The quarter of a billion in underspent capital funding from mismanaged flagship projects like the A5 and Casement Park is a stark illustration of Executive financial mismanagement, the SDLP Opposition has said.
Leader of the Opposition Matthew O’Toole MLA warned that the £250 million of underspend – the largest for many years – announced today in the December monitoring round is a sign of Executive mismanagement, while simultaneously blaming the UK Government for underfunding the North.
While welcoming specific allocations in relation to the PSNI and public sector pay, the SDLP repeated its call for the Executive to agree a multi-year Budget before the end of this year, as repeatedly promised by Ministers.
Matthew O’Toole MLA said:
“While it’s of course welcome to finally see movement on pay for police officers, health workers and teachers, no one should pretend this reflects competent government. These workers have waited far too long, and the fact Ministers rely on monitoring round scraps to fund the basics speaks for itself.
“A system that depends every year on last-minute reallocations is a system in crisis. The scale of this underspend, around £250 million, a quarter of a billion, comes from the Executive’s ongoing failure to deliver key infrastructure projects like Casement Park, the A5 and the Royal Victoria Children’s Hospital. These are critical investments that should be progressing. Not only this, but Ministers repeatedly blame the UK Government for underfunding the North, while they themselves underspend on critical projects to the tune of a quarter of a billion.
“Northern Ireland urgently needs a multi-year budget so departments can plan properly and deliver real reform. But the Executive still hasn’t come to any agreement and it is being blocked by petty disputes while public services continue to decline.
“People here deserve a government focused on long-term planning, not short-term political fixes. The SDLP will keep pushing for a proper plan that protects essential services and delivers the investment Northern Ireland was promised.”
ENDS
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