The Stormont Executive has shifted towards a more right-of-centre ideology with its draft budget and programme for government, it was claimed today.
In its response to the power-sharing Executive's documents, the nationalist SDLP, which has just one minister at the Cabinet table, welcomed the renewed emphasis on growing the Northern Ireland economy. It also expressed concern about health, social housing and children's funding cuts.
However, the party, whose document was launched at Stormont today by leader Mark Durkan, also expressed real concerns at Stormont Finance Minister Peter Robinson's draft budget's reliance on projected efficiency savings in government and assets sales.
The SDLP said: "We firmly believe that sustainable and sustained growth requires balanced social and economic investment.
"While some very welcome language in the programme for government reflects similar aspirations and connections, we are not persuaded that the detail in the public service agreements, budget and investment strategy for Northern Ireland are consistent or can deliver on the warm words.
"This is most notable in the cuts in children's funding, pressures on the health service, lack of investment in social housing and failure to budget for - or even refer to - the reform of post primary education."
Mr Durkan's party said the reliance on assets sales and projected efficiency savings in the budget constituted a real risk to spending plans where savings targets were not met and assets did not reach their anticipated value.
"It also raises questions about where the Executive will turn to balance the books," the SDLP said.
"Our concern is that this could result in cuts to services relied upon by the most disadvantaged in our society.
"On this score we repeat our anxiety about the future funding arrangements for the third sector, given the shrinkage in EU funding and the implications of the review of public administration in addition to pressures to achieve efficiency savings."