Debate contribution: City and Growth Deals Funding Commitment
Debate contribution by Dr Caoimhe Archibald on .
- MLA
- Dr Caoimhe Archibald
- Party at the time
- Sinn Féin
- Date
- 16 September 2024
- Type
- Debate contribution (made as a minister)
- Business
- Ministerial Statements
- Heading
- City and Growth Deals Funding Commitment
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4532438
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I thank the Member for his question. I am well on record at this point as saying that the handling of the matter by the British Government has been atrocious. I am not aware of any formal communication between the British Government and the deal partners, but there was a call with the NIO on Friday to inform it about the pause. The haphazard approach that we have seen in relation to the matter has led to unnecessary confusion, concern and stress for all involved in the city and growth deals. It was a decision by the British Government, and, therefore, it was for them to formally communicate that. My officials have been in constant contact with deal partners over the weekend. The handling of it has been absolutely terrible. I have spoken to all the chief executives of the impacted councils over the weekend or this morning and assured them that I and my officials are doing what we can to resolve the situation immediately.
I thank the Member for his question. The communication that I have been given in relation to Derry and Strabane is that it will go ahead and the deal signing will go ahead. That is the extent of the communication that I have received. I am still pressing Treasury for formal communication. Derry and Strabane is one deal partner, but those who are still affected by the pause have a lot of questions, and there are a lot of things that we still do not have clarity on that we are trying to get clarity on.
I share the Member's dismay at the hierarchy and the fact that we have a disparity in approach. It is absolutely unacceptable, and I will continue to make the case that it needs to be rectified. City and growth deals are intended to do all of those things around addressing regional disparities: driving and boosting local economic development, creating jobs and redressing the deficits that exist. Those are some of the points that I made to the Chancellor on Thursday about why the delivery of these projects is necessary and why the commitment must stand. I will continue to make that case. I will speak to the Chief Secretary to the Treasury and the Secretary of State later this afternoon to relay that message again about the need to unpause the other two deals as a matter of absolute urgency. They cannot wait until the end of October.
410 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.04 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- Assessed as legitimate policy scrutiny (0.88).
- No identity-based framing was identified (1.00).
- The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.03 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.02 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.02 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.02 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.03 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.88 | Yes |
| Overall judgement | 0.04 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 1.00 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.00 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-related subject | 0.95 |
| Constitutional question, Brexit, the Windsor Framework and sovereignty | 0.05 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.00 |
| Irish language, Ulster-Scots and language policy | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 11:03 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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