Latest news with #JohnODowd
BBC News
7 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Chancellor Rachel Reeves to meet Emma Little-Pengelly and John O'Dowd in Belfast
Chancellor Rachel Reeves will meet Stormont ministers on Tuesday to discuss how to grow Northern Ireland's economy, as part of her first visit to will also visit Studio Ulster, Northern Ireland's largest film and TV virtual production studio, to look at how government spending is helping the "creative industries".About a third of the funding for the £72m project came from the government's Belfast Region City is expected to meet Finance Minister John O'Dowd and Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly during her trip. Stormont's first and deputy first minister met Reeves last September, in a bid to lobby for "fairer" funding for public services in Northern then, the government has faced criticism over its plans and subsequent U-turns on winter fuel payments and changes to welfare reform, both of which would have had significant impacts in Northern the latest government Spending Review in June, the chancellor announced a 2% rise in funding for the Stormont Executive for next at the time, O'Dowd warned that Stormont would still be left in a "financially constrained position".Reeves is also expected to make a defence visit during her time in Belfast on Tuesday, and highlight how an uplift in defence spending across the UK will support jobs in Northern Ireland.
BBC News
30-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Stormont budget: Public spending likely to be 'constrained for some time'
The Finance Minister has said that transformation must be an essential part of the Budget with public spending likely to be "constrained for some time".John O'Dowd MLA was speaking as the Executive agreed a budget reallocation exercise known as a monitoring minister said that funding bids significantly exceeded funding said they are 12 times over in terms of day to day spending and eight times over in respect of money for capital projects. He said: "The Executive has had to make difficult decisions to ensure that the most urgent and high-priority needs are met within the constrained funding envelope."This is the first multi-year budget in a minister said: "With public expenditure likely to be constrained for some time, transformation must be an essential part of this Budget if the Executive is to deliver its ambitions within the funding available.""We have a growing disconnect between the costs of delivering services and the resource available," he asked by the SDLP's Matthew O'Toole, what last week's planning decision will mean for funding earmarked for the A5, the Minister said it was "too early to say". What are monitoring rounds? Monitoring rounds provide a system to review spending plans and are usually held three times a year - in January, June and October. How is the money being allocated? About one third of the £78.5m in day-to-day spending available, £25m, has been allocated to the Department of Health to address a range of Department of Education will receive £12.3m for Special Education Needs and £8.1m for a range of pressures faced by the Education Authority in delivery of its statutory responsibilities. "I am proposing that Department of Justice will be given first call of up to £7 million on funding in future monitoring rounds this year towards PSNI workforce recovery costs, recognising the importance of investing in our police workforce," O'Dowd said. "I look forward to working with the Justice Minister and the Executive to progress the delivery of the PSNI Workforce Recovery Plan as part of the multi-year Budget process," he Department of Justice will also receive £5 million to cover unforeseen costs facing the PSNI in dealing with the recent public terms of capital spending for things like roads and infrastructure, £40.1 million was £11.3m has been allocated to the Department of Education towards a range of capital works.£11.3m has also been allocated to the Department for Infrastructure for pressures relating to the water Department for Communities will receive £9m towards social housing.
BBC News
16-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Casement Park: Government says funding will not have to be repaid
The government has confirmed that the £50m funding it pledged for the development of Casement Park in Belfast will not have to be followed questions raised in the Assembly by the DUP after it emerged the funding was allocated under a mechanism which allows for the money to be process is known as Financial Transactions Capital and when questioned in the chamber today Finance Minister John O'Dowd said the details were still being worked also raised the prospect of money being in a statement a government spokesperson said it was providing the £50m as an "equity stake" rather than a loan. The money came as part of the chancellor's Spending Review, which allocates money to day-to-day public services for the next three the west Belfast stadium is estimated to cost about £260m - of which £120m is jointly in place from the Stormont Executive, the Irish government and the is still a shortfall of about £90m.
The Sun
16-06-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
Abandoned 34,500-seater football stadium that had been tipped to host Euro 2028 matches lands £50m towards restoration
AN abandoned stadium that was set to host Euro 2028 matches has received a huge boost over its future. The major tournament was set to be hosted by the Republic of Ireland and the four home nations of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. 3 3 3 Belfast's Casement Park was initially selected as among the stadiums to host games amid plans to rebuild the ground to a 34,000 capacity. But it has since been axed from Euro 2028 due to funding issues and Northern Ireland will no longer be a host nation. Despite that, redevelopment of Casement Park is still going ahead and the government have confirmed that they are making a £50million contribution to the project. But there is still a £90m shortfall as Stormont chiefs and the Gaelic Athletic Association can only find £120m of the £260m required. Northern Ireland's finance minister John O'Dowd welcomed the government's backing and encouraged everyone to "now work together" to get the stadium built. Casement Park shut down in 2013 and has since been left abandoned. Incredible photos show the stands rotting and the pitch overgrown. The ground welcomed 31,000 supporters back in its pomp for hurling and Gaelic football matches. The derelict site has received planning permission to be modernised and early demolition work has begun. But some have called for the proposed design to be axed to allow for a cheaper build to be made. Northern Ireland currently play their home games at the 18,500-seater Windsor Park. Uefa require all grounds for major tournaments to be able to hold 30,000 fans. The Irish FA have ruled out expanding Windsor Park.
BBC News
13-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Spending Review 2025: What's next for Northern Ireland?
Wednesday's UK Spending Review means Stormont ministers now know the rough size of their budget in the two years before the next assembly 2026, they will have about £16.3bn for day-to-day spending, up by about 2% in cash terms compared to this will initially rise by another 3% in cash terms in 2027 to £ Minister John O'Dowd did not waste any time in managing expectations about what this means. "The reality is the executive will still remain in a financially constrained position, particularly in 2026-27," he said."It is clear that significant challenges remain for our public services."Those challenges were obvious on the streets of Northern Ireland this week. The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), which the chief constable says is "critically underfunded", had to ask for outside help after just two nights of violence. Justice Minister Naomi Long is bidding for funding for a policing recovery plan, which is one of many competing in the week, the independent budget watchdog, the NI Fiscal Council, warned there were no easy answers to the chronic underfunding of NI Water.A lack of investment in wastewater infrastructure is already undermining other executive aims to increase housing supply and tackle pollution. A 'needs-based' top-up for Stormont The Spending Review confirmed that for the foreseeable future Stormont will continue to get a "needs-based" financial was introduced when devolution returned last year and adds 24p to every £1 which comes to Northern Ireland via the standard devolution funding formula.A bid to increase the size of the top-up was not successful, though negotiations between Stormont and the Treasury with no immediate prospect of significant additional funds from London executive ministers will need to look again at how they spend what they have.A more stable Stormont means makes a strategic approach relatively intention is to use the Spending Review as an opportunity to agree a multi-year budget next year, the first time that will have happened in more than a decade. The Audit Office, a spending watchdog, has previously concluded that single-year budgets were hampering planning and innovation across NI public services."The executive now needs to move away from single-year, crisis budgets and take more ownership of its own financial position," said Ann Watt, director of the Pivotal think tank."A multi-year settlement provides a chance for ministers to plan for the next three years, and choose how best to prioritise spending, investment, reform and workforce planning."However she warned that a multi-year budget on its own will come nowhere near to solving the problems in NI public services."Transformation is essential," she said."This is the only way that services can be made sustainable and affordable for now and the future."A focus on prevention and early intervention is key."Some relative minor transformation projects are underway, funded by the financial package which accompanied the return of is probably only a limited window to start bolder, perhaps controversial, projects before the Stormont parties start to move into election mode in the second half of next year.
