The Executive has been unable to agree a budget for the current financial year, with departments operating on contingency budgets since April.
The Stormont Executive has called for Andy Burnham to provide “a fair funding envelope” to Northern Ireland saying the current level “does not provide a sufficient basis to fund public services” in the region.
The collective letter signed by all ministers from the four-party power-sharing Executive has also requested a meeting with the Prime Minister who has not visited the province since he entered No 10 on July 20.
Stormont ministers have been unable to agree a budget for the current financial year, with departments operating on contingency budgets since April.
MLAs have consistently made the point that they need more money from the Treasury to address a funding crisis facing public services in the region.
First Minister Michelle O’Neill said the Executive has “repeatedly made the case to the British Government for a fair and sustainable funding package, but our calls have consistently not been met”.
“People here deserve high-quality public services, but we cannot deliver the transformation they need without the necessary investment,” she said.
“The people we represent should not be left paying the price for a failure to properly fund public services here.
“We need action and we need it urgently.”
Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly said her and the First Minister “were very clear about the urgent need to resolve these issues” when they spoke with Mr Burnham over the phone following his appointment.
“Transforming our public services and delivering real change for the people of Northern Ireland is our priority but we cannot do this alone,” she said.
“We are committed to working with the UK Government to deliver economic growth across the UK, securing a funding envelope that enables us to invest in our public services and secure better outcomes for everyone living here.”
The letter reads: “The Executive is committed to achieving a budget position that is balanced and sustainable.
“However, we need a fair funding envelope that enables transformation and supports the delivery of the high-quality public services that our citizens rightly expect and deserve.
“The work of Professor Holtham and recent analysis by the independent Fiscal Council demonstrate that the Executive is not currently being funded on a basis comparable to Scotland and Wales.
“Funding parity with Wales would provide the Executive with an additional £1 billion each year, while parity with Scotland would deliver around £3 billion more annually.
“This would provide a transformative opportunity to advance our shared ambition of creating an economically successful and socially balanced society.
“The existing funding framework does not provide a sufficient basis to fund public services, support economic growth or respond to ongoing cost-of-living pressures.”
The letter then states that discussions on the new fiscal framework “have stalled over the last year, with missed opportunities to address barriers to sustainability”.
It also highlighted as specific areas for concern, the Local Growth Fund, “whose capital-heavy profile does not reflect local need” and the position of the Troubles Victims’ Payments scheme.
The letter concludes: “The sustainability of public finances and services cannot be delivered by the Executive alone.
“It will only be through joint working and delivery from both your Government and the Executive that we can deliver in the long-term.
“We would welcome an early meeting in person to discuss these matters, and look forward to working with you to deliver for people here and to building a relationship founded on trust, mutual respect and genuine partnership.”
