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Benn challenges NI Executive to reform public services

Raymona Crozier
BBC News NI
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Benn will deliver a keynote speech in Belfast on Tuesday to mark the anniversary of the restoration of the Northern Ireland Executive

The secretary of state has issued a challenge to the Stormont Executive to reform Northern Ireland's public services.

In a speech in Belfast, marking one year since power-sharing was restored, Hilary Benn will say there has been a successful start but that difficult decisions are now unavoidable.

Speaking on Monday, First Minister Michelle O'Neill and Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly said the Northern Ireland Executive had achieved "significant" progress since it's return.

But they added there was "much more to do" to improve public services.

'Apply learning from other parts of the UK'

On Tuesday, Benn will set out three challenges facing Northern Ireland which he said are:

  • The reform and delivery of public services
  • Ensuring the smooth flow of goods across the UK
  • The need for sustainable, long term economic growth

Benn said that a lack of funding from the government "is not the impediment to public service transformation."

"I frequently hear it said that more funding is required from the UK Government and that that is the reason why public services are in such a state," he said.

"The real impediment has been the failure to reform the system," he added.

He said there had been "many missed opportunities to take decisions, or to apply learning from other parts of the UK".

"Of course, this has at times been down to there being no Executive in place to take decisions," he added.

He said that at other times, there has "simply been a lack of agreement among Executive Ministers on the steps that need to be taken, or on the revenue that needs to be raised, or on the allocation of resources".

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First Minister Michelle O'Neill (left) and deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly after a joint interview at Parliament Buildings reflecting on one-year anniversary of the return of the institutions at Stormont.

When questioned on revenue raising, Little-Pengelly said there were a range of ways to fund these things, and the Executive is actively looking at solutions but offered caution on any "easy solutions".

"I think we need to be really careful here because there is a thirst with some to simply say if government needs more money, then simply get the citizens of Northern Ireland to pay more money and that is not going to work," she said.

She said we need to "look at how we are spending the budget we have," to "look at that efficiency within departments, that's what the people of Northern Ireland deserve, not some easy solution" she added.

O'Neill said the wider public were fully aware that Northern Ireland has "been starved of the funding in our public services for years. My job is to fight for good public services here."

Northern Ireland's place in the union

In his speech on Tuesday, Benn will also reflect on Northern Ireland's place in the Union and the task for politicians to ensure that the Union continues to "improve the lives of all communities, regardless of their constitutional ambition."

He will also have a special mention for the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), specifically its leader Gavin Robinson and Deputy First Minister, Emma Little-Pengelly, commending them on their courage and commitment to Northern Ireland in leading the party back into the Executive after a stand-off over post-Brexit trade rules.