I am sorry, I missed the end of your statement, but I agree that we have to work with the Republic of Ireland Government because it is important that we make sure that any money that is spent on a shared-island basis is spent cost-effectively.

I did not quite catch the end of your statement, but I will move on because I have a few points to answer. I hope that the Member does recognise that, when it comes to tackling the inefficiencies of our system, the reason that we do not have the budget settlement is about options; it is about how we can move forward, and the choices that we have in front of us.

I was going to move on to some of the Member's points around the fact that austerity has hurt people in Northern Ireland. I absolutely agree that it has hurt people in Northern Ireland. However, the reality is that Departments need to live within their budgets, otherwise, as the Minister said, we would be repaying the £550 million that the previous Government wrote off. Whilst we would like to step forward and say at every opportunity that we will not do x, y and z and we want to implement absolutely everything that is on every party's wish list, we simply cannot do that right now. Until we get that proper settlement from the UK Treasury and Government, we are going to be coming back to this, and that is why is it so important that we all speak from the same platform. We all need to ensure that we work collectively. Whether we are part of the Executive or not, the onus is on us all, because this is for every citizen of Northern Ireland. When everything has been cut time and again, you cannot keep making cuts when there is nothing left to cut.

I welcome the Minister's contribution to the debate. I also welcome the contributions of Members, and I highlight again that we will not support the Amendment from the DUP because it removes the cost-of-Division element. One Member mentioned the need for a baseline and for it to be retrospective. We support that, but our issue is specifically around removing tackling the cost of division. We simply cannot do that. We in Alliance will always call for a shared future and for ensuring that there is that transformation in society, and one of those elements is tackling the cost of division.

Thank you, everyone, for contributing to the debate. I hope that we can continue to build consensus around ensuring that we have a fair and appropriate settlement for the entirety of Northern Ireland.

Question put, That amendment No 2 be made. The Assembly divided:

Ayes 50; Noes 24

AYES

Dr Aiken, Mr Allen, Dr Archibald, Mr Baker, Mr Beattie, Mr Boylan, Mr Bradley, Mr Brett, Mr Brooks, Ms Brownlee, Mr K Buchanan, Mr T Buchanan, Mr Buckley, Ms Bunting, Mr Butler, Mr Chambers, Mr Clarke, Mr Crawford, Mrs Dillon, Mrs Dodds, Ms Dolan, Mr Dunne, Lord Elliott, Ms Ennis, Mrs Erskine, Ms Ferguson, Ms Flynn, Ms Forsythe, Mr Frew, Mr Gaston, Mr Gildernew, Miss Hargey, Mr Harvey, Mr Irwin, Mr Kearney, Mr Kelly, Ms Kimmins, Mr Kingston, Mr McAleer, Mr McGuigan, Mr McHugh, Miss McIlveen, Mr Martin, Mrs Mason, Ms Á Murphy, Mr O'Dowd, Mr Robinson, Mr Sheehan, Ms Sheerin, Mr Stewart

Tellers for the Ayes: Ms Forsythe, Mr Frew

NOES

Ms Armstrong, Mr Blair, Ms Bradshaw, Mr Carroll, Mr Dickson, Mr Donnelly, Mr Durkan, Mrs Guy, Mr Honeyford, Ms Hunter, Mrs Long, Miss McAllister, Mr McGlone, Mr McGrath, Ms McLaughlin, Mr McMurray, Mr McNulty, Mr McReynolds, Mr Mathison, Mr Muir, Ms Mulholland, Ms Nicholl, Mr O'Toole, Mr Tennyson

Tellers for the Noes: Mrs Guy, Mr McMurray

Question accordingly agreed to.

Main Question, as amended, put and agreed to. Resolved:

That this Assembly expresses its grave concern at the significant budgetary pressures facing the Executive; recognises the severe impact of these pressures on the delivery of, and investment in, public services, including policing and justice, health and social care, education, housing, infrastructure and our environment; notes that these pressures have arisen as a result of a failed policy of austerity at Westminster, financial mismanagement by the previous UK Government and underfunding of Northern Ireland below its level of relative need; agrees that, while the interim fiscal framework agreed with the UK Government was an important first step, the proposed 124% relative need factor will, as things stand, only apply to future Barnett consequentials and cannot remedy the damage caused by core funding for Northern Ireland dropping below need, prior to the restoration of devolution in February 2024; stresses that this will have a significant, adverse and recurrent impact on the scale of the Northern Ireland block grant and therefore the delivery of vital front-line services; further notes that the proposed 124% relative need factor does not adequately reflect policing and justice need in Northern Ireland and the disproportionate squeeze on the Justice budget; believes that a baselined fiscal floor, set at a level greater than 124%, should be delivered without further delay; calls on the Minister of Finance to publish the Executive sustainability plan, including steps to tackle inefficiencies and duplication, which leaves the Executive with less to invest in public services each year; and further calls on the UK Government to depart from their austerity policy by agreeing a new, long-term financial settlement with the Executive, reviewing the fiscal rules and pursuing a progressive taxation system.