All of Dr Caoimhe Archibald’s imported questions, contributions and motions in this mandate, newest first, including those assessed as not qualifying, uncertain or not yet analysed.
The Audit Office report highlighted a number of things, including the point that increased costs are not unique to here. Inflationary price rises and the issues across the world that have impacted on supply chains and logistics have had a global effect. There are clearly issues that need to be addressed on the…
The Member will know that we are very much up for being here. We want to be here to do the jobs that we have been elected to do and to represent collectively the people whom we have been elected to represent. We have been very clear that we are very much up for having that conversation about reform. We have the…
As the Member will know, we have been underfunded for a number of years, and the British Government recognised that when they recognised that we had a level of need and thus put in place the financial package. We are the only devolved Administration that are asked to deliver public services while funded below the…
The immediate priority for Budget sustainability must be to get the British Government to put in place a fair and appropriately baselined needs-based fiscal floor. That must recognise our underfunding for the start of the next spending review. Increased fiscal devolution would allow an Executive increased control over…
As I said to Mr McGlone, we have limited powers to direct what the banks do. The decisions that they take are largely made for commercial reasons. Access to cash hubs, and I believe that there is one in Bangor, is a good model when there is a lack of banking services. That is important, and when banks close in my…
The Member will know that my Department and the Assembly have very limited legislative authority in relation to banking and finance. There is a limited role that my Department can play in directly influencing the decisions that are made by local banks, which are, for the most part, commercial. I will be pressing local…
The Member may be aware that my predecessor, Conor Murphy, convened a banking round table in February 2022. He raised some issues coming out of that around ensuring access to cash and services and stakeholder engagement on managing the change in services. They set those out in a report that was formally presented to…
Similar to what I have just set out for Mr Harvey, I very much want to understand the process so that, when towns and villages are left without a bank, they know how to benefit from these hubs. I am very keen to explore what can be done to drive this forward with the banks and their representatives when I have the…
As I understand it, banking hubs are owned by Cash Access UK, which is a company set up by banks and others and operated by the Post Office. The location of banking hubs is established following an assessment of need by Link, which runs the main cash machine network, and people will be familiar with it. How Link…
I am deeply concerned about the impact of bank branch closures on local communities, particularly in our rural towns and villages. I have written to the main local banks that operate here, calling for a meeting to discuss how access to vital banking services can be maintained. Increasing the roll-out of banking hubs…
I think that we all share the view that a decade of Tory austerity has done huge damage to our public services, and I certainly agree that it is vital that we have all the fiscal levers that we can at our disposal. That is why we included additional fiscal powers in the joint Executive letter that was sent to the…
I am still awaiting clarity from Treasury as to what funding has been re-profiled, so I will raise that with the Chief Secretary to the Treasury tomorrow. I share the concerns that the Education Minister has set out. These are important projects. As the Member will know, no Executive parties had anything to do with…
As the Member will know, we have quite a tight time frame within which we need to set the rate to ensure that rates bills go out for the beginning of April. Hopefully, I will discuss with Executive colleagues this week the rate for the incoming financial year. It would not be appropriate for me to have those…
With the Speaker's permission, I will answer questions 1 and 7 together. I have written to the Chief Secretary to the Treasury setting out my significant concerns in relation to elements of the financial package, including the stipulations on revenue raising. I am meeting the Chief Secretary to the Treasury tomorrow,…
I want to say a word of appreciation and thanks to Members who have expressed their views again in today's debate. I have listened with interest. While some have opinions that differ from mine, it is still useful to me as Finance Minister to hear all those views. I will address as many of the Members' remarks as I can…
I beg to move Today's Final Stage debate concludes the financial legislative process for this Budget Bill in the Assembly. We have found ourselves in a very exceptional situation so late in the financial year. I stress again to Members that I do not take lightly what I have asked the Assembly to do in considering the…
I put on record my thanks to Members, Chairs and Deputy Chairs who contributed to the debate on the Second Stage of the Budget Bill. It has been very useful to me, as Finance Minister, to hear the views of the respective Committees and Members on the important financial and economic issues that face us. I will…
I beg to move The Second Stage debate is on the Budget Bill that will authorise the expenditure of Departments for the 2023-24 financial year. The Executive returned just over two weeks ago, so this was the first opportunity that I had to progress a Budget Bill. The lateness in the financial year and the approach…
I thank Members for their contributions. I acknowledge that this is a difficult situation and that it is far from ideal. Neither I nor my officials consider it to be setting any sort of precedent. Obviously, we are dealing with the legacy of the damaging Budget that was set by the Secretary of State that put our…
I beg to move There is an urgent need for a Budget Bill to be passed before Departments reach the cash limits set in the previous Northern Ireland Budget (No. 2) Act 2023. The situation has arisen because of several unique circumstances. The previous Budget Act, legislated for by the Secretary of State in Westminster,…
I beg to introduce the Budget Bill [NIA 01/22-27], which is a Bill to authorise the use for the public service of certain resources for the years ending 31 March 2024 and 2025 (including, for the year ending 31 March 2024, income); to authorise the issue out of the Consolidated Fund of certain sums for the service of…