Cuts to frontline services inevitable without a budget - Long
Naomi Long, the justice minister, has indicated that cuts to frontline services are unavoidable without a finalized budget. The lack of agreement on the draft budget has left government departments uncertain about their financial resources. Concerns have been raised regarding the impact on essential services such as policing and probation.
- ▪Naomi Long stated that her department can only balance the books by making cuts to frontline services.
- ▪The executive has not reached a final agreement on the draft budget, affecting financial planning since April.
- ▪The chairman of the Police Federation expressed doubts about a recovery plan to increase police officer numbers to 7,000 by 2028.
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Cuts to frontline services inevitable without a budget - Long Just nowShareSaveAdd as preferred on GooglePA MediaNaomi Long said she is operating in a "crisis situation"The justice minister has said the only way her department can "move towards balancing the books" is to make cuts to frontline services. The executive has failed to reach a final agreement on the draft budget which was published in January, meaning government departments started the financial year in April without being certain how much they would have to spend.Naomi Long said she was concerned about the impact on frontline services such a policing, probation, prisons and the youth justice agency.On Wednesday, the chairman of the Police Federation of Northern Ireland said a recovery plan which aims to lift police officer…
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