Draft Programme for Government out for consultation

The Executive's Priorities for the future are:

• Growing a Sustainable Economy and Investing in the Future
• Creating Opportunities, Tackling Disadvantage and Improving Health and Well-Being
• Protecting Our People, the Environment and Creating Safer Communities
• Building a Strong and Shared Community
• Delivering High Quality and Efficient Public Services

The commitments under these priorities include:

• the promotion of over 25,000 new jobs;
• deliver 8,000 social and affordable homes;
• hold the Regional Rate increases to the rate of inflation; 
• invest in social enterprise growth to increase sustainability in the broad community sector;
• establish the new 11 council model for Local Government by 2015;
• make the Education and Skills Authority operational in 2013;
• implement a levy on single use carrier bags by 2013;
• continue to work towards a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by at least 35% on 1990 levels by 2025;
• reduce the environmental impacts from the waste we generate; 
• introduce and support a range of initiatives aimed at reducing fuel poverty
• establish an advisory group to assist Ministers in alleviating hardship including any implications of the UK Government's Welfare Reform Programme
• provide £40 million to address dereliction and promote investment in the physical regeneration of deprived areas through the Social Investment Fund;
• invest £40 million to improve pathways to employment, tackle systemic issues linked to deprivation and increase community services through the Social Investment Fund;
• deliver a range of measures to tackle poverty and social exclusion;
• finalise the Cohesion, Sharing and Integration Strategy to build a united community and improve community relations;
• use the Social Protection Fund to help individuals and families facing hardship due to the current economic downturn;
• extend age discrimination legislation to the provision of goods, facilities and services;
• fulfil our commitments under the Child Poverty Act to reduce child poverty; 
• tackle crime against older and vulnerable people by more effective and appropriate sentences and other measures; 
• improve community safety by tackling anti-social behaviour;
• reform and modernise the delivery of Health and Social care to improve the provision and quality of services;
• allocate an increasing percentage of the overall health budget to public health;
• reconfigure health and social care services to improve patient outcomes and access to new treatments;
• enrol people who have a long-term (chronic) condition, and who want to be enrolled, in a specialist chronic condition management programme;
• invest £7.8 million in programmes to tackle obesity;
• bring forward a £13 million package to tackle rural poverty and isolation in the next 3 years;

How to make a response

Responses to the consultation should be submitted to:

• Email: pfg@ofmdfmni.gov.uk

If you wish, you can download the following WORD document to input your comments.

• PfG – 2011-15 – consultation reply proforma

Download the full consultation document and Ministerial statement below: