To ask the Minister of Finance for an update on any conversations he has had with the UK Government regarding the Executive’s ability to change tax levels in Northern Ireland.

I have repeatedly made the point that the Executive needs greater fiscal powers and I advised the Chief Secretary to the Treasury (CST) in February 2021 of my then intention to establish a Fiscal Commission to carry out a comprehensive review of the case for increasing the fiscal powers available to us. The Commission, chaired by Paul Johnston, was established shortly after that and I will be meeting with them in July to discuss the progress they have made in undertaking this important work.

More recently I wrote to the CST on 14 June to press him to take urgent action to remove Air Passenger Duty to support the recovery of aviation and our connectivity which will be vital as we emerge from the pandemic.