Civil Disorder: Belfast
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps he plans to take with the Northern Ireland Executive to help tackle the potential impact of the a) attempted murder in North Belfast and b) the subsequent violence and disorder on the young people of Northern Ireland.
Answered by Hilary Benn
It is vital that we work together with the Northern Ireland Executive to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all our communities across the United Kingdom. I meet regularly with Northern Ireland Executive Ministers to discuss a range of priority issues, including support for young people.
I met with NI Party Leaders on 11 June and discussed the attack in North Belfast and the subsequent disorder, including its impact on local communities.
On 18 June I met a range of representatives of the community and voluntary sector, of the health service and the emergency services to discuss what happened. It is very important that we all call out this racist violence for what it is.
In addition to the £113 million over three years for Additional Security Funding, a further £4 million has been allocated to PSNI for this financial year, demonstrating our commitment to supporting the PSNI given the significant challenges they faced in confronting the disorder in order to protect the community.
This emergency funding will help with the costs incurred by the PSNI during the disorder, including the cost of the Mutual Aid support from police officers from Scotland and northern England and overtime of police officers throughout the disorder.
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