Northern Ireland welcomes budget £28m

British Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown’s allocation of an extra £28m to Northern Ireland is good news, the leaders of the Stormont power sharing government declared tonight.

Unionist First Minister David Trimble and nationalist Deputy First Minister Mark Durkan welcomed the additional money announced Mr Brown in his pre-Budget statement and said it would help to "improve public services" beyond what the Executive had already agreed at their cabinet meeting yesterday.