Unionist Friction Over Budget Endorsement

Due to the high level of 'unknown outcomes' based on limited information and aspirational claims, the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) is 'unable' to endorse the draft Stormont Budget proposal.

The Finance Spokesperson, David McNarry, (pictured) said it failed to take proper account of inflation and had too little detail at this stage.

He said his party did not believe the budget could deliver economic stability or growth and must be reworked although it was only published just before Christmas.

The budget, which details savings of £4bn over four years, was said to "lack the cutting edge necessary for the delivery of economic stability and growth".

"The proposals do not encourage the climate of confidence necessary for significantly increased investment.

"We have already experienced the negative impacts of aspirational income targets not being met in the last budgetary cycle.

"In NI's interest and in the interest of credible and stabilizing government planning, we do not wish to repeat the experience," said a statement.

"However should the DUP and Sinn Fein - as the authors of the draft Budget - acknowledge the shortcomings in their agreed proposals, show a willingness to incorporate Ulster Unionist suggestions and amend their proposals accordingly the UUP will respond positively," concluded Mr McNarry.

Last week, the Ulster Unionist Health Minister Michael McGimpsey said that the health allocation would lead to 4,000 job losses before 2015.

Stormont Finance Minister, the DUP's Sammy Wilson responded quickly and said the cuts had been made necessary due to decisions made by the Conservative Party in Westminster, which he emphasised "stood on a joint ticket with the UUP in the election last year".

"The UUP response argues for more money for jobs, more for health, more for education but fails to indicate where this money would be found," he added.

"Each department has put forward compelling arguments but the reality is the pot is only a certain size and under the UUP's Tory friends, it keeps getting smaller," he said.

"It is gross hypocrisy for the UUP to reject the draft budget as they are a 'franchise' of the Conservative Party," he alleged.

"When I highlighted the probability of major Tory cuts during the election campaign, senior UUP representatives queued up to say I was scaremongering," he concluded.

(BMcC/GK)