Chris Heaton-Harris savages Northern Ireland's political leadership saying 'you get 21% more per head than other regions yet failed to make public finances work'

The Northern Ireland Secretary, in a statement to the House of Commons, told MPs that the block grant (the amount Westminster sends to Northern Ireland annually leads to “around 21% more funding per head than equivalent UK Government spending in other parts of the UK”.

And yet, he said, “NI Ministers have failed to protect the public finances and secure the delivery of public services”.

Given there is no prospect of Stormont agreeing a budget, given the absence of a government, he has announced a budget for the Province himself.

Mr Heaton-Harris was criticsed recently over what some perceived as dithering, after he granted the Northern Ireland parties extra time to re-enter government before calling an election – something he indicated he would do at the end of October.

Instead of setting a date for a new vote, he instead put off the decision, possibly as far back as spring 2023.

So, “in the absence of a Northern Ireland Executive and Northern Ireland Assembly there has been no Executive Budget set for the financial year 2022/23,” he said.

"Departments therefore have not had clear totals against which to manage their finances."

‘I AM EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED WITH THIS’:

Mr Heaton-Harris said: “Not only did the former Executive fail to agree a Budget, but the Ministers who remained in their posts during the six months from May to October 2022, left Northern Ireland’s public finances with a black hole of some £660m.

“I am extremely disappointed that this situation has come to pass.

"It remains my belief that for Northern Ireland to be a great place where people can live and work, there must be a locally elected, stable, and accountable devolved government, which continually prioritises the things that matter in everyday life for the majority of local people…

"Difficult choices cannot be deferred any longer without continuing the lamentable trend of storing up ever deeper trouble.

"I am therefore setting a Northern Ireland Budget for 2022/23 today. I will bring forward legislation in due course.

“It should be noted that the Spending Review 2021 set the largest annual Block Grant in real terms since the Devolution Act in 1998.

"This provides around 21% more funding per head than equivalent UK Government spending in other parts of the UK.

"Yet, NI Ministers have failed to protect the public finances and secure the delivery of public services.

“This is a failure of their responsibility to the public, typically those most in need which worsens the impacts of the reductions that must now be delivered."

More to follow.

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