Editorial: Even in a financial crisis, funding for the Irish language seems to be ring-fenced

Even in normal economic times it would be troubling that the cost of having an Irish translation service for Stormont is approaching £100,000 a year.That that is the cost when Stormont has been dormant for a year makes it appalling.

Jim Allister MLA has established the figure in a written question to the Assembly Commission.

The total sum of almost £120,000 covers a period of 18 months, and so represents an annual outlay of around £80,000.

Stormont has not been sitting for more than a year, but there is a permanent member of staff for Irish costing £39,000, and agency staff.

This is an utterly unjustified level of expenditure when there is a cost of living crisis and the NHS is on its knees.

The number of people who speak Irish to such an advanced level as to need a translation is derisory. That such expense seems to be ring-fenced, despite political stalemate and despite pressing demands on public funds, is telling as to the future of politics and culture in Northern Ireland.

It seems clear that there will simply not be any curtailing of funds in areas of expenditure that republicans insist upon.

Look at the huge sums of money that have been spent on legacy, for example, with an endless flow of funds for legal aid for historic probes such as civil actions against the security forces.

The Omagh bomb inquiry, which as this column noted yesterday – and others did too – will quite possibly turn against the RUC, is likely to cost many millions of pounds.

The secretary of state Chris Heaton-Harris made a fanfare of cutting MLAs' salaries. Such a cut is indeed justified if Stormont is to be mothballed.

But there is apparently little government will to cut back on spending that fuels division in NI.