The Northern Ireland Audit Office has heavily criticised the province’s attempts to lure foreign investment in a report published today.
It says the recent policy of targeting areas of greatest deprivation has enjoyed limited success. Six designated hardship areas have received no new inward investment projects in the past two years.
It adds only 11% of 102 projects promoted in the nine years to March last year achieved their jobs’ targets.
It comes as the government prepares to hand over responsibility for foreign investment promotion to the new Northern Ireland assembly.
Financial Times 29/10/98 page 8
