SDLP in emergency bid to release £300m to tackle cost-of-living crisis

By Rebecca Black, PA

The SDLP is to make an emergency legislative bid to unlock £300 million of funding to relieve the cost-of-living crisis.

There is an impasse over the planned Stormont budget following the resignation of First Minister Paul Givan as part of a DUP protest against the Northern Ireland Protocol.

Finance Minister Conor Murphy has insisted a budget cannot be struck without an Executive in place, meaning an additional £300 million allocated to the administration for the coming financial year cannot be accessed.

Foyle MLA Mark Durkan said he has been working with the other parties to secure support for his Bill to unlock the financial support.

On Monday, he will seek formal support from the Speaker’s office for its introduction.

“Our communities are crying out for support to deal with the rising cost of everything from food to fuel,” he said.

“Energy bills are going up by the week and petrol prices by the day. People are looking to us to step in and help them and we have an obligation to do everything in our power to protect people from the worst aspects of this crisis.

“We are in a very serious situation and we need political leadership to get us through it.

“We have £300m sitting there doing nothing because there is no Executive.”

Mr Durkan said the easiest way to resolve the impasse is for the DUP to nominate a First Minister in the final weeks before the Assembly is dissolved.

However, DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said on Friday his party intends to stick by its position to exert pressure on the Westminster Government to act over the protocol.

“In the absence of an Executive the SDLP has drafted an emergency Bill to allow for emergency financial support to be provided to people who are currently struggling with rising costs,” Mr Durkan said.

“The Bill as drafted allows for powers under the Financial Assistance Act (Northern Ireland) 2009 to be exercised by ministers, in the absence of a First or Deputy First Minister, with Assembly authority for prescribed emergency payments. It does not and cannot substitute the need for a budget and the need for the Executive to be formed to allow for a budget.

“The Bill as drafted is focused, with the context created in the Westminster Northern Ireland (Ministers, Elections and Petition of Concern) Act 2022, how in only the context when these provisions are engaged, meaning when we are without a functioning Executive, that emergency payments related directly to devolved powers and responsibilities can be made.”

He said he would continue to seek the support of the other parties.

“I recognise time is short, but that is not a reason to simply sit on our hands, do nothing, and tell our communities sorry, ‘there’s nothing we can do’. This legislation provides a pathway to putting money in the pockets of those who need it,” he said.

“This is the moment for us to step up, put politics to one side and put people first. We cannot abandon our communities to deal with this on their own.

“I’m urging every party to come together this week and exhaust every effort and every avenue available to get this money out to help families deal with this crisis.”

(Finance minister Conor Murphy says the legal advice he's been given is that a FIrst and Deputy First Minister need to be in place to proceed with a budget)