NI: Senior DoJ official sets out NI budget changes

NI: Senior DoJ official sets out NI budget changes

A senior official with the Department of Justice has set out how budget changes will affect the provision of policing and legal aid in Northern Ireland.

Glyn Capper, the Department’s deputy director of finance, said the PSNI budget will be reduced by 2 per cent in the next financial year, representing a cut of £13.8 million, while other aspects of the budget will face a cut of 5.7 per cent or £19.1 million.

However, the Department will receive an additional £15 million from the Northern Ireland Public Sector Transformation Fund to deal with legal aid pressures, as well as £12 million for pay for voluntary staff redundancies.

Mr Capper also told the Northern Ireland Assembly justice committee that the PSNI was receiving an additional £32 million from the Treasury for security.

However, £30 million available to bodies dealing with the past will be withheld until political agreement is reached on how to deal with legacy issues.

The Department of Justice’s capital budget totals £58 million and £3.9m has been earmarked for a proposed emergency services training college in Co Tyrone.

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