Debate contribution: Budget Bill: Second Stage

Debate contribution by Mr Alan Chambers on 24 February 2026.

MLA

Mr Alan Chambers

Party at the time

Ulster Unionist Party

Date

24 February 2026

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Executive Committee Business

Heading

Budget Bill: Second Stage

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5404251

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Further to my contribution yesterday as Chair of the Audit Committee, I wish to make some remarks today as my party's spokesperson for health. I promise that I will not speak for 27 minutes. How the Department of Health, as the largest Department with the greatest breadth of services and responsibilities, with a number of arm's-length bodies (ALBs) with budgets in excess of £1 billion, manages its budget each year will have the greatest single impact on the wider Executive Budget. At the beginning of the financial year, the Department of Health was reporting a significant deficit position of £615 million, including pay. In the past 12 months, costs grew further, and there were additional inescapable operational pressures. It is widely recognised across the Executive and Stormont political parties that no one has done more this year to drive efficiencies and close their funding gap than the Health Minister, Mike Nesbitt. He has already delivered hundreds of millions in savings and efficiencies. Some of that has been short-term cash releasing savings, but other efficiencies, such as converting expensive locum shifts into long-term NHS-paid jobs, have delivered significant permanent annual savings. He has done that whilst delivering real improvements across various areas, including a fall in the number of people waiting totally unacceptable lengths of time for treatment. Nevertheless, given that Health and Social Care experiences significant inflationary pressures each year — typically 6% a year — it has to run incredibly fast in terms of efficiencies just to stand still. Health experiences significant increases in demand, in additional to underlying price inflation. The number of people over the age of 65 is increasing by 2·5% annually. We cannot ignore the wider UK context. Whilst there is a narrative in some quarters that we are overfunded compared with the rest of the UK, the reality is quite different. The level of additional spending on health in Northern Ireland compared with that in England is now projected to be at a 10-year low in 2025-26 based on the draft Budget. At 1·5%, that is also well below the 4·7% that the Fiscal Council reported was necessary to meet the additional health needs in Northern Ireland, including dealing with the mental health legacy of the past. I acknowledge that there has been significant in-year movement this year. In Health, resource DEL has increased by £560 million from the Main Estimates. That increase is primarily from additional funding received during 2025-26 to address a significant funding gap in the health sector for existing services and to enable a pay award to be made in line with that in England. It has also increased owing to the agreement with HM Treasury on a reserve claim for 2025-26. Although I commend the Minister for the progress that he has made and welcome the in-year allocations, we are still in a very difficult position. The reality is that, even with this year's reserve claim, the Executive are still lurching towards another budgetary cliff edge next year, but they are doing so in slow motion and in full view of everyone. An overspend of £400 million to £500 million this year, had it been left unchecked, would likely have grown to well in excess of £1 billion by this time next year. In the immediate time ahead, the Executive urgently need to step up a gear to prepare for and respond to the budgetary crisis that is unfolding. They could do worse than to look at the approach that the Health Minister has adopted this year. I place on record my party's appreciation of and grateful thanks to the entire staff in the health and social care sector, who do a very difficult job in very difficult circumstances.

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

Assessment

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 01:21 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9. This record has been assessed 8 times; the latest assessment is shown.

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