David Trimble: "Package is very significant"

The Stormont Executive's Agenda for Government promises to target �5m at reducing waiting lists in Northern Ireland's hospitals.

It has also approved �6.2m to be aimed at a programme to improve school buildings.

Northern Ireland's railways will receive �3m to improve safety.

A public health strategy will also be drawn up to improve the health and well-being of older people in Northern Ireland and address the problem of teenage parenthood, the executive said.

The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development is to receive �1.3m to revitalise the rural economy.

The executive also pledged to continue its campaign to achieve low BSE incidence export status for the province's beef and to improve access to information technology for the farming community.

The Department of the Environment in Northern Ireland is to receive �400,000 for improving road safety, with the appointment of new education officers and the creation of a new safety campaign focused primarily at young people.

'Striving hard'

A second tranche of additional funding available to the executive for use across the departments will be announced in the autumn, the executive said after its weekly meeting in Stormont.

Mr Trimble described the �27.6m package as "very significant" because it represented the collective will of the Stormont ministers working together.

He said: "Devolution returned to Northern Ireland at the end of May and has been working well.

"In the different departments we are back at work, striving hard to progress the business of government.

"Today the executive has been focusing on making cross-the-board decisions about the direction and nature of our administration - and how we make a difference to the people of Northern Ireland, using programmes and policies, working across departments to have an impact."

Mr Mallon said the funding and the release of the executive's Agenda for Government showed just how serious the cabinet was to provide "strong, effective, accountable and fair" leadership to the people of Northern Ireland.