John O'Dowd
Upper Bann · Sinn Féin · Northern Ireland
“As I set out in response to the previous question, we have in place the vacant property rate relief scheme and the small business rate relief scheme, which are very successful. I set aside £10 million in the draft Budget for small business rate relief to be invested.”
“I am particularly keen to hear from those impacted by vacant commercial units and especially about how any phased increase can be implemented in a sustainable way that is fair, proportionate and sustainable within the tax system.”
“I outlined my intent to take that approach in my statement on 18 November, alongside the fact that reform of rating policy should support growth, make better use of property and ensure that the system is fair, proportionate and aligned with wider economic objectives.”
“The accelerator will operate alongside our highly successful Back in Business scheme, which has helped to bring over 100 vacant high street properties back into use since May 2024. Those issues have been the subject of considerable interest and comment in the Assembly, and it is right that we grasp the nettle now.”
“There are no circumstances in which a hard border would be good for the people of Ireland; it would not be good for anyone. Those who suggest that are being naive at best and dangerous at worst, in the sense of not understanding this society. <BR /> <BR />Rural communities along the border are one and the same.”
“This announcement represents the next step in that. That said, I also put on record my intention to strengthen support for small businesses. In that vein, £10 million has been set aside in the draft Budget to broaden the impact of the small business rate relief scheme in order to increase the number of businesses that can benefit from it.…”
The complete record
Every one of 6,140 lines we hold for John O'Dowd, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 14 of 123.
“The public consultation on my draft Budget closes on 3 March. The open-book process that the Treasury is involved in along with my Department — it is not "special measures", as Dr Aiken suggested — will close in the middle of March. That will give the Executive information, data and responses to analyse, in time, in my opinion, for it to make decisions ahead of 1 April. The next important step, as I said to the leader of the Opposition, is the important engagement that has to take place between the Executive and the Treasury about how this place is properly funded. That will take a united front from all the parties in the Chamber. I have no doubt that, despite all our differences, all the parties want to see a three-year Budget delivered.”
“Colleagues asked what happens with repayments of the reserve claim; Mr Mathison asked that in particular. Are the repayments down to the Departments that receive the moneys or to the Executive collectively? That will be a decision for the Executive. As the Executive deliberate on their final three-year Budget, those deliberations will form a part of the conclusions. <BR /> <BR />It is too early to suggest, as some have done, that we will not have a three-year Budget. Today is 22 February, I think.”
“Those who see their elective care appointments come through and those, like that young woman and her son, who have been given the keys to their new home see the differences, and then there are those 5,000 properties that have been connected to waste water treatment. That is all making a difference to people's lives. That has to be acknowledged, as well as the challenges that we face as an Executive. <BR /> <BR />I turn to broader Budget issues, which we will touch on further tomorrow. Members are aware that the draft Budget has been published. It is open for discussion, and there have been significant changes, even since its publication. The £400 million reserve claim adds a new equation to my draft Budget. That will have to be taken into account as we finalise the Budget along with Executive colleagues.”
“That is in addition to the original £100 million provided to DFC. Sometimes the figures are just figures, but, on Thursday, I spoke to a young woman in my constituency who, after years of trying to get a home, had the previous day been shown her new home in a new social housing development — her and her young son, who was about nine years of age. It is the first time that they ever will ever anywhere that they can call their own "home". There are over two dozen houses in the same development, and that will be the same experience for many families. <BR /> <BR />Do the Executive have challenges? Without doubt, we have challenges. Have we funding constraints? Without doubt, we have funding constraints. Are we making a difference? Yes, we are.”
“Is that something that the Executive should be criticised for, or is it something that the Executive should be acknowledged for? If we can connect more homes to our waste water capacity for less money than was originally envisaged, that is an area not for criticism but for acknowledgement: acknowledgement of the work that has been carried out by the Department for Infrastructure and NI Water, as well as by the Executive, in targeting the money to where it is needed most. <BR /> <BR />Other areas on which the Executive have delivered include health workers' pay, teachers' pay, police pay and civil servants' pay. <BR /> <BR />In line with our commitment to create more affordable social housing, we have provided a further allocation of £38·8 million for social housing in-year to the Department for Communities.”
“<BR /> <BR />I will touch on the Department for Infrastructure and unlocking waste water capacity. Members should be aware that the Department for Infrastructure and NI Water have unlocked 5,300 properties as a result of the direct allocations that the Executive have made since their return in February 2024. That is higher than the number that was in NI Water's pricing period for that time. The Executive and NI Water have delivered connections to more houses than were in the original plan for NI Water's price control period. That has to be acknowledged. There has to be a question there or further inquiries made. Those connections were made at a greatly reduced cost compared with what was originally in the Utility Regulator's programme for funding.”
“I will clarify that point further. The money that has been returned to the centre was a direct result of the funding being earmarked by the Executive. The A5, the A4, the A6 and a couple of other projects were all projects with earmarked funding, so that funding had to be returned to the centre. I assure the Member that the Department for Infrastructure bid for a significant amount of that money to be returned. In the most recent rounds of financial allocations, however, we provided over £76 million for vital investment in water services, transport and the road network, including funding to fix our roads. The Department for Infrastructure benefited hugely from that. The remainder of that funding has been used for other capital projects that I will go through in some detail shortly.”
“That money has gone back into public services. Here is another important figure —.”
“<BR /> <BR />There has been much discussion about the Department for Infrastructure. The leader of the Opposition wanted to know where the £133 million went. In fairness to the leader of the Opposition, I suspect that he knows exactly where it went, but all's fair in love, war and politics. The vast majority of that £133 million is the direct result of the legal case taken against the A5 and the delays that resulted from that. A significant proportion of that money has gone back to the Department for Infrastructure for other schemes that it is running. Only recently, we saw around £9 million invested in tackling the huge challenge of the state of our roads, which resulted from decades of underinvestment as well as from the second-highest rainfall in 150 years, which we experienced in January, and the intervening cold weather.”
“I will give you an example of a constituent who recently visited their doctor. It was a non-urgent issue but one for which they had to have elective care. On their way from the GP practice to their car, they were phoned and offered an appointment at the hospital. I accept that those are not the circumstances in every case, but there is a growing change in our health service, and that must be acknowledged. The health workers and the senior people in the health service must be acknowledged for that, and we have to recognise that a change is taking place. <BR /> <BR />Since September 2024, almost 19,000 families have benefited from the childcare subsidy scheme. It has generated £19 million in savings for those families, raising an estimated £40 million when combined with tax-free childcare.”
“That is real and meaningful change in people's lives.”
“The Health Minister outlined earlier this month that just over 200,000 additional activities had been delivered.”
“The difference is that I balance my remarks, in the sense that I will and do expect Ministers to deliver effective, efficient service, but I do not, in any way, put forward the argument that this place is properly funded. It is not properly funded, and we should not say otherwise, even for party political gain, at this stage, because we are at a very sensitive time when it comes to engagement on that with the Treasury and others. <BR /> <BR />It is also worth noting that, perhaps understandably, there is a concentration, both in the Chamber at times and in the media, on what has not been achieved, but let us look at what has been achieved as a direct result of decisions made at the Executive and through the Programme for Government.”
“I will in a moment. <BR /> <BR />Apart from Mr Gaston, perhaps, even the truest blue in this place has to accept that public funding is not at the level that is needed in this society to deliver the public services that we rely on. As I said, it does not help our cause if the leader of the Opposition echoes such arguments.”
“When the leader of the Opposition echoes, both privately and publicly to others, what the Northern Ireland Office says on how the funding in this place works, that undermines those of us who are engaging with the Treasury on such matters.”
“Since the Executive's restoration, the key priority for me has been the fact that there is an additional £1·4 million for public services here, which my predecessor and I managed to secure. There is ongoing engagement, which will intensify in the coming weeks, between the Executive and the Treasury on how this place is funded as, I hope, we move towards the settlement of a three-year Budget. <BR /> <BR />It is unfortunate to hear commentators, and the leader of the Opposition in particular, decrying well-researched and well-founded arguments that this place is underfunded and saying that things are simply all the Executive's fault.”
“The old model overestimated how much borrowers would repay, meaning that the loan book was valued too high. The new model shows that the Government will recover less from student loans than was previously thought, which means that the loan book has to be written down, and more Budget cover is needed. Of the remaining amount, £400 million relates to the reserve claim, while the rest of the funding relates to a number of other movements such as Barnett consequentials funding that was carried over. <BR /> <BR />The leader of the Opposition went on to challenge me on where the money is being spent. I have outlined some of the areas. Putting into context student loans etc, it is being spent on front-line public services and making real change in our society. I will give you a few examples.”
“I will endeavour to address as many of colleagues' comments as possible. These debates are useful because the spring Supplementary Estimates and Vote on Account are important issues. The leader of the Opposition pointed out, as did a number of other Members, that the subject matter is of grave importance. <BR /> <BR />I will respond to a number of points that the leader of the Opposition raised. Of the moneys that he referred to — £2·1 billion, I think — a substantial amount refers to funding in relation to student loans. There has been a change to that system, which the Chair of the Economy Committee referred to in his comments as well. DFE has adopted a new student loan repayment model similar to that used in England, Scotland and Wales.”
“and thank you to all Members, Committee Chairs and Deputy Chairs who contributed. I listened with interest to the debate, which covered many aspects relating to public expenditure and, perhaps, a few topics not as closely related to the subject that is being considered, although I may be chastised for doing that myself before the end.”
“Thank you. You have caught me unawares: Members were very quick. Thank you, a Phríomh-LeasCheann Comhairle,”
“I thank the Member for giving way. I have to respond at this stage, because I do not want it to get out that we are under special measures. We are not under special measures. I will give more details on the open-book process when I speak to Members later, but that is a process between the Executive and the Finance Department, and we will work together on it. We are most certainly not under special measures.”
“2) Bill has been completed. The Vote on Account for 2026-27, which was laid on 16 February 2026, is routine and equates to 45·7% of the 2025-26 provision. I am keen to finalise spending plans for 2025-26 and put them on a legal footing. I therefore request Members' support for the resolution of the spring Supplementary Estimates for 2025-26 and the Vote on Account for 2026-27. I am looking forward to the debate and hearing Members' views. <BR /> <BR />Following today's Supply resolution debate, I will introduce the Budget Bill. The Bill will then be debated tomorrow, which provides legislative cover for the two Supply resolutions. Should the Bill proceed as planned, it is anticipated that it will receive Royal Assent by late March 2026, which will ensure that services continue to be funded for the remainder of the financial year.”
“That is where the authority of a statutory power has not yet been obtained through legislation. 'Managing Public Money' guidance provides for that as an interim measure, enabling expenditure until such powers are in place. My Department closely monitors reliance on the sole authority by seeking quarterly updates. I am pleased to announce that progress is being made, with enabling legislation planned to be in place by early 2027 on a number of those matters. <BR /> <BR />In addition to the spring Supplementary Estimates for 2025-26, a Vote on Account 2026-27 document has also been prepared. The Vote on Account provides Departments with the authority to utilise resources and access the amount of cash that is necessary to continue to deliver services until work on the 2026-27 Main Estimates and associated Budget (No.”
“While I regret that that has occurred, I have said before in these debates that, in my view, we need to look again at whether the production of multiple printed copies of the Estimates documents is a worthwhile use of the finances that are involved, not to mention the environmental impact. Following the completion of the Budget process, I intend to write to the Speaker to understand whether an alternative approach could be adopted that still meets the needs of Members, particularly given that most Members now do their business on the electronic devices that the Assembly Commission has provided them with. <BR /> <BR />The spring Supplementary Estimates also incorporate areas of expenditure or income that rely on the sole authority of the Budget Act.”
“It is anticipated that they will be available later this week.”
“Following the negotiations and in recognition of the significant financial challenges faced by the Executive, the Treasury agreed to provide a reserve claim of £400 million for 2025-26. I made a written ministerial statement notifying the Assembly of that outcome on 11 February 2026. That £400 million has been reflected in the spring Supplementary Estimates. <BR /> <BR />I apologise to the Speaker and to Members for the absence of a printed copy of the Estimates publication. While I understand that an electronic version has been provided to Members for consideration, unfortunately, due to the late confirmation of the reserve claim, it has not been possible, on this occasion, to provide hard copies of the document in the time available.”
“The Supply resolution for the 2025-26 spring Supplementary Estimates presented before the House relates to the final planned position that was agreed by the Executive on 11 February 2026. I therefore seek the Assembly's approval for Departments and other public bodies' changes as described in the spring Supplementary Estimates 2025-26 document laid in the Assembly on 16 February 2026. <BR /> <BR />Following Executive agreement, I made a written ministerial statement notifying the Assembly of the outcome of the Executive's January technical exercises. Members will be aware that, following the monitoring round, there remained significant pressures in the Department of Health and the Department of Education.”
“As you have set out, the debate covers the two Supply resolutions for the spring Supplementary Estimates (SSEs) 2025-26, which cover the current financial year, and the Vote on Account for 2026-27. Both are associated with the Budget Bill that will be introduced today. As Members will be aware, Budgets that set out the Executive's spending plans do not, in themselves, give Departments the legal authority to draw down cash or use resources. That is done through the Assembly's approval of Estimates and the associated Budget Bills. The Main Estimates for the 2025-26 financial year were presented to the Assembly and approved on 3 June 2025. The Supplementary Estimates seek the approval of funds for changes required since the Main Estimates were agreed for the same financial year.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Phríomh-Leas-Cheann Comhairle.”
“It was not discussed. It would not be normal practice for us to discuss individual planning applications or proposals in that manner. The purpose of the NSMC sectoral meetings is to engage on policy and practice, including highlighting the successes of previous programmes etc. If those who are behind the proposal to which the Member refers believe that it is worthy of EU funding and PEACE PLUS funding, and that it fits the criteria of the PEACE PLUS programme, they should first contact the SEUPB and submit a bid.”
“Engagement and discussions with the two Governments are ongoing, and we will use that opportunity, when possible, to emphasise the importance of a future PEACE PLUS programme. The fact that the two Governments and the EU have agreed to that in principle is a sign of the collective will across the institutions for that to succeed, but we will have to continue the engagement on that.”
“I will give some examples. A total of 154,000 children and over 500 schools participated in shared education schemes, and over 2,700 teachers were trained in delivering shared education. Over 23,000 children and young people developed their soft skills in respect of diversity, and 1,617 marginalised and disadvantaged young people developed their soft skills in respect of diversity. Some 24 new shared spaces were made available, and I mentioned some examples in my statement: Shankill Shared Women's Centre; Black Mountain Shared Space project; Waterside Shared Village; Connecting Pomeroy; the Bushmills Courthouse shared space; and Newforge shared space. It has made a huge contribution to this society.”
“Both Governments and the EU have agreed in principle that there will be a successor to PEACE PLUS, and we await further details on that. Everybody is hopeful that there will be a continuation of the PEACE PLUS programme. It has been successful across the island in bringing communities together and ensuring that the peace embeds and people see real change as a result of it. As I say, both Governments and the EU have agreed to that in principle, but we await further detail.”
“I am aware of no specific reason why there has been a delay. As I said in my statement, they are with the Comptrollers and Auditors General in both jurisdictions, and it will be up to them to set the schedule as to when they will sign off on them and when those further steps will take place.”
“The change maker funding investment areas 1.2 and 6.2 are currently open for calls on a rolling basis. The change maker fund provides small grants of up to €100,000 and focuses on activities that advance community cohesion and bring communities and groups together on a cross-community basis. Further funding calls are anticipated to open in the first half of this year for SME development and transition, strategic planning and engagement and empowering communities. All information on current funding calls is available on the SEUPB website.”
“That was not discussed as part of the programme, because, unfortunately, as a result of Brexit, the funding that used to come directly from Europe was lost. The British Government then replaced it with less funding, as the Member will recall, and there has been a further reduction in funding this year. You can draw a straight line from Brexit to the implications of what is happening now as a result of that decision. I do not have the full details in front of me on the coming financial year, but I am happy to provide that to the Member in writing.”
“<BR /> <BR />Ministers welcomed the commitment made on a successor to the current PEACE PLUS programme and noted that further engagement will need to be undertaken on the details of that programme. The Council welcomed the presentations made on the Shankill Shared Women’s Centre and congratulated the project on its work. The project was awarded funding of €8·58 million from the Peace IV programme and received a prestigious EU REGIOSTARS award in Brussels in October 2025. The award category was "A Europe Closer to the Citizens", with the award recognising the centre's work in fostering community cohesion and delivering support for women and their families in a shared space. <BR /> <BR />The Council agreed to hold its next special EU programmes meeting in May 2026.”
“The Council was advised that calls have opened for all 22 of the programme's investment areas and that, in total, 145 projects have been approved for funding. That represents a commitment of €1 billion, 94% of the programme value. Additional steering committees will be held throughout this year to allocate further funding. <BR /> <BR />Ministers noted that the body had produced a business plan for 2026 and a corporate plan outlining its key objectives for 2026-28. The Council approved the corporate and business plans, with the latter including the 2026 budget provision. The Council noted that the 2024 SEUPB annual accounts are currently under review by the Comptrollers and Auditors General in both jurisdictions.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Council offered condolences to the family, friends and work colleagues of Mr Paul Beattie, the Special EU Programmes Body’s (SEUPB) managing authority director, following his sudden passing on 13 September 2025. <BR /> <BR />The NSMC received a report from the Special EU Programmes Body chief executive on the closure of the 2014-2020 PEACE IV and INTERREG Va programmes. Ministers noted that all EU expenditure targets to date have been met, and both programmes are currently forecast to achieve full expenditure in line with total programme allocations. The Council was also updated by the Special EU Programmes Body chief executive on the progress of the 2021-27 PEACE PLUS programme.”
“In compliance with section 52 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, I wish to make the following statement on the twenty-fourth meeting of the North/South Ministerial Council (NSMC) in special EU programmes sectoral format, which was held at Monaghan Peace Campus on 23 January 2026. As Minister of Finance, I represented the Executive and was accompanied by Minister Givan. The Irish Government were represented by Minister Jack Chambers TD, who is responsible for the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation. The statement has been agreed with Minister Givan, and I make it on behalf of us both.”
“<BR /> <BR />If, as looks likely, the Assembly supports the motion — I am supportive of it — I will do all that I can within my mandate to keep momentum behind transforming our Civil Service and supporting our civil servants.”
“Transforming an organisation as large and complex as the Civil Service requires sustained commitment and resourcing. I have outlined the external factors, as have other Members who spoke in the debate. With the people strategy as a road map and Integr8 as the engine, we have the governance, milestones and tools that we need to finish the job transparently, at pace and to standard. Colleagues, I share your frustration, as do civil servants, at the time that it has taken to transform the organisation. As I said, however, I believe that we now have the tools at hand to transform it. Further actions can and will be taken. I am conscious that the PAC has a role to play, but I do not want the momentum on the work that we have carried out so far to lapse as we wait for yet another report on how we should reform the Civil Service.”
“I emphasise our commitment to working closely with our trade union colleagues. Their support for partnership working matters, as does Members' support. We are engaging constructively with Civil Service trade unions across jobs, families, professions and pay and reward policy renewal. We are listening carefully, testing ideas and collaborating, so that change lands well for staff and, ultimately, improves the public services that they deliver. The people strategy is built for outcomes that people can feel: faster recruitment, inter-priority teams, and more continuity in the services on which people rely. A clearer skills pipeline, assured governance and efficiency and effectiveness means standardisation and digitalisation and a reworking of process times. <BR /> <BR />Why is it taking time to do that?”
“I have mentioned Integr8 a number of times. It is the enabler that will hardwire reform into daily operations by adopting modern best practice in an integrated HR and finance technology solution. It will reduce cycle times, standardise reporting and improve leaders.”
“As part of the people strategy, a two-year road map, we are developing a comprehensive Senior Civil Service strategy. We continue to deliver leadership learning, focusing on inclusive leadership and team effectiveness. Those changes improve effectiveness. We are consulting trade unions on a pay and reward strategic framework. The 2025 pay award has been implemented, including adjustments to allowances.”
“It is important that civil servants are given the space to be innovative and try new things without facing constant barrages of criticism. <BR /> <BR />In addition, digital requisitions are now in use from March 2027. Outsourced aspects of recruitment will transfer back to NICS to further streamline service delivery. Those steps will enable NICS HR to reduce recruitment time, improve job matching, shorten the time to hire and fill roles promptly, lessening the reliance on agency cover. They widen access support candidates' panels with clear criteria aligned to job families so that pace is matched with fairness. <BR /> <BR />In 2025-26, my Department updated many HR policies. Work was under way on a comprehensive review of the recruitment policy. We are also developing a new employee mobility policy.”
“<BR /> <BR />My Department is simplifying and streamlining recruitment to get the right people with the right skills into priority teams faster. Apprenticeships; student and work placements, including routes for those furthest from the labour market; Civil Service skills academies; and graduate management programmes are in place. The administrative officers (AO) pilot in the north-west concluded in December with a 12-week process. Almost 900 people were interviewed over three days, leading to more than 200 offers, starting in January 2026. Recruitment of that size and scale has never been done before over such a short period, but that shows what can be achieved with a willingness to embrace new ways of doing things.”
“For staff, it will create clear career pathways, improve transparency and support targeted learning and development, with many of the benefits realised where Integr8 services and technologies are live and job families have become the backbone of how people develop careers in the Civil Service. <BR /> <BR />In relation to Mr Burrows's comments about how people are promoted in the Civil Service, promotion is based on merit and merit alone. <BR /> <BR />In parallel, the professions framework, designed through engagement with heads of profession and other stakeholders, will enforce professional leadership, consistency and standards across the Civil Service. Its accompanying policy and guidance have been prepared, and the framework is anticipated to be launched before the end of 2025-26.”
“<BR /> <BR />My Department is finalising a new workforce model, the Civil Service job families framework, which gives a single, consistent structure for how roles are defined across the Civil Service. That is foundational to Integr8 because the framework is the job architecture captured in the new HR and finance technology solution to be delivered under the Integr8 programme, enabling recruitment, talent, learning and workforce analytics functions to operate effectively. That standardisation will streamline recruitment, reduce duplication and allow more targeted hiring.”
“Put simply, strategic workforce planning is how we move from firefighting to foresight. It helps us identify inefficiencies, eliminate unnecessary agency use and ensure that our workforce pipeline matches the service. <BR /> <BR />A number of Members have questioned the dramatic rise in the number of agency workers. That relates directly to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) contract with the Department for Communities. Members will be aware that DWP has a contract here. Approximately 2,624 of the 4,939 agency staff here work directly to DWP on a contract with the Department for Communities in relation to benefits and other matters. It is not a cost to the block grant. That cost is directly picked up by DWP.”