Deputy First Minister to seek intervention into Trust's £8m underspend

Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness (pictured) is to press the incoming Health Minister to investigate and rectify the underspend on disability services in the Western Health Trust, Foyle Sinn Féin MLA Raymond McCartney has said.

Mr. McCartney was speaking after it emerged that local learning disability services are being underfunded by up to £8 million a year while physical disability services are losing as much as £4 million.

He was speaking after a public meeting in Derry last night at which, he said, there was “quite rightly” a great deal of shock and anger at the underfunding revelations..

Mr McCartney added: “It is entirely unacceptable that funds which are earmarked for vulnerable people are not being properly utilised.

“It is particularly galling if that is the case at a time when budgets are under increasing pressure.

“This money should be used for addressing the identified need it was intended for.

"Following the public meeting, Councillor Paul Fleming and I briefed the Deputy First Minister on the concerns.

“He has confirmed that one of his first acts in the new Executive will be to ensure the incoming Health Minister intervenes in this case with a view to investigating how this situation came about and to rectify it immediately so that these resources provide the valuable services for which they were intended."