Recommendation 8

We are pleased to see reference to the publication and implementation of a fiscal sustainability plan as part of the settlement between the Government and Executive, which will include detail on long-term budget planning. It is noted that there is a strong view that the Government’s conditionality for writing-off Executive ‘debt’ is unacceptable and that these debts exist primarily due to the underfunding of public services. The Government should, in response to this report, clarify how it intends to evaluate and monitor the implementation of this plan given their view of the conditionality of the £559 million departmental overspend write-off.