100 days after resumption of Stormont, parties challenged to deliver

One hundred days following the resumption of devolved government in Northern Ireland, the Stormont Executive has been challenged to deliver.

Stormont Opposition leader Matthew O’Toole said while “good vibes” between ministers in the multi-party coalition are welcome, the public “rightly expect delivery”.

The Executive was reformed at the end of January following almost two years of political instability.

On the third Opposition day at Stormont, the official Opposition is set to propose a summer recess deadline for the publication of the Executive’s programme for government.

They are also set to propose a timeline for the establishment of an Independent Environmental Protection Agency and support for the Tourism and Hospitality Sector, which faces an immediate sustainability crisis.

Mr O’Toole described the third Opposition day as “being about delivery”.

“The vast majority of people are glad that devolved government has returned and that ministers appear to be, for the most part, working well together. But ask anyone on a hospital waiting list or fighting for an SEN statement for their child and they’ll tell you that good vibes and glossy PR don’t make life any easier for them,” he said.

“One hundred days into this new administration and people are right to probe ministers’ priorities. Because despite months of engagement with senior civil servants and now months of direct power, the Executive doesn’t really seem to know what its purpose is – and that’s bad news for people relying on public services that desperately need to be rescued.

“As a constructive opposition, we don’t expect the Executive to have fixed everything, but the problem is that they don’t seem to have a plan to do anything. The First Minister recently told us that we shouldn’t ‘be in a rush’ but the truth is that people across our communities are in a rush – a rush to be seen by a doctor, a rush to get a home that meets their needs, a rush to get a good job and a good school to support their family.

“This Opposition Day is about delivery – on a Programme for Government, a plan to establish an Independent Environmental Protection Agency and urgent support for the tourism and hospitality industry facing an immediate crisis. Our consistent focus has been on outcomes that can change people’s lives for the better. We’re in a rush to change things and the Executive should be too.”