Debate contribution: Fiscal Devolution
Debate contribution by Miss Jemma Dolan on .
- MLA
- Miss Jemma Dolan
- Party at the time
- Sinn Féin
- Date
- 29 April 2025
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Opposition Business
- Heading
- Fiscal Devolution
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4921716
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I welcome the opportunity to speak in support of increasing fiscal devolution, which would give us more opportunities to make spending decisions that prioritise the interests of workers, families and communities in the North. Around 90% of the funding that is currently available for our public services comes from the block grant. Negative decisions taken by successive British Chancellors, be they Labour or Tory, have reduced the amount of money that is available for our health service, education sector and infrastructure projects and severely impacted on the Executive's ability to deliver.
In recent months, the British Government have once again taken decisions that heap more pressure on those who already struggle to make ends meet, such as the sick and the disabled, who will be impacted on by further welfare cuts. In her spring statement, the British Chancellor reinforced her Government's priorities, choosing to spend money on militarisation — weapons of war — rather than investing in public services, protecting those in need and improving the daily lives of workers, families and communities. Given the limited fiscal powers available to the Executive and our public services' dependence on the block grant, which is based on the spending decisions of representatives who are not elected by people here, I recognise that it is extremely challenging for the Executive to mitigate the detrimental impact of such decisions. The mitigation measures introduced to support the sick and disabled following the welfare cuts that were imposed on us a decade ago are expected to cost £47·3 million this year alone. The Fiscal Commission's 2022 report on more fiscal devolution stated that other actions taken to protect people here from austerity policies imposed by Westminster cost the Executive £600 million to £700 million a year. Greater control of revenue raising would therefore provide the Executive with more flexibility to shape policies that suit our local needs. Taxation systems should be based on fairness, reducing inequality and improving the efficiency, quality and capacity of public services. I also recognise the efforts of the Finance Minister and his predecessor to ensure that we are funded at the correct level of need. Indeed, the interim fiscal framework secured by the previous Finance Minister, Caoimhe Archibald, ensured an additional £248 million for our public services for this year. Ultimately, ending partition and achieving independence for all of our island, with control of our political and economic affairs, is the best way in which to build the first-class public services that workers, families and communities here deserve. An Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) report this month on the economies of both jurisdictions highlighted the growing deficit in the North compared with the South in all commonly used measures of living standards. One of the most concerning examples of the detrimental impact that austerity policies from London have had on us is that, if you live in the North, you are seven times more likely to be on a healthcare waiting list for more than 18 months than you are if you live in the South. Partition has prevented the development of all-island public services and detrimentally impacted on their delivery. The success of the all-island Children's Heart Centre in Dublin and the North West Cancer Centre at Altnagelvin Hospital provides two compelling examples in healthcare alone of the potential for delivering better public services on an all-island basis. We want to see greater fiscal devolution to this island. Ultimately, the full devolution of fiscal powers through Irish unity provides the greatest opportunity to build and deliver better public services that meet the needs of everyone.
596 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: 0.16 (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 (0.91).
- No identity-based framing was identified (0.87).
- Subject area: Constitutional question, Brexit, the Windsor Framework and sovereignty.
- 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 | 0.14 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.03 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.02 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.06 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.06 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.91 | Yes |
| Overall judgement | 0.16 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 0.87 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.00 |
| Adopts it | 0.13 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Constitutional question, Brexit, the Windsor Framework and sovereignty | 0.74 |
| Disability (including neurodivergence and mental health), disabled people and disability or sickness benefits | 0.24 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.02 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 12:27 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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