Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Northern Ireland’s civil servants: It’s up to UK ministers, not us, to fix fiscal crisis

Northern Ireland’s civil servants: It’s up to UK ministers, not us, to fix fiscal crisis

Top officials managing political vacuum in Belfast say NI budget bill leaves ‘a gap’ between what the British government wants and what they legally can do to stop red ink flowing at Stormont.
Northern Ireland’s senior civil servants told a parliamentary committee Wednesday it will be up to the British government, not themselves, to impose an estimated £800 million in spending cuts and tax hikes needed to balance the region’s debt-addled books.

Their warning — the first in public by officials who normally keep their views away from public microphones — follows a trio of reports Tuesday from the Northern Ireland Fiscal Council identifying a range of possible measures to bring red ink under control at Stormont, where a Brexit-related walkout by the Democratic Unionists has put cross-community government on ice and left civil servants effectively running the show.

The advisory body said Northern Ireland faced a 3.3 percent spending cut this year in real terms, taking account of inflation, unless more revenue could be found. One measure floated to balance the books includes the introduction of household water charges already levied elsewhere across the U.K.

The head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service, Jayne Brady, said the U.K. government bill setting out 2023-24 spending limits — due for its second reading next week in the House of Commons — doesn’t give her nine permanent secretaries the mandate to take many of the key decisions that will be required.

She said Secretary of State Chris Heaton-Harris’ guidance to the permanent secretaries likewise leaves “a gap” between what the government in Westminster expects them to do and what decisions they legally are permitted to take.

“It is our understanding, having read the guidance and the law, there will be decisions that will not be able to be fulfilled within that guidance,” Brady said. “That would require some level of ministerial direction. That’s the legal advice we have received. There is a gap.”

Brady said fixing Stormont’s finances would require hands-on decision-making from ministers, either Heaton-Harris and other Northern Ireland Office ministers or, potentially, locally accountable ministers if the collapsed Northern Ireland Executive can be revived.

Looming decisions on spending cuts to statutory public services or raising local taxes and charges “rightly should be made by ministers because we have no democratic provision to make those,” Brady said. Northern Ireland’s cross-community government fell apart last year because of obstruction by the DUP, the major British Protestant party. Power-sharing, the core goal of the region’s 1998 peace agreement, cannot legally function unless both the DUP and the largest Irish nationalist party, Sinn Féin, agree to participate.

Neil Gibson, the permanent secretary at Northern Ireland’s Department of Finance, told the committee that each department head was preparing detailed research and options on potential cuts and tax measures — advice prepared for Heaton-Harris or junior Northern Ireland Office ministers to pull the trigger, not themselves.

“We are making sure we have the relevant material for the NIO on each of those, what is the legal position on charging in this area, what legislation is required,” said Gibson, who noted that Heaton-Harris already had used such advice to raise Northern Ireland’s regional rates this year by 6 percent.

“Our job remains the same, to provide all the material for political decision-making to be taken on all of those revenue-raising options that are available,” Gibson said.

The Democratic Unionists, who deny any culpability in Northern Ireland’s fiscal crisis, issued a new plea for increased Treasury funding on the back of Wednesday’s testimony.

Senior British government officials have told POLITICO that an increased funding offer, potentially in the region of £1 billion, could be part of any agreement to revive a cross-community government at the Stormont Parliament Building overlooking Belfast. The DUP has indefinitely blocked power-sharing in protest against post-Brexit trade rules that make it easier for Northern Ireland to trade with the Republic of Ireland than with the rest of the United Kingdom.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Pope Francis Makes Brief Appearance at Easter Sunday Mass
Saudi Arabia Offers Max Verstappen Unprecedented Deal to Join Aston Martin
Global Pistachio Shortage Amid Rising Demand for 'Dubai Chocolate'
Trump is assembling a coalition of Western leaders aligned with the MAGA vision, strengthening a unified front for global change
IMF Predicts No Global Recession Amid Trade Tensions
Alphabet Faces Antitrust Setbacks as Federal Judges Rule Against Google
US Billionaires Call for Higher Taxes, but Proposed 'Millionaires Tax' May Not Achieve Desired Outcome
This is Vienna, Austria in 2025.
Designed in US, made in China: Why Apple is stuck in tariff tussle
Boeing Jet Returns to US from China Amid Tariff War
US Sets Deadline for Russia-Ukraine Peace Deal Brokerage
Italy Introduces 'Sex Rooms' in Prisons for Inmates
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni Meets with Donald Trump to Discuss EU-US Trade Tensions
South East Asia Caught in US-China Trade Dispute
Ukraine and US Sign Outline of Minerals Deal
U.S. and Panama Finalize Defense Agreements Amid Canal Access and Chinese Influence Concerns
China Stands Firm Amidst Trade Disputes with the US: A Factual Analysis
U.S. Tariff Escalation Sparks Global Trade Tensions
EU Postpones Retaliatory Measures Against US Tariffs
Alisha Lehmann's Modeling Campaign and Public Controversy Stir Debate Ahead of UEFA Women's Euro
Global Responses to U.S. Tariffs: Varied Reactions from Key Economies
Europe Pursues Digital Autonomy in Light of Transatlantic Strains
OpenAI Secures Unprecedented $40 Billion Funding
Apple's Innovation Divide: Falling Behind in AI and Foldable Technology Amidst Progress from China
Passenger Taken into Custody for Masturbating on SWISS Air Flight
PUTIN’S LIMOUSINE DETONATES—SECURITY CHAOS ENSUES
OpenAI Unveils New Image Generation Tool for ChatGPT
Ex-FIFA President and French Football Icon Acquitted of Corruption Accusations
American Brands Face Consumer Boycott in Europe Amid Escalating Trade and Political Tensions
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has just signed off on a national debt hike to fast-track Germany’s militarization
Pope Francis Makes His First Public Appearance in Five Weeks After Being Hospitalized
Pope Francis Released from Hospital Following Pneumonia Treatment
European Countries Boost Defense Budgets Due to Changes in U.S. Support
Pope Francis Set to Leave Hospital Following Recovery from Pneumonia
Thousands Rally in Amsterdam to Oppose Racism and Fascism
Revealing the Electromagnetic Characteristics of the Great Pyramid of Giza
The Development of China's Automobile Sector
Netanyahu Dismisses Shin Bet Chief Amid 'Loss of Trust' and 'Qatargate' Corruption Investigations Involving Netanyahu's Advisors
Leaders of the US and Ukraine Hold Constructive Discussion Amid Ongoing Conflict
EU Charges US Tech Giants with Violating Digital Regulations
Serbia's authoritarian government uses illegal sonic weapons against peaceful demonstrators.
European Union Moves Toward Joint Debt for Military Spending
Mass Protests in Belgrade Against Serbian President and Government
Trump Administration's Deportation of Alleged Gang Members Sparks Legal Dispute
Massive Protests Erupt in Serbia Against President Vučić Amid Corruption Allegations
Large Demonstrations Break Out in Serbia After Fatal Railway Station Collapse
Serbian Government Denies Use of 'Sonic Weapon' Amidst Massive Protests
Serbia Witnesses Unprecedented Protests Following Novi Sad Railway Station Collapse
China Introduces 'Zhulong' C-14 Nuclear Battery Promising a Lifespan of 5,730 Years
Inquiry: Social Media Platforms Permitted Advertisements Featuring Anti-Semitic and Anti-Muslim Material in Germany
×