New Decade, New Approach
With the Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive newly restored, we take a look at the priorities for the new Executive and who the new players are in term of ministerial posts and committee chairs.
The New Decade New Approach Deal was published at the end of last week to restore the power-sharing Executive in Northern Ireland. The deal received the support of the main parties who all returned to the Northern Ireland Assembly for the first time in three years on Saturday.
The deal includes numerous commitments to address the ongoing challenges in Northern Ireland relating to our public services particularly in our health service, education, housing, justice and a commitment to grow the economy. It also includes a welcome commitment to move back to multi-year budgets which would underpin a multi-year Programme for Government.
What are the Executive Priorities?
Transforming the health service, including
- Delivering pay parity for nurses to end ongoing pay dispute.
- Introduce a new action plan on waiting times
- Deliver reforms on health and social care
- Publish a Mental Health Action Plan within 2 months, and a Mental Health Strategy by December 2020.
Transforming other public services, including
- Addressing resourcing pressures in school
- Support the education of young people from different backgrounds together
- Deliver a new special needs educational framework
- Speed up the criminal justice system
- Increase police numbers to 7500
Investing for the future, including
- Regionally balanced economy
- Bring forward a Climate Change Act and reduce carbon emissions
- Invest in our infrastructure
Deliver and fair and compassionate society, including
- Develop and implement an anti-poverty strategy
- Commitment to tackle paramilitarism
- Reclassify housing associations
- Extend existing welfare mitigations
- Redress scheme for victims of historical abuse
- Publish a childcare strategy
- Ban zero hours contracts
- Proposal for new legislation on sign language
Programme for Government
- Commitment for outcomes-based approach
- Community engagement and co-design
- Wellbeing at the centre of PfG
- Key supporting strategies would include
- Anti-poverty strategy
- Economic/Industrial Strategy
- Investment Strategy
- Energy Strategy
- Racial Equality Strategy
- Disability Strategy
- Gender Strategy
- Sexual Orientation Strategy
- Active Ageing Strategy
- Children and Young People’s Strategy
- Childcare Strategy
- Child Poverty Strategy
- Irish Language Strategy
- Ulster Scots Strategy
New approach to government in Northern Ireland
- Commitments to greater transparency in governance
- Establishing of a fiscal council
- Reducing use of the Petition of Concern and return to its intended purpose
- Putting civic engagement and public consultation at the heart of policy making including reference to a citizens’ assembly.
- Establish an Independent Environmental Protection Agency
- Provision for a 24 week period before and Assembly Election must be called
You can find the full text of the document here.
Who's who?
Executive Ministers
First and Deputy First Ministers - Arlene Foster, DUP and Michelle O'Neill, Sinn Féin
Junior Ministers - Gordon Lyons, DUP and Declan Kearney, Sinn Féin
Health- Robin Swann, UUP
Education - Peter Weir, DUP
Communities - Deirdre Hargey, Sinn Féin
Agriculture, Environment & Rural Affairs - Edwin Poots, DUP
Infrastructure - Nichola Mallon, SDLP
Economy - Dianne Dodds, DUP
Finance - Conor Murphy, Sinn Féin
Justice - Naomi Long, Alliance Party
Committee Chairs
The Executive Office – Colin McGrath, SDLP
Health – Colm Gildernew, Sinn Féin
Education – Chris Lyttle, Alliance Party
Economy – Caoimhe Archibald, Sinn Féin
Finance – Steve Aiken, UUP
Agriculture, Environment & Rural Affairs- Declan McAleer, Sinn Féin
Communities – Paula Bradley, DUP
Justice – Paul Givan, DUP
Infrastructure – Michelle McIlveen, DUP
Public Accounts - William Humphrey, DUP
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