£15.8m to keep Ilex running since 2004

The annual sum spent by DSD on the Londonderry regeneration company doubled from 666,000 in 2004/5 to 1.2million in 2008/9.

Last week the Sentinel reported how the escalating cost to the Office of First Minister and Deputy First Minister (OFMDFM) of funding Londonderry's Ilex regeneration company had reached around 10m for the past five years.

Thus DSD and OFMDFM have spent over 15.18million combined keeping Ilex running since 2004.

Total funding provided to Ilex by DSD increased in each of the last five financial years.

In 2004/5 it cost DSD 660,000, rising to 670,000 in 2005/6; 980,000 in 2006/7; 1,670,000 in 2007/8 before dipping back to 1,200,000 in 2008/9.

Last year Ilex cost OFMDFM 3.721million. In 2005/6 it cost OFMDFM 1.092million, rising to 1.233million in 2006/7; 1.857million in 2007/8; and 2.274million in 2008/9 before breaching the 3million threshold last year.

Social Development Minister Alex Attwood outlined the running cost to his department in response to a query at the Stormont Assembly.