Public Finance

New Deal not working: Public Finance

 
Just 7% of participants in a Northern Ireland New Deal programme went on to sustained employment, a report from the NI Audit Office reveals.
 
The Preparation for Employment Programme was a work placement scheme that dealt with 60% of people on New Deal who were over 25 and long-term unemployed. The NIAO says more should [...]

Free care for Northern Ireland rejected: Public Finance

 
Northern Ireland health minister Michael McGimpsey has announced that free personal care is currently unaffordable, but remains a commitment. He blamed other ministers for rejecting his request in the last Budget round for additional funding to pay for free personal care.
 
The minister’s statement coincided with the completion of a review of care provision, which estimated [...]

NI plans to prune structure: Public Finance

The number of government departments and Assembly members in Northern Ireland could be cut as part of an efficiency review announced this week.
Reducing the 11 departments and 108 MLAs was a manifesto pledge of the Democratic Unionists, the largest party, and was allowed for under the St Andrews Agreement, which led to the DUP and [...]

Land Agency to be reviewed: Public Finance

 
Northern Ireland’s Land and Property Services agency is to be reviewed, following widespread criticisms of the agency’s performance. It has been blamed by councils for a budget crisis which led to significant service cuts. LPS was formed in 2007 to bring together the Valuation and Land Agency, the Rate Collection Agency, Ordnance Survey (NI) and [...]

Celtic tiger turns into sick moggy: Public Finance

It all looked so good - a Celtic Tiger that repeatedly delivered annual growth of 9%. The Scottish Nationalists even talked of an ‘arc of prosperity’ that drew together Ireland, Iceland and Scotland. Now, said one wag, it looks more like an ‘arc of insolvency’.
 
How life changes, as Ireland’s ministers will readily testify. It is [...]

Northern Ireland abandons largest PFI project: Public Finance

 
Northern Ireland’s largest PFI scheme has been abandoned because of the downturn in the economy. The Department of Finance and Personnel confirmed it is cancelling the Workplace 2010 programme that would have sold and leased back civil service office accommodation in a 25 year transaction valued at £1.5bn.
 
Workplace 2010 was suspended in October last year, [...]

Saving Private Finance: Public Finance

The banks have been pulling out of the Private Finance Initiative and the contractors are struggling. As a scheme designed to transfer public sector risk becomes a growing liability, frantic efforts are being made to find new methods of funding
It is not just banks that will need to be bailed out to ensure that the [...]

Northern Ireland rates up 5%: Public Finance

Domestic rates set by Northern Ireland’s district councils are to rise by an average of 5% in 2009/10.  The highest rate increase is 8.52%, agreed by Fermanagh council.  Two district councils – Castlereagh and Larne – are keeping their district rate at last year’s level.  Only six of the 26 councils are not increasing rates [...]

Northern Ireland health service restructured: Public Finance

 
The revamped structure of health and social services delivery has been revealed by Northern Ireland health minister Michael McGimpsey.
 
A new Health and Social Care Board will replace four regional health and social services boards, with headquarters in Belfast. A Public Health Agency will take over the work of the Health Promotion Agency, with an [...]

Against the Tide: Public Finance

While all around fear for their jobs, the government is promising a major programme of public works to counter the effects of recession. But dig deeper, and the public sector is simultaneously coming under pressure to slash its workforce
Unemployment is widely expected to reach 3 million by the end of the year. Given that it [...]