Business Month

The argument over whether the Republic of Ireland should have raised its corporation tax rate as a condition for receiving European Union bail-out support shows just how important the tax rate is. France and Germany sought to push the rate up, regarding Ireland as competing unfairly for foreign direct investment. Ireland, of course, won that […]

Back in 2008, it all looked so promising. With a fanfare and all round delight, the 10 year Investment Strategy for Northern Ireland was published. It may not have promised the world, but it did apparently commit to enough infrastructure renewal to accelerate our economic growth and improve public services. In all, £19.3bn was to

Public sector administration and public service delivery are being reshaped – in Great Britain. But as the UK Government adopts radical policies to create a ‘Big Society’ in which charities are increasingly being contracted to deliver public services, is there any chance that a similar revolution will happen in Northern Ireland? A UK government green

Infrastructure is usually a barrier for Northern Ireland’s businesses that creates a competitive disadvantage. But with telecoms, Northern Ireland is actually moving ahead of the rest of the UK and most of Europe. Two major projects are giving Northern Ireland its strong position: the roll-out by BT of super-fast broadband; and Hibernian Atlantic’s Project Kelvin

Northern Ireland Water has had a difficult time since it converted to a Government-owned company – GoCo – in 2007. It has been mired in a series of controversies: problems have included serious billing errors, bitter recriminations over its loss of two permanent and one interim chief executives and last December’s debacle over pipe bursts.

The main UK banks have reached agreement with the Treasury to increase lending to small and growing businesses – providing an extra 15% in loans, while also supporting the UK’s regional growth agenda. Very good news it might seem. But just what is this likely to mean in practice for Northern Ireland? The fear is

Chancellor George Osborne announced in the Budget that 21 new enterprise zones would be created in England, offering up to 100% discounts on council rates, access to new superfast broadband and enhanced capital allowances to promote the manufacturing sector. The devolved governments of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales are encouraged to adopt similar policies to

The UK’s largest provider of residential care homes, Southern Cross, is struggling to survive. The company operates 751 care homes across the UK, accommodating about 31,000 residents. Over 20 of these homes are in Northern Ireland – the future of which is now uncertain. A deal has been done to keep Southern Cross going for

To suggest that Northern Ireland has a skills crisis might sound melodramatic, yet the description is accurate.  The word ‘crisis’ often infers a sudden event, an instantaneous problem.  By contrast, our skills crisis has been years in the making and reflects, at least in part, a lack of focus on educational attainment and aspiration during

Going up – going down   Cotton prices [going up]   Increased demand for cotton from Chinese manufacturers has pushed up cotton prices to a record high.  The United States’ Department of Agriculture has warned that at current levels, world demand will create ‘severe shortages’.  The continuing rise in raw material costs is expected to

Some of the world’s largest and best-known companies may invest in Northern Ireland as a result of the forthcoming investment conference in Washington, the US economic envoy Declan Kelly told Business Month in an exclusive interview.  It is hoped that the conference will lead to more than a dozen major new investment projects being launched

The latest high profile attack on Northern Ireland’s planning system came from Ryanair as it pulled out of Belfast City Airport.  The airline wants an extension to the runway, enabling it to launch longer flights to European destinations and heavier passenger loads to British airports.   Ryanair’s Michael O’Leary used uncharacteristically restrained language to express