Northern Ireland Finances Debate

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Department: Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Finances

David Simpson Excerpts
Monday 12th March 2018

(6 years, 8 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Karen Bradley Portrait Karen Bradley
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I agree. My hon. Friend sums the situation up very well.

David Simpson Portrait David Simpson (Upper Bann) (DUP)
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I welcome the Secretary of State’s statement. Will she outline for the House what actions she intends to take on efficiencies within the different Departments, which she mentioned in her statement?

Karen Bradley Portrait Karen Bradley
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The hon. Gentleman will know that the Northern Ireland civil service had started work on efficiencies before the Executive collapsed. Those things had been talked about within ministries while there were Ministers in place at Stormont, so this is about working forward from the programme of government to deliver those efficiencies, which Ministers had previously been looking at. I recognise that this is all terribly difficult to explain, but we are working within the boundaries of what we can.