Overview

This bill authorizes government spending in Northern Ireland for the financial years ending March 31, 2023, and March 31, 2024. It sets spending limits, authorizes borrowing, and clarifies how income will be used. The bill is being passed by the UK Parliament because the Northern Ireland Assembly is not currently functioning.

Description

The bill outlines the budget for various Northern Ireland departments and bodies for the financial years 2022-2023 and 2023-2024. Specific spending limits are detailed in Schedules 1 and 2 which are not included in this summary.

Key aspects include:

• Resource Allocation: The bill authorizes the use of resources (approximately £26.66 billion for 2022-2023 and £17.40 billion for 2023-2024) for various Northern Ireland public services. This includes both current and capital spending. These figures are broken down for each department and specific areas of expenditure.
• Borrowing Power: The Department of Finance is authorized to borrow money (up to £10.74 billion for 2022-2023 and £7.08 billion for 2023-2024) to support the budget.
• Income Utilization: The bill specifies how income received by various bodies should be used (primarily for the purposes outlined in the relevant expenditure schedules) and how any surplus should be handled.
• Retroactive Effect: Sections 1 to 6 are to be considered effective from April 1, 2022.
• Assembly Equivalence: The bill's provisions are designed to take effect as if they were passed by the Northern Ireland Assembly. This is a key aspect as the Assembly itself is not currently functioning.

Government Spending

The bill authorizes a total expenditure of approximately £26,656,975,000 for the year ending 31 March 2023, and £17,404,266,000 for the year ending 31 March 2024. Significant borrowing is also authorized for both years. The exact breakdown of spending across different departments and areas is detailed in Schedules 1 and 2, which are not included here.

Groups Affected

The bill affects a wide range of groups in Northern Ireland. The impact can be categorized as follows:

• Northern Ireland Departments and Public Bodies: These will receive funding allocations to deliver public services. The exact allocation depends on each department's individual budget included in the aforementioned schedules which are not included here.
• Public Sector Employees: The bill will affect the employment and compensation of individuals across many Northern Ireland public bodies, and associated pension schemes.
• Service Users: The level of public services available to citizens across Northern Ireland, and the quality of those services will depend on the budget allocated to each department.
• Taxpayers: The bill's implications for UK Government spending and borrowing will ultimately affect taxpayers.

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