Junior Ministers appointed to work with NICVA on sector cuts

In response NICVA sought and received urgent meetings with FM Peter Robinson and dFM Martin McGuinness. Both ministers expressed their concern in response to NICVA’s briefing and presentations. They agreed to put the matter on the Executive meeting for Thursday, 16 April.

At the Executive meeting it was agreed that the two junior Ministers, Jennifer McCann and Jonathan Bell, would be tasked with assessing the situation across departments for its cumulative impact and liaising with NICVA and the sector on the issue. The Ministers have been in contact with NICVA and a first meeting is being arranged.

We have also sought individual meetings with a range of Ministers to discuss the cuts relating to their departments. Agreed so far are meetings with Carál Ní Chuilín, Minister for Culture Arts and Leisure and Mervyn Storey from the DSD; outstanding are John O’Dowd DE, Mark H Durkan DOE, Stephen Farry DEL and Jim Wells DHSSPS.

It is also critical to the cuts campaign that we have fully up to date information about what is happening to organisations. So please, take the small amount of time necessary to add your information if you have any here at Cutswatch.

There is little doubt that the cuts this year are indicative of things to come and it’s likely the next Comprehensive Spending Review will see Northern Ireland squeezed further. 

It’s time to stand together.