Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Rates increase funding headlines for Hain?
You wouldn’t know it if you relied on the NIO statement by Secretary of State for Wales and Northern Ireland, Peter Hain, announcing the £35million Skills and Science Fund today, neither would you be aware of it from the BBC online report [perhaps they’ll update that? - Ed].. although the broadcast version of the report did mention it.. but that £35million is coming from the increase in regional rates of 19%, which Hain announced back in October 2005 - and, of course, the announcement that Skills and Science would get £15million and £20million over the next two years was also in his budget speech in December.
