"Peace funding on probation" says Allister
03 June 2005
Speaking on the occasion of Commissioner Hubner’s visit to Belfast to announce the 2 year extension of PEACE II funding, DUP MEP, Jim Allister, declared that for him peace funding was on two years probation. Mr Allister said,
“Hitherto, Peace funding has reached deep into the Nationalist/Catholic community but bypassed large deserving sections of the Unionist/Protestant community. In consequence the distribution of both PEACE I and PEACE II has been imbalanced. Since my election to Europe I have been striving to ensure this wrong is righted. In some quarters I have met considerable resistance and I remain dissatisfied with the effort of both SEUPB and our own Government. More can be done by both to ensure a fairer distribution of funding. There should have been in this Extension a Measure exclusively for victims, instead they have to compete with other, often better organised, interests. Ex-prisoner groups have been more generously treated. Some of the IFBs have not been “unionist friendly”.
My demand is fairness for all. Thus for me Peace funding will be on probation during this extension. If strenuous and successful efforts are not made to get a fair proportion of funding to the hitherto disadvantaged community, then, I will have no interest in seeking a PEACE III, because I would have no interest in perpetuating inequality.
While the primary onus is on SEUPB to “up its game” in the Protestant community, that community must also help itself. I am therefore launching a campaign to actively encourage groups within the disadvantaged Protestant community to apply for funding. The time for applications is brief, but such groups requiring assistance can avail of the services of my office. It is important that unionists do not lose out by default.”
