British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said today that he had presented the Northern Ireland party leaders with his proposed financial settlement to enable the final stage of devolution to go ahead.
The Prime Minister told the House of Commons that the proposals followed talks last night and today with First Minister Peter Robinson and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness.
“Our aim is a peaceful, more secure and more prosperous Northern Ireland,” he said.
Mr Brown said he had made arrangements for the cost of dealing with security emergencies in Northern Ireland to be met from Treasury reserves, to meet concerns at Stormont that future problems may swallow up devolved budgets for services such as education, housing and health.
Speaking at Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons, Mr Robinson welcomed Mr Brown’s decision to publish his proposals for funding of policing.
But he asked: “Setting aside how he intends to assist in dealing with the foreseeable but inescapable pressures, would the Prime Minister give us his view in how the Government will assist if unforeseeable emergency circumstances arise, so that the Northern Ireland Executive will not have to raid its budget for health, education and housing and other critical elements of our funding?”
Mr Brown replied: “I have made provision for the reserve to be available if there are exceptional security needs that arise in any one year.
“We have done so this year because of what happened with the killing of soldiers and the killing of Pc (Stephen) Carroll. We will do it in future years if such an emergency or difficulty arises.”
Mr Brown added: “A secure Northern Ireland is the key to a more prosperous Northern Ireland and we will take no risks with the security of Northern Ireland.”
The Prime Minister’s financial blueprint for delivering policing and justice powers to the Stormont Assembly is understood to be in the region of £800 million (€877 million).
The document released today spells out a complex, multi-million pound strategy to fund the police, courts and prison services in Northern Ireland.
It also includes detailed pledges on how millions will be made available to the Northern Ireland Executive to help deal with historic pressures such as the large numbers of hearing loss compensation claims filed by police officers from the Troubles.
The letter pledges:
* The Northern Ireland Executive will have access to reserve funds to support policing and justice in the event of exceptional circumstances, while the Treasury will also make available an additional fund up to £37.4 million in 2010/11.
* Money will be made available to complete the construction of a new police training college.
* An additional £20 million per year to the end of 2012/13 will help overcome a huge backlog in legal aid payments being faced by the court service. A further one-off payment of £12 million will ease pressure on the courts, with a promise to provide up to a further £39 million if necessary.
* The Government is to gift four military sites to the Stormont administration, including in Omagh where there are plans to use former military-owned land to build a cross-community schools campus.
* Sale of the gifted sites will also help ease pressures such as equal pay claims facing the civil service from a portion of its workforce.
* Changes to financial rules will help address £101 million pressure facing police pensions.
* Police officers hearing loss claims, estimated to cost millions, will be met by the Northern Ireland Executive funding the first £12 million cost per year, with government helping to meet any cost above that level. Treasury will allow access to financial reserves and may also buy assets off the Executive to help it raise necessary finances up to a level of £60 million.
Northern Ireland Secretary of State Shaun Woodward will also meet the region’s Chief Constable for talks under the plan to ensure frontline policing is protected.
PA