evidence: Divided, we are still standing ... but wobbly. The refreshed Stormont House Agreement asked the Northern Ireland Executive to report on the cost of division to Northern Ireland society. That task was then passed to the Ulster University Economic Policy Centre. Their task was primarily an examination of the extra costs in providing public services in a divided society. Mervyn Storey, Minister of Finance, announced the headline figures which, at first sight, were lower than expected. The UU report quotes a range of costs for 'division' which, at the lower end, were £400m pa and, at the upper end, might be as much as £800m pa. Within annual public sector spending, the largest element of extra spending is the costs of division in the budget for policing, prisons and justice. Compared to the next most expensive region, Northern Ireland was spending £312m more each year: compared to a lower-cost comparator, Northern Ireland was spending £550m more each year.