Debate contribution: Supply Resolution for the Northern Ireland Main Estimates 2024-25; and Supply Resolution for Excess Votes for 2016-17, 2018-19, 2020-21, 2021-22

Debate contribution by Ms Sinéad McLaughlin on 1 July 2024.

MLA

Ms Sinéad McLaughlin

Party at the time

Social Democratic and Labour Party

Date

1 July 2024

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Executive Committee Business

Heading

Supply Resolution for the Northern Ireland Main Estimates 2024-25; and Supply Resolution for Excess Votes for 2016-17, 2018-19, 2020-21, 2021-22

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4499470

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I am pleased to speak on the issue today. We are all conscious that this is an important week in which to consider our public finances, as a new Government will soon take shape in Westminster. I start by saying that we absolutely understand that the money simply does not exist to do everything that we want to see done or to meet the many competing pressures on Departments. None of us is under any illusion at all about the scale of the funding crisis that faces us.

However, that is all the more reason for us to be prudent and strategic about our use of public money. More than ever, the public expect and deserve their politicians to manage public affairs in a way that maximises value for money. Let us be honest: we can afford to do nothing less when our public services are on their knees.

We have all knocked on the doors asking for votes in the past six weeks. We all note that we scarcely pass a door without hearing a harrowing story about an excruciating wait for treatment in our health service and the chronic agony experienced by people as they wait for a life-transforming appointment. The same frustration can be felt when it comes to the housing crisis in Northern Ireland. A couple of weeks ago, I raised the case of a young woman in my constituency who had a cesarean section and gave birth to a beautiful girl but returned home to temporary accommodation in a hotel room with a toddler in tow. That is no way for our people to be forced to live. My staff team do the best they can in supporting the constituency, but, like the public, they feel let down and left behind by politics. We can also feel frustrated and angry about the levels of poverty in our community. In 2024, it is unacceptable that 18% of children here live in relative poverty before housing costs. That level of poverty has real and deep consequences for well-being and life expectancy, with poor children being four times more likely to develop a mental health problem by the age of 11. The gap in healthy life expectancy is between 11 and 15 years when comparing the most and least deprived areas. That is totally unacceptable, and the gaps are getting bigger. At last week's Public Accounts Committee meeting, MLAs received a briefing on child poverty and the lack of progress that has been made. The officials were crystal clear that the absence of a Government here has exacerbated poverty. I hope that the parties that collapsed this place — whatever their reasons — reflect on that meeting and on the myriad times since our return that we have been told about the impact of the lack of a Government here: soaring waiting lists, spiralling childcare costs, and more and more children and adults trapped in poverty. Those are the consequences of politicians who would rather pull things down than build them up and would rather walk away than reach a consensus. We cannot allow that to happen again. In the context of all that, I hope that all parties agree that this mandate should be different from the last one. The Executive simply have to do better when it comes to the strategic planning of our public services. The public understand that not everything can be funded, and they are well used to hard times after the last decade. However, we need a better deal and a more strategic approach that prioritises early intervention and understands that prevention is better than cure. It will require difficult decisions. It will also require the parties to live up to their commitments, to put the plans on the table and to outline how those plans will be prioritised. Such accountability and transparency will give confidence to the public that this Government are serious and understand the gravity of the challenges facing individuals and families in our communities. As we speak, we have not seen a Programme for Government. The public are asking, "Where is the plan for our public services? Are the Government up to the task of sorting them out? Are they even serious about doing that?". It is time to step up to the plate. I hope that the Executive can do that. We will work with other parties to secure a strong fiscal framework and improved financial settlement from Westminster. We will continue to call for a comprehensive spending review and greater accountability on effective spending to improve public services, including through an enhanced role for the Fiscal Council. That will include advocating a Programme for Government target to meaningfully increase tax varying and borrowing powers for the Northern Ireland Assembly. In the meantime, the Opposition will closely scrutinise the Executive's approach to public finances to ensure that it meets the needs of our people and aligns with our priorities, with the long-term funding needed to ensure a better future for all our communities. That is the only way in which we can secure the transformation of our public services and the change needed across our region.

859 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 10:57 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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