All of Dr Caoimhe Archibald’s imported questions, contributions and motions in this mandate, newest first, including those assessed as not flagged, uncertain or not yet analysed.
I thank the Member for her question. It is another case of looking at what we can do within our current remit. We always keep open the potential for other types of intervention. Regional balance is reflected in our Programme for Government. All Departments are responsible for ensuring that they take forward…
I thank the Member for her question and for her birthday wishes. In my previous engagement with her, I remained open to looking at the Bill once it was published, so I look forward to seeing the proposals in it. Obviously, I have statutory responsibilities in relation to the Department for the Economy. I have set out…
I recently met both language commissioners, as well as the director of the Office of Identity and Cultural Expression, to discuss how we can strengthen cooperation and ensure a coordinated approach across our respective responsibilities. Those engagements provided an important forum to consider how my Department can…
I thank the Member for her question. The RHI (Closure of Non-Domestic Scheme) Bill, which will give the Department the power to bring forward regulations to close the scheme, is at Committee Stage. The Department has completed a public consultation on the policy proposals for the closure regulations that will…
I thank the Member for her question. That was consulted on last year, and we hope to be in a position to publish the outcome of that consultation in a few weeks' time.
I thank the Member for his question. It is important that we take cognisance and learning from the experiences of other jurisdictions where similar schemes have been implemented. We are looking at what is the most appropriate form of support and how we administer it to households. That will form part of the…
My Department published the Government response report to the consultation on support for low carbon heating in residential buildings on 26 January. The consultation findings highlighted a preference for domestic properties to undergo an energy assessment as part of a future scheme. Such an approach offers a clear…
I thank the Member for his question. I updated the House previously that Fáilte Ireland is evaluating the effectiveness of the Ireland's Ancient East brand. As far as I understand, that evaluation is not complete. When it is, I will continue to engage with Fáilte Ireland on the extension of that brand. There are huge…
Yes, I will travel to the US in the next few weeks, at the beginning of March, and the focus of my trip will be the promotion of trade, tourism and our screen industry. I will travel to the west coast, and I will be joined on the trip by Tourism Ireland, NI Screen and officials from Invest NI.
I thank the Member for the question. As the Member will be aware, the Wild Atlantic Way and the Causeway coastal route are being linked through a Shared Island Fund collaboration project that includes research, marketing, joint signposting and a small capital grant scheme to enhance attractions along those iconic…
The licensing agreement to include Fermanagh in the Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands brand was announced in December last year. I am pleased that 45 local businesses have already signed up to it. I have since provided £300,000 of additional support to Tourism NI for a targeted marketing campaign that launched on 16…
I thank the Member for her question. As I said to Mr Stewart, Go Succeed is a hugely successful element of our local business support landscape. In the past three years, over 10,000 entrepreneurs have been supported to either start or grow their business. In line with my commitment to regional balance, Go Succeed is…
I do not think that that is correct. As I said, a number of the councils have had their action plans approved. They have received letters of offer, which they will be claiming against before the end of the financial year. There has been a considerable amount of activity undertaken over the past year to set up local…
I thank the Member for his question. One of the reasons why we put in place the local economic partnerships was to bring all the relevant partners to the table and to encourage the development of local plans and priorities. Our enterprise agencies are key to achieving that, and they are involved in all those efforts.…
The subregional economic plan, which was published in October 2024, set out a new strategic approach to economic development that is locally led and has a mission to deliver regional balance. A key element of the plan was greater collaboration with councils and stakeholders through the creation of local economic…
I thank the Member for his question. I am on record as expressing my concerns about prioritising funding for the militarisation agenda instead of prioritising it for vital public services or for R&D on, for example, supporting our life and health sciences sector or developing new green tech and agri-tech solutions…
I thank the Member for his question. Along with the First Minister and deputy First Minister, I recently engaged with the senior leadership of Airbus and committed to supporting its efforts to expand here. I have corresponded with the Secretary of State in London on that. We are hugely supportive of such an expansion,…
I thank the Member for her question. The development of my ethical investment framework is under way. Officials are using the UN's 'Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights' as the foundation to ensure that the framework reflects recognised international standards. While Invest NI is a key delivery partner, my…
I thank the Member for her question. My officials at Invest NI have been engaging and working with businesses in the sector to engage with the Ministry of Defence. It is my understanding that engagement had been quite slow until very recently but there has been engagement over the past couple of weeks on taking…
The North’s aerospace and defence sector operates as an integrated cluster characterised by shared supply chains, advanced manufacturing capabilities and cross-cutting technologies, with firms serving both civil aerospace and defence markets. Over the past three financial years, Invest NI has offered financial…
I thank the Member for her question. I am aware that organisers of events across all parts of the North will engage with their local councils on supporting events for the Twelfth. Event organisers will have opportunities to engage with Tourism NI, and, of course, they are free to do that on all the programmes and…
I thank the Member for her question. I met Tourism NI last week in relation to the fleadh, and one of the issues that we discussed was accommodation. It is working to ensure that there is enough accommodation for everybody who wants to experience the fleadh. I am happy to take away the Member's question on the…
Making the fleadh for everyone was a cornerstone of the city's successful bid. It has a focus on unity and shared traditional cultural heritage, so the celebration is not the preserve of one part of our community; it is for everybody. The Belfast Fleadh Cheoil and associated fringe events will showcase our local…
I thank the Member for his question to the Minister for Infrastructure. In fairness, there is a point about ensuring that public transport is available. That will be considered with the organisers, led by Belfast City Council, which is working with all partners, including Translink, in ensuring that we put on the best…
I thank the Member for her question. Delivering a successful Fleadh Cheoil in Belfast will showcase the city and the wider region at its very best, providing us with a platform to deliver significant cultural, social and economic opportunities. Such major events have a proven track record of driving economic impact,…