Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn said funding the region was “complicated”, but that Westminster had already provided a “great deal of support” to the powersharing Executive. Deputy First Minister Emma Little Pengelly said that while funding amounts had increased for Northern Ireland, demand for public services in the region had also increased. The comments were made after a meeting in Belfast of the East-West Council, which was established as part of the deal which saw powersharing in Northern Ireland return in 2024. Ms O’Neill has called for Westminster to provide the first multi-year budget for Stormont in more than a decade to help meet the demand for public services such as healthcare and education. “What we need for them to do is step up, actually put more money into public services here, allow us to invest in health and education.

Source: The Herald January 22, 2026 17:51 UTC