Debate contribution: North-South Ministerial Council: Tourism
Debate contribution by Dr Caoimhe Archibald on .
- MLA
- Dr Caoimhe Archibald
- Party at the time
- Sinn Féin
- Date
- 6 May 2025
- Type
- Debate contribution (made as a minister)
- Business
- Ministerial Statements
- Heading
- North-South Ministerial Council: Tourism
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4929350
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I thank the Member for his question. I recognise the challenges that he has outlined. When I speak to businesses, they express similar concerns. As he will know, when I was Finance Minister, I initiated a cost of doing business research project, which I anticipate will be published in the near future. Part of the rationale for initiating that research was to have an evidential base on which to engage with the British Treasury in respect of the issues that are being reflected to us every day as local representatives. As part of the upcoming spending review, there is an opportunity to make that case again. We are dealing with the British Treasury, and I do not think that any of us in the Chamber agree with some of the decisions that it has made in recent months. We have to bear that in mind. We will make as strong a case as we possibly can. It is our job and my job, as Economy Minister for the North, to champion issues on behalf of our businesses, and I will continue to do that.
I thank the Member for his question. It was not something that came up as part of the discussions at the meeting. I am sure that the Member could write to me and ask for some of that information, and I would be happy to provide it.
I thank the Member for his question. It is something that we are doing. The Department is engaging, as you would expect, with all relevant partners in the sector and collating information so that we have a case to make when we are in discussions with the Home Office. As I said, I am hopeful that we will meet with the relevant Minister in the near future. I will continue to highlight the challenges that the sector faces here. In the immediate term, although there have been concerns about the potential impact, we are now beginning to see the actual impact and things that are being reported. As the Member rightly said, it is important to collate that information, and we are doing that.
355 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: 0.03 (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 (0.72).
- 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 | 0.02 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.72 | Yes |
| Overall judgement | 0.03 | 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 | 0.85 |
| Constitutional question, Brexit, the Windsor Framework and sovereignty | 0.09 |
| Immigration, asylum, race, ethnicity and Travellers | 0.06 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 12:25 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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