NI Minister’s poor phone reception at Armagh press conference on connectivity and Levelling Up

The Minister of State was in Armagh to discuss the government’s Levelling Up strategy and improving connectivity across Northern Ireland.

A telephone link to Mr Burn’s press conference at Armagh’s Palace Demesne on Thursday had to be abandoned due to a poor connection.

The Minister, who was in Armagh to back its bid for City of Culture 2025, was also backing the newly published Mid South West Regional Growth Deal which aims to supercharge the economy.

The Deal has four pillars including boosting innovation and digital capacity in the Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon, Mid Ulster and Fermanagh and South Tyrone Councils’ areas.

Speaking to this reporter from his car en route to Belfast Mr Burns was asked what the government could do practically about the poor mobile and internet service in parts of NI.

Mr Burns said: “Within the Levelling Up White Paper and various other bits of things the government is doing through the Shared Prosperity Fund, through the Union Connectivity Review - all these things are all about connections, connectivity, infrastructure - doing things that make the arteries of commerce be the railway, road improvements or indeed superfast broadband, making those widely available.

“Anyone who lives in Northern Ireland knows there are challenges with broadband but crucially this is not the UK government descending from Whitehall to tell communities, local authorities, business groups in NI what they should do. This is us working with them, listening to them in partnership with colleagues in the Executive, with local authorities, with local Chambers of Commerce and so on.”

Asked if the government would be putting funding into the area, Mr Burns said: “Well if you look at the City Growth Deal in the wider Mid Ulster area, we have already put £124m in there and that has been match fund by the Executive which has had the biggest financial settlement this year since Devolution began in NI.

“Then there is the Shared Prosperity Fund which is money that will come through Levelling Up. The money in that sense is present and real and will flow. It is about making sure that it is coordinated and targeted to areas and projects where it will have a beneficial impact and people will be able to see the difference it is making.”

Asked if this funding will be channelled through the Executive, Mr Burns said some of it will be done through local authorities in partnership with the Executive match funding.

“We don’t want to get too hung up on what is the technicalities of the way the monies are delivered. What is much more important is what the money will do and the impact the monies have on the communities and lives of people here in NI.”

Querying the impact the collapse of the Executive will have on the ability to deliver these monies, Mr Burns responded: “We are committed to Levelling Up through the City Deal plans to get alongside the people of NI and communities of NI and we will carrying on doing that and will work with whatever the political and organisational infrastructure is.

“It is clearly in the interests of the people of NI that there is a stable and functioning Executive here. We will work with them as we will work with local authorities.”

Mr Burns said: “Nothing will diminish our resolve and determination to level up all parts of the United Kingdom and that includes Northern Ireland. We will work with whatever the situation is here politically to deliver for the people of Northern Ireland.”

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