Published Wednesday, 09 March 2011
Executive ministers were left divided over the controversial blueprint.
The Ulster Unionists and the SDLP opposed the budget, which was voted through by the DUP, Sinn Féin and the Alliance party following a seven-hour marathon debate.
Executive budget passes 67-31. UUP ministers vote against in person. Alex Attwood not in chamber.
UTV's Political Editor Ken Reid on Twitter (@KenReid)
The package, unveiled by Finance Minister Sammy Wilson in December, contains £4bn in spending cuts with the promise of almost £1bn in new revenue to help ease the pain.
Trade unions, the SDLP and the UUP have said the plans are fundamentally flawed.
On Wednesday, the DUP and Sinn Féin accused budget opponents of playing politics ahead of the 5 May Assembly election, particularly on the issue of health.
"This budget does not contain all we would like it to because the Tory cuts have been so vast and so deep," said First Minister Peter Robinson.
"The hypocrisy of the UUP complaining about cuts they urged people to vote for will not be lost on the people. We are taking our government responsibilities seriously: other parties for their own selfish cynical reasons have chosen to run off to the sidelines, offering no alternative way forward."
Health Minister Michael McGimpsey described it as a "tragedy", adding that jobs within his department will be lost and patient services will suffer in coming years.
"We're very disappointed, this is very bad news for the health service," he told UTV. "The tragedy is that this Assembly today refused to support our staff and therefore refused to support our patients."
Meanwhile SDLP leader Margaret Ritchie called it a "sad day" for devolution.
"Devolution was supposed to be about local decision making improving lives," she said.
"DUP/Sinn Féin have rail-roaded through a budget for the next four years which simply reflected what has been handed down from London. There has been no real attempt to prevent the £4bn of Tory cuts.
"This will cause job losses and hardship for a lot of people and the SDLP believe we could have done more to stop it."
However Finance Minister Sammy Wilson said the electorate will judge as "cynical" the UUP and SDLP's opposition to the budget.
"I'm glad we've got a budget for the next four years," he told UTV. "We have given one of the most generous settlements to the health department of any region in the UK.
"I think the electorate, when they look at the cynical way in which the UUP and SDLP have dealt with this budget, will give them their answer."