First Minister Michelle O’Neill and deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly have published the Programme for Government Annual Report for 2025-26, using visits to a Belfast nursery and a Lisburn engineering firm to showcase investments in health, childcare, and skills.
Launched at Kids Korner Day Nursery and On Track Technicians, the report outlines progress on reducing hospital waiting times, expanding early years provision, and supporting economic growth. However, opposition figures and independent analysts have raised questions about the pace of change and underlying pressures on public services.
Healthcare Delivery and Persistent Waiting Lists
The Executive reports that £135 million invested in healthcare has delivered more than 237,000 additional outpatient, diagnostic, and inpatient procedures over the past year. Officials highlight “significant reductions” in the longest waiting times for endoscopy, outpatient, and inpatient care.
However, these figures come against a backdrop of persistent challenges. Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency data published in March 2026 show that 527,062 patients were still waiting for a first consultant-led outpatient appointment at 31 December 2025, with 55.3 per cent waiting longer than 52 weeks. While this represents a 2.8 per cent decrease from September 2025, no Health and Social Care Trust met the draft target that 50 per cent of patients should wait no longer than nine weeks.
First Minister Michelle O’Neill said:
“The Programme for Government Annual Report shows real progress over the past year, and today’s visits brought that to life in a very practical way. At Kids Korner, we saw how the Executive’s £55 million investment in childcare and early years provision is helping families access more affordable childcare and giving children the best possible start in life.
“At On Track Technicians, it was clear how investment in skills is supporting people into good-quality jobs and helping the company to grow and compete, with more than 17,000 people across the north benefiting from skills programmes over the past year. The report also highlights wider delivery, including over 237,000 additional health procedures to help reduce waiting times, alongside continued investment in housing and vital public services.
“This is about turning investment into real outcomes for people, and while there is more to do, we are focused on building on that progress.”
Childcare Expansion Under Scrutiny
The Executive highlights £55 million invested in childcare and early years provision, creating over 2,500 full-time pre-school places through the Standardisation Programme. The Northern Ireland Childcare Subsidy Scheme has been extended to cover school-age children from September 2025, increasing the number of children eligible for support by 60 per cent to approximately 24,000.
Yet the expansion has not been without controversy. Parents have raised concerns that the shift toward full-time provision has reduced the availability of part-time places, potentially leaving some children without any nursery experience before starting primary school. The Education Minister has acknowledged that, while 105 settings transitioned to full-time provision in 2025, capacity constraints mean not every family can access their preferred setting.
Skills Fund and Economic Growth
At On Track Technicians in Lisburn—a railway infrastructure contractor founded in 2016—the ministers highlighted more than £20 million invested through the Skills Fund. This has supported around 17,000 people to upskill or reskill and engaged over 1,100 employers.
The visit coincided with the publication of the Programme for Government Annual Report 2025–26, which also notes £129 million allocated to public sector transformation projects across health, special educational needs, justice, and infrastructure.
Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly said:
“We have been clear from the outset that the focus of our Programme for Government is delivery. We are tackling the big issues to improve people’s lives, and this report demonstrates the progress made to date.
“We are committed to delivering an Early Learning and Childcare Strategy that gives children the best start in life while supporting more affordable childcare. Our visit to Kids Korner highlighted just how important this is for families and communities.
“We are also focused on growing a globally competitive and sustainable economy. At On Track Technicians in Lisburn, we saw how innovation and a clear growth strategy are delivering real economic benefits.
“Our Programme for Government is about taking action people can see and feel. While there is more to do, I am confident that by working together we can deliver what matters most and build strong foundations for future progress.”
Infrastructure and Community Safety
The report notes that over 5,300 additional properties have been enabled to connect to wastewater infrastructure, addressing a critical bottleneck that has stalled housing developments across Northern Ireland. Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins has previously warned that developer contributions alone cannot solve the billions of pounds required for wastewater upgrades over coming decades.
On community safety, the Executive reports continued delivery of the Ending Violence Against Women and Girls Delivery Plan, supported by more than £5 million in local and regional funding. This includes £3.2 million invested up to March 2026 in community-based action through local and regional change funds, supporting grassroots organisations to challenge attitudes and behaviours.
Questions Over Long-Term Sustainability
While the ministers emphasise delivery, independent analysis suggests significant challenges remain. A September 2025 report by the Pivotal think tank noted that, despite the Executive’s return in February 2024, “there remain major shortcomings—including scant improvements in day-to-day services, a lack of proper plans to tackle Northern Ireland’s most difficult policy challenges, and a failure to resolve tensions between some different objectives.”
The report highlighted concerns that “continuing with current policies will only lead to further deterioration in outcomes” in areas including health waiting lists, GP access, and wastewater infrastructure.
Key questions for stakeholders include:
- How will the Executive ensure that reductions in the longest waiting times translate into measurable improvements for the majority of patients still facing waits of over a year?
- What safeguards exist to ensure the expansion of full-time pre-school places does not disadvantage families requiring part-time provision or flexible childcare arrangements?
- Given that the £129 million transformation funding represents pilot programmes rather than systemic overhaul, what is the timeline for scaling successful initiatives across all Health and Social Care Trusts?
- How will the £5 million Ending Violence Against Women and Girls funding demonstrate measurable changes in attitudes and behaviours, given the framework’s focus on long-term cultural change?
- With the Executive facing “unprecedented low budget increases” over the next three years according to financial analysts, how will these investments be sustained beyond the current financial year?
The Programme for Government Annual Report 2025–26 and the accompanying Public Sector Transformation Fund Annual Progress Report are available online.