Job Creation Tops SF Agenda

The economic crisis facing the whole of Ireland is being tackled by Sinn Fein whose President, Gerry Adams, was this morning joined by party colleagues Mitchel McLaughlin, Daithi McKay and Jennifer McCann at the launch of the republican party's forward-looking 'Job Creation Strategy'.

Mr Adams said: "As we deal with the consequences of the economic crisis on this island, an immediate coordinated approach is required to deliver jobs.

"We recognise the restraints within which the [Stormont] Executive is operating. We are not in the business of making ridiculous promises to create tens of thousands of jobs - which are not deliverable - or indeed totaling-up jobs already promised and repackaging them as new," he said.

"What we are about is a Job Creation Strategy outlining a number of key areas in which the Executive can have a positive impact on the economy and we invite other parties to work together with us to deliver jobs for all our people.

"The Executive has a huge role to play in the recovery and Sinn Fein will play its part, and calls on others to work with us to help build a more equal and prosperous Ireland."

Mr Adams set out the main points behind the plan and said that the development of an all-Ireland economic recovery plan is essential.

Also, central to this aim is the establishment of an all-Ireland job creation plan under the auspices of the North South Ministerial Council, chaired by both Enterprise Ministers, focused on areas of high unemployment across the island.

He said there is also a need to harmonise all-Ireland taxation and regulation policies to help create the conditions for economic recovery in the coming years.

"A co-ordinated approach is needed across this island. We need to maximise the potential of the all Ireland bodies that exist to help create jobs," he explained.

"We can create jobs across all sectors, but there are particular growth opportunities in agri-food, tourism, new technologies, the Green New Deal, manufacturing for export, innovation, and R&D sectors.

"The agri food sector uniquely at a time when global business in is contraction has demonstrated consistently strong growth," he continued, noting that investment to support job creation policies should come from an Economic Development Bond, funded by the four main banks as their contribution to the recovery.

"It will amount to £400m over four years," he said also urging more support for small business, including tax breaks/incentives and consideration of Enterprise Zones as well as building the Social Economy through targeted investment in Social Enterprises and growing indigenous business.

(BMcC/GK)