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 concur with the Member's assessment of those issues. In my previous role as Finance Minister, I made specific representations to Treasury on both issues. I am happy to throw my weight behind the efforts of the Executive and the Finance Minister specifically and to work alongside my colleagues in raising our voices…
I thank the Member for his question. Farming and agri-food is a key sector for our economy, and agri-food and agri-tech are priority sectors for my Department. There is a sectoral action plan to support those sectors. The issues that he mentioned are captured in the information that has been made available via the…
The economic engagement forum comprises a cross-sectoral representation of organisations, as I outlined. The selection is done by me and the Department. The Member might also be referring to the Labour Relations Agency engagement forum. The membership of that is the responsibility of the Labour Relations Agency.
On the 'good jobs' Bill, we are undertaking specific engagement with organisations, business representatives, trade union representatives and third-sector representatives. Officials have begun that process and have been out engaging already. We will be keen to promote that as much as possible over the coming weeks and…
As the Member will recognise, a project of the scale of the expansion of the Magee campus requires everybody to work together towards the same objective. That cannot be done if anyone is excluded. The task force includes people from the local business community, the community and voluntary sector, Invest NI, the…
Yes, I certainly do. There is a belief — one that, perhaps, was prevalent at one point in the Civil Service — that regional balance is not an achievable economic goal, and, therefore, public investment in places like Derry is not value for money and is politically motivated. That is not a view that I share, but it…
There has been significant engagement with a range of organisations, but I do not have the full list in front of me. However, I can certainly commit to ensuring that there will be consultation and engagement with disability organisations to ensure that those views are captured in what we are trying to progress.
I thank the Member for that question. Ensuring that we have an inclusive workforce is a direct outworking of what we are trying to do with the 'good jobs' Bill. There are a number of proposals in it that support that ambition, including the right to flexible working and the right to disconnect for a greater work-life…
I am familiar with the proposals that were made at the time. The COVID pandemic then hit, however, and plans for many things changed. I am happy to engage with the Member on that issue, and I will furnish him with information on it from the Department.
Since I came into this post, I have not had any engagement with colleagues in Westminster on the Heathrow expansion. We previously engaged at a constituency level, however. If the Member wants to write to me about that specific issue, I will be happy to pick up on it.
The Member has articulated the challenge that we face with partition, which is damaging for everybody across this island. The reality is that I take the exact same position as my colleagues in the South, and I articulated at the beginning of my answer that, from my perspective, I would like to see no student fees. We…
I thank the Member for her question. First, let me say that my perspective is that student fees would ideally be zero, but we have to work within the financial reality and under the system that we have, which is imposed on us by the British Government, and follow that Government's policy on fees. Years of austerity…
I thank the Member for her question. The issue is raised at almost every meeting that I have with businesses. The overall impact of AI on the labour market will depend on a range of factors, including the speed of AI adoption, the extent of productivity benefits, whether businesses reduce headcount or redeploy their…
My Department and Invest NI are committed to helping businesses harness artificial intelligence (AI) as a key enabler of economic development. Invest NI provides funding for AI-related research and development projects and essential skills development programmes to equip the workforce for AI adoption. The Artificial…
I thank the Member for her question. I understand that, alongside the pay offer that has been made, work is necessary to address parity issues that remain between teachers and further education lecturers. That is an essential condition of the pay offer that is currently available. I have made it clear that I want to…
Non-teaching staff have already been given a pay award for 2024-25 that was approved in December 2024. I am aware that the National Joint Council (NJC) has made a full and final pay offer for 2025-26 that, if agreed, will apply to non-teaching staff in our further education colleges. Mr Speaker, it was remiss of me…
Further education is a critical part of our economic infrastructure, supporting people to achieve their potential and providing the skills needed for our businesses to grow. It is therefore important that further education lecturers are paid appropriately. The consolidated pay increases for lecturers were just 1% in…
I thank the Member for his question. We all recognise the importance of carers and the key role that they play in our society and in our economy. That is why we have stated that, in the first instance, we will introduce an unpaid entitlement of up to five days in a rolling 12-month period for those who have a caring…
I thank the Member for his question. In recognition of the potential impact of the proposals, as he rightly pointed out, my Department carried out a series of impact assessments on the individual policies and the SAMBIT, which he mentioned. The assessments will continue to be reviewed as we develop our policies and…
Effective social dialogue between Governments, employers and trade unions is essential for advancing social justice, fostering inclusive economic development, improving wages and working conditions and supporting sustainable enterprises. A cornerstone of good governance and social dialogue creates the conditions…
My 'good jobs' employment rights Bill will deliver the biggest upgrade of our employment legislation since the Good Friday Agreement. It includes proposals to end exploitative zero-hours contracts; enhance protections for agency workers; end abuse of fire-and-rehire tactics; ensure that tips left to workers are passed…
I thank the Member for his question. As I said, I have engaged with my counterpart in the South to understand what the issues are in the delay that they made indications about. As I mentioned in my opening answer, the Northern section will be completed by 2028. There is an issue in respect of the investment in the…
I do not agree with the Member about my comments, because I have been consistent on my party's position and the party has been consistent in its position that it would help secure community buy-in. Planning permission was granted by a previous Infrastructure Minister who was your party colleague. As Ministers, we are…
I thank the Member for her question. As I mentioned, I met my counterpart, Minister O'Brien, last week. He took up his post in January. I will continue to engage with him on energy issues. My officials engage regularly on issues of cooperation between our energy supplies. Senior officials meet quarterly through a…
As I said in my initial answer, EirGrid has indicated that there are delays in processing land access and actual construction time. We have engaged with the Department in the South to understand what it is doing to try to reduce that extension, because there is a need to progress the North/South interconnector if we…