AQW 29829/17-22

Mr Andrew Muir
Alliance Party
North Down

Tabled Date: 15/02/2022
Answered On Date: 17/02/2022
Priority Written: Yes

Question:
To ask the Minister of Finance to detail the in-year Barnett consequential funding received but not yet allocated in the 2021-22 financial year due to the absence of an Executive.

Answer:

I can confirm that £111.3 million of Barnett consequentials have been received, but not yet allocated, since the January monitoring round.

£100.1 million of this relates to the Council tax rebate in England and, in line with the Executive’s agreed approach, is being carried forward into 2022-23 to supplement next year’s Budget position. This flexibility has been agreed by the Treasury and this carry forward will not count against our Budget Exchange Limit.

The remaining £11.2 million Resource DEL Barnett consequential funding has not yet been allocated in the 2021-22 financial year. This is included in the remaining £95.0 million Resource DEL available for allocation in 2021-22 or carry-forward into 2022-23 through the Budget Exchange Scheme.

In order to ensure that the absence of an Executive does not lead to money being lost to Treasury, I have written to Executive colleagues outlining my intention to make £45 million of allocations in order to ensure that we do not exceed our carry-forward limit of £104.3 million. It would be my intention to carry-forward the remaining £50 million of unallocated funding into 2022-23.