Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what provision the recent Budget for Northern Ireland makes for ex gratia support for Northern Ireland citizens affected by contaminated blood; and whether that support is higher than the support provided in the previous fiscal year.

The provision made for those citizens affected by contaminated blood in Northern Ireland is a devolved matter. In the absence of an Executive, spending and policy decisions fall to the Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS), though clearly there are a range of strategic decisions which require political decision-makers to be in place to take. That is why it is imperative we see a restored Executive in place, so that local politicians can take forward an agenda that delivers for the whole community in Northern Ireland.

As to the legislative framework, the Budget Act 2017 does no more than provide broad spending limits and ambits for NI departments, rather than detailing spending on specific programmes or initiatives. As above, those detailed decisions remain for the NICS. I have therefore asked if the NICS would respond to you directly on the 2017-18 position in this regard.