New inquiry: Investment in Northern Ireland

Recent UK Government initiatives have included the New Deal for Northern Ireland, and the New Decade, New Approach agreement, signed in 2020 and pledging hundreds of millions in infrastructure investment. Four City Deals are also being developed to encourage growth at a local level. And in the recent Budget, a new trade and investment hub was announced for Belfast along with allocations from the Levelling Up Fund. The inquiry will examine the likely impact of these measures and ask what more can be done to meet their aims.

The Northern Ireland Affairs Committee is inviting submissions of written evidence by Tuesday 14 December addressing one or more of the following areas:

• Steps the UK Government can take to encourage investment in Northern Ireland, including through the Levelling Up Fund, Shared Prosperity Fund and Internal Market Act
• Steps the UK Government can take to ensure investment, including foreign direct investment, is economically effective
• The economic effectiveness of investment under the New Deal for Northern Ireland and New Decade, New Approach funding
• The potential effect of City Deals on economic growth in Northern Ireland
• Steps that business can take to invest effectively in Northern Ireland
• Steps the UK Government can take to encourage investment that addresses the skills gap and increases employment opportunities for people with few or no qualifications
• The potential impact on investment of GB regulatory divergence from NI
• Steps the UK Government can take to support the decarbonisation of industry in Northern Ireland and stimulate investment in a sustainable economy
• Delivery of the prosperity agenda of the Good Friday Agreement
• Relationships between schools and local Universities
• Assessments of the understanding of the importance of education
• Status of technical, vocational education and apprenticeships
• Identifying sectors of investment and employment potential