Economic expansion in the North will be held back unless urgent action is taken to solve a skills shortage, business bosses warned the Assembly today.

Stemming the brain drain and attracting top graduates from elsewhere is vital for the future of the North's economy, business leaders said today.

More ambition is needed on an all-Ireland level to deal with the issues of waste, spatial planning, transport and education, it was claimed tonight.

Northern business leaders told Tony Blair today that economic measures were needed to back the hopes for political progress.