HC Deb 13 May 1980 vol 984 cc451-2W
Mr. Michael Brown

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the organisations that made representations during the recently completed review of industrial development institutions in Northern Ireland; and how many of them favoured the creation of a single development authority.

Mr. Rossi

In the course of the review representations were made by the Northern Ireland Economic Council, the Industries Development Advisory Committee, the Confederation of British Industry (Northern Ireland Region), the Northern Ireland Committee of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Northern Ireland Training Executive and the Northern Ireland Training Council. Of these, five expressed a preference for some kind of unified authority.

The Government decision recognised the need for a more unified approach, but rejected root and branch reorganisation in order to avoid disruption to the present industrial development effort.