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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Cut departments to save - Dodds | Cut departments to save - Dodds |
| (18 minutes later) | |
| Halving the number of Stormont departments could save £50m a year, the finance minister has said. | Halving the number of Stormont departments could save £50m a year, the finance minister has said. |
| The executive needs to find £122m of savings following Wednesday's Budget. | The executive needs to find £122m of savings following Wednesday's Budget. |
| Nigel Dodds said cutting some of Stormont's 11 departments could be a way to remove "duplication" without effecting services. | Nigel Dodds said cutting some of Stormont's 11 departments could be a way to remove "duplication" without effecting services. |
| "Over five years that's a substantial amount of money without any other cuts whatsoever," he said. | "Over five years that's a substantial amount of money without any other cuts whatsoever," he said. |
| Streamlining the number of departments has long been a policy of Mr Dodds' DUP party. | Streamlining the number of departments has long been a policy of Mr Dodds' DUP party. |
| Battle | Battle |
| He also believes the executive faces a "major battle" over future funding from London. | He also believes the executive faces a "major battle" over future funding from London. |
| Mr Dodds said the Budget's promise of £116m short-term funding, in return for the executive finding £122m of savings, would be managed by ministers. | Mr Dodds said the Budget's promise of £116m short-term funding, in return for the executive finding £122m of savings, would be managed by ministers. |
| But he said a Treasury spending review in the next two years could mean a reduction to NI's £10bn annual grant. | But he said a Treasury spending review in the next two years could mean a reduction to NI's £10bn annual grant. |
| "We'll have to see what the block grant levels are, that's a major battle for the future, we accept that," he said. | "We'll have to see what the block grant levels are, that's a major battle for the future, we accept that," he said. |
| Mr Dodds said the executive would manage the efficiency targets set by the Budget in its monitoring round, a meeting held every three months. | Mr Dodds said the executive would manage the efficiency targets set by the Budget in its monitoring round, a meeting held every three months. |
| He said the executive could be flexible to different spending priorities, and that ministers had so far reallocated more than £1bn across Stormont departments over the last two years. | He said the executive could be flexible to different spending priorities, and that ministers had so far reallocated more than £1bn across Stormont departments over the last two years. |
| "That shows that there's substantial changes made to the budget as we go along," he said. | "That shows that there's substantial changes made to the budget as we go along," he said. |
| Mr Dodds claimed negotiations with the Treasury had been complicated by the fact that one of Stormont's coalition parties, the Ulster Unionists, have formed an electoral alliance with the Conservatives who favour deeper public spending cuts. |