'Ring Fence Health Care' Call Attacked

There's a spat in progress in political circles as the DUP Chief Whip Peter Weir tackled the Health Minister's call to 'ring fence' his Health Service budget from expected cutbacks.

Mr Weir called on the Minister to outline which Department should instead have their budget reduced to meet his funding demands for his DHSSPS.

Michael McGimpsey has just reiterated his demand to exempt the health budget from further cuts - calling again this week for a similar attitude to health as exists in England and Scotland, where the budget is already protected from cuts - or 'ring-fenced'.

He threatened that NI doctors and nurses could be paid-off should his funds be further reduced in the forthcoming UK-wide spending review.

Making political capital, Mr Weir told the Health Minister that these same cuts are to be imposed by the Tory Government - which Mr McGimpsey's party campaigned for at the last general election.

The North Down DUP MLA said: "Every Minister could make a case for their Department's budget to be protected and supplemented.

"However, in this economic reality, it would be irresponsible and represent a complete disconnect from the situation confronting the United Kingdom as a result of the Tory-Lib cuts."

He said that Northern Ireland's DHSSPS accounts for almost 50% of the entire local budget.

"To ring-fence the entire Department's spending and deal with the reduction in the block grant coming from the Tory government would virtually wipe out the budgets for Education, Roads, Housing and Employment and Learning," he continued.

"Whilst Mr McGimpsey argues that other Departments are "overfunded", he should outline what other Departmental budget should be decimated to meet his demands."

See: Face-Off On Health Cuts Battle

(BMcC/KMcA)