Spending on health in Northern Ireland is expected to get a major boost when the finance minister outlines the Stormont executive's draft budget for next year.

The minister, Sean Farren, will have nearly �7bn in total to allocate between local departments and will spell out his priorities in the assembly on Tuesday.

Despite the political uncertainty, the Stormont administration wants to put a stamp on the way the province is run and how public money is allocated.

The executive has a little room for manoeuvre with annual spending in Northern Ireland over the next three years expected to grow by more than 3% above inflation.

Improvements

Its top priority is health, so that budget is likely to see a significant increase.

But education and training are also expected to do well in the draft budget.

The other big issue is the backlog of investment in areas such as roads, water and sewage.

A decision has yet to be made on how to pay for those improvements.