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.