Minister for Finance agrees to discuss NWCCI's 4 point plan

The North West Chambers of Commerce Initiative outlined to Minister for Finance Brian Cowen, what the business people of the North West see as 4 key areas which require urgent attention by both governments if the North West is to have any chance of stemming the flow of jobs out of the region.

Niall Birthistle, Chairman of NWCCI, the umbrella organisation representing Chambers of Commerce from across County Donegal as well as, Strabane, Londonderry, Roe Valley and Coleraine, presented a briefing document to Minister for Finance, Brian Cowen T.D. at a breakfast briefing in Buncrana Co. Donegal on Saturday. Widely tipped as the next Taoiseach, Minister Cowen is seen by many as one of the most influential members of the Irish Cabinet.

Mr Birthistle said, "It is essential that Minister Cowen understands the needs of the region and that he should hear this directly from those whose businesses are based here. The North West Chambers of Commerce represent over 1000 businesses in the North West and as such we know only too well where the challenges exist in making business work here. These difficulties are based on the pronounced inadequacies of the regions infrastructure which quite frankly are deterring investment in the region. For example, why would an organisation choose to invest in a factory in Donegal when they would have to contend with 4 ½ hour journey times by road to Dublin, a fragile electricity supply barely able to meet the present needs of the region along with broadband and telecoms infrastructure which is at best patchy and in many areas non-existent? These facilities are taken for granted by other regions of Ireland and it is time the North West was brought in from the cold."

The NWCCI Chairman presented Minister Cowen with a briefing document outlining the 4 key barriers to growth identified by businesses in the region and requested a meeting to discuss the details which was accepted "We are delighted that Minister Cowen has agreed to meet with NWCCI and we look forward to presenting what we know is a compelling case for action to improve our regions economy." Mr Birthistle said.

NWCCI had representatives from across the region at the event to emphasis that these issues were not isolated. Tom Lyons, NWCCI board member representing Donegal Town Community Chamber said "the North West Region was being battered on all fronts, in Donegal Town the main employer, Hospira, will soon cease operations with a loss of over 500 jobs while just last week, elsewhere in the region, the Farm Fed Chicken plant in Coleraine announced it would close with a loss of almost 400 jobs". Mr Lyons added, "We need government to tackle these issues head on, it's no coincidence that while we are sustaining devastating job losses, regions such as the South West which enjoys superior road, rail and air infrastructure are announcing the creation of many new jobs." Mr Lyons was referring to news earlier in the week that biotechnology giant Amgen will create 1,100 new jobs by 2010 at a new facility at Carrigtwohill, Co. Cork. He went on to say, "The North West Region has so much to offer potential investors, a large workforce, lower costs and much higher quality of life than many other areas of the country, but investors will only view the area as a viable option when the basic infrastructure is in place".

NWCCI is an umbrella organisation representing 9 Chamber of Commerce in, Letterkenny, Gweedore, Buncrana, Donegal Town, Strabane, Derry, Ballybofey/Stranorlar, Roe Valley and Coleraine. As a collective, the organisation lobby for the business community in the North West of the Island of Ireland and work towards securing improvements for the betterment of the regional economy. NWCCI is supported by Cooperation Ireland.

Minister for Finance, Brian Cowen T.D. pictured receiving a copy of NWCCI's 4 point plan from NWCCI Board Members