Businesses seek more ambition in Executive's Programme for Government
Following extensive consultations with its members, CBI Northern Ireland has today published its responses to the executive’s suite of strategic documents: the draft Programme for Government, Economic Strategy and Investment Strategy.
Ian Coulter, the CBI Northern Ireland chairman, said:
“The CBI welcomes the executive’s strong commitment to the economy and job creation, set out in these documents.
“However, the executive must raise its level of ambition on the delivery of several key strategic commitments within the next 12 months, to match the vision set out.
“The economy in Northern Ireland is facing acute challenges which require urgent and focused attention to protect and grow the private sector, improve public services, and help build confidence within the business community.”
Programme for Government
The CBI is calling for the inclusion of several strategic commitments in the final Programme for Government, including:
- A coherent strategy to tackle continuing business funding challenges
- More incentives and capital to help finance fast-growth companies
- Increase capital investment in infrastructure
- An urgent review of employment regulations. Half of NI employers believe employment regulations are having a negative impact on job creation
- Reduce youth unemployment
- A more ambitious GCSE standards target
- Developing a high-quality competitive public services market, with a commissioning skills programme rolled out from a central unit by 2013
Economic Strategy
To ensure businesses in Northern Ireland are supported to grow, the CBI is calling for the final Economic Strategy to include:
- Recognition of the scale of the challenge businesses face in accessing finance
- A more ambitious and comprehensive export strategy, including issues such as skills, finance and market accessibility
- A commitment to an urgent review of employment regulations to reduce their impact on job creation
Mr Coulter said:
“The executive’s commitment to pressing for the powers to reduce corporation tax is welcome, and we now want to see a clear decision on this by the summer.
“But businesses in Northern Ireland currently face particular difficulties in the areas of access to finance, exports and employment regulations.
“The CBI wants to see further types of venture capital and sufficient funding avenues for growing small- to medium-sized companies, a medium-term target matching the ambition of the Scottish executive for growing Northern Irish exports in developing markets, and an urgent review of employment regulations with the aim of reducing their impact on job creation.”
Investment Strategy
The CBI believes there are two particular issues that should be addressed in the final Investment Strategy:
- To commit to improve procurement and learn lessons from recent legal challenges by setting binding targets for the Procurement Board
- Greater clarity on financial models and timescales and a commitment to implementation from all parties within the Executive
Mr Coulter said:
“There is a clear and compelling case for significant further investment in Northern Ireland’s infrastructure, given its role in driving up competitiveness and attracting investment.
“The draft Investment Strategy includes welcome commitments to exploring other financial models and to delivering a more 'joined-up' approach and better value for money.
“Now firmer timescales and more detail is needed to create confidence within the construction sector and allow it to plan for the next three years, which it currently cannot do.”
Note to Editors:
Mr Coulter is available for interview – please contact the CBI Northern Ireland office on 028 9010 1100 or Rosemary Shanks at Tughans on 028 9055 3315. A photograph of Ian Coulter is available on request from mavis.black@cbi.org.uk
Copies of the CBI Northern Ireland response to the Programme for Government and Investment Strategy and a separate response to the Economic Strategy are available from www.cbi.org.uk/ni .
The CBI is the UK's leading business organisation, speaking for some 240,000 businesses that together employ around a third of the private sector workforce.