Northern Ireland (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill

Debate between Laurence Robertson and Naomi Long

Monday 18th November 2013 Commons Chamber

[Naomi Long]

I support the amendment, and I particularly welcome the fact that following our debate in the Committee of the whole House the Government have listened to the representations I made, as well as those made by the “Who Pulls the Strings” campaign in Northern Ireland and the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee.

It is not often that those of us on the Opposition Benches see the matters that we would like a Bill to deal with being addressed. It is even rarer for those of us who sit as solitary Members to see such concerns taken on board. I am particularly pleased that a compelling argument has been made for the amendment. I must qualify that, however, with my slight disappointment that we have been unable to go further to remove the exemptions and rules in Northern Ireland to allow us to move into line with the rest of the UK. There is evidence of huge public demand for that in Northern Ireland. Like in every other part of the UK, and, I suspect, in almost every other part of the democratic world, there is suspicion and a perception in the minds of the public that politics operates for the benefit of the few not the many and that those who have money and influence can wield that to their own advantage.

To rebuild trust and confidence in the political system, it is hugely important that people have transparency about donations and can scrutinise whether donations made to political parties influence policy and decision making at a government level. That is not possible currently because even though donations are declared to the Electoral Commission, they cannot be published. I believe that the time has come for the veil of secrecy to be lifted.

The amendment is a good step in that direction in that it clarifies the position for donors. Those who donate up until the January date will know that their anonymity will be permanent. There was a question mark over that as the powers of the Secretary of State would have allowed those donations to be published retrospectively. I believe that people gave that money on the understanding that it would be handled with confidentiality and privacy, and that expectation should be met by the Government. That is very important.

The amendment also means that those who donate after January will know that those donations will eventually be published. They will not be published right away. It will be for the Secretary of State to decide at the next point of review, which is due, I think, in October 2014, whether the security situation, in her view, would allow her to publish them.

The amendment makes it very clear to anybody making a donation from January onwards that at some point in the future that donation will be open to public scrutiny. It clarifies the situation in their minds so that they know when they make the donation the risk and the public scrutiny that will be involved. They will be able to make an informed decision.

Sir Christopher Kelly gave evidence on the subject to the Committee. He was very clear that he was not convinced by the argument that security should automatically outweigh the right of the public to scrutinise donations that are made to political parties. I share his view and do not believe that security should outweigh that right. Indeed, despite everything that has been said in the House about intimidation and threats against my own party, we continue voluntarily to publish the details of those people who make donations of more than £7,500 to the Alliance party so that people are fully aware of and can scrutinise our policy decisions.

Perhaps I can take this opportunity to encourage the Minister, which I think my colleague the hon. Member for North Down (Lady Hermon) sought to do, to encourage his colleagues in the Conservative party in Northern Ireland to join us in voluntarily publishing their donors. Indeed, I urge other parties in this House in Northern Ireland to do likewise. I think that it would help to build trust and confidence in the political system, to ventilate what has become quite a toxic issue in Northern Ireland, not least in recent months, and to move forward on a clearer footing.

My disappointment is that we are not in a position at this point to make more progress on bringing us into line with the rest of the United Kingdom. However, the amendment is a good step forward. It will provide clarity for the public and reassurance that the direction of travel is towards openness and transparency. I thank the Government for taking this on board. The assurances given by the Electoral Commission that they can prepare parties and donors to be ready for the change that is about to take place by January has been helpful in enabling things to move forward. I thank the Government and fully support what they are proposing.

[Mr Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury) (Con)]

Before I discuss the amendment, Madam Deputy Speaker, perhaps I may pay tribute briefly to the late Eddie McGrady, who served in this House for many years. It was a pleasure to work with him. He was indeed a decent man with a sharp and ready sense of humour and I know that he will be sadly missed in Northern Ireland.

I join others in condemning the attacks on the office of the hon. Member for Belfast East (Naomi Long), who is a very valuable member of the Select Committee on Northern Ireland Affairs. Having worked with her on that Committee for three years, I know that she will not be put off by the attacks; she will continue to show great determination, and to carry out the work that she has been doing with great distinction.

Northern Ireland Economy

Debate between Laurence Robertson and Naomi Long

Thursday 1st March 2012 Westminster Hall

[Naomi Long (Belfast East) (Alliance)]

I am glad to participate in the debate because rebalancing the economy of Northern Ireland has been on the agenda of my party and of many other parties for a considerable time. It must be realised, however, that the current economic climate—the challenges presented to public expenditure, the availability of finance from banks to fund growth in the private sector, including that of small and medium enterprises—has added urgency to the debate in recent years.

Others have laid out many of the statistics and problems, so I shall avoid repeating and rehearsing those arguments. It does bear saying, however, that the imbalance between the size of the public and private sectors in Northern Ireland is well documented, and it is not in the interests of the people of Northern Ireland to sustain that imbalance. I agree with the hon. Member for East Antrim (Sammy Wilson) that action to address the imbalance has to be focused on both growing the private sector and reforming the public sector to make it efficient, effective and supportive of growth. There are some good reasons why it would be foolish to pursue a project simply involving public sector cuts which, alone, cannot be the emphasis for reducing the overall imbalance. For example, the Northern Ireland economy is around 70% public sector in terms of gross value added or of gross domestic product, but public sector employment is around 30% of all employment. I acknowledge the mix of indices, but it illustrates that a quite significant element of our economy—probably more than a third and perhaps up to 40%—is effectively the private sector doing work for the public sector. The hon. Member for East Antrim referred to the effect of public sector efficiency savings on the private sector, which must be borne in mind as we consider how to rebalance the economy, its timing and how we phase any approach.

In my constituency, I have been told how public sector cuts and efficiency savings could, perversely, force contraction in some of the private sector, at least in the short term. We have already seen an example, which only this afternoon I raised with the hon. Member for East Antrim, in his other capacity in Northern Ireland; Departments seeking to reduce their expenditure are using Government-only facilities for training and so on. The impact is that many of the private conferencing centres, which have developed good business models, are being squeezed out, not because they are not competitive but because the impetus is to use Government and therefore subsidised facilities for training.

Over-reliance on the public sector is not good for Northern Ireland, leaving us more exposed and more vulnerable when there are public expenditure cuts than we would want to be the case. It can also have a dampening effect on business innovation, and the dynamics risk the absorption into the public sector of many of the graduates with the skills and abilities to set up their own businesses, because they believe it to be the more stable opportunity. The size of our public sector in Northern Ireland, compared with our private sector, can also create a clientist culture generally in society. When so many people directly or indirectly depend on the Government for their employment, the normal robust challenge faced by the Government from the private sector and others on economic policy can be dampened or squashed. People are afraid to challenge, because they recognise that their own jobs could be affected.

It is not possible to have a proper debate about rebalancing the Northern Ireland economy unless we also look at the rebalancing of the UK economy more generally. Northern Ireland is dependent on economic subvention from the UK Treasury, but it is important to recognise that only three UK regions are net contributors to the Treasury. Northern Ireland is the most dependent of the other nine, and the imbalance and the reasons for it need to be scrutinised carefully. Clearly, a more active regional policy is needed by the Government, to promote a more even distribution of economic activity throughout the UK. It is not sufficient to concentrate wealth creation in the south-east and for the Treasury then to redistribute the proceeds among the other regions; to do that has considerable implications not only for the economic prospects of the regions and the individuals who live there, but for the health and well-being of those residing in less economically active regions. There is a correlation between the degree to which regions are contributors to the Treasury and their level of dependence on the public sector. For example, the regions most heavily dependent on subvention are the most acutely affected by cuts in public sector spending and by welfare reform.

Currently, the overall GVA of Northern Ireland is around 80% of the UK average. Successive Governments have nominally committed policy to regional convergence, but London and the south-east are still regarded as the main drivers of the UK economy. It appears that Governments have traditionally put a much higher premium on protecting and maintaining that position and then tolerating financial subsidy and dependence than on giving regions greater autonomy to become sustainable in their own right. Many of the levers to address the imbalance in the Northern Ireland economy are devolved, and other Members have already reflected that. While the Assembly and the Executive have rightly prioritised the economy in their work, it is worth noting that the Northern Ireland Assembly currently has no real financial incentive to deliver economic growth, as the level of the block grant is set independently of considerations of economic change.

Devolution of some tax-varying powers linked directly to economic growth should therefore be considered, because they would be not only positive in their own right, as with corporation tax or air passenger duty, but a positive step in developing a responsible and normalised system of government in Northern Ireland, under which the Executive can make decisions that influence economic outcomes and will benefit financially from making the right decisions. Greater access to those financial levers could encourage and facilitate creative local solutions for economic growth and prosperity, if implemented carefully. I take on board the caution expressed by the hon. Member for East Antrim about the risks attendant on devolution, and I understand the need for robust engagement with the Treasury to ensure that whatever price tag is attached is fair and reasonable and will not blight the economy in another way.

Alliance is therefore generally supportive of the devolution of corporation tax in Northern Ireland. Although we recognise fully that that alone is not a silver bullet for the challenges facing our economy, the Executive can make and implement many other interventions to co-ordinate with it and help it rebuild the economy. As other hon. Members have recognised, revenue lost in the short term due to the lower rate of taxation would have to be met from the Northern Ireland block grant, under the terms of the Azores ruling in the European Court of Justice.

However, I firmly believe that without a reduction in corporation tax, there is little scope for a step change in Northern Ireland’s economic condition. Despite more than 15 reviews of Government economic strategies since the mid-1950s, there has been no substantial reduction in the performance deficit between Northern Ireland and the UK. It is therefore important that the Treasury works closely with the Executive to consider the case in an open and transparent way, in order to ensure that it is affordable and to build the confidence necessary to deliver it.

As well as making the case for a reduction in corporation tax, we must ensure continued investment across policy areas in Northern Ireland that have a strong impact on economic growth: capital investment, energy infrastructure, education and skills and research and development. It is vital that all those policy levers are fit for purpose and can be shown to produce the desired outcomes when the correct environment is created.

[Mr Lee Scott in the Chair]

My party colleague, the Northern Ireland Minister for Employment and Learning, is also focused on ensuring that skills are prioritised and developed, and has been working closely with others to deliver the economic strategy. The information and communications technology working group, for example, is bringing together the Department for Employment and Learning, the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment, Invest NI, universities, further education and businesses to consider skills shortages and mismatches and find a plan to address them.

Reclassifying tourism as a priority skills area—I will return to tourism later—changes the funding formula and has been done in recognition of tourism’s hugely increased potential from 2012 onwards. Research on potential changed skills needs under a lower level of corporation tax is also hugely important, as the kinds of job created by that reduction will be different from those we currently attract.

It is also important to note that Northern Ireland has had its largest increase in higher education places since 2000, and that they are all in science, technology, engineering and maths subjects. The role of science and technology in developing the economy has been given due recognition, and it is important that the Executive continue to do that. I say that not only as someone who was an engineer before becoming a politician but because I genuinely believe that science and technology hold opportunities to help regrow our economy and build on our strong base.

The Government have also started to consider the issue of air passenger duty, and I give them huge credit for how they have handled it. Differential rates across the land border with the Republic of Ireland created challenges for us in maintaining our direct international link with the US. The Government’s timely intervention was hugely helpful not only in maintaining that link, which is important for both tourism and business, but in keeping a base on which we can build for the future. That is just as important as retaining the current link. Long-haul flights have been dealt with, and a proposal is being considered to devolve the matter to the Assembly in order to allow them to consider future issues involving rates.

That is welcome, but we must also recognise the impact on regional connectivity, for example with the south-east, which is still the largest economic driver in the UK. We live in a region where the only option for business travel is flying. We pay a premium to access the south-east of England. Others can at least consider alternative means of transport, but that is not open to us, and it has a direct impact on our ability to grow the private sector. That continues to be a significant challenge, and I hope that the Government will consider it with a degree of sympathy.

[Mr Laurence Robertson]

The hon. Lady might mention at this point that it has been agreed that our next inquiry will be into aviation policy, for the reasons that she gave.

[Naomi Long]

The hon. Gentleman is one step ahead of me, as always. I thank him for bringing that point to my attention. I was about to say that the opportunity to consider aviation as part of the Committee’s future studies is hugely important, because we can look at the interconnectedness of all aspects in terms of the economy and the ability to deliver new opportunities for Northern Ireland.

Another area in which Westminster has at least some control is banking, although, as the hon. Member for East Antrim indicated, that control is perhaps not as extensive as we would wish. Much has been said already that I do not wish to rehash. I will simply say that access to finance for growth continues to be a significant challenge for the private sector. Companies that are not just viable but extremely competitive, even in a difficult economic climate, and which wish to have liquidity in order to expand are finding it incredibly difficult. Even the figures that we can access in order to determine how well banks are distributing the money available are so opaque that it is difficult to hold banks to account. I mentioned in an intervention the circular argument being delivered. On one hand, banks say that money is available but that no one is applying; on the other hand, businesses say that they are being dissuaded even from applying. We need to cut through that and find out exactly what the situation is.

I will touch briefly on a couple of other economic issues. VAT has been mentioned. For a long time, my party has supported reducing VAT on renovations. We believe not only that it is environmentally sustainable but that it would help boost the local construction sector and create employment and jobs, allowing people to adapt their homes at a time when moving home is often not an option because they are trapped in negative equity. That option should be considered. I urge the Treasury to examine its potential impact carefully.

The differential rates of VAT between hotels in Northern Ireland and in the south must also be considered. Currently, VAT for hotel services is 20% in the UK, but about 9% in the Republic. The need to attract investment and encourage home-grown business is paramount to growing our economy and bringing opportunities for employment, and tourism is a hugely important part of that strategy for growth.

In my constituency, 2012 is an important year for tourism, with the centenary of the Titanic and the opening of the Titanic Belfast visitor centre. That is just one example of the opportunities out there. Many other Members are equally enthusiastic about the opportunities in their constituencies, and some have already exploited the opportunity in this debate to promote them with no shame. I do not blame them at all, because I wish to do the same for my constituency.

However, hotels in Northern Ireland, particularly those near the border, face a competitive disadvantage that makes life difficult. Given Northern Ireland’s extremely positive reviews as a destination and the success of our golfers on the international stage, among other things, investment and support in the tourism sector would bring tangible benefits. I have referred to the fact that it is a priority skills area, which has created a step change in preparing people for employment. However, a VAT reduction would even up the playing field, resulting in long-term tax gains and supporting the strategy being developed by the Executive to grow our tourism industry.

The hon. Member for South Down (Ms Ritchie) mentioned the aggregates levy and some other areas where the land border and direct competition affect Northern Ireland business. Flexibility on such issues is needed. We cannot expect to be treated differently on all occasions, but some issues are significantly different in Northern Ireland and need to be considered in that context.

Several Members mentioned energy costs. It is important to recognise their impact, particularly on large energy-reliant businesses. They also have a general dampening effect on the economy, as energy bills eat a lot of profit that could be reinvested in other growth within business. However, there are opportunities to create new jobs. Although I agree with the hon. Member for East Antrim about energy costs, I know that he is perhaps less enthusiastic than I am about the green agenda. However, I do not think that he opposes creating new jobs in renewables, given Northern Ireland’s rich natural resources and strong research and manufacturing base. As the environment is one of the economy’s fastest growing sectors, embracing green energy technology will bring jobs to Northern Ireland, whether in building wind turbines or in harnessing local tidal and wave technology.

Research and development of renewable energy is a lucrative sector in Northern Ireland, and can become even more so. Opportunities for close working between the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment, the Department for Employment in Northern Ireland, and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to try to develop that sector have real potential.

There are good news stories in the Northern Ireland economy. The hon. Member for East Antrim mentioned Bombardier.