Commenting on the reshuffle in the Sinn Fein Ministerial team, Alan Lowry, FSB`s Policy Chair in Northern Ireland, said:
“On behalf of FSB in Northern Ireland I want to congratulate Caoimhe Archibald on being appointed as Economy Minister and we look forward to working with her and her team in the months and years ahead. During her time as Finance Minister we welcomed the opportunity to engage with her on a regular basis and the fact that her door was open to us on a range of issues. We hope that this will continue as she takes up the reins of the Department for the Economy which has laid out proposals for a number of pieces of legislation which are causing serious concern to small businesses.
“Whilst she was Finance Minister, Caoimhe Archibald was willing to engage on issues such as addressing the late payment of invoices by the public sector and also commissioned research into the cost of doing business. We welcome John O`Dowd as Caoimhe Archibald`s successor as Finance Minister and hope that he will continue that work.
“With the appointment of Liz Kimmins as Infrastructure Minister, she takes up another role which is central to creating a strong and successful economy, but she will have to tackle myriad challenges in the water and sewerage system, transport and more. At FSB our members look forward to working with the Minister to find solutions to the infrastructure problems that are hindering growth.”