To ask the Minister of Finance what actions he has taken since 1 August 2020 concerning a pay award for the Northern Ireland Civil Service.

There has been an ongoing programme of actions taken by my Department in this regard. DoF officials held meetings with recognised trade unions in August, prior to the publication of the pay policy in September which, in turn, allowed formal negotiations to begin in October. I myself have met all the recognised trades unions as part of this process.

Throughout these discussions, I have been fully briefed by officials. I have been considering how to strike a balance between rewarding staff, best use of public funds and the most challenging financial position for many years. The Executive agreed a paper in respect of the pay award on 16 March which will allow an offer to be made to recognised trade unions very soon. Staff due to receive an increase under the terms of any pay award will receive any arrears backdated to 1 August 2020.