24 February 2025

SDLP Leader of the Opposition Matthew O’Toole MLA has hit out at the repeated pattern of Executive Ministers avoiding Assembly scrutiny when issuing major announcements.

O’Toole specifically singled out the Finance Minister’s publication of next year’s draft Budget and successive monitoring rounds via written statements not Assembly statements - this avoiding answering any questions from MLAs.

The SDLP Opposition Leader welcomed Speaker Poots’ subsequent underlining of the importance of Ministers making statements to the Assembly.

O’Toole also highlighted the Health Minister’s failure to bring the removal of core grant funding to more than 20 organisations to the Assembly for scrutiny. Other major announcements which passed without any Assembly questions this year include the civil service pay award, the delivery plan for justice reform and the 10-year tourism strategy.

On Monday itself, the AERA Minister issued a factual update on avian flu not just via written statement but with an inexplicable embargo attached.

The failure to bring these announcements to the Assembly is all the more inexplicable and indefensible given the Executive is still barely 50 per cent through its legislative programme for last year.

Matthew O’Toole MLA said:

“There is a crisis in accountability at Stormont. Ministers, from the First Minister down, want to be garlanded for turning up and engaging in photo opps – but are all too often determined to avoid accountability.

“Repeatedly Ministers make announcements deliberately timed to avoid facing questions from MLAs. But taking responsibility and demonstrating accountability is a core part of their jobs. I welcome the fact that Speaker Poots has reinforced the importance of accountability to Ministers.

“The Official Opposition is determined to provide real accountability and wont duck from that work – even if makes others uncomfortable.”