Stonewall: Stormont’s Department of Finance confirms another £2,500 of funding to controversial pro-trans charity

In response to a Freedom of Information request the department said that a further £2,500 is being given to the LGBTQ lobby group as part of “directed future expenditure”.

Earlier this summer the News Letter revealed that Sinn Fein Finance Minister Conor Murphy approved a grant of almost £12,000 to the pro-transgender charity between 2019 and this year.

The latest tranche of expenditure on Stonewall was disclosed after the Freedom of Information request by loyalist activist Jamie Bryson, who said the funding decision should be examined in a judicial review.

In a written reply the Department of Finance said the £2,500 was expenditure for membership of organisations “aligned to section 75 groups to support our achievement of a diverse and inclusive, Civil Service”.

In their letter the department insisted that as Stonewall is classified as a “section 75 group” it is “not considered to be a matter requiring Executive approval pursuant to section 20(4) of the Northern Ireland 1998 Act”.

The “section 75” classification is part of the Belfast Agreement and requires public authorities to have due regard for the need to promote equality of opportunity between persons of different religious belief, political opinion, racial group, age, marital status or sexual orientation.

But Mr Bryson described Stonewall as a “divisive” and “controversial” organisation whose funding should be subject to full Executive authority at Stormont.

He also obtained correspondence from other Stormont ministers making clear that they regarded Stonewall as a controversial charity.

He said: “As has been set out in a mountain of case law, the views of other ministers as to whether matters are significant and controversial are a heavy factor in determining the issue. Here we have the clear view of other ministers set out to the finance minister, yet he chooses to ignore them.”

On the department’s defence of the unilateral funding decision based on Stonewall being a “section 75” group, Mr Bryson said: “Their absurd defence, set out in the FOI, is that membership of Stonewall, because it is a section 75 group, isn’t significant and controversial. This is perhaps the most ridiculous suggestion ever to emanate from Stormont.”

A Department of Finance spokesperson said it was committed to building an inclusive and diverse civil service with Stonewall.

“The Civil Service has renewed its membership of the Stonewall Champions Programme (at a cost of £2,500) joining 900 other employers who participate in this programme. Stonewall is one of a number of organisations with which the Civil Service engages to our wide ranging work on equality, diversity and inclusion.”