AQO 3698/22-27

Mr Nick Mathison
Alliance Party
Strangford

Tabled Date: 28/05/2026
Answered On Date: 16/09/2026
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Justice for her assessment of her Department's resource budget situation.

Answer:

I recognise that the Executive as a whole will not receive sufficient levels of additional funding during the multi-year budget period. I am also very conscious of the significant pressures facing all departments and the difficult decisions that need to be taken by the Executive.

However, it is extremely disappointing that the proposed Draft Budget allocations will leave my Department facing day-to-day Stabilisation pressures of £101 million in 2026-27, £141 million in 2027-28, and £215 million in 2028-29. This is before Exceptional pressures for Holiday pay, McCloud and Legacy are taken into account.

The £215 million pressure in 2028-29 represents the entire budget for Prison Service, Probation Board, Youth Justice and Forensic Science.

This is catastrophic for the justice system in Northern Ireland. Considering the magnitude of the pressures remaining it is difficult to see how my Department will manage to live within budget.

The limited funding provided to my Department will mean that it is almost inevitable that it will overspend its Resource Budget in each of the next three years.

I will continue to engage with Ministerial colleagues to advocate for additional funding to ensure we have a Justice sector that is funded appropriately now and in future years, which is currently not the case.