Written Ministerial Statement

The content of this written ministerial statement is as received at the time from the Minister. It has not been subject to the official reporting (Hansard) process.

Department of Finance - DE - cash advance from the consolidated fund

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Published on Wednesday 11 March 2026

Mr John O’Dowd (The Minister of Finance): The purpose of this Statement is to inform the Assembly of a cash advance from the Consolidated Fund to the Department of Education under Section 6(1) of the Financial Provisions Order 1998.

During March 2026, the Department of Education will reach the limit of cash which it can access from the Consolidated Fund under existing statutory powers.

I have therefore approved a cash advance of up to a maximum of £156 million from the Consolidated Fund to the Department of Education under the powers in Section 6(1) of the Financial Provisions Order 1998.

The existing limit is set by the Budget (No. 2) Act 2025 which gave DoF the authority to issue cash out of the Consolidated Fund to departments and other bodies to fund their expenditure in 2025-26.

Once the Budget Bill 2026 is passed by the Assembly and has received Royal Assent, the advances paid to the Department of Education from the Consolidated Fund will be repaid.