Key Priorities Focus on Economy, Childcare, and Tackling Violence as Public Consultation Looms
Responding to criticism over its protracted inability to agree on a coherent plan, the Northern Ireland Executive has completed a draft programme for the government after more than seven months since Stormont’s return. < Focusing on nine main themes, the draft program addresses social and economic concerns as the Executive seeks to live up to expectations given financial restrictions.
Is This a Significant Step Forward?
First Minister Michelle O’Neill declared optimism during a news conference following a pivotal Executive meeting. Completing the draft plan “marks a crucial step in our journey as a four-party executive.” Under increasing pressure to deliver, the Executive now has a clear strategy to handle Northern Ireland’s urgent issues.
Emma Little-Pengelly, Deputy First Minister, admitted the challenges presented by the present budget but remained confident that significant changes might yet be achieved. “Despite the tough budget, we can still significantly enhance lives by concentrating on a small number of prioritized actions that will make a difference,” she said.
In line with the convention whereby Assembly members view the programme first, the Executive has agreed on extra strategies, including a commitment to ending violence against women and girls and a domestic and sexual violence strategy. In contrast, the entire programme will remain under wraps until Monday.
What Does the "Wide-Ranging Programme" Aim to Achieve?
First Minister O’Neill underlined the significance of the draft project, characterizing it as a “significant strategy” and a “wide-ranging programme.” O’Neill emphasized that despite the difficulties ahead, ministers must “provide hope and create opportunities… with our budget.”
O’Neill also showed that financial concerns still come first: “The battle for additional finance, for a proper financial model for this place, is top of our agenda.” Although the present budget limits him, the Executive is ready to advocate further financial help.
How Will the Executive Engage with the Public?
Emma Little-Pengelly, the Deputy First Minister, underlined the Executive’s dedication to public involvement. She said ministers will aggressively look for comments from people throughout Northern Ireland during the following weeks. Stressing the value of cooperative government, she remarked, “We want to hear from people about how we can improve lives for the better.”
The Executive has identified nine main priorities for the new programme for the government:
- Grow a globally competitive and sustainable economy
- Deliver affordable childcare
- Cut health waiting times
- End violence against women and girls
- Better support for children and young people with special educational needs
- Provide more social, affordable, and sustainable housing
- Safer communities
- Protect Lough Neagh and the environment
- Reform and transformation of public services
Little-Pengelly claims that progress against these goals would be monitored and assessed monthly to guarantee responsibility.
What Challenges Lie Ahead in a Short Mandate?
Justice Minister Naomi Long acknowledged the challenges ahead and said that the Executive would find this especially tough given the limited mandate and funding restrictions. “We don’t undervalue the difficulty we have in a short mandate under exceptional financial pressure,” Long said.
Long, who also heads the Alliance Party, underlined that although the draft program highlights essential goals, it is not an “exhaustive list” of what the Executive intends to accomplish. Instead, it will “prioritize some aspects of the Executive’s work, ” enabling ministers to concentrate on the most urgent problems.
Health Minister Mike Nesbitt expressed his pleasure with the approach, emphasizing the need to match the new program with the budget. “During the meeting, everyone around the table agreed that once we criticize the programme for the government, we have to link it clearly with the budget,” he observed.
What Is the History of Challenges at Stormont?
The draft proposal represents a significant success for the Executive, given that it disagreed on a cohesive government strategy from 2011 to 2015. The Executive approved a plan for public engagement in 2016. However, it was never approved following the resignation of Sinn Féin Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness in January 2017, therefore bringing about government collapse.
The COVID-19 epidemic swiftly seized business when the Executive returned in January 2020, delaying all attempts to complete a programme for the government. This protracted lack of a thorough plan has left political watchers and the general public wondering about the efficiency of the Executive.
How Are Opposition and Analysts Reacting?
The opposition leader from Stormont voiced dismay with the imprecise draft proposal. He called it “wide brush” and said, “It was a somewhat ludicrous spectacle to have Executive ministers come out to a news conference to lay out a set of broad, thematic objectives and ideas. Not even could they be considered aims or goals.”
Ann Watt, director of the research tank Pivotal, expressed similar worries. Although there has been improvement, Watt’s assessment week or shortcoming is” the delay in deciding on a programme for the government.”
Gerry Carroll, an Assembly Member for People Before Profit, was even more harsh in his condemnation. Carroll said, “They don’t seem to have any plan to deal with the multiple crises.” Carroll charged the Executive with poor progress. “They have to come clean with a plan of action to deal with some of the crises people are facing because the credibility of the Executive is wearing thin, and people are seeing them as not doing much at a time of hardship,” he said.
What Are the Next Steps: Public Consultation?
The Executive will shortly start a public consultation process as the draft programme is scheduled to be presented to Assembly members on Monday, seeking to get comments from people and improve their plans. Ministers are resolved to show that they can produce tangible outcomes that will enhance the quality of life for people living throughout Northern Ireland, notwithstanding financial constraints.
However, the success of this draft agenda will rely on the Executive’s capacity to strike a balance between ambition and pragmatic action as it negotiates the difficulties of a limited mandate and constrained budget.
