Marshalled List of Amendments

Item 5: Order Paper 47/22-27 – Tuesday 10 September 2024

Motion: Budgetary Pressures

Proposed:

That this Assembly expresses its grave concern at the significant budgetary pressures facing the Executive; recognises the severe impact of these pressures on the delivery of, and investment in, public services, including policing and justice, health and social care, education, housing, infrastructure and our environment; notes that these pressures have arisen as a result of a failed policy of austerity at Westminster, financial mismanagement by the previous UK Government and underfunding of Northern Ireland below its level of relative need; agrees that, while the interim Fiscal Framework agreed with the UK Government was an important first step, the proposed 124 per cent relative need factor does not adequately reflect policing and justice need in Northern Ireland and the disproportionate squeeze on the justice budget; believes that a baselined fiscal floor set at a level greater than 124 per cent should be delivered without further delay; calls on the Minister of Finance to publish the Executive Sustainability Plan, including steps to tackle the cost of division in society, which leaves the Executive with hundreds of millions of pounds less to invest in public services each year; and further calls on the UK Government to depart from its austerity policy by reviewing the fiscal rules and pursuing a progressive taxation system.

Mr Eóin Tennyson
Mr Stewart Dickson
Miss Nuala McAllister
Mr Nick Mathison

Amendment 1

Insert after the first ‘relative need;’:

‘accepts that the budget agreed by the majority in the Executive is below need and unworkable;’

[Dr Steve Aiken]
[Mr Colin Crawford]
[Mr Doug Beattie]
[Mr Robbie Butler]

Amendment 2

Leave out all after the first ‘relative need;’ and insert:

‘agrees that, while the interim Fiscal Framework agreed with the UK Government was an important first step, the proposed 124 per cent relative need factor will, as things stand, only apply to future Barnett consequentials and cannot remedy the damage caused by core funding for Northern Ireland dropping below need, prior to the restoration of devolution in February 2024; stresses that this will have a significant, adverse and recurrent impact on the scale of the Northern Ireland block grant and therefore the delivery of vital frontline services; further notes that the proposed 124 per cent relative need factor does not adequately reflect policing and justice need in Northern Ireland and the disproportionate squeeze on the justice budget; believes that a baselined fiscal floor, set at a level greater than 124 per cent, should be delivered without further delay; calls on the Minister of Finance to publish the Executive Sustainability Plan, including steps to tackle inefficiencies and duplication, which leaves the Executive with less to invest in public services each year; and further calls on the UK Government to depart from its austerity policy by agreeing a new, long-term financial settlement with the Executive, reviewing the fiscal rules and pursuing a progressive taxation system.’

[Mr Paul Frew]
[Ms Diane Forsythe]

Motion: Late Payments in the Public Sector

Proposed:

That this Assembly believes businesses and traders who supply goods and services to the public sector should be paid on time and in full; recognises that late payments can negatively impact cash flow and cause undue stress for business owners and their employees; notes with concern the findings of research published by the Federation of Small Businesses in 2023, which found that 56 per cent of small business owners and the self-employed in Northern Ireland had experienced late payment in the last three months; further notes that Northern Ireland was jointly the worst affected region; is concerned that the reasons for late public sector payments generally remain unreported; highlights the need for enhanced reporting by all public bodies in order to improve accountability in this area; calls on the Minister of Finance to introduce a new Executive target for payment of at least 90 per cent of invoices within 5 days for work completed; and further calls on the Minister to work with Executive colleagues to agree fresh measures to ensure 100 per cent of valid invoices are paid within the 30 calendar day statutory limit.

Ms Diane Forsythe
Mr Paul Frew

Amendment 1

Leave out all after ‘Executive target’ and insert:

‘, covering departments, their agencies and arm’s-length bodies, and local government, for payment of at least 90 per cent of invoices within five days for work completed; and further calls on the Minister to work with Executive colleagues to agree fresh measures to ensure 100 per cent of valid invoices are paid within the 30 calendar day statutory limit, with the same prompt payment requirements for sub-contractors and suppliers enshrined in the terms of all public sector procurement.’

[Mr David Honeyford]
[Ms Kate Nicholl]
[Mr Eóin Tennyson]
[Mrs Michelle Guy]