Swann Challenges Prime Minister Over Impact of Budget Stall on Health Worker Pay
South Antrim MP Robin Swann has challenged the Prime Minister on the Northern Ireland Executive’s failure to agree a budget, warning that the deadlock is leaving health and social care workers without their agreed pay award.
At the weekly Prime Minister’s Question Time, Mr Swann highlighted that Northern Ireland has now gone seven months of the financial year without an agreed budget. He pointed out that this leaves his party colleague, Health Minister Robbie Butler MLA, without either the financial allocation or the legal framework required to process pay awards for healthcare workers, who are now balloting for industrial action.
In the House of Commons, Robin Swann MP said:
"The Prime Minister will be aware that the Northern Ireland Executive has now been without an agreed budget for the seven months of this financial year.
"Is he aware that that means my party colleague Robbie Butler, the Health Minister, has neither the finance nor the legal ability to pay our health and social care workers their agreed pay award for this year, and that they are now balloting for industrial action?"
"Will the Prime Minister work at pace with the Northern Ireland Secretary and the Northern Ireland Executive to get a budget agreed that will deliver for our health and social care workers in Northern Ireland?"
In response, Prime Minister Andy Burnham MP acknowledged the severity of the situation and urged local political leaders at Stormont to step up and resolve the stalemate.
The Prime Minister replied:
"The hon. Gentleman and colleagues will know that I did go to Northern Ireland shortly after coming into office to speak to all parties, including on this very important issue of the budget. I returned here and found more money for Northern Ireland, in a very difficult situation, I have to say, when we are finding more money for defence. Even in those circumstances, I found extra money.
"There comes a point when people have to work together to set a budget. It cannot always be our responsibility. We stepped forward and I ask all parties in Northern Ireland to do the same: set a budget and get Stormont functioning as it should."
Following the exchange, Mr Swann reiterated that health and social care staff cannot be made to pay the price for executive inaction and called for coordinated action between Belfast and London to deliver funding for local health services.
