AQW 40975/22-27


Mr David Honeyford
Alliance Party
Lagan Valley


Tabled Date: 19/02/2026
Answered On Date: 03/03/2026
Priority Written: No


Question:
To ask the Minister for the Economy (i) for her assessment of the reasons why the Northern Ireland economy is growing at more than double the rate of the UK average; and (ii) to detail any steps she is taking to sustain and build upon this performance.


Answer:
Recent data present a broadly encouraging picture for the North’s economy, with our economic output increasing by 2.9% over the past year, which is higher than in Britain. 
Over the past two quarters, services have been the biggest contributor to our overall economic growth. Performance in production is also encouraging, with all four main sectors expanding over the year. Construction shows signs of stabilisation, with two consecutive quarters of growth and strong output in infrastructure.
In a very challenging economic context, the stronger relative performance of the North’s economy demonstrates the resilience of our businesses and workers. This performance is illustrated in the following table:
NICEI / GDP
NI
UK
Annual Growth
2.9%
1.3%
Quarterly Growth
1.0%
0.1%
Post-Pandemic Growth
12.0%
5.2%
Index of Services
NI
UK
Overall Annual Growth
4.2%
1.6%
Business Services and Finance Sector (Annual Growth)
7.4%
0.9%
Index of Production
NI
UK
Overall Annual Growth
3.8%
0.9%
Manufacturing Sector (Annual Growth)
3.5%
1.0%
Since my predecessor, Conor Murphy, announced a new Economic Vision for the North in February 2024, significant progress has been made against the four key priorities of: Good Jobs, Productivity, Regional Balance, and Decarbonisation. I intend to sustain and build on the North’s positive economic performance through a continued sharp focus on the delivery of these priorities for the remainder of this mandate.
Areas such as the once in a generation reform to employment rights through the Employment Rights Bill, the investments made in addressing priority skills gaps through the Skills Action Plan and Skills Fund, expansion of the university provision in Magee, and the implementation of our new local economic partnerships will all support continued growth.
More information on the steps we are taking can be found in my Department’s published 2025-26 Business Plan DfE Business Plan 2025-26 | Department for the Economy and Year Two Progress Report Two Year Progress Report January 2026 - Department for the Economy.