IMC waste of public money

John O'Dowd

Commenting as the latest IMC Report published on Wednesday, Sinn Féin Assembly member John O’Dowd said that the body should be abolished and the money being wasted put into frontline services.
“The IMC is no part of the architecture of the Good Friday Agreement.  It was set up as a unionist comfort blanket.  It has no role to play in the political process and should be abolished,” he said.
 “The contents of the IMC report will have no influence on the political process.  This is the function it has played for the past six years.  It is a leftover from David Trimble’s era and one which is little more than a cash cow for those involved.
 “Can anyone seriously justify continuing to pump millions of pounds of public money into the IMC particularly at a time when there are real and acute pressures on frontline services in education, health and other areas.
 “The IMC should be abolished and the monies being wasted in its administration and expenses should be redirected into frontline services as part of the effort to minimise the effect of the Tory cuts.”