Budget does not go far enough in public service investment

Stormont Finance Minister John O’Dowd said Rachel Reeves’ spending plan ‘strengthened the need’ for fiscal devolution in Northern Ireland.

The Chancellor’s Budget “doesn’t go far enough” in investing in public services and boosting growth, Stormont’s Finance Minister John O’Dowd has said.

Mr O’Dowd said Rachel Reeves’ spending plan “strengthened the need” for fiscal devolution in Northern Ireland.

The UK Government confirmed that Stormont would receive an extra £370 million to spend.

However, Mr O’Dowd said only £18.8 million would come in the current financial year and this fell “far short of what is needed to support the delivery of frontline public services”.

Ms Reeves announced the scrapping of the two-child limit for universal credit and measures to save money from the average ho