Debate contribution: Programme for Government
Debate contribution by Mr Brian Kingston on .
- MLA
- Mr Brian Kingston
- Party at the time
- Democratic Unionist Party
- Date
- 7 October 2024
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Private Members' Business
- Heading
- Programme for Government
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4579659
Read the official Assembly record
Text
Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. As my party colleague Harry Harvey said when he proposed our amendment, the publication last month of the Executive's Programme for Government was a significant milestone and set out the Executive's priorities for the mandate. As Members know, it is the first published Programme for Government since the 2011 to 2015 version. The nine priorities cut across Departments and provide a means by which the public will be able to judge progress during the Assembly term. Many additional items of legislation are being and will be advanced by Ministers during the mandate, but the nine priorities in the PFG are key matters that the Executive have committed to. The DUP amendment:
"recognises the importance of keeping track of delivery against the objectives in the draft Programme for Government; and calls on the First Minister and deputy First Minister ... to publish an annual delivery report and monitor progress against a selection of statistical indicators, to work with their Executive colleagues to"
introduce
"additional, specific and timebound targets in relation to the draft Programme for Government."
You can see there a call for an annual delivery report, for the monitoring of progress against the 40 statistical indicators and for work with Executive colleagues to introduce specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound (SMART) targets. The statistical indicators referred to in our amendment are those of the PFG well-being framework, which can be found on the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency's (NISRA) website: datavis.nisra.co.uk. Those indicators are based on the Executive's missions: people, planet and prosperity, with peace as a cross-cutting commitment. There are 10 strategic domains of well-being: happier children; cleaner environment; equal society; healthier lives; brighter futures; stronger economy; safer communities; caring society; better homes; and living peacefully. Each domain of well-being is supported by a selection of 40 indicators, and, as the deputy First Minister said, data will be updated constantly in real time. We are very supportive of real-time monitoring and of targets being introduced and the progress of the Assembly and the Executive being tested against them.
We urge Members to support our amendment and to see the desire and willingness to work on those targets.
I will comment briefly on some of the comments made in the debate. In proposing the motion, Matthew O'Toole said that he wanted to see targets, a timeline and plans. Harry Harvey highlighted some of the Executive's achievements to date and said that objectives must form the basis for delivery over the next two and a half years. Emma Sheerin said that the publication of the draft Programme for Government was a key date for the four-party Executive and that she was keen to see delivery across the Province. Paula Bradshaw, as Chair of the Committee, reminded the public that the consultation continues until 4 November. In her capacity as an Alliance MLA, she said that the Alliance Party will support the motion and the amendment and that voters need to be able to measure progress. She and her colleague Connie Egan said that they wanted to see a stand-alone mission for peace and reconciliation. Claire Sugden highlighted the increasing demographic of older people in Northern Ireland and the costs to and the pressures on public services as a result of providing for that section of the population. Sinéad McLaughlin recognised that the publication of the draft Programme for Government represented progress and said that it would be judged on its delivery. She highlighted her wish to see delivery in Londonderry, though she probably said "Derry", and highlighted areas that need that delivery. Andrew McMurray highlighted the need for targets around biodiversity and water and waste water infrastructure. Timothy Gaston was not a fan of the draft Programme for Government or the Assembly in general, but that is nothing new. The deputy First Minister highlighted a commitment to a better future for the people of Northern Ireland, encouraged everyone to take part in the consultation. She said that the response so far had been positive —
— and that measures will be specific, measurable and time-bound.
680 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.04 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- Assessed as legitimate policy scrutiny (0.84).
- No identity-based framing was identified (0.98).
- The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.03 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.03 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.02 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.09 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.08 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.84 | Yes |
| Overall judgement | 0.04 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 0.98 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.02 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.00 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-related subject | 0.62 |
| Sexism, misogyny, ageism and other equality groups | 0.16 |
| Legacy of the Troubles, victims and paramilitarism | 0.11 |
| Sectarianism, hate crime and community relations | 0.06 |
| Irish language, Ulster-Scots and language policy | 0.02 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 11:23 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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