TUV Leader Jim Allister has attacked the lack of transparency and openness attending the operation of the North/South bodies. The cross-border implementation bodies have immunity from the provisions of the Freedom Information Act, 2000.  When they were established a Code of Practice on Freedom of Information was promised. It took till 2006 for this to emerge, but Mr Allister says it is useless and the cross- border bodies are continuing to shroud their activities in secrecy while other public bodies are now subject to scrutiny through the Freedom of Information Act.

In a statement the Traditional Unionist Voice Leader said:-

“The cross-border bodies are effectively living above the law. They above all require the utmost scrutiny, yet my experience of using their Freedom of Information Code of Practice proves it is a farce.

Back in January I had occasion to seek basic information from the SEUPB on how it handled and came to approve £7.5m of PEACE III for ex-republican prisoners, with OFMDFM approval. 6 months later the information is still being withheld, with the latest stalling wheeze being that the Department of Finance & Personnel at Stormont is now reviewing “the appropriateness of the FOI Code of Practice”.

This is a scandalous situation where a north/south body can, with departmental cover, evade scrutiny and the handover of documents which should be in the public domain. Among those sought are a copy of the application from Coiste (umbrella group for republican prisoners), minutes of the deliberations on the application and the communications to and from OFMDFM. I am aware of the First Minister’s political embarrassment over this approval, but such should not be a consideration in affording public scrutiny of the expenditure of public money.

The SEUPB has a very suspect history and with a gross imbalance in its staffing (only 30% of its staff are Protestants) it is crucial that all its workings can be subjected to adequate public scrutiny.  There is no justification for the continuing secrecy surrounding this scandalous waste of scarce resources.”