Simon Hamilton
Strangford · Democratic Unionist Party · Northern Ireland
“I have emphasised to the Member and the House before, that, whilst I accept that those are not good enough — that is why we have been developing the plan — there are alternative technologies in place that can present opportunities for those who just cannot get acceptable speeds.”
“I thank the Member for his intervention. There are some initiatives that I believe will help and act as a driver to improve broadband access. One such intervention is the broadband universal service obligation (USO), which is being taken forward by Her Majesty's Government.”
“I thank the Member for his question. However, he is conflating two issues. I wrote to his party leader, and indeed to all Assembly party leaders, before making the announcement that I did last week about wanting to publish the details of the businesses in receipt of the non-domestic RHI scheme. It was my intention to do that tomorrow.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Chancellor, in his autumn statement, made some more funding available for telecommunications, and my Department is studying that and seeking to avail itself of that to the fullest possible extent.”
“In addition, my Department is managing a contract for the delivery of the superfast rollout programme, which, by 31 December, will provide access to superfast broadband with speeds of at least 24 megabits per second to a further 38,000 premises, both business and residential, across Northern Ireland, including in the Newry and Armagh cons…”
“I signalled the intention to do this a few weeks ago. The Member and the House will know that inspections of all installations would have taken place over the 20-year lifetime of the RHI scheme.”
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“As Mr Nesbitt mentioned, that all culminated in the school going into formal intervention in May 2014. <BR /> <BR />Over those 10 years or more, there have been many attempts — Mr Nesbitt referred to some them — to find viable solutions and ways forward for the school that would make it more sustainable in the longer term. One of the ideas that was put forward by the authorities at the time, the former South Eastern Education and Library Board (SEELB), probably in and around 2006 or 2007, was a suggestion that Donaghadee High School, which was not viable at the time, should be merged with Movilla and a new campus built. I hope that we do not look back with regret that that opportunity was not seized back in those days.”
“I am sure that has some bearing on the recent success, although she is too modest to say that herself. I am not sure how she feels about how old she is becoming given that the new deputy principal is somebody who she taught. I acknowledge and recognise the new leadership. I know Mr Bell, having been a former member of the board of governors at Movilla High School, and you would be hard-pressed to find somebody who is as committed to their school as Mr Bell. <BR /> <BR />It has had huge uncertainty, not least because of those changes in leadership. It has gone through some very well publicised controversies in recent times. They were well publicised in the media around the teacher strikes, assaults and so on, which did nothing for the reputation of the school or to attract new pupils to the school.”
“<BR /> <BR />Those of us who represent the Strangford constituency are all well versed and very familiar with the many problems and issues that have beset Movilla High School over the last number of years. There is the fact that it had some 440 suspensions in the 2014-15 academic year. Attendance at the school is well below the Northern Ireland average. Attainment in English is 30% below the Northern Ireland average for similar schools, and in maths, the achievement is around 25% lower than the Northern Ireland average for similar schools. <BR /> <BR />It has had many changes of leadership over the last number of years. I acknowledge the new leadership in place and the good work that they are doing. Miss McIlveen informs me that the new deputy principal is someone who she used to teach.”
“However, here we are, as we have been for 10-plus years, debating, discussing and considering what a viable future for Movilla High School might be. A town the size of Newtownards should be able, and it is well able, to sustain a non-selective secondary school. <BR /> <BR />In many ways, when we see the investment that there has been in other new educational infrastructure, not too far away from Newtownards, it is a disgrace — particularly in the context of the closure some years ago of Scrabo High School, which was partly to help Movilla to be sustainable in the longer term — that there has not been the commensurate investment in the infrastructure in Newtownards. Whilst it is not the whole answer to the problem, by any means, it could have helped in making the school sustainable in the longer term.”
“My constituency colleague Miss McIlveen and I first entered public service in, I think, 2005, when we were elected to Ards Borough Council. The future and sustainability of Movilla High School has been widely debated and discussed in the intervening years. In many respects, whilst I acknowledge and thank Mr Nesbitt for securing the debate, it is a great disappointment that we have to have it at all. If we were to step back and address the House not as Members wishing to defend public service provision in our constituency, the notion that any town anywhere in Northern Ireland with a population of around 30,000 would not have a non-selective secondary school would be laughed at or thought of as ridiculous.”
“That is why our new economic strategy will focus strongly on making Northern Ireland the top United Kingdom region for attracting foreign direct investment, and it will also include a suite of supports, policies and interventions aimed at helping our SMEs and, most importantly, aiding them to fulfil their potential. <BR /> <BR />I have found today's debate to be useful and informative, and I have no hesitation at all in supporting the motion.”
“<BR /> <BR />I believe that a real opportunity now exists to transform our economy. We have come through one of the worst recessions on record and are now on the path of constant improvement, growing in size and rebalancing from public-sector-led growth to private sector-led growth. Some, perhaps, have the impression that my Department is focused more on attracting inward investment than on growing our indigenous businesses. That is not the case, and it never was. Both are incredibly important to the future growth of our economy.”
“That support helped to promote approximately 21,500 new jobs and resulted in total investment of approximately £1·25 billion. <BR /> <BR />I want an economy where an increasing number of businesses realise their high growth potential and scale up from small to medium-sized businesses, employing more people in the process; an economy where entrepreneurship and enterprise is endemic and reflected in a growing status as a start-up nation; an economy where innovation is embedded in the DNA of every company, irrespective of its size; an economy where our people possess the skills that they need to improve their lives; an economy where more of our companies have an international outlook and export goods, products and services outside our region; an economy where government works tirelessly to put in place the financial, infrastructural and policy support to ensure that our economy thrives; an economy where we build industries on the back of where we are genuinely world-class in academic research; and, above all, an economy that works for everyone.”
“It is my intention that the new economic strategy will be bold and ambitious, and outline a vision of how our economy will look in 2030 and beyond. We have come through the downturn and made significant strides forward in rebalancing our economy, so we now have the opportunity to push ahead and put in place a plan that will transform our economy for the better. <BR /> <BR />I want to ensure that we have the best possible business environment for start-up companies. I want more women starting up on their own. I want to ensure that we provide the appropriate help, support and advice to allow small companies to expand their businesses. This is a priority for me, my Department, Invest NI and the Executive. Indeed, in the last five years, up to 2015-16, Invest NI offered support of over £260 million to local small and medium-sized enterprises.”
“In recognition of this, my Department, in conjunction with Invest NI, continues to take forward a number of initiatives to address this issue for businesses. This includes making available £170 million across a suite of funds to help to support businesses. In addition, we have engaged with the British Business Bank to ensure that its range of funding instruments are operating effectively and being promoted widely in Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />Transforming Northern Ireland into a globally competitive economy will require considerable effort on many fronts. My Department is working hard at refreshing and renewing our economic strategy. In essence, it will be the road map that will, I hope, lead us to a time when Northern Ireland is once again punching above its weight on the international economic stage.”
“A key characteristic of such businesses is the high ambition of the entrepreneur and a long-term commitment to invest and resource the business to drive growth. Invest NI support for scaling and pre-scaling businesses involves assistance with innovation, skills and trade development, and is tailored to address specific barriers to growth faced by each business. It is this type of intensive, wraparound support for our highest-growth-potential businesses that I want to see us amplify and accelerate in our new business growth initiative. <BR /> <BR />The ability to access finance, an issue raised by many Members during the debate, remains an important issue for business. Accessing appropriate and timely finance can be critical to business growth.”
“With Dunbia, the Dobson brothers have grown their business from a small butcher's shop near Dungannon in 1979 to one of the biggest meat processors in the United Kingdom, exporting to over 30 markets and employing around 4,000 people. <BR /> <BR />In order to help more firms to grow, Invest NI is working on an ambitious new business growth initiative to help to support the scaling up of high-growth-potential Northern Ireland businesses. In the weeks ahead, I intend to outline how we hope to scale up more of our small and medium-sized enterprises in their turnover, employment levels and exports. Invest NI's growth and scaling division already focuses on providing intensive and bespoke support for SMEs with the greatest growth potential.”
“The profile of businesses in Northern Ireland shows that the vast majority, 89·2%, have fewer than nine employees, and only 2% have more than 50. Encouraging more companies in Northern Ireland to scale up and achieve high growth is, therefore, a key element in creating more employment opportunities. <BR /> <BR />Critical Power Systems Ltd is a wonderful illustration of exactly this. This Newry-based business recently announced that it was to invest £2 million and create 47 jobs with £345,000 worth of support from Invest Northern Ireland. It is a great example of an ambitious start-up company taking advantage of the manufacturing and engineering skills available locally to support its growth. Another great example is local firm Dunbia.”
“SMEs have always played an important role in our economy and we should be proud that more small firms in Northern Ireland generate £1 million in revenues within their first three years in business than anywhere else in the UK. That is why I want to encourage even more businesses to start up in the years ahead, and why the Executive are investing in the skills and infrastructure that enable small and medium-sized enterprises to prosper. <BR /> <BR />A key challenge for SMEs is ensuring that they can reach their full potential. Large firms matter in small, advanced economies like ours. They provide critical mass, scale and specialisation that might be difficult to generate otherwise. Growing our businesses is, therefore, a priority.”
“<BR /> <BR />Although it is clear that the German economy is very different to ours in many ways, I firmly believe that there are similarities between our SMEs and the Mittelstand that we can learn from. One that stands out is that 95% of German businesses are family owned, with many Mittelstand companies under their fourth, fifth or six generation of family ownership and control. There is clear evidence from Germany that businesses can remain in family hands — a common characteristic in Northern Ireland — and still grow and make a greater contribution to the local economy. <BR /> <BR />We can learn much from the German model.”
“Our impression of the German economy is, perhaps, dominated by big-brand names like BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Bosch, but recent analysis by the German Savings Banks Association shows that it is the SMEs of the Mittelstand that are outperforming the country's largest companies in profitability. Mid-sized manufacturing firms like those that I visited make a huge, almost disproportionate contribution to the German economy. They account for an estimated 52% of Germany's economic output, employ 60% of all employees, and generate approximately €3 trillion in turnover annually. The Mittelstand is also incredibly innovative and plays a central role in the education and training system. Its success is something that we should seek to emulate here in Northern Ireland.”
“I want to see more businesses follow the excellent example of Randox. <BR /> <BR />Part of my role involves travelling to other regions of the world in an attempt to attract inward investment as well as tourists. Northern Ireland needs to be outward looking and not afraid to learn from what others are doing well, understanding why they succeed and learning lessons for Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />As Mr Aiken mentioned, I recently visited the North Rhine-Westphalia region of Germany to look at their Mittelstand. The Mittelstand is the name given to the large group of small and medium-sized enterprises that drive the success of the German economy and are characterised by innovation, exports and growth.”
“Now, Randox is a global leader in healthcare diagnostics, employing more than 1,400 employees across 145 countries and producing one in 10 of all cholesterol tests used worldwide.”
“I am encouraged by statistics that show one in five businesses in Northern Ireland having experienced high growth in the period between 2012 and 2015. This is great news but no real surprise. In Northern Ireland, we have numerous examples of small local companies that have grown to become world leaders — companies such as Randox, Almac and Kainos. <BR /> <BR />Randox, formed back in 1982 by its current managing director, Dr Peter FitzGerald, is exactly the sort of success story that we should hold up as an example to SMEs across Northern Ireland. Beginning with a team of six employees, the company started out in a henhouse, before relocating to larger premises in an apple store, which has since been converted to house the business’s international headquarters.”
“I welcome this debate and the opportunity to respond to the motion. Before I begin, I want to put on record once again how immensely proud I am of so many of our local businesses here in Northern Ireland. Across Northern Ireland, we have almost 125,000 businesses, the vast majority of which employ fewer than 250 employees. In fact, 70% of our private sector workforce is employed in small and medium-sized businesses, and 99·9% of Northern Ireland’s business base is SMEs. As clichéd as it perhaps sounds, it is fair to say that SMEs form the backbone of our economy. <BR /> <BR />As part of my plan to make Northern Ireland more competitive, I am determined that we should continue to place a strong emphasis on encouraging local firms to grow.”
“However, Thales, which is located in the Member's constituency — I had the pleasure of visiting it with her in the summer — is doing some fantastic work and is a real pioneer in the space sector. The new space propulsion centre that it recently opened offers huge opportunities for us to create more jobs and to do a lot more research and development in that sector here in Northern Ireland.”
“In spite of the news from Bombardier last week, I think that there are still huge opportunities for the aerospace, defence, security and space sector here in Northern Ireland. I mentioned the CSeries and the Global 7000 project. It is testament to the strong skills and dedication of the staff in Belfast and across Northern Ireland who work in Bombardier that they are involved in every major Bombardier project. I think that there are opportunities, and, last week, before the Bombardier news, we launched a new space strategy for Northern Ireland. I did not think that I would ever be in a position or a job where I would announce a space strategy in Northern Ireland.”
“There were encouraging comments in the Bombardier statement about ramping up employment with the CSeries and the Global 7000 project, which are two key projects in Belfast. Even though this is troubling news, there are potential opportunities — a bit like Fujitsu — for Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />Yesterday morning, I met the Unite union to discuss the issue in detail. I will stand and fight alongside the union to preserve as many of the jobs as possible in Northern Ireland. We all know that the work that is done in Bombardier in Belfast is of the highest quality. Whilst the company faces huge challenges now and moving forward, I firmly believe that Bombardier in Northern Ireland has a strong enough operation, with a good strong skills base, which can help the company to get out of its current difficulties.”
“I share the Member's concerns about the news that emanated from Bombardier at the tail end of the week. That is on top of the announcement in February, and it is another blow to the dedicated workforce in Bombardier's Belfast and Northern Ireland operations. <BR /> <BR />As soon as the news broke, I was in contact with Michael Ryan, who is the head of Bombardier's Belfast operation, to discuss the details and to offer my full support to him and the Northern Ireland operations. I made it clear that I will do all that I can to fight to save as many jobs as possible in Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />Some detail has been revealed. Around two thirds of the 7,500 jobs will go in the transportation sector of the business, which will not affect Northern Ireland.”
“It is a great facility, but it is not in the best of locations at the moment. It needs to be kept in that area so there can be connectivity to Titanic Belfast and the Nomadic. <BR /> <BR />I recently agreed a process that will allow HMS Caroline to be moved from its current location. It is a little further out, beside the Pump-House, which is a much better and more accessible location for the vessel. It will also allow for an onshore visitor centre and for other parts of the attraction to be added to it, which will enhance it even further.”
“I had the privilege of attending the official opening of the new HMS Caroline attraction in June. There was a fantastic investment of around £10 million, which was supported by the Executive. I am really pleased that Tourism NI recently awarded it a five-star visitor attraction rating, which means that it is of an outstanding level. Anybody in the House or outside who has visited HMS Caroline will agree that it is an outstanding tourist attraction that will benefit the whole of Belfast, and particularly the maritime area in Titanic Quarter.”
“I re-emphasise the fact that connectivity is incredibly important. We have had challenges in Northern Ireland in ensuring that we have good connectivity through direct flights, but there is a particular interest on ensuring that Belfast has direct connectivity. That is not always possible and can be challenging, but, through hub airports like Heathrow and Amsterdam, into which we have a direct route, and Brussels, that can be just as vital not only for inbound tourism but for business and trade.”
“I welcome, and I am sure the business community in Northern Ireland will also welcome, the long-awaited decision by Her Majesty's Government to give the go-ahead for a new runway at Heathrow.”
“I warmly welcome the decision by Her Majesty's Government to support extension at Heathrow. The decision to favour the option of the third runway has been taken by the Government and will be subject to various planning and environmental impact assessments, but it is a decision that I welcome. I think that the business community in Northern Ireland will welcome it and that everybody in Northern Ireland should praise the Government for their decision, because our connectivity, as we know — particularly as a peripheral region in the United Kingdom — is incredibly important. We need more direct routes from Belfast and I am glad that we are increasing them. London is a key business route in and of itself, for Northern Ireland, and Heathrow is a crucial hub airport that is a gateway to the world.”
“Obviously, closure was brought to the Northern Ireland renewables obligation, but there are grace periods for certain circumstances. It is imperative that the Department, the regulator and others involved ensure that strict hard stops in respect of it all are kept in place and that nobody is benefiting from it who should not be doing so.”
“I know that the Member is new to the House and will be unfamiliar with the convention that whenever issues are being examined and scrutinised by the PAC and the Audit Office, it is inappropriate for Ministers and Members to pass comment on them. It is an issue that I take seriously; there are lessons to be learned and we must learn lessons from the RHI issue, but as well as learning those lessons, I am focused on trying to deal with, and control, the issue as best I possibly can.”
“The UK is doing well, the Northern Ireland economy continues to do well and the predictions of doom and gloom of everybody from international banking, the IMF, the World Bank and all the great authorities — and I would not count the Member in that category, of course — have not come to pass. We have to get the best deal that we possibly can from this. We need to get our heads down, get on with the work that my Department is engaged in and feeding into the Executive Office — the First Minister and deputy First Minister were obviously engaged directly with the Prime Minister yesterday — and do our very best to get the best possible deal for Northern Ireland.”
“I think the Member is at cross purposes; it is not my job to answer for the Finance Minister. The stimulus package has no relation to the investment fund, which, of course, I am very familiar with, having come up with the idea while I was Minister of Finance. The Member should put those issues to the Minister of Finance and seek answers from him. <BR /> <BR />I am sorry for the Member that the predictions of doom and gloom that he, his party and others on all sides of the House engaged in, have not come to pass. To borrow a phrase from one Member, we have not been plunged into recession.”
“There are some who wish to go over the referendum campaign again and again. I have made it perfectly clear that my job now, irrespective of how people voted, is to focus on getting the best deal for Northern Ireland. I encourage the Member and his party and, indeed, all sides of the House to get the head down, get on with the work and get the best deal for Northern Ireland.”
“Some of it I have already forgotten. One thing I did not forget him saying — he repeated this recently — is that, given that the very profitable and very successful harbour estate will benefit greatly from the work at the York Street interchange, it is perhaps time once again to look at the option of it making a significant contribution to the work at York Street.”
“<BR /> <BR />I have always been open to alternative financing, but that is principally a matter for the Department for Infrastructure in conjunction with the Department of Finance to take forward. If there is anything I can do to help with that, of course, I will not be found wanting. I served as Sammy Wilson's apprentice for some time and learnt a lot from him and forgot a lot.”
“I understand the issue he finds himself with, and, whilst I agree with the Member that the York Street interchange is an incredibly important development not just for that small part of north Belfast but for the whole of Northern Ireland and its economy, it is wrong to create the impression that there are no other major infrastructure projects going on. Obviously, the A5 and the A6 are moving forward. Both are of importance to the economy, particularly to those strong manufacturing businesses located in the middle of Northern Ireland, as are the transport hubs in Belfast and Londonderry that are going forward. So there are major capital projects that I am sure the Department for Infrastructure will take forward.”
“The Member will know that I served as Finance Minister for a time, and one of the things I learnt, especially with capital investment, is that there are always many, many more deserving capital projects than the capital budget will permit you to develop in any one budget year or period. I understand the circumstances the Infrastructure Minister finds himself in with the issue. He was hoping to avail himself of some European funding, but the call for that will come in and around the time the UK exits the European Union and, therefore, there is some uncertainty about future commitments on that.”
“That issue has come up in discussions. I have met the CBI, for example, and the chamber. It certainly came up in discussions with the CBI; it was one of the infrastructure programmes that it emphasised as important to the economy moving forward. I think it came up in conversations with the chamber. If it did not, I am sure it will in future conversations, as I am sure it will with other organisations and individual businesses as I move around the country and meet them on a regular basis.”
“We have a future skills programme coming into place that will, in the first instance, have 240 people going through six colleges. That is across Northern Ireland and not limited to, say, the greater Belfast area. The programme will be specifically in data analytics and cybersecurity in the first instance, which are both existing strong sectors but ones in which there is huge potential moving forward. We will consider other sectors, and other sectors are being considered, including life and health sciences, which are a huge part of the Member's Upper Bann constituency. As I said, skills are central to our attractiveness as a region to invest in, and I think that the Assured Skills programme and the future skills programme that we are developing will be key to achieving success.”
“I agree with the Member: skills is an incredibly important part — sometimes a differentiating part — of Northern Ireland's proposition to inward investors in particular. I mentioned one investment in my first answer in which it was a differentiator. It was the difference-maker, and it was what landed the investment in Northern Ireland rather than somewhere else. We have our skills barometer in place, and we have the work of the MATRIX panel, which has identified growth sectors in our economy, particularly where there are skills needs that will evolve when corporation tax is reduced. That will hopefully bring growth in existing sectors of our economy but also in some different ones. <BR /> <BR />There is a strong evidence base that we are following.”
“Assured Skills is an innovative and responsive programme that has made a big impact in a short period. However, the programme is continuing to evolve, and it is my intention to keep Assured Skills at the leading edge of economic interventions.”
“<BR /> <BR />To date, there have been 22 company projects through Assured Skills, and, when they are fully realised, some 5,704 jobs will be created. That will benefit the local economy by £144 million each year. In addition, Assured Skills supports short-term interventions to meet identified needs of existing employers in Northern Ireland and to help unemployed graduates find suitable employment. The Software Testers' Academy has been the most successful intervention to date. However, we have also used our academy model to meet needs in areas such as cloud computing, data analytics, financial services, 2D animation and computer numerical control machining. That has benefited companies such as HighWire Press, Deloitte, PwC, EY, Alexander Mann Solutions, FinTrU, Magellan Aerospace and WhiteHat Security, to name but a few.”
“The Assured Skills programme is continuing to deliver for Northern Ireland. Alongside support provided by Invest Northern Ireland, Assured Skills support continues to be instrumental in securing new jobs for Northern Ireland, such as the 94 support engineering jobs and research and development jobs recently announced by Metaswitch. <BR /> <BR />The Assured Skills offer has many benefits for companies. They can find employees in what is commonly a new labour market, and any training developed is bespoke, helping to find people with the right skills and attributes for their company. Trainees are also more productive more quickly, with a consequent positive effect on the company's bottom line. Furthermore, networks are established with local further education colleges and universities, with the potential for ongoing links to mutual benefit.”
“Of course, we will continue to work with businesses through Invest NI directly but also through councils. As councils develop their development plans for their areas — some are already out there, while some are still in the works — it is incredibly important that Invest NI be plugged into that and are working with councils not just to ensure that we maximise the number of start-ups but to ensure that established businesses are looking at export and external opportunities.”
“The Regional Start initiative, which is the programme for start-ups and growing new businesses, has already been devolved to local government. It has been carried out collectively on its behalf by Invest Northern Ireland, and I think that that is due to change before this year is out. Councils have what they have been asking for for a number of years, which is some autonomy and flexibility to deliver programmes that are tailored to the particular needs of their area. Although there is a lot of uniformity across Northern Ireland, there are parts — I mentioned mid-Ulster earlier, an area that has a concentration of manufacturing and engineering businesses — for which the initiative will give flexibility and autonomy to councils and allow them to tailor additional programmes and support to the needs of their area.”
“As the UKTI, or Department for International Trade, starts to look at trade missions and visits around the world, I am sure that you will see Northern Ireland companies availing themselves of those opportunities. It is something that I want to encourage as well: not just that Northern Ireland companies are going on Invest NI-led trade missions but that we are participating as fully as we possibly can on UK-wide trade missions.”
“Notwithstanding the troubling and worrying news from Bombardier at the tail end of last week, it is a sector that the Executive have sought to support through a dedicated strategy. That strategy was published in 2014 with a target to increase revenues from that sector from £1 billion to £2 billion, and we are making good progress on that. The revenues are now up to about £1·3 billion annually. It is a sector that, obviously, we are focused on, with not just Bombardier but the 60-odd companies that are operating in the aerospace, defence, security and space sector. It is an area where there are opportunities; one that is recognised at a UK level as well.”
“I had a very good discussion in the summer with Liam Fox, and it is something that we have been following up with his new Department at official level. I hope to be able to meet Dr Fox again before the year is out. He has had a fresh and interesting approach to this whole subject. Almost immediately on the UK vote to exit the European Union, he was charged to go out and sell the UK, as a whole, to the world and open up new markets. Instead of focusing almost exclusively, as has been encouraged in the last number of years, on a European market that has been struggling, it about looking at some of the emerging markets around the world where there is much greater growth and, therefore, much greater potential for the UK and Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />The Member mentioned the aerospace sector.”
“There will also be nine new applications for our exhibition at trade shows support, which is called SOLEX, and four new applications for Great Britain market visits. That is something that we have started again, where companies that want to dip their toe into the water for exporting but are not sure about the market, can go and visit that market with some support from Invest NI. The signs are good. Obviously, it still requires a lot of effort from the companies, but I will ensure that that is supported at every opportunity by Invest NI.”