Official Report: Minutes of Evidence

The Chairperson (Mr Brett): I am delighted to welcome the Minister for the Economy, Dr Caoimhe Archibald, and the permanent secretary, Ian Snowden. On behalf of the Committee, I welcome you, Minister, and thank you for your work and dedication to the Northern Ireland economy. As an illustrious former Chair of the Committee, Dr Archibald, you will understand the role that the Committee plays. While questions, on occasion, may be robust, we are keen to support the work that you are doing in growing the Northern Ireland economy.

With that, I am happy to hand over to you if you wish to make any opening remarks.

Dr Archibald (The Minister for the Economy): Thank you, Chair. I have some brief opening remarks. Thank you for your comments. Having been a Committee Chair, I know the important role that the Committee plays, and I appreciate the support that it provides. Thank you for the invitation to be here with you today.

In the economic context, it has undoubtedly been a challenging period globally. However, we continue to perform relatively well and, indeed, outperform Britain on a number of key indicators. Just last week, NISRA published statistics that show that our economic output increased by 2·9% over the past year. That compares with a UK average of 1·3%. Since the implementation of the Windsor framework, exports of goods from the North have increased by 2·7%, while exports across Britain have fallen by 5·1%. Annual earnings increased by 7·4% here, which is the second-largest annual increase on record and, again, is higher than the increase across Britain.

The difficult global situation, which puts local progress at risk, was underlined by developments on US tariffs over the weekend. On Sunday, I wrote to the British and Irish Governments to express my concern about the evolving situation. I have asked both Governments for close coordination to ensure that our unique circumstances are taken into account as the situation evolves, and, following my meeting with you today, I will convene my tariff working group.

As we navigate the global uncertainty, my Department continues to deliver on our economic vision in line with the four key objectives: good jobs; regional balance; productivity; and decarbonisation. Recent announcements include the extension of the Hidden Heartlands brand into Fermanagh, which will now bridge our tourism offering North and South; a 22% increase in student numbers at the Magee campus since 2024, which now marks the largest number of students in Derry ever; a £2·2 million investment in the NI sustainable energy programme, delivering warmer, more energy-efficient homes for more than 1,000 low-income households; and the award of the contract for Project Gigabit, which will strengthen digital capacity for over 9,000 premises, predominantly in rural areas.

We have seen progress on our seven sectoral action plans, which are driving areas including cyber and software, advanced manufacturing and financial services. We are rolling out our skills action plan, as well as our digital green skills and apprenticeship action plans, to equip our workforce for the future and to support individuals, businesses and communities.

I am also pleased to have made progress towards the Executive's energy strategy commitments. In September, I published the final design for a renewable electricity price guarantee (REPG) scheme, positioning the North as a competitive and attractive destination for investment. In November, I announced a fairer grid connection policy to support rural households and businesses. That progress is captured in my Department's mid-term review of the energy strategy, which we shared with the Committee just before Christmas.

I am also bringing forward a hugely ambitious legislative programme. To give you a sense of the scale of it, the Department for the Economy has delivered one piece of primary legislation since it was established in 2016. I seek to deliver eight pieces of legislation, including the biggest, most complex modernisation of employment law since the Good Friday Agreement. Delivering the programme would be challenging in a full five-year mandate, so, to get through the work in three years, we have set ambitious timelines, and my Department continues to work towards those. I am confident that, if we work together, we can and will deliver the full legislative programme within the mandate. I am grateful that the Committee has agreed to schedule additional sessions to help realise that goal.

Finally, I will comment on our financial position. You will all be aware that the Executive have, for some time, been impacted by the austerity agenda of successive British Governments. In response, the Executive have prioritised health and education, though not the education component of my Department's budget. Since 2021, my Department's resource baseline has decreased by 5%. That is before inflation is taken into account. This year, I needed savings of 7·9% across the Department to live within budget. That was difficult, but, as the Minister, I have a duty to balance my budget and do the best that I can with the resources available to me whilst supporting Executive colleagues to deliver our shared Programme for Government priorities.

The draft multi-year Budget will mean that my Department, like all Departments, continues to face huge financial pressures. Having a three-year Budget, however, will at least help us to plan and prioritise. I hope that a final Budget will be agreed. It is incumbent on the Executive, collectively, to do so.

Thank you again for your invitation to be here today. I am happy to take any questions that you may have.

The Chairperson (Mr Brett): Minister, thank you very much for that comprehensive update. It is very much appreciated.

I will start on the topic of energy. Will you articulate or outline the focus of the energy branch in your Department?

Dr Archibald: As the Committee will be well aware, we are progressing a number of complex policy areas in parallel in energy. We have made good progress. We were set ambitious targets to achieve on a statutory basis. I think that we all share the goal of wanting more affordable, secure energy for all our communities. That is what we are trying to achieve with our energy strategy.

We are taking forward a number of things, for example, a renewable electricity price guarantee scheme. That will make us more attractive as a destination for investment and help us to realise the targets that we have set. With regard to fairer costs for consumers, we are taking forward a fairer grid connection policy. We will publish imminently our response to the low-carbon heat consultation, and we have other consultations that the Committee will be aware of. Also, there is work going on around different schemes that the Committee will be aware of. I am happy to speak to any of those if members have questions.

The Chairperson (Mr Brett): The Committee shares the priorities of price and security if we are to meet the targets that you outlined. Since you took office as Minister, has the consumption of renewable electricity in Northern Ireland increased or decreased?

Dr Archibald: I know that the Committee gets those statistics regularly when they are published. It is fair to say that we have flatlined on renewable electricity consumption and, in some quarters, it has fallen back. The Committee will be aware of the complex reasons behind that and of some of the challenges that we face with grid infrastructure and dispatch down. We are taking steps to address those challenges. We have set up a grid monitoring committee to focus on those issues and how we can resolve them.

Different organisations have key roles: SONI, in particular, and NIE with regard to investment in the grid. The regulator obviously has a key role as well, so it is a case of bringing all the partners together to address the challenges. There is also an issue with demand for electricity. Demand has not increased for the renewable electricity that we are generating. At times, we generate more electricity than we use, and we do not want to be in that situation. We want to utilise that as much as possible.

The Chairperson (Mr Brett): Figures produced by your Department on 4 December showed a decrease in the consumption of renewable electricity in Northern Ireland. Have electricity bill prices increased or decreased since you have taken office?

Dr Archibald: We are all aware of the issues that we saw in relation to the global volatility in fossil fuel prices, in particular gas prices, in recent years. They go up and down for global reasons. That is one of the things that drive the desire to have greater energy security and control over our production of energy so that we are less reliant on fossil fuels and that volatility around pricing. Certainly, from my perspective, protecting consumers in all of that is my priority. There are things that we can control and work that we can do to address those challenges, and there are things that are outwith our control: the pricing of gas is one of those things, unfortunately.

The Chairperson (Mr Brett): I appreciate that, and the publications from Power NI have said that prices have increased. You have rightly articulated the reasons for that, and that leads nicely onto my third question, which is about energy security. Do you think that energy security in Northern Ireland and on an all-island basis has increased or decreased since you took up office?

Dr Archibald: Again, putting it in the context of the global volatility that we have seen over recent years, energy security has been a challenge. We have issues around pricing and around ensuring that we invest in renewable infrastructure and can properly utilise it. All of the issues that we have touched on are interconnected. The Chair is probably referring to some of the issues that we faced before Christmas with regard to the unprecedented challenges with our power stations and power stations that had been offline because of damage and required maintenance. The Department is working to address those challenges in the medium term. The Committee has been apprised of the information about Coolkeeragh Power Station now being back online, and we are working, as I said, across all the relevant agencies to try to make progress on those broader issues around energy security.

Ian, is there anything that you want to add to any of that?

Mr Ian Snowden (Department for the Economy): As the Committee will know from previous briefings, we need to have at least two geographically separate power generation plants to maintain grid stability and to make sure that the system is fully secure. One of the things that will happen over the next two years is that there will be two new low-carbon inertia services, which are essentially large rotating pieces of metal that perform the same function as the generating units. That will make us less reliant on those fossil-fuel generating plants for grid stability and will help to increase energy security. As we increase the proportion of our electricity coming from renewables, those low-carbon inertia services —

The Chairperson (Mr Brett): We are not doing that at the minute, Ian; it is decreasing.

Mr Snowden: There are various reasons for that.

The Chairperson (Mr Brett): But the fact is that it is decreasing. That is useful.

Mr Snowden: But we can —

The Chairperson (Mr Brett): Minister, with regard to the fact that we are now in a position where the consumption of renewable electricity is falling, bill prices are rising and our energy security has been in jeopardy, do you believe that we will meet the 2030 targets?

Dr Archibald: The Committee will be well aware that we have a statutory obligation to meet our 2030 target.

The Chairperson (Mr Brett): I am aware of that.

Dr Archibald: I will put all efforts in to ensure that we meet that target. We all recognise that there are different elements to achieving that target, not all of which are within the control of my Department. We will work across Departments to make sure that we do everything that we can to realise the target. A key element of that will obviously be the renewable electricity price guarantee scheme, and some of the initiatives being taken forward by the Infrastructure Minister to improve the planning system will be critical in delivering that target.

The Chairperson (Mr Brett): You lead me perfectly on to the renewable electricity price guarantee scheme. We have reviewed the documents and the publications by your Department over time. We were told that the legislation would be introduced in March 2025. That then changed to October 2025, and then, in a written answer provided by you to me in October 2025, I was told that it would be introduced by the end of the year. I note that, in the updated business plan, it will now be just in advance of summer recess, which is a full 14 to 16 months after it was first promised to industry and consumers. How do you explain that monumental delay?

Dr Archibald: A lot of work goes into the development of the electricity price guarantee scheme, as well as working with stakeholders to ensure that we have a scheme that is designed to meet the competing needs. We intend to bring that to the Executive on —.

Mr Snowden: If it does not make next week's meeting, it will be at the meeting on 12 February.

Dr Archibald: Yes, at the following Executive meeting. As indicated in the business plan, the intention is to introduce it in the Assembly within a matter of weeks.

The Chairperson (Mr Brett): Weeks? To the Assembly?

Mr Snowden: Subject to the Executive's approval, of course.

The Chairperson (Mr Brett): OK. You think that it will be introduced well in advance of the summer recess.

Mr Snowden: We will certainly get it in as soon as we can. As I say, that is all subject to the Executive's approval. It is a significant policy issue, and I imagine that the Executive will want to give it a lot of thought and attention.

The Chairperson (Mr Brett): Why, though, did we have a date in March 2025? You have explained the context of the difficulties that you have had to go through, but were a lot of those issues not foreseeable? Industry had begun the process of being ready for March 2025, expecting the first auction to take place. That has clearly not happened and will not happen any time soon. The industry feels let down by that. Why did we set such an ambitious target? Targets are important, but, if they are not achievable, why are we setting them?

Mr Snowden: There was a high degree of over-optimism in the setting of the target as March 2025. Certainly, the Department will hold its hands up and say that we assumed that things would move a lot faster than has been possible. The issues are complex. We have to deal with detailed legal issues. There is quite a lot that needs to be worked through on what the arrangements would be with the low-carbon contracts company that will deliver this for us. At one point, we had hoped that we would be able to use primary legislation that GB Departments had put in place; unfortunately, that turned out not to be the case. That was one of the first major delay points that we had. After that, we had to produce our own detailed policy work. That has taken quite a bit longer than we had hoped.

The Chairperson (Mr Brett): No problem. I want to move on from energy to legislation. Minister, you rightly highlighted the ambitious programme that the Department has set in train. Obviously, all of that has been delayed. The Committee does not expect to receive any legislation before Easter. Where does the 'good jobs' Bill sit?

Dr Archibald: We continue to work on the 'good jobs' Bill — the employment rights Bill. As the Committee will know, it is a substantial Bill that makes significant reforms and is the most significant upgrade of our employment legislation since devolution. It is fair to say that losing two years of the mandate has made developing legislation challenging. However, we have worked through all of the issues, and all of the instructions have been given to the drafters. A considerable proportion of the legislation has been drafted, and I intend to bring a paper to the next Executive meeting, seeking approval for the 'good jobs' Bill.

The Chairperson (Mr Brett): Has the work not finished on the Bill?

Dr Archibald: Well, the work will be finished —

The Chairperson (Mr Brett): Do you have a final draft of the Bill?

Dr Archibald: We do not have a final draft of the Bill. As members will be aware, significant policy development work had to be done with all of the stakeholders around a couple of issues in particular. All of the drafting instructions have been given to the Office of the Legislative Counsel (OLC), and it is making really good progress with that. We will bring a paper to the Executive with what is drafted, as well as detailed policy around the other elements.

The Chairperson (Mr Brett): When do you expect to finalise the draft Bill?

Dr Archibald: We continue to push to have that as quickly as possible.

The Chairperson (Mr Brett): This month? Next month? Next year?

Mr Snowden: The most recent estimate is that we will have it in March, possibly towards the end of the month.

The Chairperson (Mr Brett): So it will not be introduced in the Assembly in January 2026.

Dr Archibald: Given that there is only a week left, it will not be introduced in January 2026.

The Chairperson (Mr Brett): That is the first time that you have said that publicly, Minister.

Dr Archibald: Our intent and desire are to move things as quickly as possible, and we continue to pursue that. There are challenges, in that it is complex legislation. We want to ensure that we get the Bill right. We are working alongside business organisations and trade unions to develop the complex areas of the Bill, particularly in relation to trade union access and zero-hours contracts. In my opinion, that has been really worthwhile. As I said, all the instructions have been given so, at this stage, we are waiting for the Bill to be drafted.

The Chairperson (Mr Brett): You said that you will write to the Executive and colleagues next week: how can you ask them to endorse a Bill when you do not even have a Bill for them to endorse?

Dr Archibald: They will have the bulk of the Bill as drafted and detailed policy set out on the other elements of the Bill.

The Chairperson (Mr Brett): OK. I will open up the meeting to colleagues.

Ms McLaughlin: Minister, welcome to the Committee. You will not be surprised that I concentrate my questions on the issue of regional balance. Do you support the targets, methodology and collection of data used by Invest NI to measure regional balance?

Dr Archibald: Thanks, Sinéad. We share a desire to improve regional balance, and it is an important area of focus for the Committee. As you know, we have made it one of our four priorities. Invest NI has made it a key part of its business plan and has set targets for regional balance. We work with Invest NI to support it in achieving those targets.

We continue to engage with Invest NI on methodology and data collection to understand the approaches taken and the information generated. I find the interest of the Committee useful in that regard as well, in the understanding of what we measure and achieve. It is work that I am happy to continue to support.

Ms McLaughlin: OK. Thank you for that. The 65% target set for the end of the mandate uses a very small and specific measurement and references a number for total investment. That target, on its own, is of limited value and is easily manipulated. There could be really small investments made by businesses, and those are measured in the same way as a major investment in a manufacturing company, for example. It is measuring an output, but it does not measure the impact, and, as a target, it hides really important data.

There is an article in 'The Irish Times' today about a report from the Ulster University Economic Policy Centre (UUEPC) that states clearly that Northern Ireland is becoming more economically unequal, particularly west of the Bann. It suggests that there are significant disparities. In 1998, Belfast had a gross value added (GVA) 42% higher than Northern Ireland: that sits at 80% today. There is absolute and total failure in delivering regional balance in Northern Ireland, and it is really urgent work.

I welcome the fact that your Department prioritises it, but it is looking at the wrong data — data that distorts the figures. Why do you not look at the percentage or number of jobs that are created outside the Belfast metropolitan area (BMA) or the value of investment outside that area? Why do you not measure the first-time, externally owned investors outside the Belfast metropolitan area? Also, why do you measure remote jobs as being outside that area, which totally distorts the figures?

Invest NI comes to the Committee and gives us good-news stories that 59% of investments are outside the Belfast metropolitan area, and the facts behind the figures do not stand up to it. Minister, if you really want to make a commitment to regional balance, you need to make sure that Invest NI measures the right things. Other than that, the impact, which is the most important thing, will not be achieved, and therefore there will be a failure in reaching the vision of economic balance. How will you get the right figures to put before the Committee, so that we can analyse them?

Dr Archibald: Thanks for that, Sinéad. On 'The Irish Times' article, the Department supports the work of the Ulster University Economic Policy Centre. The work being done to understand regional inequalities is new; it is a new area of policy focus. It is really useful to have that detail to understand the disparities and their trajectory. The article also highlights that those disparities have been created over years and will take years to address. I, too, recognise that the situation will not be turned around quickly; it will need a consistent policy approach and consistent investment. We will continue to work with Invest NI on the data. I want to understand it in greater detail.

I will put into context the issue of remote working and how all that is measured. Remote working represents 0·12% of investments and 1% of jobs, so it is a very small component of the overall investment. It is important to say that, but, again, I want to understand how that is considered as part of the overall figures. There is further work for the Committee and for me to do in respect of the data and measurables that we are looking at. As everybody knows, what gets measured gets done. We want to make sure that we deliver on that.

Ms McLaughlin: OK. In the interests of fairness and transparency, we need to measure the right things. I do not want to see Invest NI coming back with those figures, because it is gaslighting us. We were told that the figure for first-time externally owned investments outside the BMA was 32%, but, when you removed remote working, the actual figure was 13%. You might say that it is a small thing, but, when you add it to something that is really tiny anyway, it inflates and distorts the figures. You do not see what the problems are underneath, and your policy cannot face into those. If you are hiding the problem, you are not solving the problem.

Another stated figure was that jobs created outside the BMA represented 6%, when, actually, when you removed the remote working investments, it was 0·6%. We cannot count things for council areas that are not actually attached to those council areas. That nonsense has to stop. Invest NI is an arm's-length body, but you are in charge, Minister, and we need you to take control of those figures. We do not want to have to have another report like the Lyons report because of a lack of attention by the Department. That is important.

In your business plan, the regional balance adviser, Conor Patterson, indicates that regional balance is within the purview not just of the Department for the Economy but of every Department. What are you doing to make sure that other Departments work towards delivering regional balance?

Dr Archibald: That is a fair point: it will require a cross-Executive approach. The Executive have endorsed the economic vision as part of the Programme for Government. The Executive have committed to actions to support regional balance. That will ensure cross-departmental buy-in, and, on our projects, we are certainly working across Departments. You will be familiar with the local economic partnerships and how they bring together agencies and Departments to support work across all council areas. In taking on those initiatives, we are ensuring that there is a cross-Executive approach. I have responsibility for the Department for the Economy, and I will continue to ensure that regional balance is prioritised in our work. As it is one of our four priorities, it gets that level of attention. The point that you made around data is important, because we want to see impact. We want to see the situation turned around, and we need to measure the right things. We will look into that further.

Ms McLaughlin: We have just had — either this week or last week — the report from the Magee task force, which was welcome. We have made inroads. It is good when a city and region works together with stakeholders to deliver good outcomes. That has improved, but there is still a lot of work to be done and a lot of funding required. Can you guarantee that the funding that we need to move towards achieving those targets will be in place and ring-fenced, so that plans can be made ahead of building starting? Resource is also really important.

Dr Archibald: You will be aware of the proposed allocations in the draft Budget — and it is a draft Budget at this stage. Magee is an Executive priority. It is a New Decade, New Approach (NDNA) and Programme for Government commitment, so it attracts funding on that basis. I expect that Executive colleagues will support that allocation. As for the resource element, we are working through our own budget, but we have prioritised Magee as one of our commitments up until now, and it will continue to be prioritised.

Ms McLaughlin: OK. Thank you very much, Minister.

Mr Delargy: Thanks, Minister, for answering our questions. I will follow on from what Sinéad asked and stick with Magee. There has been a 22% increase in the number of students at Magee since 2024: what has been achieved in such a short time is incredible. It has been transformative for Derry and beyond. As a representative for Derry, I sometimes look at it through just a Derry lens, but it is transformative for the entire north-west and, really, the whole of Ireland as regards further and higher education.

You have ongoing conversations with residents in the area. We are keen to ensure that everybody locally feels the benefits of Magee and has buy-in. I would like to get a better understanding of the housing group that is being set up. What will be its scope? What will that group involve? How will local residents be involved? Having that group will be really positive: it is about listening to the voices of local residents to ensure that they feel the benefits and are not negatively impacted by accommodation and housing pressures.

Dr Archibald: There are two parts to that: there is the ongoing work on community engagement, which is really important in identifying issues, and then there is taking a collaborative approach to addressing those issues. That work will continue. We undertook market research to understand the situation with housing and student accommodation. That research identified that some market intervention will be necessary. The group that is being set up will look at that issue in particular. Again, that will require a cross-departmental approach. The first piece of work there will be to look at what sort of intervention we are talking about and to ensure that all the necessary elements come together to deliver that.

People will be aware of the different projects that are at different stages of development. They are all pretty early in development — at pre-consultation stage. A significant number of bed units are being talked about. Again, it is about understanding whether support will be required to deliver on those projects. That is the scope of what the housing group will look at.

Ian might want to add to that, because he will chair it.

Mr Snowden: Yes, I will chair that group. Membership of the group will include people from the university, from the local council, from the Strategic Investment Board (SIB) and with construction and legal expertise. One of the first things that we want to do is identify what the strategy will be to meet the accommodation requirement in the city and the optimum way of doing so. It will include a mix of accommodation, including that led by the university. We will look at the opportunities and potential for private sector-led purpose-built student accommodation. Those might be developments of various sizes. A number of sites around the city have been cited as perhaps being suitable for that. We will need to investigate whether those are viable and stack up financially and economically. The last study that we did indicated a need for significant levels of subvention to make them economically viable, whereas that was not required for the developments in Belfast, which were all private sector-driven. We then need to look at the opportunities inside the city walls. Some people are interested in using student accommodation as a means of regeneration inside the city walls.

We need to look at whether houses in multiple occupation (HMO) provision, which some students prefer, will be part of the overall mix and where that could be located. As the Minister said, we will have to engage closely with the local community on all of that to make sure that it is acceptable. Having large numbers of students in particular locations has an impact on the communities around them, as we all know from the issues in the Holylands in Belfast. One of the work streams that we have in the overall programme is what we call "a social licence", which is, essentially, community engagement to make sure that everybody understands what is being proposed and has an opportunity to put their views into the process that we then take forward. The group's next role will be to drive some of those projects forward, using the finance options and delivery mechanisms that will make sure that they are delivered within reasonable time frames.

Mr Delargy: That all sounds really good. The most important point is that it will be done in consultation with residents and the local community. That is imperative. One of the key points of the proposal is that some student accommodation will move away from the university area and towards the riverfront. There are two benefits to that: first, it will take the pressure off local residents; secondly, it will transform the riverfront. That is key. We will be happy to be part of those conversations. It is really positive to hear about those developments.

My second point is about SKILL UP. I declare an interest as a former participant in those programmes. They are excellent in that they give people, particularly those who are working, an opportunity to delve into greater skill sets, to upskill and, in some cases, to reskill. Where do you see the SKILL UP programme going? What further developments will we see in that? Do you intend to broaden the scope of who works on SKILL UP? The current providers are excellent. There has been such positive feedback on SKILL UP across the board, so we would like to see it continued.

Dr Archibald: SKILL UP is one of those programmes that can be really responsive, can be scaled up and can have a real impact. I am just looking at the numbers: there have been over 12,000 such learners since July 2024. That is a significant number of people who have had those opportunities. The programmes, because of their agility and flexibility, can be very much aligned with the priority sectors and the demands of businesses. They are run across the universities and colleges.

I share your view that the feedback has been positive. Those courses are meeting the needs of individuals but also of industry. Bluntly, everything is budget-dependent at this point, and we are working through that. The skills fund is contained in the Programme for Government, so we will continue to prioritise it accordingly. The SKILL UP programme has really delivered, so we want to ensure that it continues. We will look at how we can continue to support it. Over the next while, we will assess our budget and look at where everything will be allocated. SKILL UP is a really successful programme that we want to ensure continues.

Mr Delargy: Yes, definitely. My final point is on the alignment between the Universities and Colleges Admissions Services (UCAS) and the Central Applications Office (CAO). I have been doing quite a lot of work on that issue, because it is clearly a barrier to education, particularly all-Ireland education. What conversations are happening between you and other Ministers, particularly those in the South, about how we can streamline the process and make it more accessible and easier for students?

Dr Archibald: You will know that there has been some progress on the CAO/UCAS issue — the recognition of A-level grades and the award of points to students from the North who want to study at universities and colleges in the South — which is good. We are only beginning to see that work its way through. There are still barriers for students from the North. I have discussed those with Minister Givan, our Education Minister, and James Lawless, the Minister in the South, and both want to remove those barriers for students North/South.

There is also the language requirement and the issue of the dates on which grades are announced. The grades for students in the North are announced almost a fortnight before such announcements in the South. Students here can be under pressure to make decisions to guarantee their places in universities. They may have a preference to go to a university in the South but not know for a couple of weeks about the success or otherwise of their application. We want to make progress on that, but it is not all within our gift. UCAS and CAO are private companies that are responsible for that. We are engaging with both to try to make progress on those issues. We have to engage with the universities on the language requirement. It was the universities that we had to engage with on the points issue as well. We will continue to pursue that through our Departments but also politically North/South.

Mr Delargy: Thanks, Minister.

Mr Honeyford: Thank you, Minister. I will skip across a few issues, but I will start with the one that we are on. Work was done on the issue of students going to the South, with three A levels plus an AS level being the last requirement. The Minister of Education now says that AS levels will go, so we could be back to four A levels. Is any work being done to avoid going back to the point of four A levels being required for entry?

Dr Archibald: That is one of the issues that I discussed with the Education Minister. It poses a challenge to us in making progress with the CAO on recognising the value of an A level. In my view, three A levels should get you maximum points. We will continue to pursue that with the CAO, but, as I said, it is not entirely within our gift to deliver that. We have to reinforce that point. Any support that the Committee can give on that would be very welcome.

Mr Honeyford: I absolutely agree with you: it should be the equivalent of three A levels. That is great. If work is being done on that, I am happy to leave it there.

You spoke about the delay in the 'good jobs' Bill and having to go back to industry and chat that through: what areas did you have to go back about?

Dr Archibald: It was not that we had to go back. We committed to engaging significantly with industry, particularly on trade union access and zero-hours contracts, on which we had set a broad direction but had work to do on the detail. There was that requirement: a commitment was given to engage with industry, and I wanted to ensure that we delivered on that. We are working through that detail. All the instructions for those elements were given prior to Christmas — in November, I think.

Mr Honeyford: Will there be changes from what was there originally?

Dr Archibald: No. It is not that there will be changes. There were headlines, and it is the detail under those headlines that is being worked through.

Mr Honeyford: The broad detail remains the same.

Dr Archibald: Yes.

Mr Honeyford: Will we see the whole package come through in this mandate? Is that still your plan?

Dr Archibald: That is absolutely still my intention. The time frames that we intend to work to will ensure that. The Committee has a role in that. The Executive also have a role: we have to get Executive approval. The time frames that I am working to are achievable in this mandate.

Mr Honeyford: OK, thank you.

The UK Government are removing the green levy on consumers in GB, which is £150 to £200 per household. The capital fund for that is coming directly from government, which means that we will get a Barnett consequential. Have you had any conversations with the Finance Minister about a Barnett consequential that would enable our consumers to also reap that benefit?

Dr Archibald: There are two elements to that announcement. I have communicated with the Committee on this. There was an element of a levy that consumers in Britain paid on their bills but our consumers did not pay, so there is a difference there. There is a commitment from the British Government that Treasury will cover 75% of the Northern Ireland renewables obligation (NIRO) cost to consumers — that is the element for which we will get money from Treasury. We understand that it will come via annually managed expenditure (AME). We are engaging with Treasury via DOF to understand the detail of that, including the amounts. We have not got all the information on that yet.

Mr Snowden: Most Barnett consequentials are what is called "un-hypothecated". They just go into the Northern Ireland block, and then the Executive decide. We will make the case for it to be used for energy priorities, but, ultimately, that will be a decision for the Executive to take collectively.

Mr Honeyford: Ultimately, the consumer will pay twice if that does not happen. If the charge is not removed here, our consumers will pay what will go into AME through taxation and then pay again in their bills. Is there a plan to remove that charge from our consumers' electricity bills, as in GB?

Dr Archibald: As I said, we are engaging to understand the detail of that. You make a good argument as to why we need to make it happen. We will deploy that argument.

Mr Honeyford: You have talked about NIE grid connections: will 100% of that cost be socialised?

Dr Archibald: The reinforcement cost will be socialised.

Mr Honeyford: OK. The average cost of a connection is £2,800: how much of that will be —?

Mr Snowden: It will very much depend, from property to property. Previously, if, for example, you bought an electric car and needed a car charger at your house but the extra electricity load for that car charger would be sufficient to require an upgrade to the substation three miles down the line, you would have to pay for that as well, so the cost could become substantial. For businesses, it could become very large. For Bushmills Distillery's expansion, the grid reinforcement cost was £1·5 million. You will have to pay for whatever connects you to the nearest point of the grid. If you are a remote rural property, that cost might still be substantial.

Mr Honeyford: The bit of the cost that the consumer normally sees — the cost of the grid connection — will not be socialised.

Mr Snowden: No.

Dr Archibald: It is the reinforcement cost that will be socialised.

Mr Honeyford: Spot on.

Finally from me, I will ask about green energy and offshore. You said in answer to Phillip that that is coming through, which is really welcome.

The Chairperson (Mr Brett): No, that is not what she said to me.

Dr Archibald: The REPG is —.

The Chairperson (Mr Brett): The REPG is the —.

Dr Archibald: The offshore —.

Mr Snowden: The offshore is delayed.

Mr Honeyford: Leave the offshore for a second. We will see the onshore in the next couple of weeks. Is the auction still —?

Dr Archibald: It will not be in a couple of weeks.

Mr Honeyford: You said, "a couple of weeks".

Dr Archibald: No, I said, "weeks"; not "a couple". "A couple" would suggest a fortnight.

Mr Honeyford: OK.

Mr Snowden: It has to be agreed by the Executive.

Mr Honeyford: I think that you said March.

Dr Archibald: That is the 'good jobs' Bill.

Mr Honeyford: When will the green energy —?

Dr Archibald: We intend for it to be introduced before the summer recess.

Mr Honeyford: So the auction will not be in the January-to-March quarter.

Mr Snowden: We will have to calibrate the timing of the auction, depending on what the impact might be on costs. You raised the issue of consumer costs for electricity. We could run an early auction or time it badly and end up with a high price being struck. That would be bad for consumers. The timing of the auction will have to be designed in such a way that we get the best deal that we can cost-wise, as well as delivering the additional renewable electricity. Quite a bit of detailed analysis will have to be done.

Mr Honeyford: So the auction will not happen in this mandate.

Mr Snowden: No, it will not happen in this mandate.

Mr Honeyford: So we are not going to have our renewables —.

Mr Snowden: We will have to introduce the regulations and so forth that will allow it to happen. It will happen in 2027 but probably not this side of the next election.

Mr Honeyford: If I were a company that is looking to invest, why would I hang around waiting? It has been delayed and delayed constantly. Now, you tell us that what was supposed to happen in January to March will happen at some point in 2027, which, given the Department's history of telling us dates, effectively means December 2027.

Mr Snowden: This is a scheme that will set us up for 25 years; it is not a once-off auction process.

Mr Honeyford: I understand that.

Mr Snowden: It is a very long-term policy. Investors who look at renewable electricity generally look at very long time frames for their investments. They are impatient and want to move more quickly; I fully accept that, and they are vocal in telling the Department that. We will move it forward as quickly as we can, but we have to do it in a way that does not, in any shape or form, cause difficulties for consumers by increasing prices unnecessarily.

Mr Honeyford: Is offshore not happening at all in the mandate?

The Chairperson (Mr Brett): No.

Mr Snowden: Offshore renewable installations are scheduled for the 2026–27 session of the Assembly.

Mr Honeyford: This is 2026.

Mr Snowden: No, that means from September 2026 to the end of the mandate.

The Chairperson (Mr Brett): The Bill maybe, but the regulations will not happen.

Ms D Armstrong: Minister, you are welcome this morning. Thank you for coming to the Committee. If you will indulge me, please, I have one constituency question. You will have heard the news from Fermanagh and South Tyrone about Anglo Beef Processors (ABP) in Dungannon. Will you give an assurance that your Department will provide support in the situation there? There is great anxiety and uncertainty about the potential loss of 338 jobs, which are incredibly important to the area.

Dr Archibald: First and foremost, our thoughts are with the workers and their families. It is really difficult news for anybody to get out of the blue. We have been engaging with Invest NI since last night. When significant redundancies like that arise, the Department steps in and supports the workers, so we will activate that to assist people in whatever way we can at this point.

Ms D Armstrong: It is good to have your reassurance. Thank you.

Some of the points that I wanted to mention have been covered, but I want to look at the Belfast universities: Queen's University and Ulster University. We are told that:

They have taken on city deals and are advancing learning and expertise. What support can you give to ensure that the universities are not in that situation?

Mr Snowden: May I clarify something? The university colleges are specifically St Mary's University College and Stranmillis University College. The city deal projects were taken forward by Ulster University and Queen's. The financial position of the university colleges is quite tight — we are fully aware of that — but the question was about the impact on the larger universities.

Dr Archibald: We have worked closely with the universities on that, and the Committee will be well aware of the work that we are doing around the higher education funding review. It comes back to the Department's budget. We have tried to support our universities and add as much funding in-year as we can, and we have prioritised that over this financial year. We are working closely with them and are cognisant of the collaborative relationship that we have with them in delivering city and growth deals. They have invested heavily in those. It is important that we work in partnership with them to find a way forward for a more sustainable funding model. The higher education funding review is particularly important for that.

We have undertaken work over the past number of months on the financial needs assessment. I hope that that will be concluded soon and that I will have that report by the end of the month. We will publish that thereafter. That will give us a greater insight into the situation of the universities and the funding going forward.

We are all cognisant of the budgetary context, but there are limited ways to put additional funding into our universities. We have to find a way to square that circle, recognising the important role that they play in delivering education and skills and as important partners from an economic development point of view.

Ms D Armstrong: I am also aware of the visa entry requirements for overseas students coming to Northern Ireland to study at those universities. Those numbers are falling, so what is your view on tuition fees to attract more local students to stay in Northern Ireland?

Dr Archibald: Sorry, what do you mean by that?

Ms D Armstrong: The universities rely on overseas students for capital to invest in their institutions. What is your view on providing more university places for students from Northern Ireland so that they remain in Northern Ireland?

Dr Archibald: That comes back to our budgetary situation. The maximum student number (MaSN) each year is determined by the funding that we can give to universities. We have tried to put additional funding towards our universities and have certainly tried to avoid a reduction in numbers. That is the most pressing issue for us in the current budgetary context. We would like there to be more student places. However, that requires putting in more money, which is really difficult in the current context.

Ms D Armstrong: Thank you. The Finance Minister has asked Departments to make savings: can you see the Department for the Economy making savings?

Dr Archibald: Every Department faces a difficult budgetary situation. We have worked hard to live within our budget, but it has been really difficult. It will be difficult for us to realise savings, but we will look at opportunities to do so. Where we identify a saving, we will make that known to the Finance Minister at the earliest opportunity. I do not envisage being in a position to make great savings at this stage in the financial year.

Mr Snowden: The things that we have discussed with our partner organisations are, for example, sharing office space and back-office functions, which will achieve some efficiencies. We can talk to the further education colleges about doing more collaborative and joint working that may deliver some administrative savings. However, that will not, by any measure, meet all the budgetary pressures, given their scale. We will have to look at what else the Department does and is able to do.

Ms D Armstrong: Thank you very much.

Mr Buckley: Good morning, Minister and Ian.

Minister, your opening remarks focused on trade data in particular. You will be familiar with your press release of 15 January entitled 'Minister welcomes latest Economic Output figures'. Point 4 in the "Notes to editors" states:

As exports are, by definition, goods that are traded outside the United Kingdom, can you clarify for the Committee precisely what dataset that information is drawn from?

Mr Snowden: That came from HMRC.

Mr Buckley: HMRC? OK. Does the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) not have that data?

Mr Snowden: It draws the data from HMRC, which, I understand, is the main source of trade data.

Mr Buckley: The press release quotes NISRA statistics: are those not NISRA statistics?

Mr Snowden: NISRA provides statistical analysis for us, but it draws data from a number of sources. Not every statistical publication that NISRA produces will have data that it has collected. It will draw that from other sources.

Mr Buckley: The fact is that NISRA's most recent Northern Ireland trade statistics, which were released on 11 December 2024, relate to 2023 and show a decline in sales to continental Europe. Are you comfortable with making the statement that you have made without having that data?

Mr Snowden: I will have to look again at the statistical report that you refer to. The figures that I have seen in the quarterly economic updates consistently show that exports and trade in goods from Northern Ireland are generally increasing.

Mr Buckley: OK.

Mr Snowden: I will come back to you on that point.

Mr Buckley: Yes, just for clarity.

The statement also mentions the Northern Ireland composite economic index published last week, which shows a 1% increase in economic activity in Q3 2025 compared with Q3 2004. However, if you drill into the figures, you see that that growth was driven primarily by services, which contributed, I think, 0·6% of that 1%; construction, which contributed 0·3%; and production, which contributed 0·1%. Of that 1%, how much is outside the Windsor framework when it comes to trade? You will accept that the 0·6% that relates to services has nothing to do with the Windsor framework; it is outside that.

Dr Archibald: The linking of economic growth and the Windsor framework will be part of economic performance; it will not be all of it. There will be other elements that support the positive trajectory that we are on. Relatively speaking, we are in a good place. We all want to see higher statistics, and, through the policy decisions that we are taking to support businesses and the economy, we want to increase that growth.

Mr Buckley: When it comes to economic growth, the Department and others have placed great emphasis and focus on how dual market access and the Windsor framework have enabled those opportunities and enabled us to, in your words, outperform other parts of the UK. Let us focus on that. Of that 1%, 0·6% is in the service sector, which is outside the grasp of the Windsor framework. Construction is 0·3%, and that is not within the grasp of the Windsor framework. Only production, which is 0·1% of that total figure, is within the Windsor framework. How does that sit with the continued assertion from you and the Department that the Windsor framework continues to provide a competitive advantage to Northern Ireland?

Dr Archibald: The comparative figure for the UK as a whole was 0·1%, if we are speaking in relative terms. As I said, we do not attribute economic growth to one element in particular. A combination of factors and policy interventions contribute to that. We want to see a continued trajectory of positive economic growth, but we want to see the numbers go up as well. There are other elements that we measure or look at when it comes to our economic performance, and we want to ensure that those continue on a positive trajectory as well, including the likes of our earnings and our employment data.

Mr Buckley: Again, let us drill into that. How many FDI jobs have been created by companies that have cited unique dual market access as the reason for locating in Northern Ireland?

Dr Archibald: As has been well aired at the Committee — I watched the session when Invest NI was before the Committee — companies decide where to invest on the basis of a multitude of factors, and they reference dual market access as something that they see as a competitive advantage. When I engage with potential and current investors, they refer to that, but, obviously, they make decisions based on —.

Mr Buckley: I respect an individual company's ability to make that decision, but the Minister is aware of no specific foreign direct investment into Northern Ireland that cited dual market access as a reason. Is it fair to say that, or do you have an example for the Committee?

Dr Archibald: As I said, companies will have it among the reasons why they choose to invest here. We will look for an example for the member.

Mr Buckley: Minister, that does not stand up to scrutiny, because the Invest NI figures and results provided to the Committee last week show the creation of one foreign direct investment job. Is the Committee being gaslit or something? How does that bear out the assertion that companies, from a foreign direct investment perspective, cite dual market access as a reason why they will invest here, if Invest NI figures can point to only one job? Am I missing something?

Dr Archibald: I am not sure what data you refer to, but I am happy for us to correspond further on that issue. As I said, when we engage with investors, that is cited. We continue to promote that, and it continues to be of great interest to companies, not only investors but our own companies as well. They have that competitive advantage and are taking advantage of it.

Mr Buckley: The Invest NI figures were total trade data, although the Committee requested the breakdown that you went through with Sinéad earlier in the session. As Minister, are you satisfied with one foreign direct investment job?

Dr Archibald: As I said, I do not know what the data is. I am happy to look at it.

Mr Snowden: What was the time period?

Mr Buckley: It was in the information that we were provided with, which covered —.

The Committee Clerk: It was at least a year ago.

Mr Buckley: At least a year ago. Yes.

The Chairperson (Mr Brett): We will follow up on that.

Mr Snowden: I am not familiar with that stuff, so I will have to go back to it.

Mr Buckley: Minister, I have a final couple of questions. St Patrick's Day is coming up: as the Economy Minister, do you plan to be in the United States?

Dr Archibald: Yes. I plan to travel to the US the week before St Patrick's Day. We are still finalising the itinerary for the trip. The current focus is screen, trade and tourism.

Mr Buckley: How does that compare with your engagement last year? If I remember correctly, you were in New York.

Dr Archibald: I was in Boston and New York last year to support Invest NI and Tourism Ireland. Invest NI, Tourism Ireland and NI Screen plan to travel with us to the west coast, and we are finalising the itinerary.

Mr Buckley: What did the engagement with Invest NI look like? Did you meet US companies to talk about investment?

Dr Archibald: We met potential and current investors, and we engaged with business representatives when we were there.

Mr Buckley: During last year's engagement, did you meet the major US financial services firm Cantor Fitzgerald?

Dr Archibald: We met a range of investors and companies. I think that Cantor Fitzgerald was one of those companies.

Mr Buckley: OK. Prior to that meeting, did Invest NI actively engage with Cantor Fitzgerald as a potential inward investor into Northern Ireland, including having discussions on possible job creation?

Dr Archibald: My understanding is that that happened, yes.

Mr Buckley: OK.

Dr Archibald: That was why we engaged with Cantor Fitzgerald.

Mr Buckley: Can you confirm whether the potential investment subsequently did not proceed or was paused and whether Invest NI or the Department has recorded the reasons why that did not happen?

Dr Archibald: The investment was paused, and the investor made that decision for its own reasons.

Mr Buckley: Minister, to put that into context, on 9/11, Cantor Fitzgerald lost 658 employees who died in the World Trade Center. A serious concern has been brought to me that the positions taken by you and your party may have impacted on the decision not to invest. Has your Department or Invest NI received feedback from any US-based investors expressing concern about your political statements, your public commentary or reputational issues associated with your political party?

Dr Archibald: As I said, companies make decisions about investing or not investing on the basis of their commercial interests, and that is absolutely a matter for them. The political positions that people might take are for the individuals and parties to express as they feel.

Mr Buckley: Minister, with respect, that is not an answer.

The Chairperson (Mr Brett): I apologise, because it is an important issue, but we have two further members.

Mr Buckley: I have not had an answer.

Dr Archibald: I am happy for the Department to correspond with the Committee.

Miss Dolan: I thank the Minister and Ian for coming to the Committee. I know that you have to go, so I will run through my questions.

Obviously, I will focus on the inclusion of Fermanagh in the Hidden Heartlands initiative, which I find exciting, and I can see its potential. What are the next steps to progress the initiative, or is that now up to Tourism Ireland and Fáilte Ireland?

Dr Archibald: The licence agreement is between Fáilte Ireland and Tourism NI. To support that, the Department is investing an additional £300,000 for a marketing campaign that will be taken forward by Tourism NI during March of this year to encourage people to go to Fermanagh. It is a positive initiative and very much something that can be built on by the other brands. The opportunity to join up and promote the island as a whole internationally and encourage visitors to Ireland to see the whole island is to be welcomed.

Miss Dolan: It is great. You touched on this, but are there plans to include other counties in the other brands, such as the Wild Atlantic Way and Ireland's Ancient East?

Dr Archibald: This is the first of the initiatives. Obviously, work is already happening through Shared Island funding on the Causeway coastal route and the Wild Atlantic Way. From my perspective, it makes sense to market the Wild Atlantic Way from north to south, and we will continue to pursue that. I understand that Ireland's Ancient East, as a brand, is being reviewed by Fáilte Ireland. We will continue to work with Tourism Ireland, Fáilte Ireland and Tourism NI to see whether there are opportunities to be part of, once they have done their evaluation.

Miss Dolan: That is great.

I will move to a totally different subject: Project Gigabit. From your update last month, on 16 December, I know that the contract has been awarded. The update stated that the roll-out plans for the project would need to be revised once the contract was awarded. Are there any updates on the roll-out? That is another topic that relates to Fermanagh.

Dr Archibald: Fibrus has indicated that more detailed roll-out plans can be expected in the coming weeks. I am happy to share any information that we get with the Committee when we receive it.

Miss Dolan: Thank you, Minister.

Ms Nicholl: Thank you, Minister — you are welcome — and thank you, Ian. Much like Sinéad, I will touch on AI first. In response to a question for written answer, you advised that the AI advisory panel was being appointed: have the panel's members been appointed yet?

Dr Archibald: No, we are still working through that. I know that the member has a keen interest in the area and will be familiar with the Matrix report. We are working through the recommendations and want to respond to a huge opportunity, but, obviously, there are also significant challenges, which is why we are setting up the panel. We want to ensure that businesses are supported and that we take advantage of the opportunities, but we are looking at what safeguards are needed as well. The panel will be important, and the approach that we are looking at is to have a steering group, because an awful lot of people could be part of a panel. It could be very wide. We may want to draw from that type of expertise but also have something that is agile and flexible.

Ms Nicholl: OK. That is good to hear; thank you. Will the panel look at or will you review some of the previous work that has been done? I am mindful that the skills action plan, for example, does not mention AI, and the 'good jobs' Bill may mention it only once. AI is constantly evolving and will play a bigger role, so will you review the strategies that you have in place already?

Dr Archibald: AI is something that I, like you, have taken an interest in. Our sectoral action plans, for example, are meant to be iterative anyway so that they continue to evolve. We are therefore looking at those to ensure that we take AI into account. Our digital action plan was published only a short while ago, but, to my mind, it needs to be updated to reflect the emerging AI issues. We will ensure that that work is done and incorporated.

Ms Nicholl: Thank you so much. You have literally two minutes left, Minister. The second thing that I want to ask is about childcare and the 'Childcare Providers: Targeted Business Support' market research report that was published in September. You will be aware of the crisis that childcare providers are in with recruitment and retention and the cost that that brings not just to parents but to employers who are losing people from the labour market. Is the work that your Department is doing to support those businesses contingent on the childcare strategy, or is work already under way in that area?

Dr Archibald: Work is already under way, but, obviously, it is referred to in the childcare strategy. The funding that we allocated to childcare over the past couple of years and that is proposed to be allocated going forward includes some elements of business support. As you will know, we undertook the review, and one of the things that came out of that was the need for a business advisory service. We are working through that at the moment and hope to make good progress on it.

Something else that came through in the review was the need to understand the sector more and the need for more detail, data and information on it. One of the advantages of setting up the advisory service is that we will have more access, hopefully, to childcare businesses and have greater insight into their needs and how we may be able to respond. I was a little surprised by the finding that intervention was not necessary, but there was not the evidence needed to support intervention. If we had access to more data and information from childcare providers, that would give us a greater insight into the needs of the sector.

Ms Nicholl: That leads on to my final question on data. I chair the all-party group (APG) on policy and public data. In Northern Ireland, we are data-rich but linkage-poor. It is not just your Department but all Departments that have a role in fixing the issues of AI, childcare and economic inactivity. From your perspective, what more can be done on data sharing across Departments? You have huge datasets that could help to create policy interventions. What are your views on how Departments work together? We are always told that there is silo working and that nothing happens here. As a Minister, what is your experience of working across Departments, and what reforms or changes could be made to allow us to work together on such issues?

Dr Archibald: I will answer those in reverse. There are good examples of where Departments have worked together, and I can cite a few from my Department, such as working with the Education Minister on childcare and the 14-19 issues. The careers action plan, for example, was a good area of cooperation. It is something that we have to continue to focus on. I work closely with the Agriculture Minister, who has responsibility for a wide portfolio, including the environment. The issues of energy, climate and the environment are very much linked, and we need to have a really joined-up approach to those, not just in our two Departments but across the Executive more widely. From my experience of being in the Executive, I know that there is a real desire for cross-departmental collaboration and cross-ministerial working, and there are good examples of where that happens. We need to continue to ensure that there is a focus on that.

We, as a Department, very much recognise that we have huge reserves of data. Through the Programme for Government, we are looking at how we better share and present our data to show progress, where progress is being made or otherwise. More work could be done to ensure that there is a cross-departmental approach to data sharing. Ian may want to add to that.

Mr Snowden: I will try to keep it short. I am the Civil Service Board's lead on creating a digitally enabled environment as part of the people strategy, so, if you want, I could bore the Committee for about three hours on the subject. [Laughter.]

There are two issues that we need to address in order to join up data. The first is the interoperability of datasets, which means that they have to be structured in ways that allow them to be linked up. In my previous job as chief executive of Land and Property Services (LPS), for example, one of the challenges that we had during COVID was linking datasets together, because address formats were different, so even something as simple as an address format creates problems when linking databases together. We have mandated the use of a common address format, but there are other things that we can do to make the datasets similar so that the data can be linked more easily and structured properly.

The second issue is legislative provisions. A part of the Digital Economy Act 2017 that may help to ease the transfer of data for public purposes has not been enacted yet in Northern Ireland. Administratively, we have to be more acutely aware of how we set up databases in a way that allows the data to be shared easily, because data protection rules cause all kinds of issues. To use another example from my previous job, one part of LPS is responsible for collecting rates and paying rates support. If a person gives you their mobile phone number for the purposes of their rates support claim, you cannot use that to contact them about paying their rates. That is how tight the rules can be on occasion. We therefore need to make sure that, from a service delivery point of view, we are well set up to allow data to be used effectively.

On policy development, I know that NISRA is working on how it can join together datasets, which may allow it to get insights into significant policy issues and provide new options for interventions to address, for example, economic inactivity or homelessness, which are large-scale policy issues that cut across a number of Departments. NISRA is working on that.

The Chairperson (Mr Brett): Finally, Minister, I welcome the confirmation that you are travelling to the United States, particularly to talk about NI Screen. You will know that another programme that was produced in Northern Ireland premiered this week online and on Sky Atlantic. In light of the possible or impending tariffs that the president is threatening against the United Kingdom, the people of Northern Ireland and businesses would expect that the Minister for the Economy would set aside any party political views that they may have in relation to the current US Administration and engage directly with that Administration to try to protect Northern Ireland. When you are in the United States, what plans do you have to engage directly with the US Administration in order to protect Northern Ireland's economy?

Dr Archibald: As I said, my itinerary for the United States has not been finalised at this point. The reasons for our decision not to attend the White House last year are well set out. I am not sure that I believe that there has been any great change; in fact, I think that, in some respects, relationships have deteriorated, as has the global situation, over the past 12 months. I will work as hard as I can, however, to respond to the tariffs issue. I am going right now to meet my tariff working group, and I will engage with the British and Irish Governments. It is important that, as we try to resolve the matter, we keep the lines of communication open with the British and Irish Governments, the EU and the US. I will be engaging in order to ensure that we find a way forward.

The Chairperson (Mr Brett): So you will meet representatives of the Administration when you are in the United States.

Dr Archibald: I do not have set plans at this point, so I cannot respond to that.

The Chairperson (Mr Brett): How do you think that will be seen by businesses and the community? Regardless of your wider party political beliefs, which you are perfectly entitled to hold, at a time when we could be threatened by tariffs, the Minister for the Economy, who is travelling to the United States at taxpayers' expense, will not say that she will try her best to meet the Administration so that she can put forward the views of all the people of Northern Ireland, regardless of their constitutional views, which are that we want jobs created here and we want no barriers.

Dr Archibald: As I said, my itinerary is not yet set. I will keep that under review.

The Chairperson (Mr Brett): With that, Minister, thank you so much for your time. I appreciate that.