To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequor on the funding of a Payments Scheme for Victims and Survivors in Northern Ireland.
Answered on
4 June 2020
The UK Government’s position has always been that the Victims Payment Scheme - which we legislated for in line with commitments placed on it by the Northern Ireland (EF) Act 2019 - should be funded from the NI Executive budget. The Executive committed to delivering such a scheme 6 years ago, so it is right that they fund these provisions as a priority for the benefit of all victims who have waited for this too long already.
The UK Government is providing £2 billion of additional financial support as part of the New Decade, New Approach agreement. It is open to the Executive to raise broader budgetary pressures with the Government; but it has received generous allocations and should now make funding available.