He was speaking after it was announced that a £400 million reserve claim had been approved by the Treasury, to be repaid by the Executive over three years.  

He said, “Whilst Treasury’s intervention is welcome, it is not a silver bullet. This move will provide some temporary relief for public services that are under real pressure, but now needs to be accompanied by meaningful reform to ensure we don’t find ourselves in this position again.

“All parties need to get serious about financial management, transformation of public services, and facing up to the scandalous cost of division. Waste, reckless overspending, and an unwillingness to take difficult decisions within some Departments have walked us to this position.

“Having previously called for an independent review of departmental spending here, Alliance very much welcomes the Treasury’s planned open-book exercise. We will engage with it, and with other parties, in good faith to make the case for fair funding for public services and to deliver the reforms so desperately needed to place our finances on a sustainable footing in the long term."