The Secretary of State was speaking following his speech at the British Irish Association’s annual conference in Oxford.
Heaton-Harris said that he emphasised the need for Northern Ireland parties to agree on a sustainable plan for long-term fiscal stability.
He also urged them to work with the Northern Ireland Civil Service on a program for government, that is focused on improved outcomes for Northern Ireland, so that when an Executive is formed, it is ready to deliver.
In his tweet, he emphasised again that restoring the Northern Ireland Executive is his number one priority.
If the Executive restoration is not timely, I will continue to support the Northern Ireland Civil Service in directing a series of public consultations on revenue-raising.
— Chris Heaton-Harris MP (@chhcalling) September 2, 2023
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The Secretary of State continued by saying that Northern Ireland cannot be fixed with “a sticking-plaster funding settlement” as it would not do anything to address the “structural problems that have been building for years”.
The revenue-raising measures that he has previously announced were again brought to the forefront, as he said that he will continue with public consultations if the NI Executive is not restored timely.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday evening, Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said that work would continue to “discuss a plan on the key priorities that may form the basis of a programme for government if and when the Executive is restored.”
Source: Irish Times
