The Stormont Executive's three-year Programme for Government and the accompanying £20 billion (€26.84 billion) investment strategy will create "a shared and better future for all the people of Northern Ireland", First Minister the Rev Ian Paisley told the Northern Assembly yesterday.
Dr Paisley and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness claimed the plans, which have been open for consultation since they were published in draft form last October, would "begin to transform society".
The programme includes a series of economic, educational, environmental and social targets. But its focus is firmly on increasing Northern Ireland's economic performance, reducing the scale of the huge public sector and improving the "knowledge economy" by investing in education.
Sinn Féin believes it has written its equality agenda into the programme which will now be applied across a host of departmental areas. However, the SDLP Assembly group may vote against the Executive's budget when it comes before the Assembly for final approval today. Sources said members were "70 to 30 inclined to vote against" Minister for Finance Peter Robinson's budget because not enough was allocated to social programmes, particularly housing.
The party is prepared for Minister for Social Development Margaret Ritchie, the SDLP's sole Minister in the 10-member Executive, to vote for the budget to avoid splitting the powersharing arrangement. However, the remaining 15 members of the Assembly group are debating whether to abstain or to vote against the budget.
A well-placed Ulster Unionist source says there is a slim chance its members will abstain on the budget. It is more likely they will vote yes, although many caveats are expected to be made in speeches when the debate on the issue begins later today at Stormont.
Margaret Ritchie has won an extra £200 million for social housing projects as a result of lobbying during the consultation period. However, her party colleagues believe that with some 38,000 people on housing waiting lists, 21,000 of whom are officially homeless, more needs to be allocated.
Introducing the final document to members yesterday, Dr Paisley said the programme marked another milestone in the Executive's achievements.
Mr McGuinness said: "At long last local Ministers are making decisions on behalf of local people . . . This Executive is determined to make a difference, the public can be assured that we will drive these plans forward and deliver the goals outlined in this programme."
The Assembly was told that more than 9,500 people formally responded to the draft proposals since October, representing the highest response rate of any consultation undertaken by government in the North.
The Ministers also announced an investment strategy amounting to almost £20 billion of investment in the next 10 years, of which almost £6 billion is earmarked for the first three years.
The bulk of Executive spending, some 60 per cent, is directed towards health provision and social development. There is also an additional £140 million for hospital modernisation.
Criticism of the programme came from the Assembly's sole Green member. Brian Wilson said: "Climate change, the biggest opportunity and challenge facing the Northern Ireland economy, did not figure highly in the programme for government.
"The Executive's commitment to reduce green-house gas emissions by 25 per cent (below 1990 levels) by 2025, will have a very negative effect on future generations and is only a baby step in the right direction."
Programme for Government: main proposals
Raise the employment rate from 70 per cent to 75 per cent by 2020;
Create a minimum of 6,500 jobs, 85 per cent of which will be above the private sector median wage;
Ensure that 68 per cent of school-leavers achieve at least five GCSEs at grade C or above;
Reduce the number of children killed on the North's roads by 50 per cent by 2012;
Provide free public transport to everyone aged 60 or above;
Invest more than £500 million in regenerating disadvantaged communities by 2012.