Debate contribution: Executive Progress

Debate contribution by Ms Paula Bradshaw on 19 January 2026.

MLA

Ms Paula Bradshaw

Party at the time

Alliance Party

Date

19 January 2026

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Opposition Business

Heading

Executive Progress

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5322046

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Thank you, Principal Deputy Speaker. I welcome the opportunity to propose the Alliance Party amendment. Members, Christmas is a time for reflection. For many of us, the period between Christmas and New Year offers space to take stock of the year just passed and the year ahead. It was during that period that I felt deep frustration at the lack of political progress and, more important, the limited tangible difference that the Executive have made to people's lives over the past 12 months. That frustration is widely held across our society. Two years on from the restoration of devolution, many people still feel that improvements to their day-to-day lives — improvements that they were promised and, indeed, are entitled to expect — have not been brought about. Alliance remains steadfast in our support for devolution, because we believe that decisions are best made here on behalf of the people of Northern Ireland. However, we have long been clear that siloed decision-making is not simply a cultural issue but a structural one. Ministers remain primarily accountable for their own Departments rather than taking a shared view of the outcomes from the Executive. Too often, cooperation depends on goodwill rather than obligation, and goodwill alone is not a reliable basis for delivery. Departments are operating in an extremely challenging financial environment after more than a decade without a properly agreed multi-year Budget. Some are chronically underfunded, while others suffer from poor budgetary control. The absence of long-term certainty has made planning and reform difficult, pushing Departments towards short-term reactive decisions and delaying vital long-term transformational projects. The effects of that are clear. Over the past decade, the Department of Justice's share of the block grant has fallen while demand has continued to grow. Its 2025-26 outcome means that, in real terms, it is more than £220 million worse off than it would be had funding kept pace with inflation. At the same time, DAERA received the smallest percentage increase of any Department in 2025-26, despite increasingly demanding obligations. If Departments are expected to deliver, they must be properly resourced to do so. Alliance supports the principle of an ambitious, sustainable multi-year Budget, because meaningful reform cannot happen without long-term stability. While the draft Budget that is out for consultation is a step forward, it falls well short of what several Departments require to deliver Programme for Government commitments. We agreed that it should go out for consultation, but we are clear that it is not acceptable in its current form. Funding alone does not explain our current position. Poor decision-making, lack of reform and entrenched inequalities, particularly in health and education and with the cost of division, have all played a role. The Departments with the largest budgets are often those that overspend the most, as they continue to invest in systems that have not been adequately reformed. Nowhere is that clearer than in Health, where spending per head is among the highest in the UK yet outcomes remain among the poorest. That points to a failure of reform, not funding alone. The Northern Ireland Audit Office has repeatedly highlighted the difficulty in clearly linking spending to outcomes across Departments. Where that clarity is absent, scrutiny becomes reactive rather than preventative, and accountability follows failure rather than driving improvement. Alliance has consistently argued for a fair funding settlement from Westminster, but that case is weakened when public money is not used effectively. We will continue to engage constructively to push for sustainable funding and better value for money while being honest about the limits of what is possible in the current financial climate. Budget reform, however, will not fix a system that lacks transparency and accountability. Progress reporting remains a significant weakness. Too often, Members receive little clarity on delivery against Programme for Government commitments until targets have already been missed, leaving us to use Chamber time simply to establish the basic facts. The Committee for the Executive Office works hard to scrutinise the Executive, but that scrutiny is only as effective as the information that it receives. The delivery unit is now operational, but it will ultimately be judged by its impact. The delivery unit must sit at the centre, maintain focus on priorities and be able to say clearly what is and is not on track and why. If updates are being produced, there should be no difficulty in setting out what is being delivered, where progress is slipping and what corrective action is being taken. Honest reporting would strengthen scrutiny and give the public confidence that problems are being actively addressed. Delivery is also constrained by how our institutions operate. Since restoration, Alliance Ministers have brought forward proposals for reform and long-term improvement only to see progress repeatedly being stalled at the Executive table. The Assembly must also reflect on its role. We cannot criticise slow delivery while contributing to delays through excessive scrutiny or, conversely, by rushing legislation through without proper consideration. Ultimately, the public do not want excuses; they want delivery. They want to see that government works and that the decisions taken in Departments and the Chamber make a real difference to their lives. As we begin a new year, it is both an opportunity for and a responsibility on us all to do better and be more honest about the challenges that we face, more principled in decision-making and more focused on actions rather than words. The Alliance Party supports the motion and asks Members to support our amendment, because it represents the reality that we all face. It recognises pressures on public services, acknowledges the funding challenges that sit alongside weaknesses in decision-making and focuses on improving how government operates to deliver the Programme for Government commitments. If we are serious about restoring public confidence in politics, improved delivery, stronger reporting and genuine collective decision-making are essential. Our amendment asks not for miracles but for honesty, coordination and delivery. If we cannot commit to that, we owe it to the public to be honest about why. I urge Members to support our amendment.

1,009 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 14:13 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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