SDLP Leader of the Opposition Matthew O’Toole MLA has said that the Executive’s budget shows their inability to make difficult decisions.

He said that despite a significant uplift in funding from the UK Government, the budget was more of the same.

South Belfast MLA Mr O’Toole said:

“There are a number of positive initiatives within this budget, which much like the budget itself, have been long overdue. There is welcome investment in a childcare strategy, violence against women and girls and a just transition to protect our environment, but it’s impossible to escape the fact that this budget will not help solve the problems we are facing around healthcare, housing, education, public services and other key areas.

“Nobody expected this budget to solve all of our problems overnight, but this was rushed out before Christmas and we are not seeing the change of direction needed. To look at this budget, you would never think the Executive had received its biggest financial uplift in many years and the use of this money is questionable. Even in positive moves around childcare, the Executive has not ring-fenced all of the money handed out by the UK Government from their own spending in that area.

“This budget is about putting a sticking plaster on our failing public services rather than delivering the vision and transformation needed to change things for the better. It is totally devoid of any meaningful link to the Executive's own Programme for Government and they have repeatedly shown they are incapable of taking tough decisions. Instead of dealing with our most pressing problems, every Minister fights for their own small piece of the pie.

“The Finance Minister claims this budget is about ‘doing what matters most’, it looks more like the Executive doing what’s easy, kicking the can further down the road and paying lip service to the desperate need for transformation of our public services instead of delivering it.”