MEMBERS of the north's largest business support group the Federation of Small Businesses has directly lobbied Secretary of State Chris Heaton-Harris on a number of key issues including the implementation of the Windsor Framework, finding a solution to the stalled political process at Stormont, and also the rates disparity with the rest of the UK in sectors such as hospitality and retail.
Mr Heaton-Harris visited FSB's Belfast offices last week for a meeting hosted by the body's regional policy chair Alan Lowry and Northern Ireland FSB head Roger Pollen, along with a number of members from a broad spectrum of businesses.
Mr Lowry said afterwards: “I was delighted the Secretary of State was able to hear directly from businesses about the challenges they are facing and the opportunities that lie ahead, both from the implementation of the Windsor Framework as well as the stalled political process at Stormont.
“We've lobbied relentlessly for changes to improve the NI Protocol, so were greatly encouraged by the efforts the UK Government and the EU made - firstly to understand the issues and then to reach agreement in the Windsor Framework to provide joint solutions.
“The meeting let us explore the implementation and potential operation of the Windsor Framework, which we want to succeed so that it provides certainty for businesses.
“To ensure that happens, businesses need to understand how it will actually be applied, as officials continue to work through the detail of transforming political agreement into operational requirements. Getting that balance right will be crucial.”
Mr Heaton-Harris engaged openly with FSB members around the boardroom table and emphasised the need to guard against the ‘gold-plating’ of regulations whereby over-zealous interpretation and application of a political agreement can cause new problems for businesses keen to get on with doing business within the UK internal market and the EU single market.
Mr Lowry added: “We also raised the inequity of businesses in the hospitality, retail and leisure sectors in England and Wales being able to avail of a 75 per cent discount on their business rates, yet in Northern Ireland, where the need is equally great, our small businesses in these sectors are currently getting no assistance.
“We also made the point that although this might best be achieved by restoration of the Executive, it would be intolerable for SMEs to be punished and damaged during the hiatus until that occurs.
“Another major issue we raised was the disparity in childcare provision between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom, which feeds directly into our grim statistic of having substantially higher economic inactivity than anywhere else in these islands.
“We recognise that has to change, but to do so we need to help those who want to get into work or start up a new business. The provision of proper childcare support is a vital component in the overall plan. Very regrettably this is another area where the lack of having an Executive is actively halting progress.”
Mr Lowry said that in this period marking the 25th anniversary of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement, it was also important to look to the future as well as marking the past.
“Members were keen to emphasise the appetite for success that small businesses have and how important it is to create the right environment for growth.
“We need to ensure that the huge amount of international goodwill that is being renewed on this anniversary - as well as the visit of US President Joe Biden, is harnessed, so that when potential investors arrive seeking to invest, we are properly geared up to present a compelling case and maximise every opportunity that comes our way.”
3. The Federation of Small Businesses is the UK`s largest business support group.
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