Public Expenditure
The question
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 16 December 2025 to Question 19620 on Public Expenditure: Northern Ireland, what the value of the Barnett consequential for 2025-26 to (a) Northern Ireland, (b) Wales and (c) Scotland is for the purpose of providing funding to the public sector to support them with the additional cost associated with changes to employer National Insurance Contributions policy; and when that payment will be made.
Answered by Darren Jones
At Autumn Budget 2024, the Chancellor agreed to provide funding to the public sector to support them with the additional cost associated with changes to employer National Insurance Contributions policy.
The devolved governments will receive funding through the Barnett formula in the usual way in 2025-26, including on this support. This is the normal operation of the funding arrangements as set out in the Statement of Funding Policy. The outcome of the Barnett formula will be confirmed, and funding provided for all devolved governments at Main Estimates 2025-26.
The devolved governments’ Phase 1 Spending Review 2025 settlements are growing in real terms in 2025-26 and are the largest spending review settlements in real terms of any settlements since devolution. The devolved governments are each receiving at least 20% more funding per person than equivalent UK Government spending in the rest of the UK. That translates into over £16 billion more in 2025-26.
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