UUP Finance Spokesperson comments on Derating Announcement
Commenting Finance Minister David Hanson’s decision to remain wedded to industrial derating policy, despite the unanimous opposition of MLAs, UUP Finance Spokesperson Dr Esmond Birnie MLA said:
“The view of the people of Northern Ireland is that industrial derating must be frozen at the current level of 25%.
“In the Joint Statement of April 6, the Prime Minister stated that “Ministers would naturally take account of views which command cross-community support within the Assembly”.
“Opposition to industrial derating has achieved unanimity from political parties, and business interests. Clearly, the democratic deficit that exists under direct rule has been painfully exposed.
“Is this yet another example of NIO brinkmanship – waving the big stick as part of the talks process? Inflicting economic damage on Northern Ireland and making direct rule utterly unpalatable would be a pretty perverse way of acting as a persuader for devolution.”
He added: “According to DETI’s recent Future of Manufacturing policy response, the forecast for the manufacturing sector as a whole is that it is likely to ‘contract in employment terms over the next 10 years, with just over 18,000 jobs (including self-employed) lost, to a total of 72,500 by 2014’.
“If this is the department’s projection up to 2014, why is the Minister pushing ahead with industrial derating regardless?
“Not only is the Minister out of touch with the people of Northern Ireland, but he also seems to be out of touch with his own civil servants.”
He added: “The government refers back to previous Assembly committees. But that’s doesn’t hold any water - circumstances have changed dramatically since then. It was envisaged that the government would take serious measures to reduce industrial energy prices. But this has not happened – and yet industrial derating continues.”
Concluding, he said: “Manufacturing accounts for one in every 8 jobs in Northern Ireland - but it generates almost 30% of the total economic activity of Northern Ireland businesses.
“If local manufacturers want to remain competitive in the global marketplace they can ill afford to be deprived of resources which could otherwise be invested in areas such as R&D, product development and upgrading of facilities.Why is the Minister remaining wedded to such a potentially destructive policy?”