The Strangford Assembly member stated: “It would be the height of lunacy to seek to restore an Assembly and an Executive which collapsed four times in the space of just three years. What is required is reform of the Agreement to secure devolved institutions and cross-border bodies that do work, and that stand the test of time.
“People are fed up with political stagnation. But they were even more fed up with a ‘revolving-door’ Assembly which went up and down like a yo-yo.
“People want institutions where local ministers are held accountable for local policy – and they want these institutions to work properly and permanently. Despite our grave reservations about the way the Committee on devolution has been set up, the Alliance Party will seek nothing less than this.
“We want to see political institutions which provide leadership and fairness for all our people. All sides – including the two Governments who are signatories to the Agreement – must work towards a lasting deal which provides real stability, not just another round of farce and stagnation.”
ENDS