With the local news fixed on the deepening flags furore, you have to look quite hard to find anything at all on the impact on NI of the Chancellor’s autumn statement less than 24 hours after he made it. Hey, who cares about public money when there are Alliance offices to burn? As far as I can see the CBI were the only one who made much in print of the unheralded 1% cut in corporation tax to 21% throughout the UK. But still no news on NI ‘s bid for special treatment. The stalling continues. Note with Mark Durkan in the Commons, that what George Osborne meticulously called “Derry Londonderry” has got funding for its super broad band interconnector. Old news, I’m pretty sure but still welcome. How are the Executive going to spend the £132 capital by the way?
- An additional capital allocation of £132 million to Northern Ireland
- An agreement with the Government to allow the Northern Ireland Executive to defer up to £50 million of borrowing under the Reinvestment and Reform Initiative from 2012-13 to 2014-15. This will facilitate the Northern Ireland Executive’s investment in the project to upgrade the A5.
- In addition to the £100 million the Government committed to create the first 10 super-connected broadband cities, £50 million was announced in Budget 2012 for a second wave of cities to include Derry/Londonderry
- Cancellation of the 3p rise in fuel tax which was due in January 2013
Former BBC journalist and manager in Belfast, Manchester and London, Editor Spolight; Political Editor BBC NI; Current Affairs Commissioning editor BBC Radio 4; Editor Political and Parliamentary Programmes, BBC Westminster; former London Editor Belfast Telegraph. Hon Senior Research Fellow, The Constitution Unit, Univ Coll. London
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