DETI's all-Island agenda attacked
01 June 2008
Re: Regional Innovation Strategy for Northern Ireland
Action Plan 2008-2011
"The recently published Regional Innovation Strategy for Northern Ireland, endorsed by Minister Dodds, shows alarming tendency to think excessively in all-island terms.
In pursuit of the imperative of establishing Northern Ireland as an outward-focused & competitive region in the global knowledge economy, the first strategic objective is to “ensure NI is playing its full role in the UK, all-island, European and global innovation arenas”. In Annex A the actions intended to deliver same are articulated.
My fundamental concern is the disproportionate emphasis within these “actions” on all-island proposals, in sharp contrast to the dearth of all-UK or other proposals. The only vision caught in this Action Plan seems to be the all-Ireland vision. Why is this?
In 9 of the 12 actions outlined there is an all-island dimension. As part of the UK and of its larger economy, why are we not focused on collaboration with GB, where the global knowledge economy flourishes? Why this pre-occupation with the much smaller and less stable economy of the Republic of Ireland?
I suspect that the document "Comprehensive Study of the All-Island Economy", embraced by DETI in 2006, is still very much at work under devolution. I have, therefore, called on the Minister to indicate if he has reviewed, altered, withdrawn or otherwise taken any action since coming to office to re-craft economic development policy away from the all-island bias ensconced in that document? What exactly is the status of that document today and is he happy with it.
I raise these concerns from the conviction that economic fusion is the handmaiden of political fusion and that the more our economic prospects and actions are aligned with the Republic of Ireland, the more our UK nexus is diminished."
ENDS
