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Stormont departments accused of contradicting each other over deal cash

Daniel Holder from CAJ has accused two Stormont departments of contradicting each other over DUP-Tory deal cash
Daniel Holder from CAJ has accused two Stormont departments of contradicting each other over DUP-Tory deal cash Daniel Holder from CAJ has accused two Stormont departments of contradicting each other over DUP-Tory deal cash

Two Stormont departments have been accused to contradicting each other over plans to spend cash secured through the DUP - Tory confidence and supply deal.

The cash is part of £1 billion promised by the British government after the DUP agreed to support the Theresa May’s Conservative government after last year’s Westminster election.

The Committee on the Administration of Justice has raised concerns after the Department of Finance (DoF) revealed that “The Executive Office (TEO) and Department for the Communities (sic) have developed a proposed programme to target pockets of severe depravation for consideration by ministers”.

Some details of the programme were contained in an annex in a DoF document, The Briefing on Northern Ireland Budgetary Outlook, which was published last year and sets out the “broad strategic issues that will inform an incoming Stormont executive’s decisions on a budget over the next two years.

According to the DoF document £20million is proposed to be allocated “to target pockets of severe deprivation based on anticipated spend profiles in those two years”.

However, when the CAJ later asked for details of the programme the TEO claimed in a response that “as options for tackling deprivation are at a very embryonic stage and are still being developed” it would not be in the public interest to release the information requested.

CAJ deputy director Daniel Holder last night said: “The two departments flatly contradict each other here.

“Which of these two statements is correct?”

“Whist it’s welcome that there is £20 million a year in the DUP-Tory deal to tackle severe deprivation, there needs to be transparency on how that is spent, and in particular that resources will be allocated on the basis of objective need.

“Given as these monies could be being spent as soon as this April there should be no secrecy about what the proposed programme is.”

A spokesperson for The Executive Office said: “Discussions are ongoing regarding the proposed programme to target pockets of severe deprivation. This will then be for ministers to consider and no decisions have yet been taken.”