It will be a “terrible condemnation” of the Stormont powersharing Executive if pledges of extra money in the Programme for Government to tackle hospital waiting lists are not delivered, Health Minister Mike Nesbitt has said.
Mr Nesbitt issued a public challenge to Finance Minister John O’Dowd, First Minister Michelle O’Neill and deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly to “show me the money” as he seeks clarity over targets in the document.
Mr Nesbitt also said the language in the programme for government (PFG) was “to some extent aspirational”.
First Minister Michelle O’Neill (left) and deputy First Minister Emma Little Pengelly (right) with the Stormont Executive’s Programme for Government on Monday (David Young/PA)
The PFG published on Monday includes a pledge to spend up to £80 million a year to prevent waiting lists getting any longer – and £135 million a year to reduce them.
Mr Nesbitt had previously said he only became aware of the commitment when he received a final version of the PFG last week.
A spokesperson for the Department of Finance has said the draft 2025-26 budget is currently out for consultation and the Executive will agree the final allocations.
Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Mr Nesbitt said the target of an additional £215 million to alleviate hospital waiting list pressures was “a huge reversal” by The Executive Office.
He said: “We had asked for that money before and hadn’t been successful.
“It is extremely welcome. I want a bit of clarity about the money and particularly about the timeline because if we are getting it, we have to spend it.
“We absolutely have to spend it and therefore we need urgently to plan how we do that, because it is not just about money, it is about the buildings and equipment and above all the workforce who can deliver the change to the waiting lists.”
Mr Nesbtt added: “What I said yesterday was that on the face of it, it was really good news and represented a change of heart in terms of The Executive Office and the Executive.
“But I do want to say to the Minister for Finance, and to the First Minister and deputy First Minister, show me the money.
“Because now that that is out in the public domain, that has raised expectations for people on the waiting lists, for the professionals, for me, for everybody. The worst thing we could do is not deliver on that.
“So I will be writing urgently to the First and deputy First Minister (and) to John O’Dowd in Finance. I will be looking for meetings just to nail that down and have absolutely surety about the money being there and when it is going to be available to be spent.”
Asked why he had not asked for clarity before he agreed to the publication of the PFG, Mr Nesbitt said: “I asked for that surety, we asked for that money before and those bids were not successful.
“But I am not for walking away. I am going to go in and do the best job I can with the money that is available to me, with the workforce that is available to me with the resources that are available to me.”
The minister said that reading the PFG, “it is clear this is to some extent aspirational”.
He said: “It talks about ‘with Executive support we will have up to £135 million’, not we will have £135 million.
“I am just going to work with what I have got and I am going to continue to argue for what I need.”
Asked if the expectations of patients were to be dashed again, Mr Nesbitt added: “I don’t think the bubble has burst and I think if the bubble were to burst it would be a terrible condemnation of the Executive, for raising expectations, only to dash them.
“We are talking about people who are living in pain, maybe have been living in pain for years and now they are suddenly being given hope for the first time in a long time that they may get some relief.
“So, it would be worse than cruel to dash those hopes.”
A spokesperson for the Department of Finance: “The health service is a priority for the Executive with this being reflected as one of the nine pillars in the Programme for Government.
“The Draft 2025-26 Budget is currently out for consultation. Once this is complete, the Executive will agree the final Budget including the final allocations for each individual department.”