"To say that the restoration of the Stormont institutions is going to solve the problems in the health service, or indeed across the other public services, just is not the case," he said. Mr Givan said it was "too simplistic" to blame the lack of a devolved government for Northern Ireland's budgetary problems. "But we will only be able to make any traction, any movement on that when all the parties come back together, form an Executive and go with a collective ask to the Treasury so that we can get our public services on a better footing." There's not enough money for our public services. "Now we would agree with the DUP in the sense that the current funding formula is inadequate. The South Belfast MLA said: "The DUP created this governance gap, and the Irish government have had to step in and show political leadership where the DUP haven't. "And they are undermining our arguments for Northern Ireland remaining within the United Kingdom when our public services aren't properly financed."Īlliance Party health spokesperson Paula Bradshaw welcomed the Irish government's intervention, saying it boosts "already very strong all-island cooperation in academia and healthcare".īut she hit out at the DUP for blocking Stormont power-sharing since last year in protest over Brexit's Northern Ireland Protocol. He added: "So it's entirely counterproductive for the Conservative and Unionist Party not to be providing funding on an adequate basis right across the United Kingdom. The Lagan Valley MLA said the Conservative government's approach is "undermining" the benefits of Northern Ireland's free public healthcare system. "That's why I say that the government should be embarrassed that the Republic of Ireland is putting money into the Northern Ireland university system to finance the training of students, because that should be a United Kingdom priority that they can deliver the nurses and the midwives that we need to deliver services in Northern Ireland, rather than a foreign jurisdiction providing the funding to deliver that kind of training capacity." Mr Givan added: "If we don't have that, then we're not able to fund the likes of the student places for those that want to qualify as nurses, midwives, doctors and all the other medical professions. He told the BBC's Nolan Show a funding arrangement is needed that "meets the needs of Northern Ireland" as the region's smaller economy makes it "more costly to deliver services". Mr Givan said the plan "crystallises" the DUP's concerns around "structural failures" in how public services in Northern Ireland are funded from the UK Treasury under the Barnett formula. Proposed budget cuts 'could see £7M slashed from homelessness services'.212 empty pairs of shoes to be placed at Stormont to highlight impact of drug deaths and addiction in Northern Ireland.Stormont health authorities have welcomed the proposed one-year arrangement, which was first reported by the Irish Times on Saturday. The €10million Irish government plan would create 200 undergraduate places for Republic of Ireland students and 50 places for Northern Ireland students in Queen's and Ulster universities. Stormont's Department of Health had cut 300 student nursing places for the coming academic year as part of a series of cost-cutting measures. Senior civil servants at Stormont, who are currently running public services in Northern Ireland in the absence of devolution, are facing a funding gap running into hundreds of millions of pounds this year. Read more: A People Under Siege author warns of dangers of unionist apathy Read more: DUP defends not publishing vote numbers in deputy leader contest The Irish government plans to fund 250 student nursing and midwifery places for the 2023/24 academic year, addressing a shortfall resulting from budgetary problems north of the border. Paul Givan, the party's health spokesperson, said failing to properly finance Stormont is "undermining" arguments for Northern Ireland remaining in the United Kingdom. A DUP MLA has said the British government should be "embarrassed" that the Irish Republic is stepping in to fund student nursing and midwifery places in Northern Ireland.
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