NI Must Seek 'Shared Future'

NI Secretary of State Theresa Villiers has said money intended for investment in Northern Ireland could be withheld if progress is not made on working towards a shared future.

A package aimed at helping business in Northern Ireland could be under threat, Ms Villiers said.

However, she added that an agreement could be reached, and denied that the comments amounted to blackmail.

It is thought the package would include private sector investments, business start-ups and access to funding.

Ms Villiers confirmed that the £153m funding package established when Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness visited Downing Street last month was not at risk.

Alliance OFMDFM spokesperson Chris Lyttle MLA said: "15 years on from the signing of the Belfast Agreement, much of its potential remains unfulfilled. If we are to see the full benefits of the agreement, then we need to tackle the single biggest challenge facing Northern Ireland: the delivery of a shared future for everyone.

"The failure to deliver a shared future will not only risk perpetuating division but we could lose out on economic investment and fail to tackle disadvantage.

"The Alliance Party made a constructive proposal in January this year that the First Minister and deputy First Minister establish an open and transparent shared future reference group comprising elected representatives from the main political parties and representatives of civic society that would make recommendations on a shared future strategy by June this year.

"This would present an opportunity to find imaginative and meaningful proposals that the behind-closed-doors OFMDFM working group has, in over 18 months, failed to achieve. I would call on political parties who are committed to a shared society to support this proposal and for the First and deputy First Minister to adopt this new approach without delay."

But Sinn Féin MLA Daithí McKay said Ms Villiers' comments were "a prime example why the North needs economic autonomy."

She said: "The British government has failed to honour the financial package which flowed from the St. Andrews Agreement. The £4bn shortfall in this package has had a direct impact on the construction industry here.

“When it comes to a shared future there are complex issues out there including integrated education, interfaces, parades, dealing with the past, identity and symbols to name a few.

"These comments from Theresa Villiers will not quicken the resolution of these issues but only show the arrogance and ignorance of fly-by-night British Ministers who are posted here."

(IT/CD)