Parliament will need to approve the release of £1bn in funding for Northern Ireland promised to the Democratic Unionist party by Theresa May to secure its support after the general election, the government has conceded.
Challenged by the campaigner Gina Miller about the legal basis for releasing the funds, which have not yet been made available, the Treasury solicitor, who heads the Government Legal Department, said it “will have appropriate parliamentary authorisation”, adding: “No timetable has been set for the making of such payments.”
With no deal on Stormont returning between the DUP and Sinn Féin we should also ask who is going to be responsible for allocating the Money.We should be entitled to ask if this now lies with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland .
A Conservative MP on the Northern
Ireland Affairs Committee has said the government must deliver on its
promise to pay out £1bn after its deal with the Democratic Unionist
Party (DUP).
That came amid claims the Treasury was insisting it could only be spent by a functioning Northern Ireland Executive.
But Maria Caulfield has said she thinks Mr Wilson's demand is "reasonable".
The £1bn was negotiated by the DUP in June in return for its support for Prime Minister Theresa May's minority government in crucial votes in the House of Commons.
But no timescale was set for the deliver of the cash.
Ms Caulfield, the Tory MP for Lewes, told the BBC's The View programme that she wants to see the money paid "sooner rather than later".
"We've promised it - Northern Ireland and the assembly need that money in order to make long-term plans.
"Even if they got the money tomorrow that's going to take a while to filter through to the communities and projects and to the public sector, however they chose to spend it.
"So they do need that money - we've promised it and its needs to be delivered."
The Labour Party's Owen Smith, the shadow Northern Ireland secretary, takes a different view, saying it is "very hard" to see how it can be spent before power-sharing is restored at Stormont.
"It is the executive and the politicians on the ground in Northern Ireland who are best placed to determine where and how the money should be spent," he said.He added that there is a "legitimacy" in withholding that money "in order to put some pressure on the parties".
"That's why we should wait ideally until you get the executive back before spending it."
"They should all want to do the deal so they can spend that extra money on health and education and roads and infrastructure in Northern Ireland."
With a clear divide in the UK General Election Result (DUP Orange - Sinn Féin Green) if the Northern Assembly do not meet and reform and held and power held byThe Northern Ireland Executive which consists of the First Minister and deputy First Minister and various ministers with individual portfolios and remits. it is possible that if powers are retaken back by Westminster the DUP could influence the Secretary of State to favour the "Orange" areas.
The main Assembly parties appoint most ministers in the executive, except for the Minister of Justice who is elected by a cross-community vote. So not one Party are in power in Northern Ireland or even a coalition but nearly all have some portfolio.
This is a worrying situation which actually makes it easier for the DUP to avoid a return to Stormont whilst ensuring extra money for Northern Ireland which largely benefits the Northern Part where they are in a Majority .
The lasting damage this will do may well be on their minds , I hope they heed it.
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