The Northern Ireland Affairs Committee (NIAC) has issued a stark warning that political leaders must not shy away from difficult discussions, including the possible introduction of water charges, as public services in the region face an ongoing crisis.
In a follow-up report on the funding and delivery of public services, the Westminster committee has called for urgent action to address the deepening strain on health, education, and policing in Northern Ireland. It urged both the UK Government and the Stormont Executive to devise a clear roadmap towards greater fiscal devolution, allowing Northern Ireland to generate more of its own revenue and lessen its dependence on central funding.
At the heart of the report lies a concern that, despite receiving 124% of any funding increases awarded to England since the restoration of power-sharing institutions, Northern Ireland’s services remain stretched to breaking point. MPs on the committee argue that this uplift alone will not suffice to deliver tangible improvements in the short term.
The committee has demanded that future block grant calculations — beginning from the 2026–27 fiscal year — should reflect the true level of need in Northern Ireland, with a call to backdate the uplift to the start of the 2021 spending review period to mitigate the risk of a financial “cliff edge” once temporary funding ends.
“Northern Ireland’s public services remain in crisis,” the report stated plainly. “Its health service is under immense pressure, with long waiting lists, a struggling primary care sector and an acute mental health situation, in part due to Northern Ireland’s recent history. Special educational needs provision is faltering, schools are facing large deficits, and police and justice services continue to suffer under budgetary constraints.”
The committee called for stable, multi-year funding to allow the Executive to engage in proper long-term planning and transformative reforms, rather than the current stop-gap approach. It pointedly criticised the piecemeal nature of funding, citing evidence from the inquiry that described health, education, and policing as “the three hungry children” always left wanting.
One of the more contentious suggestions was the potential introduction of domestic water charges, which have long been a political taboo in Northern Ireland. While acknowledging the sensitivity of the issue, the committee insisted that politicians are elected to make difficult choices and such discussions “should not be avoided”.
“Raising more revenue locally is easier said than done,” the report conceded. “However, the public deserve political leaders who are prepared to engage with difficult questions — including the introduction of water charges — to deliver better services.”
Committee chairwoman Tonia Antoniazzi MP said the crisis in public services had been allowed to fester for far too long and that serious decisions now needed to be made.
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“The current hand-to-mouth approach to funding has proven both ineffective and unsustainable,” she said. “It’s simply too little, too late. The people of Northern Ireland deserve properly resourced health care, education, and policing — and our report outlines a pathway to achieve that through both fairer funding and better fiscal responsibility.”
The UK Government has responded by reiterating its commitment to working alongside the Executive. A spokesperson noted that the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement had provided £18.2 billion for the Executive in the upcoming year — the highest real-terms settlement since devolution began.
“We welcome the publication of the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee’s report,” the spokesperson said. “The Government remains committed to improving how public services are delivered in Northern Ireland and will consider the findings of the report carefully before issuing a formal response.”
As pressure mounts, it is now up to Stormont leaders to decide whether they will confront the political challenges ahead — including unpopular measures — to protect the long-term health of Northern Ireland’s public services.
