Rose Conway-Walsh on Western Economic Corridor and Green Energy

Thanks Orla and thanks Paul and Aidan for their presentations and I think the good work that you do there in terms of the collaborations is widely known across the island and internationally and I think a lot of other areas have an awful lot to learn from you so I want to commend everybody involved in that for the great work that you're doing and the Northwest Strategic Partnership and the positive cross-border collaboration that's there and I think we can see the benefits from it in every area you've out outlined a lot of them in your previous answers and in your presentation so just a couple of questions I suppose coming from Mayo as well I don't buy into the just Derry, Belfast and Dublin circle we're looking at the Western obviously the Western Economic Corridor and what can be developed there and we're very enthusiastic about the possibilities and the opportunities around the Atlantic University there so my first question would probably be that because I note everything that you're talking about in terms of the opportunities around the 500 million market in the EU and access to the British market and all that but the real challenge will be skilled labour force so how we can work on that so the opportunities that can present and what we can do from this end as well in terms of the Atlantic a technological university there and then also in terms of the opportunities of the green agenda the collaboration there the opportunities for investment and growth for renewable energies in the Northwest and the West as well so maybe those two first questions see how we go for time thanks Okay Aidan would you like to take the Western Atlantic one I can take the one on the green energy if that's Yeah absolutely no that's great and Rose thank you again very much for your questions there absolutely agree with you the in terms of the economic corridor and it's I had a meeting with the Dublin Belfast economic corridor folks there this week see what's happening there very exciting and again you know that cross border element features really heavily in order to make that whole thing work the Western corridor absolutely we can see the green shoots as it were the Atlantic University is a really welcome asset for the region the letter Kenny has worked very hard to get to that stage and then engaging with businesses to help develop those courses those research projects and all to get to that stage the magic ingredient in all this is the The magic ingredient in all this is there's three three things that need to work and need to be tied together that is the business community academia and government local government whether that's councils or whether that's the regional or national governments you know like the assembly or the Irish government those are the three things if they're tied together then the magic happens we have got great opportunity with what is happening you know along in Donegal there's certainly ambition there's certainly ambition there things are changing we're seeing more inquiries about dairy we're seeing a levelling up both from you know a Northern Ireland perspective that there should be and will be more investment into the Northwest and then the same sort of narrative from the Irish government as well talking about levelling up from a regional perspective with Donegal that all comes together I think we are you know we will have a really good recipe for for success in terms of economic growth for success in terms of economic growth and to address you know your point there about the skilled labour labour force as I said you know before that's number one priority that is the thing that we have to get right and that's how academia is so important maybe maybe I could jump in there Rose as well and just compliment Aidan there he said in his in relation to we had an energy conference there not so long ago in Derry in the City Hotel and was very interesting to hear from manufacturers and transport organisation things what the challenges are for them and waste management companies as well but and Sony gave a presentation there they're the distributor of electricity in Northern Ireland and you know you're right the Northwest and and and your region as well of course it's a huge wind opportunity there but we if we are producing energy there we should use it locally rather than losing it in in you know transporting that energy somewhere else so there is a great opportunity to change the way we look at we produce how we produce energy and where we produce it and if we have a strategic plan together we should be encouraging manufacturing to be as close to where the actual energy is produced and change that whole mindset mindset and I think there's a business opportunity there that we are certain that we are we're wrapping business around but what we're doing I think we're starting the conversation about where the opportunities are from a business perspective I mean if I take an example of the medical school coming to to McGee here some business have fallen out of that already medical masks have started one of our members to start a new business in parallel to their own business and once you start that discussion and you make people aware of it then people look at the region in a different way and have a different mindset to it and I think with hybrid working with the whole energy thing there I think there's a great joined up approach that can be there to put that business to put that business together for the north west region and energy plays a huge part in that overall solution and could bring new types of jobs to the region and again it's tapping in that education bit we touched on earlier to making sure we have the right skills in place so we're ready to embrace those technologies when they come on board and we make that transition absolutely absolutely absolutely I couldn't agree more and I think with I suppose with the GMIT as well and even the Mayo campus and the collaboration there between Mayo University Hospital and then with McGee as well I think we need to look toward we have successes and we have successful programs that you know yourself that you're involved in some of them across the island how concerned would you be about the the student mobility across the island say the north south north south south north so few students I know they do more in kind of your own region but overall in terms of what what can we do more do you think to encourage that to encourage north south student mobility at both at undergraduate and postgraduate level Well I think having having the right courses here and attracting you know like the medical school I mean what there has been some analysis done on that when you have course that people want to they will travel there they will live there and some actually stay there and continue to live there with their families afterwards or if they do leave they come back so it is about creating those courses I've no doubt that if we created a bunch of courses in the north west around green energy and people will come to those because they're the jobs of the future and you know they're the skills that are we're going to need so I think it's having that overall strategic plan where the skills gaps can be filled and making sure the colleges and universities are providing the courses that the businesses need in order to develop and grow and hope the students you create the courses I think the students will follow I think in a skill in equestrian college is a good example of that where they have 50 50 north south student mobility there and it's that type of niche the course the way they have developed it but certainly I do think in terms of of the green energy and the courses that can be done there and specifically to attract people into it and I'm hoping that with the castles report that may address the funding model we have for third level will address some of the funding issues that are there that I think prevent some of the third level institutions from being as creative and innovative as they could be where the core funding to be looked at so that we're not always looking at international students as cash cows and that we you know look right across the island for the opportunities that are there I'll just say finally I'm really pleased that you have such an interest in the all island strategic rail review because again in terms of the western rail corridor and the developments there I think that's hugely important for us in the west that we have the connectivity there so my our 15 minutes is up so I just want to thank you again for the work that you're doing No I thought it might come up at some stage today and I was going to mention about McGinley's bus only for McGinley's bus I don't think we'd have any connectivity in the north west or TransLink as well so we owe a lot to that company for keeping everything all the whole economy going over the years but I want to be able to catch the train from from Castle Bar to get to Belfast and go by Derry and then anybody traveling from Dublin to Derry at the moment I mean the road is appalling once you cross the border and whatever about trains we need to get cars and buses and lorries on that road as quickly as we can safely Claire Hannah from the SCRP and then the lines after that Stephen come ahead Claire okay thank you thank you very much chair and thank you to the witnesses it's been a really really interesting um conversation and good that you're so um technically engaged in all of those issues I mean particularly that that cross-border um tax I know Colin Eastwood and I had had had met with the group um before such it's important generally to to guard against wherever it comes from um borderism and just just uh barriers to to trade and life um on the island and just in order to kind of realize the big opportunity of people changing how they want to work and live and uh after the pandemic and there's real regeneration uh opportunities from the north west in terms of people being able to to to work remotely and and live so agree uh with you entirely and where you're coming from and all of that and also on the importance of of of the rail review I I think as people say nothing more nakedly lays out the impact of of of partition and then under investment in in in the west and northwest generally um than looking at the the rail map and in terms of connectivity and the economy of of of of the future it's it's really critical I know that's a really important piece of work and it's uh by the two ministers so I'm really glad um you're you're on to it just I don't want to over um lay what colleagues have already raised so just had two um specific questions flowing from all of our uh Brexit outworkings and one is I mean obviously we don't anticipate um the grace periods ending uh anytime soon and obviously hope that um going forward you know the the level of of of checking is as unobtrusive as as as it can be but we know that there there will have to be some um I think are you still operating with temporary infrastructure um in terms of any of your checking capacity and is are there issues around that around um the the installation and provision of more uh permanent infrastructure as regards any any um you know protocol and post-Brexit checks you need to be also then um around we're talking about how workforce and access to to uh people is is so critical to to businesses and just the dynamism of of the region and um I don't know uh the the whole ETA issue and and of of um EA nationals and other non-British and Irish citizens requiring um electronic uh certification to cross the border I mean I think that has the potential to be absolutely devastating to a lot of just it creates a border for different categories of citizens but obviously you can see many ways in which it would impede businesses in terms of movement of their own human resources and obviously huge impacts for tourism just with all of the um all of the the visitors that go north who but who arrive in through through Dublin and I wonder is that something that's on your radar um or or have you any thoughts on and then finally just because um I know it's it's it's there's different views out there where are you guys on the uh potential Freeport um concept and um how do you think it would work um for the region thank you yeah um well just on the Freeport one um and I think Brian McGrath is going to be on the call as I understand after this so it's not one that I'd have a lot of expertise to to talk about really I don't have a lot of detail on it I'm not sure Aidan have you any more on that you could add on the Foyport bit um you know what you you've got the the expert coming on uh shortly in terms of that um I wouldn't like to contaminate any with any information that would um that's not coming from an expert area of expertise but Claire your your point there about you know the uh EU citizens piece is absolutely on our radar as well it has the potential um to a lesser degree than the issue we talk about you know with our you know our ROA colleagues that are uh crossing uh are working from home it still does have the potential to have an impact we've got companies such as Seagate um in Derry who have very very niche skills requirements um and they look um you know well beyond the the island of Ireland for those skills they're going into Europe France Italy Spain for very very specific skills in around physics and um you know material science and things so that's a company that one of our members that would certainly be um concerned um from from a mobility perspective and having EU citizens been able to um continue to work from them because it could very well be that they they're living on either side of the border it doesn't specifically mean that because Seagate's in Derry that they're all living in Derry as such um that's what I would say on that matter um Paul the infrastructure I know that's I know on the infrastructure one that's a that's a port issue as well but so don't don't don't feel the need to yeah but but you're right Hannah anything that stops or has a barrier and be it visible or invisible you know in terms of of the the hinterland we'll call it here is not good you know and we want freedom of movement um on both sides of the border all nationalities because we need everybody to make this place work um so certainly we don't want any any uh obstacles electronic certification it's come on the radar we haven't done anything as a chamber yet we haven't made an official response on it but it's something that's in the ether at the minute being discussed and we're just watching it closely as a watching brief but um that's that's where we are in relation to the Brexit outworkings and the checking the temporary arrangements I don't have a lot of information on that myself Hannah to be quite honest on that in terms of I know the SBS checks have been reduced I mean um you know I'm hoping as a chamber from our members perspective that we get a resolution as as soon as we possibly can to give that stability we so badly need to get that investment we were talking about earlier on where businesses want to invest in the region but they won't until they have that certainty absolutely certainly and clinical stability thanks thanks very much chair that's that's sold for me for for the section thanks Stephen