Public Finance

“No politician in their right senses would have produced a government with 12 departments, as was done here”, said the then First Minister of Northern Ireland, Peter Robinson, announcing last year the detail of the restructuring of government departments. “It was done for entirely political reasons; it was done to have the maximum number of […]

Northern Ireland’s new deal The most significant aspect of the latest Northern Ireland deal is that it marks a move away from what has been termed the ‘mandatory coalition’, in which all the main parties form the government. Instead the new agreement – termed ‘A Fresh Start’ – has been negotiated primarily by the two

Northern Ireland is in crisis with a resignation that is not a resignation by First Minister Peter Robinson. He has ‘stepped down’ temporarily, with finance minister Arlene Foster deputising while all-party talks take place to save the Stormont Assembly and Executive. As well as Robinson, all his DUP colleagues – bar Foster – also resigned,

Northern Ireland’s 26 district councils have agreed their domestic and non-domestic rates for 2010/11, with variations in the increases imposed ranging from zero to more than 8%.  Dungannon & South Tyrone Borough Council has avoided any rise in either category, while Moyle District Council has increased domestic rates by a mere 0.03% and non-domestic by

  Crisis creates opportunities. But whether those opportunities are used for good or bad ends depends on who holds the power – and also on the perspective of what actually is ‘good’ or ‘bad’.   It is, alas, self-evident that things cannot go on as they are in terms of public sector spending. The scale

If there is such a thing as a ‘normal’ finance minister, then Sammy Wilson is definitely not it. Informal, politically incorrect and with an approachability that is decidedly unusual, Northern Ireland’s finance minister is not the model of a modern politician. ‘Sammy’, as he is almost universally known, is a man apart. Visitors to the

  Public spending cuts of 8.5%, involving “initial reductions” of 17,300 jobs, have been proposed to the Irish Government to help get its public finances under control. The measures are proposed by economist Colm McCarthy at the request of finance minister Brian Lenihan, who called for a national debate on them.   McCarthy’s proposed cuts

The irony of a New Labour government nationalising the commanding heights (commanding depths, actually) of the economy is almost beyond satire. Yet every household in the UK now has £3,000 at stake in the Royal Bank of ­Scotland and the Lloyds Banking Group. But, as the old investment warning goes, the value of shares can

One of Northern Ireland’s most controversial politicians is to become its finance minister.  Environment minister Sammy Wilson outraged environmental campaigners by denying any link between climate change and human activities.  He takes-up the position of finance minister over the summer. Outgoing finance minister Nigel Dodds steps down to concentrate on his role as an MP,

  Health bodies in Northern Ireland face spending pressures that risk pushing them into deficit, warns the Northern Ireland Comptroller and Auditor General, John Dowdall, in his annual report on the health and social care sector for last year.   Dowdall also warns that an over £1bn major capital redevelopment programme is “a significant test”

New Labour has made great play of its shiny new schools, hospitals and transport projects. But, reports Paul Gosling, this great building programme is about to come to a grinding halt as capital spending is expected to halve over the next four years On the surface, there are positive signs for public sector capital projects.

Northern Ireland’s Child Support Agency has a gross debt of £82.6m, the annual report from the Northern Ireland Audit Office reveals.  Of this, £35.7m is collectable, believes the NIAO.    But the NIAO is concerned that the collectable debt figure is rising annually and increased from £29.9m the previous year, 2006/7.  The NIAO is also