Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will take steps to clarify the funding that will be allocated through NIO direction to Northern Irish Departments for (a) NHS waiting lists in Quarter 1 2023/24 (b) air connectivity to Derry/Londonderry (c) Easter school holiday lunches and (d) rural community transport.

In the absence of functioning devolved institutions, Northern Ireland Office officials continue to work with their counterparts in the Northern Ireland Executive Department of Finance on the budget allocations for the 2023-24 financial year. Based on the Northern Ireland budget position for the 2022-23 financial year, the expectation is that balancing the 2023-24 budget will be extremely challenging.

The UK Government recognises that there will be impacts on people and businesses in Northern Ireland as a result of the difficult decisions needed in order for Northern Ireland Executive departments to live within their budgets. It remains the UK Government’s firm view that the right people to make these decisions are locally elected politicians in a fully functioning Northern Ireland Executive and local Assembly. In the absence of these, it will be for the relevant Northern Ireland Executive departments to manage their funding, in accordance with powers provided under the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation etc.) Act 2022.