8 July 2026

SDLP Foyle MLA Mark H Durkan has slammed an attempt by Economy Minister Caoimhe Archibald to blame civil servants for cuts to ApprenticeshipsNI funding.

Funding for existing apprentices is being withdrawn from 27 July due to the Executive's failure to agree a Budget.

Replying to an Assembly Question from Mr Durkan, the Minister said: "The current Budget decisions are being made by the Department's Permanent Secretary in the context of contingency funding allocations and should not be read as reflecting my ministerial priorities or decisions."

Foyle MLA Mark H Durkan said:

“This is a brazen attempt by the Economy Minister to pass the buck on cuts to apprenticeships onto her civil servants. The Minister is ultimately responsible for every decision made by her department and she cannot expect to hide behind her Permanent Secretary and wash her hands of this.

“Every Executive Minister is expected to govern on behalf of the people of Northern Ireland. They hold power in their hands and this attempt to deflect responsibility reflects the unseriousness that has come to define this Executive. Regardless of the outcome of negotiations with the UK Government, it is the Executive that is responsible for failing to agree a Budget, despite her own party colleague, the Finance Minister, celebrating it when he brought if forward.

“Cuts to apprenticeships for existing staff will impact thousands of people and deny them training opportunities across a wide range of sectors, including health, manufacturing, business and hospitality. This is another real-world impact of this Executive's failure to agree a Budget and it is disgraceful to see a Minister trying to blame a civil servant for decisions that ultimately rest with her.”