People in NI deserve better than Executive which has ‘failed repeatedly’ – SDLP

The people of Northern Ireland “deserve better” than a powersharing Executive which has “failed repeatedly”, Stormont’s opposition leader Matthew O’Toole has said.

SDLP leader Claire Hanna said her party did not want to criticise the devolved ministers unnecessarily, but added that they had to be held to the standard of “meaningfully changing people’s lives”.

The SDLP forms the official opposition within the Northern Ireland Assembly, where a coalition of four parties makes up the Executive.

The institutions returned a year ago after a two-year suspension.

Speaking at Stormont, Ms Hanna said her party was glad the Executive is stable.

But she added: “It is important that we are not just marking time but marking progress as well and meaningfully changing people’s lives.

“We are not sure that we are seeing enough of that.

“We have been keen not to criticise the Executive for every little thing that they do but to focus primarily on the things that they are not doing.”

Mr O’Toole said: “I think what you will see today is the Executive look for bunting and birthday cards for an anniversary, but an anniversary for a year in which they have been marking time, rather than making progress.

“People are elected to make meaningful change for the public’s lives. We haven’t seen meaningful change.

“We have been constructive for the past year, where there has been progress we’ve acknowledged it, for example, on childcare.

“But in a whole range of areas the Executive has failed, repeatedly and consistently to deliver.

“Not just on big ambitious things but on the plans they have set out.”

Mr O’Toole pointed out that the programme for government was still not in final form and said there was no plan for dealing with crises in the health service or wastewater infrastructure.

He added: “We aren’t being unrealistically negative, we are simply speaking for the public in Northern Ireland who deserve better than this.”