Dr Steve Aiken OBE MLA, UUP Finance Spokesperson said, “Rachel Reeves has delivered her Comprehensive Spending Review and it is hoped this will set the funding envelope out for the next 3 years.

“The full details have yet to be set out, though on initial analysis, it looks like Northern Ireland’s case of being underfunded has been recognised. If the Barnett and additional funding, such as City Deals and transformation, are included, that takes us to around 128%; in money terms, this looks like DEL (the money we get from Westminster) will rise by about £1.5 Bn, or to £ 20 Bn a year by 2028.

“While very significant pressures remain, especially on the shortfall of around £600M for Health, and the very challenges facing our Police Service of around £250M, the Northern Ireland Executive is going to have to knuckle down and start properly prioritising. Our farming community will also be expecting some clarity on what supersedes current farm funding mechanisms.

“The wake-up call delivered by the Fiscal Council on NI Water just shows that decisions on revenue raising, even with the additional CSR money, cannot be continually put off. Rather than Sinn Fein Finance, Economy and Infrastructure Ministers telling us what they’re not going to do, where are the solutions?”