Executive's attitude on jobs 'inadequate' - Parsley

12.03.00pm GMT Thu 1st Nov 2007

Alliance Economy spokesperson Cllr Ian James Parsley

Alliance Economy Spokesperson Ian James Parsley has slammed the Executive for failing to change direction on Northern Ireland economic policy - and warned that further job losses will follow if they do not adequately address the issue.

The North Down Councillor stated: "No one doubts that Ministers wish to help those who have lost their jobs in Limavady, but the truth is that existing government policy is to blame, and they are shirking their responsibility. The Executive had the opportunity to change direction on that policy in the Programme for Government, and alarmingly failed to do so.

"The local MP would only say that job losses are for Invest NI to sort out. Invest NI is a government agency, responsible to his party colleague's department. Job losses are, in fact, for the DUP and the other Executive parties to sort out. They had better start thinking about how they are going to do so, because there is no evidence of any shift in direction in their Programme for Government.

"We heard the Minister for Enterprise say that the answer lay in training of workers. Why, then, was education and training left off the Executive's priorities list?

"The Executive parties' current economic policy amounts to leaving Invest NI to do what it has done for years. The shifting global economic position - with uncertain markets, high debt levels and a falling dollar - render this inadequate.

"The system of grants for inward investment has been proved, once and for all, to be a failure. It is time for a radical change in direction. The Executive may not think training is a priority, but we in Opposition do - and we will be challenge the Executive to deliver on adult education not just in further education colleges, but at a community level. Only then can we seriously hope to deliver a stable and prosperous economy."

ENDS