Mr Patsy McGlone (Mid Ulster): To ask the Minister for the Economy to detail any recent discussions she has had with employers on barriers to apprenticeship recruitment. Minister for the Economy: My officials engage regularly with employers and employer representative bodies across a range of fora to discuss skills needs, workforce development and wider labour … Continue reading AQW 48991/22-27 – Barriers to apprenticeship recruitment
Mr Patsy McGlone (Mid Ulster): To ask the Minister for the Economy to detail any support available to small businesses seeking to access new markets overseas. Minister for the Economy: Small businesses seeking to access new overseas markets can draw on a comprehensive range of support delivered on a cross-sectoral basis by Invest NI, local … Continue reading AQW 48001/22-27 – Accessing new markets overseas
Mr Patsy McGlone (Mid Ulster): To ask the Minister for the Economy to detail any steps she is taking to support women working in the (i) hospitality; and (ii) night-time economy. Minister for the Economy: My Department along with Tourism NI and industry stakeholders have been developing a Tourism and Hospitality skills plan. This plan … Continue reading AQW 47759/22-27 – Women working in hospitality
Mr Patsy McGlone (Mid Ulster): To ask the Minister of Justice to detail any plans her Department has for Magherafelt Courthouse. Minister of Justice: No decision has been made on the future of Magherafelt Courthouse. As part of the ongoing implementation of the NICTS Estate Strategy, the Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service (NICTS) will … Continue reading AQW 47999/22-27 – Magherafelt Courthouse
Mr Patsy McGlone (Mid Ulster): To ask the Minister for the Economy (i) for an update on tourism performance; and (ii) to detail any measures she is taking to support growth in the sector. Minister for the Economy: (i) The NISRA statistics published on 21 May 2026 reveal an overall tourism expenditure from overnight visitors … Continue reading AQW 47758/22-27 – Tourism performance
Mr Patsy McGlone (Mid Ulster): To ask the Minister for the Economy to detail any support that is available to the food and drink sector to transition to low-carbon refrigeration. Minister for the Economy: Financial and technical advice is made available through the Energy and Resource Efficiency Programme, helping businesses in the North to decarbonise. … Continue reading AQW 47405/22-27 – Low-carbon refrigeration
Mr Patsy McGlone (Mid Ulster): To ask the Minister for the Economy to detail any recent discussions she has had with the UK Treasury on the benefits of a reduction in the level of VAT for the hospitality sector in the North. Minister for the Economy: Our hospitality businesses are vital not only to our … Continue reading AQW 47870/22-27 – Reduction in level of VAT for hospitality sector
Mr Patsy McGlone (Mid Ulster): To ask the Minister for the Economy to detail any economic modelling that is being factored into Artificial Intelligence governance. Minister for the Economy: My department commissioned Matrix, the NI Science Industry Panel, to assess the potential economic impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) last year. Its report, which is available … Continue reading AQW 47508/22-27 – Artificial Intelligence governance
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