Debate contribution: Northern Ireland Fiscal Council Bill: Second Stage

Debate contribution by Mr Gerry Carroll on 1 July 2025.

MLA

Mr Gerry Carroll

Party at the time

People Before Profit Alliance

Date

1 July 2025

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Executive Committee Business

Heading

Northern Ireland Fiscal Council Bill: Second Stage

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5061282

Read the official Assembly record

Text

On the face of it, the broad principles of the Bill are not objectionable. Greater transparency and independent scrutiny of public finances are the bare minimum that the public deserve. The Bill establishes the Fiscal Council on a permanent, statutory basis, as Members have said. Some of the Fiscal Council's announcements over the past four years have been worrying, however, including its statements about the need for sustainable public finances. We know what that means. The chair of the Fiscal Council has told us that failing to introduce water charges has its own costs. That is purely looking at the numbers without looking at the impact that water charges in whatever form would have on working-class families. I ask the Minister and anybody who is listening this question: why should those who struggle to pay the bills and put food on the table pay the price for years of mismanagement and underinvestment in our water infrastructure? I am worried about an increased ideological drive to implement water charges. We see an article in 'The Irish News' to that effect again today. The Fiscal Council has also advocated an increase in the regional rate and called for "public-sector pay restraint" — pay cuts in a time of price increases — to "improve the manageability" of public finances. I am concerned about that, and I am concerned that there is no concern from other Members and the Finance Committee about that direction of travel and those repeated statements from the Fiscal Council.

Sure.

Sure. I raised this issue at the Finance Committee a few weeks ago. I do not have the date to hand, but the quote from the Fiscal Council was "public-sector pay restraint". Every public-sector worker and trade unionist knows what that means: it means pay cuts. It is different language — flowery language — but that is the reality of what is —.

No problem. As I said, Principal Deputy Speaker, that was a statement from the Fiscal Council. That is concerning. It indicates a certain direction of travel from the Fiscal Council. It has talked before about further departmental savings, which is a translation for cuts. There is not much left to cut. Services have been cut to ribbons. The Fiscal Council has not talked about — I do not believe that it is mentioned in the Bill, either — the creeping privatisation of our public services. There is no mention of the massive and ever-increasing wealth inequality. It is not a topic of interest. I am concerned that the Executive will use the Fiscal Council's future proposals, and perhaps those that it has already made, as political cover for plunging people further into poverty. They could say, "It's not our idea; it's the idea of the Fiscal Council". I am concerned that that is the direction of travel.

I thank the Member for the intervention. That is potentially the case, but what we need is not rocket science. With respect to the chair and members of the council, we do not need experts: we need an understanding of the withdrawal of large sums of public money from our public services over the past 10 years. The Minister of Finance, in fairness to him, mentions that on occasion, but I am concerned that the Fiscal Council does not have a focus on that, and I am concerned about the direction of travel. I do not think that —.

Sure. I will bring my remarks to a conclusion. I am concerned that the council will not be ideologically neutral. People may cry foul in that regard, but I think that there is a commitment to neoliberal austerity. The idea has already been touted that the council is out of touch with what working-class people need and believe. There is no mention of wealth taxes, or of an increased billionaire, wealthy, corporate class. It is my view, and that of many other people, that hugely profitable companies should pay more corporation tax. The Fiscal Council has not mentioned that. I do not believe that it will mention that with the passing of the Bill. The Bill just legislates for more of the same and, ultimately, will mean more fiscal punishment for working-class communities, with a red carpet rolled out for the wealthy. This should be a moment for thinking outside the box. I am concerned that the Bill, when it becomes law, will just mean more of the same.

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

Assessment

Not flagged

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 12:58 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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