Shared Island fund does more for unity than border poll calls
CORMAC MOORE, Irish News, May 22nd, 2026
IN June 1926, a doctor based in Fermanagh, Dr John Caraher from Tempo, requisitioned an ambulance from the Enniskillen Board of Guardians to transport a maternity patient across the border to the Coombe Hospital in Dublin, where she recovered.
After being criticised, he responded that there was nowhere in Northern Ireland where the patient could be treated and declared that “medicine knew no boundaries”.
Common sense subsequently prevailed and the Board of Guardians allowed for ambulances to cross the border if necessary, with their drivers granted Free State licenses.
Another common sense approach to cross-border cooperation is the Shared Island Initiative, which funds more than 35 projects including in healthcare, such as the Daisy Lodge respite and therapeutic centre for children with cancer, cross-border emergency responses, and nursing education.
Critics of Micheál Martin claim the scheme, devised in his first term as taoiseach in 2020, is an attempt to abdicate from responsibility to advocate for a united Ireland.
Former diplomat Ray Bassett recently said there is a timidness about the Shared island Initiative that he finds unsettling and it is “being used as an excuse to avoid the prospect of a border poll”.
At his Fianna Fáil ard fheis address last Saturday, exactly 100 years after the party’s inaugural public meeting, the taoiseach refuted those claims, saying: “In line with the republican vision of Tone and Pearse, every person who joins our party must support our core objectives – and the first of these is ‘To secure in peace and agreement the unity of Ireland and its people’.”
He also said the Shared Island Initiative was essential to secure the full benefits of peace that the Good Friday Agreement heralded.
A day later, on RTÉ’s The Week in Politics programme, Martin reiterated his support for Irish unity and more forcefully promoted the Shared Island Initiative, criticising lazy dismissal of it in the face of “empty rhetoric which we’ve had for nearly 100 years”.
He claimed it was the first major investment in Northern Ireland by a government in the Republic and one of the most significant initiatives since the Good Friday Agreement, yet is scorned as a trifling one.
The Shared Island Initiative was devised during Micheál Martin’s first term as taoiseach in 2020 and has made a budget commitment of €2bn up to 2035
The Shared Island Initiative has made a budget commitment of €2bn up to 2035, having already provided funding of over €600m to date.
On top of marquee projects such as the Narrow Water Bridge, the Ulster Canal restoration, an hourly rail service from Dublin to Belfast which has resulted in a 40 per cent increase in passenger numbers since 2024, and a new Dublin-Derry air link service, it is instigating and funding cooperation programmes and research studies on all-island topics.
The taoiseach’s department has been working with the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), which has produced all-Ireland reports on areas such as the economy, education, healthcare and housing.
Not a trifle
There is nothing trifling about the initiative. People desiring for preparation to begin on a united Ireland surely would agree that research studies looking at critical ar-eas that will inform the unity debate are already a good starting point.
More than 15 reports have been published, analysing and comparing the economies, living standards and societies of both jurisdictions.
Instead of the rhetoric of constantly calling for a border poll by 2030, the Shared Island Initiative is a common sense approach that promotes cooperation and reconciliation across the island.
While it is entirely legitimate to campaign for a border poll, the last thing those of us seeking a united Ireland need is for a premature border poll to fail, which could set back the quest for unity by a generation.
Scotland’s independence referendum of 2014 is a clear illustration of this.
It is also worth noting that it is the around 20% of northern society that does not identify as nationalist or unionist who will decide a border poll. They are more likely to appreciate the merits of the Shared Island Initiative as a positive approach to unity rather than the bombardment of rhetorical calls for a border poll.
Micheál Martin also spoke about how a former leader of Fianna Fáil, Seán Lemass, in the 1960s, jettisoned the previous Irish government approaches towards partition which were strong on rhetoric but devoid of any strategies, to instead seek one of cooperation with the northern government for the first time.
This change in approach was best symbolised by Lemass’s meetings with the Northern Ireland prime minister Terence O’Neill in 1965. At his ard fheis speech, Martin cited Lemass’s comment that “When people begin to work together, it’s a habit which will grow”.
While the influence of Seamus Mallon on the Shared Island Initiative is clear, so too is that of Lemass whose pragmatic approach to problem-solving is apparent in the scheme.
The Shared Island Initiative not only offers real, tangible and substantial solutions across and on both sides of the border, but also nurtures dialogue and cooperation between different communities.
It is a policy of substance that facilitates Irish unity far more so than a constant stream of calls for a border poll that would more than likely fail if it was held in 2030.
Sex offences cases against Donaldsons will ‘run together’
JONATHAN McCAMBRIDGE, Irish News, May 22nd, 2026
THE trial of former DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson and the ‘trial of the facts’ of his wife Lady Eleanor Donaldson in a historical sexual offences case will proceed simultaneously, a judge has ruled.
Judge Paul Ramsey made the ruling at Newry Crown Court yesterday when he confirmed that both sets of proceedings will begin on May 26.
The judge had earlier ruled that Mrs Donaldson is unfit to be tried after hearing medical evidence.
She is now set to face a trial of the facts – a process that tests the evidence in the case but cannot result in her being criminally convicted.
The judge had previously heard legal submissions on whether that trial of the facts should run alongside the trial of Mr Donaldson or as separate proceedings at a different time.
Delivering his ruling, the judge said: “The interests of justice require that this case be progressed in a manner that is fair to all parties, but also as expeditiously as such fairness permits.
“Accordingly, I rule that the trial of Jeffrey Donaldson and the trial of the facts of Eleanor Donaldson be held simultaneously and the case will commence on Tuesday next, the 26th of May.”
Neither Mr nor Mrs Donaldson were present in court for the ruling. They were not required to attend.
Prior to yesterday’s proceedings, the trial of Mr Donaldson (63) had been listed to start on May 26.
He has pleaded not guilty to 18 alleged offences.
The charges include one count of rape and allegations of indecent assault and gross indecency, and span a time period between 1985 and 2008, involving two alleged victims.
Mrs Donaldson (60), of Dublinhill Road, Dromore, has denied charges of aiding and abetting.
Proceedings had already been delayed twice due to medical issues related to Mrs Donaldson.
Prosecuting barrister Fiona O’Kane KC told the court yesterday that it was hoped that a jury could be sworn on May 26 and the proceedings commenced the following day.
Mr Donaldson, a former long-standing MP for Lagan Valley, was arrested and charged at the end of March 2024.
He resigned as DUP leader and was suspended from the party after the allegations emerged.
Weeks before his arrest, he had led the DUP back into devolved government at Stormont after a two-year boycott of the power sharing institutions.
'Formal process' starts over commissioner's character reference for paedophile
AMANDA FERGUSON, Belfast Telegraph, May 22nd, 2026
The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission (NIHRC) has confirmed it is carrying out “a formal process” after commissioner David Lavery provided a character reference for his paedophile cousin.
Earlier this month 77-year-old William Lloyd-Lavery, a former teacher at Richmond Lodge in south Belfast, received a two-year sentence for indecently assaulting four teenage girls between 1975 and 1979.
Mr Lavery, who is also chief executive of The Law Society of Northern Ireland, has faced criticism for providing a reference to the Crown Court for Lloyd-Lavery, stating that he was a “person of sound judgment and good character”.
Mr Lavery is a qualified barrister and legal academic who, according to his NIHRC biography, previously worked as the chief executive of the Court Service and as deputy permanent secretary of the Department of Justice.
NIHRC has now said a “formal process” into the matter is under way.
It added: “We are aware of recent media reports, and this matter has been taken very seriously. The protection of victims of sexual violence and abuse is of the utmost importance.
“The commission recently held a special meeting to consider the issue raised. We have initiated the formal process available to us in accordance with the code of governance.
“We cannot share any further information at this stage. As soon as we are able, further information will be made available.”
NIHRC's code of governance was prepared in line with the UK Cabinet Office code of best practice for board members of public bodies.
It describes the various responsibilities placed upon commissioners when exercising their functions, including personal responsibilities, conflicts of interest, openness and responsiveness.
NI Survivors Council
Nikella Holmes of the NI Survivors Council welcomed the NIHRC announcement. “We are calling for the abolition of character references in cases of sexual offences,” she said.
“It is traumatic for victims and survivors to hear how great others think their abusers are, because they know the true character of the offender.
“Victims and survivors tell us good character references make them feel their experience is minimised.”
Nearly two weeks ago Rosemary Connolly, a retired employment solicitor, said many Law Society members were “disappointed” with the apology David Lavery made in an email and by the decision to defer the matter to the next meeting of its executive committee in June.
Law Society members were told their CEO had “apologised sincerely and unreservedly to council and has acknowledged that providing the reference was a serious error of judgment”.
In a recent email to members, the Law Society said Mr Lavery had provided the reference “because of a family relationship but accepts that he should have considered the impact character references in sexual offence cases can have on victims and survivors”.
It's understood the Law Society held a special meeting to discuss the issue on Monday.
When asked about this, Law Society deputy chief executive Peter O'Brien said it was unable to provide an answer to queries at this stage.
Patricia McKeown of Unison, the trade union representing Law Society staff, said: “The union understands that the Law Society Council met on Monday to discuss this matter of grave concern. We are awaiting clarity on the outcome.”
Online tool will show exactly where British army units were based during Troubles
CONNLA YOUNG CRIME and SECURITY CORRESPONDENT, Irish News, May 22nd, 2026
A RESEARCH charity has launched a tracker tool for British army deployment records during the Troubles.
British Army Tracker Tool Northern Ireland (BATT NI) has been launched by Paper Trail and will allow researchers and others to find out where military units were based during the years of conflict.
Operation Banner, the British army’s response to the Troubles, involved around 300,000 troops before being brought to an end in 2007.
Until recently, searchable records of where units were based were difficult to access.
Users can now search BATT NI by location, area name, sub-area, or BT postcode, and by date, identifying what regiments were present at any given time.
Ciarán MacAirt, Paper Trail’s manager, developed BATT NI to support his own work.
“I am a lone worker in Paper Trail, and I am investigating terrible cases involving around 250 murders and 500 survivors who were physically injured,” he said.
“Legacy archive research is a key component of my work, but it is costly and time-consuming, so I have to innovate to save time and money for the charity.
“I developed BATT NI to save precious time and to pinpoint which specific British army records to access when investigating every violent incident, regardless of the background of the perpetrator or victim.”
It is expected the new search tool will be used by a range of people including victims and survivors.
BATT NI has been shared by Paper Trail and is free of charge.
It can be found at: https://opbanner.papertrail.pro/.
Shocking treatment of Gaza flotilla demands EU response
Pro Fide et Patria, Irish News, May 22nd, 2026
THE treatment by Israeli authorities of Irish citizens who are part of the Global Sumud Flotilla, highlighting the appalling plight of the people of Gaza and delivering vital humanitarian aid to the region, has been nothing short of disgraceful.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin has made clear that the detention in international waters by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) of the 15-strong Irish group, as well as activists from a range of other countries, was illegal.
There is overwhelming evidence that the campaigners were intimidated, humiliated and in some cases assaulted, and it is essential that the outrageous conduct of the IDF and some Israeli politicians is regarded with the utmost seriousness by the European Union.
“ Israel’s reputation across the international community has never been lower, and it is essential that the bravery of the Irish volunteers and all their colleagues inspires EU leaders to intensify their efforts on behalf of the traumatised residents of Gaza
An intense spotlight has been placed on the shocking episode, as among the courageous individuals to be held in Israeli custody is Dr Margaret Connolly, sister of President Catherine Connolly.
She was one of dozens of volunteers, including Helena Kearns from Lurgan and Fra Hughes from Belfast, on the 10 vessels intercepted in the Mediterranean Sea by the IDF earlier this week as they attempted to deliver supplies to Gaza, where an estimated 75,000 men, women and children have been killed over the last three years.
They were taken to a custody centre near Ashod Port and aggressively questioned, before many of them were forced to kneel on the ground, with their hands tied behind their backs, as Israel’s far-right security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir arrived on the scene.
Footage of the entirely unacceptable intervention shared online by Mr Ben-Gvir showed him taunting the flotilla members, waving an Israeli flag towards them and shouting “Welcome to Israel” in Hebrew.
A lawyer for the activists, Suhad Bishara, said yesterday after visiting the Ashod complex that many of the activists had experienced systematic acts of violence, with at least three hospitalised as a result.
Amid indications last night that the captives were being deported to Turkey, with the Irish minister for foreign affairs, Helen McEntee, saying she was closely monitoring all developments, the outrage deserves to be kept at the heart of preparations for Ireland assuming the presidency of the Council of the European Union in less than six weeks.
Mr Martin has said that his European counterparts should consider the suspension of part or all of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, which is plainly the minimum step which should follow.
Israel’s reputation across the international community has never been lower, and it is essential that the bravery of the Irish volunteers and all their colleagues inspires EU leaders to intensify their efforts on behalf of the traumatised residents of Gaza.
Beattie given a stay of execution by the UUP
SUZANNE BREEN, Belfast Telegraph, May 22nd, 2026
EXCLUSIVE: FORMER LEADER TO BE RESELECTED AND WILL STAND FOR PARTY IN THE NEXT ELECTION
Doug Beattie is set to be reselected by his local Ulster Unionist association when it meets to choose its Stormont election candidates next month.
The Belfast Telegraph previously reported that the Upper Bann association wanted to field only one candidate in next year's election — Councillor Kyle Savage.
But now, in an olive branch to the former party leader, it has decided to run two candidates in the constituency.
A formal selection meeting takes place in June, but Mr Beattie and Mr Savage would now be expected to secure the two nominations.
An insider said the move was an attempt by the leadership to “give Doug every opportunity”, with voters now offered a clear choice between two different kinds of Ulster Unionist.
Beattie to be reselected after U-turn by the UUP
PARTY WAS EXPECTED TO RUN ONLY ONE CANDIDATE IN UPPER BANN BUT HAS NOW AGREED ON TWO
Doug Beattie is on course to be reselected by his local UUP association when it meets to choose its Upper Bann candidates next month.
In an olive branch to the former party leader, it has now decided to run two candidates in the constituency.
The UUP has only 0.9 of a quota in Upper Bann and the local association wanted to field only one candidate. Its relations with Mr Beattie are poor, and Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon councillor Kyle Savage was the clear favourite to secure the single nomination.
However, it is understood that the party centrally asked the local association to revisit its decision. At a crunch meeting on Wednesday night, it agreed to stand two candidates.
They will be formally chosen at a selection meeting in June, but Mr Beattie and councillor Savage would now be expected to secure the nominations.
An insider said the move was an attempt by the leadership to “give Doug every opportunity”. Mr Beattie has been Upper Bann MLA for a decade.
The source said that the local association believed it was now best for voters to have a clear choice between the former UUP leader and councillor Savage, allowing the electorate to decide who they wanted to represent them in Stormont. The BBC last week reported that Mr Beattie expected to be deselected.
A source close to him said he was being forced out because he was regarded as being a moderate.
If that happened, the source said that the former UUP leader would run in next year's election as either an independent or for another party.
Steady fall
The UUP's vote in Upper Bann has been steadily falling. In 2022, it ran two candidates and Mr Beattie was elected on the seventh count. He secured 9pc of the vote, with his running mate Glenn Barr taking 6pc.
Although councillor Barr is on the traditional wing of the party, almost 75pc of his transfers went to Mr Beattie, helping him win the seat.
Speaking on BBC Radio Ulster's Nolan Show last week, Mr Beattie said:”I have to decide where I go if I'm not selected. This is my job, this is what my family rely on and members of my staff. I'm worried about them as well.
“I'm focused on getting myself selected and hopefully that will happen in the next number of months, and I can focus on winning in Upper Bann.”
Mr Beattie became UUP leader in 2021 but resigned three years later citing “irreconcilable differences” with party officers over his role in a row over the selection of a new MLA in North Antrim.
The 'Beattie bounce' the party experienced in the polls under his leadership did not translate into votes in the last Assembly election.
However, the party regained representation at Westminster under his tenure after he convinced Robin Swann to move constituency and run in South Antrim where he took the DUP seat in 2024.
While Mr Beattie now appears safe if he is happy to run along with councillor Savage, the UUP's North Down MLA Alan Chambers is facing deselection.
The 78-year-old has said he doesn't have the support of his local association.
If deselected, he has pledged to run as an independent.
Defence Forces crew beats US army in ‘Super Bowl of armour competitions’
Conor Gallagher, Irish Times, May 22nd, 2026
Irish soldiers win military tournament in Georgia to find the best armoured vehicle crew
“It’s a lethality competition,” said United States army colonel Justin Harper last week about the Sullivan Cup, an American military tournament to find the best armoured vehicle crew.
“Lethality is really what the army is all about, so we’re here to learn things about the best competitors in the army, about the platforms and how to display combat excellence in this environment,” he told Stars and Stripes military news organisation, echoing the bellicose language of the US secretary of defence Pete Hegseth.
Over the course of a week, the Sullivan Cup pits various branches of the US military against each other, along with a handful of international teams.
In the end, the most “lethal” team came not from the US military but from Ireland.
Earlier this month, a five-man crew from the Irish Army’s Cavalry Corps beat six US teams in the operation of the M2 Bradley, a 35-tonne tracked vehicle. Though it bears a strong resemblance to a tank, the M2 Bradley is technically an “armoured fighting vehicle”.
What made the achievement even more remarkable was that the Irish Army does not operate any tracked vehicles, much less any Bradleys. None of the crew had even seen a Bradley in real life, meaning they had to learn from scratch how to operate the platform in advance of the competition.
“The country had never competed in that competition before, never even seen the Bradley. We never expected to win,” says Sgt Shane Molloy, the gunner on the Irish team.
Even getting to the competition in Fort Benning, Georgia, was a challenge. Ireland had been invited previously to the Sullivan Cup as observers, but this was the first year it had been asked to compete. “Everyone wants to be involved and have a go at that competition. It is a high level,” says team leader, Lieut Colm Meade.
“It’s the Super Bowl of armour competitions in the world,” adds Molloy. Before setting out for Georgia, the team spent a month training in Ireland. This included an in-depth study of US cavalry doctrine and intensive training on the Mowag Piranha armoured personnel carrier, the closest thing Ireland has to a Bradley.
Small arms
As well as operating and maintaining the vehicle and firing its weapons, the competition tests crews’ physical fitness, proficiency with small arms and medical skills. There would also be extensive classroom exams in tactics. The Army Ranger Wing provided pistol training; the Central Medical Unit gave them medical training and the Artillery School taught the crew how to call in shell fire. Key to the Irish strategy was to “control the controllables”, says Meade.
The crew did not have a Bradley to train on but they could make sure the basic skills common to all militaries were honed to a fine art.
This would allow them to “pick up points in all the auxiliary stuff” the US teams were likely to ignore.
Once in the US, the crew continued training in simulators and had to pass a number of qualification rounds before they were allowed on the range.
Despite never seeing a Bradley before, much of the Irish team’s training transferred seamlessly to the new platform. “The basic skills are all the same, regardless of platform,” says Molloy. As they were being instructed by US personnel, they realised they knew much of the information already, he recalls.
The competition itself was a gruelling seven-day event. Molloy, Meade and the vehicle driver, Trooper Tristan Regan, were tested in various real-world scenarios before sitting classroom exams in the evening.
At night they slept in their vehicles before starting again at four the next morning. “To be honest, you didn’t sleep too much,” says Meade.
The crew was shocked when the final scores were announced. “They’re not going to let an international team win because it looks terrible on them,” Meade recalls thinking at the time.
Ireland won with a score of 699 out of 1000, beating the US 155th Armoured Brigade Combat Team by five points.
“It was embarrassing for them but they came up after and shook our hands. They knew how professional we’d held ourselves. They enjoyed our company. We enjoyed theirs,” says Molloy.
First win
Though it was Ireland’s first win in the Sullivan Cup, Defence Forces teams have a long history of punching above their weight in similar competitions.Last year, an Army Ranger Wing team won the Latvian Special Operations Tactical Sniper Competition, while Defence Forces Medics won the British medical competition Arduous Serpent for the second year running
An infantry team won silver in last year’s Cambrian Patrol competition in Wales, while teams also placed highly in the American Best Warrior competition in 2025 and 2026.
Winning competitions such as the Sullivan Cup validates Irish training methods and “sharpens an already sharp sword”, says Meade.
As the Defence Forces looks to modernise its armoured fleets as part of a deal with France, it also shows the crews can perform effectively no matter the vehicle, he says.
Irish News - LETTERS: Monoculturalism impoverishes us but bilingualism enriches our lives
OVER recent weeks on BBC Radio Four, at the end of the much-loved Shipping Forecast (which has a poetic appeal even for non-mariners such as myself), the presenters have bid us good night in the indigenous languages of the ‘United Kingdom’ (and Ireland) – the islands we all inhabit.
They did so in Welsh, Irish and Scots Gallic, and I was looking forward to hearing the language of Kernow (Cornwall) and being invited to ‘Haste ye back’ in Ullins (Ulster Scots) and Lallins (Lowland Scots).
This may just be mere tokenism, but it is indicative of a generosity of spirit that is sometimes lacking in some sections of our sadly divisive and inward-looking society.
Recently on BBC Radio Ulster, members of the deaf community welcomed legislation that offers equal recognition in treatment to sign language in its British and Irish codes.
For once, this drew support from all political parties here (deafness knows no frontiers, it affects us all). This is to be welcomed and shows a capacity for tolerance and understanding that is cross-community.
The ‘weaponisation’ of any language is unnecessary and unwelcome. Linguistic ‘apartheid’ does not work. What is lacking in the present culture wars is an objective historical and internationalist approach.
“A language is not just a simple means of communication. It is a particular way of seeing and understanding the world
When I looked into this matter I came to realise that the marginalisation of any language or culture is almost always rooted in colonialism.
I recommend readers examine the arguments in ‘Empireland’ by British-born Sikh Sathnam Sanghera about the pernicious influence the legacy of British imperialism has had on society to the present day, especially with regard to racism.
It was not a purely British phenomenon. It is a universal problem that infects language (whether you are a minority speaker of Lakota, Basque, or the French of Quebec). Examples are numerous.
I wasn’t brought up to know anything about Irish or any indigenous language. When I looked into my mother’s Presbyterian ancestry, it went back to 1603 and a mercenary Scottish Highland soldier who came to Ulster and eventually settled in south Down. His descendants now live in the US – inter-married with Italians, Norwegians, Portugese.
He was, to my surprise, a Gaelic speaker, but this was also spoken in places like Galloway, our near neighbours in the Scottish lowlands. Does it really matter?
Gaelic may, legitimately, be considered an ancestral language of many Presbyterians (I am myself a Quaker, by convincement). Sir Samuel Ferguson, staunchly unionist, was an enthusiast for Gaelic language and culture. He penned that emotive and sentimental poem ‘The Fair Hills of Ireland’. No language is intrinsically sectarian or should be.
One of the collateral ‘benefits’ of imperialism is that English is now a world language (we all benefit from this). It contains elements of Latin, Greek, Germanic, Norman, French and words from Hindu and Swahili, imported from the Raj and East Africa. In one sense, we are all to some extent bilingual.
A language is not just a simple means of communication (Esperanto was an attempt at that). It is a particular way of seeing and understanding the world, our environment, human relationships and history.
The book that opened my eyes to this was ‘Gaeilge i mo chroí’ by Molly Nic Céile. It is a contemporary, amusing, enlightening, revealing and alternative way of seeing life.
What do they know of English, that only English know? Monoculturalism and non-lingualism impoverish us; bilingualism enriches us – and improves our intelligence.
When we look up at the night sky, Arabic provides us with the language of astronomy (zenith and nadir; Andromeda and Aldabaran). It also, unfortunately, gave us ‘algebra’ (a mystery to me to this day).
Let us give this question of language our mature consideration.
DR DAVID GILLIGAN Belfast BT13
Questions over where millions spent on York Street Interchange have gone
ANDREW MADDEN, Belfast Telegraph, May 22nd, 2026
MONEY FROM 2017 CONFIDENCE AND SUPPLY DEAL 'FULLY SPENT' — WITHOUT BUILDING STARTING
Questions have been raised over where millions in funding to deliver the York Street Interchange provided under the “confidence and supply” agreement in 2017 has gone.
Some £400m was secured for the Department for Infrastructure to deliver the York Street Interchange “and other priorities” under the agreement.
But now Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins says that the entire £1bn for the Executive from the overall 2017 agreement has been “fully spent”.
Despite this, no actual construction has even started on the York Street Interchange, which was first commissioned in 2007 and aims to transform traffic flow at Northern Ireland's busiest road junction, the intersection of the Westlink, M2 and M3 in Belfast.
DfI said the confidence and supply funding “was not ring-fenced specifically” for the York Street Interchange, which has been beset by legal challenges, reviews and funding issues over the years.
In 2016, the scheme was estimated to cost around £130m, but now this figure is thought to be closer to £250m.
In 2017, the DUP signed a confidence and supply agreement to prop up then Prime Minister Theresa May's Conservative government — essentially giving the Stormont Executive £1bn in funding for NI in exchange for the party supporting the Tories in key votes to keep them in power.
According to the terms of the deal, the government agreed to allocate “£200m per year for two years and with sufficient flexibility as to the choice of project to ensure the Executive is able to deliver the York Street Interchange project and other priorities”.
There is no sign when, or even if, the York Street Interchange will be delivered.
Last month, Ms Kimmins said £25,750,000 has been spent on the project up to the end of the 2024/25 financial year, with a further £40,000 allocated for 2025/26, but this latter figure has not been finalised.
Ms Kimmins was asked this week whether funding allocated to the York Street Interchange under the confidence and supply agreement is still available to the Northern Ireland Executive.
Making no specific reference to the York Street Interchange, the Infrastructure Minister replied: “£400m of funding went to the Department for Infrastructure through the confidence and supply agreement for infrastructure development, with £200m allocated in 2018/19 and £200m in 2019/20.
“The confidence and supply package finished in 2023/24 with the £1bn allocation fully spent by the Executive.”
Separate figures released several years ago back when the SDLP's Nichola Mallon was Infrastructure Minister show that £2,380,000 was spent on the scheme in 2018/19 and £1,639,000 in 2019/20.
DUP MLA Brian Kingston his party made the York Street Interchange a priority in 2017 through the confidence and supply deal, but both Sinn Féin and SDLP infrastructure ministers have “failed to advance it”.
“No priority has been given to this project despite it being possibly Northern Ireland's most strategic road junction and thousands of motorists suffering from the tailbacks generated at peak times,” he added.
“The £400m has been used by the department but it was not prioritised towards any strategic improvement of our infrastructure.
‘Admission of failure’
“There is now an admission of failure from the department and the minister but given her inability to advance even those projects highlighted as priorities that may not be surprising.”
Mr Kingston said “the only thing which can be identified for certain” is that, of the almost £26m that has been spent on the York Street project to date, “most of that has been swallowed up by legal challenges, consultations and public inquiries”.
“The wider public have seen no benefit,” he said.
In response, DfI said: “The confidence and supply funding was not ring-fenced specifically for the York Street Interchange.
“The £200m each year was directed to infrastructure projects and was factored into the planned capital budget allocations for departments in 2018/2019 and 2019/2020.” The spokesperson said the capital budgets for these years allowed the department to take forward a range of infrastructure development projects across its capital programme.
These include major flagship projects, such as the A5, A6, Belfast Rapid Transit and the Belfast Transport Hub, as well as other capital projects including roads structural maintenance, public transport projects and investment in the water and sewerage network.
“The funding also allowed the continued development of the York Street Interchange project. Spend in those two years on the York Street Interchange project was approximately £4m,” they said.
In October 2022, a Placemaking and Active Travel Review report into the project was published, detailing several options to “enhance placemaking and improve active travel provision around the area” of the proposed scheme.
Since the publication of the report, there has been little movement, with former Infrastructure Minister John O'Dowd stating in a letter to his department's scrutiny committee in April 2024 that the project was “not progressing at present”.
Ms Kimmins said recently: “As the scheme is not funded through city and growth deals and is not identified as an Executive flagship project, I have asked my officials to consider possible alternative funding methods which could facilitate the scheme progression.
“This work is at an early stage and will take several months to complete.”
