Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what contingency plans they are putting in place to provide UK ministerial oversight and accountability for the delivery of health services in Northern Ireland this winter, in the event that there are no ministers in the Northern Ireland Executive.

People in Northern Ireland deserve locally-elected decision-makers who are working for them, to address the issues that matter most to people who live there. As such, I am particularly disappointed at the serious situation that the lack of an Executive has left the people of Northern Ireland facing, including the growing pressure on health services and a concerning financial overspend situation with no clear strategy for balancing the budget.

The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has already met the Head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service, Jayne Brady, to discuss this and will continue to meet a range of Northern Ireland stakeholders over the coming weeks to understand the pressures facing health and all public services. The extent of the financial pressures alongside the limitations on Northern Ireland departments to take action to bring spending under control will have serious consequences for public services. The Secretary of State outlined to Parliament on Wednesday 9 November that he will introduce legislation to enable Northern Ireland departments to support the delivery of health and other public services.