MINUTES OF THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FORUM AWAY DAY

9 FEBRUARY 2005

NICVA HQ, BELFAST

 

Present:            See attached list (Annex 1)

 

Apologies:         Peter Bunting, Patricia McKeown, Jim McCusker, Anne O’Reilly, John Mann, Fabian Monds, Lord Rana, Michael McGuckin, Raymond Mullan

 

1.                  Welcome

 

1.1               Minister Gardner welcomed members, along with the economic spokespersons of the main local political parties and senior officials from Departments of Finance and Personnel (DFP) and Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD), to the EDF Away Day.  The Minister also extended a particular welcome to Bryony Livesey, a pupil at St Mary’s Grammar School Magherafelt, who accompanied Michael Maguire as part of the IOD Director Shadowing Scheme.

 

1.2               The Minister thanked all those present for their important contribution to the process of developing the Economic Vision for NI and indicated his intention to publish the final document in late February.  The Minister emphasised the need for all sectors to take ownership of the Vision and to accept shared responsibility for rising to the challenges to be faced if the Vision is to be realised.

 

1.3               Before turning to the main agenda items, the Minister referred to the degree of recent public debate on the issue of the immigrant workforce in NI.  The Minister suggested, and it was agreed, that a short press release should be issued on behalf of all those present recognising inter alia the importance of immigrant labour to the local economy.

 

2.                  Economic Vision

 

2.1               The Minister invited Wilfie Hamilton to introduce the discussion on the Economic Vision.  Mr Hamilton also thanked those present for their constructive input to the Vision drafting process and advised that there would be two versions of the Vision document, one long, one short.  The longer version would be published electronically and would contain comprehensive text on the economic context and challenges facing the NI economy.  The shorter version would be for wider, more general circulation and would focus on the key aspects of Vision.

 

2.2               Mr Hamilton advised that comments received during consultation had been reflected in the latest drafts circulated for this meeting.  Key issues raised for clarification had included: the linkages to Strategy 2010; the status of Vision; the number of targets and the need to link into the EDF framework of medium term strategic priorities (MTSPs); the need to strengthen references to linkages North / South, East / West and with the UK and beyond; the need to highlight the key sectors to be targeted; the importance of sustainable development; and the need to map in the role of the social partner organisations.

 

2.3               Mr Hamilton emphasised the need for an effective process in the future to track progress towards the Vision.  He explained that the oversight role envisaged for EDF was at a strategic level and should complement the role of Government Departments in overseeing implementation of their various strategies which underpin the Vision.  He also advised that, to satisfy a requirement of HM Treasury, DETI and DFP would work to produce a regional economic development strategy for NI over the coming months and developments on this work would be reported back to EDF.

 

2.4               Those present welcomed the changes made to the Vision and agreed that the revised drafts represented a further significant improvement.  During discussion, a number of points were raised for further consideration when finalising the documents.  These included: the need for wide cross-Departmental support for the Vision; a faster, more responsive planning system; to address issues of equality, regional disparity, sustainable development and poor levels of literacy and numeracy; to manage the transition from a public to a private sector economy; to address infrastructure weaknesses in roads, water and sewerage; to reduce energy costs; to maximise the wealth creation opportunities presented by advances in technology; and the need for a less risk-averse culture in NI and, recognising the importance of accountability, the need to improve existing investment appraisal processes.

 

2.5               Mr Hamilton welcomed the comments made and indicated that these would be considered when finalising the document.  He emphasised the importance of getting the process right going forward and ensuring that the considerable capacity of all those present would be brought to bear in working towards realisation of the Vision.

 

ACTION:           DETI officials to consider the issues raised during this discussion when finalising the Vision documents

 

3.                  Medium Term Strategic Priorities (MTSPs)

 

3.1               The Minister invited Seamus McAleavey, Chair of the MTSPs Sub-group, to give a presentation on the revised MTSPs framework.  Mr McAleavey described the original framework, outlined the rationale for modifying this and, in describing the revised framework, explained how this would work and the links with the Vision.  In concluding, Mr McAleavey suggested a number of possible options to assist EDF in setting informed targets and emphasised the importance of ensuring that the revised framework contributes to achieving the Vision aspirations.

 

3.2               During the discussion which ensued, the following key points were made: the framework should focus on results, not process; the targets set for the framework should be aspirational and stretching; the annual review of progress against targets should be dynamic and bring to bear the influence of all those present to make a real difference; a culture of measured risk taking should be encouraged and supported in all sectors; there should be a focus on those sectors with the greatest potential for growth; and it was considered that there would be merit in representatives of the Department of Education (DE) being more closely involved with the work of EDF in view of the economic importance of education.

 

3.3               In relation to the specific targets, it was suggested that the Sub-group might wish to investigate the feasibility of including additional targets to reflect (a) the number of economically inactive moving into economic activity; and (b) the number of public sector employees moving into private sector employment.

 

ACTION:           MTSPs Sub-group to consider the feasibility of the suggested additional targets

 

3.4               In concluding, Mr McAleavey advised that the proposed scenario planning work could be very helpful and provide answers to some of the issues raised during the discussion.

 

4.                  Discussion Groups

 

4.1       Those present broke out into three smaller discussion groups, each of which were asked to debate the following three questions:

(a)                Role of EDF, to include reviewing the original Terms of Reference;

(b)                EDF Ways of Working, including membership / frequency of meetings / process for setting agenda / use of sub-groups; and

(c)                How to monitor private and community/voluntary sector input to achieving the Vision e.g. in terms of commitments to investment, R&D, training, apprenticeships etc.

 

4.2               Following lunch, the Chairs of the groups, Michael Maguire, Rotha Johnston and Bob Barbour, each gave an overview of the key points raised during discussion, as summarised below:

 

(a)                Role of EDF

 

(b)                Ways of Working

-	membership should be extended to include representatives of the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), DFP and DE – other Government Departments should be invited to send a representative as required;
-	EDF should engage with representatives of the main local political parties on a regular basis;
-	four full plenary meetings of the Forum per annum is about right;
-	greater use should be made of Sub-groups to which EDF would delegate responsibility, not authority – Sub-groups should be task orientated and have a defined life – Sub-group membership could include non-EDF members, as required – four Sub-groups might be established linked to the four Vision drivers;
-	the current agenda is overly structured with too much time spent on reporting and not enough on addressing key issues – the process of setting the agenda might be delegated to a sub-group or small business committee and informed by reaching out to members – the agenda for quarterly meetings might be focused around the four Vision drivers; and
-	EDF needs to improve both internal and external communication and, in particular, consider how best EDF might communicate with the media and local political parties.

 

(c)                How to monitor private and community/voluntary sector input to achieving the Vision

-	there is a need for clarity on what the non-Government sector is being asked to do;
-	stakeholder engagement is key – private and community/voluntary sector members must use their influence with their respective boards, and throughout their sectors, to create opportunities for growth and bring about changes in behaviour;
-	the focus should be on actions which might be informed by ‘what if’ scenario forecasting work – actions should be aligned to the Vision drivers, through short duration campaigns (e.g. 6 month); and
-	when debating issues (e.g. skills) the private sector needs to bring something to the table (e.g. apprenticeships / investment in training etc.).

 

4.3               During the discussion which ensued, the following actions were agreed:

 

ACTION:           FSB should be invited to put forward a nomination to join EDF

 

ACTION:           DE and DFP should be invited to become members of the Forum

 

ACTION:           The political parties should be invited to join EDF members no less frequently than every six months, or as required

 

5.                  AOB

 

5.1               Tom Gillen indicated that NIC/ICTU representatives would not be able to attend EDF meetings if held on the first Wednesday of each month.  It was agreed that the dates set for meetings in 2005 would be reviewed with this in mind and, where possible, re-arranged.

 

ACTION:           EDF Secretariat to revisit dates for meetings during 2005 and advise members of any changes made as soon as possible

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ANNEX 1

 

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FORUM AWAY DAY – 9 FEBRUARY 2005

 

ATTENDEES