The Tourism Minister, Arlene Foster MLA, today told the Northern Ireland Assembly that tourism in Northern Ireland was suffering because of Air Passenger Duty (APD) and that the regions of the UK needed to make the case to the Chancellor.
Ulster Unionist Leader, Mike Nesbitt MLA, said:
“This highlights a weakness of the Stormont House Agreement, which makes no reference to APD in the section that defines the further tax powers that should be devolved.
"Given Northern Ireland is more dependent than any other region of the UK except the Highlands and Islands of Scotland on air transport, is it not extraordinary that the DUP did not push the cause Mrs Foster so clearly feels is an important lever to achieving tourism growth.
"The new arrangements for promoting tourism should be given every chance to succeed and we wish Tourism NI well, but to maximise its potential, we have to ask why there was a failure of joined up thinking from the DUP on the important issue of air transport."