£400m extra from London to help NI navigate uncertain waters of Brexit
Financial package will support local business after transition period, but Dodds seeks more detail on Protocol
NORTHERN Ireland will receive an extra £400m to address the effects of Brexit on trade, the Government has said.
It will help promote goods and services to export markets.
The Government described it as “wonderful news”, but the response from the DUP Economy Minister appeared lukewarm, saying some of the money is for the implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol, which her party has criticised.
The financial package will support businesses to operate after the transition period and ensure they are ready to “seize” trade and investment opportunities ahead, the NIO said.
Secretary of State Brandon Lewis said: “The new deal is wonderful news for Northern Ireland and underlines the UK Government’s commitment to supporting and protecting the interests of the people and businesses in Northern Ireland.
“Fostering economic growth and social cohesion is key to building a stable and prosperous future for Northern Ireland and this additional £400m will support Northern Ireland after the end of the transition period, enabling NI businesses and its people to innovate and invest.”
The extra cash will also be used to:
Support the development of systems that will enable supermarkets and other small traders to manage the new trading arrangements and coordinate trade between Northern Ireland and Britain.
Ensure resilience in medicine supply chains.
Promote Northern Ireland’s potential as a leader in innovative technology and invest in skills in key growth areas such as cybersecurity, fintech and green/clean technology.
Invest in social development, strengthening social cohesion and building stronger, safer communities, including by supporting i nitiatives to enable children from different backgrounds to be educated together.
Improve the flow of goods and travel to and from Britain and across Northern Ireland, boosting access to opportunities.
The £400m is in addition to money already allocated for a system to help firms with Britain-northern Ireland customs declarations.
Mr Lewis said this week’s deal agreed with the EU recognised the challenges posed in keeping open the Irish border, while allowing Belfast or Ballymena firms to compete on an equal footing with those from Scotland, Wales or London.
The Protocol will see Northern Ireland remain in the EU single market for goods, necessitating additional regulatory checks and certifications on animal-based products entering from Britain.
Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove confirmed to the Commons that the Protocol deal would enable the Government to withdraw specific elements of the Internal Market Bill that would have overridden parts of the Protocol in breach of international law.
Mr Lewis toured the Wrightbus bus manufacturer near Ballymena in Co Antrim.
The plant has exported i ts vehicles around the world and built London’s red double deck
er bus when Boris Johnson was mayor.
He said: “We have always said Northern Ireland has a unique set of circumstances.
“It recognises that it is a part of the UK with a land border with the EU.
“It is right we put the Protocol in place to ensure we are protecting Northern Ireland businesses, respecting the EU and making sure that we are not seeing (hard) borders.
“Therefore, we are all working to protect the Good Friday Agreement, as we always said we would.”
Economy Minister Diane Dodds said there “are a number of aspects of this announcement
that are aimed towards the implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol, and helping deal with some of the knock-on impacts of the Protocol for businesses and sectors that trade heavily with GB”.
She added: “Ultimately, the key test will be whether these announcements turn out to be effective in mitigating the costs to businesses.”
On the Protocol, the minister said details of what exactly has been agreed and announced “have yet to fully emerge”.
“This UK Government initiative seems to be, at least partly if not largely, in the space of helping deal with some of the consequences of the Protocol
for businesses and sectors that trade heavily with Great Britain,” she noted.
“For example, the detail is not there yet on the systems the UK Government will aim to develop to help supermarkets and smaller traders trade under the new arrangements.
“So, there remains a waitand-see element to this — even though time is short.
“We await the further detail as to what exactly has been agreed by UK Government on the practical arrangements for the NI Protocol, just as we await further detail on the UK Government initiatives planned to help business better work those new arrangements.”
‘We are all working to protect the Good Friday Agreement, as we said we would’