NI secretary to hold Stormont talks over budget deadlock

The Secretary of State, Sir Chris Bryant, has arrived at Stormont Castle ahead of talks with Northern Ireland's political parties in a bid to break the deadlock on the budget.

The executive has said it cannot agree a budget for this financial year without additional support from the Westminster government.

Following the passing of a deadline in August, Stormont officials were given legal powers to spend up to 95% of last year's funding in the absence of ministers agreeing the budget.

Last week, Prime Minister Andy Burnham pledged to get the Stormont government functioning properly with a budget, but it is unclear how much money London could provide.

Sir Chris will hold talks with the executive on that issue, as well as seeking their views on potential reform of the institutions, when he makes his first visit to Stormont.

He is expected to hold talks with the executive before meeting party leaders and holding one-to-one bilaterals with the five largest parties.

Alliance and the SDLP have long called for the power-sharing institutions to be reformed to prevent them from collapsing again.

In June, Sinn Féin - the largest party at Stormont - published its own proposals urging similar measures to be introduced.

It called for the removal of what it called a "veto" on executive formation - namely the nominations of parties to the roles of first and deputy first minister.

If the largest party within nationalism or unionism in Northern Ireland refuses to nominate for the role an executive cannot be formed.

Sinn Féin is arguing that in future, if either of those parties chooses not to nominate, the opportunity to take up the role should pass to other parties.

It said this would ensure the institutions can continue to function while maintaining the principle of power sharing.

The use of the veto has been used by both Sinn Féin and the DUP in the past and has been criticised by smaller parties at Stormont.

Any changes to the current structures would require the UK government to legislate for them.

It is not clear how quickly the secretary of state wants to progress discussions on this area, with the next assembly election due in May 2027.

Ahead of the meetings, Sinn Féin's chief whip Sinead Ennis said: "Reform alone cannot undo the history of British underfunding and austerity or overcome the reality that some parties are fundamentally opposed to power sharing and partnership."

The DUP has repeatedly said Stormont's finances cannot be solved alone with a one-off injection of cash from London, but requires a longer-term change to how Northern Ireland is funded.

It has also not ruled out backing reform proposals but has not spelled out what specific plans it could support.

DUP MLA Phillip Brett said Northern Ireland "needs to be funded at its level of need".

Brett said it will "not just be money that will fix services here in Northern Ireland, we need transformative and sustainable public services that actually deliver value for money".

He added that there is "a clear unity around the executive table that funding has been short".

Alliance leader and Justice Minister Naomi Long has called on the government to tie "hand-in-hand" efforts to reform Stormont with stabilising the executive's finances.

"While intense negotiations have been ongoing with the UK Government to secure the additional funding we need, we will inevitably find ourselves back in this same position in a few years' time unless a cash injection is tied to fundamental reform of the political institutions," she said.

"The secretary of state has recognised the importance of institutional reform and we must seize on that momentum to future-proof the assembly and remove the risk of veto and collapse from our system of government for good."

Ulster Unionist leader Jon Burrows said that with "more money must come with greater responsibility".

He added: "Perpetual crisis, followed by another demand for more money, is not a budget process. It is a habit, and the public has lost patience with it."

Claire Hanna, the leader of the SDLP - Stormont's official opposition - said Monday's talks must mark a "change in approach" from both the executive and Westminster.

Speaking to BBC Radio Ulster's Good Morning Ulster programme, Hanna said the SDLP has been "campaigning intensively" for reform of the assembly and this should not be "separate to the budget crisis".

"In order to move away from this sort of paralysis and collapse and inability and failure to make decisions, reforming how the assembly works is a big part of that."

Hanna said the occasions when Stormont has collapsed in recent years has led to the "money coming in" being "up and down".

"There are some years it is below need and there are some years that it is above need and that allows the government to say you've been fairly funded."

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