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Health service - what is being done to tackle waiting lists?

This morning on The Nolan Show, we're coming back to an issue that affects us all. The health service, and what's being done to tackle waiting lists.

This morning on The Nolan Show, we're coming back to an issue that affects us all. The health service, and what's being done to tackle waiting lists. It's only three months since Sinn Fein's new leader in Northern Ireland, Michelle O'Neill, announced her ten-year plan to tackle the problems facing the health service. That plan promised a "comprehensive approach for addressing waiting lists" by January of this year. Back then, Stephen asked Michelle O'Neill about the targets being put in place, and how we were going to pay for them. He also asked Michelle O'Neill where the money would come from to reduce waiting lists. In December, Stormont's budget was delayed until January. With the collapse of the Executive in January, there is now no budget, and no prospect of one. So what now for the plan to tackle waiting lists? The January date has now passed. Michelle O'Neill says she will go ahead and publish the plan within the next week. The deadline for getting a budget through for the next financial year at Stormont is 29th March, and unless rapid agreement post-election the purse strings will be taken over by David Sterling, the permanent secretary of the Department of Finance. He will take charge of money the equivalent of 75 per cent of this year's budget to keep things ticking over until power sharing is back up and a budget agreed. Stephen talks to SDLP's Mark H Durkan, UUP's Roy Beggs, DUP's Paula Bradley and GP Dr George O'Neill.

Also on the programme, should Martin McGuinness receive a peace award for his work helping to move Northern Ireland beyond the Troubles?

1 hour, 27 minutes

HEALTH

HEALTH


MARTIN MCGUINNESS

MARTIN MCGUINNESS

BIG INTERVIEW

BIG INTERVIEW

Broadcast

  • Fri 3 Feb 2017 09:03

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