By David Young and Steven McCaffery, Press Association
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg tonight pledged to look again at the
level of spending cuts proposed in Northern Ireland.
The commitment from the Liberal Democrat leader comes amid claims from
Stormont ministers that a major raid on the region's capital expenditure
budget would break a deal struck during the peace process.
On his first visit to Belfast since taking office, Mr Clegg held talks
with First Minister Peter Robinson and deputy First Minister Martin
McGuinness on how the coalition Government's spending review on October
20 would hit Northern Ireland.
"The First Minister and Deputy First Minister raised with me in very
clear terms their concerns about the possible impact of the deficit
reduction plan we are setting out on capital expenditure in Northern
Ireland," he said outside Stormont Castle.
"I have said that I will go away with colleagues in the coalition
Government to look at this."
He added: "We understand their concerns, we'll look at them but
obviously I can't provided detailed assurances now because everything is
still being decided upon before October 20."
Mr Clegg met Democratic Unionist leader Mr Robinson and Sinn Fein's Mr
McGuinness hours after the Stormont executive joined forces with the
Welsh and Scottish administrations to warn the Treasury not to cut too
much from their block grants too soon.
But Northern Ireland's political leaders have also put an additional
argument to the coalition, claiming a cut to their capital budget would
break an GBP18 billion ten-year investment pledge made by the last Labour
government as part of the peace negotiations.
The 2006 St Andrews Agreement, which paved the way for the DUP and Sinn
Fein to share power, incorporated a joint deal between the British and
Irish governments to fund infrastructure projects in the region.
While the Dublin authorities insist they remain committed to the
multi-billion package, despite the country's severe economic woes, there
has been no such undertaking from Downing Street, which has questioned
whether Gordon Brown made a promise he couldn't keep.
The suggestion that at least half a billion could be sliced from
Stormont's capital budget - on top of a GBP1.5 billion cut in its revenue
allocation - have left Mr Robinson and Mr McGuinness furious - with both
men claiming the St Andrews' pledge should see Northern Ireland treated
as a special case.
While Mr Clegg's remarks will have given them a degree of comfort
tonight, the tone he struck moments later would suggest they shouldn't
bank on a positive outcome.
After praising those involved in the peace process for their
extraordinary courage, he added: "I think in economic terms the worst
thing to do would be for this generation to say it's all too difficult
to deal with this deficit, we'll get our children and grandchildren to
pay off our debts.
"At some point someone has to wipe the slate clean, otherwise all we'll
be asking our children and grandchildren in Northern Ireland and
elsewhere is to pay off debts for which they are not responsible - and I
don't think that's right."
After the meeting Mr Robinson again stressed the need to treat Northern
Ireland differently.
"During our meeting with the Deputy Prime Minister, we once again
reiterated our position that Northern Ireland faces a particular set of
challenges which differ from the rest of the UK.
"The Coalition's proposed cuts will, I have no doubt, have a far greater
effect here that any other region."
Mr McGuinness added: "In the course of our discussions, the First
Minister and I again reiterated our call for the British Government to
fulfil their obligations under the St Andrews Agreement and we will
continue to make that case through every avenue possible."
Earlier the three devolved administrations issued a joint statement
warning that projected cuts to the block grants would have a long-term
negative impact on the regional economies.
Northern Ireland Secretary Owen Patterson, who also attended tonight's
meeting, has questioned whether the St Andrews pledge was Gordon Brown
making a promise he could not keep.
A similar insinuation from Mr Clegg at Stormont suggested that some cut
in the capital budget was inevitable.
He said Mr Brown struck the deal in the last Comprehensive Spending
Review round and added: "That was at a time in that statement when he
didn't come clean with the British people about the terrible deficit
legacy which he's handed on to the next Government so circumstances,
unfortunately - I wish it were otherwise - have changed."
Later, Mr Clegg and his Dublin counterpart, Tanaiste Mary Coughlan,
addressed a major cross-border political conference in Newcastle, Co
Down.
The two-day event provides a platform for more than 90 parliamentarians
from Northern Ireland and the Republic to establish a new North-South
Parliamentary Forum.
The forum was first proposed under the 1998 Good Friday peace agreement
and revived in the St Andrews deal.
Mr Clegg and Ms Coughlan welcomed the move towards the formation of the
new body to link members of the Belfast and Dublin parliaments.
Both leaders used the occasion to underline that their Governments
remained committed to developing the peace process.
And while tensions remain between Belfast and London over the impending
central government cuts, Mr Clegg said his administration would ensure
security forces in Northern Ireland received sufficient funding to
tackle the threat from dissident republican groups.
"I want to be unequivocal: the new Government will not waver in our
condemnation of those who attempt to drag Northern Ireland back to its
darker days and we will play our part in bringing them to justice," he
said.
"We take the question of resources very seriously and we are strongly
committed to the terms of the financial agreement that accompanied the
devolution of policing and justice (earlier this year).
"Not only have we stood by the GBP800 million package agreed by the
previous government but we have also gone further, providing over GBP12
million from the reserve this year."
On the wider economic issue of Government cuts, he added: "Later this
month the spending review will be published. And as we return our
economy to health, all of the regions and nations in the UK will need to
play their part. But, unlike previous governments, we do understand that
not all areas are the same.
"Some are more vulnerable than others. So we recognise anxieties here in
Northern Ireland, concerns which derive particularly from the local
economy's long-standing over-reliance on the public sector. And our
ambition is for a private sector-led recovery, which can sustain growth
over the long term.
"Clearly, much of the responsibility for that falls to the devolved
administration. But there are levers we in Westminster can pull."
He said work was under way towards finding methods for rebalancing the
public and private sectors in Northern Ireland.
He said ideas included "examining potential mechanisms for changing the
corporation tax rate and looking at ways of turning Northern Ireland
into an enterprise zone".
He added: "That paper will be published and consulted on later in the
year."
The Tanaiste welcomed the "great transformation" delivered by the peace
process.
"This gathering here tonight and tomorrow is further proof that we are
stronger and we can deal with the many difficult issues that face our
citizens and our elected Assemblies and Parliaments, when we co-operate
and work together," she said.
"The Good Friday/Belfast Agreement provides a comprehensive framework
conducting relations on this island and between these islands, and we
still have work to do to realise the full potential of the agreements we
have reached, not least when it comes to North-South and East-West
co-operation."
She added that cross-border co-operation in Ireland, including on the
economy, was greater than ever before.
"It is the duty of all of us on this island to ensure that our legacy to
future generations is one of a peaceful and inclusive society," said Ms
Coughlan.
"Our efforts towards this have been rewarded in many ways thus far, but
there is still a great deal of work to do and progress to be made.
"We must all remain committed to the goal of a future free from violence
and hatred."
end
No comments:
Post a Comment