To ask the Minister of Finance what assessment has been made of the impact that a vacancy in the ministerial office after 28 October 2022 will have on departmental (i) decision making; and (ii) spending.

Given the responsibilities and duties of the Ministerial role, a vacancy in the ministerial office after 28 October 2022 is likely to have a significant impact on departmental decision making.

The Department has legislative cover to incur spend in the 2022-23 financial year firstly under the Vote on Account included in the Budget Act 2022 and subsequently by the approval provided by the DoF Permanent Secretary under Section 59 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, and Section 7 of the Government Resources and Accounts Act (NI) 2001. This role is fulfilled by the DoF Permanent Secretary for all departments with the total amount he can authorise being limited to 95% of amount voted for the 2021-22 financial year in the Budget Act 2022. As these Section 59 and Section 7 powers rest with the DoF Permanent Secretary, they are not impacted by a vacancy in the ministerial office.

While the Department has legal cover to continue to spend on delivering services, they will still not have the certainty that an agreed Budget would provide.