Debate contribution: Hydrogen Innovation Strategy

Debate contribution by Mr David Honeyford on 25 March 2025.

MLA

Mr David Honeyford

Party at the time

Alliance Party

Date

25 March 2025

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Hydrogen Innovation Strategy

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4866400

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I also support the motion. From the start, we should get one thing clear: the success that we are having in this area is despite the Assembly and not because of decisions that have been made in this mandate or by any previous Minister. That fact is a disgrace. Businesses have been left to get on with it when the Assembly has been collapsed for much of the time, unable to create the conditions in which business can thrive, grow and invest. Unfortunately, when the Assembly has been working, we still have not seen anything close to enough movement to enable and create better conditions for business to thrive. It also has to be acknowledged from the start that our economy remains a million miles away from that of the South and that of the wider UK. Nonetheless, our business leaders and companies, large and small, should be massively congratulated for the leadership that they have shown to date and for the jobs that they have created. They have simply got on with it, making the best of what can be done within the current framework. It is slightly disappointing that the author — Jonny went into it a little bit — focused on one market and the hydrogen hub in the UK, rather than casting our ambitions and our vision far and wide and looking at being world leaders on this rather than just in one market. As I said yesterday, if there is any chance that we can get past the basic identity politics and work for better conditions for everyone here, that would be welcomed.

Cheers. Thank you. Thanks for clarifying that. The unfortunate bit is that, as we talk about innovation and, effectively, advanced manufacturing, the basic denial from the DUP — it remains in complete denial — about the advantage of dual market access is still stark. Hydrogen and advanced manufacturing are exactly the kinds of industries where we can take advantage of having access to both the UK and the EU markets. The innovation is also for us to help ourselves, but it should be an export. That is where our advantage is, and we should seize it. Our focus should be on taking advantage while this region has a window of opportunity for export to the UK, to Ireland and to Europe. We have an advantage over everyone for the betterment of everyone here.

We need to use that to rebalance our economy across the island and between these islands, creating the conditions that will grow local business, attract investment, create jobs and build wealth. That should be the focus.

When economic figures were released just a few weeks ago, they, yet again, showed a poor economic growth pattern for Northern Ireland. At best, it could be described as resilient, given that the rest of the UK is contracting, but business activity in Northern Ireland is declining, and that is really worrying. We need to focus on trying to move that forward and pushing that dial. Hydrogen, green technologies and advanced manufacturing would be a great place to start focusing outwards to bring investment and growth here. We have all the talent in the world: we have an entrepreneurial base, a highly skilled workforce and, importantly, market access. However, it seems that we focus on ourselves rather than focusing outwards to seize the opportunities and potential. When we, unfortunately, left the EU, we lost three fundamental freedoms. The only advantage that we have left lies with products. Therefore, we need to manufacture more products to realise that benefit and to export and achieve growth. The motion talks about the need for a strategy for hydrogen and innovation, but we do not seem to have a strategy or vision for export more widely. Neither do we have an advanced manufacturing strategy that would help to grow the region's economy and give us products to export. Alliance has called for that continually, and I will continue to push it. I have said many times in the Chamber that it is our job to create the platform for others to flourish and the conditions for our economy to grow. My question to the Minister is this: will she move on the issue and bring forward an outward vision for our economy that specifically targets green technologies, innovation and the manufacturing base, increases our exports and helps to develop and advance manufacturing, of which hydrogen is a part, to take advantage of UK and EU market access? We need such a vision to grow our economy; create opportunities; provide highly skilled jobs in our constituencies; and increase the wage base for Northern Ireland so that everybody from every background — from working class to middle class to everybody else — sees an increase in wages that will, ultimately, bring growth to our economy.

806 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 12:07 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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