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 his question. The message that is sent by the statement that I made last week is that we will have no part in supporting Israel's genocide in Gaza, and, as I outlined to Mr Middleton, we have a moral duty to ensure that we are not doing that and a moral duty to hold to account the Israeli…
I absolutely agree. MEGA is a standout example of effective clustering in the North. I gave it a shout-out at the conference because it was the first real-life example that I had come across of clustering and industry working together. It brings together key players in advanced manufacturing and engineering sectors…
I was delighted to be at the TCI conference last week, which was hosted in Ireland for the first time, jointly between InterTradeIreland, Invest NI and Enterprise Ireland. It is a flagship event on clusters and innovation ecosystems, and the island of Ireland was chosen to host the twenty-eighth global conference,…
I thank the Member for his question. What I set out last week was in response to a report that was undertaken by Invest NI on its investments. In response to that, there is a moral duty on us to ensure that we are not facilitating the genocide that is happening in Gaza. Israel is a regime that is illegally occupying…
I thank the Member for her question. I spoke at the NI Chamber's workforce conference summit on Thursday, but, because of my cough, I was about as successful as I have been in my attempts to respond to questions today. I set out at the conference that I support the idea of a workforce development agency. There is an…
I thank the Member for her question. On Friday past, at the North/South Ministerial Council, I had the opportunity to have a bilateral meeting with my counterpart in the South, James Lawless. We launched the first all-island apprenticeship in accounting technology on Friday, which is a tangible demonstration of the…
I thank the Member for her question. I had the opportunity to visit the Local Economy Development Company (LEDCOM) with the Communities Minister and hear about the pilot. It was one of my first visits as Economy Minister. The north-west pilot brings together Development Trusts NI, Trademark Belfast and Enterprise…
I thank the Member for her question. My Department has progressed many of that report's recommendations. We have grown our support for social enterprises, and we published our three-year social enterprise action plan last December, which continues to be implemented in a collaborative way by my Department and the…
I am committed to delivering a more regionally balanced economy and to supporting the power and impact of our social economy more widely. Community wealth building is an important element of that. Last week, I announced £300,000 of joint funding from my Department and the Department for Communities for two community…
In conducting the research, significant engagement took place with the sector. We encouraged responses from across the childcare sector to ensure that we got the best representation possible. Officials found it challenging to get input from across the sector, however. One of the things that we hope that the advice…
A second collaborative shared skills academy in the early learning and childcare sector has also recently been launched to support participants with the training that they need in order to obtain entry-level roles in the childcare sector.
The Member is quite right. There are challenges in the childcare sector that cut across a number of Departments. The Minister of Education leads on the childcare and early learning strategy, and a cross-departmental group engages on the specific issues. My Department has the remit for skills development of those…
I thank the Member for her question. It is really important that we work in partnership with the sector, so I have asked my officials to ensure that the new service is designed in partnership. An initial pilot is being considered to allow meaningful engagement during the early stages of the service's development.
The 'Childcare Providers Targeted Business Support Market Research' report was published on 24 September 2025. My Department, in agreement with the Education Minister, is leading on recommendation 1: " the creation of a specialised ongoing childcare business advisor role or service." My officials are working closely…
I thank the Member for his question. As new and emerging trends continue to develop, it has become evident that some accommodation falls out of the scope of our regulatory remit and certification scheme. The consultation that I have referred to proposes the creation of a new stand-alone category called "alternative…
I thank the Member for his question. I mentioned, in my initial answer, the public consultation that we have just launched. We are looking at accommodation categories, such as budget hotels, aparthotels and glamping pods, to ensure that different types of accommodation are regulated and able to access support. I know…
I thank the Member for his question. Certainly, I am familiar with that issue in my constituency. It cuts across a number of Departments. The Communities Minister is bringing forward our housing supply strategy, and he intends to launch research to understand the impact of short-term lets on the local housing market.…
Any property owner who wishes to use their property as a short-term let or an Airbnb rental must apply for a change of use through their council's planning department. The council can then assess the impact on local housing supply when considering whether to grant that change of use. Tourism NI has a formal…
My Department regulates the minimum quality standards for visitor accommodation across the North. It makes regulations to set standards for such areas as cleanliness, maintenance, essential facilities and comfort that operators must meet. Airbnb is a marketing platform, just as Tripadvisor and Booking.com are, and is…
I thank the Member for his question. In some regards, councils are best placed to develop specific initiatives for local areas, because they will understand exactly what attractions they have and what initiatives can be developed. Tourism NI has a suite of marketing support and business development tools that can be…
I am not sure that I have the information that the Member is asking for in front of me, but if she wants to write to me, I will be happy to furnish her with an update on that project.
The US market plays a vital role in tourism in the North. Statistics from NISRA show that, in 2024, US visitors took 189,000 overnight trips to the North, spending £67 million. There is a significant opportunity to work with Tourism Ireland across the island on marketing and promotional activities that will be…