Alliance in segregation threat to Stormont
The party earmarked to take on the North's new Justice Ministry will not accept the post until the Stormont government agrees on a strategy to tackle segregation in the region, a senior member signalled today.
Anna Lo from the Alliance Party said progress on devolving policing and justice powers from Westminster would not be possible until the Sinn Féin/Democratic Unionist-led coalition tabled its long delayed 'Cohesion, Sharing and Integration (CSI)' document.
The Executive's so-called 'Shared Future' strategy has been held up over a continuing failure between the two major parties to agree its form.
In a clear bid to heap pressure on the DUP and Sinn Féin to progress the issue, Ms Lo indicated that her party would not fill the Justice Ministry until the CSI was dealt with.
As part of the deal to devolve law and order powers to Stormont, DUP First Minister Peter Robinson and Sinn Féin Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness agreed that their respective parties would not take the new ministry. Instead it would being given to a candidate who had cross-community support in the Assembly.
As the only major party that does not align itself with either the nationalist or unionist tradition, Alliance is the only feasible occupant.
The party, which is not a member of the four-party power-sharing executive, has now made clear that its co-operation will not come without progress on segregation - which it claims costs the North £1bn (€1.11bn) a year.
"It would be nearly impossible for progress to be made on issues such as policing and justice if we don't have a shared future strategy agreed urgently," said Ms Lo.
The South Belfast member added: "We often hear of big ticket issues at Stormont. Well, these are not just big ticket, they are matters that, if left ignored, will continue to be big bill issues for Northern Ireland.
"The bill for segregation hits the Stormont doormat every financial year and it is around £1bn annually. The bill for failing to produce a CSI document is massive because you only have to think of the policing costs of sectarian violence and the cost to our economy of negative coverage of Northern Ireland in the media.
"Think of the whirlwind of bad publicity worldwide over the intimidation that forced Romanian families out of their Belfast homes (in June).
"The Executive cannot afford to duck these issues any longer. We are in the teeth of a financial crisis and addressing the cash wasted on maintaining division is the best way to safeguard vital frontline health services in the future.
"We also need to put Northern Ireland in the shop window more effectively to boost our economy. To do this the Executive needs to produce CSI strategy to show that they are doing all they can to eradicate prejudice and make people and businesses from around the world feel at home here."
In September, the North's outgoing police chief Hugh Orde also accused the Stormont administration of not doing enough to tackle traditional divisions in the region.
He said the authorities had to do more to address the underlying causes of conflict and tension, claiming the Shared Future document had been left on the back burner.
