Ulster Unionist Party Finance spokesperson Dr Steve Aiken OBE MLA has said that while the Chancellor’s Spring Estimates provide a significant financial boost for Northern Ireland, long standing inefficiencies and a failure to reform how public money is spent continue to undermine public services and infrastructure delivery.

Dr Steve Aiken OBE MLA said:

“The Chancellor's statement on the Spring Estimates has produced an extra £390 million for Northern Ireland in extra Barnett. On top of the £400M ‘roll over’, this gives ¾ billion on top of the £19.8 billion already allocated. With this funding, the Northern Ireland Executive should have a fighting chance of keeping public services and key projects moving; however, as the Fiscal Council has made clear, we are particularly inefficient in spending the money we have.

“The disastrous black hole that the Department of Infrastructure has become, where the only thing that the department seems to achieve is boosting Barristers’ salaries, is just one startling example of why government reform is essential.

“While more money, which we receive as being an integral part of the United Kingdom, is very welcome, it’s well beyond time we started to (spend?) append it wisely; because in too many examples, it's clear we’re not.”