Debate contribution: Supply Resolution for the Northern Ireland Spring Supplementary Estimates 2024-25

Debate contribution by Mr John O'Dowd on 17 February 2025.

MLA

Mr John O'Dowd

Party at the time

Sinn Féin

Date

17 February 2025

Type

Debate contribution (made as a minister)

Business

Executive Committee Business

Heading

Supply Resolution for the Northern Ireland Spring Supplementary Estimates 2024-25

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4802529

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Go raibh maith agat, a Phríomh-Leas-Cheann Comhairle.

As you have set out, the debate covers the three Supply resolutions for the spring Supplementary Estimates (SSEs) 2024-25, which cover the current financial year, the Vote on Account for 2025-26 and a Statement of Excesses for 2023-24, all of which are associated with the Budget Bill that will be introduced later today. As Members will be aware, Budgets, which set the Executive's spending plans, do not, in themselves, give Departments the legal authority to draw down cash or use resources. That is done through the Assembly approval of Estimates and the associated Budget Bills. The Main Estimates for the 2024-25 financial year were presented to the Assembly and approved on 1 July 2024. Supplementary Estimates seek the approval of funds for changes required since the Main Estimates were agreed for the same financial year. The Supply resolutions for the 2024-25 spring Supplementary Estimates presented before the House relate to the final planned position that was agreed by the Executive on 16 January 2025. I am therefore seeking the Assembly's approval for Departments and other public bodies' changes as described in the spring Supplementary Estimates 2024-25 document that was laid in the Assembly on 10 February 2025. Following Executive agreement, my predecessor, Dr Caoimhe Archibald, provided a written ministerial statement notifying the Assembly of the outcome of the Executive's January monitoring exercise, which was the final monitoring round of the 2024-25 financial year. Demand for allocations once again significantly outstripped the funding available. Bids for day-to-day resource departmental expenditure limit (DEL) funding outstripped the funding available almost six times over, and there was three times as much in capital bids as there was funding available. In normal circumstances, the spring Supplementary Estimates and the associated Budget Act would be written to the outcome of the Executive's in-year monitoring rounds during 2024-25, but, in agreeing January monitoring allocations, the Executive agreed that Departments could be provided with headroom where required, should further underspends emerge in the final months of the financial year. I have asked Ministers, if they have reduced requirements, or if any are identified, to notify my Department as early as possible so that potential reallocation may be considered. In addition, Treasury later advised that following an in-depth analysis of the programme level changes in the Westminster Supplementary Estimates, the Executive could receive additional resource DEL in 2024-25. Headroom was also required to take account of that further late change. Table 5 of the spring Supplementary Estimates shows the remaining headroom beyond the Executive's 2024-25 final plan included in both the Estimates and the associated Budget Act. A total of £183 million headroom has been incorporated into the Estimates. That headroom was calculated based on a variety of pressures, including unmet bids following January monitoring and pressures following storm Éowyn. It should be noted that the headroom in the Estimates gives the Executive the ability to spend any funding yet to be allocated on priority areas to ensure that no resources are lost to the block. Departments are, of course, still constrained by their Budget allocation until further Executive approval has been obtained. The spring Supplementary Estimates also incorporate areas of expenditure or income relying on the sole authority of the Budget Act. That is where the authority of statutory powers has not yet been obtained through legislation. Managing public money guidance provides for that as an interim measure, enabling expenditure until such powers are in place. My Department currently monitors reliance on sole authority by seeking quarterly updates, and I am pleased to announce that progress has been made, with enabling legislation planned for 2025 in many areas. In addition to the spring Supplementary Estimates for 2024-25, a Vote on Account 2025-26 document has been prepared. The Vote on Account provides Departments with the authority to utilise resources and access the cash necessary to continue to deliver services until work on the 2025-26 Main Estimates and associated Budget (No. 2) Bill has been completed. The Vote on Account for 2025-26, which was laid on 10 February 2025, is routine and equates to approximately 45% of the 2024-25 provision.

I have also provided a Statement of Excesses for the 2023-24 year, also laid on 10 February 2025, which implements recommendations made by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC). The PAC's report on Excess Votes for 2023-24, published on 14 November 2024, provides more detail on its findings. The Excesses included in the Statement of Excesses document provided arose as a result of breaches of budget control limits or cash limits for the 2023-24 financial year. That expenditure now needs to be regularised by the Assembly. I am keen to finalise spending plans for 2024-25 and put them on a legal footing. I therefore request Members' support for the resolutions on the spring Supplementary Estimates for 2024-25, the Vote on Account for 2025-26 and the Statement of Excesses for 2023-24. I look forward to the Supply resolution debate, following which I will introduce the Budget Bill later today. As Members are aware, the Bill will be debated tomorrow, 18 February. The Bill provides legislative cover for all three Supply resolutions. Should the Bill proceed as planned, it is anticipated that it will receive Royal Assent by late March 2025, which will ensure that services continue to be funded for the remainder of the financial year.

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

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 11:57 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

Disagree with this assessment?

Classifications can be challenged. A person reads every challenge, and any change is recorded publicly above with its reason.

Challenge this classification