Management in “listening mode” reveals priorities

Public consultation on the Northern Ireland Executive’s Draft Programme of Government (PfG) has begun.

The board meeting agenda was signed on Thursday and presented to meeting members on Monday.

The 88-page document, titled “Our Plan: Doing What Matters Most,” outlines management’s ambitions in several key areas.

The document sets out nine “most urgent priorities” that the executive branch intends to address this year and during its electoral term.

Outlining the plan, Deputy First Minister Emma-Little Pengelly told the chamber: “We need to focus on delivering this programme together, for the good of everyone.

“We know there are challenges, but there are also opportunities.”

First Minister Michelle O’Neill described the programme as a “draft document” and said the executive was “in listening mode”.

“That is the basis on which we think we can go into consultation, but there is no doubt that there will be some very constructive comments,” Ms O’Neill said.

She added that the executive would have an eight-week consultation period, 12 weeks of which would be devoted to assessing the impact on equality.

What are the nine priorities of the Board?

Ms Little-Pengelly indicated that during the current term the executive will have nine priorities.

• Developing a globally competitive and sustainable economy

• Make childcare more affordable

• Reduce healthcare waiting lists

• Ending 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

The article highlighted that the board would “make progress” on the long-delayed redevelopment of Casement Park GAA stadium in west Belfast.

It will also consider the recommendations of the All-Island Rail Review, which has proposed a significant investment in the rail network.

Other areas include a commitment to expand Ulster University’s Magee campus in Londonderry to accommodate up to 10,000 students, with an “action plan” due to be published by the end of the year.

Earlier, Economy Minister Conor Murphy unveiled a three-year business plan for his department.

The 41 action points include plans to improve skills, productivity, tourism and energy.

“We’re not going to change the economy in three years but we want to get it in the right direction,” he told members of the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce on Monday.

The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) abstained from supporting the last budget due to funding allocations to the Department of Health, which it controls.

This time, Mike Nesbitt, the new Ulster Unionist leader, said voting against the government’s programme was not even an option.

Matthew O’Toole, leader of the opposition SDLP, has previously said of the PfG project that “it would be naive to call it a blanket approach”.

Speaking on Monday, he welcomed the publication of the document, given that the opposition had been “constructively calling for (PfG) for months”.

Mr O’Toole called on ministers to address the issue of reducing waiting times on the list, having found no answer to this when reviewing the document.

What was the reaction to PfG?

Mark Spence of the Construction Employers’ Federation said the document fell “significantly short” of what was needed to address Northern Ireland’s housing crisis.

“It is vital that urgent steps are taken to tackle the decades-long underfunding of our water and wastewater system, which means developers cannot get new housing connections and the planning system is no longer fit for purpose,” he said.

Glyn Roberts of Retail NI said PfG “must be co-created with businesses and other key civil society stakeholders if we are to fully harness and share the potential of this region”.

“We want to be partners, not just consultants, in implementing the new Government Programme,” added Mr Roberts.

Suzanne Wylie, of the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce, said that despite the difficult financial situation, it was time for “ambitious action” after a decade without PfG.

Northern Ireland Children’s Commissioner Chris Quinn said: “While there are some positives, I am disappointed that there are no tangible outcomes focused on children and young people as there have been previously and I would have expected outcomes in terms of tackling child poverty to be a core aspect of PfG.”

What is the Northern Ireland Executive?

The Executive is responsible for the management of devolved affairs in Northern Ireland, while the Assembly oversees ministerial decisions.

The current executive consists of four parties: Sinn Féin, the Democratic Unionist Party, the Alliance Party and the Ulster Unionist Party.

The number of departments allocated to each faculty was determined using the d’Hondt system.

The executive power is headed by the Prime Minister and her Deputy Prime Minister. These are joint offices with equal responsibilities.

The Social Democratic and Labour Party is Stormont’s opposition in the House of Representatives.

When was the last government program?

In February, devolved government was restored in Northern Ireland after a 24-month break.

This came about because of the Democratic Unionist Party’s protest against post-Brexit trade arrangements.

In recent months, ministers have been discussing the priorities of the executive.

The previous programme of government, agreed in 2016, was put out to public consultation but never implemented following the resignation of Sinn Féin’s Martin McGuinness as Deputy First Minister.

Previously, the last PfG contract was concluded and implemented in 2011.