NI party leaders BBC debate: parties divided over health budget concerns

DUP leader Gavin Robinson taking part in the BBC NI pre-election leaders' debate. BBC NI

The politicians from the five largest political parties – Gavin Robinson (DUP), Chris Hazzard (SF), Naomi Long (Alliance), Robbie Butler (UUP) and Colum Eastwood (SDLP) – faced off in Belfast, answering questions from host Tara Mills and the studio audience.

The first issue on the agenda was the amount of money being allocated to reducing health service lists, with the question being asked: “How do parties justify voting to cut the health service budget?”

Mr Robinson responded by saying claims of a £184 million cut in the budget were not accurate.

UUP deputy leader Robbie Butler. BBC televised debate

"We’re not cutting £184 million at all,” he said.

Mr Robinson said people are confusing an “end of year figure” from last year rather that the figure relating to the start of the year, which would be more appropriate.

He also said other departments also required additional funding, speculating what the impact might have been if all the money had been given to the health service.

“How many police officers were going to be made redundant, how many prisoners were going to be released, and how many special needs children were going to be left without the provision that they need?” he added.

Mr Butler was pressed by the host on why his party had remained in the Executive, despite not supporting the budget as proposed.

He said: “Health is the number one issue on the doorsteps”.

In a jibe at both the DUP and Sinn Fein, Mr Butler blamed “abstentionism in Stormont,” for a lack of progress, and added: “We’ve had five years in the last seven when we didn’t have any minister leading the charge on transforming our health [service].”

Mrs Long said the onus was on the health department and minister to bring foward a plan to cut waiting lists to the Executive.

"We have asked for a plan, in terms of transformation,” she said.

Mrs Long said: “It is correct to say that the closing budget of health last year looks like it’s been cut. But what we haven’t taken into account that during the year there are monitoring rounds where health will get further allocations,” she said.

“That’s why comparing end of year and start of year and saying it’s a cut isn’t fair.”