A LEAKED Northern Ireland Office (NIO) paper suggesting drastic cuts and charges for utility services in the North has been condemned by MLAs.

The leaked report, seen by the PA news agency, sees UK government officials recommend a range of punishing measures including water charges, prescription fees and raising tuition fees to the same levels as in England in order to fill a £600 million black hole in Stormont’s finances.

Also suggested in the report are job losses in the North’s Civil Service.

The report reads: “We recommend that any future Northern Ireland budget should focus on the money that can be raised from revenues to help fix NI finances.

“They should also consider staff savings within the Northern Ireland Civil Service, through whatever workforce control methods or efficiencies they feel most appropriate.”

The report claims that £700 million a year was being lost by failing to charge for services like domestic water supply, prescriptions, domiciliary care, transport for the over-60s and having significantly lower university tuition fees than England.

Sinn Féin MLA Aisling Reilly condemned the measures and urged the DUP to end their boycott of Stormont and get back into government.

“These regressive proposals being floated by the Tories show their complete contempt for workers, families, the elderly and students," she said.

“Attempts to introduce prescription charges and water charges, while scrapping free bus/train travel and making tuition fees unaffordable for many, are rejected by Sinn Féin and should be rejected by all parties.

“The fact we have many of these protections in place has been due to the work of the Assembly and the Executive in the past to prevent the introduction of such regressive proposals. 

“Conor Murphy took forward work to devolve taxation powers in the last Assembly. He did this to ensure the Executive has the power to set progressive taxation on things like wealth. We should not be following a discredited Tory model which squeezed workers and families while giving bankers bonuses and enabling massive energy corporations to make billions.

“The Tories haven’t a single representative on this island. It is the responsibility of locally elected MLAs to take decisions on public finances in the interest of the people who live here. 

“This underlines the need for the Executive to be restored and for the DUP boycott to be ended.”

People Before Profit MLA Gerry Carroll said the government would face revolt if these drastic measures were implemented.

“The introduction of these charges will further impoverish our communities and deny them access to basic human necessities," he said.

“Hundreds of thousands marched across this island to beat back water charges before. The NIO’s latest proposals must be met with the same response.  

“People already pay for their water through domestic rates. People pay for prescriptions through general taxation. They should not have to pay twice.  

“Tuition fees are already sky high. A further hike will put further and higher education beyond the reach of working-class people.  
 
“Our public services are in desperate need of investment, but funding should be raised by making the rich pay their fair share in taxes. 

“Unfortunately, the Tories would rather punish ordinary people than challenge their wealthy allies.  

“Water, healthcare, and education are human rights. If the government wants to deny them then they should face revolt.”