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27th April 2023
12:31pm BST

Chris Heaton-Harris (right) will deliver a written statement of the North's 2023/24 Budget to Westminster. (Credit: Rolling News)[/caption]
Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris will deliver the budget to the British Parliament, which is set to include a raft of extreme cuts to public services.
Enduring a challenging year on the economic front during 2022, the North entered what was described as a "technical recession", along with its economic productivity falling to 40% below the Republic's over the same time period.
Mr. Heaton-Harris will take control of the budgetary proceedings in the absence of a sitting parliament in the North, as Westminster takes on an increased role in the running of the Northern Irish state.
Upon the failure of elected officials to take office last May, Stormont was staring down the barrel of a £600 million deficit, and in an attempt to bridge that financial gap, the UK government provided an advanced down payment of £300 million.
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Michelle O'Neill has called for greater funding to be diverted towards Northern Ireland from the UK government. (Getty Images)[/caption]
With that additional payment from Westminster, the North faces a budgetary deficit which could potentially reach £1 billion, making the economic forecast all the more bleak for government departments bracing themselves for a wave of cuts.
The Northern Ireland Secretary will also meet with the leaders of the main political parties in the North later today to discuss the budgetary picture.
Conor Murphy, a Sinn Féin MLA, has described the expected cuts as "devastating, immoral and indefensible".
Meanwhile, party Vice-President Michelle O'Neill has called on Westminster to divert more funds towards Northern Ireland.
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