Debate contribution: Executive Budget
Debate contribution by Ms Michelle O'Neill on .
- MLA
- Ms Michelle O'Neill
- Party at the time
- Sinn Féin
- Date
- 19 October 2026
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Oral Answers to Questions
- Heading
- Executive Budget
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5795613
Read the official Assembly record
Text
A number of pieces of work are happening right now, looking at different scenarios and the situation in which we find ourselves. All of our energy and efforts right now, however, are on trying to secure additional funding. We will continue those conversations later this week; the Secretary of State will be here for another round of discussions. We need to advance from where we are now. Nobody in the House, I believe, would support what we have at the minute because it does not allow us to cover public-sector pay. We need to put all of our energy and our efforts into the collective will of the Assembly, which is to ensure that we have enough money to pay our public-sector workers, invest in public services and do all of our transformation work. Yes, we can find efficiencies and all of that — we will play our part — but the underlying problem here is the structural weakness that we are underfunded.
163 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Awaiting analysis
This record has not been analysed yet. It is not counted in any total until it has been assessed.
Disagree with this assessment?
Classifications can be challenged. A person reviews every challenge, and any change is recorded publicly above with its reason.