The health minister has praised the man responsible for managing the department’s budget for having a ‘brain the size of a planet’.
Mike Nesbitt’s comments come less than one week before the Autumn Budget in which will confirm funding allocations for devolved pay awards.
Peter May, Permanent Secretary at the Department of Health advises on planning management and control of expenditure.
Essentially he is supposed to reign in Mr Nesbitt so he does not overspend on his budget.
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Mr Nesbitt has been vocal on his position that he is ‘not prepared to make catastrophic cuts’ to the departments budget.
Speaking to the BBC Nolan Show, the UUP leader was asked to explain how he got the authority to seemingly over rule Mr May.
“Well I think I got very lucky first of all in getting Peter May as my permanent secretary,” he said.
“He’s very experienced, he’s got a brain the size of a planet and I think we are working very well together so we haven’t had any reason to fall out or have a dispute.
“I‘m not threatening to overspend it, I’m saying I wont make catastrophic cuts
“Its not necessarily going to be an overspend depending on the Barnett consequential and the results of the budget at the end of the month.
“I think we have a plan which may work (to balance the budget).”
The Treasury will announce the autumn budget on 30 October, in which it will confirm funding allocations for devolved pay awards.
