Every imported question, contribution and motion, with its classification. Unflagged, uncertain and not-yet-analysed records are all included so the analysis can be checked independently.
Over the past three years, cruise liner visits have consistently contributed £20 million to £25 million per year to the local economy. That is dependent on the number of ships that visit, their passenger capacity and uptake of ticket sales. Over the past three years, annual cruise ship visits have increased from 141…
I thank the Member for her question. As I mentioned in my previous answer, the Department delivers Skills for Life and Work, which is a vocational education and training programme that is focused primarily on entry level and level 1, providing a guaranteed training place for young people aged 16 and 17 who have left…
Can the Minister expand on how she and the Department intend to support young people who are furthest removed from the labour market, particularly those who have disengaged and have low or no qualifications?
I thank the Member for her question. I know WOMEN'STEC well. On Friday, I will actually visit its project launch in the north-west as part of the apprenticeship inclusion challenge fund. The apprenticeship inclusion challenge fund supports projects to facilitate young people from backgrounds that traditionally face…
I thank the Minister for her response. In my constituency of North Belfast, many organisations do a lot of work with young people. One that focuses particularly on young girls, WOMEN'STEC, does fantastic work. Is the Department exploring typically male-dominated roles in order to encourage more young women, in…
The reported increase in the number of young people here who are not in education, employment or training is of significant concern to me. It is a complex area that is not unique to here, involving a diverse range of young people aged between 16 and 24, with multiple factors at play. I have asked my officials to…
I thank the Member for her question. I understand that council officials recently met representatives from the WBR chamber to discuss alternative projects. I welcome the chamber's involvement, and I encourage the chamber and others to continue to engage with the council in order to support the identification of…
Go raibh maith agat. I thank the Minister. Minister Muir's intervention not only jeopardises the much-needed city deal funding but, more worryingly, calls into question the long-standing memorandum of understanding between our council and his Department. Minister, you said that you are "actively working" with…
I value the importance of tourism to the Newry, Mourne and Down District Council area, and I recognise the fact that Minister Muir's decision will have been disappointing for the region. However, our focus is now on finding an alternative use for the funding. While it will ultimately be for the Belfast region city…
In case I have caused confusion, I confirm that a consultation is being undertaken on the powers that Tourism NI currently has in relation to accommodation. Upon completion of that consultation, we will look at whether any further enforcement powers are required. A broader piece of work is being undertaken across…
Minister, I will let you get your voice back. Lots of people are dealing with a cough today. To be clear, a study involving Tourism NI is being done to see whether it is necessary to have further statutory powers, enforcement powers, both or one in order to get the other. I ask you to be specific about this: is it…
Enforcement of the requirement for visitor accommodation to be certified is a matter for Tourism NI under the Tourism Order 1992. It includes taking enforcement action against accommodation establishments that have not been certified. Tourism NI regularly engages with representatives of the main online booking…
I thank the Member for his question. I have a lot of sympathy with the sentiment that he expresses. I live in an area that has a big tourism sector and many tourist attractions, and the number of those types of short-term lets is increasing. It is important that we take a proper look at the issue. The regulation of…
I thank the Minister for her answer. She will surely recognise that the proliferation of short-term lets is corrosive to the cohesion of our communities and to the availability and cost of family homes in those communities. Short-term lets also undermine our hospitality sector. Is there a recognition in the Executive…
My Department regulates the minimum quality standards for visitor accommodation, commonly known as "short-term lets", across the North. It makes regulations to set standards in areas such as cleanliness, maintenance, essential facilities and comfort that operators must meet. Tourism NI ensures compliance by inspecting…
I absolutely do not agree with the Member, and I do not expect that he expected me to. I am not sure what metric he is referring to when he talks about regional balance having got worse. The local economic partnerships initiative is very much about democratising economic development. It is not unexpected that the time…
Minister, your subregional economic plan was launched almost a year ago, and the local economic partnerships were meant to be at the heart of it. Some £45 million was allocated to them, but not a penny has been spent to date. Regional balance has got worse on your watch, Minister, and we have had a resignation from…
I thank the Member for her question. I will give her an update on mid-Ulster. I understand that the council has decided to appoint a consultant to lead on the development of its action plan and that they should be in place later in September. I encourage her to engage with the council on that. Partnerships are…
A bit like the previous questioner, I am selfishly interested in my area of mid-Ulster. I would like a sense of what types of projects are likely to be in the action plans. I agree that councils are best suited to decide on what action plans are best for their area.
I thank the Member for his question, and he makes a fair point. It is the responsibility of councillors in an area and all who are represented on the partnerships to ensure that there is a fair distribution across an area and that they target where they need to target for economic development. I guess that the checks…
It is good that the money will be pushed out across the North so that all areas can benefit. I asked your predecessor whether there were checks and balances in place in each council area to make sure that money is spread around across the council area. In my area, I want to see Downpatrick get its share rather than it…
The establishment of local economic partnerships is a new approach, bringing together my Department, Invest NI, councils and other key economic stakeholders in local areas. Overall, good progress has been made, and all 11 local economic partnerships have been established. There are varying levels of progress on the…
I thank the Member for his question. He makes an important point, because, as he will be well aware, a number of policy areas are being developed in tandem. That is being coordinated across the Department. We can ask officials to share something that points to what the Member wants to see.