PfG - What's Changed?

Read the document in full here.

What has changed since the draft version was realised in May?

We now get a lot more detail on delivery plans. Delivery plans which are the mechanism through which “actions are identified.” Delivery plans are contained in links at the end of each outcome chapter in the PfG document. Each delivery plan has a Senior Responsible Owner (SRO) who “would welcome any comments or suggestions on how they might be approved.”

We now know that the PfG will be supported by an updated Investment Strategy, Economic Strategy and a new Social Strategy – which will “set out how the Executive proposes to tackle poverty, social exclusion and patters of deprivation based on objective need.”  These strategies will be consulted and engaged on when they are released. No release dates have yet been indicated. 

The draft PfG framework laid out 14 high level outcomes underpinned by indicators with a single measure. In this document a stage has been removed the progress towards outcomes will be measured by a number of indicators. These new indicators were previously the measures in the draft framework.

On the indicators the document states “an important principle is that indicators are attached to outcomes not strategies.”

There has been no change to the 14 outcomes. You can now clearly see how the indicators (previously measures) are matched to the outcomes on page 12 of the consultation document. A number (18) of the indicators feed into more than one outcome.

There are now 48 indicators, up from 42 in the draft framework. The six new indicators are:

• % change in energy security of supply margin
• % water bodies at ‘good’ status
• Biodiversity
• Usage of online channels to access public services
• Overall Performance Assessment (NI Water)
• Gap between the number of houses we need, and the number of houses we have

A number of existing indicators have changed slightly including:

• Number 22, a Regional Innovation Ranking, now reads: “Rate of innovation activity (% of companies engaging in innovation activity)”
• Number 37, a Nitrogen Dioxide Concentration, now reads: “Annual mean nitrogen dioxide concentration at monitored urban roadside locations”
• Number 18, A Good Jobs Index, now reads: “A Better Jobs Index”
• Number 34, Employment rate by geographic area, now reads: “Employment rate by council area”
• Number 38, the Proportion of criminal cases processed within guideline time limits, now reads: “Average time tale to complete criminal cases.”
• Number 40, a National Brand Index, now reads: “Nation Brands Index”

In this document we also get some detail on how progress will be measured, it states:

“Progress on these issues at a population level cannot be expected to happen quickly. So while we will track progress at a population level, we also need to know whether the action we are taking is making a difference, and is putting us on the track to long-term success.

 To do this we will use performance level evaluation focused on the impact of policies and programmes directly on the people they engage. We will measure this by considering three key questions – How much did we do?, How well did we do it? and Is anyone better off?. In this way, we can understand the effect and contribution each of the programmes and projects we deliver are making towards achieving our population level outcomes”

What else does it say?

The consultation document then moves into specific commentary on each of the outcomes.

Detailing:

• Why this outcome matters
• What the issues are associated with the outcome
• And what it currently looks like
  • This gives visual and statistical representations of the current status for each of the indicators associated with the outcome
• Then there is a link to the delivery plan.
• Each outcome also has a “what will we do section” outlining between 3-5 steps to be taken to make progress towards the outcome.

What next?

Consultation runs until the 23rd December.

Responses are welcome to both the PfG Consultation document and the individual delivery plans.

Reponses to the PfG can be made via an online survey or by email to [email protected]

Reponses to the delivery plans should be made directly to the senior owner, detailed in each delivery plan.