Northern Ireland set to lag far behind England in terms of rising funding says DUP deputy

Gavin Robinson was reacting to the news of Northern Ireland’s latest budget over-run.

The East Belfast MP said: “Northern Ireland is being short-changed by the current funding structures.

"The Northern Ireland Fiscal Council has produced several reports where they map out why Northern Ireland must arrest the spending gap.

"Whilst we have been falling behind in the amount available for public services, this is set to squeeze us even more dramatically in future years.

The Treasury contribution to fund public services in Northern Ireland is going down rather than rising.

"As an example, in England up to 2025, spending will increase by 6% but only 3.6% in Northern Ireland.

“With a £300m shortfall last year and a £450m shortfall this year, our budget pressures will continue to get worse until the funding structure for Northern Ireland is properly addressed.

“It will be impossible to make the kind of public service reforms if Northern Ireland does not even have sufficient resources to stand still, let alone invest in reforms.

“This recognition from Neil Gibson is another reminder of the facts being laid bare by the Northern Ireland Fiscal Council for many months.”

Annually, NI gets £14.2bn in general spending money and about £2.2bn for “capital” projects (like specific road schemes, for example).