The Executive has approved a total allocation of £266 million as part of the December monitoring round.

This figure includes £104 million directed towards public sector pay awards and £162 million for capital allocations focusing on social housing, health, and education infrastructure.

Updating the Assembly on the agreed funding, Finance Minister John O'Dowd commented: "The allocations agreed today will make a positive difference to citizens across society."

He confirmed the priority given to public sector workers, stating: "We have agreed £104 million towards supporting pay awards for health workers, police, teachers and infrastructure workers and honoured the previous commitment of £7 million towards PSNI workforce recovery costs. These allocations demonstrate the priority the Executive attaches to our public sector workers and the role they play in the delivery of our public services."

Minister O'Dowd went on to detail the significant Capital allocations for infrastructure and services: "The Capital allocations announced today represent a major investment that will deliver real improvements across a wide range of public services and infrastructure."

Key capital investments include:

• Infrastructure: Over £59 million will be directed towards road maintenance, safety improvements, water services, and rail projects. This sum includes funding for track investment and new trains for the Enterprise Cross Border Service, which is intended to drive economic growth and enhance connectivity. • Housing: Almost £30 million is being allocated to support the delivery of additional social housing.

• Health: Over £25 million will be invested in IT and the broader health estate, recognising the importance of supporting the health service.

• Education: £22 million is being provided to support the school and education sector, including funding for Irish-Medium facilities and accommodation. An additional £12.6 million is allocated to Higher Education and Further Education, underscoring the commitment to improving skills and opportunities for young people.

The Minister added: "These capital allocations reflect our Programme for Government commitment to Doing What Matters Most by investing in health, education, infrastructure and housing. These investments will provide a significant boost to the construction industry and local economy by creating and sustaining jobs."

The major departmental allocations include:

• Department for Communities - £42.4 million Capital

• Department of Education - £25.6 million Resource and £22.0 million Capital

• Department for the Economy - £12.6 million Capital

• Department of Health - £69.3 million Resource and £25.2 million Capital

• Department for Infrastructure - £4.6 million Resource and £59.8 million Capital

• Department of Justice - £11.6 million Resource

The Minister concluded: "Following the conclusion of the December Monitoring Round, my next step will be bringing forward the multi-year budget to the Executive. The multi-year budget will give departments the certainty they need to plan on a longer-term, more strategic basis and transform our public services for the years ahead."