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Mr John O'Dowd: Assembly records
All of Mr John O'Dowd’s imported questions, contributions and motions in this mandate, newest first, including those assessed as not flagged, uncertain or not yet analysed.
Work on inclusion and the need for access to cash is being carried out by the Treasury. I do not support the idea of a cashless society. The Member has pointed out a number of examples of where, when things go wrong, they can go dramatically wrong. It is important that cash remains part of our services, and that…
I think that the banking round table takes place every six months, so it is not a one-off event. We will continue to engage at that formal, structured level, but there is continued engagement at official level. As I said in my substantive response, I am preparing a response to the most recent report from the banking…
I am deeply concerned about the impact of branch closures on local communities. I raised the issue directly with the industry at the banking round table on 3 December 2025. I pressed them on the importance of maintaining the branch network and access to cash and essential banking services here, especially for our most…
At the moment, the focus is on the open-book process. As I said, I would like to see that formally start in the next 24 hours or so. That will allow the Treasury to achieve a better understanding of the pressures that Executive Departments face in delivering public services, all of which are experiencing growing…
Success has many parents, but failure is an orphan. I am of the view that, if people want to claim these things, fill your boots. We need to work collectively, particularly in the time ahead, to ensure that the Treasury fully understands the pressures that the Executive face and that, as a result of the open-book…
I welcome the £400 million of reserve claim support provided by the Treasury. Securing Treasury agreement to spread repayments over three years is a positive outcome, as it helps to reduce the immediate pressures on public services. However, as that support falls short of the total forecast pressure facing the…
The Member raises an important point: a lot of the pressures on our business sector and particularly on small and medium-sized businesses are the result of decisions made elsewhere around VAT, National Insurance contributions and other things. Those decisions are made elsewhere and imposed on us. I have been an…
It is important to reflect on the fact that we offer around £0·25 billion of support each year to small and medium-sized enterprises, including many hospitality groups. My officials recently completed a consultation on what further support we could offer the small business sector. I have set aside £10 million in the…
I have refused nothing at this stage: let me send that clear message from the Chamber today. We have to look at Reval2026 in its entirety. While a lot of focus was on the hospitality sector and understandably so, Reval2026 was not solely focused on the hospitality sector. The retail sector, offices and other…
I am considering the options at this stage. As I said, I am open to viewing and analysing any proposals that are brought to me. Our system is the same as that in England, Scotland and Wales when it comes to how we evaluate the rental value of premises. I appreciate that there are still questions for all the…
With your permission, Mr Speaker, I will answer questions 3, 9 and 12 together. I may take slightly longer than normal. As Members will be aware, on 29 January, I announced that I had stopped Reval2026, having listened to the concerns of businesses and elected representatives. Small and medium-sized businesses across…
The recruitment process is being evaluated, and the lessons that are learned from it will be built into future recruitment processes. I can say, however, that it has been a successful scheme. Unfortunately, I was not able to make it to the hotel where the recruitment exercise took place over a couple of days, but all…
It depends on the recruitment process, but there is equivalence in the application process between someone's career pathway and their qualifications. We do not automatically rule people out because they do not have a university degree. There are other pathways into the Civil Service.
In this financial year, between April 2025 and January 2026, a total of 3,020 vacancies were filled. As part of the next Civil Service people strategy, my Department is taking forward several initiatives to standardise and streamline the recruitment process. Their key focus will be on reducing the length of time that…
There is a process whereby MLAs and so on in towns and villages can request that an assessment of their area be done in order to ascertain whether there is suitable access to cash in the vicinity. One of the purposes of my banking round tables has been to raise concerns, particularly, it has to be said, those of…
My officials and I have regular engagement with the Financial Conduct Authority. The FCA attended my banking round table on 3 December 2025 to hear at first hand about local issues with access to cash. I also addressed the FCA's five-year strategy launch event in Belfast, at which I took the opportunity to reinforce…
The focus of my banking round table in December last year was to bring together relevant stakeholders primarily to discuss access to cash issues for our local communities and how access to cash and other important financial services can be maintained locally. Those in attendance did not raise the financial conduct of…
If the Finance Minister is not funding public pay, how come police pay has been delivered; health pay has been delivered; Civil Service pay has been delivered; teachers' pay has been delivered; and, indeed, all pay across the public sector has been delivered?
I beg to move Go raibh maith agat, a Phríomh-Leas-Cheann Comhairle. This Second Stage debate follows the Assembly's approval yesterday of the final expenditure plans for Departments and other public bodies, as detailed in the spring Supplementary Estimates 2025-26. The Assembly also approved the Vote on Account for…