Sign in Subscribe
Murder

Stormont Allocates Additional £690,000 for Ex-Paramilitary Prisoner Support

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

As part of the Northern Ireland Executive's controversial Communities in Transition (CIT) programme, an additional £690,000 has been allocated for projects supporting ex-paramilitary prisoners. This comes after a significant amount of funding was allocated for 2025/26, with two charities, Community Restorative Justice and NI Alternatives, receiving over £2m for several projects. Notably, the directors of these charities have been linked to paramilitary activities.

Key Takeaways:

  • The CIT programme aims to support eight geographical areas across Northern Ireland with a history of paramilitary activity and coercive control, with a total of £26m in funding dispersed since 2019.
  • The programme is now in its third phase, taking an "issues-based approach focusing on the key issues caused by paramilitarism in communities".
  • Two organisations, Wonder Arts and Consultancy Ltd and Tar Isteach Ltd, have been awarded contracts for "regional personal transition programmes for the ex-prisoner community" in several areas.
  • The directors of Tar Isteach have been linked to paramilitary activities, including Joe Doherty, a former IRA man who was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of a British soldier in 1980.
  • SDLP Stormont Opposition leader Matthew O'Toole has expressed concerns about the allocation of public funds to support ex-paramilitary prisoners, stating that the public is "weary and understandably cynical" about the sheer volume of money being directed at transition programmes.

Statistics:

  • £26m: Total funding allocated for the CIT programme since 2019.
  • 2025/26: Financial year for which Community Restorative Justice and NI Alternatives received over £2m in funding.
  • 3: Phases of the CIT programme, with the current phase focusing on an "issues-based approach."
  • 8: Geographical areas across Northern Ireland supported by the CIT programme.
  • £690,000: Additional funding allocated for projects supporting ex-paramilitary prisoners.

Sources:

  • "Stormont under fire over funding for ex-paramilitaries". The Times. 25 April 2023.
  • "Weary and cynical: SDLP leader questions Stormont's spending on ex-paramilitary prisoner funding". The Irish News. 26 April 2023.

Read more