SDLP Leader of the Opposition Matthew O’Toole MLA has said the chaos and dysfunction surrounding the Executive is wasting everyone’s time at Stormont.
He was speaking after the media left a pre-arranged press conference after being left waiting for more than an hour and a half.
Journalists had gathered at Stormont Castle to hear from the First and deputy First Minister alongside Communities Minister Gordon Lyons but had been advised that the First and deputy First Ministers may not be in attendance as they had to fly to Edinburgh for tomorrow's British-Irish Council Summit.
Reporters were then advised that the press conference would be delivered by Communities Minister Gordon Lyons and Finance Minister Caoimhe Archibald but as the Ministers failed to show more than an hour and a half later than the press conference had been scheduled to begin, journalists walked out.
Mr O’Toole said it was typical of the Executive’s failure to deliver as promised.
“People across Northern Ireland will sympathise with the journalists who were left waiting at Stormont today, they too have been left waiting by this Executive who promised endless interventions before Stormont was restored and proceeded to deliver very little but warm words and public relations opportunities," he said.
“There was an expectation today that we would hear that the Executive had finally agreed on a Budget to be brought forward to the Assembly next week, instead all we are hearing is from journalists who were left waiting. This is typical of the lack of transparency, accountability and scrutiny that we have come to expect from this Executive.
“The media’s time was wasted today, in the same way that Executive parties wasted the majority of Assembly time this year discussing non-binding motions and expressing their support for various causes, without lifting a figure to do anything about them. They have not even delivered half of their announced legislative programme, that was in itself unambitious and rehashed.
“When Stormont returned there was a sense of optimism, not that things would be turned around overnight, but that there would be changes for the better. I’m sorry to say we have seen very little of that so far.”
For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our politics newsletter here.
English (United States) ·