Debate contribution: East-West Council: Second Meeting
Debate contribution by Mrs Emma Little-Pengelly on .
- MLA
- Mrs Emma Little-Pengelly
- Party at the time
- Democratic Unionist Party
- Date
- 30 June 2025
- Type
- Debate contribution (made as a minister)
- Business
- Ministerial Statements
- Heading
- East-West Council: Second Meeting
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5042910
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I thank the Member for his question. Last week, we saw the launch of the UK's industrial strategy, which highlighted key priority areas across the UK. Those areas align very closely with NI's industrial strategic approach. The Member is right: the creative industries are a big area, as are advanced engineering and manufacturing and digital technology, and we are a global leader in cybersecurity. We want to build on those things, and, at the heart of that, we believe that they are the growth industries of the future. Therefore, it is about investing in those industries, which may be our small to medium-sized businesses, attracting foreign direct investment in those areas and, importantly, investing in young people to make sure that they have the skills. At the British-Irish Council meeting, we talked about the need to invest in AI and digital technology skills at the earliest opportunity in primary schools. We are forward-looking to the time when, hopefully, we get significant growth through our driving that economic strategy, but, importantly, we must have the right people with the right skills to take up those opportunities. No matter what industries or strategies we have, Northern Ireland's biggest strength is its people, their skills and what they can contribute, and that is very much at the heart of everything that we do.
The East-West Council can carry out really important work. The reality is that, when we look at all the North/South work over the years, we see that there has been good collaboration between academic institutions and civic and business organisations, and that work continues. Anybody involved in that would say that it has been beneficial to both jurisdictions. However, we do not have the same connectivity with businesses and civic and academic society in Scotland, Wales, the north of England or Manchester. We know that those places have many challenges and opportunities that are similar to those that we face here. The Connect Fund is a good start, and it is important for the body, but I want to see the Council truly build on that and become a "Cooperation UK", so that we can reach out to and know people from across all parts of the UK to have political, civic, academic, educational and community engagement. Those collaborations and synergies will bring benefits for all the jurisdictions in the UK.
I thank the Member for his question. I will speak personally on that. Intertrade UK exists; it has been created. The fact that that gap was identified and that there was a genuine push to address it is important. We now have not only the East-West Council but the Council of the Nations and Regions, which is an important forum that engages with not just the heads of devolved Governments but local and regional mayors. Many of the areas represented are significant — bigger than Northern Ireland — and we can have a lot of good engagement there. Intertrade UK is important. Northern Ireland, as 3% of the UK, has huge potential to sell into the rest of the UK. Having 3% of the UK population, Northern Ireland relies on the rest of the UK for its consumer market. It goes both ways: there are opportunities, but, undoubtedly, there are challenges that need to be removed. As I said, I am deeply disappointed that the UK Government are not stepping up to fulfil the promise that they made to me, to us and to the people of Northern Ireland to protect the internal UK market. Protecting the integrity of its internal market is basic and core for any country. The UK Government have an opportunity to do that, and they should do that. The measures that are in place at the moment are unnecessary, disproportionate, bureaucratic, damaging to business and bad for consumers. We ask that the UK Government deliver on what they promised: unfettered internal UK trade.
649 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: 0.05 (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).
- Subject area: Constitutional question, Brexit, the Windsor Framework and sovereignty.
- 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 | 0.05 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.02 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.02 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.03 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.03 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.82 | Yes |
| Overall judgement | 0.05 | 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 |
|---|---|
| Constitutional question, Brexit, the Windsor Framework and sovereignty | 0.59 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.41 |
| 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 12:58 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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