Sinn Féin MLA Martina Anderson has called on Invest NI to get to grips with tackling regional disparities and offer more support and investment in areas with the lowest employment rates.

The Foyle MLA said:

“It is quite shocking the level of regional inequalities that exist in Invest NI’s financial investments for job assistance.

“The lack of funding by the investment agency into areas with the lowest employment rates perpetuates the economic imbalances which exist in our economy.

“It is beyond belief that while Invest NI assisted the creation of 9,280 jobs in Belfast South, in the Foyle area which was the area with the second most assistance, it assisted only 2,723.

“It is equally shocking that the number of jobs assisted in South Belfast greatly outnumbered the combined amount for all other constituencies in Belfast.

“Sinn Féin will continue to press the Department for Economy and its arms length bodies on the need to rebalance our economy so that people across the North can avail of job opportunities in their own areas. 

“Sinn Féin is also bringing forward a motion in the Assembly on the importance of having a regionally balanced economy.”