LISTEN: Devolved finance ministers write to treasury seeking urgent budget talks

By Michael McHugh, PA

Finance ministers from Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales have urged the UK Government to hold urgent pre-Budget talks.

The devolved administrations also sought clarity on plans for a forthcoming comprehensive spending review.

The joint letter said: "It will be important to discuss the challenges for public spending as a result of leaving the European Union and how we can work together to ensure as smooth a transition as possible to a UK funding framework which delivers for all parts of the United Kingdom and respects devolution.

"A key test of this will be to complete our joint work to review and improve the statement of funding policy, which is integral to our ability to plan and manage budgets, and to formalise the finance ministers' quadrilateral as a regular forum to resolve fiscal issues that impact on all parts of the UK."

Stormont finance minister Conor Murphy, Scottish public finance minister Kate Forbes and Welsh finance minister Rebecca Evans called for the joint meeting with Chief Secretary to the Treasury Stephen Barclay.

They wrote: "An early meeting could cover likely implications for the devolved administrations of the UK Budget.

"This would be especially welcome given challenges created by the delay in the UK budget and the late consequential changes to our 2019-20 budgets at supplementary estimates.

"We would also value clarity in relation to your plans for the forthcoming UK comprehensive spending review, in particular its likely timing and engagement with the devolved governments."

Stormont Minister Conor Murphy told Q Radio, "We want to get a sense from the treasury, as to what the consequences may be for all of our administrations.

"We also want to have a discussion in relation to the the spending review, which will the treasury will conduct in late Spring."