Oral Answers to Questions

Mary Kelly Foy Excerpts

Wednesday 26th February 2025 Commons Chamber

[Robin Swann (South Antrim) (UUP)]

1. What steps his Department is taking with the Northern Ireland Executive to help improve public services in Northern Ireland.

[Mary Kelly Foy (City of Durham) (Lab)]

3. What recent discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on improving public services.

[Deirdre Costigan (Ealing Southall) (Lab)]

4. What recent discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on improving public services.

--- Later in debate ---

[Hilary Benn]

I hope very much that the programme for Government will be agreed as soon as possible; it is the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Executive, and I look forward to reading it. A number of bids were submitted for transformation funding. They have been carefully looked at by the interim board and, as I indicated a moment ago, I look forward, together with the Finance Minister, to announcing the results of that work soon.

[Mary Kelly Foy]

Last December, the Royal College of Nursing Northern Ireland revealed that there is a severe shortage of nursing staff in the north—there are almost 2,000 vacancies in the sector—as well as concerns about retention. What steps is the Northern Ireland Office taking to support the Executive in providing safe levels of staffing in Northern Ireland, including by tackling staffing pressures, low pay and unacceptable working conditions?

[Hilary Benn]

I share the concern that my hon. Friend expresses about the number of vacancies. The single most important thing that the Government have done is allocate for next year a record sum to the Northern Ireland Executive of £18.2 billion, which is an increase of £1.5 billion. The resources are there, and it is for the Northern Ireland Executive to decide how they will use them.