Kennedy Offers Support To Quarry Industry

Ulster Unionist Newry and Armagh candidate Danny Kennedy has offered his ongoing support to Northern Ireland's Quarry and Construction Industry after attending a QPANI meeting last Friday.

The European Commission has recently decided not to grant state aid approval to the new Aggregates Levy Credit Scheme for Northern Ireland but to carry out a formal review of the Aggregates Levy Scheme that operated here from 2004 to 2010.

This decision will lengthen the pain the industry here has to endure and unfortunately, given the economic downturn, may see more companies ceasing trading and therefore more jobs lost.

Commenting, Danny Kennedy said: "The quarrying and construction industry here in Northern Ireland is of vital importance to the local economy. Many thousands of people are employed in the sector and many more have already suffered greatly as a consequence of the recession. Jobs have been lost, companies have gone bust and, putting it bluntly, the decision of the European Commission will create further uncertainty in the industry and potentially lead to further job losses.

"I am thoroughly supportive of the QPANI's call for pressure to be applied on the European Commission to revisit the issue speedily so as to avoid further stresses and strains on the part of all those associated with the industry. The Scheme that was in place aided an industry during a time of deep difficulty and avoided even greater damage during the recession.

"As we gradually build an economic recovery it is imperative that the quarrying and construction industry is given all the assistance possible to ensure its long term viability. The decision of the Commission as it currently stands calls that viability into question," he concluded.

(GK/KMcA)