The Executive's draft programme for government is a sign that devolved government in Northern Ireland is working, despite political uncertainty, the First Minister has said.
Opening the Assembly debate on the draft programme, in which the Executive commits itself to meet over 150 targets in the year 2002-2003, Mr Trimble said rapid progress had been made since the first programme had been approved in March.
Thirty-seven of more than 200 pledges made in March had been fully implemented already, Mr Trimble said.
"My hope is that the distractions of recent weeks will detain us no longer," he said. "The full implementation of the agreement must be pursued vigorously with direct responsibility without further large-scale commitment of ministerial time."
Among the major goals of the programme, Mr Trimble pointed to actions that would lead to a total enrolment of 35,500 full-time students in higher education, a figure 2,500 higher than in 1999-2000 when the Executive was established.
In health, he conceded that waiting lists were longer than other UK regions but also said the Executive would have increased its spending on health by 21 per cent, £400 million, up to next March. Under the draft programme this would increase by a further £186 million, he said.
The Deputy First Minister identified key policy areas where the Executive was consulting the public to introduce sweeping change. These include reviews of acute hospitals, post-primary education and the future of the agri-food sector.
Mr Mark Durkan said that because he held the posts both of Deputy First Minister and Minister of Finance, he hoped the draft programme would fit seamlessly with the budget. Members were generally supportive of the priorities as laid out in the draft programme but had many reservations, especially in the area of health.
Mr Eddie McGrady of the SDLP said the programme demonstrated the increasing degree of co-operation among all the parties in government in the North.
In health, however, and cancer treatment especially, "we are woefully behind in our techniques, we are woefully behind in our diagnosis, we are woefully behind in our treatment," he said.
The Rev William McCrea, the DUP chairman of the Environment Committee, was also sceptical of the impact extra money being spent on health would have. He accused staff in the Department of Health of being inept. "I feel that many within the Department have not a clue or an idea of how to deal with the present crisis, never mind facing the winter months as well," he said.
Mr Francie Molloy of Sinn FΘin said that the programme was constrained by the amount of money paid by the British treasury to the Executive. The amount made available, determined by the so-called Barnett formula, was inadequate, he said, and he urged the Executive to secure additional resources.
Mr David Ford, leader of the Alliance Party, said that while 37 of the last programme's commitments had been met, a list of as yet unfulfilled commitments ran to six pages.
Ms Jane Morrice of the Women's Coalition said dramatic improvement was needed in public transport. "We want to be able to get on a train and sit in a clean carriage in comfort where we are going to be communicated with [as to] what sop we can get off or why the train has stopped, or even that the train won't be delayed any longer," she said.