Budget (No. 2) Act (Northern Ireland) 2025

Authorisation for the year ending 31 March 2026

Use of resources

1

• (1) For the purposes of section 6(1) of the 2001 Act, this section and section 2 authorise the use of resources in the year ending 31 March 2026.

• (2) In that year, the use of resources by the persons mentioned in subsection (3) is authorised up to the amount of £30,772,659,000.

• (3) The persons are—

• (a) the Northern Ireland departments;

• (b) the Food Standards Agency;

• (c) the Northern Ireland Assembly Commission;

• (d) the Northern Ireland Audit Office;

• (e) the Northern Ireland Authority for Utility Regulation;

• (f) the Northern Ireland Public Services Ombudsman;

• (g) the Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland.

• (4) Of the amount authorised by subsection (2)—

• (a) £27,888,797,000 is authorised for use for current purposes, and

• (b) £2,883,862,000 is authorised for use for capital purposes.

Limits on use of resources

2

• (1) The Schedule contains estimates relating to the persons mentioned in section 1(3) for the year ending 31 March 2026 (“Schedule estimates”).

• (2) In the year ending 31 March 2026, a person mentioned in section 1(3) may use resources in accordance with subsections (3) to (7) and a Schedule estimate relating to that person.

• (3) The person may use resources specified in column 2 of Part 1 of the estimate for the purposes specified in Part 2 of the estimate; but this is subject to subsections (4) to (7).

• (4) Where Part 1 of the estimate authorises the use of net resources for current purposes, the person—

• (a) may use resources up to the amount so authorised for current purposes;

• (b) must not use those resources for capital purposes.

• (5) Where Part 1 of the estimate authorises the use of net resources for capital purposes, the person—

• (a) may use resources up to the amount so authorised for capital purposes;

• (b) must not use those resources for current purposes.

• (6) Where Part 1 of the estimate authorises the use of net resources in relation to a category of expenditure, the person—

• (a) may use resources up to the amount so authorised for a purpose identified in the estimate as falling within that category of expenditure;

• (b) must not use those resources for any other purpose.

• (7) The categories of expenditure are—

• (a) expenditure subject to a departmental expenditure limit;

• (b) annually managed expenditure;

• (c) non-budget expenditure.

• (8) The authorisations in this section and in section 1 supersede those made by sections 7 and 8 of the Budget Act (Northern Ireland) 2025, which total £13,968,655,000.

Issue of sum out of the Consolidated Fund

3

The Department may issue out of the Consolidated Fund and apply to the service of the year ending 31 March 2026 the sum of £27,431,599,000.

Use of sum issued out of the Consolidated Fund

4

• (1) The sum that the Department may issue out of the Consolidated Fund under section 3 may be used for the year ending 31 March 2026 in accordance with subsection (2).

• (2) The sum specified in Part 1 of the Schedule estimate as a money requirement may be used by the person to whom the estimate relates for the purposes specified in Part 2 of the estimate.

• (3) The authorisations in this section and in section 3 supersede those made by sections 9 and 10 of the Budget Act (Northern Ireland) 2025, which total £12,148,157,000.

Power to borrow

5

• (1) The Department may borrow on the credit of the sum specified in section 3 any sum or sums not exceeding in total £13,715,800,000.

• (2) Any money so borrowed is to be repaid along with any interest due on it out of the Consolidated Fund not later than 31 March 2026.

• (3) Section 11 of the Budget Act (Northern Ireland) 2025 (power to borrow) is omitted.

• (4) Any money borrowed under that section and outstanding on the day on which this section comes into operation is to be treated as having been borrowed under this section.

Use of income

6

• (1) In the year ending 31 March 2026, a person mentioned in section 1(3) may use income from a source specified in Part 3 of the Schedule estimate relating to that person for a purpose specified in Part 2 of the estimate; but this is subject to subsections (2) to (5).

• (2) Where the income is received in connection with current purposes, the person—

• (a) may use the income for current purposes;

• (b) must not use the income for capital purposes.

• (3) Where the income is received in connection with capital purposes, the person—

• (a) may use the income for capital purposes;

• (b) must not use the income for current purposes.

• (4) Where the source of income is identified in the estimate as relating to a category of expenditure, the person—

• (a) may use income from that source for a purpose identified in the estimate as falling within that category;

• (b) must not use income from that source for any other purpose.

• (5) The categories of expenditure are the categories set out in section 2(7).

• (6) Where, in the year ending 31 March 2026, money is received by a person mentioned in section 1(3)—

• (a) the money may be used in accordance with this section or with any other statutory provision that provides for the person to deal with income in a particular manner, and

• (b) in so far as not so used, it must be paid into the Consolidated Fund.

Supplementary

Interpretation

7

In this Act—

• “the 2001 Act” means the Government Resources and Accounts Act (Northern Ireland) 2001;

• “the Department” means the Department of Finance;

• “Northern Ireland department” has the same meaning as in the Northern Ireland Act 1998;

• “Schedule estimate” has the meaning given in section 2(1);

• “statutory provision” has the same meaning as in section 1(f) of the Interpretation Act (Northern Ireland) 1954.

Short title

8

This Act may be cited as the Budget (No. 2) Act (Northern Ireland) 2025.

Schedule

Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs estimate

Part 1 — Authorised amounts

Part 2 — Expenditure

Departmental expenditure limit

Expenditure arising from:

The provision of agricultural, educational and knowledge transfer services, research and development and payments and grants to students, societies, associations, institutions, businesses, clubs and other organisations for agri-food purposes, horticulture, equine, fisheries and aquaculture purposes, environmental purposes, climate change and rural development; and harbour development. The provision of veterinary services, official controls and other official activities including animal health and welfare, veterinary public health and veterinary certification of live animals and animal products, including aquatic and fish health, and payments of compensation to farmers for animals culled in disease control programmes. The provision and application of policy support, policy development and legislation for the agri-food, equine and commercial horticulture industries, animal health and welfare, veterinary medicines, antimicrobial resistance, dog control, wildlife interventions, rural needs, rural development and the protection for all aspects of animal and plant health and animal welfare. The provision and application of policy support, policy development, science support and legislation for protection, regulation and conservation of the environment, biodiversity, fisheries, aquaculture including for mitigating and adapting to climate change; and for furthering the achievement of sustainable development and green growth. The provision of country parks, nature reserves, information centres and a Public Angling Estate. Net spend of the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, the Loughs Agency of the Foyle, Carlingford and Irish Lights Commission, the Northern Ireland Fishery Harbour Authority and the Livestock and Meat Commission for Northern Ireland. Grants to the Council for Nature Conservation and the Countryside, the Agricultural Wages Board for Northern Ireland, the Climate Change Committee; and grants for scientific services by other bodies, support for innovation, providing hardship assistance, conservation, natural heritage, green growth, furthering sustainable development environmental legislation and protection and operation of the carrier bag levy. Subsidy and grant to Forest Service in relation to the regulation, maintenance, protection and conservation of forests and the development and management of the Forest Service estate. Payments under European Union or nationally funded programmes including the Sustainable Agricultural Programme, payments to district councils and other approved delivery bodies and other expenditure on activities that are required to support agriculture, agri-environment, fisheries and rural development. Expenditure on regulation, enforcement activities, monitoring and surveillance of environmental standards, contingency planning and exercising, digital services, administration costs, compensation payments, UK Covid-19 Inquiry activities; associated non-cash items.

Annually managed expenditure

Expenditure arising from:

Creation and movement in provisions, revaluations due to change in market value, depreciation and net spend of arm’s length bodies.

Part 3 — Income

Departmental expenditure limit

Income arising from:

Recoupment of salaries and associated costs for seconded staff; European Union (EU) income; receipts from the public and from public / private sector organisations in respect of various goods and services provided by the Department; receipts in respect of leases; miscellaneous licence fees and charges; receipts in respect of carrier bag levy; salvage of livestock slaughtered under the disease eradication programme; Emissions Trading Scheme civil penalties; tuition fees and sundry income. Amounts that may be applied as non-operating accruing resources arising from sale of assets.

Department for Communities estimate

Part 1 — Authorised amounts

Part 2 — Expenditure

Departmental expenditure limit

Expenditure arising from:

Payments relating to the administration and operating costs of the Department and the net administration and operating costs of its ALBs to enable the Department to fulfil its obligations to support all client groups as well as supporting the governmental response to the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic and delivering the Programme for Government. The Department’s ALBs include the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, Northern Ireland Library Authority, National Museums and Galleries Northern Ireland, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Sports Council for Northern Ireland, the North/South Language Body, Charities Commission for Northern Ireland, Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People, Ulster Supported Employment Limited, Commissioner for Older People for Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland Museums Council, Local Government Staff Commission and Northern Ireland Local Government Officers’ Superannuation Committee. Expenditure/services of the Department and its ALBs include: social security administration including the payment of appropriate grants, loans, compensation, benefits and allowances; payment of Welfare Supplementary payments; payments associated with the amendment of Special Rules for Terminal Illness; payment of Discretionary Support grants and loans; payment of emergency fuel payments; collection of debt arising from overpayments of benefit and on behalf of other public and private sector bodies; provision of youth and adult employment services programmes, schemes and skills training programmes; career information, advice and guidance services; promoting and protecting the interests of children, older people, people with disabilities, and other socially excluded groups; child maintenance service; housing services, including discretionary payments, loans and subsidies; provision of Financial Transactions Capital Loans to eligible bodies, including for the delivery of housing, regional development, community and voluntary services, culture and sports and associated administration costs; housing-led regeneration; preventing homelessness, and supporting people to stay in their homes; regulation of the NI Housing Association sector; arts, creativity, museums, libraries, linguistic and cultural diversity, sport, recreation and other services; historic environment and payments to hold or support events; acquisition and preservation of, and provision of access to, archival heritage; urban regeneration including services such as property maintenance and events; community and voluntary sector support; provision of money and debt advice; services provided to the Resettlement Scheme; grants to councils in support of local services, transferred functions and emergency financial assistance; grant funding for delivery of the All-Island Local Authority Programme; built heritage; payments under European Union Structural Funds programmes and expenditure relating to exiting the European Union; sums payable under the Fresh Start and New Decade, New Approach agreements; expenditure relating to UK Covid-19 Inquiry activities; costs of administering services provided to other departments and partner organisations; costs relating to climate change actions; costs relating to building safety and remediation; indemnities; all administration costs, including developmental work on systems; severance payments; depreciation, impairments and any other non-cash costs including losses, special payments and write offs.

Annually managed expenditure

Expenditure arising from:

The payment of pensions, social security and other benefits, grants, loans, allowances and payments to people of working age, pensioners, and people with disabilities and their carers, in accordance with the prevailing legislation and regulations, including the governmental response to the ongoing and longer-term impacts of the increased costs of living. Costs and payments associated with the collapse of private pension schemes. Other non-cash costs falling within Annually Managed Expenditure. Losses, special payments, write-offs and provisions.

Non-budget expenditure

Expenditure arising from:

Payment of the grant to the Social Fund to fund regulated, discretionary and winter fuel payments and other relevant non-budget expenditure.

Part 3 — Income

Departmental expenditure limit

Income arising from:

In accordance with the prevailing legislation and regulations, income arising from the administration of the Department in delivering its statutory responsibilities including: recoupment of salaries and associated costs for seconded staff; recovery of legal costs and DNA fees; charges collected from paying and receiving parents; charges collected from mortgage lenders; recovery of costs from other government departments and other public bodies for services provided; funding from Shared Island and other investment funds; recovery of mesothelioma payments; recovery of proceeds from crime in respect of benefit fraud and organised fraud; sale of capital assets and non-capital items; recovery of discretionary loans; landlord registration income; reimbursement of loan interest charges by the Housing Executive; repayment of grants and loans from housing associations; repayment of Financial Transaction Capital (FTC) loans; rental income; admission fees to historic monuments and events; levies from publications and the users of the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland; Resettlement Scheme recoupments; licence fee income; EU Income; loan interest accrued and recovered; sundry receipts.

Annually managed expenditure

Income arising from:

Transfer of Tax Credit debt from other government departments and the recovery of support for mortgage interest loans.

Department for the Economy estimate

Part 1 — Authorised amounts

Part 2 — Expenditure

Departmental expenditure limit

Expenditure arising from: