Letter: £858m of Peace Plus funding is to be welcomed - and the UK supplies majority of the cash

A letter from Dr Steve Aiken, UUP MLA:
European Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic and Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris (right), at the New Forge complex in Belfast following the announcement of a funding plan will see 1.14 billion euro received through PeacePlus - with the UK supplying around 85 per cent of the fundsEuropean Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic and Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris (right), at the New Forge complex in Belfast following the announcement of a funding plan will see 1.14 billion euro received through PeacePlus - with the UK supplying around 85 per cent of the funds
European Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic and Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris (right), at the New Forge complex in Belfast following the announcement of a funding plan will see 1.14 billion euro received through PeacePlus - with the UK supplying around 85 per cent of the funds
By Letters
Published 12th Sep 2023, 00:01 BST

The announcement of £858m of Peace Plus funding is to be welcomed.

That these monies have been promised on many occasions does not detract from yesterday’s belated announcement of spending commitments over the next 4-5 years.

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We also welcomed our guests from the EU and from the Republic of Ireland, who have provided around £130m or just around 15% of that total.

While there may be a perception that this funding is coming from the largesse of the EU, and 15% is indeed welcome, it must not detract from the fact that the majority of the funding is coming from our own nation.

If Maros Šefčovič and Leo Varadkar can find their way to send more funding to help mitigate the impact of the imposition of the protocol on Northern Ireland, that will also be gratefully accepted.

Dr Steve Aiken, UUP MLA, South Antrim

Related topics:Steve AikenUUPRepublic of IrelandNorthern Ireland