Stormont’s delayed programme for government has been hit by another hitch after its planned publication was postponed at late notice.
Ministers had been due to meet on Wednesday morning to sign off on a final version of the devolved administration’s governance plan.
A press conference involving Sinn Fein First Minister Michelle O’Neill and DUP deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly was planned at Stormont Castle after the meeting for a public announcement on the programme for government.
However, those plans have now been shelved, with the media informed of the postponement early on Wednesday morning.
A senior Stormont source said “more work” is required on the document.
The draft programme for government – an 88-page document titled Our Plan: Doing What Matters Most – was published last September ahead of an eight-week public consultation exercise.
First Minister Michelle O’Neill and deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly launched the draft programme for government in September (David Young/PA)
A final version was due to be agreed before the first anniversary of the return of devolution at start of February, but that timeline was not met.
At the time, Ms O’Neill blamed the delay on the Executive’s need to respond to Storm Eowyn.
However, five weeks on, there is now fresh uncertainty over when the blueprint will eventually be agreed and made public.
The draft programme for government was framed by three key missions – people, planet and prosperity – with an underpinning cross-cutting commitment to peace.
It set out nine policy areas that Executive ministers have agreed to prioritise in the two years remaining in this Assembly mandate.
They are: growing a globally competitive and sustainable economy; delivering affordable childcare; cutting health waiting times; ending violence against women and girls; providing better support for children and young people with special educational needs (SEN); providing more social, affordable and sustainable housing; making communities safer; protecting Lough Neagh and the environment; and reforming and transforming public services.
When the draft document was published, critics claimed it lacked tangible targets to measure progress in achieving its objectives.