Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Hilary Benn MP
Secretary of State Hilary Benn MP has welcomed the release of £129 million by the UK Government to support public service transformation in Northern Ireland.
The funding will see £61m go towards expanding the multi-disciplinary team approach to primary care across Northern Ireland, and support five other projects across justice, education and infrastructure which represent key priorities in the Executive’s Programme for Government.
The Primary Care Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) Programme is a partnership between GP Federations and HSC Trusts which introduces new physiotherapy, social work and mental health roles into general practice, to work alongside the existing practice teams.
It aims to move from a system of treating illness to supporting good physical and mental health, and social wellbeing.
This is the first tranche of funding to be allocated from the £235 million fund created by the UK Government as part of the financial package that led to the restoration of the Executive in February 2024. It comes in addition to a £1.5 billion increase through the Barnett formula, with £1.2 billion for day-to-day spending, and £270 million for capital investment.
The Government says this latest investment shows the it’s Plan for Change, delivering reform and growth for the people of Northern Ireland.
Mr Benn said:
“Everyone recognises that the task of stabilising and transforming Northern Ireland’s health and other public services is a priority.
“This allocation of UK Government funding is a really important step towards this, and in this UK Government, the Executive will always have a partner that is committed to supporting this work every step of the way.
“I am delighted that Northern Ireland will this year receive its largest real terms financial settlement since devolution, supporting growth and investment. Today’s additional funding will go directly towards the transformation of public services, which the people of Northern Ireland want to see.”
Finance Minister John O’Dowd has welcomed the £129 million for six transformation projects across healthcare, special educational needs, justice and infrastructure.
Commenting on The funding which will be provided over a five-year period, Finance Minister O’Dowd said:
“As our society changes, we must ensure our public services adapt and evolve to meet the new and changing needs of citizens. Transforming how we deliver services requires courage and ambition to try new ways of doing things.
“I am pleased today to announce £129m of funding for innovative projects which will help support and drive the transformation of our public services.
“This funding which will make a real difference improving health outcomes for citizens, supporting children with special educational needs and funding initiatives in our justice system. It will also support infrastructure projects to address pressure on our constrained drainage and wastewater infrastructure and improvements in the planning system which is central to economic growth.”
The six proposals being funded are:
£61m for the Department of Health’s Primary Care Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) proposal to help stabilise Primary Care, focus on prevention and management of conditions away from hospital settings and better utilise the skills of the community and voluntary sector. This funding will enable completion of the model in the seven existing MDT areas and expansion into five new GP Federation areas.
£27.5m for the Department of Education’s proposal to support children with special educational needs to reform services to ensure better outcomes for children. This proposal will support a suite of pilot programmes focused on early intervention and building an appropriately skilled education workforce.
£20.45m for the Department of Justice and Public Prosecution Service’s proposal on Speeding Up and Transforming the Criminal Justice system to reduce delay, maximise efficiencies and free up capacity in the courts for more serious cases.
£2.19m for the Department of Justice’s Electronic Tagging proposal, to transform the way in which they monitor individuals released into the community.
£15m for the Department for Infrastructure’s Urban Drainage proposal to fund a pilot project for transforming the way in which rainwater is managed in our towns and cities.
£3m for the Department for Infrastructure, for its Transforming Planning proposal to help the Planning Appeals Commission address its resource issues through making improvements in the planning system.
In addition to the £129m allocated, a further £0.3m will be allocated to the Executive Office to undertake a Digital Maturity Assessment of 18 proposals focused on digital transformation.
The funding is part of the £235 million provided by the UK Government specifically for public sector transformation as part of the financial package to restore the Executive. Following allocation of these funds, around £100 million will remain for further distribution for digital proposals deemed transformational following the Digital Maturity Assessment and future calls for transformation proposals.
Concluding Minister O’Dowd said:
“While this funding will in no way tackle the magnitude of issues at hand, it will be significant in helping to develop and implement a model of delivery, to stimulate the wider transformation of public services. Transformation will take time and a collective effort, today is an important step on that journey.”