Debate contribution: Waiting Times/Care Packages: Budget 2025-26 Allocation
Debate contribution by Dr Caoimhe Archibald on .
- MLA
- Dr Caoimhe Archibald
- Party at the time
- Sinn Féin
- Date
- 28 January 2025
- Type
- Debate contribution (made as a minister)
- Business
- Oral Answers to Questions
- Heading
- Waiting Times/Care Packages: Budget 2025-26 Allocation
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4763900
Read the official Assembly record
Text
There is no doubt that our health service is under immense pressure. Every single one of us will be aware of the implications of that through our constituency offices. It is important that we all recognise the incredible job that our health workers are doing in the most challenging circumstances. I agree with the Member that the Executive have prioritised Health, and that is reflected in the fact that the Department of Health receives over 50% of the total resource DEL funding available. The draft 2025-26 Budget provides just under £8·4 billion for the Health non-ring-fenced resource DEL baseline, which, as I indicated, is an increase of £672 million, or 8·7%, compared with the 2024-25 opening baseline. I recognise that, even with that additional funding, it will still be challenging, but it is also important to cite the many other areas that we need to invest in, including childcare, homelessness, education and justice initiatives, all of which have a role to play in health outcomes as well. As the Health Minister has himself recognised, there are many competing challenges, and we have a finite amount of funding available to us. Increasing funding for Health means less funding for other services that also contribute to health. It is also important to reflect on the budget that has been allocated to Health over the past number of years. It has grown slowly and inexorably over time. The draft 2025-26 Budget outcome represents an increase in its resource DEL baseline of over £2·6 billion since 2020-21, which is equivalent to 45·7%. That is very difficult to sustain in the longer term, particularly when outcomes have not been improving in tandem with that increase. Allocations are agreed by Executive members —.
287 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.03 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- Assessed as legitimate policy scrutiny (0.93).
- No identity-based framing was identified (1.00).
- The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.02 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.02 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.01 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.02 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.02 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.93 | Yes |
| Overall judgement | 0.03 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 1.00 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.00 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-related subject | 1.00 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.00 |
| Irish language, Ulster-Scots and language policy | 0.00 |
| Sport (including the GAA), the arts and cultural bodies | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 11:53 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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