UUP Deputy Leader comments on Deloitte “Cost of Divide” Report
Following the release today of the OFMDFM-commissioned Deloitte Report “Research into the financial cost of the Northern Ireland divide”, Deputy Leader of the Ulster Unionist Assembly Party and Chair of the Committee of the Centre, Danny Kennedy MLA, has given his initial response to the Report.
In a statement Mr. Kennedy said,
“A key challenge facing the Northern Ireland Assembly is to protect the public purse. Wasteful, inefficient government spending needs to be challenged, ensuring that the taxpayers of Northern Ireland are given value for money for their hard-earned taxes. In light of this, then, I welcome the Report’s publications. I look forward to carefully scrutinising it and would urge all concerned to comment responsibly on its findings and not mislead the public.
“While the Report broadly identifies the cost of the divide to the public of £1.5 billion per annum, a careful reading of the Report suggests that this figure is be incredibly misleading. It includes the costs of policing civil disorder - and riots are not unique to Northern Ireland. It includes support for the victims of past terrorist violence. Put simply, victims cannot be abandoned in order to satisfy accountants. It includes costs associated with certain administrative changes under the RPA, changes which are broadly welcomed across Northern Ireland as means of saving money. The Report, ironically, also includes the cost of community relations programmes. Considering the hard and vital work undertaken across Northern Ireland to promote better relations in our society, it is - to say the least - strange that the cost of such efforts is implied to be a waste of public money.
“Value for money in government expenditure must be delivered by the Northern Ireland Assembly. Alongside this duty, Government, the Executive and the Assembly have other equally important duties - caring for victims, protecting the public during times of disorder and promoting good community relations. It is on this basis that I look forward to giving the Report careful consideration.”