Written evidence submitted by the Northern Ireland, Department for the Economy (Arm’s length body – Labour Relations Agency) relating to the Investment in Northern Ireland inquiry INI0018
1. Steps the UK Government can take to encourage investment in Northern Ireland, including through the Shared Prosperity Fund, Levelling UP Fund and Internal Market Act.
LABOUR RELATIONS AGENCY
The Labour Relations Agency is working with ReWage in an advisory board member capacity to co-ordinate relevant primary research by leading universities on key areas such as productivity and more recently on the levelling up agenda in a regional context.
2. Steps the UK Government can take to ensure investment, including foreign direct investment, is economically effective.
LABOUR RELATIONS AGENCY
The Labour Relations Agency are working in partnership with Invest Northern Ireland on ensuring that from a compliance through to good practice perspective any Foreign Direct Investment projects are given the basis to ensure that economic effectiveness is not hindered by poor employment regulation or relations compliance matters.
3. The economic effectiveness of investment under the New Deal for Northern Ireland and New Decade, New Approach funding.
LABOUR RELATIONS AGENCY
The Labour Relations Agency facilitates the Northern Ireland Employment Relations Roundtable which strives towards consensus positions from all stakeholders on matters of employment contained within the New Decade New Approach agreement.
4. The potential effect of City Deals on economic growth in Northern Ireland.
LABOUR RELATIONS AGENCY
The Labour Relations Agency has been working in partnership with INI and the 11 regional local government councils (e.g.) Derry and Strabane, to address employment relations issue relevant to businesses as part of the city deal arrangement in that council area.
5. Steps that business can take to invest effectively in Northern Ireland.
N/A
6. Steps the UK Government can take to encourage investment that addresses the skills gap and increases employment opportunities for people with few or no qualifications.
LABOUR RELATIONS AGENCY
The Labour Relations Agency runs a certificate in effective line management to address the lack of people skills at front line supervisory management level to ensure that productivity, effectiveness and efficiency are not hindered by lack of people skills (eg – grievances, absences, poor productivity, litigation and so on.
7. The potential impact on investment of GB regulatory divergence from NI.
LABOUR RELATIONS AGENCY
Employment law in Northern Ireland is a devolved matter. Currently there are around 25 differences in employment law between NI and GB. There is no evidence to suggest that said differences have a chill factor on Foreign Direct Investment. Parity pathways in this area have not been a real issue since 1998 and this is a natural by-product of devolution.
8. Steps the UK Government can take to support the decarbonisation of industry in Northern Ireland and stimulate investment in a sustainable economy.
LABOUR RELATIONS AGENCY
The Labour Relations Agency has been at the forefront of the discussion on hybrid working post-Covid and has produced stakeholder endorsed guidance material on same. One of the positive aspects of this form of working is the positive climate impact achieved through the reduction in employee commuting and thus a greener approach to the “where” of work.
9. Delivery of the prosperity agenda of the Good Friday Agreement.
N/A
10. Relationships between schools and local Universities.
LABOUR RELATIONS AGENCY
The Labour Relations Agency co-designed and delivers Alternative Dispute Resolutions skills as part of the Ulster University post-graduate in NI Employment Law and Practice.
11. Assessments of the understanding of the importance of education.
N/A
12. Status of technical, vocational education and apprenticeships.
N/A
13. Identifying sectors of investment and employment potential
LABOUR RELATIONS AGENCY
The Labour Relations Agency is working in conjunction with lead bodies such as – Manufacturing NI, Hospitality Ulster, NI Retail Consortium to address issues pertaining to employment and skills in these targeted areas.
December 2021