Greater cooperation promised at trilateral meeting

Finance Minister Nigel Dodds has met with his Scottish and Welsh counterparts where he discussed what could be done to help the devolved administrations cope with the economic downtown.

Speaking from London where the meeting was held he said: “I welcomed this opportunity to meet with Scottish Finance Secretary, John Swinney and the Welsh Minister for Finance and Public Service Delivery, Andrew Davies. In a very constructive meeting we discussed our shared concerns about the ongoing economic and financial crisis.

“We have much in common, including a strong desire to alleviate hardship for those worst affected by the current downturn.

“Between us we agreed to cooperate as appropriate to deal with common issues in the interest of our respective devolved administrations. I believe that the UK regions can register a much stronger case by approaching HM Treasury on a collective basis.”

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