The DUP Minister of Finance Simon Hamilton has proposed a "national reform plan for Northern Ireland" that would see a reduction in both the number of politicians and civil servants operating at Stormont.
The current talks involving the British and Irish Government and the North’s five main parties are examining whether to reduce the number of Assembly members from 108 to 90 and whether to cut the number of departments from 12 to nine or ten.
Mr Hamilton at the DUP conference in the La Mon Hotel spoke of the need for a reform plan to address the issue of "fiscal consolidation" in a structured fashion.
What was required, he added, was "a plan that streamlines Stormont… reducing the number of MLAs and departments - a plan that right sizes the public sector in Northern Ireland, reducing the number of public servants to reflect the fact that public spending is falling."
Mr Hamilton said he wanted “a plan that results in a robust and resilient Northern Ireland, ready for the budget challenges and economic opportunities that the next number of years will present.”
And spelling out those challenges, he told delegates of the hard financial realities facing the North. “Northern Ireland spends £9.6 billion a year more than it raises in revenue. That’s a subvention of over £5,200 for every person in Northern Ireland annually,” he said.
Mr Hamilton added that since 2010, close to £1.5 billion in spending power has been lost to the Northern Executive as the money made available to Northern Ireland in the annual Westminster block grant hasn’t kept pace with inflation.
The Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Industry Arlene Foster painted a more positive picture in terms of jobs investment since the last Assembly election in 2011.
“We said we would promote 25,000 jobs. We have already promoted almost 35,000 jobs,” she told the conference. “We said we would secure investment commitments of over £1 billion. We have already secured over £1.5 billion.”
“We said we would secure additional wages and salaries worth £265 million. We have already secured wages and salaries worth £306 million. Not only that but we have secured £300 million of investment in research and development.”
Ms Foster said that those who say Stormont has delivered nothing should look at the facts. She said: “Over the last number of years I have been able to report that Northern Ireland was second only to London in attracting foreign direct investment.
“Today, that is no longer true. We are in fact now the top UK region, per capita, for foreign direct investment. That is real achievement. That is real delivery.”
Ms Foster said Northern Ireland depended on a strong DUP to maintain such growth. “We cannot rely on any of the other parties to help us in this battle,” she said. “Everyone knows that Sinn Féin is economically illiterate when it comes to public finances.
“The SDLP are opposed to everything but cannot propose anything; and the Ulster Unionists have a different policy every day depending on what sound bite suits them best.”
