Ministers have to make hard choices

SOMETHING has to happen to turn on the funding taps and get the money flowing through the departments at Stormont, but cash is hard to find. Until the restoration of the Assembly earlier this year, an estimated £300m to £370m was set to surge into the government’s coffers.

Plans were in place to prepare for the introduction of water charges by 2027.

Critics say they would only have increased the pressure on hard-pressed households and businesses already struggling to cope with huge increases in the cost of living.

Cold water has since been poured on the idea, with Infrastructure Minister John O’dowd saying water charges would not be introduced.

This followed First Minister Michelle O’neill’s dismissal of the revenue-raising option and Deputy First Minister Emma Little-pengelly expressing support for that approach.

While that may please the average household and business owner under siege from rising costs, it doesn’t ease the Assembly’s budget gap.

What we have yet to see is what the Executive is going to do to try and address the financial crisis.

Suggestions have been extremely thin on the ground, but someone, somewhere, is going to have to come up with answers soon.

Mr O’dowd said last week water charges would not be used to solve NI Water’s funding challenges.

“This is a complex matter which requires a collaborative approach across the Executive and Assembly, along with the appropriate level of funding needed to deliver essential services,” he added.

It’s all well and good calling for a collaborative approach, but just how many times have we been here before? Simply calling for something won’t make it happen.

Moves may be under way behind the scenes to tighten belts and fine-tune the engine of government to help it run more smoothly and efficiently, but we are yet to see any real evidence of the joined-up thinking required to make Northern Ireland financially viable.

Asking for handout after handout is no solution to the problem. Northern Ireland needs to start showing it can stand on its own two feet.

Becoming more self-sufficient will send out a signal that investment from outside will not be poured down the drain.

The reconvened Assembly enjoyed a honeymoon period, but the clock is now ticking.

Managing the financial crisis will be the true test of how successful the institutions are going to be.