Warning on health spending gap in the North

The gap between health spending in the North and England is set to widen if current budget proposals at Stormont stand, a power-sharing minister warned today.

Minister for Health in the North Michael McGimpsey was commenting despite being promised an additional £450m (€644m) by 2010-2011 in Peter Robinson’s (Minister for Finance in the North) draft budget.

The Ulster Unionist minister urged patients and staff to make their views known to the Assembly over the coming weeks about whether the draft budget allocation for health was sufficient.

“What we have right now is a draft budget for consultation with the Assembly and the general public,” he said.

“That’s all I have agreed to and that’s all the Executive agreed to. Those figures now will be argued and picked over.

“So I am anxious to hear from the health service, from the sector and particularly from the patients about what they feel about health service spending because our spend is currently way below what it should be if it was going to match England.

“There is a big gap there and England does not have a Rolls-Royce service. As things are proposed that gap will grow substantially.

“Health has been the number one issue for the people of Northern Ireland consistently over the years and I think their views need to be taken very carefully into account as far as investing in health is concerned.”

Mr McGimpsey was not the only minister to admit the budget had presented him with huge challenges.

While Social Development Minister Margaret Ritchie welcomed the commitment in the Programme for Government to providing decent affordable housing, she said the small increase she received would present significant challenges in improving the provision of social and affordable homes and delivering social security benefits.

The SDLP minister also revealed: “It was difficult for me to sign up to a document (the investment strategy) which did not match my aspirations and ambitions to increasing the number of social houses.

“I have made social and affordable housing my top priority and I welcome the commitment from the Executive and all political parties to this.

“In his report, John Semple suggested that 2,000 new house starts would be required every year. I share this aspiration but at present, the draft Investment Strategy does not allocate sufficient funds to match it.

“I am looking urgently at how this situation can be improved and additional funds found. I hope to receive further assurances that receipts from land sales can be retained by my Department and used to build more houses.”

Regional Development Minister Conor Murphy was more positive, saying the allocations he had received would enable him to extend the concessionary fare scheme during 2008 to introduce free travel on public transport for people aged 60 and over.

“The draft proposals would allow Translink to take forward important railway infrastructure projects. This includes track life extension works north of Ballymena and the commencement of a major track relay project between Coleraine and Derry.

“There would also be significant improvements to the Belfast to Dublin line between Knockmore and Lurgan. These schemes would reduce journey times and increase the frequency of services.

“Bus capital, which would amount to some £45m (€64m) over the next three years, would allow for the continuation of the bus replacement programme and for further modernisation of the bus fleet.”

The Sinn Féin minister said there was also potential for an improve ferry service on the Ballycastle to Rathlin island route and his Department would be able to honour its commitment to jointly fund with the Government a runway safety scheme at City of Derry Airport.

“Our roads network would benefit from some £572m (€818m) of investment over the three years to 2011, and that would result in a significant increase in the size of the motorway/dual carriageway network, reduce journey times and improve access to urban centres and regions in the north,” he said.