Finance Minister announces £102.6 million for transformation projects
On Tuesday (26 May), Finance Minister John O’Dowd announced £102.6 million for an additional six projects to transform public services. The funding is the remaining allocation of a £235 million financial package pledged by the UK Government to restore Northern Ireland’s devolved institutions in 2024, known as the “transformation fund”. The six projects recommended by the Transformation Board include: £42m for an e-Pharmacy scheme replacing paper prescriptions; £29.2m for the Together for Families project establishing a regionwide model of early support for families, which will also receive £30m in match funding from the National Lottery; £16m for the Department for Communities’ Pathways to Work and Wellbeing proposal; £6m for the Department of Finance’s (DoF) digital workplace programme to modernise records across the Civil Service; £4m for the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs’ Bovine Tuberculosis Research Project; and £5.3m for the DoF’s NISRA Data Linkage Officer to improve data-sharing across departments.
What next: Finance Minister John O’Dowd said he will seek Executive support on funding for a further five projects recommended for approval if his draft multi-year budget proposals are agreed.
Sinn Féin accuse DUP of blocking Good Jobs Bill at the Executive
The Executive met on Thursday (28 May) and considered the Good Jobs Bill, but ministers did not reach consensus or allow the Bill to progress to the Assembly for debate, the News Letter reports. Economy Minister Caoimhe Archibald first set out proposals for the Bill over a year ago. Her Sinn Féín colleague, Finance Minister John O’Dowd, said: “It’s no secret the DUP have stopped it leaving the Executive and going to the Assembly, so therefore it’s blocked out in those circumstances.” He said that while there have been “very useful discussions” at the Executive, “the best place to have these debates is on the floor of the Assembly”. However, deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly said her party needed more time to scrutinise the Bill. “I have a duty in the Executive Committee, and that is to scrutinise the proposals that come forward,” she said.
What next: According to the Belfast Telegraph, if the Bill does not complete its first and second readings in the Assembly before the summer recess, it will be difficult for it to pass before the end of the mandate.
Executive defends PfG progress as First Minister hits out at Westminster funding
On Wednesday (27 May), the Belfast Telegraph reported that First Minister Michelle O’Neill and Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly had launched the Executive’s Programme for Government Annual Report 2025-26, outlining progress across nine priority areas including childcare, health waiting lists and skills investment. Ms O’Neill defended the Executive’s record while acknowledging public frustration, saying the Westminster budget settlement was “not good enough” adding that Northern Ireland remained comparatively underfunded relative to Scotland and Wales. Ms Little-Pengelly highlighted the childcare subsidy scheme, through which more than 27,000 children and 20,000 parents had benefited, as among the clearest examples of direct financial support reaching households.
What next: Leader of the Opposition Matthew O’Toole described the report as an attempt “to claim credit for the bare minimum”, adding that the Executive “are falling well short of their own meagre targets”. He said the public “won’t be fooled by an Executive that has given up on governing and has already moved to election mode.”
Stakeholder Watch
Declan Kearney MLA (Sinn Féin, South Antrim): “Read my latest blog. “The as yet unanswered question is whether the DUP will try to prevent passage of this Bill into law, & deny workers & families, including those who vote for the party, improved employment rights, enhanced workplace conditions & representation & decent pay.”
Phillip Brett MLA (DUP, North Belfast): “Northern Ireland can no longer be the outlier in the UK on hunting wild mammals with dogs. Hunting animals for fun, or defending cruelty on the basis of tradition, is not acceptable. I support the principle of this Bill and believe it should progress to further scrutiny”.
David Honeyford (Alliance, Lagan Valley): “The IMF has outlined major economic vulnerabilities facing Ireland. The reality is that we in Northern Ireland face many of the exact same challenges. Energy transition. AI & workforce reskilling. Infrastructure gaps. Planning. Housing. Productivity. We need far better north-south collaboration focused on practical delivery, economic resilience and creating opportunity for people north & south! #SharedFuture”
Andy Allen MBE MLA (UUP, East Belfast): “Wholeheartedly agree with Mark. I have been consistently clear that, if we are serious about turning the curve on the housing crisis, we need to create the conditions to build at least 5,000 social homes per year. At the most recent Communities Question Time, I raised directly with the Minister that while funding pressures are repeatedly referenced, the Executive’s Housing Supply Strategy risks losing credibility if the funding required to deliver its ambition is not provided. The need is there, as consistently highlighted by the housing figures. What is now required is the political will and long-term investment to match the scale of the challenge.”
Matthew O’Toole MLA (SDLP, South Belfast): “This just insults people’s intelligence. These parties cannot engage in exhausting daily sham fights with one another, refuse to set a Budget, abdicate all responsibility… then expect to be given praise for “progress.” Our politics needs fundamental change. We can do better.”
TUV: “NI doesn’t need a “contingency plan” for a Reform Gov #TUV #TimothyGaston”.
Green Party NI: “New research from Barnardo’s Call It What It Is campaign paints a deeply disturbing picture of what life online looks like for many young girls today.”
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Hilary Benn: “This £102.6 million of UK investment is significant. It is a clear signal of the Government’s commitment to supporting the Executive to deliver better public services for the people of Northern Ireland. I look forward to seeing the results of the successful projects.”
Other Stories
Executive to release £80m of ringfenced funding to tackle waiting lists
On Thursday (28 May), Health Minister Mike Nesbitt confirmed that the Executive will release £80m of ringfenced funding to tackle waiting lists in NI. The measure was contained in the draft budget for this year, and while ministers have not yet agreed on a final budget they have decided to approve the funding allocation, the News Letter reports. Health Minister Mike Nesbitt said the decision would ensure “momentum” would not be lost after recent progress to cut the region’s lengthy waiting times for elective care. He told reporters that while the health service had “more than exceeded” the Programme for Government target for reducing waiting times last year, there was a danger “it would be written off as a one-year wonder”. He added “the first positive announcement you’re likely to hear is that we’re moving to 24/7 thrombectomy stroke services.”
DUP presses Chancellor for “better financial settlement” for Northern Ireland
On Saturday (23 May), DUP Leader Gavin Robinson pressed the UK Chancellor for a better financial settlement for Northern Ireland, saying that NI was “being asked to deliver first-class public services with second-class funding”. It comes as the Executive remains unable to agree a new three-year Budget almost two months into the financial year. According to the Irish News, Mr Robinson also asked the Chancellor for borrowing powers that would allow NI to build more homes, improve infrastructure and support economic growth. In an email to DUP party members, the leader said he had heard from business leaders that while NI has “huge potential, it is being held back by planning delays, underinvestment and systems that simply do not work quickly enough”. In response, a UK government spokesperson said the Secretary of State continues to engage with the Finance Minister on the issue. They said the Executive “needs to come forward with a detailed strategic plan for how they will manage their finances and move towards sustainability.”
Infrastructure Minister defends Translink fares freeze
Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins has defended her decision to freeze bus and train fares across Northern Ireland for a second year, despite warnings that Translink could reduce public transport services and discounts. According to BBC News, Ms Kimmins said increasing fares while households are under financial pressure would be “far more detrimental” than keeping prices frozen. However, Translink Chief Executive Chris Conway previously told the Infrastructure Committee that freezing fares has cost more than £20m in revenue over the past nine years. Mr Conway acknowledged that cuts to services would be disappointing, but said they would protect Translink from a “financially unsustainable position”. DUP MLA Deborah Erskine has criticised the decision, warning that rural areas such as her constituency of Fermanagh and South Tyrone could see vital services cut.
Hundreds of social homes are delayed due to water infrastructure restrictions
More than 40% of planned social homes are facing delays due to a lack of adequate wastewater infrastructure, according to Communities Minister Gordon Lyons. Responding to a written Assembly question from SDLP MLA Justin McNulty, Mr Lyons said data provided by NI Water in August 2025 showed that more than 1,800 of 4,700 proposed social housing units could be delayed. He said around 1,300 homes require developers to engage with NI Water to “determine if a solution is possible”, whilst a further 650 cannot proceed until the sewage system is upgraded. Mr Lyons described water infrastructure restrictions as “a key barrier to housing supply”. According to the Irish News, Mr McNulty said wastewater services have been “neglected for far too long” and accused Executive ministers of a “lack of seriousness”.
Communities Minister considering intervention to progress stalled £500m Tribeca project
On Wednesday (27 May), the Belfast Telegraph reported that Communities Minister Gordon Lyons was considering establishing a Public-Private Reference Group to try to unblock the long-stalled £500m Tribeca regeneration project in Belfast city centre. Led by Castlebrooke Investments, the scheme would regenerate more than 10 acres near St Anne’s Cathedral into a mix of retail, residential and office space and had been granted planning permission in 2020 but had seen no construction in the six years since. The project was originally due to be completed in 2023. Mr Lyons described the site’s continued stagnation as “not just a missed opportunity” but something that “actively contributes to the deterioration of a key part of the city”. The proposed Reference Group would include representatives from the Department for Communities and Belfast City Council, while Mr Lyons indicated he intended to brief MLAs and address the Assembly “when appropriate”.
SDLP MLA Patsy McGlone announces decision to not seek re-election
On Friday (29 May), BBC NI reported that Patsy McGlone, SDLP MLA for Mid Ulster, had announced his decision not to seek re-election at the next Assembly election. Mr McGlone was the SDLP’s longest serving MLA, first elected to the Assembly in 2003.
Northern Ireland public relations firm Chambré expands into Wales
On Thursday (28 May), Belfast-based public affairs firm Chambré announced it is expanding its services into Wales, following the recent Senedd elections and the growth of the Welsh Parliament from 60 to 96 members, the News Letter reports. The firm has appointed Devin Scobie, who has over 30 years’ experience in public affairs and strategic communications across the UK, as Senior Counsel to lead the firm’s Welsh offering. Ben Collins, director at Chambré, said the expansion came at a pivotal moment: “This is a defining moment for Wales. The Senedd elections have ushered in one of the most significant political shifts since devolution began in 1999.” Founder Will Chambré added that the move would allow the firm to “support organisations with interests across multiple jurisdictions, offering seamless, informed counsel grounded in both regional understanding and national perspective.”
Across the Border
Social Democrats and Fine Gael win by-elections in Dublin and Galway
The Social Democrats and Fine Gael won additional Dáil seats in Dublin Central and Galway West, after by-elections were held last Friday (22 May). Daniel Ennis won for the Social Democrats in Dublin Central, topping the poll with 19.7% of first preference votes, ahead of Sinn Féin (17.5%), the Green Party (11.7%), and Independent candidate Gerry Hutch (11.3%). RTÉ News reports that Social Democrats now have 12 TDs, one more than centre-left rivals Labour, granting them additional speaking time in the Dáil. In Galway West, Seán Kyne won for Fine Gael. He finished slightly behind Independent Ireland’s Noel Thomas on first preference vote (20.1% to 20.9%), but overtook Thomas on transfers following the elimination of third place candidate Helen Ogbu of Labour. Kyne’s win is the first time a government party has won a by-election since 2014, and just the fourth since 1982. The results will increase pressure on both Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald, whose party were defeated in her home constituency in Dublin Central, and Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin, as despite low expectations his party failed to be competitive in either contest and delivered its worst-ever share of first preference vote in a Dáil election in Dublin Central.
Junior Minister Niall Collins moving to Department of Agriculture, Catherine Ardagh promoted
Niall Collins TD (Fianna Fáil, Limerick County) was appointed as a Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture with responsibility for forestry, farm safety, and horticulture. He is taking over the portfolio of Independent TD Michael Healy-Rae, who resigned from the Government last month in response to the handling of fuel protests. Catherine Ardagh TD (Fianna Fáil, Dublin South-Central) was promoted and will take Collins’ previous position as Junior Minister in the Department of Justice with responsibility for international law, law reform and youth justice.
Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions to fall by just half of the amount pledged
New projections by the Environmental Protection Agency suggest that Ireland will reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2030, only half of the 51% drop required by law. The EPA also warns that the reduction could be as little as 13 per cent if current climate policies are pursued for the next four-and-a-half years and pledges to do more do not materialise, according to the Irish Times. Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment Darragh O’Brien welcomed the forecast, saying: “It shows a continued reduction in emissions even while the economy is growing and while the population is growing.” He said he believed the electricity sector would perform better than the EPA’s projection of 60% coming from renewable sources. “We won’t make the [2030] target,” he said, but he stressed he was “not surrendering and not reducing our ambition”.
What We’re Reading
Agreeing a budget is overdue and urgent for the Executive – Ann Watt
In Tuesday’s Belfast Telegraph, Director of Pivotal Ann Watt writes that the NI Executive faces “an unprecedented and alarming budgetary position this year”, which is being hidden by the Executive’s failure to agree a multi-year budget. She says that maintaining public sector pay parity “will be impossible with existing staff numbers, unless services are cut drastically or additional funding is found”. “Without an agreed budget”, Watt explains, “the Department of Finance can permit limited spending… in line with previous commitments”, but warns that this is “a stop-gap measure which carries serious risk”. She says that without a budget framework, departments are likely to continue with previous patterns of spending, ignoring the reality that “an emergency brake needs to be pulled immediately”. Watt says that while the Department of Finance predict an overspend of £700m this year, Pivotal estimates that it could reach £1 billion “if departments’ spending increases by a similar rate to previous years”. She warns that the ongoing uncertainty may mean that “improvements to service delivery may have to wait, hopes of multi-year pay deals and workforce plans will be put on hold, and transformation and reform may be delayed until the funding platform is more certain”. In response to these issues, she issued three recommendations: “a firm timeline towards an agreed budget” before the summer recess, clear communication from the Executive regarding the steps they will take “to improve their financial situation”, and the UK Government to bring an end to the “cycle of repeated budgetary bailouts, through working with the Executive to place it on a more sustainable financial footing”.
Forward Look
Thursday 4 June 2026
Shared Island Social Enterprise Conference 2026, Monaghan Peace Campus- Read more here.
Monday 8 June 2026
Sustainable Energy Communities NI (SEC NI) Conference, Stormont- Read more here.
Wednesday 10 June 2026
NICVA Summit 2026- Read more here.
Saturday 12 June 2026
NI Chamber Energy Forum, ECOS Ballymena- Read more here.
Friday 11 – Saturday 12 September 2026
SDLP Conference, Crowne Plaza Belfast
Friday 18 – Saturday 19 September 2026
DUP annual conference, La Mon Hotel, Belfast
Friday 25 – Saturday 26 September 2026
UUP annual conference, Crowne Plaza Belfast
Thursday 8 October 2026
NILGA Conference, Island Arts Centre Lisburn
Wednesday 18 November 2026
North West Future of Energy Conference & Exhibition 2026, White Horse Hotel- Read more here.
Thursday 19 November – Friday 20 November 2026
NIFHA Annual Conference 2026, Slieve Donard Hotel- Read more here.
Thursday 10 December 2026
NIFHA Housing Finance Conference, DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Templepatrick- Read more here.
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