Let’s make a list of what’s buried under the carpet of the Executive and OFMdFM
After last Wednesday night’s euphoric display of maturity and backslapping, time to look at what’s really going on – or not going on – up at OFMdFM.
At East Belfast Speaks Out, Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness made one of their rare joint appearances speaking as individual MLAs rather than as the double headed chiefs of the Northern Ireland Executive. But while they were publicly agreeing and supporting each other on the panel, that’s not the full story around the corridors of Stormont Castle.
The Shared Future strategy disappeared down the back of someone’s sofa for a long time before being found and released as the Programme for Cohesion, Sharing and Integration (CSI).
Agreeing the draft budget is also taking the NI Executive longer than the equivalent institutions in Scotland and Wales.
But what other decisions, strategies and appointments have been delayed due to intransigence and indecision in the Office of First and deputy First Ministers or across the wider Executive?
If you know of something that’s delayed or disappeared, pop the details into the comments below along with an idea of the consequence or significance of the delay (if you know). Then over the next few weeks we’ll take a look at some of the issues you’ve raised in more detail.
(I’m going to keep the comments focussed on generating the list of issues, so discursive comments will be removed.)
PS: The NI Executive have just launched their snazzy new website …
One of the key issues raised during the consultations on the CSI programme was the promise to issue a Strategy for Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender (LGB&T) sector which was consulted on in 2006 but never was published.
The CSI strategy itself falls into the issue of elections next year as it is due to be ready for publication in the spring but will inevitably be lost in the pre election Purdah and then have to be renegotiated on the back of the results of the election – a new round of negotiation at the executive.
The whole decision making process around NIW.
How is it to be financed
What company structure is to be adopted since the GoCo is not acceptable
What about the Priestly enquiry? Should have been reported at the end of Oct 2010
The Rathlin ferry report which was published almost two years ago still hasn’t made it onto the Committee for Regional Development’s Forward Work Programme.
DSD has a few -
Their framework for Urban Regeneration and Community Development; their Review of the Regional Infrastructure Programme with lots of organisations waiting to see if they will have any funding next year; their guidelines for the new Community Support programme with councils waiting to see if they will have any money for community work next year. Oh, and you could also add the review of the Neighbourhood Renewal programme which is late and no one seems to know if it’ll exist next year – with lots of implications for jobs. Actually, is there anything DSD is publishing?
The Education and Skills Authority and the Review of Public Administration have hit the buffers.
A cautionary warning. Let’s not stampede the Executive into decision making. Libraries NI has been established but it’s ‘success’ has led to the closure of lots of small libraries.
Just a small aside with regard to your PS, Alan. I followed the links through to DRD News and found this gem:
REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT MINISTER ADDRESSES INSTITUTE OF TAXATION
Seems he was speechless
You refer to delay and disappearance. Some of the difficulties I’ve had in getting to the bottom of stories relate to non-appearance – in particular the failure by Ministers and officials to professionally record notes/minutes of meetings. The absence of a full audit trail means that blame for failure can’t be properly attributed and victims can be denied justice.
Brian
ah whatever happened to the landmark Single Equality Act? I recall consultations and discussions back to 2000
Clash over continuing water meter installation.
The Irish language Act.
The strategy to enhance the development of the Irish language.
As it was my team that designed and developed the new website I’m glad to hear the term “snazzy” associated with it! Any feedback?
On Thursday ni-libraries are going to announce a ‘strategic review’ -so another a round of closures are due. If this is success, what is failure going to look like?