Leader of the Opposition Matthew O’Toole MLA has challenged the Minister for Finance on her department’s failure to produce a budget sustainability plan by the 30 September deadline they promised to meet just days ago.

The requirement to produce a Budget Sustainability Plan was agreed between the UK Government and Executive parties in the run up to the restoration of the institutions, and has already been extended twice.

After already being granted one extension, departmental officials assured the Finance Committee, which Mr O’Toole chairs, that it would be published by the deadline, which again was not met.

Matthew O’Toole MLA said:

“It is ridiculous that the Finance Minister has failed to publish a budget sustainability plan against her own revised deadline, given that the Minister already sought her own unilateral extension, and her officials assured the Finance Committee just days ago that it would be published by the end of September.

“The department and Minister have sought to portray an image of fiscal competence but the chaotic shifting of the goalposts on a major plank of fiscal policy work completely undermines that self-awarded reputation.

“The Finance Minister used her powers to push out a highly political mini-Budget just days from the general election, in clear breach of the pre-election rules, using the excuse of a deadline. So it is particularly disappointing to see her fail to meet this deadline which was self-imposed, and already extended.”