Statement by TUV leader Jim Allister:
“It was clear from the inception of the Belfast Agreement that there was no balance between the North / South and East / West arrangements but figures I have just obtained from the Executive Office spells this out in particularly stark terms.
“The cost of the North-South Ministerial Council to Northern Ireland’s budget was £719,941 in 2020/21. The equivalent figure spent on the British Irish Council was a mere £78,750.
“The pittance spent on the British Irish Council reflects the fact that it is there for little more than decoration, a mere nod to the links between Northern Ireland and other parts of the British Isles, while its North-South counterpart is lavished with funding.
“This is a disgraceful state of affairs for an Unionist to accept yet it has been the situation since day one of the Belfast Agreement.”
Note to editors
Mr Allister’s question and the answer received are as follows:
To ask the First Minister and deputy First Minister to detail the annual financial contribution of Northern Ireland to the costs of (i) the North South Ministerial Council and its secretariat; and (ii) the British Irish Council and its secretariat.
A precise figure for the 2020/21 costs to the Executive for the North South Ministerial Council and its secretariat cannot be provided because the overall £719,941 sum includes some staff costs for work which was not related to NSMC, but is completed by NSMC staff and cannot be separated out.
In 2020/21 the Executive’s contribution to the British Irish Council was £78,750, which reflects the Executive’s 9% share agreed previously across the eight Member Administrations. This amount included the contribution to the Secretariat’s running costs and the cost of funding an officer on assignment to the Secretariat.