MPs to examine funding of public services in Northern Ireland

• Inquiry: Funding and delivery of public services: follow up
• The Funding and Delivery of Public Services in Northern Ireland: Third Report of Session 2023–24
• The Funding and Delivery of Public Services in Northern Ireland: Government Response
• Northern Ireland Affairs Committee

The previous Committee in the last Parliament published a report in March on funding and delivery of public services and the inquiry announced today will be an opportunity to test the new Government’s approach to the issues.

Chair quote

Tonia Antoniazzi MP, Chair of the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee, said: “Essential public services such as health and education have a huge impact on everyone’s day to day lives, so it’s vitally important that they are funded in a way that reflects the true level of need in Northern Ireland. With the new Government in Westminster set to carry out a spending review in the spring, our inquiry is looking to hear views on the adequacy of the current assessment of need, what the package of funding agreed by the Treasury and Stormont should look like, and how the UK Government can best support the NI Executive to deliver quality public services for all.”

Following the announcement in February of a £3.3billion spending settlement, in May the Treasury and NI Executive announced the agreement of an Interim Fiscal Framework. Further discussions are taking place on issues including needs based funding, with Department of Finance officials confirming that they are currently compiling evidence that Northern Ireland’s relative need is higher than the proposed 124% of any equivalent increase in funding for England for the policy areas run out of Stormont.

Terms of reference

The Committee is inviting written submissions on the following:

Further information