The UK government announced a final £3.3bn offer to Northern Ireland on February 2nd and informed the largest unionist party, “Now is the time to decide” on the return to Stormont executive.
The package of emergency financing was nearly a third more than the original £2.5bn that was presented last week. This was rejected as being too low by all parties from the region.
Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton Harris said that the cash would be made available to the new executive upon the return of Stormont but did not set a deadline. The Democratic Unionist Party had scuppered London’s hopes for a deal before Christmas.
After several days of intense talks, he told journalists that “now is the time to make decisions.”
Stormont is paralysed since almost two years, after the DUP withdrew from the power-sharing executive over a dispute about Brexit trade rules which it claims harm Northern Ireland’s position in the UK as well as its ability to do business with Britain.
Heaton-Harris said that these concerns were also addressed after eight months’ bilateral talks with DUP. He said that “from our perspective, these talks on all of the substantive issues have reached a final conclusion”.
DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, however disagreed. He told reporters: “We are clear that there has not been a final agreement on substance issues.”
The new financial package included a revised calculation of the amount of funding Northern Ireland requires, a write off of past overspending, and additional cash for reducing waiting lists in health services.
Donaldson said the £3.3bn package wasn’t enough. He said that the £3.3bn package was not enough.
He asked Heaton-Harris not to wait for Stormont to return before releasing the £584mn that was earmarked for pay increases in the public sector.
Dozen unions have supported plans for a strike day on 18th January to demand that the money for pay in the public sector be released immediately.
Gerry Murphy said that the secretary of state had accepted the need to settle the pay of public sector workers and that he was willing to do so.
“A worker’s salary is not a bauble that can be used in political negotiations.” The money must be available now to settle the dispute.
Donaldson said he also waited for legislation to be passed in London that would ease the concerns of his party about Brexit.
Jon Tonge is a professor of politics at the University of Liverpool. Changing the Windsor Framework, the trade agreement between London and Brussels to end Brexit disagreements, is not easy.
He told BBC Radio Ulster: “We’re discussing legislation that will somehow improve the Windsor Framework, but the Windsor Framework is a legal text so it cannot be amended.”
He added, “There is a complete lack in clarity as to what the eight months of discussions have produced.”
Heaton-Harris stated that he was available to parties during the holiday season if they had any concerns.
Naomi Long, the third-largest Alliance party in the region, said that the ball was now firmly in DUP’s hands as to whether or when Stormont will be restored.