Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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I note Professor Fitzgerald has written about corporation tax. For the purposes of this meeting, the total managed expenditure is €27.88 billion. That is the sum total of the services with the accounting adjustments. When that is subtracted from the revenue raised in the North which is, as we agreed, €18.5 billion, a subvention figure of between €9 billion and €10 billion is often bandied about. Analysis of the total expenditure on services in terms of the identifiable spending, that is, spending that takes place in the North, and the non-identifiable spending, that is, British priorities is needed.

Unidentifiable spending includes things like the British military which, as we know, is one of the most expensive in the world. That share is €1.12 billion. Some €1.6 billion is paid down on British debt. The pension situation, which is often left out, comprises €3.5 billion. We know that pensions and pension rights are not subject to one's citizenship but, rather, the amount of national contributions made. That was established in the discussion around the Scottish referendum on unity, during which Mr. Steve Webb said that the cumulative rights would rest with the person. In the case of Irish unity, the payments that would need to be made on pensions would be made from the British Exchequer. Is that correct? I ask Professor FitzGerald to speak to the non-identifiable spending.