DUP boycott could place £1bn in jeopardy, Conor Murphy claims

Finance Minister Conor Murphy denied accusations his party was scaremongering

Plans by the DUP to boycott North South Ministerial Council meetings could place £1bn of Peace Plus funding in jeopardy, Conor Murphy has said.

Stormont's finance minister said the money needed approval at next month's meeting of the council.

Last week the DUP said it would boycott most north-south meetings until the NI Protocol is changed.

The DUP's Diane Dodds said there was no risk to funding and accused Sinn Fein of scaremongering.

"When Sinn Fein blocked North South Ministerial Council business for three years, solutions were found to ensure programmes could function," said the former economy minister.

But Mr Murphy denied accusations his party was scaremongering and insisted concerns over the funding were a "fact".

"There is a timeframe attached year-by-year to that £1bn and if it isn't spent, then it can't be spent," he said.

"If we are not able to get sign off at the next north-south meeting then there is huge jeopardy over the ability of that programme to go forward."

• DUP may quit Stormont 'within weeks' over protocol

• What next for the Northern Ireland Protocol?

The minister added the funding was due to be ready to roll-out at the end of this year, and also needed to be approved by the Stormont executive.

On Wednesday, Mrs Dodds rejected Mr Murphy's suggestion the money could be lost.

"The vast majority of that money is actually coming from the British government... the overwhelming majority is coming from London and that is completely and utterly not at risk," she told a Stormont committee.

Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has said his party would boycott most north-south meetings until its demands over the NI Protocol are met

But Mr Murphy said there was a "legal requirement" for the money to be signed off at the North South Ministerial Council.

"The DUP should really consider the consequences of their actions before they take them," he added.

The North South Ministerial Council (NSMC) is the main body for cross-border co-operation between the governments of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

It is attended by ministers from both sides of the border who oversee joint working in areas such as trade, food safety and agriculture.

But last week, DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said his party would "immediately" boycott most meetings until its demands over the Northern Ireland Protocol are met.

Peace Plus is a successor to programmes which have run since 1995 in Northern Ireland and the border counties in the Republic of Ireland.

It is funded by the UK, Republic of Ireland and EU.

Londonderry's Peace Bridge is one of the major projects in Northern Ireland that EU funding helped to build

Peace Plus is being managed by the Special European Union Programmes Body (SEUPB).

Northern Ireland and the border counties of the Republic of Ireland have received more than €3bn (£2.7bn) in peace projects since the scheme began.

Some of the best known projects include the Peace Bridge over the River Foyle and the regeneration of the Girdwood Barracks in north Belfast.

However, the bulk of the money has gone into smaller community projects.