Ulster Unionist Finance Spokesperson Dr Steve Aiken OBE MLA has responded to the announcement that HM Treasury has agreed to reprofile Northern Ireland’s £400 million overspend.

Dr Steve Aiken OBE MLA said:

“It's good to see that the widely expected ‘reprofiling’ of £400M overspend has now been agreed with HM Treasury. The roll-over of 1-2% of the total funding allocated over the next 3 to 4 years, less rises expected from inflation, future Barnett, and more from any future national budgets, isn’t such a win as Sinn Féin and its Finance Minister would pretend it is.

“The fact that ‘open book’ approaches from HM Treasury on our budgetary processes are now to be agreed by the Northern Ireland Executive  is a good thing, hopefully bringing some discipline to both our politicians, but equally importantly, to our senior civil service which lurches from qualified and disclaimed departmental audits on a now regular basis; unfortunately, this now reduces any pressure for NI departments to do fundamental reform have now been removed by this.

“With very tight elections expected in Wales and Scotland, when Labour are expecting catastrophic electoral results, it is also unsurprising that a similar approach is being adopted across all of our nations.”