More than 1,000 civil servants, due to take voluntary redundancy, are being put “in a shameful position” by the Stormont Executive, according to Conservative spokesman, Mark Brotherston. £700 million set aside to finance the exit scheme is in doubt, because the parties have failed to implement the Stormont Agreement.
“People who, in good faith, applied to be part of this scheme could well be victims of the Executive’s failure to govern”, Mark explained. “Putting Stormont’s finances on a realistic footing, rebalancing the economy and making the public sector efficient is an important part of the Stormont Agreement. The civil service voluntary redundancy scheme is a central aspect of that process and it is being put in doubt by irresponsible politicians in the Executive.”
“People who applied are expecting to leave their jobs in September and it is utterly shameful that they cannot plan for their futures with any certainty, because of the shambles at Stormont. They join all of the benefit claimants who are worse off under the current welfare system and anyone who uses services which are being cut unnecessarily, as victims of the Executive’s incompetence. There is no excuse for failing to implement the Stormont Agreement, failing to reform welfare or failing to agree a budget. There’s certainly no excuse for shrouding people’s future in uncertainty, simply because the Executive parties refuse to take responsibility for basic decisions of government.”