Assembly failure ‘will cost DUP’
Failure to agree a return to devolution in November would cost the DUP more than £1.5m, a Northern Ireland Office document obtained by the BBC has said.
The document emerged as the British and Irish governments said they would publish a devolution timetable for NI’s politicians on Thursday.
A DUP source said the party would not be taking any decisions on the basis of financial cost implications.
The source said the NIO’s claim would have no impact on the DUP’s decisions.
The BBC has seen a section of the confidential document which deals with the cost to the DUP of shutting down Stormont.
It states that, whilst the party will still have income through Westminster and Europe, its policy and press machinery is likely to be severely affected by the loss of its assembly income which ran to £215,000 last year.
However, the DUP source told the BBC that the NIO document was incorrect in claiming that the party’s policy unit depended on assembly income.
The source said that the unit was funded from a policy development grant linked to the number of MPs the DUP has at Westminster.
The NIO document also states that cutting the office costs allowances of DUP assembly members would account for another £1.5m.
Advice centres
It says that consequently the DUP’s network of advice centres would be vulnerable.
The document predicts that the length of time the party keeps such centres afloat may be a useful indicator of whether it still wants to do a deal after the November devolution deadline.
BBC Northern Ireland editor Mark Devenport said: “The DUP has a top team that will be virtually immune from change.
“Their nine MPs will be buffered from the pay cut, which will be less for them anyway because their assembly salary is already reduced (to £10,600).
“While the party will still have income through Westminster and Europe, its policy and press machinery at headquarters and the assembly is likely to be severely affected by the loss of assembly income which ran to £215,000 last year.
“The advice centre network, of which the party is very proud will be vulnerable, but much will depend on the potential for a return.
“The party isn’t going to drown itself in debt just to keep a public presence, but it is unlikely to shut up shop immediately if there is serious potential for a deal.
“Its attitude to the advice centre network might actually be a useful indicator of mood post-November.”
On 15 May, Northern Ireland’s politicians took their seats in the Stormont assembly for the first time since October 2002.
A bid to elect a first minister and deputy first minister failed to gain the necessary cross-party support.
Devolved government was suspended over allegations of a republican spy ring. The court case that followed collapsed.
Direct rule from London was restored in October 2002 and has been in place since.
