AQW 22510/22-27

Ms Kate Nicholl
Alliance Party
South Belfast

Tabled Date: 13/02/2025
Answered On Date: 24/02/2025
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister for the Economy to detail (i) which Local Economic Partnerships have met since the previous Minister's announcement on boosting regional economic performance; (ii) when those meetings took place; and (iii) the outcomes from those meetings.

Answer:

Three Local Economic Partnerships (LEPs) have met to date in January and February 2025 – Antrim and Newtownabbey, Mid and East Antrim, and Newry Mourne and Down; Derry City and Strabane intend to meet by the end of February. Remaining councils are planning their Partnerships, with support from the Department and Invest NI, and are expected to meet in March, although in many cases this is dependent on council ratification processes.

Initial meetings have predominantly focused on logistics – discussing and agreeing the Terms of Reference, membership, what supporting data for the area is required, and ongoing scheduling. Further LEP meetings are progressing to map out their local economic priorities and subsequent areas of focus for potential projects to be funded for delivery.