Debate contribution: Rates (Exemption for Automatic Telling Machines in Rural Areas) Order (Northern Ireland) 2025
Debate contribution by Mr John O'Dowd on .
- MLA
- Mr John O'Dowd
- Party at the time
- Sinn Féin
- Date
- 10 March 2025
- Type
- Debate contribution (made as a minister)
- Business
- Executive Committee Business
- Heading
- Rates (Exemption for Automatic Telling Machines in Rural Areas) Order (Northern Ireland) 2025
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4841000
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I beg to move
The order serves to retain the rural automatic telling machine (ATM) rates exemption scheme for the 2025-26 rating year. The scheme is an important localised measure with the policy objective of sustaining the provision of ATMs in rural areas. Previous research and analysis confirmed that stakeholders wanted to see the scheme retained, and it was one of the key requests from business organisations in the run-up to the Executive's return last year. I recognise that, as my officials have advised the Finance Committee in its engagement on the issue, the legislation goes some way towards helping the retention of specific ATMs in rural areas. The statutory rule (SR) extends the scheme to the end of March 2026. The scheme will continue to apply to stand-alone rural ATMs that are individually valued in their valuation list, for example in separate units, on main streets or completely stand-alone units. For ATMs that are located in and valued as part of banks or building societies, the value of those machines is subsumed within the overall value of the property, meaning that they have no stand-alone rates liability. The current revenue loss associated with the measure continues to be modest, costing less than £50,000 in forgone rates revenue. Although a modest measure in its scale and cost, the scheme continues to assist the retention of rural ATMs, which are important to many of our rural communities. The Finance Committee recognised that. In the period ahead, as Members will be aware, I will launch a review of the small business rate relief (SBRR) scheme, and, as part of that work, I want to look at what further measures can be taken to promote and sustain access to cash in urban and rural areas. I turn to the statutory rule. Article 1 of the order sets out the citation, the commencement and the interpretation of provisions. Article 2 specifies a later date of 1 April 2026 for the purposes of the definition of "relevant year" in article 42(1G) of the 1977 Order, with the result that the exemption will continue until 31 March 2026. Article 3 revokes the Rates (Exemption for Automatic Telling Machines in Rural Areas) Order 2024, which had previously extended the exemption until 31 March 2025, prior to the measure expiring. I look forward to Members' comments, and I commend the order to the Assembly.
396 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: 0.02 (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 (0.82).
- 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 | 0.02 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.01 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.01 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.01 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.02 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.82 | Yes |
| Overall judgement | 0.02 | 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 | 1.00 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.00 |
| Irish language, Ulster-Scots and language policy | 0.00 |
| Sport (including the GAA), the arts and cultural bodies | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 12:02 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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