Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of permitting the Northern Ireland Executive to carry forward moneys from the 2020-21 financial year as a result of uncertainty about spending profiles arising from the covid-19 outbreak.

As part of our response to coronavirus we have provided the Northern Ireland Executive with upfront certainty that they will receive at least £2.8bn in additional funding this year on top of their Spring Budget funding. This has allowed the Executive to plan and deliver their response to coronavirus.

As set out in the Statement of Funding Policy, the Executive are able to carry forward a certain percentage of their budgets from one year to the next through Budget Exchange. This means the Executive will be able to carry forward a proportion of their overall budget for 2020/21 which includes the £2.8bn additional funding due to coronavirus. As with UK government departments, any excess underspends will be forfeited unless exceptionally agreed otherwise with HM Treasury.