Sinn Fein ministers using austerity as ‘alibi’ for delivery failure – O’Toole

Sinn Fein ministers are using UK Government austerity as an “alibi” for failing to deliver, Matthew O’Toole has told the Assembly.

The SDLP Opposition leader said one Stormont department had claimed in written answers more than 200 times that austerity had impacted on small and medium-sized projects.

Mr O’Toole used the final Opposition Day of the year at the Assembly to bring a motion calling for the Finance Minister John O’Toole to introduce a draft multi-year budget before December 9.

Mr O’Dowd told the Assembly that the multi-year budget was one of the most important decisions the Executive and Assembly would have to make in its current mandate and it was important to get it right.

Mr O’Toole said the Budget delivered at Westminster this week by Chancellor Rachel Reeves would have a “huge impact” on citizens in Northern Ireland.

He added: “But none of that absolves us from using the power at our disposal to make real changes or to seek new fiscal powers to deliver for our people.”

Mr O’Toole accused Mr O’Dowd of being “pathologically cautious” about acting on recommendations for new fiscal powers for the region.

He added: “The term austerity has been shamefully turned into a cliche by politicians, particularly Sinn Fein ministers who have trivialised it by using it as an alibi for a bewildering array of delivery failures.

“This is especially true of the minister’s former department, infrastructure.

“Since last February, according to written answers, austerity has been responsible for more than 200 small and medium sized things.

“It has been responsible for, among other things, the failure to build a park and ride in Comber; that was austerity.

“No Ballykelly bypass? That was austerity. Resurfacing the Crawfordsburn Road in Bangor? That was austerity too.

“The dial-a-lift community transport service not working? That was austerity.

“Just before I got to my feet I got an email answer from the Infrastructure Department telling me that a street in my constituency was not being resurfaced because of, you guessed it, austerity.

“These are all victims of austerity apparently rather than ministerial choices and priorities.”

Mr O’Toole said Sinn Fein was “happy to let London or the DUP take the blame while this place struggles”.

He added: “The case for raising more local revenue and taking more fiscal powers locally is more than made, it is overwhelming.

“The biggest obstacle, as well as the Treasury to doing it is cynicism from a public here which have lost all faith in the ability or willingness of local leaders to take responsibility.”

Mr O’Dowd told MLAs he had consistently outlined his intention to bring forward a multi-year budget.

He said: “As the motion rightly acknowledges, the Chancellor’s autumn Budget may have an impact on the Executive’s budget.

“It is therefore only right and proper that I await the outcome of this before I bring the multi-year budget forward to the Executive.”

He said the multi-year budget would be the first in Northern Ireland in a decade.

The minister added: “Multi-year budgets will shape the future of our public services for years to come.

“This will be one of the biggest decisions the Executive and this Assembly will make between now and the end of the mandate and it is important we get it right.”