Letter: Putting this week's funding package from the Republic into context

package into

perspective

Orders of magnitude matter.

This Republic of Ireland cash injection is about £700m and some of this will be spread over several years.

Northern Ireland’s 's fiscal transfer (subvention) from the United Kingdom exchequer in the most recent data (2021-22) was £13.9 billion.

There is therefore a good case for saying the UK cash injection is at least 20 times bigger than the Dublin one.

And, of course, the recent £3.3bn package will add to the UK taxpayer contribution to Northern Ireland.

Dr Esmond Birnie, senior economist, Ulster University