Ulster Unionist Party Chief Whip Robin Swann has accused the Department of Social Development of disregarding the current financial pressures on public spending. The North Antrim MLA was speaking after it was revealed that annual administration costs in the Department increased from £28.7m in October 2011 to £41.1m in October this year – an increase of over 43%.

Robin Swann said;

“I am shocked that an Executive Department, no doubt very conscious of the wider crisis in public spending in Northern Ireland, has shown a total disregard and let their own annual costs on administration shoot up by over £12m in the last three years.  

“Had their spending on admin stood still from 2011, instead of even making savings as should have happened, the extra £12.4m they have wasted this year compared to 2011 would have been enough to protect the full swathe of services being cut in both the Northern and South Eastern Health Trusts for the remainder of this year. 

“Instead, people living in those areas have been told there is no money and therefore no choice but to close Minor Injuries Units in places like Whiteabbey and Bangor, radically cut the number of beds all across the Trust areas, as well as shamefully closing Northern Ireland’s only MS respite centre at Dalriada. If the Health Minister wants an alternative – here’s one; demand that his DUP Ministerial colleague in DSD get to grips with the costs in that Department.

“It is unacceptable that the previous Minister let the situation get so bad, with the problem deteriorating the most in recent times. The annual increase from last year to this was an enormous £6m. There is no justification for such an increase and my Party has now demanded details directly from the current Minister, Mervyn Storey, on how the costs have spiralled so badly out of control.”