By David Thompson

Copyright newsletter

The Sinn Fein economy minister has not responded to requests for comment from the News Letter on the investment from Bank of America since it was announced over a fortnight ago, and First Minister Michelle O’Neill skipped a meeting with the bank when its representatives visited Stormont. Sinn Fein has also declined to say whether its attitude to the investment is related to the party’s stance on the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza. The bank has faced criticism from left-wing and pro-Palestine groups over links to Israel. Ms Archibald’s officials were questioned on why the minister has been silent on the jobs boost during a meeting of Stormont’s economy committee yesterday. Ian Snowden, permanent secretary of the Department for Economy (DfE), rejected assertions from DUP MLAs that the minister had not welcomed the investment – stating that she had backed it in a press release issued by the UK government. The Department of Business and Trade (DBT) subsequently provided an email with comments from the minister which said NI was “firmly on the horizon of major global investors” – adding “my Department and Invest NI look forward to engaging with Bank of America to successfully implement these investments”. It is unclear how widely the comments were distributed – and DfE has not mentioned them when asked previously by the News Letter for any statements welcoming the move. Jonathan Buckley, who sits on the committee, told the News Letter the civil servant’s comments have “left us with more questions than answers” regarding the position of the Sinn Fein economy minister in relation to the 1,000 jobs. “Why is it so difficult for an economy minister to welcome such a considerable investment? “If she has an issue with Bank of America, or the United States as an investor she should simply come out and say so, rather than attempting to evade questions,” the DUP MLA added. During yesterday’s meeting, committee chair Phillip Brett said he could see statements on the DfE website which showed “one or two jobs” being welcomed by the minister – but nothing on the Bank of America (BoA) announcement. He asked Mr Snowden if there was a reason for this. “The investment of Bank of America in Northern Ireland was something that the UK government took forward, and it was negotiated and supported by the Department of Business and Trade. “They issued a press release in relation to it on the Saturday evening before the announcement was made, when President Trump was visiting. The department – or the minister – included a statement as part of that press release,” the permanent secretary said. Asked if it was an oversight that it had not been posted on the DfE website, Mr Snowden said it was part of a press release from the UK DBT but there was no separate communication from DfE. “To be fair, [DfE] has not provided any financial assistance to that investment. It would be difficult for us to take credit for it,” Mr Snowden said. Mr Brett pointed to a DfE press release on another UK government scheme to take students from Palestine – which had been welcomed by Ms Archibald. “Why then has the minister got a press statement welcoming that, but not 1,000 jobs?” the DUP MLA queried. Mr Snowden said the minister felt it was important to welcome the students – and said she had welcomed the jobs in “a statement in a press release”. The matter was also raised by DUP MLA Mr Buckley during the committee, who asked about meetings between the department and BoA officials. Mr Snowden confirmed that Invest NI had met the company, but nobody from DfE had attended. The permanent secretary also said that that minister had been unable to attend a meeting with BoA officials because of “pre-arranged appointments”. He confirmed that Invest NI had met the company, as they were the “best people to speak about that investment”. Asked by Mr Buckley if the minister had any plans to meet with BoA, Mr Snowden said: “I couldn’t answer that. I suppose the question whether it was appropriate for the minister to meet is one for politicians.” However, he said DfE officials would meet with them when they are back in Northern Ireland.