The North envies the Republic's growth record and is keen to copy its success, the North's Minister of Finance and Personnel has told a major international finance conference in Belfast. Mr Mark Durkan believes Northern Ireland has much to learn from the South's performance but he said the reasons behind the Republic's economic boom are not crystal clear.

Welcoming a group of international economists to Northern Ireland yesterday for the first time, Mr Durkan said he hoped that the "Money, Macro and Finance Research Group" conference, at Queen's University today and tomorrow, would shed some light on the Republic's recent economic history.

The acclaimed research group, with more than 400 members, is a leading forum for monetary economists in Britain. Up to 100 delegates from around the world are attending and will examine issues such as the euro, globalisation and growth rates in the Irish economy.