In what was described as "evidence of the seriousness" which the development of North-South economic links could receive should the Good Friday agreement be implemented, 13 of the 24 SDLP members of the Northern Ireland Assembly were in Dublin yesterday for the publication of the party's policy document on the topic.
The SDLP spokesman of employment and economy, Mr Sean Farren, said that in recent years people in the North had looked "enviously across the Border to see the tremendous strides in the economy" in the Republic.
The policy document, entitled Implementing the Good Friday Agreement: North-South Economic and Social Development, notes that "the goal in both North and South is to raise the level of GDP or GNP per head, thereby increasing local standards of living in a context that guarantees justice and equality of opportunity for all".
The document says the subvention which the North receives from the British Exchequer influences "every corner of the Northern economy". Figures published by the SDLP show this subvention supports jobs in the Northern public sector to the extent of about 33 per cent of total employment compared with 22 per cent in the UK as a whole. It also says the Northern economy needs to embark on restructuring "away from the dominance of the public sector and low-wage traditional industries."