CBI Chairman calls for decommissioning

CBI Northern Ireland Chairman, Mark Ennis, has called upon the province’s paramilitary groups to disarm, and in doing so, to “take the initiative” on the issue of decommissioning.

Mr Ennis was speaking at a recent CBI lunch in Belfast, which was convened to review the impact of the current political situation upon the future economic fortunes of Northern Ireland. Addressing the detrimental effect that such uncertainty would have, he said: “If we are to attract inward investment and grow entrepreneurial firms, we need to get our house in order and the foundation for that is political stability.”

The most recent Business Confidence Survey from CBI Northern Ireland suggests that levels of optimism regarding the future of the Northern Ireland economy have fallen to the lowest level ever recorded by the organisation.

The current atmosphere of political instability was referred to by respondents as a vital issue impacting on business confidence, especially in the long-term.

In addition, the results from the CBI survey – carried out over September 2001 – indicate the existence of widespread pessimism across both the manufacturing and service sectors, with negative trends being exhibited in every category. Northern Ireland market demand is now falling in tandem with UK market demand, with the manufacturing sector in either economy experiencing the steepest decline.

While the strength of sterling continued to pose problems for business, difficultly in obtaining labour was the other concern most often cited by those approached by the CBI. The issue of recruitment was seen to be a problem across all sectors and types of business, from technical production staff, engineering consultants, skilled building tradesmen to accounting staff. Increasing levels of competition, low margins, and a general slowdown in economic conditions were also seen as areas of concern. (CL)