Debate contribution: Programme for Government 2024-27

Debate contribution by Mrs Emma Little-Pengelly on 3 March 2025.

MLA

Mrs Emma Little-Pengelly

Party at the time

Democratic Unionist Party

Date

3 March 2025

Type

Debate contribution (made as a minister)

Business

Executive Committee Business

Heading

Programme for Government 2024-27

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4826397

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Thank you. Yes, indeed, it is a really important issue. Some in the House have raised concern about the ambition in the document, but I can pull out a small number of key commitments that we have made: the expansion of affordable childcare; the investment of £135 million in tackling healthcare waiting lists above and beyond the £73 million specified; and the target of getting to over 7,000 police officers, which has been costed. With that small number of key objectives alone, we are probably looking at about £500 million of additional expenditure per annum. That is the scale of what we are talking about. That is before we even look at the additional investment in NI Water and our infrastructure, fixing the potholes more quickly, which everybody across Northern Ireland wants, and the many other issues that are referenced in the document. We do not underestimate the scale of that, and the Member is absolutely correct. It is also important to note that all the measures are scalable. With, for example, targets for affordable and social housing, the more capital money we can secure, the more such housing we can build. Those things very much depend on the amount of money that we can get. Our promise to this place is that we will endeavour to find as much additional resource as we can to invest in all those issues. I will move to Eóin Tennyson, who is not in his place. He had an awful lot to say at the weekend, or so somebody said to me. He said that the Programme for Government should not be the ceiling on our ambition. He also said that we should all work together in a spirit of cooperation. I very much agree with that. People do not want the likes of us playing politics in this place, having petty squabbles about things or not being realistic about what we can achieve. The people of Northern Ireland want us to work constructively together, get on with it and deliver on the things that matter to them. The First Minister and I, working across the Executive, have really applied ourselves to that over the past 13 months, and we will continue to do so. Yes, a four-party coalition can be frustrating, and nobody will get everything that they want in the way that they want it. However, we endeavour, week in and week out, to do our best to find a way through and to find agreement and compromise. That is what we have done today. Phillip Brett spoke from an economic perspective about prosperity and good jobs. I am really pleased that Northern Ireland has unprecedented levels of low unemployment. Just a couple of weeks ago, the figures on that came out. We have the lowest unemployment levels that we have had for a very long time. That is a good thing, but we have levels of economic inactivity that are much too high. We have challenges in productivity. Across the United Kingdom, there is stagnation in economic growth. Among the issues raised throughout Members' contributions — I may not be able to get to all of them — was the National Insurance employers' contribution. We are a small to medium-sized business economy, and, when we talk to businesses, we hear how that prevents them from expanding; in fact, it prevents them, they indicate, even from standing still. They may have to cut back in order to fund the measure. That is not acceptable. If we want our economy to grow, we need to support our businesses, and the Executive need to be able to do that. It also means investing in skills, tackling educational underachievement and trying to identify why so many people become economically inactive. We need those people in our workforce. We talk to companies week in and week out that say that they want good people with the right skills. If they can get those people, they will expand. We are world-leading in cyber, the creative industries, aerospace and defence. They all want good people. We can provide those good jobs with a good wage. We also know that that is the best way out of poverty. It is transformative not just for that person but, in due course, for their family, including their grandchildren. Diana Armstrong referred to the need for multi-year Budgets, which, as I mentioned, are key. She said that targets should align with the Budget, and that is also critical. As soon as we can get more information on that multi-year Budget, we will look at our plans and targets and make sure that we fit that in. A number of objectives in the Programme for Government require further work by Ministers. That will be the work of Committees. Those sitting in the Chamber will work on those Committees and ensure that the plans that come forward meet the objectives in the Programme for Government and are brought forward swiftly, while, critically, ensuring that the Budget is aligned to enable the relevant Minister to deliver against that aspiration. Deirdre Hargey referenced digital innovation. Hopefully, this week, we will be able to bring forward more information about those transformation projects. Steve Aiken referenced that as well. We have the additional £235 million that was secured. The UK Government, through the NIO, sit on that board because the funding is additional to our block grant and was granted on condition that they also sat on it in terms of what would be done. That is potentially a useful thing. Across Whitehall, initiatives and interventions are happening in transformation, particularly in digitisation. It would be good to hear from them, through someone who sits on the transformation board, about some of the ideas that we could work on here. Steve Aiken is absolutely right. It is also important, as a core principle, that issues pertaining to devolved matters in Northern Ireland are left to those who have been elected to this place and are for Executive to decide.

I assure the Member that that is absolutely the case. While the transformation board looks at those and puts forward some recommendations, ultimately, it will be the Northern Ireland Executive that agree them, ergo giving it democratic accountability.

Cheryl Brownlee spoke about the really important issue of SEN. Indeed, a number of Members did. Apologies if I do not get the opportunity to refer specifically to each one, but I know that a number of Members referred to SEN. We know how challenging it is for parents to try to navigate their way and get the help that they absolutely need. There have been so many campaigns about this. We want to do more. I know that the Education Minister is committed to driving forward the necessary transformation in that area. That is why I am particularly pleased that SEN is right at the heart of the Programme for Government. We recognise that special educational needs is a significant and growing issue that is not being dealt with in the way that we want. Therefore, it is right and good that we are looking at that. As Cheryl said, we can get this right, and now is the time to deliver on it. That is absolutely important. Connie Egan referred to the increase in police officer numbers, which was also referred to by the Member for North Antrim Timothy Gaston. Indeed, on page 48 — I am sorry that the Member for North Antrim was not aware of it — of the Programme for Government, there is reference to fulfilling the New Decade, New Approach commitment that was set down to increase police numbers to 7,500 officers. A significant amount of work has happened. We know the cost of that. The challenge is now over to the Finance Minister to try to

It is page 48, the fifth paragraph. It is really important that we do this, because we know how important policing is on the ground. You will see from the commitment to this that it:

"includes actively seeking to achieve a sufficient number of police officers in line with New Decade New Approach commitments".

That is 7,500 police officers. I am really pleased that that is in the Programme for Government. It is something that we very much support. We know that that will require significant additional resource, but we are very much working to support a year-on-year increase to move towards that number.

I am really tight for time, unfortunately, so I will try to cover as much as possible. Joanne Bunting raised a number of issues from a justice perspective, including the cross-departmental approach to tackling justice issues. Again, we know that far, far too many people are sitting in the criminal justice system, particularly in relation to drug and alcohol challenges. That requires a cross-cutting, joined-up approach. She is absolutely right on that, and I know that the Committee will be driving that work forward, as well as the important work on ending violence against women and girls. I also want to say a huge thank you to Joanne for all the work and lobbying that she did on palliative care inclusion, and particularly in relation to death and dying. That is a very important issue, and we have to learn many lessons about that from the COVID pandemic. Of course, it is also so important because every family is touched by it at some point. Dignity and support is something that we really need to address. I thank her for her intervention on that issue. She will have seen the result of that in the final document. I also want to refer to the hard work that many Members did on older people and older people's advocacy, including Claire Sugden and others on the Committee. We have reflected that in the changes to the document. A number of Members referenced a number of social inclusion strategies, and it is critical to us that every person in Northern Ireland feels that they are included in these priorities. It is not that there necessarily needs to be dedicated action just for them in order for them to feel that they are heard and seen. When it comes to all the key issues, we are very conscious of the mainstreaming of those considerations. I apologise for not getting to cover all the many, many contributions. I think that there are probably about another 20 here, but I have talked for too long and cannot go into all the details. In conclusion, I want to, as I said, give a promise to this place. We are determined to deliver, and what we have heard from this place gives a little bit of a flavour of how many issues there are. It is fantastic that our representatives are champions of so many different issues. Members are making sure that those issues are heard and articulated and that the concerns are out there. Many of those issues will be for particular Ministers, but core to the work of the Executive will be driving forward that prioritisation. At the heart of it is creating a peaceful, thriving society, growing our economy and making our public services work for people. That is so important, and it is very much what we are committed to doing. We look forward to working with all of you in the months and years ahead as we deliver against the Programme for Government.

1,908 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

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