§ 2. Ms Rosie Winterton (Doncaster, Central)If he will make a statement on employment prospects in Northern Ireland. [98765]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Mr. John McFall)The Government do not produce employment forecasts for Northern Ireland. However, the economy performed well throughout the 1990s—indeed, better than the majority of other United Kingdom regions. Over the past year, employment increased by 1.2 per cent. and now stands at almost 614,000. Unofficial surveys suggest, on balance, that there will be continuing growth.
§ Ms WintertonDoes my hon. Friend agree that one of the keys to improving employment prospects in Northern Ireland is to secure inward investment? To do that, it is necessary to reassure potential inward investors about the prospects for a peaceful environment. What steps is he taking to give those reassurances to such investors?
§ Mr. McFallI can tell my hon. Friend that, only this morning, I returned from a visit to North America, where I talked to business leaders in Canada and the United States. Yesterday, I had the opportunity in New York to talk to more than 150 top Irish business leaders, who told me that peace and economic stability go hand in hand. They are looking forward to next week with relish, and also to ensuring further investment from the United States. Thirteen new projects from the United States have been secured in the past year, involving more than 2,000 jobs.
§ Mr. Peter Viggers (Gosport)Employment prospects at Harland and Wolff depend critically on winning further orders, including those from the Ministry of Defence. Will the Minister confirm that he is in touch with the yard and will do all that he can to assist it in winning further orders, including MOD orders?
§ Mr. McFallOver the past few weeks, I have had numerous meetings with management at the yard, including Fred Olsen and others. We take the matter very seriously. As the hon. Gentleman will know, an agreement was undertaken only last week between Global Marine and Harland and Wolff. Part of that package is money to secure further orders. The Government are committed to employment in Northern Ireland, particularly at Harland and Wolff.
§ Mrs. Louise Ellman (Liverpool, Riverside)Will my hon. Friend support the work of the north-west England and Irish trade group, which brings together the private 602 sectors in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland and the north-west, working with the north-west development agency and the Bank of England? Is he aware that that group is identifying opportunities for investment and employment in all those areas?
§ Mr. McFallYes, I am aware of that. It is very important that the east-west relationship is developed—contact between economic development bodies in England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland is very important. Only two weeks ago, I attended the Five Nations conference in Dublin to consider such issues.