Alliance MLA Stewart Dickson has said a plea from leading business groups for the Secretary of State to put in place measures in the absence of devolution reflect Alliance proposals to return power-sharing.
A letter from organisations including the CBI, Manufacturing NI, Retail NI and the Freight Transport Association among others to Karen Bradley said ‘special legislative measures’ should be set up to allow important decisions to be taken, including re-establishing Assembly committees.
“Alliance’s Next Steps Forward proposals contain several suggestions which are designed to break the deadlock around power-sharing. One of the key aspects was the re-establishment of Assembly Committees to provide democratic oversight and accountability while efforts to restore Stormont fully continue in parallel,” said Mr Dickson.
“By taking onboard the party’s suggestions, the Secretary of State can help re-inject momentum into the process, particularly as we head into the summer months and with Brexit negotiations ramp up. Northern Ireland finds itself in a challenging situation and the lack of democratic accountability is now having a severe impact, particularly following planning permission being refused for the incinerator in Mallusk.
“Alliance’s proposals, now reflected by leading business voices, represent a positive step forward towards restoring a fully functional and effective Assembly. I would encourage the business organisations to also put pressure on the DUP and Sinn Féin, to illustrate their frustration with them creating this impasse and outlining why we need to rebuild relationships and allow our society to deliver for everyone.”