Question
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the answer of 15 April 2026, to Question 123696, on EU Cohesion Fund, whether any of the receipts from the payments to the EU Cohesion Fund will be allocated to Northern Ireland.
Answer
As set out in the answer of 15 April, the UK is not currently contributing to EU Cohesion Funds as a consequence of the UK/EU reset. Whilst discussions have begun on the EU's proposal to establish a mechanism for a UK financial contribution towards reducing economic and social disparities between the regions of the Union as part of participation in the Internal Electricity Market, any UK financial contribution would be subject to negotiations with the EU, and no contributions have yet been made or agreed upon. Separately, the UK, EU and Ireland co-fund the Peace Plus programme per the agreement of March 2023.
Verdict: AMBER (32/100)
The reply explains that the UK currently makes no Cohesion Fund contributions and that any future contribution has not been agreed and is subject to negotiation, so there are no receipts to allocate at present. It does not say whether any future receipts would be allocated to Northern Ireland; it mentions the Peace Plus programme, which is a separate co-funded scheme and does not answer that point. The reply is largely hedged, so the person asking would probably need to follow up for a direct answer.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whether any of the receipts from the payments to the EU Cohesion Fund will be allocated to Northern Ireland. | Partially Addressed | Hedged | The reply establishes that the UK currently makes no Cohesion Fund contributions and that any future UK contribution is unagreed and subject to negotiation, which implies there are no receipts to allocate yet. It never states whether any future receipts would be allocated to Northern Ireland, and the Peace Plus reference is a separate co-funded programme rather than an answer about receipts. |