NI civil service pay freeze 'could give major savings'

Freezing civil service pay in the North could cover £800m (€952m) of the massive savings the Stormont Assembly must make in its new budget, experts giving evidence to the Finance Committee have said.

First Minister Peter Robinson has already signalled that agreement is close in talks on brokering a budget following the £4bn (€4.76bn) in cuts ordered by Westminster for the next four years.