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Stormont budget: Executive expected to approve 2016/17 budget Stormont 2016/17 budget: Health spending to rise by 1%
(about 5 hours later)
The Northern Ireland Executive is expected to approve a budget for 2016/17 at its meeting later. Health spending will rise by about 1% in real terms as part of the Northern Ireland Executive's 2016/17 budget.
The budget paper was signed off late on Wednesday night. Education and policing also have their budgets protected, to a lesser extent, under the paper approved by ministers on Thursday.
Stormont's block grant from Westminster will fall by about 1% next year. However, the new Department of Agriculture and Environment will face a cash cut of almost 6%.
However, departments have been told to prepare for cuts of up to 10%. That suggests that health, which accounts for almost half the budget, will have its spending protected. Of the £60m that had been allocated to mitigate tax credit cuts, half will now go to protected departments.
The other £30m will be held until the outcome of the Evason review of welfare reform mitigation.
But it is not certain that this money will be used for welfare mitigation.
Almost £50m has been allocated to a voluntary exit scheme for teachers.
That scheme is part of the bigger public sector redundancy scheme that began with the Civil Service this year.
The amount of money Stormont gets from Westminster - known as the block grant - will fall by about 1% next year.
Last month, the Stormont Executive received an additional funding package from the UK government as part of the Fresh Start deal.Last month, the Stormont Executive received an additional funding package from the UK government as part of the Fresh Start deal.
It is worth as much as £565m over the next five years.It is worth as much as £565m over the next five years.
However, the executive has also committed to spending £585m on welfare mitigation measures and an amount yet to be confirmed on devolving corporation tax.