14 October 2025
SDLP Leader of the Opposition Matthew O'Toole MLA has said Sinn Féin's decision to abstain on an SDLP motion calling for the publication of an Executive Investment Strategy, despite holding all the economic portfolios at Stormont, exposes a lack of leadership and seriousness about the economic future of the North.
The motion, brought forward by the SDLP as part of Opposition Day business, called for the immediate publication of a credible Executive Investment Strategy with clear timelines, delivery milestones and real accountability.
O'Toole said that without such a plan, Northern Ireland's economy will continue to fall behind while major projects are delayed, and investor confidence is undermined.
Matthew O'Toole MLA said:
"Today, the DUP voted against investment, and Sinn Féin couldn't even decide what they stood for. Together they've shown the public exactly why our economy is stagnant and why communities here are being left behind.
"After years of promises, the Executive still has no plan to guide investment or deliver major projects - and the two biggest parties in Stormont have just confirmed they're happy to keep it that way. When businesses are crying out for certainty and infrastructure is falling apart, the DUP and Sinn Féin are missing in action.
"It is particularly striking that Sinn Féin, which holds all the major levers of strategic economic policy and infrastructure delivery - finance, economy and infrastructure - can be so passive when it comes to delivering on transformational change.
"We know about the chaos over the A5, overseen by Sinn Féin ministers and the limbo facing Casement Park. But add to that the refusal to invest in waste water, deliver on cross-border energy, or assign any resources to the all-island rail review.
"For Sinn Féin, it's always someone else's fault. And today, when faced with the opportunity to either defend their record or support an SDLP call for the urgent publication of the overdue Investment Strategy, they couldn't do either."