“We are now seeing the real fallout of the DUP’s arrogance and Sinn Fein’s hubris towards the political institutions. People on waiting lists suffer while those two parties switch off from the realities of Government and doing the job they were elected to do.
“This election will come at a much greater cost than the direct figures being discussed over the past few days. As we have seen today, this could cost people’s lives. When you add in ongoing uncertainty around the budget for the reform process, access to drugs and other transformation plans, and there is no other way to describe this other than catastrophic political failure.
“The DUP and Sinn Fein need to waken up to their responsibilities, which crisis or no crisis, they still have. If they don’t, the best interests of the people they represent will fall by the wayside.”