The restoration of the executive has not “made a material difference to the lives of most ordinary people”, it has been claimed.
Assembly member Gerry Carroll added that the state of public services “has steeply declined in the past year”.
His comments come as the Stormont administration marks one year since its latest restoration.
First Minister Michelle O’Neill recently claimed the executive has a “strong record of delivery”, however, a request submitted nearly a fortnight ago to the office she shares with Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly to list its achievements over the past 12 months remains outstanding.
The Sinn Féin deputy leader’s party colleague, Sinn Féin MLA Colm Gildernew, said the executive’s “significant achievements” during the past 12 months included a strategy to tackle violence against women and girls, £25 million allocated to cut childcare costs, the opening of Belfast’s Grand Central Station, and the “economic reset of Invest NI including the £45 million allocation to local councils to tackle regional imbalance”.
“There is still much we are determined to do, including delivering Casement, the A5, more student places at Magee and the Good Jobs legislation which can improve workers’ rights and help secure better working conditions,” the Fermanagh and South Tyrone representative said.
“Through working together we can continue to build reconciliation, tackle sectarianism, misogyny and racism, build stronger public services and attract investment, creating more jobs and giving our society hope, prosperity and opportunity.”
DUP MLA Phillip Brett said the restoration of devolution 12 months ago was positive but that it needed to “make a difference to our citizens”.
He credited his party’s Education Minister Paul Givan with delivering a “transformation of early learning and childcare provision”, with the latter ensuring savings for parents of up to £165 per month.
“Only last week we have also levelled the playing field in housing selection and ensured that the victims of all forms of violence, harassment or trauma are treated equally within the housing system,” the North Belfast representative said.
“These, and many other achievements represent significant progress, but there is much more we want to achieve in coming years.”
UUP deputy leader Robbie Butler said that while the executive’s return was widely welcomed, he added that it “would have a long way to go to recover any semblance of credibility or stability”.
“The fact that for five of the last eight years there has been no functioning executive, has measurably made creaking public services much worse,” he said.
“Whilst we cannot fix everything, its essential that we start to deliver tangible and meaningful change for better and in everyone’s best interest to make Northern Ireland work for all.”
Opposition leader Matthew O’Toole welcomed progress in areas such as childcare but added: “Ministers cannot expect to be garlanded for having the decency to remain in office.
“Being there and marking time isn’t enough – the public deserve proper delivery, not least on rescuing our health service and investing in our creaking infrastructure.”
On Saturday in The Irish News, agriculture minister Andrew Muir said getting progress on some things in the executive “feels like walking through treacle”.
He said relations between ministers are “very good and respectful” but that the executive needs to be “more agile” and “able to move at a faster pace”.
People Before Profit MLA Gerry Carroll said the restoration of the executive hadn’t “made a material difference to the lives of most ordinary people” and he claimed the state of public services “has steeply declined in the past year”.
“The publication of a draft programme for government was hailed as a major achievement, rather than what it was - the bare minimum that should be expected of a functional government,” he said.
