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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/apr/27/northern-ireland-bracing-for-cuts-in-health-education-and-policing
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| Northern Ireland bracing for cuts in health, education and policing | Northern Ireland bracing for cuts in health, education and policing |
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| Most senior civil servant expresses ‘profound concern’ in budget reductions to pay back £297m overspend to Treasury | |
| Northern Ireland voters are bracing themselves for swingeing cuts in health, education and policing with “profound concern” being raised by one of the most senior civil servants in the country. | Northern Ireland voters are bracing themselves for swingeing cuts in health, education and policing with “profound concern” being raised by one of the most senior civil servants in the country. |
| In a highly unusual move, Jayne Brady, the head of Northern Ireland’s civil service, wrote to the Northern Ireland secretary, Chris Heaton-Harris, on Wednesday warning of the damage that could be caused by the “unprecedented” budget reductions to pay back a £297m overspend to the Treasury. | |
| In a written ministerial statement, Heaton-Harris announced he had been granted “flexibility” by the chief secretary to the Treasury, which would “provide some protection to frontline public services in Northern Ireland from having to take the most severe reductions”. | In a written ministerial statement, Heaton-Harris announced he had been granted “flexibility” by the chief secretary to the Treasury, which would “provide some protection to frontline public services in Northern Ireland from having to take the most severe reductions”. |
| But he said “difficult decisions remain in order to live within the funding available”. | |
| He also said: “The Northern Ireland budget per person is around 20% higher than equivalent UK government spending in other parts of the UK yet the level of public services offered are still not affordable and outcomes are not improving.” | |
| He was due to meet party leaders at lunchtime to discuss the budget decisions. | He was due to meet party leaders at lunchtime to discuss the budget decisions. |
| He faced a slew of criticism from Northern Ireland politicians, who have been warning that the overspend was outside their control as it was made to support crisis finance needed to cover energy bill subsidies and pay inflation in the wake of the Ukraine war. | He faced a slew of criticism from Northern Ireland politicians, who have been warning that the overspend was outside their control as it was made to support crisis finance needed to cover energy bill subsidies and pay inflation in the wake of the Ukraine war. |
| The Social Democratic and Labour party (SDLP) leader and MP for Foyle, Colum Eastwood, said it was a “serious error in judgment” not to allow a debate in parliament | The Social Democratic and Labour party (SDLP) leader and MP for Foyle, Colum Eastwood, said it was a “serious error in judgment” not to allow a debate in parliament |
| Emma Little-Pengelly, a DUP member of the legislative assembly of Northern Ireland, said: “There has been a lack of acknowledgment from London that the overspend is a result of increases in pay and other inflationary costs and there was no extra budget given for that so it had to be found from our block grant.” | Emma Little-Pengelly, a DUP member of the legislative assembly of Northern Ireland, said: “There has been a lack of acknowledgment from London that the overspend is a result of increases in pay and other inflationary costs and there was no extra budget given for that so it had to be found from our block grant.” |
| She said that even if the assembly was sitting they had no power to decide on budgets dictated from Jeremy Hunt’s Treasury officials and conventions that overspends are paid back the next financial year. | She said that even if the assembly was sitting they had no power to decide on budgets dictated from Jeremy Hunt’s Treasury officials and conventions that overspends are paid back the next financial year. |
| Earlier this week, Heaton-Harris said he was still talking to Hunt’s department over suggestions that one fix would be to allow Northern Ireland to repay its debt to central government over a number of years. | |
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| Disgraceful of Secretary of State to impose an unnecessarily, deeply punishing budget on the people of Northern Ireland.Not only v odd for Treasury to recoup the entire overspend in just 1 year, but outrageous not to recognise the reason for it- heat, energy and pay inflation https://t.co/E35GXQNTrn | Disgraceful of Secretary of State to impose an unnecessarily, deeply punishing budget on the people of Northern Ireland.Not only v odd for Treasury to recoup the entire overspend in just 1 year, but outrageous not to recognise the reason for it- heat, energy and pay inflation https://t.co/E35GXQNTrn |
| The SDLP MP Claire Hanna said there was “no real reason for last year’s NI overspend to be addressed in one year”. She said “prioritising debt paydown at speed” over the cost-of-living crisis would result in austerity and untold damage to public services. | |
| Little-Pengelly said it would be “disgraceful of the secretary of state to impose an unnecessarily, deeply punishing budget” on the people of Northern Ireland. |