Cautious Welcome to Draft Budget - Aiken
Speaking after the Finance Minister issued a statement on the agreement of a draft 2025/26 budget, Dr. Steve Aiken OBE MLA, UUP Finance Spokesperson said.
“Whilst it is a positive step that the Executive have for once been able to consider a draft Budget before the start of the financial year, I suspect few Ministers would seek to claim that this a good outcome. Pressures will continue to exist across many of our most important public services, and that regrettably will especially be the case in Health.
"Despite the oft stated prioritisation of Health, this Budget does not tackle the enormous challenge of our waiting lists. In fact, there has been an appalling de-prioritisation as the limited allocation of £34m that had been provided to the Department of Health specifically for waiting lists in 2024/25 has now even been removed.
"This stands in total contrast to the public pronouncements regularly made by other Executive Ministers and Parties. Quite frankly, looking objectively at the issue and considering some of the other allocations that have been made, one can only come to the conclusion that in the circumstances of Health and the sheer and obvious level of need, neither the DUP nor Sinn Fein would have done this to one of their own had they been at the helm of the health service. Quite frankly once again patients and our health workers have been left to pay a price of a political carve up and that is an appalling realisation whenever lives are literally at stake.
"Nevertheless, I welcome that a draft Budget will now go out for public consultation. I would urge as many people and organisations to engage in that process.
"Of note we see that the Finance Minister is baselining this draft budget from the end point of last year’s budget; this is in marked contrast to the farce of pretending that the current budget had to be based on the previous starting position. A degree of accounting wizardry that convinced no one, especially our vital health care workers.
"We also point out that even in this future £19BN budget there is still a lack of proper recognition of the importance of not just Health, but Education and Policing as well. It is also clear that Agriculture will need to be adequately supported as ring fenced funding ends, but there is insufficient provision to do so.
"Again, there is no indication that the woes of our infrastructure deficit are being tackled, as it does now appear that the Infrastructure Minister has not made much of a case for the use of RRI, FTC or even looking at utilising our National Wealth Fund. No doubt those awaiting new social housing, stuck in traffic, being fined for using bus lanes or waiting for non-existent public transport will take note”