Yes. The 10X strategy, which was the point of the question, has a lot of positive areas, but it is largely silent on post-Brexit trading arrangements. Now that we have some certainty on that, it helps in making sure not only that those internationally who are interested in potential investment here understand what the position is — that means North/South, east-west and the dual access that we have — but that local firms that clearly want to get involved in exporting into the South, Europe and internationally have a clear understanding of the arrangements. I hope that we are on the point of resolution, because any continued uncertainty will continue to damage not only international investment but investment by local people in their businesses. The more certainty that we have on that, the better.”
“That is a growing trade, and it is enormously important to not only our tourism but our broader economy. <BR /> <BR />We intend to consult the Northern Ireland Tourism Alliance, because it has particularly strong views on the damage that the ETA can do. Our intention is to build up the evidence on the concerns on the ETA and to bring that to the Home Office in London in order to make a particular case for a relaxation of it for tourism. From what we have been speaking about in both the previous question and this one, tourism potential could be seriously undermined if we have a significant restriction on travel across the border.”
“I am not that parochial, I have to say. <BR /> <BR />I agree with the Member. We are looking at a separate tourism strategy, which has been out for consultation and which will no doubt come back to us for a further look. I have received many views on that, and I think that it can be improved. <BR /> <BR />The ETA is already causing very serious concerns. I have no doubt that, for some of the projects that we are talking about, including the big competitions and other events that we bring here, it is a factor in the minds of the organisers, because they depend on international tourism. About 70% of international visitors to the North come through the South. Over a quarter of a million day visits every year are made by people who come up from the South, where they have been holidaying.”
“The 10X economic vision has many positive elements, and I intend to build upon those strengths in taking forward my own economic vision. The vision that I outlined to the Assembly last week provides a clear strategic focus on good jobs, regional balance, productivity and decarbonisation. It takes account of the recommendations of the independent review of Invest Northern Ireland. It also factors in greater certainty in our trading conditions, which creates opportunities to boost trade on a North/South and east-west basis.”
“I do not disagree with the Member. A lot of those issues have been brought into the business case for Casement Park, because it is not just about the potential of building a football stadium and hosting football matches but the wider economic driver that it would be, as he rightly said, not just to west Belfast but to Belfast as a whole, the entire North and, I am sure, beyond. That will be considered. If we in the Department are asked for assistance by, for example, giving analysis, I would be happy for us to provide that.”
“If we do not resolve the issue of the electronic travel authorisation (ETA), it could present an enormous challenge in future.”
“I think that the Irish Open is coming to County Down this year, which is good news. As I mentioned in response to the previous question, the Open is coming to Portrush in 2025. That, again, is good news and will have enormous benefit. The tourism sector, and that sector in my Department, will look at any future opportunities that we have. Of course, as I said in my original answer, they always require upfront investment, but, in general terms, we have a significant return on the other side. <BR /> <BR />One fly in the ointment is the unresolved question of the outworkings of Brexit on travel permits and how that will have an impact. A lot of this is based on international tourism and international visitors coming here, staying and spending money.”
“I recognise the contribution of the North West 200. The other day, when I was doing a radio programme, someone rang in about it. It is clearly an event that has enormous benefit for the north-west. Of course, up on the north coast, you will be looking forward to hosting the Open again, which will bring enormous benefit to that area. <BR /> <BR />I am happy to look at it. It is the consequence of having very tight budgets that decisions have to be made on the level of support that can be given to any particular event. Like all Departments, the Department for the Economy has been challenged to find savings rather than make additional investment, but I am happy to consider the case for the North West 200 to see how we can match it with the level of support that we can provide.”
“I look forward to doing the analysis and rejoining the discussion, which has been parked as a consequence of there being no Executive, to see what the estimations are for it and what we can hope to achieve. <BR /> <BR />I do not pretend to be as keen a cyclist as the Member, but I enjoy the odd spin on my bike. I was present for the Giro, and it was a great event, particularly because it came through south Armagh as well.”
“That is well recognised. Of course, they require some upfront investment, and at a time when we are very challenged financially by the funding available to the Executive, but most of those large events tend to have a longer-lasting economically beneficial outcome, certainly for tourism, which is a growing market for us and a key part of our industry. It will be no different for the Euros, if, hopefully, we can secure their coming here. <BR /> <BR />I approach it from the point of view of what the investment can achieve. The question is whether we can secure the necessary investment when we set it against all the other priorities that the Department has.”
“In July 2023, discussions on a potential all-Ireland bid to host the Tour de France Grand Départ were suspended, largely due to the absence of an Executive. Since coming into post, I have instructed my officials to reopen that dialogue. As part of those deliberations, the cost of the bid would have to be weighed against the benefits. I note that, when the Giro d'Italia Grande Partenza was hosted in Ireland in 2014, it generated around £2·5 million in economic activity, £12·7 million in tourism impact and attracted around 227,000 visitors.”
“Some particular elements and provisions of the legislation are ready to go, and we intend to move forward with those. The employment Bill will be a substantial piece of legislation. With the best will in the world, I do not see any piece of legislation being drafted, consulted on and ready to go this side of the summer recess. My estimation is that, with a very fair wind, it will take a year, but it is more likely to be 18 months before such legislation can be brought to the House.”
“I know that that issue has arisen. It is a very pressing issue for those who find themselves in those circumstances. I am certainly very sympathetic to ensuring that we have that flexibility and support for people. That will be part of the broad consultation on putting together the employment Bill that we intend to bring through, which will be a fairly broad Bill. I invite the Member, and others with a specific interest in this area, to come to the Department with their suggestions and views on that. We will be very happy to take all that on board.”
“Yes. I have clearly indicated a number of areas that I want to look at and intend to try to address as part of that legislation. I agree with the Member that we often find that the people in the most vulnerable, insecure and lowest paid jobs are generally young people, women and people with disabilities. That is a clear disadvantage to sectors of the community that we are duty bound, under our obligations under equality law, to try to assist. I have clearly stated that one of my intentions is to introduce legislation to bring an end to zero-hours contracts.”
“We intend to bring a significant employment Bill through over the course of this mandate. It is early days in relation to that. The Member tried to bring in private legislation on some of these areas during the previous mandate. We will consult with the trade unions, who have a specific interest in this, but also with employers and other sectors. Last week, we had an early conversation with trade unions, business organisations, the social economy sector, the NI Council for Voluntary Action (NICVA) and community development trusts: they were all in the room together when we outlined the broad approach that we will take in relation to this. We will continue those conversations to try to put together a comprehensive Bill, and there will be analysis across all those areas to inform what goes into that legislation.”
“In outlining my economic vision to the Assembly last week, I identified increasing the number of good jobs as one of my key objectives. To that end, I have instructed my officials to develop policy options for a wide-ranging good jobs Bill. As part of that work, my officials are engaging with the Irish Congress of Trade Unions to discuss how that Bill could strengthen workers' rights. Trade unions have a vital role to play in improving the pay and conditions of workers, particular those in low-paying sectors of our economy.”
“We have economic levers in our approach to business, with policies that we can set, and we have to use them as best we can in the time ahead to try to grow the economy. I do not see corporation tax playing any part in that any time soon.”
“I could tell the Member that he missed all the best bits of my statement. <BR /> <BR />I said this when I had the Finance portfolio, and the Economy Minister at the time agreed with me: it is not something that we are rushing into. The difficulty for us is that the Treasury's approach to the devolution of taxation, particularly corporation tax, is that it wants the money up front that, it thinks, it would yield. That money comes directly from our public services. Our public services are so underfunded, and we are so underfunded in relation to our level of need, that it would not be conscionable to denude them of any more finance in order to hope for the benefit that a lower rate of corporation tax might bring. There are no guarantees, so we would have to hope for what it would bring back to us.”
“Having clarity of arrangements between North and South will grow the all-island economy, which, we know, will be beneficial to the people whom we collectively represent. Insurance is a significant challenge, however, and one for which, unfortunately, we do not have direct responsibility here. We can make representation, and we will do so in the time ahead.”
“The Member will know that fiscal matters such as insurance and the control and regulation of them lie in London. That is unfortunate, because there is an inherent unfairness in the way in which insurance companies treat people, particularly in the area that we represent. We saw how inadequate the insurance arrangements for flooding were. It is a big challenge, and the difficulty is that it is regulated in London. As part of my engagement with the Government and Departments in Whitehall, I will be happy to pursue all those issues, just as we pursued the travel restrictions that are proposed. <BR /> <BR />Yes, we absolutely want to see businesses supported and continuing to grow. That is why a regional strategy will benefit Newry and south Armagh and south Down as much as it will benefit the north-west.”
“Given the island that we are on, we will have, over the years ahead, a significant opportunity to become not only self-sufficient but perhaps even an exporter of energy, which would be very beneficial to us. We have to harbour those ambitions and then try to work the strategy in order to get there. There is limited resource available in our budgets, but additional resource may be available elsewhere. We need to be in a position to do that, and part of it is to conclude the RHI experiment, which is a sorry tale for all of us.”
“There are opportunities. As the Member knows, we have a limited Budget. Departments are not being asked to submit new bids; they are being asked to find out how they can not spend rather than spend money. There are opportunities, however; other funding streams are available. It is incumbent on us to put the renewable heat incentive (RHI) situation to bed finally, and I hope to do so quickly. That will open up opportunities to support green projects. I want us to get to a situation in which we can take advantage of other supports. We will have to work through what that looks like, but we are legally and morally obliged to move to a situation where we produce more green energy.”
“I see the opportunity. It is not about whether I think it makes things easier; the statistics show that trade has grown North-South and South-North. That has happened organically because people have been doing business together. That is good. It is good for people in the Member's constituency in the same way as it is good for people in mine. Making east-west links as frictionless as possible is good for people in his constituency in the same way as it is good for people in mine. We want to see the economic prosperity of the region change. It has been left in the doldrums for far too long, with low productivity, low pay and no real sense of economic opportunity. It is the responsibility of all of us to change the dial on that, and that is what I intend to do through the strategy that I have laid out.”
“I would say, in the first instance, that I believe that Brexit was a bad idea, even for those of you who supported it, and that any alteration to the trading arrangements between Britain and Europe was going to have an impact. The outcome is that we are not where we were, and we have been trying ever since to make the best of a bad idea by trying to improve those relationships.”
“We want to see a quick turnaround and a different approach to this, and we want to measure the outcomes accordingly.”
“When we talked to people in the north-west and other areas, we found that they want to have their own input into Invest NI. That is what I envisage. Every area in the north-west has its own particular interests in this regard. We are looking for co-design, with Invest NI having a stronger resourced regional presence, working in conjunction with councils, businesses, the community and voluntary sector, trade unions and other interests, so that we agree a plan. That is the measurable part of it: the plan that an area wants delivered to kick-start and support growth will be unique to that area. That will be the measurement. <BR /> <BR />I have heard many of the criticisms that the Member has made. I have a sense that Invest NI wants to change the way that it does things. I have had good conversations with senior people in Invest NI.”
“As the Member will know, Economy is a vast Department. I have been getting to grips with all the issues there. The Department is looking at legislation on that, and I will bring forward propositions in the not-too-distant future.”
“I was pleased to be up there with the Infrastructure Minister last week and to provide support to City of Derry Airport. That connector to Heathrow — one of the busiest airports in the world — is critical to the airport. Also critical to it, as I have said many times, is the connection with Dublin and the potential to grow the business of the airport through that connection. I am pleased, now that the Executive and this institution are up and functioning, that the North/South Ministerial Council will also be functioning. I have already been in touch with my counterparts in Dublin, and those are some of the issues that we want to progress in the time ahead.”
“We need to ensure that the skills are there, particularly for young people, as the local colleges have already been doing, so that a workforce can be provided to meet the ambition in that area. <BR /> <BR />There are many levers with which we can assist and enable continued growth. My sense from talking to the people involved in manufacturing down there is that they want to go further and to create more jobs and prosperity in the area. They have deep roots in the area that they come from, which is important, and they want to create economic success there. I see our job and that of Invest NI as enabling that to happen.”
“I thank the Member. Yes. I had the opportunity to speak to people there on a couple of occasions over the past six to nine months. I concur with her view that there is an excellence in manufacturing there that plays a leading role on the world stage in terms of some of the products produced. <BR /> <BR />One of the issues that we refer to is the availability of land. We were told that Invest NI does not have any land left in mid-Ulster. That is not a tenable situation, given the manufacturing sector there, which is internationally recognised and has the potential to grow much bigger. <BR /> <BR />Some of the levers that have been available to us now need to be put in place and deployed. We need to make sure that land is available where we find growing clusters like that. We need to make sure that everyone is linked in.”