'Cuts at Department for the Economy threaten long-term damage' - Sinéad McLaughlin

Cuts from the Department for the Economy (DfE) are threatening  to do "significant long-term damage" to the North's economy, according to SDLP Jobs and  Economy spokesperson, Sinéad McLaughlin.

It followed news that DfE’s budget will be £130m lower than previously expected.

The Department has said it is inevitable sectors supporting skills, further education and higher education will be affected.

Ms McLaughlin said: "After attending a briefing from Department for the Economy officials earlier today, it is clear that the scale of cuts proposed will have a profound, long-term impact on Northern Ireland’s economy.

“In particular, cuts to skills, further and higher education threaten the very areas of our economy which require investment most and undermine efforts to deal with our stubbornly high rate of economic inactivity. The need for higher level skills is at the heart of job creation and economic growth and any potential cuts to these sectors should be the cause for grave concern.

“It is clear that the austerity budget handed down by remote Tory Ministers to punish the DUP risks significant damage to the economic potential of Northern Ireland. An Assembly could not solve everything, but the sooner that we get back to work in order to start dealing with this crisis, the better.”