Row erupts as rape centre has funds stripped

The Government was faced with the threat of a judicial review last night after stripping vital funding from a centre dedicated to helping Northern Ireland's victims of rape and sexual violence. The Rape Crisis and Sexual Abuse Centre became embroiled in a row with the Department of Health after it announced that it will no longer provide much-needed cash for its administration. Department permanent secretary Dr Andrew McCormick said the decision to withdraw the £60,000 annual fund had been necessary because the Belfast-based centre "had not complied with Government accounting requirements". He stressed that the controversial decision was taken reluctantly because "there was no other option". But centre spokeswoman Eileen Calder claimed the Department had a "vendetta" against her organisation.

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