Speeches by Benn.

“It will be the result of those discussions.”

“It will be the result of the discussions. There are three parties—”

“Sorry, I didn’t catch the last bit of the question.”

“It will be taken between the Northern Ireland Office and MHCLG, having talked to the Northern Ireland Executive.”

“Well, in the end we will have to work out between us—I think we are still formally waiting for the settlement letter—how we are going to do this, but let’s be quite clear: the £46 million over each of the three years is for Northern Ireland, to be spent in Northern Ireland.”

“Well, that is the way that the spending review has turned out. I come back to my point about spending in the round. The Executive are going to have more money, and lots of decisions that they themselves need to make, but it is going to be a different programme from the one that was run, in effect, entirely by MHCLG pre…”

“I have done my best to answer the political question.”

“They will have an important part to play in the way in which those decisions are made. But ultimately, as I have stressed now for the third time, the accounting officer responsibility does actually rest with MHCLG rather than with the Northern Ireland Executive.”

“Local politicians have a huge amount of decision making in Northern Ireland, but in answering your questions I have done my best to set out that, in the expenditure of that money, the accounting responsibility does not rest with the Executive but with MHCLG. That is why it is different.”

“You did.”

“We went through a period where everyone was looking at the UK Government to say, “Well, are you going to make a contribution?” I met Gordon Lyons, the Communities Minister, and he said, “Are you going to make a contribution to Casement Park?” I said, “We will consider this as part of the spending review. If and when I …”

“It is financial transaction capital. That means that the funding will go to the Executive and they will acquire an asset, namely a part share, in whatever is built. That is the way that financial transaction capital works. What we are doing is not alone; it is funds that can be put towards the building of the stadium.”

“Yes, you would have an asset, and they would take an equity stake. That’s right.”

“Have to accept what?”

“I would be astonished if the Executive did not accept it.”

“The Communities Minister looked at me, when I met him, and said, “Are you going to make a contribution?” I gave him the answer I have just indicated. The Government has now made a contribution. I cannot conceive of any circumstances in which the Executive would say, “No thanks very much.””

“Well, I cannot speak for the Executive. I find it a little hard to understand where the question is coming from. Why would they not want to accept it?”

“Additional to?”

“My understanding is that it is additional funding for the purposes of Casement.”

“I would need to go away and check. Has the Northern Ireland Executive been able to take up such financial transaction capital as has been offered to it previously? I do not know the answer to that. I will go away, check, and respond to the Committee, if I may.”