The Government has denied a flat cash budget for Northern Ireland is punishment for Stormont's powersharing impasse.The funding settlement allocated to the region by Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris is broadly in line with last year's budget, with the total down 0.4% on 2022/23.Two Stormont departments secured slight increases in funding and seven had their baselines cut.However, with inflation soaring in the last 12 months and Stormont facing a range of additional pressures, inclu

The Government has denied a flat cash budget for Northern Ireland is punishment for Stormont's powersharing impasse.The funding settlement allocated to the region by Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris is broadly in line with last year's budget, with the total down 0.4% on 2022/23.Two Stormont departments secured slight increases in funding and seven had their baselines cut.However, with inflation soaring in the last 12 months and Stormont facing a range of additional pressures, including a series of public sector pay demands, the budget is likely to result in significant real-terms cuts to public services.