Northern Ireland
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment he has made of the impact of being part of the UK on Northern Ireland.
Answered by Hilary Benn
Northern Ireland is a much valued part of the UK and brings an enormous richness to the life of our country. Northern Ireland also benefits hugely from being part of the UK.
For example, the Northern Ireland Executive will receive a record settlement of £19.3 billion per year on average between 2026-27 and 2028-29. This is the largest in the history of devolution, and provides Northern Ireland with over 24% more per person than equivalent UK Government spending in the rest of the UK.
As part of the UK, Northern Ireland will benefit from: £1.9 billion investment in Belfast defence manufacturing; access to £20 billion UK R&D spending; £2 million funding for Queen's University Belfast's Cyber AI Hub; access to £3 billion in UK-wide funding for the advanced manufacturing sector; £310 million over four years as part of the City and Growth Deals; and at least £30 million as part of the Local Innovation Partnership Fund.
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