Northern Ireland public spending highest in UK - £14,020 per head

[BelfastTelegraph.co.uk](#) Wednesday 24 May 2017 [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Google Plus]( [Email](mailto:digital.editorial@belfasttelegraph.co.uk) Business Headlines Today's Top Story [Deficit: Esmond Birnie] [Northern Ireland public spending highest in UK - £14,020 per head]( Northern Ireland has the highest level of public spending of any region in the UK, new figures have shown. Main Headlines [The group has recently completed a B Q store closure programme]( [B&Q owner Kingfisher posts drop in sales amid slowdown at French division]( Sales at B&Q owner Kingfisher dipped in the first quarter after a slowdown at the firm's French division hit its performance. [Disappointment: Martin Beck]( [Government borrowing was £10.4bn for April]( By Ben Woods The Government borrowed a surprise £10.4bn last month in the final update on its finances before the general election. [Retail sales were significantly slower than last month]( [UK High Street sales flat for May as public feels pinch]( By Staff Reporter UK retail sales were flat in May after a strong April as financially pressed households led to "tepid" trading conditions. [Topps Tiles said it was "prudent", regarding second-half performance]( [Topps Tiles sees half-year profits slide]( By Ravender Sembhy Profits at Topps Tiles slumped in the first half of the year as the tiling retailer flagged up a slowing housing market and challenging market conditions. [Florence Court is one of McAleer & Teague’s projects]( [Firm behind Northern Ireland listed-building restorations sees surge in earnings]( By John Mulgrew An engineering firm which has carried out works on some of Northern Ireland's top listed buildings has seen its pre-tax profits triple. [James McLaughlin of JCL Contracts (centre) with Trevor Kennedy (left) and Jim Burke of Hagan Homes]( [Antrim housing scheme to create 50 jobs but sector is still facing 'challenges']( By John Mulgrew Around 50 construction jobs are to be created with a new £9.5m housing development in Co Antrim. Hagan Homes is to build 78 new houses in Ballyclare at a site on the Fairview Farm Road, with the entire scheme due to take around four years to complete. Opinion [From the criminal's perspective, the internet is an enormous gift (File image)]( [Businesses must be aware of the risk posed by hackers]( By Philip O'Kane The internet has created a criminal ecosystem that supports the development, deployment and financial mechanisms to maintain malware as a profitable industry. [By Maxine Orr, partner and specialist in employment law, Worthingtons Solicitors: How status of the individual could become the deciding factor in employment rights]( The status of an individual is very important when considering what rights exist in employment law. There are numerous cases considering what constitutes an employee or worker under various pieces of employment legislation and many often turn on their specific facts. [By Charlie Kerlin, director, Corporate Finance, Grant Thornton NI: Accelerating your growth with private equity funds]( Confusion still reigns within SMEs in relation to what private equity actually does and their approach to investing in companies. At a recent funding event, one private equity provider described PE as "neither the devil nor Mother Teresa". [NEWS]( | [SPORT]( | [BUSINESS]( | [ENTERTAINMENT]( | [LIFE]( [Video]( [Gallery]( [INM]( [Contact us]( [Privacy Statement]( Follow us on [Facebook]( [Twiiter]( [Google Plus]( Please add noreply@email.belfasttelegraph.co.uk to your Address Book to ensure that the Weekly Business Digest newsletter reaches your inbox Please do not reply to this email as we are unable to respond. If you have any questions or feedback, please visit the [contact us]( section of our website. You can check out our [Privacy Statement and Cookie Policy]( for full information about how we collect and use information about you. Although we have taken steps to ensure this email and any attachments are virus-free, we cannot guarantee this to be the case as it has been sent over a public network. You are responsible for maintaining appropriate security protection for your devices. This email is from [BelfastTelegraph.co.uk](, part of Independent News & Media PLC. Our registered company number is 1908967 and our registered address is 39 Welbeck Street, London, UK, W1G 8D, UK. All Rights Reserved If you no longer wish to receive the Weekly Business Digest newsletter, please [click here](. To manage your INM account settings please [click here](. Please note that this message was sent to the following email address: {EMAIL}