The Northern Ireland Executive’s failure to agree a programme for government after seven months in office is “an enormous shortcoming”, despite repeated pledges by Stormont Ministers that one is coming soon, according to a new report.
First Minister Michelle O’Neill and Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly have “clearly made serious efforts to work together and present a unified front”, the Belfast-based Pivotal think tank said in its report published on Monday. .
Despite the positive public face, however, Northern Ireland faces “persistent challenges” in all public services with “little evidence of proper plans to take these on” being shown by Stormont.
The lack of a programme for government means Stormont’s priorities remain “unclear”, but if one is agreed it must show “collective” ownership by Ministers, not just be “a summary” of actions.
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Equally, Stormont Ministers must show greater responsibility for operating within budgets: “Blaming a lack of funding for all difficulties and failings is inappropriate”, said the report, which reviewed seven months of work by the Executive.
“There is little evidence yet of the Executive being prepared to face up to their own financial choices,” Pivotal went on, noting decisions not to impose water charges, or to increase rates in line with inflation, but no more.
“The Executive should be transparent with the public about the consequences for public services if no more revenue is raised locally,” said the report, which urged Ministers to move away from annual to multiyear budgeting as quickly as possible.
Reviewing the stark state of public services in Northern Ireland, the report notes the deterioration that has taken place in recent years, worsened by Covid, the lack of reforms, and poor workforce planning.
“[The] periods without government [in Northern Ireland] have left the health and social care system here in a very weak position. Waiting times are by far the worst in the United Kingdom, and are increasing further,” it said.
The numbers of people now waiting more than four hours for accident-and-emergency care has jumped, with more than half now facing such delays, rather than a third five years ago.
Health service reforms have failed, with changes “largely reactive and not strategic”, the report said: “Significant and potentially unpopular choices will have to made and owned by the whole Executive.”
Four in every five schools across Northern Ireland are now running in deficit, with “systemic underfunding” and lower per head spending on schoolchildren compared with other parts of the UK.
Policing is in crisis. The Police Service of Northern Ireland is now £300m short, with warnings from the Chief Constable, Jon Boutcher that he does not know how he can operate without breaching his budget.
On housing, just 400 social homes will be built in Northern Ireland this year, even though the NI Housing Executive had set an annual target of 2,200 such new homes. Meanwhile, there are 47,000 people on the waiting list.
Looking at poverty figures, Pivotal said action from the Executive is “long overdue”, with 14 per cent of the population living in absolute poverty, including 19 per cent of all children.
Noting the good relationship between the First and Deputy Minister and the work of other ministers, Ann Watt, director of Pivotal said: “But it was never going to be enough for Stormont to simply return. Northern Ireland needs stable government, but it also needs effective government. All the political parties, together with the UK and Irish Governments, need to commit to maintaining the institutions.”
Another collapse of the Stormont institutions is no longer an option: “There cannot even be the threat of this in future. Politicians need to be clear that Stormont is here to stay and that they will work in good faith to serve the public,” said Ms Watt who was head of the Electoral Commission in Northern Ireland from 2014-2019.
Pivotal, an independent think tank launched in September 2019, aims to help improve public policy in Northern Ireland
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