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Again, those are matters for individual Ministers. Just before I came into post, my predecessor received notification from the Treasury that some funding was available. It was moved on very quickly. A letter was issued to Departments to respond. They did respond and funding was allocated on that basis. It is up to…
Minister, on that point specifically, you will know that rural areas suffered very badly as a result of storm Éowyn. Will you advise on what direction has been given to those various Departments on how they might prioritise those rural areas? What practical assistance will they be giving to services and other aspects…
I have had no discussions with the Minister for Communities on that matter. Funding was allocated on the basis of a call that went out to Departments. In fairness to all Departments, there had to be a very quick turnaround because the money came to us at very short notice from the Treasury. However, it will be for…
Minister, in respect of the money that you have allocated to the Department for Communities, what discussions have you had with that Minister to determine whether he can enter into a compensation scheme for those who lost electricity for a long time, particularly for the loss of food from freezers etc?
In the immediate aftermath of the storm, my predecessor had discussions with the Secretary of State. I will continue to have discussions with both the Treasury and the Secretary of State, and, as the true costs of the storm emerge, I will assess whether it is appropriate to make a reserve claim to the Treasury for…
I thank the Minister for his answer and the detail in it. Given the unprecedented damage caused by storm Éowyn, does the Minister intend to ask the Treasury for further support for costs incurred due to the storm?
The Executive agreed to allocate £17·4 million to help Departments deal with the impact of storm Éowyn. The Department for Communities will receive £1·4 million towards a range of pressures, including the emergency financial assistance scheme. The Department of Education will receive £3 million for school building…
I feel as though I have gone back in time. I am now the Minister of Finance; that is for the Minister for Infrastructure. Those are decisions for the Department for Infrastructure. As an Executive, where we can, we want to see revenue raising form a part of each of our Departments in a fair and equitable manner that…
In the Minister's previous role, he often and correctly championed public transport and spoke of the need to incentivise its use by reducing fares etc. Given that a key component of his predecessor's Budget sustainability plan includes increasing Translink fares, has the Minister had a chance to reconsider that?
My predecessor, Dr Archibald, commissioned Ulster University to look at the cost of doing business. I look forward to receiving the report and examining the evidence base in it. It is important that, as my predecessor did, we gather evidence and move forward on that basis. We have to collect data and be data-driven.…
Minister, as councils start to strike their rates, local businesses, particularly independent retailers, in city and town centres are seeing their rates go up and up. If we are truly serious about town centre, village and city centre regeneration, can we look at a package that rebalances commercial rates and takes the…
I am not sure, but the funding is currently around £2,500, I think. I can supply the correct figure to the Member, but it is somewhere in that region. That money is given to Stonewall each year for services and advice to the Department. As with all advice, the Department does not have to take it on board, but we are a…
When considering revenue raising, perhaps the Minister could look at wasteful spend in his Department. It has been revealed that the radical, discredited Stonewall charity is still being funded through the Department of Finance. That charity has been associated with radical gender policies for younger-age children and…
FlaggedGender, sexuality, abortion and related social issuesCriteria met: Dog-whistle messaging, Controversy escalation.
The support for domestic ratepayers is wide-ranging. It includes housing benefit for non-working-age citizens; low-income rate relief for non-working-age citizens; lone pensioner allowance for those over the age of 70; farmhouse allowance; the exemption for a clergyperson; early payment discounts; landlords'…
The Member will be aware of the work of the Fiscal Commission. It is continuing its work to gather evidence on Barnett consequentials and how this place should be funded. I would like one of that body's next phases of work to be looking at how we devolve further taxation powers to the Executive. In doing so, we will…
Thank you, Minister, for your answer. Corporate profits are at record levels. What discussions have taken place in your new Department or at the Executive to move ahead with devolving corporation tax in order to raise it to take account of those record corporate profits?
Public consultation is one of the fundamental steps in ensuring that any proposed measures are fair and equitable. My Department is engaging in a process of consultation on domestic policy proposals, building upon last year’s work. That launched on 29 January and is accompanied by associated impact-screening work. The…
Members will be aware that, as a result of the work of my predecessor and others, the Executive have spending at the 124% needs-based factor, which is applied to the Barnett consequentials. The application of the 124% needs-based factor in the interim fiscal framework has resulted in an additional £431·4 million of…
Instability in politics certainly does not help in delivering our public services or any cause. We should all be focused on honouring and delivering the agreements that we have signed up to and which created this place. That will give us the best course for stability.
The Member will be aware that the Programme for Government will be set by the Executive. I look forward to the publication of that important document. However, that process does not prevent, and has never prevented, the Executive from publishing a multi-year Budget. We have to align with the Treasury spend. If…
Does the Minister agree that the task of producing a multi-year Budget is made more difficult by the absence of a costed Programme for Government and that such a cycle of multi-year Budgets would assist in the delivery of long-term strategies, particularly in Health?
The previous time that the Executive were in a position to set a multi-year Budget was for the 2011-15 Budget. The Executive can only set a Budget to reflect the period covered by the spending review announced by the Treasury. That is why there are single-year Budgets for 2024-25 and 2025-26. The next phase of the…