Part of Executive Committee Business – in the Northern Ireland Assembly at 4:15 pm on 2 July 2024.
I give my contribution from the Back Bench only because it is more comfortable back here and for no other reason, in case anybody thinks otherwise.
It has been a good debate. Members have expressed their opinions and concerns, and they have done it well. I noticed that they have pointed out all the problems that we have in regard to the Budget, and then they all said that they would vote for it.
The Ulster Unionist Party will not support the Budget, however, because it is a below-needs Budget that was produced without a strategic plan or a needs-based assessment. There was no scrutiny and no public consultation. That argument was well set out by the leader of the Opposition, but, without a doubt, the Budget is below need for the Department of Justice, the Department of Education, the Department for Infrastructure and the Department for Communities.