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Tory-DUP deal is the equivalent of £530 more per person in Northern Ireland

The £1 billion agreement agreed by Theresa May and the DUP means a 5% increase in the Northern Ireland budget.

Theresa May meets the DUP in Downing Street.
  • Tory-DUP deal is the equivalent of an extra £530 per person in Northern Ireland over the next two years.
  • £1 billion agreement signed between Theresa May and the DUP for 'confidence and supply' means the Conservative minority government will be propped up.
  • The extra money is equivalent to a 5% increase in Northern Ireland's budget a year.
  • Leading cabinet minister says that "we all as taxpayers... have an interest in Northern Ireland doing better."

LONDON — The deal between the Conservatives and DUP is the equivalent of an extra £530 per person in Northern Ireland over the next two years.

The £1 billion agreement, signed so the DUP would prop up the Tory minority government, amounts to a 5% increase in Northern Ireland's budget per year.

Prime Minister Theresa May

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Criticism of the deal has been fierce, with Wales' first minister Carwyn Jones labelling it as "a straight bung to keep a weak prime minister and a faltering government in office."

However, Sir Michael Fallon, the defence secretary, defended the deal on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, saying "w

So where will the £1 billion go?

in a series of "additional financial support" for the province, with the money split over the two years across various projects.

£400 million is allocated to spend on infrastructure projects in Northern Ireland, including funding for York Street Interchange to ease congestion on Belfast's motorways. £75 million per year is to be spent on improving 'ultra-fast broadband' access.

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£100 million is given to Northern Ireland in order to "address immediate pressures in health and education," which will anger under-pressure NHS trusts and education authorities across the rest of the UK. An additional £200 million is allocated to deliver 'health service transformation'.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said "c

What else could the money be spent on?

£1 billion could recruit as many as 46,000 more nurses for the NHS for a year, based on the starting salary for a fully qualified nurse of £21,962 per year. The NHS currently has 285,000 nurses.

What if the money was proportionally given to the rest of the UK?

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Under the Barnett formula, the UK's devolved nations are given funds proportionally, based on population. The £1 billion given to Northern Ireland comes as a block grant and therefore is not part of that formula. Scotland's first minister Nicola Sturgeon said this was "s

Is the extra funding for Northern Ireland a good thing?

It is clear that Northern Ireland does need more funding - it runs the biggest deficit per person of any region of the UK.

The £1 billion deal could also facilitate a return of an executive for Northern Ireland, as parties from both sides of the sectarian divide will want a say on how the money is spent. The deadline for Northern Ireland to form an executive is this Thursday.

If extra spending on Northern Ireland is what it take to ensure peace, then it is undeniably a good thing.

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However, this deal has clearly been struck to keep the Conservative minority government in power. Worth £100,000,000 per DUP MP, it gives the Conservatives a majority on key votes, like the Queen's Speech and the budget.

The deal is also potentially a threat to the Northern Ireland peace process. Fomer prime minister John Major has warned that it will break the terms of the Good Friday Agreement and risk the return of violence to the province.

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