Salaries from 270 new jobs at Lisahally will give people more money to spend in Derry, say MLAs
Salaries from 270 new jobs at Lisahally will give people more money to spend in Derry, say MLAs
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00:00I wish to make a statement regarding the creation of additional jobs in Northern Ireland following
00:05an agreement to expand the services the Department for Communities delivers in Great Britain on behalf
00:11of the Department for Work and Pensions. Today I am delighted to announce 1,000 new jobs,
00:18which will bring a massive boost to the local economy and is testament to the quality of
00:23service being delivered by my department. Mr Deputy Speaker, I am committed to greater
00:29regional balance and rather than just talk about it, I have ensured that my department delivers.
00:35I have ensured that we spread as many of these jobs as possible throughout Northern Ireland
00:40and I am pleased to announce that over 40% will be outside of Belfast in Londonderry,
00:45Ballykelly and Ballymena. In Belfast, there will be 595 additional jobs. In Londonderry,
00:55an additional 270. In Ballymena, 116 and in Ballykelly, 27.
01:04I thank the Minister for his refreshingly positive statement. How confident is the Minister
01:12that we can fill all these posts, given that, according to the latest answer we received,
01:18there are nearly 700 vacancies in the Department for Communities? Have lessons been learned from
01:24a recent recruitment process that saw applicants locked out of online interview processes?
01:34First, I make the point that these are jobs being delivered by the Department for Communities on
01:40behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions. They are being funded by the Department for Work
01:45and Pensions. I do not think that I would have a problem in terms of the budgetary issues.
01:50I do not think that I would have a problem filling the vacancies. It is not because the
01:53people are not there to fill the vacancies. It is because we do not have the funding to do that.
01:57This will be a separate funding stream that will come from Westminster, delivering work on behalf
02:06of people elsewhere in the United Kingdom. I am aware of the issues that had previously
02:14been of concern to those who were applying. A significant number of candidates were unsuccessful,
02:19having experienced video or sound issues during the pre-recorded interview process. I know that
02:25these issues were raised with the Finance Minister, who obviously has responsibility in this area.
02:32I hope that we will not have the same logistical challenges this time round and that these jobs
02:37will be able to benefit people in all parts of Northern Ireland, as I have mentioned.
02:41Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I thank the Minister for his commitment to regional
02:47imbalance and addressing it, and I thank him for his commitment to the Foyle constituency.
02:50I welcome the 270 jobs for London Dairy, bringing it to 800 at Lysa Hallie. What will those jobs
02:57mean in terms of the economy, and what benefits will they bring to the wider north-west region?
03:05I am grateful to the Member for his question. He knows already of the other jobs that exist,
03:12530 of which are currently rising to 800. That will bring benefit to the economy, because
03:20there are people who are already bringing that benefit. There may be some additional
03:25capital work required in improving these sites as well. That will come from DWP,
03:31so there will not be any further cost to the Department. There is some economic benefit there,
03:34but I think the greatest economic benefit will be that additional sum of money of almost £30
03:40million of salaries that are coming into the local economy in Northern Ireland,
03:46rising to around about £150 million a year throughout Northern Ireland. That is going
03:50to be of significant benefit to his constituency in particular, and I think that is something
03:57we should all welcome.