Debate contribution: Job Creation and Cross-border Cooperation in the North-west

Debate contribution by Ms Sinéad McLaughlin on 4 March 2025.

MLA

Ms Sinéad McLaughlin

Party at the time

Social Democratic and Labour Party

Date

4 March 2025

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Opposition Business

Heading

Job Creation and Cross-border Cooperation in the North-west

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4832993

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I beg to move

Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. The subject of the motion is close to my heart and part of the reason why I entered public life. The SDLP motion calls for a dedicated economic task force to drive investment, skills and sectoral growth across the north-west. Having grown up in and spent the majority of my professional life working and living in the north-west, I am all too familiar with the barriers that are ever-present for those who wish to provide a better life for themselves and their families. I came into politics to stand up for a place that has, too often, been left behind. Derry is a great city. The north-west is a region that I love with my heart and soul. We have unrivalled potential, innovative businesses and creative people. The city that I see today has been transformed in many ways since I grew up. The people of my city know that change is rarely delivered by those in power in Belfast, so the change that we have seen so far is, in no small part, down to decades of Derry people campaigning, marching and advocating for more. Some people have argued about why the north-west needs a specific, special lens or deserves a specific focus. I have become used to having that discussion throughout my time in public life, and I do understand it. There are great strengths in every region, town and city across the North. When I talk about positive discrimination for the north-west, some people ask, "What is so special about that region?". Many see a historical wrong to be righted. I, too, understand that instinct. The truth is that there is an economic case for the region that goes far beyond settling old scores. Urban centres drive economic growth by concentrating capital, expertise and infrastructure. It is as simple as that. The north-west region, with Derry city as its urban capital, is a significant economic area of scale. It provides a counterbalance in our economy to make sure that we are not dominated by just one city. Focusing on ever more development in the capital simply does not make good economic sense. As Paul Mac Flynn of the Nevin Economic Research Institute (NERI) has pointed out, we can actually effect a leap in productivity by focusing on the north-west region. That can boost the economy across Northern Ireland. It is also a region that already boasts cross-border structures and a focus from the Irish Government through the national development plan. Joined-up spatial planning has grown in momentum and importance in the region in recent years. We have an actual opportunity to exploit that for the benefit of everyone through increased government support for collaborative approaches. Special case intervention can then capitalise on that opportunity by directing our focus and investment towards the region. That is what we mean by positive discrimination: measures that can support the region by overinvesting, practically driving capital and opportunity towards the people there so that our economy is balanced everywhere, and everyone has a chance to succeed. Those arguments for the north-west are now well established, yet we still have a long way to go. It is time for the Government to step up and meet the ambitions of our people. Despite recent progress, we still do not have the university of size that has been promised, and without the quality of jobs that are needed, we are still, far too often, at the top of all the wrong league tables. As the motion indicates, the north-west has a significant economic potential that requires strategic focus and investment — potential that is largely driven by the region's unique ability to benefit from access to the UK and EU markets.

Dual market access is a privilege that no other region can claim, and it is about time we started to use it properly for the benefit of the north-west. It would be totally redundant to downplay something that would benefit businesses across Northern Ireland, not least in the Derry City and Strabane District Council area.

The north-west also has huge potential in a number of sectors, including renewable energy and manufacturing. If we are to reach our net zero goals, the region must play a critical role. Its unique ability to generate a large amount of offshore wind and support the development of hydrogen and battery storage will not only align with our net zero goals but support the Minister's desire to create good jobs. As I have mentioned, manufacturing remains a key strength in the region, with emerging potential for Derry to be seen as a fintech hub, and there are local start-ups and strong university links to support growth in financial technology services. The benefits of the Derry-Letterkenny corridor are also something we cannot ignore. As the Irish Government's national planning framework indicated, the north-west metropolitan city region is a key enabler for regional growth. Every day, thousands of workers cross the border, which makes it a vital corridor for employment, retail, health, education, social, cultural and community services. Those opportunities have also been recognised by a number of cross-border bodies that operate in the north-west, yet, in the subregional area action plan, cross-border cooperation is mentioned in only three lines. We need much more ambition than that. We can learn from the example set by other regions around the world, such as Basel and the Basque region. Research by Paul Gosling found that it has managed to develop strong cross-border links through greater investment in transport, the development of life sciences and culture and the shared political will to promote the area. If we draw on those examples, the case for developing a new economic task force for the north-west city region could not be clearer. Such a task force could examine and develop coordinated investment, infrastructure improvement, skills development and sectoral growth initiatives on both sides of the border. Ultimately, the key responsibility for such development lies with the Economy Minister. I am sorry that she is not here today to hear the debate on our motion. We no longer want warm words and good intentions; we want a joint strategy that delivers for the people of Derry and beyond and addresses the decades of underinvestment. It should take a new and explicit approach to setting targets for population growth in the region and aim to increase earnings and disposable income per head of population above the Northern Ireland average. The strategy must set out how the Executive will use their levers to ensure that those in the north-west have equal access to the jobs, better healthcare and opportunities that many of those east of the Bann take as a given. The strategy should also lay the ground for specific legislation that mandates all Departments to tackle regional imbalances. I firmly believe that any strategy to address regional imbalance will be successful only if it is supported by proper legislation. That is why it is in the best interests of all in the House that such legislation is introduced, and that is what I seek to do. The north-west has the talent, the location and the economic potential to be a major driver for prosperity, which will benefit everybody in the North. We must ensure that our businesses can fully utilise dual market access, and we need to finally see the Executive and the Irish Government working together to build a thriving economic region. Now is the time for action. I urge all Members to support the motion, which will improve not only the lives of those in the north-west, but the lives of all our people across Northern Ireland.

1,280 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 12:03 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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