Opening Northern Ireland up for business
The CBI's David Fry makes the case for urgent reform of Northern Ireland's public service delivery, in the first of an Ethos series about service provision around the UK.
Northern Ireland’s public spending, as in other areas of the United Kingdom, has been subject to financial constraints since the publication of the 2010 Comprehensive Spending Review.
However, the level of restraint is not comparable with departmental cuts in the wider UK government. Once the Barnett formula (the mechanism used by the Treasury to adjust public expenditure on Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales according to population) and other financial arrangements in respect of policing and justice are considered, Northern Ireland’s spending has been afforded a greater degree of protection.
The consequence has been something of a ‘business as usual’ approach to public finances on the part of the Northern Ireland Executive. Unlike their counterparts in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland’s ministers have largely been able to maintain existing service delivery models with little pressure to pursue reform...
Read on at Ethos Journal
Ethosis aimed at public sector leaders, politicians, academics and policy specialists debating the future of public services today.
