NORTHERN IRELAND

Government Transformation and Service Delivery

Record date: 31 March 2026

Whole-life cost: £430.6m
Published schedule: 01/01/2021 – 11/02/2026
NISTA delivery confidence: Not disclosed
Senior responsible owner: Mark Thompson

What the project is for

The Defra Northern Ireland Programme was formed in January 2021 and was led by the Northern Ireland, Biosecurity and Trade Directorate. Its objectives were to ensure an enduring, operable NI/GB boundary for all Defra stakeholders and the ongoing integrity and efficacy of Defra's regulatory regimes in the context of the Windsor Framework, working collaboratively with devolved governments. This was achieved by implementing the UK Government’s commitments under the Windsor Framework, ensuring smooth trade between Great Britain (GB) and NI, while maintaining biosecurity and supporting the UK internal market.

Departmental delivery commentary

Delivery confidence for the Northern Ireland Programme is green as the Programme successfully closed on time and budget. The programme successfully delivered its objective to implement the Windsor Framework requirements. It delivered 15 projects, including three major schemes covering retail movement, plant health labelling and pet travel. The Programme facilitated the movement of goods and pets with reduced friction, delivered enabling infrastructure, including Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) facilities at ports and implemented digital solutions for compliance and risk-based checks. It has successfully transitioned all NI schemes to enduring Senior Service Ownership under Northern Ireland Strategy & Services.

Schedule

The programme implemented multi-disciplinary teams and accelerated delivery to compress timeframes and achieve deliverables. Closing projects in a timely way, paralleled with agile and effective programme management allowed the closure of the programme to be brought forward.

Cost

Forecasts were improved in accuracy throughout the delivery year but have now been replaced by known actual spend. This combined with the accelerated and efficient closure of the programme decreased digital costs and reduced the whole life cost of the programme.

Benefits

There has been no change in Programme benefits. The post-programme evaluation is ongoing and will inform any changes in benefits figures.