The claim by Stormont’s leaders that the executive has delivered “huge advances” for people since its restoration a year ago has been challenged by the Opposition.
First Minister Michelle O’Neill and Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly have defended their administration’s record over the past 12 months, stressing that ministers from the four executive parties are working together to improve public services.
Ms O’Neill said the administration had “built very strong foundations” and that all ministers were “trying to deliver”.
The first minister said there had been progress in terms of growing the economy and increasing prosperity.
“We have made huge advances in the area of childcare, the A5, infrastructure development,” she said
“I think we have something to say in terms of what we have tried to do to make a difference to people’s lives.”
Ms Little-Pengelly said there was a recognition that many challenges lie ahead.
“I think that the executive recognises that while work has been done, there is much more to be done and the big issues, such as tackling health waiting lists, in terms of driving forward even more advancement on the delivery of an affordable childcare strategy, dealing with issues such as NI Water, infrastructure,” she said.
Asked about the stability of the institutions, which have collapsed twice in the past decade, Ms O’Neill said she was “going nowhere” but she conceded that the executive’s work could be “challenging”.
Ms Little-Pengelly added: “The best way to create stability for this place is by ensuring we work with consensus.”
But the SDLP, the assembly’s official Opposition, said people “deserve better” than a power-sharing executive which has “failed repeatedly”.
Party leader Claire Hanna said she 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”.
“It is important that we are not just marking time but marking progress as well and meaningfully changing people’s lives,” the South Belfast & Mid Down MP said.
Opposition leader Matthew O’Toole said people were elected to make meaningful change to the public’s lives but that that wasn’t as yet apparent.
He 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.
