Business awards winners honoured at Stormont

The winners in the 2009 Ballymena Borough Business Excellence awards were honoured at a reception held in Stormont on 18th.March. The reception was hosted by Ian Paisley Jnr MLA. Ian gave the group a tour of Stormont and then officially welcomed everyone.

“I am delighted to welcome you all here to Parliament Buildings – the centre of our local government. Tonight we are here to celebrate the achievements of the business community in Ballymena. The last twelve months have been extremely difficult for those involved in business, but we can take pride from the success and achievements of our local business sector in Ballymena. Events like this help us to recognise good news on the economic front. Positive achievements unfortunately are not so readily picked up and profiled in the media as bad news is.

It is not the job of government to create jobs – that is the job of hard-working business figures like you. Our job is to help you by making Northern Ireland the most business-friendly part of the United Kingdom.  The task of devolved government is to create the environment in which the economy can grow and additional jobs can be created. We are using devolution and the powers divested in this place from Westminster to that end. At the very heart of the Programme for Government, indeed its primary focus is the building of a strong economy. Measures designed to help our economy grow have been to the forefront of the agenda of the local government at Stormont.

I am pleased that the local government has frozen business rates – helping our businesses struggling with the global economic downturn, frozen manufacturing rates, capped industrial rates, frozen non-domestic Regional Rates, introduced the small business rates relief and committed record levels of investment to Northern Ireland’s infrastructure – helping the building sector in the short-to medium terms whilst increasing our infrastructure to attract more business from overseas in the future.

Local government at Stormont, responsive to local needs and standing up for Northern Ireland’s interests is better for business than unaccountable direct rule manned by people who have no stake in seeing this place succeed. Already we have seen the massive difference that local people with their hands on the levers of power can make. Over the last 18 months we have seen a £1/2 billion investment in Shorts- the largest inward investment ever, New York Stock Exchange bringing 400 new jobs to Belfast, GEM 900 new jobs, £60m investment in Seagate- the largest ever investment in Research & Development in Northern Ireland and a £200m contract for Thales. This is just a snap-shot of the difference that devolution can make.  But of course the real difference is even more profound.

It is a simple fact that no sane person would want to invest in a country that is unstable or tearing itself apart. Stable devolution creates the basis for political stability and economic prosperity.  The recent Hillsborough Castle Agreement further cemented stability. Be in no doubt, investors were looking closely at the situation in Northern Ireland.

Those who want to drag Northern Ireland back to political instability would hang a big “closed” sign over our Province. “Closed for investment”, “closed for jobs”, “closed for tourism”. I am determined that they will not succeed in denying our children and young people a future.

Your sector will be crucial to our efforts in the period ahead.  One of the real advantages of devolution is the accessibility you have to those who will take the decisions.  We will do all that we can to help you in your endeavours and I hope that by working together we can all make Ballymena, and indeed all of Northern Ireland a better and more prosperous place”.

Alison Moore, Chamber President thanked Ian for his hospitality and for conducting the tour himself. The evening concluded with a meal in the Member’s Private Dining Room. All the award winners agreed that it had been an excellent and very enjoyable evening.