Department for the Economy Board minutes 2024 - 27 June 2024

Helen McGorman, head of Stakeholder Engagement NI of Tourism Ireland presented:

• Their remit is to grow overseas tourism to the island of Ireland and to assist NI to realise its potential.
• They have teams in GB, North America, mainland Europe, Australia with global opportunities. 16 offices, 14 markets and 168 staff.
• Overseas tourism makes up 66% of all tourism revenue on the island of Ireland. North American visitors generate the most income. 65% of visitors are from GB and 12% from North America.
• Highlights are awareness, year on year recovery air access and an award-winning destination. Challenges are cost of living, increasingly competitive environment, global uncertainties, capacity and connectivity and ETA.
• Revenue growth is projected at 5.6% per annum to 2030 for the island of Ireland and 6.5% for NI.
• Supporting economies and communities – expand bucket lists, cross-sell nearby hidden gems, access and festivals.
• Sustaining environment – working with Failte Ireland and Tourism NI.
• Sustainable travel and experiences – promote sustainable ways to enjoy the island of Ireland.
• Inspiring visitors with a focus on value-adding tourism traits. Use of publicity. 80% of visitors research and book online.
• Strengthening partnerships – air and sea access sets the stage. 250 NI industry partners in 2024.

No new interests declared.

Minutes of the May meeting were approved without amendment.

Ian Snowden presented.

Programme for Government

• This has been delayed due to the pre-election period. A draft will be submitted Friday week with a public consultation in July. The Assembly may be recalled in July to discuss.

2024/25 DfE Business Plan

• A draft is progressing with some 30 actions which will be shown how they connect to Minister’s priorities.

RHI

• There has been a recent judgement on RHI enforcement activity which we lost. This relates to running boilers for excessive periods of time to generate subsidies.

Chief Scientific and Technical Officer

• Prof Helen McCarthy was appointed the NICS Chief Scientific and Technical Officer for the NICS, employed by TEO. DfE will be working with her.

DfE reorganisation

• David Malcolm has left the department and there will be a reorganisation of responsibilities with the number of Grade 3s reducing to four.

Collaboration

• An event was held for senior DfE managers following on from ODT. We are starting the journey of collaboration and will get a report of feedback.

Partnership Event

• An event with the partnership organisations was held yesterday which included a panel question and answer session. These will normally be held twice a year. There was positive engagement.

Invest NI Review Update

• Since publication of the Action Plan, 8 of 35 Strategic Actions have been delivered including pivotal appointments of Kieran Donoghue and John Healy which have stabilised their leadership team and set the foundations for the revitalisation of the agency.
• There has been slippage in several key areas. DfE has proactively responded to these challenges by delivering a series of intensive deep dives to assess the issues and ensure that corrective action is taken.
• Concerns are emerging regarding the pace of delivery and senior level commitment. Officials in DfE and Invest NI are working closely to agree next steps.
• The formal process for a proposed restructuring of the Executive Leadership Team at Invest NI, consistent with an action in the Plan, has begun.

Departmental Board Papers

• The value of some information provided in some Board papers needs considered. Provision of other information may be more appropriate. Permanent Secretary will work with Michael McKavanagh on information in Finance papers and with Fiona Keenan on HR papers. Another to be considered is the information provided re the contracts register.