PfG Progress Report: Not much progress

The Executive’s last eight months have been marked by “a failure to agree a budget, an inability to work together on shared challenges, and increasing tensions and divisions between parties”, however meaningful progress has also been achieved, a new report has found.

Running out of time: The performance of the Northern Ireland Executive in 2026 so far, published by Pivotal in September 2026, identifies the Executive’s inability to agree a budget as its “defining failure of the year”.

It says the absence of a budget five months into the financial year means departments cannot plan or transform, will struggle to meet pay pressures, and risk further decline in public services. The report adds that significant overspends are likely.

Without a budget, there are missed opportunities to plan for service delivery, pay awards, investment, and reform, the report says. This leads to increased uncertainty for public bodies and community groups, reduced business confidence, and a lack of confidence in Stormont among the electorate, it adds.

Health

The Programme for Government (PfG) sets an aim to cut health wait times. A progress report on the PfG, published in May 2026, states that £135 million has been invested this year to do so which it says has delivered over 237,000 additional outpatient, diagnostic and inpatient procedures delivered. Multi-disciplinary teams have also been rolled out which the report says has reduced hospital referrals.

However, Pivotal’s report states that over 510,000 are still waiting a consultant-led outpatient appointment. Over 54 per cent of patients were waiting over a year for treatment despite a target of 0 per cent. Emergency departments remain in “perma-crisis” with overcrowding resulting in 1,032 excess deaths.

Education

The Pivotal report states that, under the TransformED programme, the Department of Education (DE) has made progress on curriculum, assessment, qualifications, tackling disadvantage, and professional development.

However, it has been criticised for a lack of action on academic selection, language learning, and media literacy. Additionally, four in five teachers feel it has made their workload unmanageable. An action plan on teacher workload has been published by DE.

The PfG sets an aim to deliver enhanced support for children facing disadvantage and children with additional needs/disabilities. It also sets a target to deliver better support for children and young people with special educational needs (SEN).

The PfG progress report states that £27.5 million has been secured from the Public Sector Transformation board for SEN reform, adding that delivery is underway. Pivotal’s report states that some SEN regulations have been delayed in Assembly scrutiny. Furthermore, numerous SEN pupils did not have a confirmed school place at the beginning of summer.

Justice

The PfG sets an aim to end violence against women and girls. The PfG progress report states that campaigns have been implemented including ‘Power to Change’, investments have been made through local and regional change funds, and the Challenge Fund was launched to achieve this.

Pivotal’s report notes that the Department of Justice (DoJ) has introduced the Criminal Justice (Sentencing etc) Bill and the Victims and Witnesses of Crime Bill. The report notes that “institutional misogyny” and “systemic failures” in the PSNI was identified in a review into the killing of Katie Simpson. The PSNI also remains significantly underfunded, restricting its capacity to recruit.

The PfG sets an aim to keep communities safe and improving outcomes for those who engage with the justice system. The PfG progress report states that £20.5 million in funding has been secured from the Public Sector Transformation Board to help reduce delays and free up capacity in the courts for more serious cases.

Economy

The PfG sets an aim to grow a globally competitive and sustainable economy. To deliver this, it focuses on productivity, good jobs, decarbonisation, and regional balance. On regional balance, the PfG progress report states that there has been a £27 million investment in the Ulster University Magee Campus. However, Pivotal’s report states that delivery of the redevelopment remains in “jeopardy” due to a potential funding shortfall.

On productivity, the PfG progress report states that over £490 million in funding has been approved for 22 projects. The Pivotal report notes that 23,000 of those aged between 16 and 24 are Not in Employment, Education, or Training (NEET). This is 4,000 more than last year.

The PfG progress report states that £20 million has been invested in Skills Fund Delivery from July 2024. However, Pivotal’s report states that the Good Jobs Bill has been held up in the Executive due to concerns about trade union access and the impact of zero-hours contracts. It says: “For such a substantial Bill, time is running out for it to be scrutinised and passed within this mandate.”

Infrastructure

The report says voluntary developer contributions, opted for by the Minister, to increase wastewater capacity may lead to patchwork development. It says this may increase private house prices in some areas “while affordable housing remains blocked”.

Translink states that it has been underfunded by the Department by £23 million in recent years and is considering reducing services and fare discounts for young people along with increasing the cost of promotional fares.

The Department has launched an appointment process for independent planning inspectors to reform planning. This is intended to reduce backlogs in the Planning Appeals Commission. The report says: “Processing times for both local and major applications remain above the target waits.”

Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs

The PfG sets an aim to protect Lough Neagh and the Environment. The PfG progress report states that 20 of the 37 actions in the Lough Neagh Action Plan have been delivered with the remainder currently being progressed. However, Pivotal’s report notes that the lough remains polluted by blue-green algae.

A review of the Environmental Improvement Plan by the Office for Environmental Protection found that, of 38 targets, limited progress has been made towards 27, mixed progress towards six, and good progress towards two. Three could not be measured.

The report notes that relations between the Department and the Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) have “significantly deteriorated” following the cattle cull in Fivemiletown. However, the UFU has praised the process for the revised Nutrients Action Programme for the the manner in which it reached consensus among stakeholders.

Communities

The PfG sets an aim to provide more social, affordable, and sustainable housing. The PfG progress report states that £210.7 million has been allocated to the Social Housing Development Programme, with 1,765 new social homes commenced in 2025/2026.

However, Pivotal’s report states that the social housing waiting list has surpassed 50,000, a 30 per cent increase over the last 10 years. Statutory homelessness has increased by 156.5 per cent since 2014.

The PfG progress report states that the Warm Health Homes Strategy was launched in February 2026, adding that work is ongoing on the development of an action plan for the strategy.

While Pivotal’s report recognises “strategic and structural challenges” facing the Executive, it says Executive parties “respond to problems by blaming others, in most cases a political opponent or the UK Government”. It says: “An inability to take tough choices not only delays the decision, but makes it harder and more expensive to solve in future. This lack of action is unsustainable.”