The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) has announced plans to vote against the budget proposed by Stormont as it is debated in the Assembly. In April, when other executive ministers agreed upon the budget, the UUP’s Health Minister, Robin Swann, opposed it, saying that the health allocation was not sufficient and would put people in harm’s way. Swann wrote to the health committee, warning of the “catastrophic” cuts required in his department if additional funding was not forthcoming.
The UUP had initially sought to delay the Assembly debate until after a budget re-allocation exercise scheduled for next month. The Finance Minister, Sinn Féin’s Caoimhe Archibald, had announced the budget in April, with the Department of Health receiving the largest share of day-to-day funding worth £7.8 billion. The budget was criticised by Swann for not prioritising health, but Archibald said it had been challenging to allocate funds fairly, given the amount of money required in various areas.
Matthew O’Toole of the SDLP also criticised the budget during the debate, stating that it was not a plan for the future, and that there was no reason it could not have been more strategic. When the budget was announced, Debbie First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) said she sympathised with Swann’s concerns but emphasised other areas that require equal attention and investment.
The UUP’s position on the first reading is symbolic as sufficient votes across the Opposition are needed to challenge, let alone topple the budget bill. However, Thomas Byrne of the Fianna Fáil party and Cathal Crowe of Fianna Fáil have warned that they will vote against the budget in Ireland’s Dáil, meaning the proposal may face significant opposition. Neither party is involved in the Irish coalition government, but the move may put pressure on the government to accede to Fianna Fáil’s demands that the selected projects receive increased spending
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