First Minister Michelle O’Neill, Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly and Education Minister Paul Givan attended a meeting of the East-West Council in Belfast on Thursday.
They are meeting with Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Hilary Benn, NIO Minister Matthew Patrick, Minister for the Cabinet Office Nick Thomas-Symonds and Minister for Early Education Olivia Bailey.
The East-West Council was formed as part of the Safeguarding the Union command paper. This is its third meeting, and the second to be held in Northern Ireland.
Topics on the agenda included an update on the funding package that was announced during the budget in November, and an update on Intertrade UK’s plans – an organisation headed by former First Minister Arlene Foster, focusing on promoting trade between GB and NI.
Before the meeting, Education Minister Paul Givan visited schools alongside Minister for Early Education Olivia Bailey. In a statement, the NIO said: “These joint visits will highlight the two governments working in partnership to deliver high and rising standards for Northern Ireland’s children and young people, and to learn from each other’s education practice and priorities.”
First Minister Michelle O’Neill told reports that the Prime Minister has “got it wrong” in relation to funding for NI.
“We have work to do as an Executive, but I think it’s time for the British government to step up and ensure we get proper funding for our health service, our education system, our justice system… They’ve been underfunded for years. We’re trying to turn a tanker in terms of transformation.”
“We need additional funding from the Treasury and we’re going to continue to make that case,” she added.
Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly echoed the calls from the First Minister, also saying that the work being done in terms of transformation “will not be realised this year, not next year… we’ve got inescapable pressures, we will have an overspend this year”
She says the Executive wants to “work collaboratively with the Treasury” and not be in a situation where the Treasury “makes demands and we simply respond to them.”
The Secretary of State said that politicians “have a responsibility to balance the books and to produce a balanced budget, and I hope very much that that is what the Executive is going to do.”
“It is difficult and challenging, and our job is to continue to work with the Executive and to support them in any extent we can,” he added.
“But we’ve given a great deal of support already – in the form of that record Spending Review settlement, the extra money in the budget and funding just above the level of need.
