NI politicians clash over health funding in second TV election debate

Northern Ireland politicians clashed on funding for the region’s health service in the second major TV debate of the General Election campaign.

The opening exchanges of the BBC NI debate focused on the recent controversy around the allocation to health in this year’s Stormont budget.

Senior representatives from Sinn Fein, the DUP, Alliance Party, Ulster Unionist Party and the SDLP were asked a question from the audience on the budget allocation to the Department of Health.

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The UUP, which holds the department, voted against the recent budget passed by the Assembly, arguing they will not implement cuts that would have a “catastrophic impact” on the health service.

All other main parties of the Executive – Sinn Fein, DUP and Alliance – backed the spending plan, with the main opposition party the SDLP opposing it.

The debate line-up comprised three party leaders – the DUP’s Gavin Robinson, Alliance’s Naomi Long and the SDLP’s Colum Eastwood – while Sinn Fein was represented by its South Down candidate Chris Hazzard and the UUP by its deputy leader and Lagan Valley candidate Robbie Butler.

Mr Hazzard said there was a recognition from the UK government that Stormont had been underfunded and said the prospect of Labour entering into government meant “there’s an onus now on all MPs and Executive colleagues to make sure we get that better deal so we can invest in our health service”.

Mr Robinson said other departments also required additional funding, speculating what the impact might have been if all the money had been given to the health service.

“How many police officers were going to be made redundant, how many prisoners were going to be released, and how many special needs children were going to be left without the provision that they need?” he asked.

Ms Long said it was for the Minister for Health to bring a plan forward for the health service.

“It is correct to say that the closing budget of health last year looks like it’s been cut. But what we haven’t taken into account that during the year there are monitoring rounds where health will get further allocations,” she said.

“That’s why comparing end of year and start of year and saying it’s a cut isn’t fair.”

Mr Butler said health was the “number one topic on the doors” during the General Election campaign.

“Our plan is to have ministerial leadership that is to work with our Executive partners to agree a budget.”

Mr Eastwood said that “there isn’t enough money in Stormont”.

“I know people in Derry who are going to the credit union to borrow money for simple procedures (privately),” he said.

“We need to go with one single voice and ask the British government to properly fund this health service because it absolutely has collapsed.”

Despite it being a debate on the General Election campaign, the opening of the debate focused on health, which is a devolved issue.

The programme followed the UTV debate on Sunday in which the fallout from Brexit, discord over calls for a united Ireland and Stormont’s perilous financial position dominated discussions.

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