Debate contribution: Budget Discussions
Debate contribution by Mrs Emma Little-Pengelly on .
- MLA
- Mrs Emma Little-Pengelly
- Party at the time
- Democratic Unionist Party
- Date
- 8 June 2026
- Type
- Debate contribution (made as a minister)
- Business
- Oral Answers to Questions
- Heading
- Budget Discussions
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5600500
Read the official Assembly record
Text
The shortfall in the Budget this year is at least £1 billion, and you can try to find that in only two ways — by slashing public services or raising £1 billion in revenue in this financial year. Each of those options would be devastating to the people whom we serve. That is why, as I have often said, I do not subscribe to begging-bowl politics. This is about a partnership with the Treasury and the UK Government, wherein we meet them halfway, saying, "We are going to be proper custodians of public funds. We're going to drive inefficiency and waste out of our system. We're going to do everything that we can." However, we need to build credibility with the UK Government and the Treasury in order to ask them for the much-needed support because, if we set a Budget and try to make up that shortfall, public services will be utterly devastated in this financial year, and that is not something that I am prepared to do at this stage.
172 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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