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Mr Conor Murphy: Assembly records
All of Mr Conor Murphy’s imported questions, contributions and motions in this mandate, newest first, including those assessed as not qualifying, uncertain or not yet analysed.
The Member has not been alone in that campaign, although I am not surprised that he speaks on his own behalf. I have overseen the arrangement between the three tourism bodies on the island and both Departments to come together on a number of issues, but, very particularly, in relation to the Fáilte Ireland brands.…
I do not share that view. The promotion by Tourism Ireland of the whole island has been increasing in strength. We have benefited significantly. As I said, the figures that were released this morning show that 5·4 million overnight trips were taken to the North between March 2023 and March 2024. That includes £1·2…
Any additional money for Tourism Ireland will have a significant impact. This morning, NISRA released quarter 1 tourism statistics, which, for the first time, include an estimate of day trips taken to the North. That, along with overnight stays, shows the extent of the growth of our tourism business over the past…
Tourism is incredibly important to Ireland. It is a major part of our economy, and it helps to spread prosperity right across the island. In 2024, Tourism Ireland completed an analysis of the return on marketing and investment. For 2023, it calculated a return on investment of 25:1 for the top four markets of the US,…
Go Succeed comes from a funding stream that was provided directly from London. Given our challenged financial circumstances, it was important that that funding stream would continue to support that, because a significant chunk of what Invest NI and regional balance seek to do is to secure start-ups and business growth…
We are constantly assessing it. When a programme comes to an end, there is an assessment of what it has achieved. I have outlined some of the statistics for Go Succeed. There is obviously feedback from those who operate it in councils, enterprise agencies and others who are involved. There are also benchmarking…
We pressed them for some time to ensure that the Shared Prosperity Fund was continued. That was part of the Budget announcement. That was welcome because we were heading towards a cliff edge in relation to funding for the Go Succeed project. As part of that announcement, there was a caveat, if you like, in that the…
Since its launch in November 2023, Go Succeed has established itself as a key part of our economic infrastructure. It is clear that it is having a positive impact on local entrepreneurs and businesses. To date, Go Succeed has provided start-up support to over 4,300 individuals across the North. Over 3,200 businesses…
Over £600,000 has been put into the fund. Applications have been open since 30 October and will close after six weeks. We encourage applications from people who have experience or interest in the apprenticeship system and also from organisations that are not directly involved in current apprenticeships delivery but…
There was already significant engagement before the fund opened. I think that there have been over 200 sessions with over 200 stakeholders across education, training, employers, industry and the voluntary and community sectors. Those sessions were intended to help to raise awareness of the fund and encourage…
Our apprenticeship system has been growing, and we now have over 13,000 apprentices. However, women, people with disabilities and people from disadvantaged areas are under-represented. I want to address barriers to participation in apprenticeships for those groups. The apprenticeship inclusion challenge fund will…
I might take up the rest of Question Time. It is a recognition that it is a huge challenge, and it is a warning to us that we have to proceed at a much greater pace than we have been doing to date. It is a whole-of-Executive challenge, and that is why, when I had a meeting with the biomethane companies, I wanted to…
Biomethane has already been used in the gas network in, I think, the Dungannon area. There are targets to increase that usage by, I think, up to 30% over the coming years. We are already on the way in developing how biomethane is used. We see it as one of the key elements in our drive towards net zero and towards…
I recently visited the companies involved in the mid-Ulster biorefinery cluster to discuss their plans to create a nutrient energy and carbon services sector based on a centralised agricultural feedstock biorefinery. I was interested to hear about the project and the opportunities and challenges that the cluster…
Research indicates that, due to our large agriculture sector, we have significant potential to use biomethane to support our path to net zero. Biomethane can provide a locally produced and sustainable source of energy that could help to decarbonise the gas network and transport while enhancing the security of our…
That is a judgement for university to make. We are not in the business of making that judgement. Given that there was a public element to the appointment process, we wanted to ensure that the university was satisfied that its recruitment processes were followed in accordance with its own procedures in that instance,…
As I said in my original response, universities have autonomy in their recruitment and retention procedures. I communicated with the university, and it provided me with a response, assuring me that the recruitment to the posts was carried out in accordance with its processes. That is a matter for the university. There…
As autonomous institutions, universities are responsible for their policies and procedures, including recruitment and retention. Regarding the recent appointments of co-directors to lead Ulster University's new strategic policy unit, I have received assurances from the vice chancellor that an established process was…
Yes, it is. We received an interim plan with a number of asks not just of Executive Departments, primarily ours, but of the Government in the South. We have communicated with our Ministers and with Ministers in the South on that. We hope to compile answers to questions about the task force's work fairly quickly. It is…
Our universities rely largely on funding from us. They are as challenged, as we are, when it comes to providing funding. I am sure that, were more funding available, we could provide more funding across all our university campuses. Ulster University has a commitment to all three of its campuses. That is the…
The expansion of Ulster University's Magee campus is a commitment in 'New Decade, New Approach' and a priority in the draft Programme for Government (PFG). It is, therefore, my focus at this time. I have no plans for a similar task force for the Coleraine campus. However, I fully support and recognise the benefits of…
The 'good jobs' employment rights consultation proposed to introduce a right to up to five days of leave for unpaid, eligible carers over a rolling 12-month period to provide care for a family member or other dependant who has longer-term or otherwise significant care needs. It remains my goal to introduce paid…
I have met groups that campaign on the issue of the lack of post-19 provision for people with learning difficulties and other challenges. I agree that it is an area that has been left for far too long without any provision being made or perhaps, indeed, any responsibility being taken. It is a complex issue. I am…
My 'good jobs' employment rights consultation sought views on the proposals on flexible working and carers' leave to help address barriers to employment for carers and to enable those with disabilities to enter or remain in work. The consultation closed on 30 September, and responses are being analysed. In addition,…
That was not a subject of discussion at the meeting that we had in Armagh under the North/South arrangements. Nonetheless, the Member is correct that geothermal energy can play an important part in our journey towards net zero. We need to explore all alternatives to using fossil fuels to heat properties. I understand…