The Northern Ireland Budget (No. 2) Bill is a government bill that would authorise government departments and certain other bodies in Northern Ireland to incur expenditure and use resources for the financial year ending 31 March 2024. The House of Commons has passed the bill and the Speaker has certified the bill as a money bill. In practice this limits the extent to which the House of Lords can propose significant changes.
Northern Ireland Budget (No. 2) Bill: HL Bill 167 of 2022–23 (216 KB , PDF)
The House of Lords is scheduled to debate the Northern Ireland Budget (No. 2) Bill at second reading and all remaining stages on 14 September 2023. The government has published explanatory notes to accompany the bill.
The bill would authorise government departments and certain other bodies in Northern Ireland, such as the Northern Ireland Assembly Commission, Food Standards Agency and Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland, to incur expenditure and use resources for the financial year ending 31 March 2024. The authorised sums would be in line with draft budget allocations set out in a written ministerial statement published on 27 April 2023. The bill would put these budget allocations on a statutory footing and would supersede ‘vote on account’ arrangements provided for in the Northern Ireland Budget Act 2023, which was passed in February 2023. These have allowed Northern Ireland departments and other bodies to continue to deliver services in 2023/24, but only up to a limit of around 65% of the 2022/23 budget.
The government has asked Parliament to fast track the bill to “safeguard the continued delivery of public services” in Northern Ireland. This is amid the continuing absence of functioning institutions at Stormont. The bill has already passed the House of Commons, where it received its second reading on 10 July 2023 and passed its remaining stages unamended on 4 September 2023.
The Speaker of the House of Commons has certified the bill as a money bill. In practice this limits the extent to which the House of Lords can propose significant changes and means the bill can become law with or without House of Lords approval.
Northern Ireland Budget (No. 2) Bill: HL Bill 167 of 2022–23 (216 KB , PDF)
The Government’s ‘green book’ is guidance on how to appraise public sector policies, programmes and projects. In January 2025, the Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves announced a review of the green book. The review’s conclusions were published in June 2025 and are designed to improve the effectiveness of public sector appraisal. The Treasury will release an updated green book in early 2026.
In September 2024 the House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee launched an inquiry into the scaleup challenges facing startup enterprises working with artificial intelligence (AI) and creative technology. In a report published in February 2025, the committee warned the UK risked becoming an incubator economy where UK startups developed innovative products and services before selling out or moving abroad. This briefing summarises the report’s recommendations and the government’s response.
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