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The Minister will no doubt be aware that today is International Day of Persons with Disabilities, and, as we speak, in City Hall, the Equality Commission is holding a conference called Breaking Barriers, Building Futures. To that end, will the Minister advise what steps her Department is taking in the Civil Service to…
I thank the Member for his question. I will push back a little bit on his characterisation of how the posts are filled. Proper process is followed. The Civil Service continues to work to reduce the number of temporary promotions by filling vacancies, just as he said, where possible, on a permanent basis through…
The Minister says that the Civil Service is trying to manage this. Well, it is failing. We have 10% of our Civil Service on temporary promotion, and that number is increasing year-on-year. I worry about the practices that are being followed for filling a lot of those positions. There is still a lot of nudge nudge wink…
I thank the Member for his question. As I set out in my original answer, there is policy in place that temporary promotions are guided by, and an individual's suitability will be assessed under that policy in reference to the selection criteria for temporary promotion. In all circumstances, if an individual is…
I thank the Minister for her answer. Minister, temporary promotions are not intended to last for more than one year. While there is no strict maximum duration for temporary promotions, prolonged periods going from one year to over four years can lead to complications. For instance, if an employee remains in a…
With the Speaker's permission, I will answer questions 5 and 10 together. The career opportunities and promotion policy sets out the arrangements for temporary promotions in the Civil Service, including the circumstances in which they may be considered, eligibility requirements and the selection processes. Temporary…
I am not over the detail of why the contract was not taken forward between the EA and Fujitsu. As the Member will be aware, public procurement here is regulated through the UK's Public Contracts Regulations 2015. My Department conducted a robust and vigorous procurement process that resulted in Fujitsu being the…
Thank you, Minister. Does the Minister have any concerns about the Education Authority's (EA) recent decision not to proceed with a contract with Fujitsu for over £5 million?
The Department is currently finalising contract terms with Fujitsu for the provision of the new IT land registration solution, which will transform Land Registry's services. The new IT solution will implement a range of new services via digital channels, and customers will be able to submit applications online. Many…
The Member might be aware of the NI Investment Fund, which uses FTC on behalf of the Executive to support private-sector investment. One of the themes under which developers can access that funding is decarbonisation, which is one in respect of which we would encourage more interest from private developers, because…
The Committee has received or will receive correspondence giving further detail about the National Wealth Fund and GB Energy. I had not specifically asked my officials to engage with Andy Burnham, but, as you will appreciate, they have regular engagement with Treasury to understand the outworkings of those funds and…
Minister, as well as FTC, you will be aware that Andy Burnham has been able to reach out to the likes of the National Wealth Fund and funding for GB Energy. Has the Minister tasked Neil Gibson and his merry bunch of staff to talk to people like Andy Burnham to see what we could do with other funding that seems to be…
I will correct the point: we do not hand the money back; as I said in the previous answer, it is used to offset future liabilities. It is not, obviously, our preferred option for using the money, and we would much prefer it if Departments could identify projects. As I have said, I have actively encouraged bids in all…
— that it will be "difficult but not impossible". Minister, rather than simply encouraging Departments, will your Department properly and proactively look at ways to deploy the money to improve people's lives, regenerate towns —
Minister, while your and your Department's approach to FTC has not quite been, "Computer says no", it has been, "Computer says this is quite difficult, so we need to look at it in more detail". I am afraid that we are handing back tens upon tens of millions of pounds of FTC every year. I offered the example of…
Financial transactions capital can be used only to provide loans to or equity investment in the private sector. The funding is ring-fenced for that purpose and cannot be used for anything else. It is therefore more challenging for Departments to identify suitable projects that advance the Executive’s policy…
I did not catch the first part of the Member's question, but I think that I got the gist of it. As I outlined to Mr Durkan, rating relief is provided to businesses on the basis of a statutory framework. Some of those issues are included in our social value procurement framework for other government services.
Minister, you said that you were not developing a scheme at the minute, but, if you were, would you consider putting in conditions so that public money would not be given to organisations that are hostile to unions, do not pay a real living wage or use zero-hours contracts? Would you support such conditions in a…
I know that the Member has raised that issue with me previously. I am sympathetic to businesses that are being impacted by works that are beyond their control. The Member is aware that rate relief is available through the hardship scheme for businesses that suffer from impacts that are beyond their control. The award…
Minister, I have been in touch with you about the plight of businesses on Foyle Street in my constituency that have suffered hugely due to protracted works by Northern Ireland Water in the area and are seeking relief on their rates bills. The process of revaluation is intrusive, exhausting and expensive for those…
I first circulated my proposals for consideration by the Executive on 10 October. The proposals included details on a potential consultation on certain rating policy measures. I subsequently asked that my paper be considered at four meetings of the Executive: on 17 October, 7 November, 11 November and 21 November. I…
As I have said on a number of occasions, I have brought forward proposals to the Executive on my approach to taking a more strategic look at the rating system in the short, medium and longer term. I hope to communicate to Members on that in more detail in the near future.