For the first time since 2011, Northern Ireland has a Programme for Government. The 100-page document attempts to set out the direction of the Executive over the next two years ahead of the 2027 election.
With three key missions focused on people, planet, and prosperity, and nine policy priorities, the PfG is filled with ambitious rhetoric and eye-catching promises. Yet, a closer examination reveals a glaring issue and that is that many of these ambitions lack clear, measurable targets and instead rely on vague aspirations that do little to ensure real accountability.
At a time when Northern Ireland faces severe financial pressures, underfunded public services, and a crisis in confidence in government, this document reads more like a wish list than a serious plan of action.
The health and housing sectors are two of the most pressing issues in Northern Ireland, yet even here, the Programme for Government raises more questions than it answers.
Take cutting health waiting times for example. This is an issue that has plagued the Health Service in Northern Ireland for years. The PfG sets out a target to treat 70,000 additional patients by 2027, but this ambition is immediately undercut by the admission that reducing waiting lists "will not be possible within the funding currently available." So what happens if the necessary funding fails to materialise? Does this goal simply fade into obscurity?
Similarly, the Executive has promised to start work on 5,850 new social homes. But there is no guarantee that these will actually be built, let alone completed, by 2027. The housing shortage requires clear delivery schedules, identified funding, and accountability mechanisms. Work must also be done to address the pressing issues with our wastewater infrastructure, which has delayed a number of housing developments in Northern Ireland. None of these are evident in the PfG.
Even in areas where the document provides specific numerical targets, these often measure inputs rather than actual impact. For example, the Ending Violence Against Women and Girls strategy aims to engage 100,000 programme participants and launch three awareness campaigns. But what does success look like? How will we know if these efforts actually reduce violence, change attitudes, or improve the lives of women and girls? Simply counting participants tells us nothing about the effectiveness of the initiative.
One of the most concerning aspects of the PfG is how often it replaces real action with procedural steps and consultations. For instance, under the Better Support for Children and Young People with Special Educational Needs policy, the headline promise is to "establish an Executive agreed SEN Reform Agenda and Delivery Plan." This sounds impressive until you realise that it is merely a plan to create another plan. There is no firm commitment to actually deliver improvements within this mandate.
The same pattern appears in climate action, where the document boasts about launching consultations on a Climate Action Plan and a third NI Climate Change Adaptation Programme.
In many cases, these strategies are little more than repackaged versions of long-standing commitments that have failed to materialise in the past. The promise to expand Magee campus to 10,000 students, for example, was made in the New Decade, New Approach agreement in 2020. Yet, five years later, it remains an aspiration rather than a reality.
Perhaps the most frustrating aspect of the PfG is that it contains no real mechanisms for tracking progress and holding ministers accountable.
Unlike other jurisdictions, Northern Ireland lacks an independent watchdog to assess whether government strategies are actually delivering results. Without clear performance indicators, these policies risk becoming political soundbites rather than genuine commitments.
The Executive has tried to frame this Programme for Government as a roadmap for change. But in reality, it is a document full of aspirations with little evidence of how they will be met. If the Executive is serious about rebuilding public trust, it must do more than just announce strategies. It must provide clear timelines, funding guarantees, and independent oversight to measure success.
Until then, the people of Northern Ireland are left with the same question they have asked too many times before: Will any of these promises actually be kept?
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