In a wide ranging response to the Department of Enterprise Trade and Investment's Corporate Plan, the NW's leading business representation organisation has called on the government to "review the proliferation of literature produced by the public sector".

The Chamber response asks, "In a small region of 1.7 million people do we really need all these over-lapping visions, plans and policies aimed at tackling real and in some cases perceived structural weaknesses in the Northern Ireland economy"

In advance of setting out their specific comments in relation to the DETI plan, Chamber CEO Janice Tracey uses this opportunity to outline the raft of layers of strategies that have gone before. She comments in the document, "The Chamber has set out this strategic economic policy context in detail to illustrate how bewildering economic strategy making in Northern Ireland has become. We are calling on DETI and other Central Government Departments to review the proliferation of literature produced by the public sector on the economy and to consider how it might be reduced and simplified to make it more intelligible both to business in Northern Ireland and to the wider general public. The practical co-ordination and delivery of the various goals and targets set out in the multiplicity of all the documents produced must surely be an impossible task, particularly over a three year period at the end of which we will see yet another Corporate plan or policy document produced which contains no assessment or evaluation of the previous document which it is replacing."

The response outlines the following:

"Overarching economic policy direction is contained in the Programme for Government 2008-2011, which states its priority aim as "growing a dynamic, innovative economy."

"Second in the strategic economic context hierarchy is the Northern Ireland Economic Vision."

"Third in the economic hierarchy is the Northern Ireland Regional Economic Strategy (which, we understand, is currently under revision)".

"Fourth in the hierarchy is the current draft DETI Corporate Plan with its three Public Service Agreement Priorities".

"Fifth in the economic hierarchy comes DETI's Non Departmental Public Bodies each with their Corporate Plans and Action Plans."

The Chamber continues, "This is a system which does not inspire confidence in its target readers and seems unlikely to be able to deliver measurable improvements in economic performance in Northern Ireland".

.As far as key drivers in Northern Ireland are concerned the Chamber believes that there are two fundamental drivers which need to receive much more emphasis than they presently do under Government policy. These are the two interlinked drivers of human capital and innovation

The Chamber firmly believes that a much more intensive, sustained and better co-ordinated effort is required in Northern Ireland and especially in the most deprived and disadvantaged areas to improve radically the overall levels of educational attainment. Without properly equipped players we will never compete effectively in the knowledge game no matter how persuasive the DETI Corporate Plan may be!

Innovation has long been a permanent part of the EU economic reform agenda and the Chamber would wish to see this driver coming second to improving the educational and skill levels of our human capital in Northern. No single measure is sufficient, rather a package of measures. Funding for innovation must be increased, the regulatory environment must become more supportive of innovation, demand for innovation must be actively increased and co-operation between higher education, research and industry must be improved. We accept that there is of course an innovation strategy for Northern Ireland but we believe that this issue should receive much more emphasis and importance in the DETI Corporate Plan.

Finally the Chamber notes the priority accorded to improving the Tourism infrastructure in Northern Ireland but wonders what place this should have in a Central Government plan given the plethora of Tourism bodies which presently exist in both parts of Ireland. The Chamber believes that whilst tourism infrastructure is important much remains to be done in Northern Ireland to improve the quality of the tourism experience for visitors. This again is an issue which needs to be tackled through knowledge, training and skills for those who work in the tourism industry at all levels and for those hoping to make a career in that sector.