Brown urged to fund peace dividend for the North

Chancellor Gordon Brown will face demands for a multi-billion pound peace dividend for Northern Ireland today.

Even though there are no firm guarantees of a political settlement in the near future, an all-party delegation from Belfast will outline the case for massive investment to strengthen the North’s infrastructure during talks in London.

They are also likely to ask Mr Brown to delay the introduction of controversial new rates and water charges and a reduction in corporation tax for Northern Ireland companies.

Cuts on fuel taxes which leave petrol station owners on the northern side of the Irish border at a serious disadvantage, but which create vast profits for smugglers, are also expected to be sought.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Taoiseach Bertie Ahern met last month at St Andrews, Scotland, and outlined plans which they believe could have the suspended Northern Ireland Assembly up and running again by next spring.

With Ian Paisley’s Democratic Unionists reluctant to get involved in any powersharing administration at Stormont until Gerry Adams and Sinn Féin endorse policing arrangements, eventual agreement at this stage is still in considerable doubt.

But all sides are at one over the need for Mr Brown to come up with the money - there have been estimates of £1bn (€1.5bn) a year for the next five years – which they claim will be vital to underpin any future deal.

Senior representatives of all the main parties will be at today’s talks after holding meetings to agree some form of strategy.

Dr Paisley, who is due to meet Mr Blair at Downing Street an hour or so before the Chancellor receives the Northern Ireland delegation, will not be there.

His deputy leader, Belfast East MP Peter Robinson, heads up the DUP side, but Sinn Fein will be at full strength with the party president Mr Adams leading a team which will include chief negotiator Martin McGuinness and national chairwoman Mary Lou McDonald.