The former head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service has said the financial situation currently facing the Executive is "pretty bleak".
David Sterling said the combination of no budget and mounting financial pressures was unprecedented.
Mr Sterling's comments came after Finance Minister Conor Murphy warned that Stormont is facing a £660m overspend, unless action is taken.
In a written statement to assembly members, Mr Murphy said "a large proportion of the increased costs are due to energy costs and pay pressures resulting from the cost-of-living crisis".
Speaking to The View, Mr Sterling, who retired in 2020, said: "This is pretty bleak at the moment.
"I can't see the Treasury, at the moment, welcoming a request for additional monies," he said.
"I think the Treasury's view will be that Northern Ireland already gets more per capita than any other part of the UK. Northern Ireland has as well got additional monies on a number of occasions over recent years.
"I think, if the Treasury was to be persuaded to provide some money, a bail out if you like, then I'm fairly sure they would want to attach some fairly tight strings to that.
"I would imagine that there would be no bail out until such times as an Executive is formed."
However, Justice Minister Naomi Long said that the restoration of the Executive would not be a magic wand to make all the financial challenges facing Stormont disappear.
"I'm not saying that the holes in the budget will disappear if the DUP come back," she said.
"But I am saying very clearly that the lack of oversight, the lack of governance, the lack of having an Executive and having timely access to funds is impacting people's lives".
