Department for the Economy Board minutes 2024 - 26 September 2024

No new interests declared.

Amendments of the August meeting were approved without amendment. Action points from the August meeting:

1.To provide the high-level action plan to address the results of the maturity analysis – complete.

2.To provide a twice-yearly paper for Board on the progress of the high-level action plan – ongoing.

3.To provide a digital action plan for DfE – complete.

4.To provide a list of all DfE systems including expiry dates – complete.

(Name redacted) presented regarding statistics around regional balance: -

• Regional balance is coming to the point where Minister is making announcements.
• Statistics show it is not a uniform picture and themes and trends emerge. How can we learn from history?
• Stats on the regional employment rate including students were discussed across each council area showing a 10% difference between Mid Ulster and, Derry and Strabane.
• Economic activity including students -the data masks some of the wider disparities within council areas. West Belfast 39% economic activity compared to 21% in East Belfast.
• Output per filled job across the areas was discussed. Only Belfast and Mid Ulster above the NI average which distorts the NI average. Belfast slightly above UK average. Based on jobs in those areas not those living in the areas.
• % working age population with no qualifications – gaps between best and worst performing councils on employment and inactivity have seen little change over last 15 years but good progress made on this metric.
• No one council does well in every indictor, so it is important to look at the whole suite of indicators.
• Labour productivity – regional disparities in NI aren’t as apparent as in the other parts of UK and in Ireland. Minister’s ambition is to narrow the disparities.
• Ongoing research: UUEPC research proposal, delivering balanced regional growth and what this might look like; intrastructure to promote and support sub-regional business start-up and growth, a review of approaches and good practice; UUEPC local skills barometer; Productivity Institute - Fermanagh and Omagh Council Pilot.
• We need to describe what a successful economy looks like, with co-design.
• Government’s role is to have an enabling environment and develop partnerships. We need to put more interventions in place and find a way to incentivise collaboration at a sectoral level.

Ciaran McGarrity presented the Sub-Regional Economic Plan: -

• Investments have historically been made where demand was. Minister has a clear view where we are going.
• Tackling Imbalance – a profound change in how we deliver economic development is required with changes in structure and culture. There are 3 strands to delivery; Formation of new Local Economic Partnerships with dedicated funding of £45m; Enhanced Invest NI sub-regional role with local targets; Realignment of Departmental policies and programmes to drive local growth.
• Implications for the Department are a culture change, need for enhanced collaboration and resource pressures.
• Staffing within Ciaran’s team is small but will grow.
• There need to be annual or bi-annual events with partners to share lessons learned.
• We need to ensure collaboration within the department and other departments. There must be a co-design process and links from business areas into Ciaran’s team for bigger ticket items. Defined parameters will be given.
• Equality vs prosperity – we want increased prosperity for all without making disparity worse.
• The agreed role of the department needs to move more towards shaping rather than market failure.
• We need to work on cultural change.
• Regional balance will be discussed at the Partnership Engagement event on 10 October 2024.

There was no other business