Secretary of State Owen Paterson has welcomed the announcement by the Treasury this afternoon of an extension to the consultation on rebalancing the Northern Ireland economy. Submissions will now be accepted up until 1 July 2011.
The consultation deadline has been extended to ensure all interested parties have sufficient time to submit a response.
Owen Paterson said:
There is a strong consensus across the Northern Ireland business community in favour of devolving the power to set the rate of corporation tax. I would urge anyone who wants to see a more prosperous Northern Ireland torespondto this consultation.
The benefits of a bigger, stronger private sector would flow out into all areas of the economy.
Devolution of these powers is by no means a done deal and I need a strong message from Northern Ireland to take back to the Treasury saying this is what people in Northern Ireland want.
This extension provides a further week in which people from Northern Ireland can write in to the Treasury.
The consultation on rebalancing the Northern Ireland economy will now close on 1 July 2011, not 24 June 2011 as previously indicated.
Further details of the consultation can be found on the [HM Treasury website](http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/consult_rebalancing_ni_economy.htm_](http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/consult_rebalancing_ni_economy.htm)