Causeway Chamber Meet with Finance Minister Caoimhe Archibald and Economy Minister Conor Murphy

Causeway Chamber met with Finance Minister Dr Caoimhe Archibald and Department for the Economy Minister Conor Murphy on Wednesday, August 28th, 2024, at Royal Portrush Golf Club. This meeting provided an important platform for the Chamber to discuss key economic and financial issues affecting the region and to align with the Ministers’ strategic priorities.

Minister Conor Murphy outlined his four key priorities for the Department for the Economy (DfE):

1. Creating Good Jobs: Initiatives to generate sustainable, high-quality employment opportunities across diverse sectors were a key focus.
2. Promoting Regional Balance: The Minister stressed the importance of ensuring that economic growth benefits both urban and rural areas, reducing regional disparities.
3. Raising Productivity: Improving the productivity of local businesses was identified as critical to enhancing Northern Ireland's competitiveness on a national and international scale.
4. Reducing Carbon Emissions: The Minister reaffirmed the Department’s commitment to supporting green initiatives and reducing carbon emissions, contributing to global climate action.

Finance Minister Dr Caoimhe Archibald updated members on the budgetary challenges facing the Executive, Reval2026 and her Department’s support for businesses through rate relief.

During the meeting, Causeway Chamber presented its key asks, as detailed in the Chamber’s Key Priorities document, focusing on three main strands: Infrastructure, Skills, and Growth. The Chamber highlighted specific areas of concern and opportunity:

•  Integrating Local Suppliers into The Open Supply Chain: The Chamber emphasised the need to increase the participation of local suppliers in major events like The Open, to maximize economic benefits for the local community.
•  Ensuring Causeway Coast and Glens (CC&G) is Part of Regional Balance: To support regional balance, the Chamber called for greater focus on including the CC&G as a key part of the wider scalable region. This includes advocating for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and ensuring that economic growth investments are not solely city-focused. The Chamber also highlighted the importance of connectivity investment in road, rail and air.
•  Supporting Education Across the Region: The Chamber raised the need to ensure that 16,000 Ulster University (UU) students are studying outside Belfast, thereby spreading educational and economic benefits more evenly across Northern Ireland.
•  Achieving Net Zero for CC&G: The Chamber expressed its ambition for the Causeway Coast and Glens to be the first net-zero or sustainable borough in Northern Ireland. The Chamber seeks support for initiatives that will help achieve this goal, positioning the region as a leader in sustainability.

Karen Yates, CEO of Causeway Chamber, commented, “The discussions with Ministers Archibald and Murphy were highly constructive. We are committed to collaborating with the government to ensure that the Causeway Coast and Glens region plays a key role in Northern Ireland's economic future. Our focus on infrastructure, skills, and growth, along with our specific asks, aims to create a vibrant and sustainable economy for our community.”

Economy Minister Conor Murphy said: “I welcomed the discussion with the Chamber and local companies. I have heard first-hand the key priorities affecting the region and had an opportunity to reaffirm my commitment to developing a regionally balanced economy where everyone shares in the benefits of prosperity.  I commend the Chamber on their ambitions to create a strong economic focus which aligns to my Economic Vision and I look forward to future engagement and collaboration.”

Speaking after meeting Causeway Chamber representatives, Finance Minister Dr Caoimhe Archbald said: 

“I was pleased to meet with members of the Causeway Chamber today, local businesses play an essential role in our communities, creating jobs and boosting the local economy.

In April 2024, I signed the Causeway Coast and Glens Heads of Terms which has a number of projects designed to transform the region and help create investment, jobs and further economic development, in collaboration with local partners and businesses.

“I recognise the importance of supporting local businesses and in May I reinstated the Back in Business scheme to incentivise occupation of empty retail units and restored the rural ATM scheme through new legislation. Both of these measures will help bring vibrancy, footfall and investment back to our high streets.”

Causeway Chamber looks forward to continued engagement with government officials and local stakeholders to drive economic growth and create a prosperous future for all in the region.