Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether he has made an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions' proposal to write off the Northern Ireland Executive's overspend.

This Government is willing to consider proposals that seek to address Northern Ireland’s overspend and place its finances on a sustainable footing. I have written to the Irish Congress of Trade Unions and look forward to meeting to discuss their proposals further.

Nevertheless, this Government is clear that Northern Ireland’s finances are not sustainable and we need the Executive back in place so that they can run a balanced budget.