AQW 19722/22-27

Mr Nick Mathison
Alliance Party
Strangford

Tabled Date: 11/12/2024
Answered On Date: 20/12/2024
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Finance when decisions will be made on funding to be awarded by the Interim Public Services Transformation Board.

Answer:

Significant progress has been made in this regard, but there are still a number of steps required before transformation funding can be awarded. This includes agreeing the interim Public Sector Transformation Board’s (the interim Board) terms of reference. I wrote to the Secretary of State on 12 November seeking a meeting to agree the terms of reference for the interim Board. This meeting, disappointingly, has not yet taken place. However, I expect to meet in January on this issue.

The Executive will also have to agree how funding is allocated, following advice from the interim Board and subsequent recommendations from me as Finance Minister. I received the interim Board’s advice on the transformation proposals received from departments on 21 November, and then met with the Chair of the interim Board, Jayne Brady, on 10 December to discuss that advice in added depth. I intend to seek Executive agreement in January on the transformations proposals received.

A Digital Landscape Review is currently ongoing and is estimated to be finalised by April 2025. Following this further funding decisions will be made.

It is important to get ringfenced transformation funding to Departments as soon as possible. I am working to achieve this.