Allister reacts to Peace Funding announcement

21 December 2005

In the context of the Government’s announcement of £130M of Peace Funding from the EU over a 7 year period from 2007, DUP MEP today released the text of a letter which he wrote earlier this month to Commissioner Hubner on the subject:-

“Dear Commissioner,

With indications that a PEACE III package may emerge for Northern Ireland, I thought it would be appropriate if I wrote to you at this stage giving my perception of the shape and direction which I believe such a package should take.

Lessons should be learnt from the previous programmes.  When examined in retrospect, I would suggest that the lasting impact of PEACE I has been greater than PEACE II.  I believe this is because it had an economic focus and therefore gave rise to lasting tangible benefits, such as supporting small business parks which are now making a vital contribution to the economy of Northern Ireland.  PEACE II, on the other hand, with its over emphasis on reconciliation has tended to produce transient and non-tangible results.  There is limited benefit to having a community worker on every street corner!  Thus, it would be my hope that PEACE III would focus on attaining lasting impact rather than producing mere froth.  Accordingly, I suggest that a fresh focus should be placed upon economic attainment.  Such is all the more necessary in consequence of Northern Ireland's exclusion from Cohesion Funding, which for others has been the main source of providing real infrastructural change and benefit.

You will also be aware, from my previous representations of the concerns which I still have as to the imbalanced nature in which PEACE Funding has been distributed as between the two communities in Northern Ireland.  I shall therefore be looking for definitive measures in any PEACE III Programme to address this important issue.

I trust that these observations from me as representative of the views of the main political party in Northern Ireland will be carefully considered.

 Yours sincerely,

JAMES H ALLISTER MEP"

Commenting today Jim Allister said-

“The fact the package of funding is so small, particularly when spread over 7 years, makes it all the more important that it is not wasted on more meaningless froth, rather than directed towards real economic benefit.  This is the key point which I have been stressing in my lobbying of the Regional Commissioner.”

Peace Funding