UK Government urged to look at NI funding - as Stormont told to look at its own finances

​Government has been urged to "look again" at how it funds Northern Ireland with a warning that it could take a decade for funding to meet need.
By Rebecca Black, PA
Published 25th Mar 2024, 17:43 BST
Sir Robert Buckland is chair of the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee at Westminster.Sir Robert Buckland is chair of the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee at Westminster.
Sir Robert Buckland is chair of the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee at Westminster.

The NI Affairs Committee made the call in a new report which also specifically called for a rethink of the financial framework for the PSNI which is currently 1,000 officers under its target force.

The report comes after a recent announcement by Government over how NI is funded.

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Alongside the Safeguarding the Union deal agreed between the DUP and Government to tackle issues around post-Brexit arrangements and restore devolved Government, a new needs-based element of funding for NI was announced.

Northern Ireland is set to receive 124% of any equivalent increase in funding for England for the policy areas run out of Stormont, including health, policing and education.

The committee said there have been calls for this change to apply to the block grant as of 2022 as opposed to just on Barnett consequentials.

In their report the committee said it was "deeply regrettable" that the measure will "act as a fiscal ceiling", adding that the "the exact calculation and assessment of the needs-based factor" should be reviewed in negotiations between Stormont and Westminster.

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In terms of the PSNI, the committee report said Government and the Stormont Executive should "rethink" the financial framework for the service to ensure it "has a greater variety of options in dealing with any financial difficulty".

Chief Constable Jon Boutcher has warned of financial challenges, including the consequences around the major data leak last year.

The Executive and the Treasury remain in discussions around funding.

The committee is also calling for the Stormont Executive to set out its plan for the transformation of public services and to set up a board to implement the plan.

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Sir Robert added: "Alongside the right funding, another key plank to achieving sustainable finances in Northern Ireland is finally seeing through the public services transformation agenda" which he said is “the key to unlock the door to Northern Ireland's prosperity and more sustainable finances."

Related topics:GovernmentPSNIStormont Executive

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