The Northern Ireland Executive has released details of its draft budget for the 2025/26 financial year.
Under the proposals, the health and education departments would receive most of the £19bn budget allocation.
The spending plan involves around £16bn for day-to-day spending and £2bn for capital spending.
Ministers in Stormont’s four-party devolved government met to discuss the plans on Thursday.
According to the BBC NI News website, the draft budget allocations 2025/26 for each Stormont executive department are as follows:
- Health: £8,793m
- Education: £3,600m
- Infrastructure: £1,566m
- Justice: £1,506m
- Communities: £1,248m
- Economy: £1,007m
- Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs: £716m
- Finance: £271m
- Executive Office: £253m
The figures are made up of both day-to-day spending and money allocated for investment, known as capital spending.
Speaking at a news conference on Thursday, First Minister Michelle O’Neill said funding had been proposed for tackling violence against women and girls.
“This draft budget reflects our programme for government commitments to doing what matters most and to tackle the issues facing working families and communities here,” she said.
Finance Minister Caoimhe Archibald highlighted £100m capital funding for housing and more than £105m for Northern Ireland Water and wastewater infrastructure.
She said she hoped it would be the last one-year budget and that the Stormont executive would be able to move towards multi-year budgets in future.
“Collectively we have worked together to allocate resources to where they are needed most, and in line with the executives priorities,” she said.
“It supports our commitment to deliver affordable child care, focusses the energy of our economy by investing in skills, and supports our farming community and agriculture industry.”
News of the draft budget was welcomed by NI Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive Suzanne Wylie.
“Businesses will welcome the publication of the draft NI budget for 2025 / 26. After a difficult UK Budget, we hope it will help deliver greater certainty for firms here.
“Whilst we recognise that tough choices need to be made, with more money available to Northern Ireland than ever before, in the next financial year we hope to see real progress in areas like wastewater, childcare and decarbonisation.
“We will take time to review the draft in detail and recommit our own pledge to working in partnership with the Executive in 2025 in pursuit of an ambitious, globally competitive and sustainable economy in Northern Ireland.”