To those of you that have just joined us, here's a quick recap:

• Stormont's five main political parties have arrived at Hillsborough Castle in County Down for talks centred on Northern Ireland's worsening financial and budget issues
• The parties haven't sat down together since July
• Speaking to members of the media earlier, NI Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris said the UK government is willing to help put NI's public finances on a stable footing
• Another topic set to dominate today is the DUP's continuing boycott of the executive
• Healthcare workers have staged a protest outside and have confronted all five parties as they made their way into the building
• Calls of "back to work" have echoed across the grounds with the DUP getting a particularly frosty reception

Talks are anticipated to finish up around 3pm and we should hear from the political parties shortly afterwards, stay with us for the latest.

Sinn Féin's delegation arrived led by party president Mary-Lou McDonald, vice-president Michelle O'Neill and assembly member Conor Murphy.

One protestor stopped O'Neill to ask her about restoring pay parity for health staff and public sector workers, who earn less than their colleagues in the rest of the UK.

"Do you understand the reality on the ground for our public sector workers?", the protestor asked.

She told O'Neill that a domiciliary care worker came to her car last week "to get a coat because she was so cold - she hadn't eaten in three days".

"We're pleading with you to go in today, to get a government formed and to put pay parity at the top of that agenda.

"We shouldn't be here today. You promised us in 2019 pay parity, we're just asking you deliver on that promise."

O'Neill replied: "That's the case that we're going to make very strongly to Chris Heaton-Harris today."

Alliance Party MP Stephen Farry also stopped to speak to health workers outside Hillsborough.

He was joined by North Down assembly member Andrew Muir.

He said addressing their pay issues has to be a top priority for when Stormont returns.

"We need to get a financial package sorted out," he said. "The gap now between Great Britain and Northern Ireland is huge."

The lack of pay parity is "just insulting", Muir added.

Members of the DUP were met with some anger by protesters at Hillsborough Castle.

Party leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson walked into the talks with assembly member Gavin Robinson and the DUP's finance spokesperson Gordon Lyons.

Protesters heckled the politicians as they walked up the drive, calling for the politicians to get "back to work".

One union member directly confronted Sir Jeffrey, asking if he thinks it's acceptable for health workers to be protesting.

"Absolutely not," he replies.

Workers have been taking industrial action over having lower pay than counterparts in the rest of the UK.

Sir Jeffrey says today's talks are to ensure finances are available to address health workers' pay parity.

"This is the reality of the underfunding of Stormont. that's why the DUP has taken the lead in making the case for our budget to be sorted out, we want to do that, that's why we're here today."

It was a brief statement from the NI secretary to the media earlier, as he teed up the talks that will begin in the next hour - but he did indicate the government's willingness to help Northern Ireland's with its precarious finances.

Watch in full below.

As UUP leader Doug Beattie arrived for talks he spoke to health workers protesting at Hillsborough Castle.

He told them he wanted to see an executive restored so that they and other workers could get a pay deal.

One worker told Beattie that if they do not get their pay deal, there would be “mass industrial action” in January.

Beattie says he'll deliver that message on their behalf.

SDLP leader Colum Eastwood also spoke with protesters, saying he will ask Chris Heaton-Harris to come outside and face the health workers.

"This whole thing has turned into a political circus when it's actually about people," he says.

"As far as I'm concerned... we want Stormont back, we want money invested in the health service."

John Campbell
BBC News NI economics and business editor

Image source, Getty Images

The main focus of today's meeting is Stormont's finances and its ability to fund public services, with growing concern about Northern Ireland's financial blackhole.

Northern Ireland overspent its budget by £300m last year and is on course for a bigger overspend this year.

There is a growing consensus among Stormont party leaders that a new funding deal is needed whether or not there is an immediate restoration of devolution.

This year, about £13bn will be spent on the day-to-day operations of services like health, education and policing.

More than 90% of that money comes from the Treasury via the block grant.

Local politicians say Stormont's budget allocation fails to reflect the real level of need in Northern Ireland. So what are the options for change?

Read more here.

Some protesters have arrived at the site of this afternoon's talks.

Unison members working in the health sector have arrived early to protest their ongoing pay dispute - a larger crowd is anticipated as talks get underway.

Northern Ireland health and social care staff remain the lowest paid in the UK and are yet to be offered a pay uplift for 2023-24.

This has resulted in some nurses, ambulance and hospital support staff taking industrial action in recent months - and many other public sector workers, including teachers, school staff and bus drivers, have been holding strikes due to pay disputes.

Read more here: NI health workers left with 'de facto pay freeze'

Image source, Getty Images

Here's how the schedule is shaping up:

• We've just heard from NI Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris as he briefed members of the media
• Representatives from Stormont's five largest parties are set to arrive in the next 45 minutes or so, with talks kicking off at about 1.30pm
• We may hear from some politicians as they make their way into the roundtable talks
• As it stands, cross-party discussions are set to wrap later this afternoon, and we should hear from parties when they emerge from Hillsborough Castle later

As always, timings could be subject to change but when we know, we'll let you know.

Enda McClafferty
BBC News NI political editor

We got an indication from the secretary of state earlier when he said the government is “willing to help”.

I think that was the key line in what he had to say.

Now, we have to see what willing to help actually means in practical terms for Northern Ireland and I'm sure some of that will be fleshed out in the talks that are due to begin later.

Are we talking about, for example, some sort of a package which he is going to put on the table to try to entice the DUP back into government?

To dangle a few carrots in terms of fixing the financial problems in Northern Ireland, when it comes to equality around public sector pay?

That remains to be seen, but I think we got a slight indication from him that there may be something more substantial coming today than many of us thought.

Image source, PA Media/Liam McBurney

Today's talks involve all the parties, but there's been another set of important talks going on behind the scenes between the DUP and Westminster - and those are about getting Northern Ireland's largest unionist party back into government.

In January 2022 - almost two years ago - the DUP walked out of Northern Ireland's power-sharing executive at Stormont and, in doing so, collapsed it. Without unionism's largest party, there can be no government in Northern Ireland.

The DUP's main reason for walking out was all about trade - specifically, post-Brexit arrangements for how goods go in and out of Northern Ireland, known at the time as the Northern Ireland Protocol.

Under the terms of the protocol, Northern Ireland would stay inside the EU’s single market for goods - this would allow goods to flow freely between Northern Ireland and the Republic, but goods coming from Great Britain into Northern Ireland would face checks and controls.

The DUP rejected this, arguing that placing a trade border between Northern Ireland and Great Britain undermined its place in the UK.

The protocol earlier this year was amended to the Windsor Framework, which aimed to reduce the level of controls on goods going from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.

But the DUP has maintained that the framework does not meet its requirements and has continued its boycott of power-sharing government.

It wants new legislation to address its concerns.

At the weekend, Sinn Féin said the government had told it that its negotiations with the DUP had ended but both the DUP and Northern Ireland Office (NIO) have denied this.

Image source, Getty Images/ Charles McQuillan

The five main Northern Ireland parties haven't sat around a table for talks since July - so what is today all about?

Mainly it's about finances and Northern Ireland's worsening budget situation - but a major driver in that is Northern Ireland being without a devolved government for almost two years.

The DUP is refusing to return to coalition government in protest over post-Brexit rules, which oversee how Northern Ireland trades with the rest of the UK.

The party pulled its first minister out of the ruling executive in February 2022.

In an election in May 2022, Sinn Féin overtook the DUP as the party with the most seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly.

But because Stormont requires its biggest nationalist and unionist parties to share power, the devolved government cannot be restored without DUP participation.

Jayne McCormack
BBC News NI political correspondent

A few moments ago, Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris gave a short statement at Hillsborough Castle ahead of the talks, which are due to begin at about 1.30pm.

He said the UK government is willing to help put Northern Ireland's public finances on a stable footing.

Heaton-Harris added that parallel talks with the DUP aimed at ending the devolution hiatus have not ended and are making progress although he would not be providing a running commentary.

There has been speculation that with discussions now taking place about money, the DUP is preparing to agree to re-enter government - but the party has denied this.

Stormont's five main political parties will be arriving at Hillsborough Castle in County Down in the next hour for talks centred on Northern Ireland's worsening financial and budget issues.

NI Secretary of State Chris Heaton-Harris will host delegations from Sinn Féin, the Democratic Unionist Party(DUP); Alliance; the Ulster Unionist Party(UUP) and Social Democratic and Labour Party(SDLP).

They are expected to discuss public spending and the government having to step in to set next year's budget if the Stormont stalemate continues.

Stay with us for all the latest developments.