Northern Ireland Assembly, 1 December 2025

431 contributions from 69 members. The official report.

Members' Statements

Aoife Finnegan (Sinn Féin, Newry and Armagh)

Last month, I had the privilege of taking part as a panellist in the 'Turning pain into policy: united against gender-based violence' conference in Limerick hosted by Sinn Féin MEP Kathleen Funchion. It brought together survivors, front-line workers, academics and policymakers from across the island, all of whom were united in the same mission: ending violence against women and girls. The testimonies that were shared were courageous, heartbreaking and painfully familiar. They were a reminder that ending violence against women and girls is not an abstract policy theme; that violence is lived trauma, affecting women and children in every county, every class and every community. Their voices must shape every decision that we make in the Assembly.

Throughout the discussion, several gaps came up time and again. The chronic lack of secure and affordable housing means that too many people are forced to leave their homes while the perpetrators remain undisturbed. That balance is not only unjust but dangerous. The barriers created by partition mean that women living on the border face inconsistent protections, fragmented services and gaps in justice between North and South. Abuse does not respect borders, but, too often, our systems still do. Last but by no means least, there was the urgent need to reform family courts. Outdated cultures and practices continue to allow courts to be used as weapons and tools for control, intimidation and re-traumatisation. The children's well-being must finally come first. Their voices must be heard, and their safety must be non-negotiable.

Of course, there is also the response that victims receive when they first reach out for help, especially to the PSNI. Too often, the police respond to domestic abuse as single, isolated incidents, but coercive control is defined in the Domestic Abuse and Civil Proceedings Act 2021 Act as a pattern of behaviour and a deliberate erosion of autonomy and safety.

When agencies fail to look at the overall pattern, perpetrators simply continue their abuse, often using the very agencies that are meant to protect victims as new tools of harassment. We have many dedicated police officers who do exceptional work, and I acknowledge them, but they must be supported with trauma-informed, pattern-focused training, so that victims know that they will be believed, understood and protected. As we mark 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence, we must be honest that gender-based violence is a societal crisis. It recognises no border and requires an all-island response, shared data, shared learning and shared will.

The theme of the conference was turning pain into policy. Let us honour that by turning what we have heard into action — urgent, coordinated and sustained — until women and children across this island are safe.

Cheryl Brownlee (DUP, East Antrim)

I rise today to raise the issue of the horrific levels of violence being inflicted on our PSNI officers. Sadly, we are seeing a pattern of brutality that is becoming more frequent, more severe and more dangerous. Between October 2024 and September 2025, there were over 2,600 assaults on officers. They are not routine risks of the job. Officers are being kicked, bitten and spat at, and their vehicles are being rammed. One officer had blood sprayed in their face and eyes after a detainee ripped out a cannula and claimed to have HIV and hepatitis C. That is trauma that no one signs up for. A female officer was sexually assaulted during an arrest and was left with physical injuries and psychological scars. We have also seen more than 100 vehicle ramming incidents, with police cars being taken off the road and officers hurt. More recently, just last week in Londonderry, an officer was stabbed with a blade during a violent attack in the early hours of the morning.

Attacks on our emergency services are completely unacceptable. Officers go out every day to keep our communities safe, and they should be able to do that without the fear of violence. It is criminal, and the DUP will never accept it as usual. When officers are hurt, vehicles are rammed and morale is shattered, it affects everyone in Northern Ireland. It means fewer officers on the streets, slower response times and the public being left less safe. The consequences ripple far beyond the incident. Our officers need greater protection, and I am pleased that my colleagues Philip Brett and the Chair of the Justice Committee, Paul Frew, continue to explore amendments to the Sentencing Bill to ensure that those who attack police officers face tougher and more meaningful penalties. If criminals know that there are no real consequences, the violence will only continue. We need sentencing that reflects the seriousness of the assaults, a justice system that stands firm with our officers and a political system that does not hesitate to say, "Enough is enough".

Paula Bradshaw (Alliance, Belfast South)

Today, we mark World AIDS Day, and this year's theme, "overcoming disruption and transforming the AIDS response", reminds us that, while much has been achieved, our work is far from over. Services remain under pressure, inequalities persist and many still face barriers with testing, treatment and support. At the heart of those barriers lies stigma. Too often, stigma dictates how we feel safe asking for help, who comes forward for testing and who remains silent. It remains one of the most damaging forces in our fight against HIV, preventing people from accessing the care that they deserve.

I want to take a moment to thank Positive Life for the vital work that it does across the province to support people living with HIV and their families. It challenges stigma every day with compassion and courage and offers a safe and welcoming space for people who might otherwise feel overlooked or misunderstood. Its contribution to public health and the well-being of so many individuals cannot be overstated.

Earlier this year, I submitted a question for written answer to the Health Minister about the long-acting, injectable, prevention treatment called cabotegravir (CAB-LA). The injection is administered every two months and offers a powerful alternative for people who struggle with daily pills or have difficulty accessing regular services. I am pleased that the Minister has written back to say that it has now been approved for use here as part of the roll-out of injectable pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). The Department of Health has also begun the process of formally endorsing the relevant guidance, so that eligible patients can soon start to receive the treatment.

Over the past year, we have seen further encouraging developments. Global evidence continues to support injectable PrEP as a safe, effective prevention tool; more people are accessing testing; more countries are expanding prevention; and researchers are now working on even longer-acting options. However, none of those advances will reach their full potential while stigma remains. Too many people still hesitate to test, because they fear what others think. Today, on World AIDS Day, I make it absolutely clear that getting tested is normal and responsible and protects your health and the health of those whom you love. Testing is free, confidential and one of the most important things that anyone can do. There should be no shame, no fear and no silence around caring for your health.

It is also crucial that people know this: when someone living with HIV is on effective treatment and has an undetectable viral load, they cannot pass the virus on. Undetectable equals untransmittable. That simple but powerful message saves lives. Our goal must be to bring an end to new HIV transmissions and an end to the stigma that has held so many people back for too long.

Diana Armstrong (UUP, Fermanagh and South Tyrone)

Last Thursday, the Health Committee met in the South West Acute Hospital (SWAH) in Enniskillen. Whilst Parliament Buildings is, no doubt, a hugely impressive location to work from, I have found, in my relatively short time as an MLA, that the opportunity to engage directly with organisations and to visit their premises is just as important. I am certain that the members of the Health Committee were hugely impressed with the size of the South West Acute Hospital and the many opportunities that exist there. It remains one of the best and most modern health facilities in Northern Ireland.

I was alarmed, however, by the report, subsequent to the meeting with the Western Trust, that it had apparently told the Health Committee:

"When a service is paused, there is an inevitability this won't be back."

That was a shocking, sweeping statement, but it perhaps also revealed what many had long suspected was the belief of some. Equally galling was the trust's shirking of responsibility when, after being asked a fairly straightforward question by a journalist about emergency general surgery, its immediate reply was:

"That's a decision for the Minister."

To be clear, the review of general surgery set out the standards for emergency general surgery, but, importantly, it did not state which hospitals should and should not deliver it. No matter the reason behind that latest attempt at smoke and mirrors, it is for the Western Trust to determine how to configure its general surgical service to meet those standards. That is a matter of fact, and the trust needs to be careful in its noticeable efforts to rewrite that.

After the shambles of its botched consultation process in July, I thought that the Western Trust would have learned some lessons, and, for a while, I thought that it had, when it issued an apology in October admitting its multitude of failings. Recent weeks, however, which have seen the trust enter into an unnecessary public spat about who should even have chaired an upcoming meeting, combined with last week's comments, have revealed a regression in the trust's approach and attitude. Earlier this year, the Minister took the highly unusual decision to publicly intervene, yet it appears that the trust is even now beginning to deviate from the clear instruction that it was given about coming up with a focused vision plan for the SWAH. Public confidence matters, and, regrettably, the Western Trust is still doing little to restore it. That urgently needs to change.

Since becoming an MLA, my priority has always been to the people of Fermanagh and South Tyrone and their well-being. I will always seek to do what is right for my community and challenge what I see as failings.

Justin McNulty (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Newry and Armagh)

On Friday, a woman came into my office in Newry, bringing with her a letter containing a legal threat sent by a solicitor about her unpaid parking ticket. The letter said that she had two weeks in which to pay an incredibly expensive fine —£170 — but she received the letter only on the last day possible. Given the limited time constraints, we could not advise the lady, who was running from pillar to post in a distressed state and seeking advice and help, not to pay the fine and help her to appeal it.

That woman is not alone. Literally hundreds of people have come through our doors, whom we have helped to successfully challenge many such fines with help from the Law Society and the Consumer Council. What is going on? Private parking companies now methodically adopt the calculatedly low tactic of sending frightening legal threats to individuals to siphon money out of them, taking advantage of people by threatening them into paying fines to avoid legal action.

Those companies are a scourge on our society and a money-making racket. Their control over shoppers, business people and all motorists must end. The Department for Infrastructure must hold them to account and stop them harassing and threatening motorists by sending not just extortionate fines but extremely threatening solicitors' letters in the mail. It is unfair. It is unreasonable, and it is completely unregulated by the Department, which should put the clampers on such unscrupulous, exploitative companies.

Philip McGuigan (Sinn Féin, North Antrim)

I speak today in advance of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on Wednesday 3 December, which is an important moment each year to recognise the rights, leadership and contribution of disabled people across our society. The day, which was established by the United Nations in 1992, asks us all to recommit ourselves to building a community rooted in equality, dignity and inclusion.

Across the island, many people with disabilities unfortunately continue to face barriers. In the North, we have some of the highest levels of disability. We know that those living with disabilities experience poverty at disproportionate levels and face long waiting lists for assessments and support, and we are acutely aware of the challenges that they face when navigating the social security system. We also know that people with disabilities are more likely to encounter obstacles when entering, remaining in or progressing in their school or workplace. The obstacles and barriers faced by disabled people are not and should not be inevitable.

We must continue to highlight the fact that having a disability does not limit a person's talent, ambition, creativity or desire to contribute meaningfully to society. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities places a clear responsibility on public authorities to remove those barriers and to uphold the rights, independence and participation of disabled people in every aspect of life. This year's theme, "Fostering disability inclusive societies for advancing social progress", speaks directly to the work that still needs to be done. That includes delivering properly resourced public services; ensuring timely access to therapies, aids and community-based supports; strengthening our disability and autism strategies; tackling the disability employment gap; and ensuring accessible, safe and reliable transport and public spaces. That work and any solutions must be designed in partnership with disabled people and their advocacy groups.

Sinn Féin has consistently advocated a rights-based approach to public policy that is based on equality. Supporting disabled people properly is fundamental to building a fair, prosperous and equal society where everyone is valued and can participate fully. As we mark International Day of Persons with Disabilities, let us recommit to meaningful, practical action North and South, across all sectors and all communities, to remove the barriers that hold people back and to build a truly inclusive society.

Stephen Dunne (DUP, North Down)

I welcome the decision last week by the Home Office to end the use of the Marine Court Hotel in Bangor in my North Down consistency as asylum accommodation. That was the right move and was long overdue. It highlights the failure of successive UK Governments to properly manage immigration in a controlled and responsible way. For many years, the Marine Court Hotel was a premier venue in North Down and a landmark that supported Bangor's tourism sector and, indeed, the local economy. Instead, it has been closed to the public and used for asylum accommodation at a very significant cost, causing concern across the local community. My constituents regularly raise those concerns with me. They are reasonable and fair-minded people; they are not motivated by intolerance. They are worried about planning pressures, housing shortages, the strain on our public services and the lack of transparency in how such decisions are made.

One of the biggest issues is how the Home Office has been able to operate outside the normal planning framework. Local residents and businesses must follow every rule, yet the UK Government can change the use of a major hotel without scrutiny. If a shop puts up the wrong style of sign, for example, enforcement is often swift, but a hotel can effectively become a large house in multiple occupation (HMO) with zero accountability. That is why many believe that there is one law for the public and another for the Home Office and the UK Government. Equality before the law matters, and public trust depends on it.

The impact on our area has been clear. A hospitality venue sitting idle has had an adverse impact on our local economy, but the pressures and impact extend much wider. Our GP surgeries and the wider NHS are under severe pressures — we hear, see and feel that daily — and our housing system is already stretched, with more than 49,000 households on the waiting list and over 37,000 in housing stress across Northern Ireland in every town, village and city. A broken asylum system only adds to those pressures while taxpayers cover the excessive cost of hotel-based accommodation. As the Home Office moves away from hotels, many people are asking, "What happens next?" There is a risk that Mears and the UK Government will start buying or leasing homes in our communities, further reducing available housing and increasing already high rents.

Such parties as the Alliance Party, the SDLP and Sinn Féin continue to defend the current approach to immigration and recently voted against a DUP motion aimed at addressing illegal and uncontrolled immigration. That position speaks for itself. We will keep pressing the Government to fix the system and ensure fairness for local communities.

Kellie Armstrong (Alliance, Strangford)

Many of us and much of the public will be out and about in our towns and cities doing a bit of shopping before Christmas. How many times have any of us walked past someone who is sitting on a cold street? How often do we actually see that person? How did they end up there? Why are they there today? When was the last time that they sat on a comfortable seat or had something healthy to eat? When was the last time someone said a simple "Hello" to them?

Today is the start of Homelessness Awareness Week. It runs every year from 1 December to 7 December. This year's theme is "See the person". I ask all MLAs this: when was the last time you saw a homeless person? Too often, homelessness is reduced to statistics, labels or stereotypes: they must be begging, or they must have something wrong. Often, that is completely incorrect. This year, I remind everyone that behind every figure and every headline is a person with hopes, struggles and potential.

There is a programme of events on Homeless Connect's website. I encourage every MLA to take a look at the website and to take part in one of those events. I invite all MLAs to go along to an event in the Long Gallery at 1.30 pm today that is being operated by Homeless Connect. At that event, we will launch a major piece of research that has been completed by the Housing Executive on Housing First. The Housing First approach is one of the best-evidenced models from around the world for responding to chronic homelessness. We have chronic homelessness in Northern Ireland. We believe that the launch of that research fits well with this year's theme, because the approach is person-centred, designing and delivering tailored support to suit the individual needs of the person experiencing homelessness. Led by Fiona Boyle and co-authored by Imogen Blood and Nicholas Pleace, the research outlines what Housing First is and what it has done up until now and makes recommendations on how it could be further utilised to respond to chronic homelessness. Please come along to today's event to hear Fiona outline the findings of the research, alongside input from other voices in the homelessness sector.

I thank all of the organisations that help people who are homeless every day. I especially thank the health inclusion nurses who work on the ground with so many on our streets. Homelessness can be resolved. Every person in Northern Ireland who does not have a suitable, safe home can have one if every Minister comes together and focuses on homelessness as a priority. It is a key issue in the Programme for Government, and I hope that we will see a commitment across Departments to end homelessness in the upcoming multi-year Budget.

Danny Baker (Sinn Féin, Belfast West)

Saturday was International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. Over 100,000 people marched in London, and there were large rallies in Belfast and Dublin.

Yesterday, my friend Tuathlaith ran 52 miles and cycled a further 52 miles in an ultramarathon to raise money for mobile maternity units in Gaza. That is an unbelievable achievement, and much-needed money will go to the front line in Gaza. Unfortunately, because of Israeli bombs and genocide, children are being born not in hospitals but in tents with limited medical equipment and medicine. Imagine if your wife or partner had to bring your child into the world in that unsafe environment.

Despite the ceasefire, over 400 Palestinians have been killed, and two children were murdered just the other day. Members and Ministers should remember that when they praise the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), take visits from the Israeli Government and justify visiting the occupied territories. It is absolutely shameful.

Brian Kingston (DUP, Belfast North)

Dublin City Council was set to discuss this evening a proposal to rename Herzog Park in Rathgar in the latest demonstration of anti-Israel and antisemitic politics in the Irish Republic. The proposal was approved by a council committee last July, with only one councillor voting against, and it had been brought forward by a Sinn Féin councillor. Thankfully, the proposal has been removed from the order paper by the council's chief executive, due to legislation that is in progress. However, it is deeply concerning that the proposal could return. If approved, it would be an appalling example of a lack of tolerance and an attempt to expunge from history the contribution of the Jewish community.

The park was renamed Herzog Park in 1995 in honour of Major General Chaim Herzog, a former president of Israel, who was born in Belfast in 1918. He grew up in Dublin, where his father, Yitzhak Herzog, served as the first Chief Rabbi of the Irish Free State from 1921 until 1936. Chaim Herzog served with distinction in the British Army during the Second World War, fighting against Nazism. He went on to serve as president of Israel from 1983 until 1993. Any country or city should take pride in people who have gone on to achieve great things on the international stage. Herzog Park is around only one acre in size and is located next to Stratford College, a multi-denominational school, which was established predominantly by people of the Jewish faith.

Sinn Féin's intolerant proposal has rightly been met with condemnation from the prime minister of Ireland, Taoiseach Micheál Martin, and internationally from US Senator, Lindsey Graham, and the office of the current Israeli president, Isaac Herzog, who is the son of Chaim Herzog. Whatever way some may wish to present it, it is an attempt to remove a reference to a prominent Jewish figure and the son of a former Chief Rabbi of Ireland. It is symptomatic of the insular antisemitism and mean-spiritedness that is on display in the Republic of Ireland and of how certain minorities are treated in that state. It comes on the back of the hostility displayed towards Heather Humphreys because of her family background.

We have seen such intolerance on display in Belfast through the removal of the blue plaque commemorating the birthplace of Chaim Herzog on Cliftonpark Avenue. It will not be lost on people that Dublin may be set to erase the family name of a Chief Rabbi, yet it retains a statue of Nazi collaborator, Seán Russell, who died on board a German U-boat on his way home in 1940. He was buried at sea with full German naval honours and wrapped in a swastika flag.

Ciara Ferguson (Sinn Féin, Foyle)

Today marks the beginning of Homelessness Awareness Week 2025, the theme of which is "See the Person". We are well aware of the recent research by the Simon Community that revealed that childhood trauma plays a powerful role in the levels of homelessness here. Some 66% of those who reside in hostel-based homeless accommodation have had four or more adverse childhood experiences. To put that in context, that figure is four times higher than that for the general population. As we are well aware, behind those statistics are real people who have dreams and aspirations for their lives; people who have an equal right to a safe, secure place to call "home"; and people who evidently encountered far more difficulty in their childhood than should be expected of anyone at any point in their life.

What does that mean if we strip it right back and see the person?

It means that homelessness is never about personal failure. Homelessness across Irish society is our collective shame. Statistics evidence that, in each of the past 10 years, the number of homeless households here has consistently risen. Last week, sadly, we heard more of the same. We are creating a cycle of exclusion that is almost impossible to break.

The British Government's approach of recent days — keeping local housing allowance rates frozen and unable to keep pace with rising rents — is absolutely shameful. Homelessness is not inevitable, yet nothing changes if nothing changes. Unlike the British Government, we recognise that our response must focus on the entwined nature of poverty and homelessness. Today, we see in research that was published on the fundamental Housing First model evidence of high housing retention rates and how that model helps to resolve non-housing problems, including offending and re-offending rates and mental health issues. We need the Department for Communities and the Housing Executive to carry out a full, comprehensive review of our homelessness legislation here.

Finally, and fundamentally, we must deliver never-before-seen levels of investment in social and affordable housing and the scaling up of the Housing First model in the North. Once again, I remind Members that there is a range of events in Derry, Armagh, Ballymena, Bangor, Belfast, Coleraine, Dungiven, Newry, Newtownabbey, Portrush and Strabane this week, and I encourage Members to attend their local events to honour Homelessness Awareness Week.

Edwin Poots (DUP, Belfast South)

I call Maurice Bradley. You have two minutes, Mr Bradley.

Maurice Bradley (DUP, East Londonderry)

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I place on record the outstanding contribution of the North West Football Association, which marked its 140th anniversary with a packed gala dinner at the White Horse Hotel on Friday evening. It was not simply a social occasion; it was a celebration of what is one of the oldest and most influential football bodies anywhere in Northern Ireland and an organisation that has quietly underpinned the game in the north-west for well over a century.

The calibre of those in attendance spoke volumes. The Irish FA president, Conrad Kirkwood, led the delegation from Belfast, which was joined by former IFA presidents David Martin, Jim Shaw and Raymond Kennedy, who each have long-standing links to the North West FA council. They were joined by Gerard Lawlor, president of the Northern Ireland Football League (NIFL), Colin McKendry, vice-chairman of NIFL, and Gregory Campbell MP, underlining the association's political standing as well as its standing in sport.

There was also genuine star power from the pitch. Former Northern Ireland internationals Tony O'Doherty and John O'Neill were present, representing the golden thread that runs from the streets and pitches of the north-west to the international stage. Apologies were received from fellow Northern Ireland greats Terry Harkin, Stephen Lomas and Dessie Dickson, whose names rightly drew warm appreciation in the room.

The evening was expertly compèred by broadcaster Liam Beckett and featured a lively question-and-answer session with guest of honour, Gerry Armstrong, who will forever be remembered for his winning goal against hosts Spain in the 1982 World Cup. His memories of Spain '82 may have been light-hearted, but they reminded everyone present of the heights that players from this part of the world can reach.

A particularly poignant moment came when special presentations were made for long and dedicated service to the North West FA, with many of the recipients also having served on the IFA council. Raymond Kennedy, Charlie Johnston, Jim McLaughlin, Billy Smallwood, Dessie Bradley, Jackie Morrison, Charlie Ferguson, Jerry Stewart, Trevor Hogg and Ken Lowry were all honoured by Gerry Armstrong, assisted by the north-west league secretary, Jonathan McCunn.

Those are the kinds of volunteers and administrators without whom local football simply could not function. The north-west —.

Edwin Poots (DUP, Belfast South)

The Member's time is up.

Maurice Bradley (DUP, East Londonderry)

Sorry? What did you say?

Edwin Poots (DUP, Belfast South)

Your time is up. You had two minutes, not three.

[Laughter.]

Maurice Bradley (DUP, East Londonderry)

Is that it?

Assembly Business

Mark Durkan (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Foyle)

On a point of order, Mr Speaker. I rise to refer to correspondence that I received from you this morning on a remark that I made last week in reference to the Education Minister. I retract any term that I used that caused hurt, but I genuinely did not think that Minister Givan, who has casually called people in the Chamber "sectarian" and "antisemitic" — never mind that he praised the perpetrators of a genocide — would be so offended by a playground jibe. Perhaps Minister Givan will have the good grace to consider and to retract things that he has said and done that have caused considerable hurt.

Edwin Poots (DUP, Belfast South)

Now that the Member has raised it, I have a statement to make on the issue. Members know that I encourage robust debate and challenge.

In particular, I want Ministers to be held to account vigorously. That is only right, as we are holding Departments to account. However, I also made clear that Members should focus on challenging issues and not persons, because that is what debate is about. We are here to challenge people on the issues that they represent, not the individuals themselves.

Over the past few weeks, I have had to deal with a number of issues by reminding Members, whether that is in the Chamber or in writing, that it is not in order to accuse other Members of being an antisemite or homophobic. I pointed out to a Minister that they should not accuse a Member of asking a "stupid question". I made clear to a Member that they should not tell another Member to "Wind your neck in." Last week, during a debate, following an exchange between the Minister and Cara Hunter, Mr Durkan made this remark:

"he is more interested in the toileting of my female colleague. What a weirdo." — [Official Report (Hansard), 25 November 2025, p44, col 1].

The import of that remark is really not on. There was exchange on issues, but your remark was a crude personal attack without an evidence base. Furthermore, given the fact that Members', particularly those who are women, being subject to abuse and unwanted attention is so serious, it was in poor taste to make that comment to another Member. Irrespective of who else was involved, that is an issue to reflect on. I have written to you, and you know where we stand on that. There have been a number of examples in the past. To be perfectly honest, I do not want to deal with those issues or comment on them. We should be capable of engaging in vigorous debate without playing the man or, as I probably should say in this instance, the woman. If we stick to playing the ball, we will all get on a lot better. I thank the Member for his apology. It is important that we clarify those matters.

Robbie Butler (UUP, Lagan Valley)

I beg to move

That Standing Orders 10(2) to 10(4) be suspended for 1 December 2025.

Edwin Poots (DUP, Belfast South)

Before we proceed to the Question, I remind Members that the motion requires cross-community support.

Question put and agreed to.

Resolved (with cross-community support):

That Standing Orders 10(2) to 10(4) be suspended for 1 December 2025.

Ministerial Statements

Edwin Poots (DUP, Belfast South)

I have received notice from the Minister of Finance that he wishes to make a statement.

John O'Dowd (Sinn Féin, Upper Bann)

Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle.

[Translation: Thank you, Mr Speaker.]

Thank you for the opportunity to update Members on the implications of last week's autumn Budget for our public finances and our society.

I have been clear, inside and outside the House, that delivering quality public services and creating conditions for economic growth are key priorities for me. Ahead of the Chancellor's Budget, my consistent message to the Westminster Government was that we needed a Budget that supported workers, families and small- and medium-sized businesses. I welcome the removal of the two-child limit, which will help to lift thousands of children here out of poverty. That was the right, if not long overdue, decision to make. I also welcome the Chancellor's decision to increase both the minimum wage and the living wage. Those important steps will support our lowest-paid workers.

However, the Chancellor's decision to freeze income thresholds will impose an additional tax burden on thousands of workers and their families. That will limit their ability to cope with the rising costs of living and reduce their spend in local businesses. I am disappointed that there was not more support in the Budget for businesses. That was a missed opportunity to allow us to grow and support our local economy. The Chancellor has neither gone far enough to invest in our stretched public services nor taken steps to support economic growth. I will outline today what the Budget means for our public finances, the impact of the tax measures that were announced and my next steps as Finance Minister to support our public finances and public services in the time ahead.

First, I will turn to our public finances. While I welcome the additional £370 million of Barnett funding that was announced, the Chancellor could, and should, have gone further. The allocation provides some £240 million for day-to-day spending over the four years from 2025-26 to 2028-29 and £130 million for capital investment over four years from 2026-27 to 2029-2030. While that may sound like a substantial allocation, the reality is that, when taken over the four-year Budget period, it falls far short of what is needed. The additional funding that has been provided will not undo the damage that has been caused by years of British Government underfunding of our public services and is insufficient to plug current and future funding gaps.

It is unquestionable that our public services are facing increased demand and increased pressures, with increased costs to deliver the services that people rely on. The announcement provides just £18·8 million in 2025-26. While I anticipate that Westminster’s spring Supplementary Estimates will provide some modest additional funding uplifts for 2025-26, the exact amount remains uncertain. What is clear, however, is that it will not come close to addressing the level of pressures that the Executive are facing this year. Each Minister must strive to improve efficiency in the delivery of our public services, ensuring that every pound of funding delivers maximum value. All Departments must continue to take all necessary actions to manage their overcommitments and to reduce any overspends in this financial year.

The measures that have been announced will result in the British Government’s tax take rising to an all-time high. Yet, despite the Budget resulting in an additional £26 billion being raised by 2029-2030, it is extremely disappointing how little additional funding is being provided to the Executive. For public services to be delivered, you need tax income. I am not arguing against collecting tax revenue, but it must be done in a fair and equitable way. Those with the broadest shoulders should carry the biggest tax burden. I do not think that the Chancellor has got that right in this Budget.

The Chancellor’s decision to freeze income tax and National Insurance contribution thresholds until 2030-31 represents a stealth tax, which will impact on workers and their families. Since income tax thresholds were first frozen in April 2021, thousands of low-paid workers have been dragged into paying tax for the first time, while others have been pulled into higher tax bands. As a result of the measures in the Budget, the Institute for Fiscal Studies has said that, in 2030-31, a basic-rate taxpayer will pay £220 more tax a year, while a higher-rate taxpayer will be charged £600 more a year. That freeze could also affect our pensioners. Pensioners who have income in addition to the state pension could pay more tax as a result of threshold freezes.

The Westminster Government’s decision to cap National Insurance contributions on salary sacrifices into pension schemes will also hit workers. The Treasury’s own analysis shows that the cap is expected to affect more than a quarter of basic-rate taxpayers who are using the scheme.

The Chancellor also made a number of changes across a suite of other taxes, including increasing tax rates on dividends, property and savings income; an increase in duties on gaming and betting; and a new electric vehicle excise duty, among other measures.

Unfortunately, the Chancellor has missed the opportunity to improve the tax system through measures that had been called for locally and, in particular, by not changing the rate of VAT for our local hospitality sector. In the South, hospitality VAT is currently 13·5%, and the Irish Government have announced that, from July 2026, it will reduce to 9%. That will only increase the existing disparity that is already faced by our local sector. A reduction in the VAT rate is crucial so that hospitality businesses here can compete on a level playing field in the all-Ireland economy.

The Westminster Government have also failed to make significant improvements to the application of inheritance tax on our local farming community. While the Chancellor has announced that the £1 million threshold for the family-farm tax will be transferable between spouses, that is, in my view, insufficient to protect our family-farming sector. Nor did the Chancellor take the opportunity of the Budget to address the lack of resource funding for the local growth fund, which enables the community and voluntary sector to support those who are furthest from the labour market to get back into work. That is a key barrier to economic growth here.

I have consistently made the point to the Westminster Government that taxes should be fair, proportionate and progressive, with those with the broadest shoulders carrying the greatest burden. In my view, this Budget represents a missed opportunity to make the tax system more progressive, to significantly increase investment in public services and to deliver the stimulus that is necessary for our economy.

Instead, it primarily feathers the nest for the headroom that, the Chancellor thinks, is needed within the fiscal rules that she set, all to appease the financial markets.

In my view, the Budget is another illustration of why we need greater powers locally to ensure that our tax system takes account of our circumstances. Having greater fiscal powers would allow us to make different choices, to change behaviours, to spur economic activity or to generate income for public services in a fairer and more progressive way. My Department will intensify work to progress a full fiscal framework that will include consideration of additional tax powers. I am fully aware that Members will have different views on that, but I believe that we can work together and use the evidence base provided by the independent Fiscal Commission to agree where greater control over fiscal powers could deliver real benefits.

While I would have wanted a different outcome from the Budget, it gives us funding certainty. I will shortly bring forward a multi-year Budget for Executive agreement, one that will shape our public services for the years ahead. That will give Departments the certainty that they need to plan for the longer term and make much-needed transformational change in the delivery of our public services, despite the Chancellor's not providing the investment required to accelerate the pace of change. The multi-year Budget will, of course, present challenges, not least because the quantum of funding falls short of what we had hoped for. As I said last week, this is one of the biggest decisions that the Executive and the Assembly will make between now and the end of the mandate, and it is important that we get it right. We need to be realistic. There is not sufficient funding to do all that we would want to do or to provide any Department with the level of funding that it will have requested. Agreeing a multi-year Budget in a mandatory coalition will mean that there will have to be give and take on all sides.

The statement has provided Members with an overview of the implications of the autumn Budget. While additional funding for public services is always welcome, it must be viewed in the context of a marginal increase only, with demand and the cost of delivering services exponentially rising. While there are elements in the Chancellor’s statement to be welcomed, the Chancellor has neither gone far enough to invest in public services nor helped to boost our economy. The autumn Budget falls far short of what is needed to support the delivery of front-line public services. While the autumn Budget presents challenges to us as an Executive, there is no doubt in my mind that, by working in partnership, we will be better placed to meet those challenges head-on. I stand ready to play my part in supporting workers, families and businesses, first and foremost by putting forward a multi-year Budget that is focused on doing what matters most.

Matthew O'Toole (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Belfast South)

Minister, I agree with some of your analysis of the Budget. There are good things, including getting rid of the two-child limit, several bad things and lots of incoherent things. However, we are, fundamentally, not here to debate what is happening at Westminster. You and I are supposed to agree that we want more power brought back here, but only two of the 12 pages of your statement are about things that you propose to do, and there is not that much detail on those. So, to be specific, when will we see a multi-year Budget? Are we to understand that the Executive have even discussed a multi-year Budget? Given everything that you and, indeed, the DUP have said about how awful the UK Government are and about how lots of what they are doing is wrong, will there be specific proposals on revenue raising and fiscal powers in that multi-year Budget, and when will it be published?

John O'Dowd (Sinn Féin, Upper Bann)

The Member seems to have changed his tone since last Wednesday and Thursday. I listened to him and other SDLP representatives who were out on the airwaves welcoming the Budget and challenging the Executive, saying that everything and anything was the Executive's fault. It is good to hear, now that, over the weekend, you have had the chance to properly analyse the Budget, you taking the opportunity to say, "Hold on. The Budget is not that good. We should not have been out praising it, and we should not have been pointing the finger at the Executive for all the woes in this society".

Matthew O'Toole (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Belfast South)

No, do your job. Tell us what you are doing.

John O'Dowd (Sinn Féin, Upper Bann)

I am about to tell you want I am doing, if you would —

[Interruption.]

John O'Dowd (Sinn Féin, Upper Bann)

Somebody said something from the Back Benches. I am not sure what it was.

I will be bring a multi-year Budget to my Executive colleagues.

Matthew O'Toole (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Belfast South)

When?

John O'Dowd (Sinn Féin, Upper Bann)

The Chancellor's Budget was last week, and the Executive have not met since then. I will bring a multi-year Budget once I have had the full opportunity to analyse the implications of the Budget and all the returns thus far from my Executive colleagues. I will bring that Budget to my Executive colleagues before the Christmas break. They will then have to decide whether they agree with the draft Budget, and it may require more analysis, because it is the most important decision that the Executive will take.

The Member talks about revenue-raising measures. The Member keeps raising the matter, so which revenue-raising measures would he like to bring forward? Whom does he want to tax and how? Whom do you want to tax?

[Interruption]

Do you want to follow the example of

[Interruption.]

Do you want to follow the example of your sister party, the Labour Party, and tax low earners? That was the Budget that you welcomed last week. The Budget that you welcomed last week taxes low earners.

Jemma Dolan (Sinn Féin, Fermanagh and South Tyrone)

I welcome the Minister's statement. Minister, will you outline your plans for progressive and fiscal devolution?

John O'Dowd (Sinn Féin, Upper Bann)

Yes. I have already presented a paper to my Executive colleagues on that, and I intend to intensify engagement with the Treasury on it. If there is one thing that the Budget made clear to me it was that the Executive, the Assembly and this society will have to take greater control of their taxes. I will use the simple example of VAT. The rate of VAT has been set elsewhere; it does not meet the needs of the business community and workers in this society. For example, hospitality here will lose out as a result of the difference between a higher rate of VAT here and a lower rate across the road in the border communities.

We will have to get serious about it. I have, as I said, brought a paper to my Executive colleagues, and my engagement with the Treasury will intensify. There are differences of opinion across the Floor on the issue, but we have to reach agreement on it.

Diane Forsythe (DUP, South Down)

I thank the Minister for his statement. Minister, we agree that that was a bad Budget for those who work. As we move to what you do next as the Northern Ireland Finance Minister, will you support the plans of Gordon Lyons, the Communities Minister, to recover from the Treasury some of the savings from tackling benefit fraud and error to reinvest in Northern Ireland?

John O'Dowd (Sinn Féin, Upper Bann)

Some of us agree that it was a bad Budget for those who work. Others were out welcoming it last week, so they were.

[Laughter.]

There is a business case with the Treasury with regard to Minister Lyons's proposal. The Treasury has not yet agreed that business case. My officials will continue to work with Mr Lyons's officials and the Treasury on that. When the Treasury responds to the business case, I will respond in due course to Mr Lyons.

Kellie Armstrong (Alliance, Strangford)

Minister, you spoke about doing what matters most and about a draft Budget being put forward to the Executive. How will we reduce energy costs for households and businesses in Northern Ireland, given the extra help that people in GB will get as a result of the Budget?

John O'Dowd (Sinn Féin, Upper Bann)

My understanding is that the Treasury has undertaken to work with the Executive, in particular the Department for the Economy, to see how it can support the Executive in relation to the scheme that was announced, which largely covers England and Wales. We have a different energy scheme here, so that is my understanding of it. There will be ongoing engagement between the Treasury and DFE on how we bring forward a support package, if one is available.

Diana Armstrong (UUP, Fermanagh and South Tyrone)

Thank you, Minister, for your statement. I am pleased that you referred to the difficulties with VAT for the hospitality sector in particular. Moving ahead to the multi-year Budget, the hospitality industry and, indeed, retail are looking at a lean season post Christmas. What can you recommend post Christmas for the multi-year Budget to protect businesses that are at risk?

John O'Dowd (Sinn Féin, Upper Bann)

I will bring proposals to the Executive in the near future on a multi-year Budget, setting out, primarily, the spending amounts for each Department. After that, it will be up to each Department how it uses those moneys to support the sectors within its areas of responsibility. A number of weeks ago, I made a statement to the Assembly about how we could support businesses further, and I intend to launch a consultation on that pre-Christmas.

Pádraig Delargy (Sinn Féin, Foyle)

I thank the Minister for standing up for ordinary workers and families in the North. What impact, if any, will the so-called mansion tax have on people in the North?

John O'Dowd (Sinn Féin, Upper Bann)

As the Member is aware, we are responsible for our own rating policy. If the proposals that were announced recently as part of the Chancellor's Budget were to apply here, they would apply to only about 19 properties. However, I have a paper that sets out how we should increase the cap in relation to rating policy and bring more and more people into a higher level where they pay more rates, particularly for properties over around £485,000. There is merit in what has happened in England, but it would affect only around 19 properties here, and I think that my proposal is a fair way forward.

Harry Harvey (DUP, Strangford)

I thank the Minister for his statement. Minister, can you provide some clarity on whether you are engaging with the Treasury on the design of a scheme to ensure that Northern Ireland households get the benefits of energy cost reductions?

John O'Dowd (Sinn Féin, Upper Bann)

My understanding is that the Treasury has said that there will be a requirement for discussions with the Executive, primarily the Department for the Economy, though my Department is the conduit for discussions between the Executive and Treasury and vice versa. There has been a commitment to start those discussions.

Sian Mulholland (Alliance, North Antrim)

Minister, is it still your intention to provide the Minister of Justice with first call at the next monitoring round in relation to the moneys that were hoped for for PSNI recruitment?

John O'Dowd (Sinn Féin, Upper Bann)

Yes, that is a previous Executive commitment that I intend to honour when presenting my next monitoring round paper to the Executive.

Phillip Brett (DUP, Belfast North)

Minister, you said that:

"Having greater fiscal powers would allow us to make different choices ... to generate income for public services".

As Minister of Finance, what are your preferred options for how we will generate additional income?

John O'Dowd (Sinn Féin, Upper Bann)

I want to see the recommendations of the Fiscal Commission report as a starting base for discussions between the Executive and the Treasury on the matter. The Fiscal Commission recommended, as the most suitable for devolution, income tax partial, stamp duty land tax, air passenger duty, landfill tax and the apprenticeship levy, if income tax was devolved. That is a good starting base for the Executive and the devolved institutions here to work our way through. We have to approach this with our eyes wide open. There are challenges and opportunities with this. I am not saying for one second that it is a panacea for all our problems, but the Executive, the Assembly and this society will have to take the challenge on.

Edwin Poots (DUP, Belfast South)

I remind Members to keep standing if they wish to be called.

Peter Martin (DUP, North Down)

I will follow on from my colleague's question. The Minister just highlighted a range of fiscal powers that he would like to see, and he mentioned income tax as one of them. If income tax was devolved, what would he plan to do with that?

John O'Dowd (Sinn Féin, Upper Bann)

First of all, we have to get it devolved, and then, at that moment in time, the Executive would collectively have to consider our economic position, understand the figures and decide what to do with it. There is no point in me standing here as Minister of Finance, perhaps a couple of years away from any of that being devolved, and saying, "We should do a, b and c", because that would be nonsensical. You would have to make decisions based on your economic position at that time, and that is when you would decide what to do with it.

Andrew McMurray (Alliance, South Down)

Thank you, Minister. Can the Minister update the House on when he next plans to engage with the UK Treasury, given that many measures in the Budget do not go far enough to help businesses, families or the NI Executive's finances?

John O'Dowd (Sinn Féin, Upper Bann)

There is always ongoing engagement between my Department and the Treasury at an official level. The most recent correspondence that I have had with the Treasury in relation to the Budget was immediately after it to discuss the local growth fund. I am concerned that there has been a change to the Budget breakdown given to a number of local authorities in England in relation to the capital/resource split, and I have written to the Minister for Housing and the NIO to ask why the same provision was not offered to our local growth fund.

Deirdre Hargey (Sinn Féin, Belfast South)

Minister, your statement outlines that Westminster does not serve the best interests of people here when you look at the breakdown of the Budget. When will the December monitoring round come forward?

John O'Dowd (Sinn Féin, Upper Bann)

I have now received all the returns from my Executive colleagues. We now have the autumn Budget figures in front of us. I will bring a paper shortly to my Executive colleagues on the December monitoring round.

Robbie Butler (UUP, Lagan Valley)

I thank the Minister for his statement. We all agree that funding is needed for transformational change, and that is in today's statement. We also know that our Departments need to be fiscally appropriate. Is the Minister content with the savings and efficiencies that are being found in each Department, given that the Minister of Health was able to find around £300 million of savings this year? Will he outline what that system looks like?

John O'Dowd (Sinn Féin, Upper Bann)

I am not sure that you can ever satisfy a Finance Minister in that regard, and perhaps you should never be able to do so. I am on record as saying that all our Executive colleagues face significant challenges in the delivery of their mandate, whichever Department they are in. I have commented on the ongoing cooperation and work between me and the Health Minister and my Department and the Health Minister, and I urge other Ministers to show the same level of cooperation.

Mark Durkan (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Foyle)

It is safe to assume that all parties here welcome the removal of the two-child limit; at least, I hope that they do. Will the Minister confirm that the Executive will implement it here, and can he tell us when?

John O'Dowd (Sinn Féin, Upper Bann)

It will be for the Department for Communities to bring forward a report to the Executive and, I assume, to the Assembly in regard to that. I can confirm to the Member only that I and my party colleagues support the removal of the two-child cap here.

Pam Cameron (DUP, South Antrim)

I thank the Minister for his statement to the House. He noted that there was no announcement on the local growth fund in the Budget, but the cliff edge rapidly approaches for the voluntary and community sector. What is happening with that fund? Have discussions on revising the proposal for a 70% capital/30% revenue funding split, which will clearly be devastating for the sector, been looked at yet?

John O'Dowd (Sinn Féin, Upper Bann)

I have raised that matter directly and in correspondence with the appropriate Ministries and made my views clear. I gave an update to my Executive colleagues as recently as last week in the Executive meeting. As I said to a Member who asked me a question previously, one of my first actions following the Budget was to write to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, the NIO and the Treasury raising my concerns that changes have been made to the budget for a number of local authorities in England but have not been replicated here.

Nick Mathison (Alliance, Strangford)

Minister, you have been clear about the pressure facing all Departments. Will you provide detail on any engagement that you have had with the Education Minister on his plans to live within budget in this financial year and wider plans to transform how we deliver education in the most efficient and sustainable way possible?

John O'Dowd (Sinn Féin, Upper Bann)

How education is delivered is a matter for the Minister of Education. In relation to his budget, I have met him, had significant correspondence with him and engaged with him at the Executive table. I remain open to further engagement with any Minister. As I said, the greater the cooperation between Ministers and me and at official level, the more effective the delivery of the Budget will be. I have always said that it is a hugely challenging task for all Ministers, but we have to work in partnership to achieve common goals.

Brian Kingston (DUP, Belfast North)

With the Budget providing just £18·8 million of additional revenue for Northern Ireland in this financial year, a significant shortfall remains. Minister, you said in your statement that:

"Each Minister must strive to improve efficiency ... ensuring that every pound of funding delivers maximum value."

What are you, as Finance Minister, doing to encourage, incentivise and lead that efficiency drive?

John O'Dowd (Sinn Féin, Upper Bann)

My Department is not projecting an overspend. I lead by example in that regard. As I have said to a number of the Members who have asked me questions today, I will work with all Ministers to assist them in delivering their budget, and I recognise the challenges that they face.

Ultimately, it is the responsibility of each Minister, but all Ministers must work with their Executive colleagues. If one Department overspends, that will impact on all Departments, because it will come off next year's Budget.

Paula Bradshaw (Alliance, Belfast South)

I thank the Minister for his statement. Following on from Mr Kingston's question, Minister, will you provide an update on the exact overspend that the Executive face this year?

John O'Dowd (Sinn Féin, Upper Bann)

The monthly out-turn from each Department will give us the latest figure, but the most recent returns gave a figure of around £440 million for the estimated overspend.

Edwin Poots (DUP, Belfast South)

That concludes questions to the Minister of Finance.

Liz Kimmins (Sinn Féin, Newry and Armagh)

In compliance with section 52 of the NI Act 1998, I wish to make a statement on the meeting of the North/South Ministerial Council (NSMC) in the transport sector, which was held on Thursday 23 October 2025. I chaired the meeting, which took place in the offices of the NSMC joint secretariat in Armagh. Minister Darragh O’Brien, the Minister for Transport, attended the meeting, and Mike Nesbitt MLA, Minister of Health, attended as the accompanying Minister. This statement has been agreed with Minister Nesbitt, and I make it on behalf of us both.

Ministers welcomed the recent completion of the Carlingford lough greenway and acknowledged that there had been an official launch event on 12 September. The NSMC recognised the positive ongoing cross-border collaboration between officials and councils on various greenway projects, including an expert-led report on opportunities to support the development of cross-border greenways that is being reviewed by both Departments.

The Council noted the Department for Infrastructure's decision to appeal the judgement against the A5 western transport corridor and the fact that the appeal is scheduled to be heard in December 2025. Ministers welcomed the setting up of a cross-border working group to ensure alignment of all aspects of the delivery of sections on both sides of the border and noted that the Donegal Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) and N2 road infrastructure projects continue to progress, with both Administrations working collaboratively on them. The NSMC noted that both Administrations are fully committed to the delivery of the A5 project.

(Madam Principal Deputy Speaker in the Chair)

Ministers welcomed progress on the development of a project prioritisation strategy for the all-island strategic rail review and the intention to publish that strategy later this year. Ministers noted the significant stakeholder engagement that has been undertaken by the Government of Ireland and the progression of the market-sounding exercise to support their Programme for Government commitment to:

"establish air connectivity between Dublin and Derry City airports."

The Council welcomed the collaboration that there had been on organising the transport biodiversity workshop, which involved stakeholders from various modes of transport, and the fact that a summary of the discussion and findings from the workshop will be provided at a future NSMC meeting. Ministers noted that engagements between officials on reducing emissions and mitigating the causes of climate change will continue and that a report will be provided at a future NSMC meeting. The NSMC noted that a panel of three operators has been appointed for the Shared Island sports club EV charging infrastructure scheme and that the panel is actively engaging with sports clubs. Ministers welcomed the collaboration on the procurement process for the new train sets for the Enterprise fleet.

The Council noted collaboration between Departments in sharing best practice and advancements in transport policy, planning and modelling. Ministers noted that Departments have engaged and will continue to engage on the development of relevant plans and strategies such as the transport strategy 2035, the national sustainable mobility action plan and the Moving Together strategy. The NSMC noted that an information-sharing session had occurred in March 2025 between officials working in sustainable mobility and other climate-related areas. Ministers agreed that officials will continue to participate in further in-person information-sharing sessions.

The Council noted the Departments’ engagement on research and innovation, with a specific focus on road safety and hydrogen refuelling. The Council meeting examined two areas on which research and innovation is ongoing: road safety and hydrogen refuelling.

The NSMC welcomed the substantive engagement on road safety between officials in the Department of Infrastructure and the Department of Transport that there has been during 2025. Ministers noted that road safety officials have met twice since the previous sectoral meeting to discuss their road safety initiatives and that they have discussed areas in which further exploration and collaboration could take place as part of their commitment to enhancing their working relationship. The Council agreed that officials will exchange information papers outlining their respective experiences of setting speed limits and installing and operating road safety cameras. The NSMC welcomed the fact that the Departments will work together to explore the potential for a workshop on road safety communications.

The Council welcomed the progress made on the Belfast-Dublin hydrogen refuelling study, which moved into phase 3 in August. The NSMC noted that the contract for the pre-procurement market engagement report and the business cases have been awarded and agreed that Ministers would return to the matter at the next sectoral meeting.

The Council agreed to hold its next transport meeting in spring 2026. My officials and I look forward to working with the Minister for Transport and their officials in all areas of cooperation in the transport sector.

Carál Ní Chuilín (Sinn Féin, Belfast North)

Thank you, Minister. I call Justin McNulty to speak on behalf of the official Opposition.

Justin McNulty (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Newry and Armagh)

I thank the Minister for her statement. Legal challenges and judicial reviews (JRs) are causing huge delays to major infrastructure projects and housing developments North and South, including the A5, Casement Park and Metro North. Was that discussed at the North/South Ministerial Council meeting? Does the Minister agree that it would be prudent to bring forward a series of legal and regulatory reforms like those proposed by the Irish Government to accelerate the development of infrastructure and housing?

Liz Kimmins (Sinn Féin, Newry and Armagh)

That was not specifically discussed at that meeting. However, I am aware of comments that have come from the Government in Dublin. I intend to watch that situation closely. When we talk about the A5 and look at the significant delays to what is a project to save lives, we see that it has been stopped time and time again by those objecting to it and JRs. As an Executive, we will need to monitor that closely. It is not specific to my Department to tackle the issue, because the use of JRs or, in some cases, the abuse of JRs to stop projects is important for everyone. We will watch what happens in the South closely.

Peter Martin (DUP, North Down)

Minister, you referenced the A5 twice in your statement. In paragraph 200 of his judgement on the A5 appeal, Justice McAlinden said the following:

"The DfI statement does not detail or contain any reference to any such evidence being provided by DAERA and, in contrast with the evidence provided by DfE at the hearing of this matter, nothing was forthcoming from DAERA".

What did you ask for from the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs? Why did he not provide it to you?

Liz Kimmins (Sinn Féin, Newry and Armagh)

As I was not in post at that time, I did not ask him for anything. That probably answers your question.

Cathal Boylan (Sinn Féin, Newry and Armagh)

I thank the Minister for her statement, which I welcome. The Minister is well aware that we have had a number of tragedies on our roads across the island. What work is she doing with her counterpart in Dublin to get people to think about road safety?

Liz Kimmins (Sinn Féin, Newry and Armagh)

I thank the Member for his question. Sadly, over the past week or so, we have seen a significant number of road deaths across the Six Counties. I attended the NI Road Safety Awards on Friday a week ago. Sadly, the figures that were quoted at that have increased dramatically in just about a week. That brings to 47 the number of people who have been killed in road traffic collisions this year. A total of 69 people lost their lives last year.

It is almost an understatement to say that the devastation that road traffic collisions cause is huge not just for the people who are directly involved but in the ripple effect that it has across all our communities. That is why road safety is an issue for us all as a society. It is an absolute priority for me. The Member will be aware that my Department launched our road safety strategy in the North in 2024. Working with our road safety partners, we aim to reduce road deaths by 50% by 2030. The strategy is steered by the road safety strategic forum, which includes representatives from the PSNI, the Fire and Rescue Service, the Ambulance Service, DAERA, DOJ, DFE and the Public Health Agency (PHA). Road safety is a key measure in the Programme for Government, and, together with our partners across road safety, we are working on a strategic action plan to take us into 2027. A report on the progress of the 2024-25 action plan was published on 30 October. I approved an allocation of just under £2 million to road safety promotion for this financial year. In addition, the road safety partnership has allocated half a million pounds in sponsorship, bringing the total budget to almost £2·5 million.

My officials have reinstated a full advertising programme. We have added to our "RoadWise Up" advertising campaign series and have included information on pedestrian safety, motorcyclist safety, drink-driving and a new point-of-danger radio campaign on the safety of children getting on and off school buses. In recent weeks, I have commissioned a new drug-driving campaign, and that will run from 20 November to the end of December. From January until the end of March, my Department will run campaigns that address careless, inattentive driving; mobile phone use; speeding; cyclist safety; and general driver behaviour and the impact of poor choices while driving.

The Member asked about the work that we are doing with partners in the South. I will soon announce a consultation on a review of speed limits. That will be of particular interest to most MLAs. We have been working closely at official level with our counterparts in the South to monitor the impact of the changes that have been made in the South and to monitor the progress that has been made. We are also looking at sharing research and knowledge on the use of speed cameras.

I am doing a vast range of things in that regard in my role. I am also working collaboratively, because many of our roads cross the border. We share those roads every day. Those of us who represent border consistencies know that, essentially, there is no border because those roads are part and parcel of everyday life. Therefore, it is important that we work as closely as possible and align our key objectives.

Andrew McMurray (Alliance, South Down)

The statement refers to the sharing of information papers on speed limits: have there been any initial discussions about that? Has the Minister considered reducing speed limits in the North, given the recent changes in the Republic of Ireland, Wales and Scotland?

Liz Kimmins (Sinn Féin, Newry and Armagh)

We have had those conversations already. As I have just said, I will soon launch a consultation on a review of speed limits. My Department is actively working on that. I hope to make that announcement fairly soon.

Diana Armstrong (UUP, Fermanagh and South Tyrone)

Minister, thank you for your statement. I also reference the fatalities on the Derrylin Road in Fermanagh at the weekend. Having been out there, it was clear to me how that accident could have happened. I appeal to DFI to consider replenishing the road markings there — they are desperately in need of it — so that they are more emphatic for drivers. It is an extremely busy North/South road that is used every day by many vehicles, including goods lorries.

Minister, was there any indication from the Irish Government of further funding for the A5? On a second matter, Fermanagh is absent from the all-Ireland rail review: was that absence highlighted again?

Liz Kimmins (Sinn Féin, Newry and Armagh)

I think that there were three questions there.

Carál Ní Chuilín (Sinn Féin, Belfast North)

Yes, there were three questions there, Minister.

Liz Kimmins (Sinn Féin, Newry and Armagh)

The Irish Government have reiterated their commitment to funding the A5. There is no indication that there is any risk to that funding. I am grateful for their support, particularly given the uncertainty that we have experienced for some time. I hope that we will see a positive conclusion to the appeal.

The all-island rail review is continually referenced and is very much kept on the agenda of every meeting that I have, whether it is the North/South Ministerial Council or any other engagement that I have as Minister. We will continue to monitor and assess that in the time ahead.

Maolíosa McHugh (Sinn Féin, West Tyrone)

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire as a ráiteas.

[Translation: I thank the Minister for her statement.]

What engagement has been had with the Irish Government in relation to the transport strategy and transport plans?

Liz Kimmins (Sinn Féin, Newry and Armagh)

I usually have my iPad with me. Bear with me.

On 18 November 2025, my officials hosted a knowledge-sharing workshop with officials from Dublin City Council, Transport Infrastructure Ireland and the National Transport Authority (NTA). That workshop had a transport planning and delivery focus. My officials organised and facilitated the session, including delivering a presentation on the approach and indicative timelines for the transport strategy and draft transport plans. That provided an opportunity to outline our methodology and strategic direction. The workshop also created a valuable forum for collaboration, enabling officials to share experiences, discuss what works well and what does not and to learn from delivery challenges faced by other organisations. My team led discussions on practical steps for organising data-sharing, modelling and the use of analytical tools. Those exchanges will help to ensure consistency, improve decision-making and strengthen the evidence base for our plans. On the basis of the success of the session, we have agreed to continue that style of engagement through 2026, providing regular opportunities for officials to collaborate, share knowledge and embed best practice.

Harry Harvey (DUP, Strangford)

I welcome the statement by the Minister. Minister, you have elaborated about road safety, and I had the privilege of attending the launch of your drug-driving advertising campaign last week, which was also attended by Road Safe NI and The Road Ahead NI. On research and innovation, will you elaborate a wee bit more about hydrogen refuelling, please?

Liz Kimmins (Sinn Féin, Newry and Armagh)

As the Member will be aware, hydrogen refuelling is being looked at globally now. There are really good opportunities to make the shift to using hydrogen refuelling methods, particularly when you look at HGVs and some of the options. Some major companies have already put that in place, so we are keen to look at that. In some of the other sectoral meetings, we have heard about how other areas of work, on a North/South basis, are exploring what solutions are out there and what the benefits of those will be. We are watching that continually to see how we can embed it into good practice across the island.

Sian Mulholland (Alliance, North Antrim)

Thank you, Minister. You talked a wee bit about information-sharing and the sharing of knowledge. Has there been any discussion around the sharing of information on disqualified drivers?

Liz Kimmins (Sinn Féin, Newry and Armagh)

That issue has been brought to my attention in recent months. We are looking at that with officials because we recognise that there have been specific cases, and some Members in the Chamber have raised it with me directly. My view is that there are potential discrepancies that need to be addressed, so, at this time, officials are working on it to see how we can address it and close that gap.

Deirdre Hargey (Sinn Féin, Belfast South)

Thank you, Minister. You rightly pointed to discussions around road safety, given recent events on our roads across the island. What other engagement is taking place with Irish government officials around other innovative technologies, particularly data-sharing?

Liz Kimmins (Sinn Féin, Newry and Armagh)

DFI officials have been working closely with colleagues in the National Transport Authority (NTA) and Dublin City Council to explore how we can share information and approaches to transport planning. Those discussions have focused on practical ways to make data and tools easier to use across organisations and, in learning from one another's experiences, to improve how my Department can plan and deliver projects. An example of that working relationship is how my officials have recently collaborated on the introduction of smart-sensor technology in Belfast city centre. That technology was initially trialled in Dublin city centre, and my officials have engaged with NTA and Dublin City Council to understand which systems work best and how they can be used to monitor and evaluate transport activity. That partnership has helped my officials to ensure that we can make the most of those innovations in Belfast. In particular, those innovations are a key part of the announcements that I have made on traffic congestion alleviation measures leading up to the Christmas period: how we can tweak the measures that we are putting in place for this year, based on last year's experience. That means that, if those measures are not working as well as we hoped that they would, the sensors will allow us to pick that up in real time so that we can make adjustments where needed.

Phillip Brett (DUP, Belfast North)

Minister, in your statement, you discuss how officials have been sharing best practice on how to advance transport policy. Does that extend to Hill Street in north Belfast? Your Department committed that the pedestrianisation of that street would be completed by November. It is now 1 December, and the street has still not been pedestrianised. Can you give us a date today for when the pedestrianisation of that street will be completed?

Liz Kimmins (Sinn Féin, Newry and Armagh)

Despite its not being explicitly linked to the statement, I am happy to answer the Member's question. As he is aware, there have been delays beyond my control that meant that we were not able to get the pedestrianisation started on the date on which we had hoped that we would. Those were important issues that we needed to address. I am happy that we have overcome those issues and have found a solution, but it has resulted in needing some tweaks to be made to some of the signage. I hope that that will be imminent, and as soon as we have an update, I will make that announcement. However, at this point, the delays are out of my control. Please be assured that my officials have been working extremely hard to get the scheme up and running as soon as possible.

Jemma Dolan (Sinn Féin, Fermanagh and South Tyrone)

I thank the Minister for her statement. Minister, what progress has been made on the Sligo-Enniskillen greenway?

Liz Kimmins (Sinn Féin, Newry and Armagh)

The Sligo-Enniskillen greenway project is in development, as the Member will know. An early design and route selection phase for the greenway, including the 18-kilometre northern section between Enniskillen and Belcoo, is being led by Leitrim County Council, with funding provided by the Department of Transport. The preferred corridor was published in October 2025, and an appraisal of route options to determine a preferred route within that corridor will now commence. My Department has issued a letter of offer for 50% of the funding, which is £126,000, to Fermanagh and Omagh District Council to support geotechnical survey work to inform the design development process in the North. Subject to the completion of a procurement process, it is anticipated that works will commence in 2026. My officials are also engaged with all parties with regard to funding for the future stages of the project.

Matthew O'Toole (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Belfast South)

The Minister mentioned the all-Ireland strategic rail review. I am glad that it was discussed because we want to see progress on that. I understand that just one third of a full-time equivalent official is working on it in the Department. Has the Minister specifically requested from the Finance Minister a multi-year budget line — a capital allocation — to deliver the all-Ireland strategic rail review, so that people can see how progress will be funded?

Liz Kimmins (Sinn Féin, Newry and Armagh)

As I said in a previous answer and in the statement, we are waiting on the outcome of the prioritisation, but we will be factoring that into any future budget discussions.

Declan McAleer (Sinn Féin, West Tyrone)

I welcomed in the Minister's statement the reference to the setting up of the cross-border working group to ensure alignment of the A5. What conversations has her Department had with the working group about how the Donegal TEN-T and the N2 in Monaghan will link with the new A5?

Liz Kimmins (Sinn Féin, Newry and Armagh)

I have had numerous engagements with the various committees and cross-border groups that are working on the A5/N2 project. The Member may be aware that work continues to address the Planning Appeals Commission recommendations for the remaining two sections of the scheme. Those recommendations will be subject to separate consultations and decisions in due course. The cross-border working group that has been established to reinforce collaboration on the continued development of the N2 from Clontibret to the border and phase 3 of the A5 from Ballygawley to the border is up and running. Both Administrations continue to collaborate closely on the A5/Donegal TEN-T project interface, including on the mitigation of impacts on the River Foyle floodplain. Regular meetings are taking place with Donegal County Council and the Office of Public Works.

Pam Cameron (DUP, South Antrim)

I thank the Minister for her statement, in which she spoke of the significant stakeholder engagement undertaken by the Government of Ireland and the progression of the market-sounding exercise to support the Programme for Government commitment to establish air connectivity between Dublin and the City of Derry Airport. A few lines down in the statement, we heard of the engagement between officials in reducing emissions and mitigating the causes of climate change. Will the Minister explain how she manages those two contradictory subjects, which are just a few sentences apart?

Liz Kimmins (Sinn Féin, Newry and Armagh)

There is a balance to be struck in all these things, including air connectivity and creating connectivity across the island, and other routes are already in use. Many people who are not using air connectivity are potentially driving up and down those routes, so if we are able to cut down on some of those emissions. However, with everything that we do, it does not mean that we absolutely eliminate; we have to look at things sensibly and try to create a balance with what else we are doing to reduce emissions while giving people a range of options.

Mark Durkan (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Foyle)

For decades in Derry, the roads in Donegal were the butt of jokes, but now, sadly, the shoe is on the other foot. Obviously, we are aware of collaboration with Dublin on the hopeful delivery of the A5, but has the Minister explored any potential for collaboration on other cross-border routes, specifically, the A2 Buncrana Road?

Liz Kimmins (Sinn Féin, Newry and Armagh)

Anything that we can do collaboratively is good. As I said earlier, our roads do not stop at the border. You can see how we worked it out on the A5, and the various sections and the working group that has been set up to address that. There has to be collaboration on all schemes because we have to bring it to the point where we are fulfilling our responsibility and, likewise, where the roads meet. Where we have a joint or shared interest in something that serves our citizens right across the island, we will continue to work with the Southern Government.

Stephen Dunne (DUP, North Down)

The statement referenced meetings about road safety initiatives. Can the Minister outline whether any of the initiatives discussed will be included in a road safety action plan for 2025-26?

Can she also outline why there has been a delay in the publication of any plan, given that it was advised that it was expected in summer 2025?

I thank the Minister for meeting the family of the late Jaidyn Rice, who was tragically killed in the summer, with us. That was a reminder for us all of the pain that can be inflicted on us by road safety tragedies.

Liz Kimmins (Sinn Féin, Newry and Armagh)

I thank the Member for his comments. I also thank him and his colleague for facilitating the meeting with Jaidyn's grandmother. I pay tribute to the Rice family for the commitment and strength that they are showing to ensure that Jaidyn's life will not have been lost in vain. They are channelling their grief into making our roads safer for all road users. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to meet Mrs Rice.

That ties into the Member's broader question. I am looking at everything that is available to me to see what we can do to make our roads safer. I mentioned the collaboration and shared working around reducing speed limits and having speed cameras on the roads. We discussed that as part of the engagement last week. Anything that I bring forward will inform future action plans to make sure that we continually narrow the gaps. That feeds into the broader piece around road safety advertising and campaigning to make sure that people realise that we all have a responsibility to play our part. As the House has heard me say before, over 95% of collisions are down to human error, so there are always things that we can do to ensure that, when we drive, we protect not just ourselves and the people with us but other road users, in line with anything else that we can do as a Department.

Carál Ní Chuilín (Sinn Féin, Belfast North)

That concludes questions —.

Peter Martin (DUP, North Down)

On a point of order, Deputy Speaker.

Carál Ní Chuilín (Sinn Féin, Belfast North)

Just let me finish this part first, Peter.

That concludes questions on the statement from the Minister for Infrastructure.

Peter Martin (DUP, North Down)

Thank you very much, and apologies, Principal Deputy Speaker: I think that I called you "Deputy Speaker" at the start of my point of order.

The Minister did not answer my question, because, she said, she was not in post at that time. I do not dispute that, but a colleague of hers, the current Finance Minister, was. The Minister took a line with me that —.

Carál Ní Chuilín (Sinn Féin, Belfast North)

Peter, sit down. That is not a point of order. It is not.

We have been through this repeatedly: if you are unhappy with the response that any Minister gives you, I advise you to write and put that on the record.

Carál Ní Chuilín (Sinn Féin, Belfast North)

Members, as the statement on a suspected case of bluetongue virus was received by the Business Office at 1.10 pm, I propose, by leave of the Assembly, to suspend the sitting until 1.40 pm.

The business stood suspended.

The sitting was suspended at 1.33 pm and resumed at 1.40 pm.

Business resumed.

Carál Ní Chuilín (Sinn Féin, Belfast North)

The Speaker has received notice from the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs that he wishes to make a statement. Before I call the Minister, I remind Members that they must be concise in asking their question and that this is not an opportunity for long-winded introductions.

Andrew Muir (Alliance, North Down)

Thank you, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker, for the opportunity to make a statement to the Assembly on the recent suspect case of the bluetongue virus (BTV) in Northern Ireland. I intend to use the statement to update Members on the current state of BTV incursion across the UK; the suspect case of BTV at a farm near Bangor, County Down; the immediate disease control actions that have been taken by my Department and next steps; and key measures for industry at this worrying time.

Bluetongue is an insect-borne viral disease to which all species of ruminants are susceptible, although sheep are most severely affected. Often, cattle and goats that appear healthy can carry high levels of the virus and provide a source of further infection. The disease is caused by a virus that is transmitted by certain species of biting midges. Animal-to-animal transmission is not a significant method of spread, except through the transplacental route, and germ plasm is also involved in the spread. The species of midge that carries the infection is found in Northern Ireland. Bluetongue can reduce milk yield, cause sickness and reduce reproductive performance. While it can also have major trade impacts, it is a disease of animals, not humans, so there are no public health or food safety issues.

As Members will be aware, there have been a significant number of BTV cases across England and Wales in recent years. The total number of cases since July 2025 is 228. There have been no cases in Scotland or the Republic of Ireland. As a result, direct movement of all live ruminants and camelids from Great Britain to Northern Ireland is still suspended. The use of approved unauthorised vaccines in England and Wales does not impact on that.

In seeking to progress actions to protect Northern Ireland, I agreed in June of this year to publish DAERA's disease control framework for Northern Ireland for bluetongue virus BTV-3. The framework presents DAERA's surveillance in response to a heightened disease risk of BTV with respect to serotypes — otherwise known as "strain types" — without an approved vaccine and for those with vaccines that have been authorised by the EU in exceptional circumstances. Developed in close cooperation with industry, it details the range of existing and ongoing measures to prevent and detect early disease introduction. They include existing post-import testing for ruminant and camelid animals imported from mainland Europe, with one or more tests required, depending on origin and pregnancy status; midge surveillance carried out by the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) across seven Northern Ireland sites in spring and autumn to detect start and end of vector-active season; and horizon scanning of the mainland Europe, Great Britain and Republic of Ireland BTV disease picture to be aware of heightened risk, learn lessons from other authorities and tailor our approach, as required. The framework also outlined our surveillance-testing protocol, which was reinforced last year to include more comprehensive sampling, including EDTA sampling, to facilitate PCR testing of serology positives. In addition, as Members will be aware, I took the further decision in July of this year to permit the voluntary use of three bluetongue serotype 3 vaccines in Northern Ireland.

I turn now to the suspect case. On Saturday 29 November, the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute indicated that two of three cattle samples submitted to the laboratory on 18 November were positive for bluetongue. Neither animal was vaccinated. The samples came from a cattle and sheep farm near Bangor, County Down. I take the opportunity to thank the affected farmer for his ongoing cooperation during such a difficult time. The suspect BTV positive was picked up because of the enhanced surveillance-testing protocol at all Northern Ireland abattoirs, which was introduced in June 2024. That, along with the actions that I have just mentioned, complement the immediate follow-up of any reported cases with veterinary investigation to negate concerns or declare a suspicion.

Due to those initial results, as outlined in the framework, a 20-kilometre temporary control zone (TCZ) was immediately introduced around the affected farm on the same day, Saturday 29 November. It should be noted that the samples are now subject to confirmatory testing at the Friedrich Loeffler Institute (FLI) in Germany, the EU reference laboratory and the UK national reference laboratory (NRL) at Pirbright before disease can be either confirmed or definitely ruled out.

The immediate disease control restrictions that are now in place mean that moving susceptible species, such as cattle, sheep, goats, deer and llamas and alpacas, on or off premises in the zone and on the affected farm is now prohibited while officials carry out further investigations. Moves direct to slaughter are permitted under a general licence, which is available on my Department's website. It should be noted that such moves are, in part, being permitted as the advice indicates that the risk is minimal. That is because it is likely that we are nearly, if not already, in the vector low period, which means that midges cannot spread the disease in the colder weather. The further capture of midges will allow us to confirm that over the coming days.

In addition, DAERA officials were on-site on Saturday morning and confirmed that there were no clinical signs in any of the remaining cattle or sheep on the farm, nor were there any clinical signs in the animals that were sampled at the abattoir. Officials are also tracing any animals that moved on or off the farm during the risk window from 1 October 2025. Any holdings that are identified as having received animals from the affected farm will be subject to surveillance and testing if required.

The Department has issued a press release and updated the departmental website with further information on BTV, with specific information for farmers who are in the temporary control zone. The Chief Veterinary Officer (CVO) and officials met the Ulster Farmers' Union (UFU) last night to discuss the situation, and they are directly contacting all farmers in the area by text and email. Further communications will be considered in the coming days, and the most up-to-date information will be available on the DAERA website.

As our BTV-free status has now been suspended, moves of live animals to the Republic of Ireland and the EU can be permitted only for direct slaughter. Breeding and production moves will not be permitted either from or to farms that are in the control zone. Animal moves to Great Britain are all suspended while immediate discussions are held between officials to agree on the requirements for moves for slaughter and breeding and production in line with those available to the rest of the UK. As Members will appreciate, this is a developing situation, and we expect clarity on those movements imminently after the necessary meetings take place today. Germ plasm movements out of the zone are not permitted unless they satisfy testing and biosecurity requirements. Furthermore, the effects on the movement of products of animal origin should be minimal. Some individual export certificates may be dependent on bluetongue freedom, but those will be limited in number.

The suspected incursion is worrying, and I have outlined to officials my determination that all necessary steps are taken to mitigate any further risks and that all efforts are made to stamp out the disease. My Department will, therefore, immediately test all the remaining cattle and sheep on the affected farm. The results from that testing will further inform actions. In addition, a range of surveillance activities will be progressed in the temporary control zone and will include a ban on any moves except to slaughter. Twenty large farms, randomly spread across the area, will be tested to determine the extent of spread, if any, within the zone.

It is important to note that only when further veterinary investigations take place, in addition to a further assessment of potential midge activity, can decisions be made about how long the temporary control zone will remain in place, how long trade restrictions may last, whether any further zones need to be established and how long the current ban on movements within the zone will last. Officials will, therefore, keep affected farmers and the wider industry regularly updated with timely communications. That will include convening a wider stakeholder and industry meeting later today to update them on the current situation. I have also had direct discussions with my counterpart in the South, Minister Heydon, and I plan to discuss the matter with DEFRA colleagues at the earliest opportunity. I will keep in close contact with colleagues in Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland.

In the time ahead, I appeal to all farmers to immediately notify the Department of any suspicions of BTV so that appropriate action can be taken. A large range of material is available on the DAERA website, including pictures of the clinical signs and next steps if an incursion is suspected. I also remind the public that, while bluetongue is extremely serious for animal health and productivity, it is not zoonotic, and there are no public health or food concerns.

I will ensure that updates are provided, as necessary, to my Executive colleagues and also, importantly, the AERA Committee in the first instance. I will be happy to return to the House if there are any further significant and serious developments in the time ahead.

Robbie Butler (UUP, Lagan Valley)

I thank the Minister for his statement and for contacting me at the weekend in regard to the situation. Bluetongue is happening against the backdrop of avian flu and bovine tuberculosis, and the spectre of the veterinary medicines debacle is also hanging over farmers at the moment. Is there anything that we can do to give further confidence to farmers that vaccinations will be readily available post 1 January?

Andrew Muir (Alliance, North Down)

As Minister, I made a decision to allow farmers to have access to the vaccines. That is a decision for them. They are available, and farmers can take advice from their private veterinary practitioner in relation to their uptake. The focus now has to be on eradication. That is why we set up the temporary control zone and why movements are only permitted directly to slaughter, and there is a form available on the DAERA website to facilitate that. Additional testing is under way by the Department.

Together, I think that we can stamp it out, but it is important that we all work collectively on the issue and stand united on one message that the temporary control zone and the understanding of it must be respected, and I am sure that it will be. My engagement with the Ulster Farmers' Union has shown that we are in this together, and we are going to work together on it.

Declan McAleer (Sinn Féin, West Tyrone)

I thank the Minister for his statement and for his communication at the weekend with me, in my capacity as Deputy Chair of the AERA Committee. Minister, this issue is potentially devastating for the farm affected and potentially, but hopefully not, for any other farm that may be impacted on. I appreciate that it is the early days of your investigation, but has any consideration been given yet to compensating farmers who may be very heavily affected?

Andrew Muir (Alliance, North Down)

As Minister, I take the issue very seriously. When the positive test was confirmed on Saturday evening, the Department rolled into action in its response to it, and rightly so. I have also spoken to my counterpart in the South because we are one single epidemiological area, and that is why it is important that we work together on it. We have a policy in place in relation to compensation. It states:

"This will be considered on a case-by-case basis, taking account of epidemiological investigation and veterinary risk assessment. However, due to the vector-borne nature of the disease, widespread slaughter is unlikely to be used to control bluetongue. If bluetongue positive animals are culled, compensation will be paid at 50% of market value. Any imported animals that are found to be infected with bluetongue during post-import checks will be culled, unfortunately, with no compensation payable. Compensation will not be payable in the following circumstances: where imported, infected or exposed animals are slaughtered on a discretionary basis as a disease risk, or seriously affected animals are destroyed for welfare reasons by the decision of the owner."

Michelle McIlveen (DUP, Strangford)

I thank the Minister for his statement. The issue is very worrying. I am conscious that it is still considered to be a suspected case, but, given the low temperatures over the past couple of weeks, is it likely that cattle may have been infected for a longer time? If that is the case, and further testing concludes that a number of herds have been infected, what will the next steps be? Will the Department work with industry to determine whether there will be a mass cull, or will there be an alternative plan that will help to build herd resilience?

Carál Ní Chuilín (Sinn Féin, Belfast North)

Minister, there are four questions there.

Andrew Muir (Alliance, North Down)

First, on how it came about, there are ongoing investigations. It is spread by midges, so it is a bit more difficult to totally ascertain. It is relatively cold weather now, but Members will probably remember that, a few weeks ago, it was relatively warm, so that risk has existed in Northern Ireland.

On the risk of bluetongue going beyond that herd, the guide, which I have been going through all weekend, is the disease control framework, and we will work through that in our response. The most effective way to avoid it spreading is to set up control zones and to limit movements and for farmers to be vigilant. If they suspect bluetongue, it is important that they immediately report it and isolate any sick animals. The Department is taking a number of actions in its response. It is conducting additional blood samples of other herds and the affected herd. Traps for midges are being set, and we are going to be testing those. There is also additional abattoir surveillance. Hopefully, through those collective actions, we can progress to eradication.

I am very conscious that it is a worrying time for the farming community in Northern Ireland. I did not want to have to come the Assembly about this, especially at this time of year, when we had hoped that we were out of the vector-borne season, but it is important that we respond collectively, and I think that we will.

John Blair (Alliance, South Antrim)

I thank the Minister for the statement. Will the Minister provide information on any of his engagement with the Irish Government regarding the arrival of bluetongue on the island of Ireland? He touched a bit on that in his statement, but, for clarity, it would be useful to have more information, if he has it.

Andrew Muir (Alliance, North Down)

Thank you, John. I was immediately in contact with my counterpart in the South, Martin Heydon, when the results came through on Saturday evening. I spoke to him yesterday, and we will continue our engagement as Ministers. There is also significant engagement between veterinary service colleagues, North and South, on the issue. It is a threat to our agri-food industry in the island of Ireland, and it is important that we respond accordingly. That is what we are doing. Beyond that, we need to work together as politicians and with the farming community in Northern Ireland so that we have one collective and clear message that a control zone is in place and only moves direct to slaughter are permitted. A form for that is available from the DAERA website. People can download the form, and, if they bring it with their livestock to the abattoir, it should cover them.

Justin McNulty (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Newry and Armagh)

I thank the Minister for his statement. Does the Minister have any concerns about livestock prices at marts and factories and the implications of any drops for farmers and their families?

Andrew Muir (Alliance, North Down)

As Minister, my focus in the situation now has to be on dealing with the consequences of the positive samples that have come through. The best way that we can secure the future of the agri-food industry in Northern Ireland is by moving fast and hard in response to those samples. My officials have been doing that. They did it all day on Saturday and Sunday, until late last night, and again from first thing this morning. That is what we must do, and that is what will secure the future of the agri-food industry.

Carál Ní Chuilín (Sinn Féin, Belfast North)

Members will be aware that Question Time starts at 2.00 pm. Questions on the statement will continue after Question Time and the question for urgent oral answer. I suggest that the Assembly takes its ease until then. Thank you.

The business stood suspended.

(Mr Speaker in the Chair)

Oral Answers to Questions — Economy

Mark Durkan (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Foyle)

1. Mr Durkan asked the Minister for the Economy to outline her plans to ease the financial pressures on local businesses. (AQO 2775/22-27)

Caoimhe Archibald (Sinn Féin, East Londonderry)

The recent increase in employers’ National Insurance contributions, persistently high energy costs and the higher input costs driven by inflation are major components of the challenge. Many of the issues are outside my Department's remit, but support exists for businesses on a number of fronts, including support to invest in low-carbon energy to reduce energy costs. In addition, alongside its delivery partners, my Department provides a range of supports for businesses to help them to become more competitive through innovation, skills and support for exploring new markets. Ultimately, businesses will thrive when they have the support available to meet their full potential within the constraints in which they operate. My economic vision is geared towards driving the economic change that we need to ensure that people across the North are able to benefit from that transformation.

Mark Durkan (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Foyle)

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire as ucht a freagra.

[Translation: I thank the Minister for her answer.]

Minister, this is an extremely challenging time for businesses. You outlined some of those challenges, another of which is the increase in the minimum wage, which your colleague welcomed earlier. That will put pressure on small businesses in particular and will, I fear, lead to more unemployment. I appreciate that some of those things are outside your gift, Minister, but are you committed to working with your colleagues to make things easier for the many businesses here that struggle? Numerous businesses closed last year, and it does not look good for many more going into the future.

Caoimhe Archibald (Sinn Féin, East Londonderry)

I thank the Member for his question. I concur with a lot of what he said: it is a challenging environment for business for a range of reasons. There are lots of cost pressures. All of us will endorse the idea that the lowest paid should have their wages topped up annually, but, alongside other cumulatively increasing costs, that poses a challenge for businesses. I am absolutely committed to working with my Executive colleagues and the Finance Minister in particular to make representations to the British Government about the need for interventions that will support businesses to grow and thrive.

Disappointingly, we did not see a great deal in last week's Budget that will deliver on that. When I was Finance Minister, I commissioned research on the cost of doing business that provided an evidence base for Treasury to look at some of the interventions where there are differential impacts in the North. It would have suited the Treasury better to do that, and it would be wise for it to consider that going forward. I am committed to working with all my colleagues to address the challenges that businesses face. I engage with businesses and their representatives regularly in order to understand the issues that have an impact on them.

Gary Middleton (DUP, Foyle)

Minister, we all agree that all Ministers should work together to ease pressures on local businesses. Do you agree that the proposals in your 'good jobs' Bill will, in fact, increase financial pressures on local businesses?

Caoimhe Archibald (Sinn Féin, East Londonderry)

I do not agree with the Member in that regard. What we are trying to achieve with the 'good jobs' Bill is to ensure that workers have good terms and conditions and that businesses that are doing the right thing and implementing good policies and supporting their workers are not being undercut by those who are less scrupulous. Working with business organisations and the trade unions, we are charting a way forward with the 'good jobs' Bill that will adopt a balanced approach, benefiting employers and workers alike.

Kate Nicholl (Alliance, Belfast South)

In my constituency of South Belfast and, indeed, all constituencies, Christmas is a particularly important time for businesses. What work will the Minister do, alongside her colleague in the Infrastructure Department, to monitor traffic issues, which could have a huge impact on businesses during that important time?

Caoimhe Archibald (Sinn Féin, East Londonderry)

I thank the Member for her question. She will be aware of the measures that the Infrastructure Minister has taken in advance of the Christmas period to minimise traffic disruption. However, we want people to be out in the shops and on our high streets, spending money and supporting businesses in advance of Christmas, so a certain amount of traffic, which we want to see, is not within that control. I am committed to working with my ministerial colleague to ensure that the festive period is successful for businesses. I endorse the Retail Consortium campaign about being kind to our shopworkers over the Christmas period and not taking our frustrations out on people who are trying to help us. I will be more than happy to work with ministerial colleagues to get the best out of that time.

Robbie Butler (UUP, Lagan Valley)

2. Mr Butler asked the Minister for the Economy for an update on her departmental scale of resource dedicated to anaerobic digestion as a source for sustainable energy security. (AQO 2776/22-27)

Caoimhe Archibald (Sinn Féin, East Londonderry)

The energy strategy aims to ensure a secure, affordable and clean energy system for current and future generations by reducing reliance on fossil fuels, increasing local renewable generation and creating a flexible, resilient and integrated energy system that closely monitors and enhances security of supply. Anaerobic digestion supports the energy strategy and the economic vision by enabling the decarbonisation of energy and promoting regional balance through economic activity in rural areas. The anaerobic digestion sector has also benefited from support through the Northern Ireland renewables obligation. The energy system is complex and interconnected, with policy officials being supported finance, analysis and legislation colleagues. It is therefore not possible to provide a precise breakdown of the scale of resource dedicated to anaerobic digestion.

My Department, like all Departments, faces a constrained fiscal situation, but we are working hard to bring forward policies and programmes that will benefit the sector and the wider economy. That work includes advancing biomethane actions such as issuing a public consultation on the treatment of connection costs and gas quality standards in early 2026. My Department will continue to collaborate with DAERA, the Utility Regulator and other key stakeholders to support the development of a sustainable biomethane sector.

Robbie Butler (UUP, Lagan Valley)

I thank the Minister for a fulsome and honest-sounding answer. I am glad to hear that the Minister recognises the value of anaerobic digestion and biomethane in particular. Can she outline any ways in which grid connections could be advanced more quickly by using the current legislation rather than waiting for a specific biomethane strategy?

Caoimhe Archibald (Sinn Féin, East Londonderry)

I thank the Member for his question. It is important that we have the correct regulatory framework in place to support the sector's development and the use of biomethane more generally. As you would expect, we are working on that with colleagues across the energy sector, particularly the Utility Regulator. We are engaging with those who are already doing anaerobic digestion, and there is an opportunity for us, particularly in more rural areas, to better utilise that resource. I look forward to the consultation being published and to making progress in that area.

Declan McAleer (Sinn Féin, West Tyrone)

Can the Minister indicate when she expects the biomethane policy to be published?

Caoimhe Archibald (Sinn Féin, East Londonderry)

I thank the Member for his question. The re-formation of the interdepartmental methane group will enable my officials to work with DAERA and other key stakeholders to develop policy. My Department is already taking actions to support that work and is planning to issue a public consultation on the treatment of connection costs and gas quality standards in early 2026.

Phillip Brett (DUP, Belfast North)

Minister, the Northern Ireland Audit Office published a damning report on the Department's energy strategy. We have already seen one delay to the renewable electricity price guarantee (REPG) scheme.

When will you, as Minister, get to grips with the energy department in the Department for the Economy and deliver on the so-called targets that you are committed to achieving?

Caoimhe Archibald (Sinn Féin, East Londonderry)

I thank the Member for his question. I am well on record as acknowledging the Audit Office report and indicating that we will implement its recommendations. The midterm review of the energy strategy is ongoing — I know that the Member is aware of that — and will be published in the next few weeks. It will set out the progress that we have achieved to date, which, in some respects, is considerable, and delivery milestones up to 2030 to provide the best opportunity for us to achieve what are ambitious but, of course, statutory targets that we have to achieve. I am committed to ensuring that we work towards that and towards an energy system that secures our energy future on the basis of renewables and of supporting people who live and work here, in particular protecting costs for consumers, which, I think, all of us seek to do.

David Honeyford (Alliance, Lagan Valley)

Minister, you said that energy is a complex issue, and I appreciate that. We have had the Audit Office report as well. However, I have repeatedly asked for clarity on this: do you intend to produce a single, comprehensive master plan that will incorporate everything and sit above councils' local development plans, bringing our entire energy system together to allow strategies for biogas renewables and everything else to come together to give us a strategic direction?

Caoimhe Archibald (Sinn Féin, East Londonderry)

I thank the Member for his question. I know that he has an interest in the area. He will know that we are pursuing a number of policies under the broad category of energy and are making good progress. I view the energy strategy as the plan. The midterm review provides us with an opportunity to set out a clear road map to 2030, bringing everything together. I look forward to sharing that with the Committee and more widely in the coming weeks.

Pádraig Delargy (Sinn Féin, Foyle)

3. Mr Delargy asked the Minister for the Economy to outline her Department's support for the City of Derry Airport. (AQO 2777/22-27)

Caoimhe Archibald (Sinn Féin, East Londonderry)

The City of Derry Airport is a critical gateway for the North, because it provides essential connectivity for the north-west region to London, Manchester, Glasgow and other key cities that support business connectivity and inbound tourism. I welcome the Irish Government's announcement that they will provide funding to support the restoration of the Dublin to Derry route. Promotion of that additional route will be important, and I have asked Tourism Ireland to identify options to best deliver it.

On a wider point, to support the airport's long-term sustainability and to help maximise its economic potential, I have committed up to £12 million in investment. My Department is also funding 50% of the £4·6 million cost for the City of Derry to Heathrow route. It is estimated that the London Heathrow route alone delivers a minimum benefit of £15 million per year in GVA for the Derry city region. That highlights the airport's role in supporting productivity and wider regional development. It is an integral part of my wider plans to improve regional balance and ensure that the north-west shares in the economic and social benefits.

Pádraig Delargy (Sinn Féin, Foyle)

I thank the Minister for her answer and for her and Minister Murphy's support for City of Derry Airport at over £3 million per year, which has allowed the sustainability to introduce the Dublin to Derry route. Minister, what engagement has your Department had with the Irish Government to ensure that that route is not only sustainable but successful?

Caoimhe Archibald (Sinn Féin, East Londonderry)

I thank the Member for his comments and his question. My officials are engaged with their counterparts in the Irish Department of Transport, which is leading the preparatory work to re-establish the Derry to Dublin air service. That engagement has helped to inform a market-sounding exercise that transport officials will publish in due course. It will seek views on demand and specifications for the service and help to determine the best way to connect and support the north-west region. Further cross-government engagement and collaboration will continue as that work progresses.

Matthew O'Toole (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Belfast South)

4. Mr O'Toole asked the Minister for the Economy whether the 'good jobs' employment rights Bill has been drafted. (AQO 2778/22-27)

Caoimhe Archibald (Sinn Féin, East Londonderry)

My Department continues to work on drafting the employment rights Bill. That work is at an advanced stage and will deliver a substantial Bill that will be the most significant reform of employment law since devolution. Obviously, we have lost two years of this mandate, and I and my Executive colleagues are therefore working to a very condensed time frame. Despite that, my Department is working at pace to deliver a very considerable piece of legislation addressing many of the most complex and critical employment issues facing us, delivering a balanced package that will help prevent positive employers being undercut by competitors using unfair practices and ensuring that workers across the North can benefit from the most significant update of employment rights in a generation. It is important that we get this right, and, to that end, I and my Department are continuing to engage with employers, trade unions and other stakeholders.

Matthew O'Toole (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Belfast South)

Thank you. Minister, given that you said that your Department is continuing to draft the Bill, I presume that it is not drafted yet. The 'good jobs' Bill was first trumpeted by your predecessor, Conor Murphy, way back in the early days after restoration in 2024, and you made an oral statement here in April of this year about the Bill progressing. Workers deserve clarity on the progressive legislation that they were and continue to be promised by you and your party. There is real concern that the Bill will either be watered down or timed out. Can you confirm that it will be introduced early in the new year, in time for it to be passed in this mandate?

Caoimhe Archibald (Sinn Féin, East Londonderry)

I thank the Member for his question, and I presume from his tone that he supports the principles of the 'good jobs' Bill. I can confirm that we are working at pace to ensure that the legislation is delivered to the Assembly as early as possible in the new year. The drafting is, as I said, at a very advanced stage. It is comprehensive and considerable legislation with many parts to it, and we have been working closely with the Office of the Legislative Counsel to ensure that the drafting is completed as quickly as possible. We will then bring it to the Executive for approval and introduction to the Assembly.

Declan Kearney (Sinn Féin, South Antrim)

Minister, can you outline for us how you envisage the 'good jobs' Bill improving the working lives of young people across our entire community, with particular reference to the proposal that tips earned should be held on to by those workers?

Caoimhe Archibald (Sinn Féin, East Londonderry)

I thank the Member for his question. Many parts of the 'good jobs' Bill will be beneficial to young people. The one that the Member mentioned comes up regularly in the engagement that I have with young people, and, in my opinion, it is an unfairness that many of them face. We are seeking to address that. There are other aspects to the Bill, such as addressing zero-hours contracts and increased flexible working, that will benefit not only young people but people of all working ages. Of course, access to trade union representation will be of benefit to all workers but particularly to young people, many of whom, at times, feel that they cannot raise their voice in work settings. Therefore, that protection from trade unions is important. Also, many of the family supports that we are bringing in through the legislation, including access to carer's leave, neonatal care leave and other progressive measures, are really important and beneficial to young people. I am really keen that we make good progress and get the legislation through the Assembly at the earliest opportunity.

Diane Forsythe (DUP, South Down)

Minister, do you now accept that, despite public claims, the Bill will not be introduced to the Assembly in January 2026?

Caoimhe Archibald (Sinn Féin, East Londonderry)

I thank the Member for her question. It is certainly my intention that the legislation will be introduced to the Assembly at the earliest opportunity in 2026. As I mentioned to Mr O'Toole, we have to ensure that it passes through the Executive, so I am sure that the Member will engage with her ministerial colleagues to make sure that that happens at the earliest opportunity.

Stewart Dickson (Alliance, East Antrim)

Minister, can you assure the House that there will be no watering down of rights, as the UK Government have proposed to do with Mr O'Toole's colleagues at Westminster?

Caoimhe Archibald (Sinn Féin, East Londonderry)

I thank the Member for his question. I certainly want to see no watering down of rights. I intend that the Bill that I indicated I would draft will be introduced into the Assembly. Once it is in the Assembly, it is in the ownership of the Assembly, and it will be for the Assembly to finally determine what comes out at the other end. However, I know what I intend and what I want to see.

Gerry Carroll (People Before Profit Alliance, Belfast West)

Minister, I am sure that you are aware of the Unite the union's hospitality campaign — the 'Get me home safely' campaign — which includes employers getting hospitality workers home safely after they have worked until the late hours of the night and the morning, zero tolerance on harassment and other issues. Can you confirm whether aspects of that will be in the 'good jobs' Bill?

Caoimhe Archibald (Sinn Féin, East Londonderry)

I thank the Member for his question. Some aspects of that may be covered by the legislation. I would need to look at the campaign in detail to understand all of the asks again. Certainly, I am open to looking at that.

Diana Armstrong (UUP, Fermanagh and South Tyrone)

Minister, following the Labour Government's U-turn on their manifesto commitment to grant all workers first-day rights to claim unfair dismissal, will you also recommend the same measure in the 'good jobs' Bill in Northern Ireland?

Caoimhe Archibald (Sinn Féin, East Londonderry)

I thank the Member for her question. Obviously, we have engaged with counterparts in the Department for Business and Trade as we and they progress our legislation. At times, there are unhelpful cross-references to such things, and I intend that my legislation, as I set out, will progress and be introduced to the Assembly.

Connie Egan (Alliance, North Down)

5. Ms Egan asked the Minister for the Economy for an update on the implementation of the Domestic Abuse (Safe Leave) Act (Northern Ireland) 2022. (AQO 2779/22-27)

Phillip Brett (DUP, Belfast North)

9. Mr Brett asked the Minister for the Economy when the Domestic Abuse (Safe Leave) Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 regulations will be published. (AQO 2783/22-27)

Caoimhe Archibald (Sinn Féin, East Londonderry)

With your permission, Mr Speaker, I will answer questions 5 and 9 together.

I am fully committed to introducing the legislation to operationalise safe leave during this mandate. The workplace can provide a safe space, and staying in employment can help victims and survivors of domestic abuse to retain their financial independence. However, they may also need time off work to deal with issues connected to that domestic abuse. People in that situation should of course continue to be paid and should not suffer financially.

My Department consulted on proposals to operationalise the safe leave Act last year. I hope to publish the findings of that as soon as possible. As well as introducing regulations, my Department will issue supporting guidance for employers and workers to help them navigate the new right. Developing the guidance will entail engaging with key stakeholders to ensure that it provides proper support to workers and employers so that this important right can be accessed by those who need it. I hope that access to paid safe leave from work will help victims and survivors of domestic abuse to access the vital support that they need.

Connie Egan (Alliance, North Down)

Minister, the Act was passed in 2022 and the longer the delay in implementation, the more we let down victims and survivors. You said that you want to publish your consultation as soon as possible: can you give us any firmer timescales on that? When will victims and survivors who need it be able to take safe leave?

Caoimhe Archibald (Sinn Féin, East Londonderry)

I thank the Member for her question. I am sure that she shares my frustration that we lost two years of the mandate and the ability to progress vital work like this. It was consulted on as early as possible once the Executive had returned. Obviously, we are progressing a number of important pieces of legislation, and this is one of them. My commitment is that it will be delivered as soon as possible and will be as effective as possible. I gave that commitment to the campaign that was here last week for the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and Girls. It is important that we get it implemented and operationalised as quickly as possible so that people get that practical support.

Phillip Brett (DUP, Belfast North)

This month marks two years since Sinn Féin took on ownership of the Department for the Economy. In that two years, the Act has not progressed one iota. Trade unions were forced to protest outside this Building at the delay. Will you please articulate to the House why, in two years, your Department has not been able to introduce the regulations?

Phillip Brett (DUP, Belfast North)

I thank the Member for his question. I am sure that he will not mind me pointing out that his party kept the institutions down for two years and delayed us from taking forward any of the work needed to ensure that the Act is implemented. As I indicated in my response to Ms Egan, we are working at pace to deliver this as quickly as possible. The consultation has been completed since we took ownership of the Department, and I am committed to ensuring that this important legislation is operationalised as quickly as possible.

Linda Dillon (Sinn Féin, Mid Ulster)

I thank the Minister for the work that she is doing on safe leave. It is important that we get the legislation right, not that we do it quickly. What are you doing, Minister, to work with advocates and the groups and organisations that represent people who have suffered domestic abuse to make sure that the regulations are right and that the guidelines are fitting for those whom they must serve?

Caoimhe Archibald (Sinn Féin, East Londonderry)

I thank the Member for her question. That is exactly what we need to work towards. The legislation must be effective for those who require it. My Department will engage further with stakeholders, including support groups, employer representatives and trade unions, as it develops effective guidance for workers and employers. It is important that the guidance provide employers with easily accessible information that will assist them in meeting their responsibilities in a supportive manner. It is also important that it provide workers with the information that they need to help them to exercise their rights. The guidance will also include information on the requirement to treat any information provided by workers with sensitivity and due regard to confidentiality.

Alan Robinson (DUP, East Londonderry)

6. Mr Robinson asked the Minister for the Economy for her assessment of the news that the 153rd Open at Royal Portrush generated more than £280 million of economic benefit to Northern Ireland. (AQO 2780/22-27)

Caoimhe Archibald (Sinn Féin, East Londonderry)

I very much welcome the news that the 153rd Open generated £280 million in economic benefit for the North. That figure comprises £89 million of economic impact and £191 million of media benefit. Of the £89 million of economic impact over £40 million was in the Causeway Coast and Glens area.

The independent research undertaken points to an increase since the 2019 event of £44 million in economic impact from hosting the championship: nearly double the value of the previous time that it was hosted here. That increase has been attributed to a higher number of spectators, higher daily spending and more visitors staying in commercial accommodation. That was helped by the large proportion of spectators who extended their stay to enjoy the wonderful experiences that we have to offer. It boosted local businesses and provided a platform for building relationships with investors, including an event that I hosted in Derry to showcase the north-west as a location for international expansion.

We once again demonstrated our ability to host major events, strengthening our reputation across the world, including generating new tourism opportunities, as our wonderful landscape was broadcast globally to over half a billion households. I look forward to the R&A returning for the next competition soon.

Alan Robinson (DUP, East Londonderry)

I thank the Minister for that response. Minister, building on the success of the recent Open, how confident are you that the Open will return to Royal Portrush? What work is under way to ensure that that happens?

Caoimhe Archibald (Sinn Féin, East Londonderry)

I thank the Member for his question. When the R&A first came here, it indicated that it would come for three competitions. Since then, that has been confirmed on a number of occasions by spokespersons for the R&A, the most recent of which was when the economic impact was announced just a couple of weeks ago. My Department is working with Tourism NI to ensure that that happens at the earliest opportunity. We can all see the clear impact that it has had from on the economy and on tourism, as well as in showcasing what we can do in hosting global events, which is another thing that I will seek to build on.

Philip McGuigan (Sinn Féin, North Antrim)

I welcome the work that the Minister is doing to enhance and capitalise on the North's tourism potential. Minister, will you provide an update on the extension of Fáilte Ireland's experience brands into the North?

Caoimhe Archibald (Sinn Féin, East Londonderry)

I thank the Member for his question. Tourism NI has been working closely with Fáilte Ireland to secure agreement to license the use of the Ireland's Hidden Heartlands brand in the North. We anticipate an announcement in the near future that will enhance opportunities for businesses in the Fermanagh region and strengthen the Ireland's Hidden Heartlands brand.

The Wild Atlantic Way and Causeway coastal route are being closely linked through an ongoing Shared Island project that is supporting research, a small capital grant scheme, marketing and shared signposting to bring the two iconic routes together. Tourism NI is playing a key role in that project in collaboration with Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland. Fáilte Ireland is undertaking a review of Ireland's Ancient East and anticipates a brand refresh in the next year. An extension of that into the North could include County Armagh, County Down and County Antrim.

I am keen to incorporate parts of the North into all Fáilte Ireland's regional brands. However, Fáilte Ireland owns the brands, so it is ultimately for it to decide how parts of the North might be included. You can be assured that I will be vociferous in my lobbying of it.

Edwin Poots (DUP, Belfast South)

We move on to topical questions.

Sinéad McLaughlin (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Foyle)

T1. Ms McLaughlin asked the Minister for the Economy, after noting that, although there have been two Budgets since the announcement of the enhanced investment zone, which the Chancellor referred to again last week, not a single pound has been released, we do not have a clue what projects will be funded from it and there has been no movement on it, what specific actions she is taking to ensure that that funding is unlocked. (AQT 1831/22-27)

Caoimhe Archibald (Sinn Féin, East Londonderry)

I thank the Member for her question. I do not agree that no action has been taken. Considerable work has been done by my Department and Invest NI and through working in partnership with businesses across the North to advance propositions for inclusion in the enhanced investment zone. On 16 October, I brought a paper to the Executive, where constructive discussion took place. Further engagement is planned to address the comments that were received as part of that discussion. A revised paper for approval of proposed thematic spend has been submitted. I am hopeful that that will be tabled at the next Executive meeting. Subject to the Executive's approval of my paper, we are on track to secure the necessary approvals from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to enable spending on the programme to commence in this financial year.

Sinéad McLaughlin (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Foyle)

Minister, I welcome that news. It is really important that those decisions are made quickly in the Executive, because the Budget offered nothing meaningful for businesses. Firms here are crying out for support and help. Energy prices throughout Northern Ireland are —

Edwin Poots (DUP, Belfast South)

This is Question Time, Ms McLaughlin: it is not speech time. Please ask your question.

Sinéad McLaughlin (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Foyle)

— continuing to rise. What other actions are you taking to support businesses in their moment of need?

Caoimhe Archibald (Sinn Féin, East Londonderry)

I thank the Member for her question. She is quite right: what was in the Budget was a restatement of what we already knew about the enhanced investment zone. It is designed to accelerate productivity and private-sector growth. Targeted interventions are intended to be made in business support, R&D, skills, local infrastructure and support for green industries. As I indicated, we are working to advance agreement as quickly as possible and to get the necessary approvals over the line. Some of the other programmes that involve the British Government have also had a convoluted process of approvals that have to be gone through. We are working as assiduously as possible to ensure that that is achieved.

Aoife Finnegan (Sinn Féin, Newry and Armagh)

T2. Ms Finnegan asked the Minister for the Economy, having welcomed her announcement that she will make grid connection charges fairer for rural communities, whether she agrees that that policy will help to promote a more regionally balanced economy. (AQT 1832/22-27)

Caoimhe Archibald (Sinn Féin, East Londonderry)

I thank the Member for her question. I certainly agree. I am sure that no MLA who is from a rural constituency has not had that issue raised with them. It is simply unfair that many people in rural communities face additional reinforcement charges to connect to the grid. As well as being unfair, the high cost of grid connection is also a barrier to business investment in rural areas. When I visited FP McCann last week, I was told that investment in its plant in Magherafelt had been put on hold due to the cost of connection but that, thanks to the new policy, that investment will now go ahead. Fairer connection charges will also support people who live in rural areas to build homes locally and to stay there and invest in their communities. I have no doubt that, by unlocking that investment and supporting job creation in rural communities, that policy will help to promote a more regionally balanced economy.

Edwin Poots (DUP, Belfast South)

Question 3 has been withdrawn. Sorry: Ms Finnegan.

Aoife Finnegan (Sinn Féin, Newry and Armagh)

I thank the Minister for her answer. Can she provide detail on when the policy will come into effect? What arrangements are in place to advise people who are in the process of connecting to the grid?

Caoimhe Archibald (Sinn Féin, East Londonderry)

I thank the Member for that question. Following my decision, the Utility Regulator is working to modify NIE Networks' licence. A new statement of connection charges will be published in the new year. NIE Networks and the Utility Regulator are committed to working together at pace to bring that change through as quickly as possible. The change will take effect in the first half of 2026.

You asked about those who have already submitted an application for connection to the grid. NIE will make contact with all existing applicants with reinforcement elements to discuss how the new policy affects them. It will work with those customers on a case-by-case basis to explain the cost and the process, which will enable the customer to make an informed decision on the approach to best suit their individual needs.

Edwin Poots (DUP, Belfast South)

Question 3 has been withdrawn.

Carál Ní Chuilín (Sinn Féin, Belfast North)

T4. Ms Ní Chuilín asked the Minister for the Economy, given that the Minister has put a real focus on creating good jobs in the economy, for an update on the number of good jobs that have been created this year to date. (AQT 1834/22-27)

Caoimhe Archibald (Sinn Féin, East Londonderry)

I thank the Member for her question. The most recent official statistics show that 69% of jobs here in the North are good jobs that provide secure employment and a decent wage through permanent non-zero-hours contracts and paying at least the real living wage. That represents an increase in the good jobs rate over the year. In addition, the latest earnings statistics show that median-growth weekly wages have increased by 7·4% from 2024 and that the proportion of jobs paying at least the real living wage has increased from 80% to 83%. It is also encouraging that nearly 200 organisations across the North have committed to paying the real living wage, demonstrating their commitment to fair pay. There is therefore a strong foundation that we need to continue to build on to embed good jobs across all sectors of our economy.

Carál Ní Chuilín (Sinn Féin, Belfast North)

Minister, thank you for that response. You talked about "all sectors" across the economy, so how are you working with groups in the Irish language sector, such as GaelChúrsaí, to help Gaeilgeoirí

[Translation: Irish speakers]

achieve good jobs? If you do not have a response now, maybe you can get back to me with an update.

Caoimhe Archibald (Sinn Féin, East Londonderry)

I thank the Member for her question. I have engaged with Forbairt Feirste on a number of occasions recently on the Irish-medium economy. We are looking at research to address some of the barriers that Irish-medium businesses might face.

GaelChúrsaí is an organisation that supports young people who face barriers to employment and training. I visited it earlier this year. It was set up because a lot of young people who leave school after being educated their whole life through only Irish find that they have limited options to develop their skills as Gaeilge

[Translation: in Irish.]

GaelChúrsaí delivers vocational training as Gaeilge

[Translation: in Irish.]

I am pleased that it is now a delivery partner for my Department's ApprenticeshipsNI 2025 and Skills for Life and Work programmes. That will support Irish speakers to gain valuable learning and skills, enabling them to move closer to the labour market and open up support that was not previously available. I was delighted to see that its great work was recognised at last week's Aisling awards, at which it won an Irish language award. It clearly meant so much to it. That is recognition of the really important work on vocational training that it continues to do.

Gary Middleton (DUP, Foyle)

T5. Mr Middleton asked the Minister for the Economy, given that she will be aware that, last week, North West Regional College (NWRC) was awarded the prestigious Queen Elizabeth prize for higher and further education — the highest national honour available in the sector — in recognition of its business support centre's work with 400 local businesses, and given the college's unique ability to bridge the gap between education and industry, whether she agrees that her Department should use North West Regional College as a blueprint to grow our economy across Northern Ireland. (AQT 1835/22-27)

Caoimhe Archibald (Sinn Féin, East Londonderry)

I thank the Member for his question. I know that, like me, he will be well aware of the good work that goes on in North West Regional College and of some of the really positive and constructive relationships that it has with local employers. That is replicated across our colleges in different sectors. I certainly think that we can strengthen the knowledge and experience that our colleges have built up over many years through their engagement with businesses. They are close to the ground and are often able to provide that first level of support for local businesses. I am really keen to build on that further.

Gary Middleton (DUP, Foyle)

I thank the Minister for her response. Although the FE sector is facing a difficult budgetary landscape, NWRC has been able to punch above its weight. Does the Minister acknowledge that that sector is not just a cost to be managed but an engine to be fuelled and that, if further support were provided to the like of North West Regional College, it could do much more than it currently does?

Caoimhe Archibald (Sinn Féin, East Londonderry)

I thank the Member for his question. I say very often, when I am engaging with stakeholders across the Department's remit, that skills underpin everything that we are trying to achieve and that our further education colleges are absolutely crucial in delivering programmes of support, whether it is through training or with businesses.

Since coming into this role, I have sought, as did Conor Murphy before me, to invest in our colleges. I managed to get some additional funding during this financial year, which has gone towards supporting our further and higher education institutions. Going forward, it is certainly something that I will continue to prioritise.

Paula Bradshaw (Alliance, Belfast South)

T6. Ms Bradshaw asked the Minister for the Economy what measures her Department has taken to address the increasing concerns from employers about the slowdown in business investment and the growing gap in productivity between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. (AQT 1836/22-27)

Caoimhe Archibald (Sinn Féin, East Londonderry)

I thank the Member for her question. Businesses have faced a really challenging environment over the past number of years and again this year, when we had the threat of tariffs being imposed and the uncertainty that was created by that. Productivity is one of my four priorities in the economic vision. It is a complex issue to address, and we are seeking to do that through skills, support for innovation for businesses and investment in the type of business support that will make a difference to costs, for example, by reducing energy costs. Infrastructure also has a huge role to play, so it is one of those issues that we have to seek to address across the Executive, and I am certainly working with colleagues to try to do that.

Paula Bradshaw (Alliance, Belfast South)

Thank you for your answer, Minister. How are smaller firms able to avail themselves of those interventions at the same rate as larger companies?

Caoimhe Archibald (Sinn Féin, East Londonderry)

I thank the Member again for her question. In working with Invest NI, we have tried to ensure that supports are available to businesses regardless of their size. Often, when businesses are at an early stage in their development, some of the first people with whom they engage will be through their local councils, so the support via Go Succeed has been really important, as has signposting businesses to the other types of support that is available to them. We continue to work on that to ensure that our SMEs and microbusinesses, which are the absolute backbone of our economy and make up the vast majority of our businesses, are getting access to the types of support that they need and that they know what support is available to them. That is work in progress, and we are committed to making sure that it achieves positive outcomes.

Sinéad Ennis (Sinn Féin, South Down)

T7. Ms Ennis asked the Minister for the Economy how her Department can work more closely with the Shared Island initiative, Tourism NI and, of course, Newry, Mourne and Down District Council to ensure that any available funding can be strategically leveraged to boost tourism in South Down, given that the council recently received significant funding from the Shared Island Fund. (AQT 1837/22-27)

Caoimhe Archibald (Sinn Féin, East Londonderry)

I thank the Member for her question. I welcome the significant investment in Newry, Mourne and Down District Council through the Shared Island Fund as part of the €23 million tourism shared destination programme. It is important that we continue to optimise that funding opportunity and collaboration across the North for tourism with our other priority sectors.

My Department will continue to work closely with Tourism NI and Newry, Mourne and Down District Council to ensure strategic planning and guidance for the development of the tourist industry. It builds on the Carlingford lough review and master plan, including the potential for destination stewardship support, as outlined in my tourism vision and action plan. Tourism NI officials are working closely with Fáilte Ireland to ensure that tourism elements of the allocation, as part of that programme, complement one another on each side of the border, maximising the additional accessibility that the Narrow Water bridge will provide to the area. There are a number of key elements that the destination programme can support on the networks, trails and water access points. We can certainly maximise that to the benefit of the whole region.