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£22.99After more than seven months since the Northern Ireland Executive’s return, there is hope that they could reach an agreement on a draft programme for government. There has been some criticism about the failure to agree on this so far. The politicians involved are expected to make the final decision at a meeting on Thursday. However, it’s not until Monday when the general public will get to see the potential draft programme since the tradition involved showing it to assembly members first.
Programmes for government are a crucial part of the devolved governments to set long-term goals. However, reaching an agreement among the four-party mandatory coalition in Northern Ireland with sometimes diverging agendas can be tricky. In contrast, Scotland managed to publish its own programme for government recently. With people’s hopes high after the two-year boycott by the Democratic Unionist Party, the delay in agreeing on a draft programme has shone a negative light on perceived flaws in Stormont.
The last time a Stormont executive managed to agree on a programme for government was between 2011-2015, and they also agreed on one in 2016, which was in public consultation. However, unfortunately, the then Sinn Féin deputy first minister Martin McGuinness resigned, and the executive fell before it could be passed in 2017. COVID quickly dominated Stormont’s agenda after its return to business in January 2020, which prevented the chance for the programme’s agreement.
Matthew O’Toole, Stormont’s leader of the opposition, calls for the executive to address urgent issues such as the broken health service, the house-building crisis, and the ecological crisis at Lough Neagh. For this, a programme for government would need to set clear targets, specify a timeline, and discuss specific actions towards achieving them. A report issued recently by the think tank named Pivotal in this area also considers the delay in agreement in a programme for government a significant shortcoming.
Governments are judged not solely based on photo opportunities, and mere survival is not enough. Stormont has returned seven months earlier, but what people are looking for is meaningful work that will lift up the general public’s lives. The government’s job involves setting out its future actions, including a programme of legislation they want to pass. It’s hoped that when the ministers meet around the executive table, they will sign off on a draft programme for government, which could satisfy the critics. Nevertheless, since it’s Stormont, people will believe it only when they see it.
A programme for government creates more positive outcomes. These can be something that people can easily identify with, such as longer and healthier lives and better job opportunities. These outcomes tend to stay in place for a generation rather than just a single Assembly term
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