The gap between health spending in Northern Ireland and England is set to widen if budget proposals at Stormont stand, a minister has warned.
Health Minister Michael McGimpsey gave the warning despite being promised an additional £450 million (€644,678,405) by 2010-2011 in Finance Minister Peter Robinson's draft budget.
NI Health Minister, Michael McGimpsey
The Ulster Unionist minister urged patients and staff to make their views known to the Assembly over the coming weeks about whether the draft budget allocation for health was sufficient.
"What we have right now is a draft budget for consultation with the Assembly and the general public," he said.
"So I am anxious to hear from the health service, from the sector and particularly from the patients about what they feel about health service spending because our spend is currently way below what it should be if it was going to match England.
"There is a big gap there, and England does not have a Rolls-Royce service. As things are proposed that gap will grow substantially."
Social Development Minister Margaret Ritchie welcomed the commitment in the Programme for Government to decent affordable housing, but she said the small increase she received would present challenges in improving the provision of social and affordable homes and delivering social security benefits.