Leaders acknowledge ‘delivery’ vital as draft programme for government unveiled

First Minister Michelle O’Neill and deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly faced questions in the Assembly chamber on Monday after formally launching the 88-page document titled Our Plan: Doing What Matters Most.

The proposed blueprint is framed by three key missions – people, planet and prosperity – with an underpinning cross-cutting commitment to peace.

It sets out nine policy areas that Executive ministers have agreed to prioritise in the two and a half years remaining in this Assembly mandate.

They are: growing a globally competitive and sustainable economy; delivering affordable childcare; cutting health waiting times; ending violence against women and girls; providing better support for children and young people with special educational needs (SEN); providing more social, affordable and sustainable housing; making communities safer; protecting Lough Neagh and the environment; and reforming and transforming public services.

The latter objective will be assisted with the establishment of a new £235 million transformation Fund.

The programme will now be subject to an eight-week public consultation exercise.

The document includes an accompanying dashboard that will be used to measure wellbeing across a series of 10 indicators in Northern Ireland – happier children, cleaner environment, equal society, healthier lives, brighter futures, stronger economy, safer communities, caring society, better homes and living peacefully.

The success of actions taken under the programme will be assessed against these indicators.

Ms O’Neill and Ms Little-Pengelly acknowledged the plan would be delivered amid a challenging financial picture for the Executive. They said they were due to meet with the Treasury on Thursday to further press the case for an improved funding model for the region.

Ms O’Neill said she was very pleased the Executive had agreed an “ambitious and focused” programme for government.

“I’m delighted by the fact that we’re absolutely committed to being open and transparent in terms of the progress that we are going to make,” she said.

“There is nobody in this chamber who underestimates the scale of the challenge that we have in our health service, but the best way to fix it is by working together. It is not just the responsibility of the department of health, I believe that all of the Executive colleagues are now committed to working together to ensure that we bring down hospital waiting, because at the end of the day this programme for government has to be about making a difference in people’s lives.

“I am confident that we have the plan in which we can turn things around. I am also very confident that we can be judged along the way when we have the final programme for government… we’re going to publish annual reports, we’re going to be able to be measured by what we have set out to achieve.

“Once we have that final programme for government, alongside it will be a whole set of outcomes and indicators and all of society will be able to judge in terms of how successful the Executive has been.”

Sinn Fein vice president Ms O’Neill also stressed the programme for government was a draft document, and that the Executive was in “listening mode” ahead of the public consultation.

Ms Little-Pengelly told MLAs that ministers were focused on “delivery, delivery, delivery”, as she said the plan had set out a “bold ambition for Northern Ireland”.

“It is different from what has been attempted in the past,” said the DUP MLA.

“It is reflective of the realities we face today but is also ambitious for the future. It is also realistic about the financial position we find ourselves in and the shortened mandate in which we operate. We make no apology for being ambitious, we want to build on our reputation as a great place to live, work, study, invest and visit.”

She said the aim is to “change the lives of our people and communities for the better”.

Stormont Opposition leader and SDLP MLA Matthew O’Toole welcomed the publishing of the programme for government but questioned a lack of “clear targets and clear plans to deliver”.

He said for example, he could not find a specific target in the document to reduce waiting lists and times for those waiting for a consultant appointment, which has spiralled from 70,000 in 2008/09 to 428,000 in the most recent year.

The SDLP earlier published its own plan for Stormont. It includes proposals to cut the cost of childcare by at least 50% in five years and the removal of the two-child cap on benefit claims.

Criticising the Executive’s programme, Mr O’Toole said: “Having scoured the draft programme for government, I simply can’t find any clear, measurable targets that the Executive is setting itself.

“The document even includes charts explaining how extraordinary and out-of-control our health waiting lists have become – but no clear targets on reducing them.

“The public have waited years for a clear plan, and after today they still don’t have one. The Executive cannot expect to be garlanded for simply producing a document full of aspirational language – much of it waffle – but without clear delivery plans, legislation or targets.”

In response, Ms Little-Pengelly accused the Opposition leader of “relentless negativity”.

“Just feels a little bit like groundhog day only without any of the fun or entertainment in it, but just relentless negativity,” she said.

“You can have opposition for opposition sake or you can have opposition which is constructive, and I have looked to the document that he has produced and there is significantly more detail in the document we have produced.”