Flexibility Needed in Budget Cuts - CAB

The First and Deputy First Ministers met with the Chancellor George Osborne yesterday (29th September 2010) to discuss the impending budget cuts for Northern Ireland.

Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness put the case for Northern Ireland to be treated with special care in relation to the budget cuts and the Deputy First Minister said the Chancellor had agreed to show "flexibility" in dealing with Northern Ireland.

This follows discussions the Minister for Social Development, Alex Attwood, had with the Welfare Reform Minister, Lord Freud earlier in the year.  Alex Attwood also called for Northern Ireland to be given a "time-out" from yet more welfare reform and maximum flexibility in welfare benefits.

Citizens Advice welcomes the acknowledgement by the Chancellor that flexibility will be shown with regards to Northern Ireland as the organisation believes that there are particular circumstances here which mean that the effect of any spending cuts would have a disproportionate impact.  Given Northern Ireland's high levels of deprivation, high levels of benefit dependency, especially on the grounds of mental ill health and the legacy of the Troubles, there could be very negative consequences from substantial budget cuts here.