News Release Page Title

11 January 2000

MINISTER ANNOUNCES RE-ALLOCATION OF FUNDS FOR DEPARTMENTS

Mr Mark Durkan MLA, Minister of Finance and Personnel this afternoon announced funding totaling approximately £32m which has been re-allocated to increase some Departmental budgets in the current financial year.

The reallocation of monies was agreed at a meeting of the Executive Committee at which the Minister outlined his proposals.

Speaking after the meeting Mr Durkan said: "The extra funding that I have been able to announce today is the result of good housekeeping. There have been savings in some areas which means that we are able to spend more on some of our top priorities. One of those at the moment is the Health Service. I am therefore very glad to have been able to provide an extra £6.3m and I know that this money will be put to very good use straight away.

"Other Departments too have some inescapable high priority needs and I have sought to address the most urgent of those and ease the worst pressures wherever possible.

"Unfortunately we are dealing with a finite amount of money and while I am sure that all Departments could have done with more help that simply was not possible. I am confident that everyone in Northern Ireland will welcome the fact that we are able to give a special boost to the Health Service at this very difficult time with all the special pressures that it currently faces.

"I am grateful to all my colleagues for their co-operation in this process. Having a democratically elected body of local politicians with cross community support is a decided advantage in how we proceed and our longer term aim will be guided by the Programme of Government with the focus on all future negotiations being quality and equality".

Key points of today's departmental re-allocations are:

  • An additional £6.3m for Health. This includes the additional resources to enable the Health Service to deal with the significant extra pressures it is facing as announced by the First Minister and Deputy First Minister.

  • Further assistance of almost £7m for the Agricultural Programme.
  • An additional £1.3m for school and library books.
  • £6.5m more for maintenance expenditure on Schools, Colleges of Further Education, Housing and Roads.