THE WAIT for a coherent programme for government is finally over, as the Northern Ireland Executive today announced their long-awaited plan to guide the region through one of the most turbulent periods in recent memory.
This morning, ministers held a 40 minute virtual meeting to discuss the publication of the document a day after it was unexpectedly pulled.
It is understood that the offices of the First and Deputy First Ministers will hold a press conference later today, where they will outline key points from the programme. The document itself is said to address key targets in line with the executive’s nine main priorities.
The document will have to pass Assembly approval on Monday before it can be published in full and delivered to the wider public.
As such, a planned visit to Stormont by Taoiseach Micheál Martin has been postponed. It will have been the first time he has made an official visit to Northern Ireland since his re-election last month, but in light of today’s announcement, the Irish government has said that the meeting has been pulled until further notice.
Today’s announcement from Stormont marks a significant milestone. The last time an executive was able to successfully deliver a programme for government was during the Assembly’s fourth term, which took place between 2011 and 2015.
Though a programme was agreed in 2016, Stormont collapsed during the public consultation stage following the resignation of Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness over Irish language rights and the RHI scandal.
