Adams welcomes West Belfast investment announcement

West Belfast MP Gerry Adams on Wednesday welcomed the application by the West Belfast Taskforce Joint Working Group to the Integrated Development Fund, to secure the economic regeneration of West Belfast.

"I would hope that today marks a turning point in the process of regenerating West Belfast," said the Sinn Féin leader. "The bid is ambitious and of a scale to make real change across the constituency. It contains projects which, taken together, will make a real change to the people of West Belfast and contribute significantly to the economy of all of Belfast."

The projects included in the bid are designed to complement each other and build a holistic approach to regeneration. They seek to promote West Belfast as a place to invest in, they seek to break down the barriers to employment and to build on the positives aspects of life in West Belfast.

"When I first urged for the establishment of an Economic Taskforce for West Belfast over a decade ago," said Adams, "it was in belief that the poverty facing the community was not intractable. It could be ended by positive action to redress inequality. We needed a co-ordinated strategic plan devised and agreed by Government Departments, local business people and community organisations.

"This work was progressed under the sponsorship of local Ministers and the Taskforce Report was delivered on time reflecting the urgency of situation across West Belfast.

"Our task now has to make the Taskforce Report a reality. The establishment of the Employment Services Board last month was an important part of this implementation. The application to the Integrated Development Fund is another.

"I will be meeting with the Industry Minister, Barry Gardiner MP to urge the full adoption of this application and the development of other Taskforce proposals."

Adams added that he hoped the urgency of the situation would be reflected in the government's consideration of the bid.