Debate contribution: Health: Budget 2025-26 Allocation
Debate contribution by Mr Mike Nesbitt on .
- MLA
- Mr Mike Nesbitt
- Party at the time
- Ulster Unionist Party
- Date
- 18 February 2025
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Oral Answers to Questions
- Heading
- Health: Budget 2025-26 Allocation
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4806344
Read the official Assembly record
Text
The draft Budget allocation does not align with the draft Programme for Government, as it provides no additional funding for waiting list reductions, despite waiting lists supposedly having been identified as an Executive-wide priority. Indeed, the draft Programme for Government states:
"It will not be possible to reduce our lengthy waiting times within the funding currently available."
That is despite the fact that waiting lists are one of the nine priorities in that draft document. This will be the second consecutive year where no such money has been provided by the Executive. Overall, my Department's proposed allocation for the financial year 2025-26 represents a small increase in funding compared with 2024-25. However, it will not be sufficient to cover the significant increases in costs that we will face. That is due to a number of factors, including pay and price inflation; the increase in National Insurance contributions for GPs, pharmacists and social care providers; and, of course, rising demand. As a result, my Department projects a funding gap of some £400 million for the financial year 2025-26, with Health and Social Care system being asked to deliver in the region of £200 million in new savings for the second year running. Even then, it is anticipated that significant in-year monitoring round allocations will be required to break even. The assumption that savings on that scale are achievable is not without considerable risk. It will inevitably have consequences for service delivery, including waiting times. With the draft Budget allocation, I challenge the Assembly and the Executive to consider honestly how they can expect us to achieve a reduction in waiting lists.
270 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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