The acceptance by the Enterprise, Employment and Learning Minister that the North West requires an “executive strategy” to address unemployment and job creation has been welcomed by Derry MLA Pat Ramsey.
Arlene Foster
Mr. Ramsey, the SDLP’s Employment and Learning spokesperson, said there had been “widespread dissatisfaction in the North West and in the Derry area in particular about the Stormont Executive’s response to the area’s economic problems, whether it be job creation, employment schemes or youth unemployment. For years I have been lobbying at Stormont for the Executive to take the case of Derry and give it a particular focus to address these issues, and I am pleased to say that this work has paid off, as the Enterprise Minister revealed to me on Tuesday that she and her Executive colleague Stephen Farry are working on a bespoke strategy for the North West.
Minister Arlene Foster revealed that at the latest economic subgroup meeting of the Executive, a discussion was had about presenting a strategy specifically for the North West.
Mr Ramsey added: “I had been raising about the disparity in the wider regional unemployment rate of 6.9% and our local rate of 9%. I have long argued in particular that we need a bespoke employment programme that specifically works for the North West, and that regional schemes are not meeting all of Derry’s needs. We need only look at the Youth Employment Scheme – Derry is above and beyond the other areas in terms of success rates, but in other schemes there is much less of an impact. Decisions are also taken centrally that have affected our ability in the North West to build on successes of the effort of those who have managed the Youth Employment Scheme.
“In terms of InvestNI progress in the city, we all know the record is not satisfactory – time after time I have asked why the Minister cannot introduce sub-regional investment targets and been stonewalled, but now the message has finally gotten through and the Executive may now be able to deliver for Derry that has taken far too long but now has the capacity to re-energise the local economy and jobs market.
“We are being told repeatedly that our concerns are without basis, but it is clear to the people I represent that agencies such as InvestNI need to do much, much better if they are to gain the trust of the North West.
Mr Ramsey concluded: “I would welcome this initiative from the Ministers, as long as key issues are taken into consideration across the Executive – the need to invest in infrastructure, the need to focus on the skills base, the need to work with local stakeholders to build capacity in employment schemes and above all – a recognition by the Ministers that radical and bespoke intervention in Derry is required to allow Derry to fulfil its potential as the economic hub in the North West.”
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