Debate contribution: Gender-responsive Budgeting

Debate contribution by Ms Diane Forsythe on 14 January 2025.

MLA

Ms Diane Forsythe

Party at the time

Democratic Unionist Party

Date

14 January 2025

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Opposition Business

Heading

Gender-responsive Budgeting

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4736786

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I welcome the opportunity to recognise the importance of addressing systemic inequalities in our society, including in respect of gender. I thank the Opposition for tabling the motion. DUP Ministers have recognised those inequalities and taken actions to date. The Communities Minister, Gordon Lyons, has paved the way for gender pay reporting to be operationalised as part of the employment Bill that is coming from the Department for the Economy. In Education, Paul Givan's childcare subsidy scheme is benefiting many female parents who would otherwise struggle to return to or stay in the labour market, which was mentioned by the leader of the Opposition. Our Budget process is one way in which we can enable better-informed decision-making with respect to the impact of policy and spending on gender inequalities in the workplace, at home or in society more generally. My party does not see a need for there to be separate budgets for men and women in order to make that happen. However, there is clear merit in seeking to improve the evidence base that is available to Ministers and the Executive as a whole when agreeing allocations. That can, of course, extend to examining whether previous decisions have had positive or negative gender impacts. Our amendment seeks to introduce that improvement. As a member of the Finance Committee, I know, as do many others in the Chamber, that the Northern Ireland Budget process has much room for improvement, with inconsistencies in reporting and the lack of completion of key procedural documents from Departments. My party is concerned about the motion's introduction of further procedural requirements to the 2025-26 process at this time. Departments should be encouraged to bring forward information that examines the gender impact of their budget proposals to support fairer, better-informed and more impactful budget decisions. That must not, however, be to the detriment of existing equality assessment and screening that is carried out in the context of the section 75 processes. Ultimately, if the Executive are to go down the route of gender budgeting pilots or practice, that will require a joined-up approach from senior civil servants with policy and finance responsibilities. We need to look at others and learn from their experiences. Worryingly, in 2021, the gender equality strategy expert advisory panel that was commissioned by the Department for Communities indicated that the Civil Service locally lacked the competence and capacity to deliver on the aims through the existing section 75 process. That illustrates the challenges ahead. It would be wrong, therefore, to rush or set artificial deadlines for scoping that out. The Scottish gender budgeting pilot was evaluated by the OECD, which reported formally in July 2024. It underlined a range of challenges to implementing gender budgeting that are relevant to the situation here in Northern Ireland, not least the need for significant investment, upskilling, additional staff headcount, potentially, and tensions between some Departments in the way in which they tackle cross-cutting gender goals. Therefore, it is important that Northern Ireland takes stock of experiences elsewhere in order to ensure that any changes that are brought forward provide tangible improvements in promoting gender equality in our society. The proposer mentioned the OECD. In 2023, it reported that 32% of countries that currently operate gender budgeting rarely use the evidence that is collected in policy and decision-making. We should not seek to replicate that precedent. Therefore, while my party understands the motion's sentiment, it is crucial that any reforms are evidence-based and command widespread support from politicians, Ministers and civil servants. A whole-of-government approach is essential. The co-design and co-development of a gender equality strategy for the Executive will be the best vehicle to take forward those proposals. DUP Ministers are committed to continuing that work in this mandate. Our amendment seeks to secure support across the Executive to bring that forward. I commend the amendment to the House.

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

Assessment

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 11:50 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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