NI budget favours health, education, infrastructure

Health, education and infrastructure are set to receive the lion's share of public funding in Northern Ireland over the next two years, according to the £6 billion sterling (€9.56 billion) draft budget drawn up for 2002/2003.

Mr Mark Durkan, Minister of Finance and Personnel, in the North yesterday unveiled a budget that he said seeks to "focus spending where the best advantage can be obtained or where needs are most acute".

A total of £6.3 billion is being allocated to the Assembly's 10 departments, which represents a 7 per cent increase on last year's budget.

"The context of this draft budget have reflected that I believe that health, schools and roads deserve particular priority, " Mr Durkan told The Irish Times. "As an executive we have to agree a budget that will properly reflect and support the priorities and aims of the Programme for Government.

"We are therefore trying to achieve a combination of things; we are obviously trying to invest in new ground activities and developments consistent with the sort of changes that the Northern Ireland Assembly Programme for Government advocates. But also we have to meet some very real and inescapable pressures of the various departments and ensure that we don't leave any programme in jeopardy, " the Minister added.

Top of the critical list for funding in 2002/03 is the Department of Health and Social Services which has been allocated an 8.1 increase in its proposed budget of more than £2 billion.

Mr Durkan said the increase in funding was a clear recognition that there were significant demands on the health service in Northern Ireland.

"There was a general consensus that it was right to provide more for health. But the reality is that it needs increases of around 7 per cent to 8 per cent simply to maintain standards of care, because of the cost structure of the service," Mr Durkan warned.

The Department for Regional Development also emerged as a clear winner in Mr Durkan's third Budget.

It will enjoy the largest proposed increase of 14.8 per cent in funding to bring its spending power to £538.3 million during 2002/2003.

Education remains a fundamental priority for the Assembly; more than £1.4 billion is to be allocated to the Department of Education, a 4.8 per cent increase on last year's budget.

Mr Durkan said in agreeing to the draft budget, the Northern Ireland Assembly had taken difficult decisions. "It has been clear that we do not have sufficient resources to take forward all policy initiatives that would be desirable.

"This draft Budget is not so much about increases to plans but about how best to use the resources available. This is not about ordering up more, but getting our priorities in order," he added.

Among those key priorities is the allocation of £204 million for the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and a 6.6 per cent increase in budget for the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure to increase its proposed budget to more than £77 million.

The Department of the Environment is also earmarked to receive £108.9 million, an increase of more than 8 per cent on its funding last year.

The only Department that can expect to see a reduction in its levels of funding in 2002/2003 will be Enterprise, Trade and Investment.

The budget provision for this department of £255.8 million translates into a 1.6 per cent reduction in funding levels from last year.

However Mr Durkan hinted that this could be revised.

"The Executive remains sensitive to the possible need for significant investment should some particular need or opportunity arise," he said.