0:00:01 > 0:00:03It's all about the money tonight.
0:00:03 > 0:00:07Finally, a big budget boost from the Tory-DUP deal.
0:00:07 > 0:00:09But is there a downside?
0:00:09 > 0:00:11And, as a judge rules the decision to block legacy
0:00:11 > 0:00:13funding was unlawful, what happens next?
0:00:13 > 0:00:21Welcome to The View.
0:00:35 > 0:00:37Tonight, a day for balancing the books.
0:00:37 > 0:00:40The Secretary of State has included an extra £410 million of the money
0:00:40 > 0:00:43from the DUP deal in her budget.
0:00:43 > 0:00:45But the pill in that sugar-coating is a big rise
0:00:45 > 0:00:47in domestic rates here.
0:00:47 > 0:00:50We'll dive into the numbers with former Stormont Finance
0:00:50 > 0:00:52Minister Mairtin O Muilleor former Alliance leader David Ford,
0:00:52 > 0:00:57and the SDLP's Claire Hanna.
0:00:57 > 0:00:59And, talking money, Enda McClafferty has been looking into party
0:00:59 > 0:01:06planning in Ballymena.
0:01:06 > 0:01:10The chief executive came back to me and told me that this was not a DUP
0:01:10 > 0:01:14dinner.You wouldn't need to be a rocket scientist to find out what
0:01:14 > 0:01:20this did not was.-- what this is dinner was.
0:01:20 > 0:01:22And, back in Commentators' Corner, Professor Deirdre Heenan
0:01:22 > 0:01:23and Newton Emerson.
0:01:23 > 0:01:24Hello.
0:01:24 > 0:01:27After considerable uncertainty as to whether or not it
0:01:27 > 0:01:28would even happen today, the written statement
0:01:28 > 0:01:30on the budget finally came through late this afternoon.
0:01:30 > 0:01:34For the second year in a row, it's been handed down by Westminster -
0:01:34 > 0:01:36but this time around, there was the small matter
0:01:36 > 0:01:38of a £400 million boost from the Tory-DUP deal to add
0:01:38 > 0:01:40to the mix.
0:01:40 > 0:01:42We'll get reaction from the politicians in just a moment.
0:01:42 > 0:01:44But first, our Business Correspondent, Julian O'Neill,
0:01:44 > 0:01:46has been crunching the numbers, and he's with me now.
0:01:46 > 0:01:53Was it broadly as expected?
0:01:53 > 0:02:00I think it was largely speaking, Mark. The DUP money aside, it feels
0:02:00 > 0:02:06very much like last year's budget in respect of health and education
0:02:06 > 0:02:10being prioritised. They get extra money, and they get an increase
0:02:10 > 0:02:14which covers the rise in the rate of inflation. That's not to say that
0:02:14 > 0:02:19they won't feel huge spending pressures in the course of the next
0:02:19 > 0:02:23financial year. Other departments are less fortunate. They get rises
0:02:23 > 0:02:28which don't cover the rate of inflation, and some actually see a
0:02:28 > 0:02:37real terms
0:02:40 > 0:02:42freeze in cash allocations, or indeed a reduction. So, I think we
0:02:42 > 0:02:45will not feel much of a difference compared to previous years. And
0:02:45 > 0:02:48certainly I think many of us will still be driving through potholes in
0:02:48 > 0:02:50the course of old working week.We have had £400 million of extra money
0:02:50 > 0:02:53as part of this deal.
0:02:53 > 0:02:54Where does the £400 million money
0:02:54 > 0:02:57from the Tory-DUP deal fit?
0:02:57 > 0:03:02This is new money, even though we knew it was coming. £20 million of
0:03:02 > 0:03:06that game last financial year, but now we have the arrival of a
0:03:06 > 0:03:11significant amount of money, £410 million. Half of it will be used for
0:03:11 > 0:03:19infrastructure projects like roads. There will be £80 million split
0:03:19 > 0:03:24between education and hospitals, to help ease pressures. Now, we were
0:03:24 > 0:03:30looking at a fairly bleak financial situation in December. The word from
0:03:30 > 0:03:34the Department of Finance today is that this DUP money has not made it
0:03:34 > 0:03:37quite as bleak, although we are still very much living in tough
0:03:37 > 0:03:42times in terms of public spending. Given that that's the case, it is
0:03:42 > 0:03:46interesting to note that there is very little by way of revenue
0:03:46 > 0:03:52raising in this budget.Yes, the big, tough decisions, which was
0:03:52 > 0:03:55attached out in the scenario by the Department of Finance before
0:03:55 > 0:04:04Christmas.
0:04:05 > 0:04:07-- which were sketched out. Things like reintroducing prescription
0:04:07 > 0:04:09charges and higher education fees, they have not been acted upon. I am
0:04:09 > 0:04:11led to believe they will be revisited in the next financial
0:04:11 > 0:04:15year. What we do have this year, a significant thing aside from the DUP
0:04:15 > 0:04:20money, and that is a significant inflation -- inflation-busting hike,
0:04:20 > 0:04:27this is a return of devolution in 2007, the rise in the Stormont
0:04:27 > 0:04:33regional rate has always tracked deflation. This at 4.5% is
0:04:33 > 0:04:36significantly above that and goes well beyond what James Brokenshire
0:04:36 > 0:04:43did last year, when he introduced a regional rate increase of 1.6%. This
0:04:43 > 0:04:48is 4.5%. I think the Secretary of State is putting down something of a
0:04:48 > 0:04:52market here, it's symbolic, and perhaps pointing to next year's
0:04:52 > 0:04:56budget, signalling that if there is no devolution than some other tough
0:04:56 > 0:05:00financial decisions may have to be made in respect of revenue.Here is
0:05:00 > 0:05:03an interesting little point to end on.
0:05:03 > 0:05:05You've been told tonight that there was quite a bit
0:05:05 > 0:05:08of manoeuvring behind the scenes to pull any announcement
0:05:08 > 0:05:09about MLAs' pay today.
0:05:09 > 0:05:14Which we had been expecting.Make no bones about it, there was to be an
0:05:14 > 0:05:18announcement today about the budget, but that was also to be accompanied
0:05:18 > 0:05:23by a statement from the Secretary of State in the House of Commons which
0:05:23 > 0:05:28would have covered MLA pain. Now, at the 11th hour, those two events
0:05:28 > 0:05:32became detached, and what we got today was the budget alone. And I'm
0:05:32 > 0:05:37led to believe that the reason for that was to allow the DUP to get
0:05:37 > 0:05:42some headlines out of the budget which weren't going to compete, or
0:05:42 > 0:05:45be overshadowed by any announcement on MLA pay, which will come next
0:05:45 > 0:05:50week.Some people might say that with the Tory-DUP deal delivering
0:05:50 > 0:05:57for the DUP today.Well, certainly it suggests that there was
0:05:57 > 0:06:00absolutely no doubt at all that the initial plan was for the Secretary
0:06:00 > 0:06:04of State to make a statement in the House of Commons today. That did not
0:06:04 > 0:06:10happen, and we're hearing it has now been rescheduled for Monday.Julian,
0:06:10 > 0:06:14thank you very much indeed. We may well come back to you throughout the
0:06:14 > 0:06:17course of the programme.
0:06:17 > 0:06:18Thanks, Julian.
0:06:18 > 0:06:20Let's hear what the politicians make of it all.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23With me are former Finance Minister Mairtin O Muilleoir,
0:06:23 > 0:06:25former Justice Minister David Ford, and the SDLP's Claire Hanna.
0:06:25 > 0:06:28Both the DUP and the Ulster Unionists declined to take part
0:06:28 > 0:06:29in our studio discussion.
0:06:29 > 0:06:33Mairtin, let me come to you first of all. Julian has outlined where the
0:06:33 > 0:06:38extra money is going to be spent, Key infrastructure payments, health
0:06:38 > 0:06:42and education. No big changes as far as revenue raising our concern. How
0:06:42 > 0:06:47is that not good news in a difficult economic climate?It's amazing that
0:06:47 > 0:06:51the DUP are not here to defend this. Why they are not here, it is a tough
0:06:51 > 0:06:58budget. Inflation is racing ahead at 3%. Therefore, any increase to any
0:06:58 > 0:07:05department needs to be at least 3% to stand still. Seven departments,
0:07:05 > 0:07:09in government, they have a reduction in their budget going forward. This
0:07:09 > 0:07:13is not a budget for growth or development. You know, when the DUP
0:07:13 > 0:07:17said they have this wonderful deal with the Tories, and the price of
0:07:17 > 0:07:22course is that they didn't have rights to Irish speakers -- the
0:07:22 > 0:07:29denial of rights to or is because. But when they said that they were
0:07:29 > 0:07:32getting the additional money, some of us were naive enough to think it
0:07:32 > 0:07:35would be additional money, but they plugging the gap in the budgets are
0:07:35 > 0:07:40still being cut. The wonderful money from the DUP is now being used to
0:07:40 > 0:07:44plug the gaps.That is not how the DUP with the. Sinn Fein said you
0:07:44 > 0:07:52would not accept direct rule at any price. Here is a budget opposed by
0:07:52 > 0:07:55the Secretary of State at Westminster, an individual act of
0:07:55 > 0:07:58direct rule, and there is nothing you can do about it.I don't think
0:07:58 > 0:08:02they with their pretend that the budget for health is enough, health
0:08:02 > 0:08:08needs 6% to stand still. In this deal, it's still only 2%. This is in
0:08:08 > 0:08:12direct rule, but we all understand...It was an act of
0:08:12 > 0:08:16direct rule today.We understand that public services need to
0:08:16 > 0:08:20continue and budgets need to be set. We are relaxed about that.Fall of
0:08:20 > 0:08:25the fuss and sabre rattling that Sinn Fein was engaged in, at the end
0:08:25 > 0:08:28of the day, here is a budget imposed by a British liquid of state, and
0:08:28 > 0:08:32you are compliant.What I will say is this -- British Secretary of
0:08:32 > 0:08:39State. We need the British - Irish intergovernmental conference to come
0:08:39 > 0:08:42together. That is what the constitution says, we need to bring
0:08:42 > 0:08:45back together.There is still no sign of it.I'm content that the
0:08:45 > 0:08:52next step forward in terms of working through this political
0:08:52 > 0:08:57crisis and joint stewardship will be this conference.Went?The sooner
0:08:57 > 0:09:02the better. Well, we can't make progress without that. So, if the
0:09:02 > 0:09:07limbo is to be...But we made progress today.We can't make
0:09:07 > 0:09:11progress on this political film eight, the denial of rights for the
0:09:11 > 0:09:15British - Irish intergovernmental conference -- this political
0:09:15 > 0:09:20stalemate.You of course failed to set a budget when Sinn Fein help
0:09:20 > 0:09:25finance portfolio. Last April, Sammy Wilson, a former Finance Minister,
0:09:25 > 0:09:29called you a political coward for dodging responsibility as Finance
0:09:29 > 0:09:34Minister to present a budget to the Executive for debate.I'm in the
0:09:34 > 0:09:38studio, where is the DUP? The Finance Minister can't present a
0:09:38 > 0:09:47budget to Assembly. We didn't have an agreement with the Executive
0:09:47 > 0:09:49because the Executive collapsed.You could have brought it to the
0:09:49 > 0:09:55Executive table for it to be discussed?No, the DUP were obsessed
0:09:55 > 0:09:59with RHI. We didn't have an agreement in government. The Finance
0:09:59 > 0:10:04Minister cannot present a budget. That's what the failure is. Why did
0:10:04 > 0:10:09government fail? It was a failure of the DUP.Sammy Wilson says the
0:10:09 > 0:10:17reason the Assembly was brought down by Sinn Fein was your desire to
0:10:17 > 0:10:21avoid unpopular decisions.When he said it was about RHI and
0:10:21 > 0:10:24power-sharing, Sammy Wilson should be here to say it and defend this
0:10:24 > 0:10:28tough budget. That's what it is, it is not a budget for growth and
0:10:28 > 0:10:32investment. It will not provide home for the homeless or solve the
0:10:32 > 0:10:39universities places crisis. It was signed up by the DUP.David Ford,
0:10:39 > 0:10:43just Okore Phi one point, but a budget have been brought to the
0:10:43 > 0:10:52Executive table for discussion? -- just one point. The blog without the
0:10:52 > 0:10:59agreementof the person is that under by Defence Minister. The rule
0:10:59 > 0:11:04takes about six meetings to get something onto the order paper.It
0:11:04 > 0:11:10would have been tricky?It would. What do you hope of today's budget
0:11:10 > 0:11:14proposals, is at the best we could have hoped for in difficult
0:11:14 > 0:11:19circumstances?There is a real requirement that we seek strategic
0:11:19 > 0:11:22decision-making, issues that are creating difficulties addressed,
0:11:22 > 0:11:27what is about rather than what is effectively a rolling on budget.
0:11:27 > 0:11:31Last year we had a kind of Tory budget based on DUP and Sinn Fein
0:11:31 > 0:11:35ministers failing to make strategic decisions, this year the Tories have
0:11:35 > 0:11:41failed to make strategic decisions entirely on their own. We have huge
0:11:41 > 0:11:46inefficiencies in public services. The crossover pavilion Evian schools
0:11:46 > 0:11:51post-16 -- Effie and schools. There are a range of issues which simply
0:11:51 > 0:11:55aren't being addressed. Until we address them, we will continue to be
0:11:55 > 0:11:58living with trying to play catch up, trying to make the best of what
0:11:58 > 0:12:02we've got as opposed to making strategic decisions, some of which
0:12:02 > 0:12:06will be unpopular in the short-term but will actually allow long-term
0:12:06 > 0:12:11decision-making.What about revenue raising? That was something which
0:12:11 > 0:12:16could have been... Jolyon has talked us through it, there were various
0:12:16 > 0:12:22options for consideration. Apart from a number of issues of reference
0:12:22 > 0:12:27is about revenue raising in that paperwere pretty meaningless in
0:12:27 > 0:12:30terms of the value it would have produced compared to the public
0:12:30 > 0:12:35difficulty in getting them through. For example, getting rid of free
0:12:35 > 0:12:39prescriptions sounds good but it actually brings in very little
0:12:39 > 0:12:43revenue.It brings in very little revenue and a lot of it is taken up
0:12:43 > 0:12:47with administering, there are difficulties. That may be needed as
0:12:47 > 0:12:51we look at at well, if we were to ever implement the reforms to
0:12:51 > 0:12:55health, that's the kind of things we might need to look at. There is also
0:12:55 > 0:12:58good deterrent factor of people taking prescription is too easily,
0:12:58 > 0:13:06which has been suggested by some people. The
0:13:06 > 0:13:09people. The reality is, and people currently don't see value for money
0:13:09 > 0:13:14because of the inefficiencies in the system.Claire Hanna, could it be
0:13:14 > 0:13:17worse under the circumstances? Actually, we haven't seen the
0:13:17 > 0:13:21detail, we have a lot more questions than answers.It was a pretty short
0:13:21 > 0:13:27statement.Absolutely, nobody had the opportunity to ask questions,
0:13:27 > 0:13:31the last session of Stormont was pretty opaque in terms of questions
0:13:31 > 0:13:36about the budget, but even Tory backbenchers are asking about the
0:13:36 > 0:13:39lack of opportunity...You had a briefing earlier in the week was
0:13:39 > 0:13:44glad we had a conversation, but as far as I'm concerned it political
0:13:44 > 0:13:48coverit was, as I call it, the kids tables, the smaller parties, there
0:13:48 > 0:13:55is due process even in that. The bigger parties had conversations.We
0:13:55 > 0:14:00had no conversations. This is a Tory-DUP budget.Did you know what
0:14:00 > 0:14:04was going to be in it before the written statement before the House?
0:14:04 > 0:14:08We had the same briefing that every party received from the finance
0:14:08 > 0:14:11officials before Christmas and a response to the consultation after
0:14:11 > 0:14:15Christmas, but we had no say whatsoever in this, and if we had we
0:14:15 > 0:14:19would have been arguing.The bottom line is, the last day in 14 months
0:14:19 > 0:14:23is left, certainly we need a budget, departments need clarity and how
0:14:23 > 0:14:30they are going to spend so they can spend
0:14:33 > 0:14:35spend effectively, we are not turning Dinos Arpad additional money
0:14:35 > 0:14:37but there is no understanding about who is making the political
0:14:37 > 0:14:39decisions. Last year's budget, whilst it was presented from
0:14:39 > 0:14:42Westminster, everybody was clear it was laid down on the basis of the
0:14:42 > 0:14:44budget that the previous Executive did not issue. Who is making the
0:14:44 > 0:14:48decisions? The extra money, delighted we are to have it, but for
0:14:48 > 0:14:53infrastructure, what oil building and where? £20 million extra for
0:14:53 > 0:15:00targeting social need, that could be spent for almost any department.In
0:15:00 > 0:15:06the DUP can say that it has returned £410 million.It isn't their money,
0:15:06 > 0:15:10it is taxpayers money.It is money the DUP negotiated over and above
0:15:10 > 0:15:15other money due to come.That is not to say the rest of us don't have an
0:15:15 > 0:15:20entitlement.Everybody is going to benefit from that is the case but
0:15:20 > 0:15:24the point is people are entitled to know and it is a breach of the
0:15:24 > 0:15:28spirit of power-sharing Gasper that this is worse than direct rule
0:15:28 > 0:15:32because when Sammy Wilson showboat it on Twitter how he was going to
0:15:32 > 0:15:40see Treasury, the Good Friday allows for traditions, and they have their
0:15:40 > 0:15:44fingerprints all over this budget. Are we all going to benefit or will
0:15:44 > 0:15:48this plug some of the short term issues without actually dealing in
0:15:48 > 0:15:53the long term meaningful way with addressing the problems of public
0:15:53 > 0:15:56services in Northern Ireland? We might get through this year but we
0:15:56 > 0:15:59won't get the benefit if we don't have proper scrutiny as to how the
0:15:59 > 0:16:08money is spent, in a strategic way, as opposed to spending more on
0:16:08 > 0:16:14services than we ought to.And a bit of false eye on the part of Sinn
0:16:14 > 0:16:19Fein and yourself today. Whenever you complain about the 4.5 increase
0:16:19 > 0:16:26in domestic rates, you wanted to portraits up, you wanted to scrap
0:16:26 > 0:16:33the cup.I do believe that if we're going to have increase across the
0:16:33 > 0:16:37board, those with the broader shoulders have to carry more weight.
0:16:37 > 0:16:43So today's increase isn't OK?I believe that increases on the public
0:16:43 > 0:16:47should be means tested. The more money you have, the more you
0:16:47 > 0:16:52contribute, it is a basic principle of fair government.People in big
0:16:52 > 0:17:00houses don't is a serious have a lot of money.We had revenue imposes,
0:17:00 > 0:17:05and we make sure those who couldn't afford didn't pay. 4.5 shouldn't be
0:17:05 > 0:17:10across the board. Those struggling wake-up today knowing inflation is
0:17:10 > 0:17:17hitting them and now they have rates above inflation.Part of the point
0:17:17 > 0:17:21is people can understand rates hike if they know what it is going to do.
0:17:21 > 0:17:26This is a ticket overbudget, it is cut-and-paste and nobody will see
0:17:26 > 0:17:31any improvement in their services. Let's pause this because in the
0:17:31 > 0:17:35meantime it was funding for legacy inquests which was making all the
0:17:35 > 0:17:40headlines.
0:17:42 > 0:17:43A judge ruled that
0:17:43 > 0:17:46Arlene Foster's decision to block it was "unlawful and flawed".
0:17:46 > 0:17:48Sir Paul Girvan said the former First Minister was wrong to think
0:17:48 > 0:17:51she could postpone the decision until an overall political
0:17:51 > 0:17:52agreement on dealing with the past was reached.
0:17:52 > 0:17:54Our Political Editor, Mark Devenport, asked the DUP's
0:17:54 > 0:17:56Sammy Wilson for his reaction to the verdict.
0:17:56 > 0:18:00When we deal with the past, we deal with it in a fair and balanced way,
0:18:00 > 0:18:05and that one particular aspect of the past is not examined while other
0:18:05 > 0:18:09parts of the past or ignored. And that was... That will remain our
0:18:09 > 0:18:13position but I don't want to comment on the judgment itself.Should the
0:18:13 > 0:18:17government heed the government's advice and release the money now?
0:18:17 > 0:18:22That would be a decision for the government to make. But we will...
0:18:22 > 0:18:30We want to see that dealing with the past, being dealt with in a fairway,
0:18:30 > 0:18:33where it isn't seen that in the one particular aspect of the past is
0:18:33 > 0:18:40investigated. We have got a lot of hurt people in Northern Ireland and
0:18:40 > 0:18:44I think they expect to see fairness and balance in a way in which we do
0:18:44 > 0:18:53with the past.Sammy Wilson talking to us. David Ford, you adjusters
0:18:53 > 0:18:59minister at Stormont, what do you make of this ruling?There is a
0:18:59 > 0:19:05certain amount of personal pleasure that I worked with the lord chief
0:19:05 > 0:19:10justice and the DOJ worked hard to put together a plan which would have
0:19:10 > 0:19:13commenced the process of speeding up legacy inquests. It wouldn't have
0:19:13 > 0:19:17dealt with all of them but it was to get the process under way. I took
0:19:17 > 0:19:22that paper to the Executive, Arlene Foster refused to table it for
0:19:22 > 0:19:27political reasons and we now have a clear decision from the High Court
0:19:27 > 0:19:30that was unlawful. That legacy inquests 's should have been speeded
0:19:30 > 0:19:35up by the provision of extra money. That is what we wanted to do, that
0:19:35 > 0:19:40is what the Lord Chief Justice wanted to do. And it was rejected
0:19:40 > 0:19:46for purely political reasons by Arlene Foster.
0:19:46 > 0:19:50Arlene Foster.And the Department is now request during the provision of
0:19:50 > 0:19:53additional funding for legacy inquests and this can't be postponed
0:19:53 > 0:19:56until an outcome to a political agreement is resolved. Do you think
0:19:56 > 0:20:01the government should now go ahead and release the money?It would
0:20:01 > 0:20:04appear the Secretary of State should release the money. There is also the
0:20:04 > 0:20:08issue as to the role of the Department of Justice in the absence
0:20:08 > 0:20:14of a minister. The normal rule was when ministers had set a direction
0:20:14 > 0:20:18of policy, the civil service continues to work on that. The
0:20:18 > 0:20:22direction of policy I said was absolutely clear that the money
0:20:22 > 0:20:26should be provided, should be requested from the Treasury from the
0:20:26 > 0:20:31money promised by David Cameron and the DOJ should work with the
0:20:31 > 0:20:34Judiciary Committee police and other relevant agencies to speed up the
0:20:34 > 0:20:40inquest process. That is something which is now set, as a ministerial
0:20:40 > 0:20:44direction, and which I trust civil servants will continue through.
0:20:44 > 0:20:46Mairtin O Muilleoir, Sammy Wilson asked about this earlier today and
0:20:46 > 0:20:51he says it is up to the government to release the money or not. That
0:20:51 > 0:20:55seems to indicate the DUP would not object, which is a possible shift in
0:20:55 > 0:21:00the party's position. If it is that, would you welcome such a
0:21:00 > 0:21:05development?I think it is appalling, and you're showing what
0:21:05 > 0:21:10the price of this Tory-DUP deal is, that the Lord Chief Justice who has
0:21:10 > 0:21:14vigorously independent, not in the pocket of any party, he made an
0:21:14 > 0:21:20appeal that we resolve this issue which causes hurt and pain, the
0:21:20 > 0:21:25British didn't fulfil their commitment but today to explain that
0:21:25 > 0:21:32away, we have Sammy Wilson on the TV justifying the unlawful actions of
0:21:32 > 0:21:36the former first Minister and the judgment of the courts. And sitting
0:21:36 > 0:21:44in judgment now, almost godlike, over whether or not people will have
0:21:44 > 0:21:48access to the truth.He was explaining the DUP's position.
0:21:48 > 0:21:51Arlene Foster made her position clear which is she didn't believe
0:21:51 > 0:21:56the release of the legacy inquest funding was balanced. She wanted to
0:21:56 > 0:22:01see it as part of a wider package. This is why it is appalling because
0:22:01 > 0:22:05Sammy Wilson didn't explain why Arlene Foster...Isn't the case Sinn
0:22:05 > 0:22:10Fein has reached agreement with the government to see 35mm is released
0:22:10 > 0:22:15over five years? That was meant to be part of the deal. Doesn't look
0:22:15 > 0:22:20like it'll happen any time soon so should the money be forthcoming
0:22:20 > 0:22:24ASAP?Remove the politics from it. The British government made the
0:22:24 > 0:22:28commitment to the Lord Chief Justice, 35 million over a period of
0:22:28 > 0:22:32years, that money should be released, and we did have an
0:22:32 > 0:22:35understanding with the British that they would make sure that happen.
0:22:35 > 0:22:41The deal collapsed because the DUP could not consummate. Release the
0:22:41 > 0:22:45money and remove it from the political arena entirely. Let people
0:22:45 > 0:22:52have their inquest.Do you agree? Week welcomed the ruling people have
0:22:52 > 0:22:56been waiting for. It was mean-spirited by Arlene Foster to
0:22:56 > 0:23:00use it as a bargaining chip. Every time the government and the two big
0:23:00 > 0:23:05parties get into a room, what's provided for victims is stripped out
0:23:05 > 0:23:10and the political will isn't there and in my mind, they are covering up
0:23:10 > 0:23:15for each other. It is a bad taste in people's mouths.Do you anticipate
0:23:15 > 0:23:21developments in?We should have bitten his arm off if he said he
0:23:21 > 0:23:25could have resolved this problem with £5 million, that money should
0:23:25 > 0:23:29be released, and it will build trust, create virtuous circles...
0:23:29 > 0:23:34You have to blame Sinn Fein for this.Final question... You can't
0:23:34 > 0:23:41blame Sinn Fein.Final question, do you think £35 million over five
0:23:41 > 0:23:46years would sort this issue out once and for all?I suspect it would be
0:23:46 > 0:23:51more than 35mm is for all the cost is associated with inquests. The
0:23:51 > 0:23:55important point I put was not that it was going to resolve the issue
0:23:55 > 0:23:58entirely by get the process under way, it was going to prove the
0:23:58 > 0:24:02concept as to how we would proceed to do the full job.Thanks, folks,
0:24:02 > 0:24:05for coming in to join us.
0:24:05 > 0:24:08The Local Government Auditor is to be asked to investigate claims
0:24:08 > 0:24:10that £1,500 of rate-payers' money was used to sponsor
0:24:10 > 0:24:11a table at a DUP dinner.
0:24:11 > 0:24:14The party may also be asked to refund the cash paid by Mid
0:24:14 > 0:24:15and East Antrim Council.
0:24:15 > 0:24:18The DUP has insisted the dinner, which was attended by the
0:24:18 > 0:24:20Environment Secretary Michael Gove in September, was not
0:24:20 > 0:24:21a party fundraiser.
0:24:21 > 0:24:23But a letter released under a Freedom of Information Request,
0:24:23 > 0:24:25and seen by the View, has raised questions
0:24:25 > 0:24:33about how the money was paid, as Enda McClafferty now reports.
0:24:35 > 0:24:40He is the MP who just loves to network.This is my office, this is
0:24:40 > 0:24:47where I work.Rubbing shoulders with ministers.I've a nice view
0:24:47 > 0:24:53photographs. I had dinner with Michael Gove.That happened last
0:24:53 > 0:24:58year when the Environment Secretary joined the MP at dinner in this
0:24:58 > 0:25:04hotel at Ballymena. It was billed as a is this community dinner and
0:25:04 > 0:25:08amongst those who sponsor the table was the local council. Despite
0:25:08 > 0:25:12questions raised at the time the DUP always insisted it was not a party
0:25:12 > 0:25:17fundraiser. Does a letter from Ian Paisley's office to the Council
0:25:17 > 0:25:19chief executive released through a Freedom of information request
0:25:19 > 0:25:24suggest otherwise? In it, Ian Paisley asked the council boss to
0:25:24 > 0:25:29make the check for £1500 for a table payable to the hotel hosting the
0:25:29 > 0:25:36dinner. But not to send it there. And this is where Ian Paisley wanted
0:25:36 > 0:25:42the cheque sent, to an address on Church Street in Ballymena. And it
0:25:42 > 0:25:47-- as it turns out it is the DUP offices. This is the councillor who
0:25:47 > 0:25:50obtained the letter through the Freedom of information request. She
0:25:50 > 0:25:55says the K the states this was Ian Paisley's annual constituency
0:25:55 > 0:25:59dinner.I find it very alarming because we questioned and I
0:25:59 > 0:26:03personally question the chief executive around the details of this
0:26:03 > 0:26:10dinner and I seek clarity. They told me it was not DUP dinner.Here's
0:26:10 > 0:26:16what happened she tried to raise it in the chamber this week.I'm going
0:26:16 > 0:26:22to speak, regardless of whether you'll my microphone. I will speak.
0:26:22 > 0:26:29I've correspondence which makes it clear... Order, order, order! You
0:26:29 > 0:26:32cannot speak on the matter. Unfortunately, my microphone was
0:26:32 > 0:26:37switched off. I wanted to see clarity about what the chief
0:26:37 > 0:26:42executive new and what the DUP what's they knew as well and
0:26:42 > 0:26:46following this we will be going to the local government auditor said
0:26:46 > 0:26:49this can be investigated further. Ian Paisley wasn't up for talking
0:26:49 > 0:26:52about that and about here is someone who was there and who interviewed
0:26:52 > 0:26:59the guest speaker. Did it feel like a DUP fundraiser for him?It didn't
0:26:59 > 0:27:03feel that way to me. It wasn't presented that way to me. It was a
0:27:03 > 0:27:08business constituency dinner hosted by the MP Ian Paisley, something he
0:27:08 > 0:27:17does on a regular basis. He was hosting it.What checks did council
0:27:17 > 0:27:20officials make before handing over that money? Which asked that
0:27:20 > 0:27:22question and this was the response.
0:27:48 > 0:27:52I don't think the council have handled this well at will. It has
0:27:52 > 0:27:56been very ambiguous. We were told it was the North Antrim business
0:27:56 > 0:28:00community event but it wasn't Ian Paisley constituency dinner
0:28:00 > 0:28:06supported by in Paisley himself.I think there are big questions. It is
0:28:06 > 0:28:10disgraceful the way the ratepayer and councillors have been treated.
0:28:10 > 0:28:15We've suffered massive job losses. Our rates have been increased by
0:28:15 > 0:28:192.95%.We asked the DUP for a response to the councillor 's
0:28:19 > 0:28:25concerns but they don't reply. Ian Paisley, though, has since hosted
0:28:25 > 0:28:30another dinner, attended this time by the former minister Priti Patel.
0:28:30 > 0:28:34She, too, is now on his wall. But this time the local council said no
0:28:34 > 0:28:38thanks when invited to sponsor a table.
0:28:38 > 0:28:39Enda McClafferty reporting.
0:28:39 > 0:28:40Let's hear what tonight's commentators make of
0:28:40 > 0:28:41what we've been discussing.
0:28:41 > 0:28:45Deirdre Heenan and Newton Emerson are with me.
0:28:45 > 0:28:51Let's talk about the budget first bowl. Nugent, any surprises as far
0:28:51 > 0:28:55as you're concerned?No, I think it's a mistake for the other parties
0:28:55 > 0:28:58to complain about the budget when it's really one of the things that
0:28:58 > 0:29:03we don't have to complain about. The real issue this budget reveals is
0:29:03 > 0:29:07that the DUP, having screwed up the best deal on unionism could possibly
0:29:07 > 0:29:11have got at Stormont, has retreated to the Westminster comfort zone for
0:29:11 > 0:29:15the duration, and this has given it a great headline to start that. The
0:29:15 > 0:29:20debate
0:29:20 > 0:29:22debate that we were having about the Stormont talks has flipped
0:29:22 > 0:29:25immediately around to the budget as if the catastrophe of the past month
0:29:25 > 0:29:27has been forgotten, and now we're arguing about alleged Tory hostility
0:29:27 > 0:29:30and the nit-picking details of finance, when the real problem is
0:29:30 > 0:29:34that this budget is a breach of the 1999 act, it is completely outside
0:29:34 > 0:29:39the terms of the Good Friday Agreement. This is the different
0:29:39 > 0:29:43between the two other patch up budgets. It is unambiguously direct
0:29:43 > 0:29:47rule. We have been tipped into this limbo and nobody seems to care.Did
0:29:47 > 0:29:53the DUP not say tonight, we have delivered an extra £410 million for
0:29:53 > 0:29:57everyone in Ireland has blogged it would be churlish to say, we don't
0:29:57 > 0:30:03need money. We need the money.On the other hand, it flies in the good
0:30:03 > 0:30:08face of good government. There is no accountability, no transparency, no
0:30:08 > 0:30:12consultation. We don't know what this money is going to be spent on.
0:30:12 > 0:30:15We are told infrastructure, education and health. We don't know
0:30:15 > 0:30:20where is the political direction for this. In health, we are told it is
0:30:20 > 0:30:24going to implement the report. We don't have the structures in and
0:30:24 > 0:30:28systems in place to implement this. The civil servants that we have are
0:30:28 > 0:30:33risk averse. Listening to the RHI on it daily basis, they are going to be
0:30:33 > 0:30:39more risk averse. The idea that they are going to lead a programme of
0:30:39 > 0:30:43transformation is quite frankly ridiculous. It will be keep the ship
0:30:43 > 0:30:46going, steady the ship, as you work, keep the show on the road. But we
0:30:46 > 0:30:50will not get a programme of transformation, there is no
0:30:50 > 0:30:54strategic direction, and we absolutely need strategic direction,
0:30:54 > 0:30:58particularly in health and education.They didn't want any
0:30:58 > 0:31:02announcement on MLAs' play to take the gloss off this announcement --
0:31:02 > 0:31:08MLAs' pay.This is the big launch effectively of their new Westminster
0:31:08 > 0:31:11period, as Arlene Foster has effectively said, Stormont can't
0:31:11 > 0:31:15come back this side of Brexit, really, what it looks like, given
0:31:15 > 0:31:19the timetable of these negotiations. With a Tory deal but can run on
0:31:19 > 0:31:23until perhaps the end of the decade, they are sitting back and thinking,
0:31:23 > 0:31:26we'll see what else crops up. They don't have any other options, they
0:31:26 > 0:31:29have walked away from the best possible outcome they could have
0:31:29 > 0:31:33had. They are going to simply sit back and Westminster, see how they
0:31:33 > 0:31:41can operate things from there and see what they can make of Brexit.
0:31:41 > 0:31:44And in the meantime, we have been left with neither direct rule nor
0:31:44 > 0:31:45devolution. And no particular urgency, it seems, to resolve that
0:31:45 > 0:31:50conundrum.For some long as the confident and supply arrangement
0:31:50 > 0:31:53continues at Westminster, the DUP is in a pretty powerful position and
0:31:53 > 0:31:57today proves it.I don't know that they are in a powerful position.
0:31:57 > 0:32:01They are enjoying the position that they are in, but it could go at any
0:32:01 > 0:32:04time, it could be short lived. We have a fragile Conservative
0:32:04 > 0:32:11government. They don't have that much power leveraged. The
0:32:11 > 0:32:15interesting thing is, yes, they have delivered a budget and the money but
0:32:15 > 0:32:19we are still in a political vacuum. We don't have direct rule devolution
0:32:19 > 0:32:23and we have no ministerial direction. We have nobody there to
0:32:23 > 0:32:27make the decisions to spend the money. Well done them for bringing
0:32:27 > 0:32:30the money, but if it can't be delivered in the way it's needed, so
0:32:30 > 0:32:36what.Let's talk about legacy just to close. You confident that legacy
0:32:36 > 0:32:42inquest funding could be
0:32:45 > 0:32:46inquest funding could be released sooner rather than later?Not
0:32:46 > 0:32:48necessarily. I think you have to bear in mind that traditional
0:32:48 > 0:32:50reviews are police actions, and losing a traditional -- judicial
0:32:50 > 0:32:53review doesn't mean that you have broken the law, the Government has
0:32:53 > 0:32:55stalled this for decades and Stormont has ignored judicial review
0:32:55 > 0:33:02is completely.He directed them to look at it again stop your civil
0:33:02 > 0:33:07servants are averse to breaking the law.When Martin O'Neill said that
0:33:07 > 0:33:12legacy should not be a political issue, it is. It is still in the mix
0:33:12 > 0:33:17of all the other and soft issues at Stormont.Deirdre, final. Log one
0:33:17 > 0:33:24might hope that this decision may embolden the Secretary of State.
0:33:24 > 0:33:27James Brokenshire talked about consultation and September last year
0:33:27 > 0:33:32and we are still waiting on it. One may hope that this may give Arlene
0:33:32 > 0:33:38Foster the cover to say, I'm going to move it on and do it so boy
0:33:38 > 0:33:40interesting thoughts, thanks both very much indeed for joining us
0:33:40 > 0:33:41tonight.
0:33:41 > 0:33:42Thanks, both.
0:33:42 > 0:33:44That's it from The View for this week.
0:33:44 > 0:33:47The Sunday Politics is here at 11:35am on BBC One as usual.
0:33:47 > 0:33:50And, as International Women's Day draws to an end, let's close
0:33:50 > 0:33:52with some familiar faces from the local political world.
0:33:52 > 0:33:59Bye-bye.
0:33:59 > 0:34:04MUSIC