Business Month

Richard Haass will try over the next few weeks to break the parading and flags deadlock that has so badly damaged the image of Northern Ireland internationally.  The former U.S. Special Envoy to Northern Ireland – who is liaising closely with US Vice President Joe Biden – has a tough job.  But it is one […]

Up and down   Up   Higher transport and clothing costs drove up the UK rate of inflation from 2.4% in April to 2.7% in May.   Mortgage lending for UK home purchases rose by 22% in the last year. Remortgage lending fell by 5.5%.   Northern Ireland house building completions increased by 64% in

Northern Ireland’s retail sector is in crisis.  Insolvencies are hitting both small independent retailers and well known high street brands.  Even when some companies such as HMV have emerged from administration, there has been a substantial reduction in their retail presence in Northern Ireland.   The latest figures from the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium (NIRC)

Northern Ireland is lined up for some very helpful and very large funding from the European Investment Bank.  The EIB is keen to lend hundreds of millions of pounds to Northern Ireland to help improve our economy and infrastructure and strengthen our universities.  Roads are set to be the next beneficiary.   The EIB is

Comparisons between Northern Ireland’s public spending and that of the other parts of the UK are revealing.  That Northern Ireland spends most on policing and security is to be expected.  Similarly, it is no surprise that our segregated education system and many vacant school places come at a high price.  But it is less obvious

Up Northern Ireland’s unemployment rose 1.5% in the last year and 0.4% in the last quarter, as measured by the Labour Force Survey.  It now stands at 8.4%, compared to the UK rate of 7.9%. Production sector output rose by 0.3% in the last quarter, but fell 3.2% in the last year. Service sector output rose

Northern Ireland’s retail sector is in crisis. Insolvencies are hitting both small independent retailers and well known high street brands. Even when some companies such as HMV have emerged from administration, there has been a substantial reduction in their retail presence in Northern Ireland. The latest figures from the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium (NIRC) provide

1. Can you provide an update of development plans for the Belfast campus? In March 2012, the University of Ulster submitted a planning application for its new £250 million Belfast city campus which will provide our students and staff with a dynamic, state of the art learning and research facility in the heart of the

Business Month – December 2011 Up and down Up Average weekly earnings in Northern Ireland rose 1.5% in the last year. Incomes are 20% below the UK average, but the trend is contrary to the UK as a whole – where earnings remained stable. VAT in Ireland is to rise from 21% to 23% in

Up UK inflation rose to 5.2% in September, up from 4.5% in August. China’s inflation rate has risen to 6.1%, having averaged 4.25% in recent years. United States’ inflation rose to 3.9% in September, up from 3.8% in August. Heating fuel costs have risen 49% since the onset of the financial crisis in August 2007.

Northern Ireland’s latest unemployment figures are very worrying. An extra 500 people began claiming unemployment benefit in September. The unemployment rate here is now 7.6% – up from 7.0% a year ago, though still below the UK average of 8.1% This may see reassuring, but it is not. Northern Ireland has a vast troop of

For several years, the default position for major public infrastructure projects in the UK has been the Private Finance Initiative. But the situation has abruptly changed in recent months, with the coalition government taking action on the public spending deficit and so reducing the build-up of future liabilities. Concerns about PFI have been added to