Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Public Sector Reform

Wednesday 2 April 2025 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 3 Partly answered 0 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Ministerial discussions on public sector reform with the Northern Ireland Executive have included agreements on funding for health and education.
  • The Minister supports sharing knowledge and best practice between Northern Ireland and England for public service transformation.
  • Mr Gregory Campbell inquired about including the need for more representative workforces in future public sector reform discussions.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Jenny Riddell-Carpenter Lab Suffolk Coastal
Northern Ireland Local Government
Context

Discussions on best practice for public sector reform between the UK Government and the Northern Ireland Executive are ongoing. Recent agreements include £129 million in funding.

Question

What discussions has he had with the Northern Ireland Executive on best practice for public sector reform?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Fleur Anderson)

Public sector reform is a priority for this Government, and I regularly meet with Northern Ireland Executive Ministers, unions and public service providers. Most recently, the Government and Executive agreed £129 million of funding for public service transformation for health, special educational needs, justice and waste water.

Answered
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Q2 Jenny Riddell-Carpenter Lab Suffolk Coastal
NHS Northern Ireland
Context

Recent discussions have led to a £18.2 billion settlement and funding agreements for health and other public services.

Question

I welcome what the Minister said about public service reform being a shared challenge. Does she agree that it is in the interests of patients and people in Northern Ireland and England for the Executive and the Government to share knowledge and best practice?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Fleur Anderson)

I absolutely agree. Public service transformation is not just about funding; it is about how to spend the money that the Northern Ireland Executive has with the record £18.2 billion settlement. Health is devolved, but we work together to share best practice and expertise, as well as recently agreeing £61 million of funding for multidisciplinary teams in GP surgeries. We will work together to create an NHS fit for the future, and I will be meeting the Health Minister again in Northern Ireland this week.

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Q3 Gregory Campbell DUP East Londonderry
Employment Northern Ireland
Context

Workforce challenges and representation issues in the public sector are ongoing concerns.

Question

Will the Minister ensure that any future discussions with Northern Ireland Ministers about public sector reform include the need for employment practices and procedures in many parts of the public sector to result in workforces that are more broadly representative of the working-age population?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Fleur Anderson)

Workforce challenges are a huge part of public service transformation. Workers across Northern Ireland do fantastic work in health, education and justice, and they need to be supported to do that and to be representative of the community. Workforce issues are devolved, but they are important, and supporting our workforce, and working with unions to do so, is an important part of our working together in an active partnership with the Executive.

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