Ulster Unionist economy spokesperson Steve Aiken MLA has said that the Opposition will ensure that the issue of a dedicated manufacturing strategy remains on the agenda at Stormont.
Mr Aiken said:
“At the very first plenary sitting of the new Northern Ireland Assembly on 6 June, in our first debate as the Official Opposition, the Ulster Unionist Party proposed a motion simply calling for the new Executive to commission a manufacturing strategy for Northern Ireland. For reasons which were not made clear during the actual debate, the motion was rejected by a combination of the DUP and Sinn Fein.
“However, the issue has not disappeared, and it is crystal clear that a wider section of the community, as represented by both Unite the Union and Manufacturing NI, continue to support our position which we set out in the debate on 6 June and in our Assembly manifesto.
“The Minister for the Economy should not reject a policy proposal simply because it comes from the Opposition. The DUP have never been reluctant about stealing Ulster Unionist policies in the past, they should not be so coy now.
“To ensure that this issue does not fall off the agenda at Stormont, we will be re-tabling our motion at the Assembly when the new session starts in September.”