Yesterday, the Executive published their first annual progress report for the Programme for Government (PfG). An annual report was committed to in the PfG, the final draft of which was published in February 2025. Since the Executive returned over two years ago, ministers have been working across the nine priority areas, so this report is an important milestone where progress and delivery can be scrutinised.
The report is structures similarly to the PfG itself, first dealing with the nine priorities, before moving on to “Building New Foundations”, which sets out the “structural reforms and enabling actions that underpin delivery” of the priorities. After that comes the Missions which ensure the Executive’s actions “contribute to sustained improvements in wellbeing and quality of life”. There is also a page on the Wellbeing Framework, which looks at the 52 indicators and whether or not they are improving, worsening, or showing no change. Finally, the last page considers the alignment of spending with the PfG.
Below is a summary of some of the headlines from the report.
Grow a globally competitive and sustainable economy
This priority is based around the Economy Minister’s four pillars of productivity, good jobs, decarbonisation and regional balance. On the first, the report details the £490m City and Growth Deals, the launch of the Innovation Action Plan and other investment. On Good Jobs, £20m has been invested in the Skills Fund which has supported upskilling of 17,000 individuals.
On decarbonisation, the Climate Action Plan has been consulted on and an Enhanced Investment Zone for advanced manufacturing approved. Finally, on regional balance, the Magee campus has had a rise in student numbers, the Northern Regional College campus has been opened, and 11 Local Economic Partnerships have been established.
Deliver more affordable, accessible, high-quality early learning and childcare
The Early Learning and Childcare Strategy has been consulted on. Families are estimated to have saved £26m through the Childcare Subsidy Scheme, rising to £57m including Tax-Free Childcare.
Cut health waiting times
£135m has been invested to treat an additional 237,000 patients, with reductions in some of the longest waits. 11,000 additional procedures have been completed through elective care centres and mega clinics. Multi-Disciplinary Teams are in place across 165 GP practices.
Ending violence against women and girls
£5m has been invested in Local and Regional Change Funds, the Power to Change awareness campaign had 10m online impressions, and the Challenge Fund has helped four suppliers work on products which improve the safety of women and girls. The Victims and Witnesses of Crime strategy has been published.
Better support for children and young people with Special Educational Needs
£27.5m of transformation funding has been directed towards SEN reform. £65m has been invested in SEN infrastructure. 157 additional classes are in place for SEN pupils.
Provide more social, affordable and sustainable housing
1,765 new build social homes have been started this year. 5,300 additional properties have been able to connect to the wastewater network. Major planning processing times are at their lowest since 2017-18. There have been some reforms to the private rental sector.
Safer communities
£20.5m has been secured from the Transformation Board to reduce court delays and free up capacity. A pilot on Out of Court disposals has been completed. £7m has been allocated to the PSNI workforce recovery plan. A framework for reducing offending and reoffending has been developed but not yet published.
Protecting Lough Neagh and the environment
20 of the 37 actions in the Lough Neagh Action Plan have been delivered.
Draft regulations for a Just Transition Commission are working through the legislative process. A Climate Action Plan consultation was held and a progress report for the Environmental Improvement Plan was published.
Reform and Transformation of Public Services
The Delivery Unit was set up and is focusing on tackling health waiting lists and overseeing transformation projects. The £235m Transformation Fund has now all been allocated. The Office of AI and Digital was set up in the Executive Office and is leading on an AI Strategy.
Building New Foundations
This section lists some actions on:
Boosting housing funds
Improving the planning system
Delivering better public services
Supporting net zero
Managing our water
Upgrading stadia and supporting local sports
Retrofitting homes
Improving our transport infrastructure
Missions
There are four missions. Some of the actions include:
People: the Live Better initiative, consultation on the draft Disability Strategy, the new ‘Identity’ offices including the Irish Language Commissioner and Commissioner for Ulster Scots and the Ulster British Tradition, and the School Uniforms Bill.
Planet: Lough Neagh Water Quality Dashboard, legislative work to implement Renewable Electricity Price Guarantee.
Prosperity: City and Growth Deals, working with the North South Ministerial Council and Intertrade UK, Social Enterprise Action Plan
Peace: £19m investment in Good Relations.
On the Wellbeing Dashboard, of the 52 indicators, 14 were improving, 22 have not changed, and 15 have worsened. One had insufficient data to assess its change.
Estimates are that 42% of the Resource Budget and 78% of the Capital Budget has been directed towards the nine priorities.
Pivotal’s analysis
1. The annual report is overdue and welcome
The draft PfG was published in September 2024 and the final version in February 2025. It is good, therefore, that the Executive has published this annual report. It provides ministers with an opportunity to show where progress has been made and also to be scrutinised on their actions. As the cornerstone of the Executive’s vision for Northern Ireland, the PfG is a hugely significant document and delivery is vital. Given its status, we would expect to see some scrutiny and challenge of the report’s content in the Assembly, but it’s not clear if this is planned.
2. There have been some important successes
The annual report shows that there has been progress against some of the priorities, particularly in childcare, where over 20,000 families have benefitted from the Childcare Subsidy Scheme, and on cutting waiting lists, where there has been a 50% reduction in outpatients waiting over four years for treatment. Ministers should be commended for this, while recognising that there remains a lot more to do on these issues. Childcare campaigners have warned that costs are continuing to rise, while waiting lists remain unacceptably long.
3. Many of the “achievements” focus on inputs rather than outcomes
Across the document, there are numerous examples of investments being made or strategies being published, for example, £767k allocated to priority economic sectors, £20.5m to free up capacity in the courts, or launching the Warm Healthy Homes Strategy. While these investments are positive, there is little focus on outputs or outcomes. It can be difficult to quantify how these are making a meaningful difference or are enhancing a strategic goal, particularly given the absence of any outcome-based targets by which this could be measured. There are also some examples of strategies which have been “developed” but not published, such as the framework to reduce offending and reoffending.
4. Progress is limited on the Wellbeing indicators
A plurality of indicators have not changed in the last 12 months, while more have got worse than improved. The Executive have said that these indicators are an important part of longer-term change in Northern Ireland, so it is concerning that progress seems to be lacking. The connection between the some of the Wellbeing Dashboard’s indicators and the nine priorities remains unclear. It was disappointing not to see any analysis or commentary published alongside the Wellbeing indicators, since this would have been useful in assessing where progress had been made and what issues required more attention in future.
5. Do the public feel a difference?
Since the Executive’s return in 2024, there has been a repeated question raised about whether it was delivering for the public. The annual report sets out some ways that its actions have made a difference. But thousands of people remain on long waiting lists, parents are still paying for expensive childcare, housing developments are still being blocked due to wastewater constraints, and Northern Ireland is still lagging behind its climate targets. While there have been some limited successes against PfG priorities, there remain serious and significant challenges which are impacting citizens every day. The Executive must drive delivery across the board and, where necessary, step up and take the tough decisions to do so.
The report also includes a review of the Transformation Fund which will be looked at in a separate article.
