Productive
To modernise the economy the Executive is committing £709 million by 2021 to the private sector economy and to improve public service efficiency.
Achievements to date include £430 million spent since 2008 on productive infrastructure and invest-tosave projects for public service efficiencies. Invest NI has provided £88 million in assistance to companies, which has helped to leverage £2.6 billion in planned investment.
£60 million in funding was provided for the Titanic signature project, which welcomed its 500,000th visitor in September and aims to attract 400,000 overseas and domestic visitors each year. A further boost to tourism came from the Giant’s Causeway new visitor centre as well as the park-and-ride facility from Bushmills to the causeway.
The rural economy received £121 million in grant aid for modernising effluent management infrastructure, distributed among 3,933 farmers. £5.1 million from the European Fisheries Fund has gone into improving fishery harbours, improving gear selectivity and fuel efficiency. By the end of the 2010-2011 financial year, £1 million had been invested in antipoverty measures in rural areas (e.g. childcare and home insulation) and £1 million in rural access to next generation broadband.
In the public sector, Enterprise Shared Services was created in 2010 to establish a single delivery organisation. It provides common platforms for key finance, IT and HR shared services across the Northern Ireland Civil Service and various arm’s length bodies. Invest NI aims to help the manufacturing and internationally tradable services sectors through support of high added-value projects. The agency’s selective financial assistance scheme, venture capital and direct provision of loan and share investments (where appropriate) will be the vehicles for this support.
The Executive will continue to progress the five tourism signature projects: Causeway Coast and Glens, St Patrick and the Christian Heritage, the walled city of Derry, the Mournes and the Titanic Belfast. In September, Environment Minister Alex Attwood said that he will “take stock” of his proposal to establish national parks after opposition from some Mourne residents, particularly farmers.
The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) will invest further in capital projects to tackle poverty, improve rural life, and improve the fishing sector’s opportunities as well as improving industrial competitiveness and protecting the environment. The Northern Ireland Rural Development Programme and the European Fisheries Fund will continue to support these activities.
DARD will continue to support land-based renewable energy technology. Its headquarters’ relocation will increase public sector employment in Ballykelly and surrounding areas; relocation to the former military site in County Londonderry is due to commence in 2015.
The draft strategy pledges more productivity in the public sector including more invest-to-save measures to improve service delivery. The Department of Finance and Personnel will continue to invest in public sector infrastructure (e.g. IT systems) to maintain existing services.
