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Stormont ministers call for urgent meeting with prime minister

Jayne McCormackPolitical correspondent, BBC News NI
News imageEPA Andy Burnham, a man in a black jacket, with a white shirt and red tie. He has dark hair and is wearing black glasses.EPA
The prime minister is expected to embark on a "cost of living" tour across the UK in the coming weeks, but it is not clear yet when he plans to visit Northern Ireland

Executive ministers have asked Prime Minister Andy Burnham to meet them "urgently" in a bid to manage the financial pressures facing their departments.

In a joint letter, ministers repeated their calls for a "fair funding envelope to enable transformation" and support the delivery of public services.

The executive has so far been unable to agree a budget for this year, with civil servants left able to only spend up to 95% of last year's funding.

The first and deputy first ministers said they needed "urgent" action from Westminster and appealed to the prime minister to intervene.

This is not the first time the executive has made such a plea since Burnham took power.

Earlier this week, Finance Minister John O'Dowd said he had asked to meet the Chancellor in order to lay out the financial situation.

In the letter to the prime minister issued on Thursday, First Minister Michelle O'Neill said: "The people we represent should not be left paying the price for a failure to properly fund public services here.

"We need action and we need it urgently."

Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly said that while the executive is "committed" to working with the government to deliver economic growth, it would require support from Number 10.

The letter stated that the executive would welcome an "early" meeting with the prime minister given the "critical" time for public finances in Northern Ireland.

'Executive needs to come forward with a plan'

Parties have been engaged in discussions with Treasury officials for the past two months in a bid to reach a solution.

The letter went on to say that: "The executive is committed to achieving a budget position that is balanced and sustainable.

"However, we need a fair funding envelope that enables transformation and supports the delivery of the high-quality public services that our citizens rightly expect and deserve."

Ministers have argued that analysis shows the Northern Ireland Executive is not being funded on a basis comparable to its devolved counterparts in Scotland and Wales.

News imagePA Media Michelle O'Neill, a woman with blonde hair, in a leopardskin jacket, with white blouse and black top, alongside Emma Little-Pengelly, a woman with dark hair, a white blouse, light blue scarf and a dark blue jacket.PA Media
The Northern Ireland first and deputy first ministers say they need "urgent" action from Westminster

The letter concluded: "In the continued absence of an agreed budget, departments are increasingly constrained to short-term decision-making, undermining effective planning and delivery."

The prime minister is expected to embark on a "cost-of-living" tour across the UK in the coming weeks, but it is not clear yet when he plans to visit Northern Ireland.

In response, the government said it had provided the Northern Ireland Executive with "its largest real-terms settlement since devolution, totalling an average of £19.3bn a year over the next three years, as well as almost £390m in additional funding over the Spending Review period".

It said the "lack of a budget is extremely concerning and is having an impact on the executive's ability to plan effectively and deliver public services for citizens".

"The government is working with the Executive to help them get agreement on a budget," a spokesperson added.

"However, the executive needs to come forward with a plan for how it intends to manage its finances, agree a multi-year budget, and transition towards fiscal sustainability."