Assembly ministers are planning an ‘away day’ to conjure up some new ideas on handling the stinging cuts expected from the Westminster government, it emerged today.
Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness told the Assembly it could face tough financial times for the next three to four years.
And he revealed that ministers may organise a day away from the familiar surroundings of Stormont to help develop a plan for handling the impending crisis.
The Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition has already imposed £128 million in cuts on the Assembly, but more dramatic slashes in public spending are expected to follow. And Mr McGuinness signalled a need to encourage new thinking from the four parties in Northern Ireland‘s power-sharing government.
"I think one of the difficulties, and all of the parties here would be very conscious of this, one of the difficulties about the type of government that we administer at the moment, is that a lot of political parties, a lot of departments, work in silos,” he said.
“And I think that given the challenges that lie ahead, I think the sensible thing for all of us to do, and we have already had a discussion about this at the last meeting of the Executive, about the need to just get away from Stormont Castle, get away from Parliament Buildings, sit down for a full day and work out collectively what we can do to minimise the impact of these cuts, which are clearly coming at us from down the track and which we are opposed to.”
It’s understood an ‘away day’ could be organised during the summer recess.
Mr McGuinness said: “We have a responsibility to deal with the hand that we are played.
“And the hand that we are played clearly suggests that we are going to face into very challenging economic circumstances over the course of the next three or four years.”
But as ministers wrestle with how to best cope with the financial pressures, he added: “Now obviously as an Executive we have to plan for that.
“There will have to be an Executive response to that.”
The Sinn Fein representative said that the major cuts threatened by the Conservative-led government should not be allowed to hit frontline services.
He added: “And obviously given that in circumstances like this, we have to be very conscious that these cuts can very detrimentally affect the most disadvantaged groups in society.
“And I think we all have a duty and a responsibility to ensure that whatever happens, that we defend their services.”
PA